I'm using XP but someone thinks security policy is like Vista

[Felecha]

Im a test engineer and saw something odd, where the app could not write to the install area of the product. I emailed with another engineer who thought maybe on my Windows XP Pro box, the security policy has been set to somehow mimic Vista. The restriction I am hitting, he says, should only apply to our product if I had installed on Vista. So thats why he was wondering about security policy on my XP.

He said:

It looks like your box has applied some special security restriction which mimics Vista. The readonly security restriction exists only for Windows Vista or later. Vista security restriction: Programs can't write to Program Files or other protected areas. Compliance requires writing to $ALLUSERSPROFILE and $APPDATA

So - anyone know what kind of setting could it be?

 

[yinan]

That could be technically correct. Check the NTFS permissions of the programs install directory and anywhere else it is trying to write data to.

 

[Felecha]

the thing is that when I open properties for the install dir [it's just a simple C:\app] I see the Readonly checkbox checked but grayed out. When I uncheck it and go back into the Security tab and set it so all have full control, and click ok and tell it to apply to all subfolders, all that stuff, it doesnt change anything and doesnt tell me that it didnt or couldnt. Open Properties again and its all as before.

There is no NTFS tab, I know the tab you mean, it's not there

 

[yinan]

Is this XP home? It really sounds like an NTFS permissions issue.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: Felecha
the thing is that when I open properties for the install dir [it's just a simple C:\app] I see the Readonly checkbox checked but grayed out. When I uncheck it and go back into the Security tab and set it so all have full control, and click ok and tell it to apply to all subfolders, all that stuff, it doesnt change anything and doesnt tell me that it didnt or couldnt. Open Properties again and its all as before.

There is no NTFS tab, I know the tab you mean, it's not there

A couple notes:

a) The read-only checkbox on directories doesnt indicate if the directory is read-only, that only applies to files. You should really know that so google a bit on it.

b) Toggle the state of simple file sharing, that should get you the NTFS permissions box

c) He's right about Vista, but you already stated your not installing into c:\Program Files like you should be. Your installing (wrongly) to c:\app Your probably inheriting permissions from the root.

d) Don't write to your app area, write to appdata or the allusersprofile. Buggy apps suck.

 

[mechBgon]

Yeah, whatever app you're writing, make sure it will function under a non-Admin user account on WinXP. Which means you don't go assuming you've got full permissions to the Program Files or Windows directories, for starters.