Windows XP Pro - how to prevent users from installing software?

[MDesigner]

I could've sworn there was a local policy for this, but I can't find it.. how do you prevent a particular user or users from installing software? I don't want to make them non-admins, because WinXP multi-user support is a joke, and so many applications write to the system directories. If you make someone a normal user, some basic apps will fail when the user runs them, because the app wants to write to a data file in \Windows, for example.

Any suggestions?

 

[Rotax]

should be able to just take away admin privledges?

 

[Smilin]

Preventing someone from doing something on your computer AND keeping them as an Admin are mutually exclusive. In the most extreme case you can set a policy preventing them from doing something and they can simply reset your password, log on as you and do it anyway.

You may want to address the problems with your basic apps failing to run when they are a non-admin instead.

What kind of apps are they having trouble with?

 

[LiLithTecH]

When say "WinXP multi-user support is a joke" are you speaking of
multi-user APPS or multiple user PC's?

 

[mikecel79]

I don't want to make them non-admins, because WinXP multi-user support is a joke, and so many applications write to the system directories.

No it's piss poor written applications that are the joke. It's not Microsoft's fault that an application is trying to write information to where it does not have permissions. That's what temp directories are for.

There's a policy to disable the Microsoft Installer but that won't work for all applications. Not everyone uses the Microsoft Installer. Even if you change that and they are an admin on the machine they can just enable the setting again.

 

[dmurray14]

Why don't you make them normal users then grant them Power User priveleges on the machine they use most?