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jhuber
Level 2

How to prevent Installer from making some shortcuts "Run as Administrator"

Hello!

I am using IS 2015 LE to create an installer for a variety of different files, including executables, some Excel spreadsheets, and html pages. The executable files are created by NetBeans. The installer works fine, except for the following behavior with a created shortcut that I don't understand.

NetBeans creates 2 executables: myapp.exe, which is 32-bit, and myapp64.exe, which is 64-bit. I am creating non-advertised shortcuts for these two files. The shortcut for myapp64.exe is created as a "Run as Administrator" shortcut, where the little shield is embedded in the shortcut icon, and double clicking the icon brings up the typical prompt window when trying to run an app as administrator. When looking at the Compatibility tab in the shortcut properties, "Run this program as an administrator" has been checked for all users.

The shortcut for myapp.exe is "normal". It can be run as administrator from the right-click context menu, but it is not forced to do so because "Run this program as an administrator" is not checked on the Compatibility tab.

I would like for both shortcuts to be created as "normal", to avoid the annoying prompt window, but I can't figure out why the shortcut for myapp64.exe is created as a "Run as Administrator" shortcut. I checked myapp64.exe with the MT tool, but there is no manifest, and the properties for myapp64.exe do not require admin privileges anywhere that I can find. I can't find any IS settings that would make the shortcut "Run as administrator". I have deleted and re-created the shortcut in the installer project, but that doesn't solve the problem. If I manually modify the shortcut for myapp64.exe after installation to uncheck "Run this program as an administrator", the app runs fine.

Any ideas what is going on, or how to prevent the myapp64.exe shortcut from being created to run as an administrator?

Thanks!
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(1) Reply
NameTooShort
Level 7 Flexeran
Level 7 Flexeran

I do not believe this is a functionality of InstallShield. In fact, there is an open enhancement to add the option to run shortcuts with elevated privilege.
Does the exe the shortcut is launching requires admin access via embedded manifest?
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