Question Right Click Installing

[very_452001]

Hello,

What is the difference between a Right click installer>Run as Administrator compared to a normal double click to open/install if your already an Administrator in a Local Account?

If the app/software/program is not open-source and if there is a vulnerability in the app and the app was installed as run as administrator for example then will this vulnerability due to its run as administrator extra privileges wont be seen as a potential security threat by windows security or 3rd party security app because the app had admin priority?

Do you guys use right click run as administrator install for every program/app you download or what types of apps/programs are suitable for you to use right click install for?

Cheers,

 

[hotaru.hino]

By default Windows executes all applications with standard user permissions, even with admin accounts. This is to prevent apps from mucking with the system if they're either buggy or malware. Installers typically require admin privileges to run, since they either write to a protected space (e.g, C:\Program Files) or do other system wide changes. As long as the installer brought up the UAC prompt, it's running with admin privileges.

Some installers don't however, so they need to be launched with "Run as administrator" to actually install.

Also some installers only install the app to the user's profile. Chrome and Electron based apps (like Discord and Visual Studio Code) do this.

 

[very_452001]

Okay for a average typical day to day installs do you advise to install via standard user permissions or install as run as administrator?

Installers typically require admin privileges to run, since they either write to a protected space (e.g, C:\Program Files) or do other system wide changes

You mean all installers that is whether standard or admin require admin privileges anyway to write to those destination paths?

As long as the installer brought up the UAC prompt, it's running with admin privileges.

So If I click on Yes or Agree to the UAC prompt on screen then its the same as right clicking run as administrator because I allowed it in UAC?

Lastly lets say for example I installed Adobe software via standard and as administrator, will there be differences of the running/features between both install methods or both will be identical no differences?

 

[USAFRet]

Lastly lets say for example I installed Adobe software via standard and as administrator, will there be differences of the running/features between both install methods or both will be identical no differences?

Identical.
It is the same install.

Saying Yes to the UAC is simply giving permission for it to install. This step prevents some random (malicious) software from installing itself.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Okay for a average typical day to day installs do you advise to install via standard user permissions or install as run as administrator?


You mean all installers that is whether standard or admin require admin privileges anyway to write to those destination paths?



So If I click on Yes or Agree to the UAC prompt on screen then its the same as right clicking run as administrator because I allowed it in UAC?

Lastly lets say for example I installed Adobe software via standard and as administrator, will there be differences of the running/features between both install methods or both will be identical no differences?

I realized my post didn't clear things up.

When you launch an installer normally, it runs with standard user permissions up to a point, which it realizes it needs admin privileges. It'll bring up the UAC prompt to grant this. If you accept the prompt, the installer runs with admin privileges from there.

If you use "Run as administrator", this brings up the UAC prompt from the get go and the installer runs with admin privileges from there. There's no difference between the two. It's just when the installer was given admin privileges.

But there's no need to use the "Run as administrator" option unless the installer didn't bring up the UAC prompt and aborted because it couldn't install.