42 replies to this topic

[Vetinary]

Quote

This is true, until the highlighted part, there is malware out there capable of installing on basic user profiles, and just waiting for a process to run that uses admin rights, and piggy backing on that.

Well, you can't really say "this is true, but not that" about a quoted experience, since it did happen that way.
But yes, I never denied, that some malware will be able to get through the simple user setup. But it is less likely, than running as admin all the time. If you run as admin, all malware, the one that need admin rights, and the one that doesn't, will get to you. If you are running as simple user, only the malware that does not need admin rights, or is able to get it through piggy backing is getting to you.

Quote

There is nothing naive about running as admin, there are basic maintenance principles that only the dumb do not follow.

I don't get this. Give me one reason (other than convenience) to run as admin. Just one. What are the maintenance principles you are talking about? If you need admin rights, you get the UAC prompt. Why would you run as admin all the time?
Firefox needs an update? UAC prompt! Adobe needs an update? UAC prompt! MWO does not need anything? UAC prompt!
I would not point out the issue, if MWO would ask for admin rights, if there was an update available. That would be the appropriate behaviour.

Edit:
And lets not forget, I did not know, that the UAC prompt is triggered because of MWO update behaviour. I asked, why it was triggered and received a lot of flaming, before someone actually answered me.

Edited by Vetinary, 29 July 2013 - 02:16 AM.

[warner2]

William Rahn, on 28 July 2013 - 03:13 PM, said:

Yes, it is just me assuming that everyone magically knows what I meant to say...

The file you have to run with -nopatch is MWOclient.exe.

This is helpful, thanks, I'll probably run MWO like this with no admin rights from now on. I know when they release a patch so can run the full client on those occasions.

Viper Centurion, on 28 July 2013 - 07:46 AM, said:

You're being told by players that been playing MWO since closed beta and that's almost 2 years ago
And you just denied every answer and said ******** to him, what a piece of **** new player you are

This thread is not worth everybody time to help you in your problem and now i'm getting out of here and SCRAM

P.S : This game had some know issues, like broken exe after each session, can't install it again after uninstalling (which result in the users have to reinstall the windows), and your own problem, so how about listen to old timers

This is not helpful. Not even a little.

[MarkEwer]

wow, this turned ugly. putting that aside, I think I can answer the original question. MWO writes files under its install directory during startup. writing to program files folder is an admin function. Devs, if you are listening, move these to %appdata% and this issue goes away.

Note, MWO will still need admin rights to install a patch, and it should. Installing new software components should be admin only.

Edited by MarkEwer, 29 July 2013 - 06:26 AM.

[Oderint dum Metuant]

MarkEwer, on 29 July 2013 - 06:21 AM, said:

wow, this turned ugly. putting that aside, I think I can answer the original question. MWO writes files under its install directory during startup. writing to program files folder is an admin function. Devs, if you are listening, move these to %appdata% and this issue goes away.

Note, MWO will still need admin rights to install a patch, and it should. Installing new software components should be admin only.

It's been awhile since i reinstalled, but MWO installs into a Games folder, outside of program files.

[Ryvucz]

The best way to prevent anyone or anything from accessing something on your computer, is to unplug it from the internet and remove any wireless NIC capabilities, including but not limited to, blue tooth and WiFi.

[Haakon Magnusson]

Wow, talk about hostile reception into a question about why mwo runs as admin.

[Ryvucz]

Haakon Magnusson, on 29 July 2013 - 10:13 AM, said:

Wow, talk about hostile reception into a question about why mwo runs as admin.

Contacting Support with the question is a better way to go than Forums.

Lest they come off as wanting attention in any way shape or form, especially when the question writer refuses to accept any answer that has been given.

[Haakon Magnusson]

Ryvucz, on 30 July 2013 - 07:27 AM, said:

Contacting Support with the question is a better way to go than Forums.

Well, don't agree, didn't like mwo needing admin permissions either.
A helpful reply to this post conveniently gave me the nopatch command parameter and solved my shared gaming pc annoyance.

Funny enough other games manage patch themselves quite fine without admin permissions. (And yes, some of us may have reasons for not running as admin)

[Oderint dum Metuant]

Ryvucz, on 30 July 2013 - 07:27 AM, said:

Contacting Support with the question is a better way to go than Forums.

Lest they come off as wanting attention in any way shape or form, especially when the question writer refuses to accept any answer that has been given.

Support would probably tell you the game needs admin rights, because the sky is green.

[Moses Lanknau]

Haakon Magnusson, on 31 July 2013 - 02:02 AM, said:

Funny enough other games manage patch themselves quite fine without admin permissions. (And yes, some of us may have reasons for not running as admin)

thats the point, why can mwo not behave like other software, even games from pre uac aera doenst require admin rights when they are installed in non system folders ... u may think mwo wants to do more than other software is doing, like compromising other software on your machine or the machine itself, with adminstrator rights given this is a peace of cake, right!?!

sorry for the bump but iam just reinstalling my machine and struggle again with installing mwo for this reason.

Edited by CSR Moses Lanknau, 25 January 2014 - 01:13 AM.

[Modo44]

The game installs in a system-protected folder. The system sees libraries and tries to protect them... from the game itself. MS engineering at its best.

[Grey Death Storm]

Viper Centurion, on 28 July 2013 - 07:46 AM, said:

You're being told by players that been playing MWO since closed beta and that's almost 2 years ago
And you just denied every answer and said ******** to him, what a piece of **** new player you are

This thread is not worth everybody time to help you in your problem and now i'm getting out of here and SCRAM

P.S : This game had some know issues, like broken exe after each session, can't install it again after uninstalling (which result in the users have to reinstall the windows), and your own problem, so how about listen to old timers

Hey this kind of talk is not helping there is know need to speak to the guy in that tone calm down I suspect he is a Linux user who has probably just moved onto windows 7

[Grey Death Storm]

Vetinary, on 28 July 2013 - 04:38 AM, said:

So why does MWO need administration rights?

I run my Windows as simple "User" so that no unwanted Software may install itself, or get more rights than I want to. This is the standard on Linux based systems and a pretty save way to run your Windows.

To install software like MWO I need to type in my administration password that's the way it should be. But why the hell do I need to type it in every time, I start the game? Any Software should only run with basic rights, so that there is no hole in the security. Why does MWO need administrative rights on my Computer, what is it doing?

Not only am I worried about, what MWO is doing with these rights on my computer, but also am I worried about the security risk, of letting any software run with administrative rights, due to the fact, that MWO is communicating over the internet and thereby a possible back door to my system. These rights should only be given, if there is a special task to do, like giving your System Control the rights to mess with your hard drive setup. These are not rights, I need MWO to have!

Hi Vetinary

Just to reassure you Mechwarrior online will not harm your computer, I get same kind thing with the Admin permissions happening to me as well don't worry about it. however i don't need enter a password every time it must be something you have set up .

It just Windows 7 being paranoid there should be away to turn it of cant remember top of my head how turn it off

here check this link out url http://windows.micro...f#1TC=windows-7 (instructions are at the bottom webpage)

PS you can access UAC by clicking on window start menu and entering UAC -(User Account Control settings[color=#454545].) in search box at the bottom hit return and UAC dialog box will appear follow the instructions in the link , Please note this will turn off UAC completely[/color]

Edited by Death Storm, 25 January 2014 - 03:39 AM.

[Moses Lanknau]

Modo44, on 25 January 2014 - 01:43 AM, said:

The game installs in a system-protected folder. The system sees libraries and tries to protect them... from the game itself. MS engineering at its best.

but it also happens when its not installed in any system folder, and other game launcher/patcher, even from small indie games dont suffer this strange behavior, even within system folders ... so i gonna think its not ms-securety that screw things up ... its the mwo patcher itselve that does something wrong!

Edited by CSR Moses Lanknau, 25 January 2014 - 12:57 PM.

[NocturnalBeast]

The amount of ignorance in this thread is astounding. Most likely your are not logged into Windows as an Admin, pure and simple. There is no conspiracy, PGI did not screw up, you just need some basic computer training.

[Barbaric Soul]

Quote

I don't get this. Give me one reason (other than convenience) to run as admin. Just one.

I can answer that question. Because honestly, when I tell my computer to do something, it needs to do it, not ask me if I am sure I want it to do what I just told it to do. That is one of the most annoying things in using a computer IMHO.

[Moses Lanknau]

Ed Steele, on 25 January 2014 - 01:08 PM, said:

The amount of ignorance in this thread is astounding. Most likely your are not logged into Windows as an Admin, pure and simple. There is no conspiracy, PGI did not screw up, you just need some basic computer training.

1st you shouldnt logged ion as admin for no purpose, and playing a game isnt a valid one.

2nd deactivating uac isnt a valid option, if the machine isnt only there for playing mwo.

3rd iam sure mwo launcher can behave like other software, without losing functionality to the user, its just a matter of wanting that.

[cSand]

Vetinary, on 29 July 2013 - 02:10 AM, said:

If you run as admin, all malware, the one that need admin rights, and the one that doesn't, will get to you.

And how does malware get on your computer?

Hint: It doesn't just "come from the internet" while you're sleeping

[Chaldon]

I am also logged into my computer as a simple user and can play any game with out adding my Admin Account Password. That is except Mechwarrior Online. It wants the password every time.

Super annoying because I use a complex password for the admin account.

PS interesting to note that picture links are blocked from support tick urls or urls from gmail picture tabs. I had to move them to a public folder in Dropbox.

edit. I don't know how to check programs for security. I just know MWO can be doing anything it wants while it is running because I entered that password. Now that I think about it, <trumpets> from this point forward, I will refuse to do any banking or online shopping while MWO is open and I am tabbed out and web surfing.

Edited by Chaldon, 27 October 2014 - 09:55 PM.

[Flapdrol]

You can run without admin rights.

Game must be installed outside program files (in a folder where you can write without admin rights).

shortcut to mwoclient.exe with -nopatch added to "target" under properties.

Modern games save their screenshots, savegames, settings etc to a folder in documents, but for some reason piranha opted for saving everything in the game dir.