How to install on behalf of another user
who might have less than Administrator privileges
Option 1) Grant the user temporary Administrative privileges
Option 1 is the easiest option for a small number of users.
- Temporarily give the user Administrative privileges, then log is as the target user
This is critically important. Granting the user temporary Administrative privileges is very different from RunAs Administrator. - Complete ALL of
the installation steps (while
logged in as the user - with administrative privileges)
- Change the user back to their usual privileges
Option 2) Run the installer twice
RunAs Adminstrator requires an installation file dated March 10, 2010 or later
- Run the installer using RunAs Administrator.
- Then immediately run the installer again - this time logged in as the target user
(the target user must at least have permissions to write HKEY_LOCAL_USER registry entries. Otherwise option 1 is the only option.)
Option 3) Use a software packaging & distribution application
(such as Microsoft SCCM or SMS, or Novell ZenWorks)
Bookmark = faster
This is the easiest option for faster installation of a large number of users
Use your favorite software packaging and distribution application
(such as Microsoft SCCM, or SMS Systems Management Service)
to write a script
that can be distributed to the appropriate users for fast easy
installation the next time they log in, or perhaps even silently "pushing" the software with no user involvement.
Using an installer dated March 10, 2010 or later,
your script will usually simply run our standard Systems2winInstall exe installer twice:
- First using RunAs Administrator
- Then immediately run the same installer again - this time logged in as the target user
(the target user must at least have permissions to write HKEY_LOCAL_USER registry entries)
Tips:
- To run silently (accepting all defaults), follow the command with " /s"
- To run any special modifiers in the custom.txt file, follow the command with " /m=custom.txt"
- Example: runas /user:yourdomain\ adminstrator "systems2wininstall_v8_date.exe /s /m=custom.txt"
- Download custom.txt, then you can use Notepad to edit the following modifiers:
- LANGUAGE_IN=<Country Code> (Example: LANGUAGE_IN=34 will set the Systems2win menu to default to the Spanish language for that user. Note: All templates always default to English, unless you have personalized your master template to default to another language.)
- DESKTOP_ICONS=NO (will not install the desktop icon)
- ACTIVATE=NO (will not attempt to activate)
You might need to add one or two extra lines of code to your script if...
- Your firewall requires special proxy settings.
When you define your proxy server, a file called proxysettings.txt will be created and stored in the the folder where Systems2win is installed. Rather than manually setting the proxy server each time you install, you can write a short script to copy your unique proxysettings.txt file to the folder where Systems2win is installed. You will then need to either manually activate - or write your script to simply install twice - so that activation will happen with the second installation.
- Some of your users require a sync setup decision that is different from your default.
Simply write an alternative script that replaces the Systems2win.ini text file
Last step: Verify that the License was activated
If silent internet activation was successful, then all of the Systems2win menu items will be black.
If silent activation was not successful, (which you will know because some Systems2win menu items are gray), then you will need to manually activate the license.
Tips to make upgrades easier
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Not recommended: Do not convert our EXE installer to MSI
It might be tempting to use a snapshot capturing tool or "intent wizard" to attempt to convert our EXE file into an MSI.
Don't do it. The risk of missing some important things and including other unrelated things is too great.
Not recommended: RunAs Administrator (with old version)
We do not recommend using RunAs Administrator with an installation file dated earlier than March 10, 2010,
and remember that even with the new version, you need to run the installer twice (see instructions above),
and the user needs at least permissions to write to HKEY_LOCAL_USER registry entries.
If you have no other choice than to RunAs Administrator
Perhaps you are installing a large number of users that have only restricted user permissions,
and you want to write a script to automate the following...
Logged in as the TargetUser, someone with
Administrator privileges can Run As Administrator...
Windows XP - Hold down the Shift key as you right-click the executable file that you desire to run, then select Run as
Windows 7 or Vista - Right-click the executable file that you desire to run, then select Run as Administrator
Tip: In the hyper-secure world of Vista, if your username has Administrator rights, that just means that you have the potential to use Administrator privileges. To actually use your Administrator privileges, you often need to Run as Administrator.
With an installer dated prior to March 2010, you can not choose the default "Administrator" account from the dropdown choices. The administrator must be some actual user that has a username and password with administrative privileges.
With the newer installer, you can use the default "Administrator" account, but it's still a good idea to use an actual administrative user if you're not writing an automated script. You'll see why in a minute...
Still logged in as the TargetUser...
Download and unzip this file: EnableSystems2win_v7.reg
then double-click it to install the registry entries for the TargetUser.
These are simple Excel registry entries that usually don't require administrator privileges. They must be installed while logged in as the TargetUser.
Manually enable the Systems2win Automation Add-ins (Systems2win.Functions and VSM.Functions)
If writing an automated script, the only right way to do this is to somehow provide instructions to the user - guiding them through how to enable these 2 add-ins manually.
If you simply write the registry entries to Open and Open1 at HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Office > 12.0 (or whatever version you have installed) > Excel > Options , then that will work... but will blow away any other Excel add-in that might already be using those same registry keys. When you use our installer while logged in as the current user, our installer is intelligent enough to assign our registry entries to the next available "Open" keys - which might be Open3 and Open4. That's what installers do. But if your users are restricted from writing registry entries, then there is no way for the installer to know which CURRENT_USER you are installing for when you Run As Administrator. So there is no other safe way to handle this part of the installation other than to somehow provide the user with instructions to manually enable the automation add-ins. (And no, there is no way to automate this... other than to write directly to the registry, which you have restricted your users from doing.)
Follow the installation instructions to finish installing the Systems2winInstall exe and PDF writing software.
Perhaps bookmark this page in your browser Favorites
and remember to come back here to complete ALL of these specialinstallation steps.
IF this is a licensed user with one of the sync setup choices to use Systems2win Sync...
Do a manual sync - Systems2win menu > Setup & Upgrade > Sync Local Templates with Masters in our Portal ,
which will automatically copy all
templates from your S2winPortal to the user's default User Templates folder.
IF this is a licensed user with one of the sync setup choices for an Intranet Server or NoSync...
Then if you installed as a real user with administrative privileges (rather than the generic "Administrator")...
Log off the TargetUser, and log on as yourself (with administrative privileges)
Copy the Systems2win folder,
S2winSync folder,
Systems2win Help.xls,
and any Trial files
from your own AdministratorUserName
default User Templates folder
to the
TargetUser
default User Templates folder
Log back in as the TargetUser
If you are installing as the generic default "Administrator", then...
Copy the Systems2win folder, S2winSync folder, Systems2win Help.xls,
and any Trial files
from any other successfully-installed user's UserName default User Templates folder
to the TargetUser default User Templates folder
If you are writing an automated script, you will either need to incorporate some way to ascertain who the target user is, and then copy these files to their default User Templates folder,
or you will need to write a script to change the
default User Templates folderto a known location that is always used for every user.
Or perhaps you want your users to always use the portal as their only way to access your templates
And then you would not do anything. When your users select Systems2win menu > Open a New Template, the templates simply won't be there.
Logged in as the TargetUser - test to make sure everything is working
None of the Systems2win menu items are grey - which means that the license is successfully activated.
If some menu items are grey, then first try closing and restarting Excel.
If still grey, then you need to manually activate.
All 4 Systems2win Add-ins are checked
In Tools > Addins, you should see checkmarks for the Systems2win and VSM add-ins
Excel 2007+, select Office Button > Excel Options > Add-ins > Manage: Excel Add-ins (Go)
Open a template or two, and make sure that everything seems to be working
Or, as an alternative to all of these RunAs Administrator instructions...
Perhaps revisit IT policies - and perhaps promote some of your users to Power User privileges - so they can install our software (and undoubtedly others) with less hassle?