Win2K - a few questions

[Draggar]

My company has been upgrading form Win95 to Win2K. Concidering what the techs do, we need to be able to install and uninstall software at will, for testing purposes.

They are not giving us admin rights, so we will not be able to do this, along with be a basic tech in the store, and other issues will occur with this.

Is there any way to install software onto a pc without admin rights? Do you know if I'll be able to install software off the web without it?

This is not going to be fun...

Thank you.

[gutted]

A lot of newer software will be fine. But much of the older (what MS call "legacy" software) needs to write to HKLM part of regsitry. The software I support does this, for instance and it's a pain in the *** trying to get sys admins to either give users full admin rights on their desktop machines (not good) or get them to go round an individually install onto user machines (not good either).

I think you need full admin rights to write to HKLM. If you're supporting softare that writes here you might have problems.

Can't you knock together a couple of test machines (on which you have full access) to simulate customer environments...?

[Draggar]

I'm a cel phone tech. But we need some software to hook up to the phones (to print out phonebooks etc...) most of the software we will use is WIn95/98/ME/2K compatable, that is no problem, but the other PCs have no access to the hdd, and cannot install stuff on them.

[PuterGeekGirl]

Power users rights will let you install some things, moreso than just a regular user rights.

So let me get this straight...you are the tech, but they are NOT giving you admin rights over the machine???

That in itself is MESSED up if you are the one that will be working on them.

GOOD LUCK!

[Cave_Dweller]

We got around that by creating a group in the domain for the techs and adding that group to the local admin group on each pc. Techs then have local admin rights, but not domain admin.

[HIESLanMan]

I think Cave_Dweller probably has the best approach. The Sysadmins probably don't care about your rights on your own machines, they just don't want to give rights on the network. They'll probably give you local admin, and you can use those machines for your work. They might be more receptive, though, if you bought them a couple beers first I know I would!

[Gabriel]

[quote]Originally posted by PuterGeekGirl:
<strong>
So let me get this straight...you are the tech, but they are NOT giving you admin rights over the machine???</strong><hr></blockquote>
This might be comfusing for some Corporate/ Domain Level Admins...
They do not want to give DOMAIN admin rights.
They should give LOCAL MACHINE Admin rights on each of the system at hand (which makes them a lot of trouble...
The other issue with Domain admins (I know - I'm One...) that they fear that a tech will install an application/Service that will breach Domain Security (long shot - But I've seen it happen).

Overall the argument can be resolved by talking with Higher hirerchy (BOSS) and explainig the situation well and clear.

In my experience it usually works.

Draggar,
I wish you good Luck
Gabriel

[+Daemon+]

I would not install anything without admin rights, users do that here al lthe time and wonder why there systems are missed up. Just have them creat a account and have everyone who needs it use it. Thats what we do here at my work.

[PuterGeekGirl]

Yeah the local admin rights things will work....I must be in kinda a different enviornment. They give us techs here (ok, all 2 of us) domain admins...

[Draggar]

I just found out, its being installed tomorrow. Out large service center in NYC is having nothing but problems.

I'll start to cry tonight.

[Lowland]

Or you could grant the users install rights on the local machine (create the group and assign rights on the local machine). The built-in Power users group should do (not the domian group, the local group

Then, at log on, press (options) and select the local machine to log on to, install the software.

The local machine will accept this as long as it is logged on to, not the domain. Users can then log on to the domain, and domain security will override the local policies.

Be careful when using this workaround. You need to understand the difference between local and domian policies, and not get the two mixed up. However, W2K does make this a lot easier by having the local policies and security snap-in built in under computer management.

Good luck!

[supatech]

Daggar could you be more specific in your role it sounds like you are an employee that just wants to able to install anything you want but cant now because you have 2000 and no rights,

Now if were the tech you would have access to the local admin password at the least,

If they have just granted you the default user rights you shouldn't be able to install jack,
Power Users have a little more rights but for example if you install IE 6 on 2000 and give power user rights no one can install MSN messenger, this is by default (and a big pain in our *** when we rolled out IE 6 here)

give more info and we can help you out better

[Draggar]

Unfortunatly they gave us user rights and not an inch more.

Luckily, the guy who installed it is pretty cool and stuck around for an extra 30 minutes to install some of the extra software I needed (the ones we use the most). It was a huge help.

I am not allowed to have AOLIM anymore, which I used constantly to keep in touch with other techs around the country, but they suggest using MS Netmeeting. Its nice, but nowhere as good as IM is.

We have a tester that is supposed to send results back to the corperate town (its not just an office), but that can't be shut down due to an issue of a setting not sticking and resetting back to default, which would make every phone fail the test. So, no results are going back to corperate now.

I do have write access to a folder (My Documents) which is a huge help, I did not realize I was going to be allowed that. So it isn't as bad as they made me believe it would be.

Right now, with the way things are going, it seems that Win2K is going to be the least of my problems...

Thanx for all the help / suggestions!

[ilovetheusers]

[quote]Originally posted by Draggar:
<strong>Unfortunatly they gave us user rights and not an inch more.

Luckily, the guy who installed it is pretty cool and stuck around for an extra 30 minutes to install some of the extra software I needed (the ones we use the most). It was a huge help.

I am not allowed to have AOLIM anymore, which I used constantly to keep in touch with other techs around the country, but they suggest using MS Netmeeting. Its nice, but nowhere as good as IM is.

We have a tester that is supposed to send results back to the corperate town (its not just an office), but that can't be shut down due to an issue of a setting not sticking and resetting back to default, which would make every phone fail the test. So, no results are going back to corperate now.

I do have write access to a folder (My Documents) which is a huge help, I did not realize I was going to be allowed that. So it isn't as bad as they made me believe it would be.

Right now, with the way things are going, it seems that Win2K is going to be the least of my problems...

Thanx for all the help / suggestions!</strong><hr></blockquote>

You ain't doin' squat with user rights. That blows.

[Draggar]

[quote]Originally posted by ilovetheusers:
<strong>

You ain't doin' squat with user rights. That blows.</strong><hr></blockquote>

True, and it cuts down my productivity, but I can hook phones up to it, print out phonebooks, update software in them, and manage inventory.

It could be worse. Much worse...