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Neverwinter Nights series[NWN1] Run with no admin privileges?(15 posts)(15 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted January 15, 2017
Title says it all. How to run NWN1 with no admin privileges? In particular: remove the shield icon.
No posts in this topic were marked as the solution yet. If you can help, add your reply
Posted January 16, 2017
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DivisionByZero.620: How to run NWN1 with no admin privileges? In particular: remove the shield icon.
It needs to run as administrator on newer operating systems.
To remove the shield from the icon.
Right click on the icon , then properties
Change Icon
Just select the current icon and click OK (you need to do this or you will lose your icon)
Now before you close the properties window, add
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c start "" to the start of the Target line and then a space before what is already there.
Then Apply.
The pic shows MassEffect because I haven't got NWN1 on this computer yet, but it's the same for any program that needs administrator privileges.
Attachments:
removeshield.jpg (133 Kb)
Posted January 16, 2017
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olnorton: -snip-
That isn't what I wanted. I would like to run the game with standard privileges.

In fact, it's downright dangerous to give an interactive online program (online game, instant messaging, ...) with an unverified/unsigned server admin privileges because if there was a vulnerability found in the game, it could allow another player or the server to remotely control your computer with admin privileges.
Posted January 16, 2017
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DivisionByZero.620: That isn't what I wanted. I would like to run the game with standard privileges.
Then perhaps you shouldn't have added "In particular: remove the shield icon"
Then I wouldn't have wasted my time.
Posted January 16, 2017
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DivisionByZero.620: In fact, it's downright dangerous to give an interactive online program (online game, instant messaging, ...) with an unverified/unsigned server admin privileges because if there was a vulnerability found in the game, it could allow another player or the server to remotely control your computer with admin privileges.
Yes it would be risky, if the game was pretty much an unknown item, that you stole from some pirate web site.

But NWN is one the most well known RPGs that has been around for over a decade, from a reputable manufacturer, and being sold by a reputable distributor.

No such issues exist.

Don't you have anything better to do than sling mindless FUD at NWN?

You are the guy who has no understanding of Statistics, that went on huge misinformed rant about rigged D20's after seeing a few low rolls together.
Posted January 16, 2017
I have a way to do what he wants.

Uninstall NWN from your current OS to avoid conflicts in the registry. Install Win98 (WinXP should work as well) on a separate partition and install NWN on that partition. WinVista was the first version that decided to use admin control to run apps and all consumer versions of Windows now use it. Period.
Posted January 16, 2017
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PeterScott: But NWN is one the most well known RPGs that has been around for over a decade, from a reputable manufacturer, and being sold by a reputable distributor.

No such issues exist.
I wouldn't be so sure about that.

Consider that Super Mario Bros. 3 has been around for much longer than Neverwinter Nights, and there is a known arbitrary code execution flaw in that game.

Early Pokemon games also have such flaws, including at least one that can be exploited over a link cable; you could attempt to trade with a clever friend, and have your game boy taken over.

Even well-known software has security vulnerabilities discovered all the time.

Anyway, my suggestion would be to run the game on WINE under Linux, which does not need admin or root privileges.
Posted January 17, 2017
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PeterScott: You are the guy who has no understanding of Statistics, that went on huge misinformed rant about rigged D20's after seeing a few low rolls together.
Do you have anything better to do than sling mud at me? I'm sorry you rolled a 1 on your intelligence ability score, now move on and quit trolling.
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PeterScott: NWN is one the most well known RPGs that has been around for over a decade, from a reputable manufacturer, and being sold by a reputable distributor.
No such issues exist.
You're naive. There are plenty of well-used and legitimate software products out there for which critical flaws (on par with your trolling attempts) get found 10 years later. In some cases, they never get patched, leaving the end-user open.

Even reputable manufacturers and vendors screw up. No one's perfect. There's no way to audit what's actually in NWN.

As a general rule, programs with admin privileges should be disconnected from the network (both Internet and LAN) whenever possible, and only connected when they need to. They should only connect to verified, authorized servers.

dtgreene's post (#7) gives examples of widely popular Nintendo games with such flaws allowing remote takeover of a device. Popular != immune to remote takeover.

The main problem isn't on NWN, instead I would blame Microsoft for removing the option to run any program with only standard privileges. 2 years earlier, I found this incredibly moronic "feature" in Windows Vista/7 called "Installer Detection" which scans program descriptions for various terms and requires they be run as administrator if those terms are found. Forcing people to run programs as administrator only risks compromising their computers.

Currently I'm leaning towards dtgreene's suggestion - running NWN on Wine in Linux.
Posted January 17, 2017
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DivisionByZero.620: Do you have anything better to do than sling mud at me? I'm sorry you rolled a 1 on your intelligence ability score, now move on and quit trolling.
I am here helping legitimate posters. You are the one posting trolling rants about Rigged D20s, Rigged treasure tables and now absurd paranoid FUD about people taking over your computer through NWN.
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DivisionByZero.620: Currently I'm leaning towards dtgreene's suggestion - running NWN on Wine in Linux.
Yeah, do that.

Of course if you weren't an imbecile troll, you would realize there is a much simpler way to assuage your absurd paranoia about people taking over your computer with NWN.
Post edited January 17, 2017 by PeterScott
Posted January 18, 2017
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DivisionByZero.620: Title says it all. How to run NWN1 with no admin privileges? In particular: remove the shield icon.
Long long ago before you were in diapers computers existed.
There was no admin or useraccounts on these personal computers.

And millions of people that didn't download porn and illegal software didn't get viruses.
Posted October 04, 2018
The reason it needs to run with admin rights is because it requires to do stuff with requires elevated access.
Pretty much all games did this up until Vista (some beyond).

Why it worked without UAC prompt before Vista was simply because then you had to run as admin ALL the time for most desktop purposes or things wouldn't work.
Posted October 12, 2018
Try this one:
https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn1/other/patch/nwn-169-multi-instance

BTW
If I remember correctly Adminrights were needed since 1.69, 1.68 wouldn't need em...1.69 runs fine was the linked mod I have been using it for ages (DM and be PC ingame on the same machine)
Post edited October 12, 2018 by passionata
Posted October 12, 2018
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passionata: Try this one:
https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn1/other/patch/nwn-169-multi-instance

BTW
If I remember correctly Adminrights were needed since 1.69, 1.68 wouldn't need em...1.69 runs fine was the linked mod I have been using it for ages (DM and be PC ingame on the same machine)
This has nothing to do with the version of NWN (1.69 is same as 1.68 in this regard). It has to do with the fact that NWN was created for Win XP, and XP programs running in XP have all the permissions they need to do mundane tasks like opening / creating files which is NOT the case starting with Vista. It has always been the case that if you run NWN using Vista or later version of Windows, you had to give it administrator privs.
Posted October 12, 2018
I haven't played NWN in years, but the last time I spent time with it I was able to play without admin rights by granting all users (though a specific user could be chosen instead) to two locations:

* Installation directory
* HKLM\SOFTWARE\BioWare\NWN

I opted for an easy change and recursively made the change from those top levels down.

With sufficient time and patience you could probably use Process Monitor (from the Sysinternals suite) to capture the specific "Access Denied" messages that would indicate where permissions need to be adjusted to play without admin rights.
Posted October 13, 2018
This has all todo with 1.69! Memory served me well and I am back to actually prove it!

(They likely put it in because of UAC in the Longhorn betas and because of the default installationpath BUT it wasn't needed if the game was installed in a path where the user had full rights)

You might ask yourselves why it seems to be so important to me to clarify this:
I am not fond off all the threads across all media (not only in these forums) which claim you need adminrights when you don't need em!

Offtopic:
Alot of services do not need adminrights for most of the stuff they do, take Uplay for example:
It only needs adminrights to install the games and their dependencies not to actually play a game BUT Uplay will ALWAYS ask for adminrights (read: they always want to become the gods of my machine) with no need (read: right!)...
Attachments:
nwn_uac.jpg (131 Kb)
Post edited October 13, 2018 by passionata
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Neverwinter Nights series[NWN1] Run with no admin privileges?(15 posts)(15 posts)
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