multi users in winxp

[carl82]

I'm not sure if these had been posted but I got a problem using avast4 home edition running on my pc with multiple users. (scanned forum 100-109 and 100-102

I'm not sure if these is just one way of enticing me to buy the pro version but when I installed it, logged as admin, in my winxp pc, it won't run on other other accounts (users in xp)

It tells me that I haven't registered yet (I have) and need to reenter the registry key/number.
It only works on the Admin account/user, but I only use that account to install sytem critical programs (e.g. firewalls, AV, drivers, etc.)

Any help would be greatly apprecieted.

[carl82]

BTW, reentering the registry key/number tells me I got it wrong...

[Lisandro]

Carl, I'm quite sure there is a thread related to this...
I read it some days ago... Could you search a little the board...
I'll try later to post if I find it...  

[carl82]

tried searching, well I'm outa luck.......... and now I'm surfing w/o any virus protection on... hope good ole firewall can get emm..... viruses always trying to insert itself....
can't think of any solution, except that problems may be caused by registry keys being different on different logins......

[Vlk]

Carl, do the other users have admin rights to the machine?

[carl82]

yep, except for one....
3 admins users and 1 limited besides the default admin and guest accounts...

[Lisandro]

yep, except for one....
3 admins users and 1 limited besides the default admin and guest accounts...

I always read that more than one administrator will bring trouble...
Do any of the users with administration rights have trouble while running avast?
Does the trouble occur only in the limited account users?

[carl82]

uh-oh... first time I heard that...... I just can't use one admin.......
well I can't check one, but the 2 admin and limited all got problems....

hmm think the problem might be avast writing the reg key on only the current user reg keys not on the machine reg keys....
I'm not sure, but copying the working admin reg key to the non working ones does not work....... maybe some values need to be changed but I'm at the limit of my skills.... so at the moment I restored it to its original values.......

[carl82]

hmm this guy have the same problem

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=5026

trying out what you suggest in your FAQ, hope I don't trash my pc hehe
 

[drahnier]

... in case you're running NTFS:

What are the access permissions in anvast! installation folders?

I once tried to lock down security in my XP Pro systems and removed the "eveyone" "full control" permissions from the Program Files" branch. This effectively caused avast! to fail updatiing for limited users. - I would suggest you make sure that "everyone" "has full control" on avast! installation folders.

(Anothe remark: I peronally think it is a very bad idea tat it is rewuired to give "evryone" "full control" to an installation folders - especiallly if it is a critical piece of software such as av).

[BlitzenZeus]

I also had this issue, my system is XP Pro with 3 accounts, the real administrator account which I never use, my user administrator account, and my limited account running on fat32 for 9x compatabilty.

I installed it on my user administrator account, and registered it.  Afterwards I logged onto my limited account, and I had to register it again.  Since I saw this thread I checked my real administrator account, and it didn't have this problem.

If there is anything I can do to help track this down let me know, I'll try to check back soon.

[drahnier]

I also had this issue, my system is XP Pro with 3 accounts, the real administrator account which I never use, my user administrator account, and my limited account running on fat32 for 9x compatabilty.

I installed it on my user administrator account, and registered it.  Afterwards I logged onto my limited account, and I had to register it again.  Since I saw this thread I checked my real administrator account, and it didn't have this problem.

If there is anything I can do to help track this down let me know, I'll try to check back soon.

FWIW: Your XP Pro setup is identical to mine, except I exclusively use NTFS (because of security reasons). I never had to re-register avast!with limited user accounts after installing it under an account with administrative rights. But - as I said in my earlier post - I did have "functionality" problems with limited users after playing with access permissions.

[Vlk]

Also, in regedit, check the ACL (access control list - i.e. the "Permissions") of the key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ALWIL Software\Avast\4.0 .

Every user that will want to log on should have at least read access to this branch. You can set it to the Everyone group.

I once tried to lock down security in my XP Pro systems and removed the "eveyone" "full control" permissions from the Program Files" branch. This effectively caused avast! to fail updatiing for limited users. - I would suggest you make sure that "everyone" "has full control" on avast! installation folders.

(Anothe remark: I peronally think it is a very bad idea tat it is rewuired to give "evryone" "full control" to an installation folders - especiallly if it is a critical piece of software such as av).

drahnier of course you're right; we're currently researching ways to tighten the security requirements of the avast installation folders without sacrifying any functionality. For the ADNM, this will be one of the core requirements (inability of non-admin users to tamper with any part of avast - neither physical files nor settings).


Thanks
Vlk

[drahnier]

Also, in regedit, check the ACL (access control list - i.e. the "Permissions") of the key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ALWIL Software\Avast\4.0 .

Every user that will want to log on should have at least read access to this branch. You can set it to the Everyone group.

I once tried to lock down security in my XP Pro systems and removed the "eveyone" "full control" permissions from the Program Files" branch. This effectively caused avast! to fail updatiing for limited users. - I would suggest you make sure that "everyone" "has full control" on avast! installation folders.

(Anothe remark: I peronally think it is a very bad idea tat it is rewuired to give "evryone" "full control" to an installation folders - especiallly if it is a critical piece of software such as av).

drahnier of course you're right; we're currently researching ways to tighten the security requirements of the avast installation folders without sacrifying any functionality. For the ADNM, this will be one of the core requirements (inability of non-admin users to tamper with any part of avast - neither physical files nor settings).


Thanks
Vlk

Nice to hear. And I hope this will be addressed real soon now.
What I would like to see is that configuration of av is 100% in the hands of admins and to limited users av activity is virtually transparent. - I'd be glad to beta-test.

[carl82]

fixed it   thanks for the support guys!! though I still experience Avast giving of msg saying that the account does not have enough permissions when it tries to auto update, but when I try to manual update it updates normaly..... not really a big problem.....