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[Swampfox]

When I try to set this up I get a message that says you need Power User or above privs. Am I doing something wrong, Is there a fix?

[LisaRCT]

Change your account status or have the software installed under an Administrator account and then a user or guest should have ability to use the software.
Guest accounts cannot alter files or do installs, system changes, etc.

[Swampfox]

MC9 was installed from my administrator account and works as it should. When I switch to the guest account, or even a "limited" (XP) account, it doesn't work. It is as if it was a legacy program.

[Swampfox]

I've tried everything. You can only run MC9 from an account with admin privs. I have XP set up with 2 accounts. One is the admin account, one is a "limited" account, which is user in XP parlence. MP9 won't run in user account. Then, if I grant admin privs to user account, it runs just fine. Toggle them off, then no go.

Am I the only one having a problem?

[nila]

Nope
MC definitely does act like that - not sure why - see if you can get an answer from Matt or Jim why it only works for Power Users and not normal ones.

[jleerigby]

Norton AV sometimes throws a wobbler and closes MC.  Can't remember the exact message but it's something to do with the registry and a 'suspicious script'.  Does this indicate that MC is trying to update something it shouldn't?  In which case it's no surprise that you have to be an administrator.

Update:  Just checked NAV Virus Alert log and the only entries in there are for Media Jukebox.  There have been 8 in the last 3 weeks all showing a blocked script where the suspicious action was Windows Script Host Shell Object: RegWrite.  I'm worried! - will start a sep thread.

Hopefully Matt will throw some light.

[JimH]

Norton sometimes throws a wobbler and closes MC.  Can't remember the exact message but it's something to do with the registry and a 'suspicious script'.  Does this indicate that MC is trying to update something it shouldn't?  In which case it's no surprise that you have to be an administrator.

MC needs to write to the registry.  If Norton objects, tell it to mind its own business.

[KingSparta]

Does this indicate that MC is trying to update something it shouldn't?

No it is being over protective

Some Virus write to the registry, thats why Norton Added that to there program, sometime it is more of a pain the it is worth using.

at least you use some Anti virus i have seen many who don't or do not keep it updated. and a virus program that is not updated is basicly worthless. Norton should have NAV 2004 coming out here in a few months.

[Swampfox]

Any comments on the priv issue. It seems ironic to have media software with a "party mode" that requires unlimited privs to run. You can rest assured that no one can mess with your music library as they have complete control of the computer!

[Marko]

DISCLAIMER:
JRiver does NOT support the running of MC on an XP "limited User" account.
Before making any changes to your registry, back it up (from regedit click on "File > Export" choose a location, name, make sure "all" radio button is selected, OK"
The changes mentioned below will allow MC to be started on a limited user account.
It will allow limited to users to play music from the library. Beyond that I have not tested.
Changes made in MC's options by users on limited accounts may or may not be saved.
If using FAT32 filesystem, files/tags/library changes made by limited users will be saved

I just tried some stuff out for you, still working on it, but here's where I'm up to so far....

login on the admin account, open regedit, go to.....

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\JRiver

Rightclick on JRiver, choose "permissions" from the menu. Select "restricted" in the upper pane, and place a tick in "full control" in the lower pane. Hit OK. Now go to..

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JRiver

and do the same as above, only here, select "users" instead of "restricted"

Log back into windows using the limited account and you will find MC will work. MC will still be unable to make any changes to the files or tags within them, but, changes in the library do stick (not tried party mode).
There will be a security setting in there somewhere that'll allow that too, just need to find it
could be that when we do, we may find that the above reg editing is not needed.
It's a start in the right direction anyways.
-marko

[Swampfox]

Actually, this is exactly the level of user control I want. permission to use, but not modify. This should actually be the default for installation.
Thanks,
SM

[Marko]

I'm not 100% certain, but I don't think this is possible via the MC setup. Windows sets the permissions based on account type and I don't think installers can mess with that.
If you're happy with the above security settings, that's fine, I have just a little bit more to add though....

i mentioned above that library changes seemed to be taking. That's not the case. While they do appear to have taken, if you restart MC, any changes made in the previous session will be lost. Limited users can't change the library files. If you want that, you need to...
Log in as admin...
open any explorer window, click on "tools" on the toolbar, then "folder options". Click on the view tab, scroll down to the bottom of the options list in the lower pane and take the tick out of "use simple file sharing", OK your changes.
Navigate to you \program files\media center directory, right click on it, choose "sharing and security". click on the security tab and give the "users" account group full access. OK your changes.
Job done.
This will allow changes to the library, but will not allow files to be changed. I don't know how you use MC but you get the general idea.
I'm still very near to the bottom of the learning curve of windows security settings, and there may be a much simpler or more comprehensive way to do the above stuff, if anyone knows, do tell.

-marko

[nila]

Marko - I'm presuming your using NTFS?

For those of us on FAT32 we shouldn't have to do this?

[KingSparta]

If you modify the access to the registry programs may not work correctly.

I have no idea why anyone would even want to do this, other than create more problems in the future.

you may know what your doing put others who maybe reading this don't and they will try it and have a problem in the future and no one can figure it out and it is all because of this.

[Marko]

I am using ntfs, and yes, you're quite correct. If using FAT32 you won't need to set file and folder permissions. You will still need to set the perms in the registry though.

[Marko]

If you modify the access to the registry programs may not work correctly.

I have no idea why anyone would even want to do this, other than create more problems in the future.

you may know what your doing put others who maybe reading this don't and they will try it and have a problem in the future and no one can figure it out and it is all because of this.

Accepted. Any registry editing advice should always be accompanied by the oft repeated, never to be ignored, "make a backup 1st" advice.

The only thing the above changes do is allow members of the users group full access to jriver reg keys. It lets MC run under a limited user account. You have to do similar stuff to allow limited users to burn a cd using nero.

There are no security issues involved here unless you believe that one of your limited account users might fire up regedit and proceed to delete those 2 jriver keys.

There are issues there that I have taken for granted and I've added to that post to reflect these.

[dwex]

[Not flamage - these are simply issues to be addressed at some point to fully leverage the platform]

This issue is part of a more fundamental issue around Media Center not really properly supporting WinXP and its multiple user features:

- Media Center should not be writing to Program Files (after installation). Application data should be going to the Application Data folder (either in the All Users or user-specific profile). User data should be going to My Documents, or perhaps Shared Documents in the All Users profile.
- Media Center should not be writing to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE in the registry (after installation). It should be writing to HKEY_CURRENT_USER, only.
- Media Center should be adding support for autoplay capabilities, so that MC is visible as an option when you insert media other than CDs.
- Media Center should probably support fast-user-switching notifications, so that it stops playing when another user switches in (or other configurable behaviors)

There are probably other things. These behaviors are all documented in MSDN and the WinXP Application Specification (logo spec).

Vote in favor of my Wish List item asking for MC to fully support WinXP.

--dwex

[Nikolay]

When Media Jukebox was first designed (5 years ago), there was not much talk about multiple users on one PC. In the latest version of Media Jukebox and Media Center, we implemented support for Power Users and multiple user accounts. Further, to move the rest on information to the "right" location will require a lot of time and resource and that's exactly what we currently don't have.

If many users, and many here is a very flexible term, express desire for MC to support User account we will do that.

Regards,
Nikolay

[Swampfox]

When Media Jukebox was first designed (5 years ago), there was not much talk about multiple users on one PC. In the latest version of Media Jukebox and Media Center, we implemented support for Power Users and multiple user accounts. Further, to move the rest on information to the "right" location will require a lot of time and resource and that's exactly what we currently don't have.

If many users, and many here is a very flexible term, express desire for MC to support User account we will do that.

Regards,
Nikolay

Five years ago I never envisioned that I would have a high-speed internet throughout my house, with several hundred gigabytes of storage, and a centralized media library. I also never envisioned having multiple entertainment centers hooked up to the network with broadband access, nor having PC's driving high definition monitors with tweaked video settings. I also never imagined the RIAA aggressively pursuing legal actions for unrestrained access to copyrighted material. Additionally there are issues concerning the sensitivity of confidential  archived documents, and financial records. Security is a real issue.  

[dwex]

When Media Jukebox was first designed (5 years ago), there was not much talk about multiple users on one PC. In the latest version of Media Jukebox and Media Center, we implemented support for Power Users and multiple user accounts. Further, to move the rest on information to the "right" location will require a lot of time and resource and that's exactly what we currently don't have.

If many users, and many here is a very flexible term, express desire for MC to support User account we will do that.

Regards,
Nikolay

Let's see. Five years ago, Windows 2000 was at Beta 2 or Beta 3, and WinNT had supported multiple desktop users for about 5 years before that. I implemented fast-user-switching support for our apps running on Whistler/Windows XP about 2.5 years ago. But...

Believe me, I know how much work it is to deal with this sort of change, having gone through it for legacy software with a user community (literally) 2 orders of magnitude larger than MC, and with a code base that's about 7 years older. The new-install case is pretty straightforward, but upgrade issues are scary in the extreme.

This is why I advised people to vote for the wish on the wish list; if lots of people do that, it will (theoretically ) tell you that people want that.

As to WinXP enhanced autoplay, though, I think you're putting yourselves at a competitive disadvantage by not doing it - you're losing out in UI positioning.

--dwex

[JimH]

dwex,
Nobody here questions that people want it.  We'd like to make the changes.  It's just a question of priorities.  

You're correct, BTW, about the upgrades being the problem.  We could easily create 2 orders of magnitude more problems than we solve.

Jim

[Coool]

[Not flamage - these are simply issues to be addressed at some point to fully leverage the platform]

This issue is part of a more fundamental issue around Media Center not really properly supporting WinXP and its multiple user features:

- Media Center should not be writing to Program Files (after installation). Application data should be going to the Application Data folder (either in the All Users or user-specific profile). User data should be going to My Documents, or perhaps Shared Documents in the All Users profile.
- Media Center should not be writing to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE in the registry (after installation). It should be writing to HKEY_CURRENT_USER, only.
- Media Center should be adding support for autoplay capabilities, so that MC is visible as an option when you insert media other than CDs.
- Media Center should probably support fast-user-switching notifications, so that it stops playing when another user switches in (or other configurable behaviors)

There are probably other things. These behaviors are all documented in MSDN and the WinXP Application Specification (logo spec).

Vote in favor of my Wish List item asking for MC to fully support WinXP.

--dwex

I agree why can do as say dwex. Then that problems be solved. As i know all problems in Registry and Folder access permissions ....
Maybe bee better to make so if dumb pc users can do that without understanding permissions in NT and use MC as guest after he install MC.