The issue regarding installing software for a user with administrative privileges on Windows Professional Edition.

Question

Hello, all the PCs in our company are installed with Windows Professional Edition, both Windows 10 and Windows 11, and the users all have "User" level permissions. The issue we are encountering is that when logged in as a user, attempting to install software using "Run as Administrator" or "Run as Different User" results in the software not being installed in the user directory. As shown in the image I uploaded, the username is "zhujj", but the software defaults to displaying the administrator "kssadmin". If the installation continues, the files used by the software will be saved in the administrator's directory. Additionally, if Office files are opened directly from WeChat, it is unable to recognize the activation information for the current user.

I have tried reinstalling Windows on a new computer without joining it to a domain, purely for testing purposes, but the issue persists. Could you please help explain why this happens? Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Here are the answers for your references.

1. When you use "Run as Administrator" or "Run as Different User," the software installation process runs under the administrator's profile, which is why the files are being saved in the administrator's directory. This is expected behavior in Windows.
2. During the installation process, check if the installer allows you to specify the installation directory. If possible, manually set the installation path to the user's directory (e.g., C:\Users\zhujj\AppData\Local).
3. Ensure that there are no Group Policy settings that might be redirecting user profiles or affecting software installations. You can check this by running gpedit.msc and navigating to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > User Profiles.
4. Consider using software deployment tools like Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM) or Group Policy Software Installation (GPSI) to deploy software. These tools can help manage installations across multiple user profiles more effectively.
5. For the issue with Office files opened from WeChat not recognizing the activation information, ensure that Office is properly activated for each user profile. You might need to run the Office activation process for each user individually.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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