Non-Admin rights on Windows XP?
- Thread starter Spiderman
- Start date
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DarthFerret
Guest
I dont see why not. Usually the admin restrictions with Windows XP apply only to the actual hardwired components. Anything connected by ports (USB/Serial/etc...) is usually considered a shared device. That is one reason why it is so easy to share a printer. I do believe that each port can be set as whether or not the admin wishes it to be a shared port, and perhaps even if it can be set as Admin-only access for installation or deletion of files and other content.
Do tell me if anyone knows more about this situation!
Do tell me if anyone knows more about this situation!
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EricBess
Guest
It depends on the type of software that you are trying to install. Most commercial software sets up dll files and other things into system drives. If you do not have admin priviledges, there are a lot of restrictions concerning this and you are unable to install it.
Where you are installing from probably doesn't make as much difference as what you are installing. If it is something that you are able to install, you should be able to install from USB drive just as easily as from a CD or DVD, for example.
Where you are installing from probably doesn't make as much difference as what you are installing. If it is something that you are able to install, you should be able to install from USB drive just as easily as from a CD or DVD, for example.
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Nightstalkers
Guest
USB drive programs run a bit slower and if they're not formatted to work in that situation you'll have several miscellaneous problems.
Disconnecting the USB drive may cause it to pick up a different letter name whenever you connect it again and thusly you might have problems with the .dll files as well as the program on the drive itself.
Be conscious that your USB2.0 drives are only transferring at a max of 480Mbps theoretically... while SATA is at what... 300MBps?
But yeah... Unless the program is especially designed to be a "Jump" program, you're pretty much limited to DOS based and whatever is designed for it.
Disconnecting the USB drive may cause it to pick up a different letter name whenever you connect it again and thusly you might have problems with the .dll files as well as the program on the drive itself.
Be conscious that your USB2.0 drives are only transferring at a max of 480Mbps theoretically... while SATA is at what... 300MBps?
But yeah... Unless the program is especially designed to be a "Jump" program, you're pretty much limited to DOS based and whatever is designed for it.
I can live with the slowness (I think) if I can get the games.
I didn't think about the switching drive letters though - I thought each port had a letter "assigned" to it and it would be static.
Maybe I should try to find someone who already has a USB drive to test this out...
I didn't think about the switching drive letters though - I thought each port had a letter "assigned" to it and it would be static.
Maybe I should try to find someone who already has a USB drive to test this out...
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DarthFerret
Guest
Would a USB hub fix the problem of the drives? or would it complicate it further?
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Nightstalkers
Guest
No, it's not. If two USB drives are connected, one being a E and the other an F drive, the E drive can be disconnected and then the F drive disconnected. If the F drive is then reconnected to the computer the system will map it to the first available letter, that of drive E (since drive E was disconnected).
A USB hub is a possible solution, but there is still the chance that if you disconnect the USB drive and/or the hub itself, you'll loose the mapping to it. Hubs may give you more USB ports, but it's like hooking five hoses to one spiggot and then turning the water on... only so much water can get through the spiggot and thusly you defeat the point of having that entirely. Rant deleted
But the problem with the drive letters is just coincidental in the usage of these devices. Your main issue I foresee is the program you wish to use itself will not be compatable with being launched from such a device and the fact that most consumer stick drives are too small for most games to load onto. Another difficulty might arise from the fact that a few games actually use their home directory for storage of temporary data.
We use a lot of USB stick drives for everything from portability of data to using them as keys to even access a terminal.
A USB hub is a possible solution, but there is still the chance that if you disconnect the USB drive and/or the hub itself, you'll loose the mapping to it. Hubs may give you more USB ports, but it's like hooking five hoses to one spiggot and then turning the water on... only so much water can get through the spiggot and thusly you defeat the point of having that entirely. Rant deleted
But the problem with the drive letters is just coincidental in the usage of these devices. Your main issue I foresee is the program you wish to use itself will not be compatable with being launched from such a device and the fact that most consumer stick drives are too small for most games to load onto. Another difficulty might arise from the fact that a few games actually use their home directory for storage of temporary data.
We use a lot of USB stick drives for everything from portability of data to using them as keys to even access a terminal.
Well, I was looking at stick drives and I think the biggest so far is 1 gig for something like $20-40 (with rebates)? But if this could work, I was thinking about getting a USB external drive since they're also fairly small and something like 40 gigs? go for $90-100 (with rebates).
Like I said, I think I need to find someone with an actual USB drive to test this out before I commit any of my own money I was just hoping someone here might be able to definitively say since I don't actually know of anyone offhand whose drive I could borrow...
Like I said, I think I need to find someone with an actual USB drive to test this out before I commit any of my own money
I was just hoping someone here might be able to definitively say since I don't actually know of anyone offhand whose drive I could borrow...
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Nightstalkers
Guest
Install the game you want onto your main drive first. I know for a fact that games like Unreal Tournament 2004 (8.46 Gb on my system with mods and maps), The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (4.24 Gb with mods), Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (2.90 Gb with mods), and even Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (1.46 Gb) would be too large for today's USB stick drives.
You might be forced to using older games until they finally release for the general consumer the larger stick drives.
You might be forced to using older games until they finally release for the general consumer the larger stick drives.
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BigBlue
Guest
The thing I think you are going to have to worry about is not installing the drive itself... but most installs are going to try and install stuff into windows/system (like DLL's and such) or register DLLs which it may not allow...
You can test this by trying to install into your "My Documents" folder... you should have complete rights to there...
Are you trying to install a game on your Work PC? You could always bring your own laptop for that... but I really wouldn't recommend either since the cost of getting caught is probably not worth it...
You can test this by trying to install into your "My Documents" folder... you should have complete rights to there...
Are you trying to install a game on your Work PC? You could always bring your own laptop for that... but I really wouldn't recommend either since the cost of getting caught is probably not worth it...