Cannot save GUI settings - install folders - run as administrator

[Guy M]

Hi,
I've been using your tool V 4 for a year on W XP SP3 and it's great. Now I cannot do without it !
I had put both ExifTool and ExitoolGui files in a specific sub-sub folder in Program files and it worked fine just by clicking in the shorcut within Windows Sart Menu.

I have now a new laptop under W 7 64b Home Premium. I reinstalled the same way and it did not work, so after reading your installation manual, I installed exiftool.exe directly in Windows folder and the ETGUI files in a Windows/ExiftoolGUI folder.
I have the "Cannot save GUI settings" message everytime I quit and parameters are lost.
Searching in the forum I see in the "very slow thumbnail creation" thread that I need to run in administrator mode. I have done it and it works OK, with the creation of the ini file.

Isn't there a way
1. to put the exe and corresponding files in a properly ordered subfolder of Program Files (it might be personnal but I hate loosing time in ProgramFiles or Windows folder looking like a mess  )
2. to be able to simply lauch ETGUI without to have to use the "run as administrator command" ... or have I misunderstood something ?

Anyway thanks in advance. I am very impressed by the speed at which you both Bogdan and Phil give answers in this forum. Congratulations.

[BogdanH]

Hi,

You should not put "portable" programs (that's what GUI is) into directories owned by operating system. In Win7, program is needed to be "registered" by operating system (to get privileges), which happens if program is "installed" -otherwise, you need to know how to manage that manually. GUI, being portable, doesn't have installer and because of this, it is needed to be run outside Windows or Program files directory.
Just create new directory on C drive (name it MyTools or whatever), put GUI there and everything will be fine and safe. Just don't put it into Windows or Program files directory -only operatings system has "rights" to do that!

Bogdan

[Guy M]

Hello Bogdan,
Thank's very much for your complete explanations. I did what you wrote and it's perfect for me now.

Just a suggestion for other newbies :
Maybe, in the § 2 of "Requirements and preparations" of your user's manual, the 2nd sentence could be completed this way :
Just unzip ExifToolGUI.zip file into any directory _ (on C:\ and outside Windows and Program Files directories for Windows 7)_ create Desktop shortcut and GUI is ready to use.
... or something similar elsewhere.

Thank's again,
Guy

[BogdanH]

Hi Guy,

Yes, I will rewrite/update manual as you suggest. Thank you for idea.

Bogdan

[dgsjsj]

Hi Bogdan.
Please check the following possibility.
on Win XP SP3 when changing from the default language for any lost color highlighting and the ability to tag their markings.
This happens even when using English.
Tell me something I can not properly use it?

[BogdanH]

Hi,

As mentioned in GUI manual ( https://exiftool.org/gui/#p_metadata ), tags will appear colored only if Metadata language is set to ExifTool standard (short). That is, this has nothing to do with WinXP -it's the same in Win7.

Bogdan

[dgsjsj]

Hi,
Well, I understand you.

[chwiedem]

Hello,
I've just insalled v5.11 on my Windows7 computer.
Following the method given in this forum ,the installation has been made in a new folder named c:\exiftoolgui (not in Program FIles or Windows folders).
Created a shortcut on the desktop and set 'run as administrator' in the properties.
When I change the state of the 'Details' button to see thumbnails and exit, I get the message 'Cannot Save GUI settings' and when I return to exiftoolgui, the thumbails are not displayed, I have to click again on the details buttons to get them.
In 'preferences' , the box 'save filelist details state on exit' is checked.
Any other modification of the settings is well save (I don't have the bad message !) if I leave the objects in details mode (and not thumbnails).
Could you help Please ?
And Many Thanks for this great program ! ! !

[Heiko]

Hello Bogdan,

you've written that a programm must be "registerd" from the operating system to get priveleges. This is the first time I hear something like that. You can bind a manifest to your exe file; inside this manifest you can define that your executable needs priveleges (e.g. administrator rights).

Since Vista you can only write files into the program files dir, if you have administrator privileges. And since Win7 Administator is not eqal Administrator if the UAC is enabled. Therefore you have to start ExifToolGui with "Run as Administrator" to get the privileges to save the settings into the program files dir. Another way would be, that you change the security settings of the directory (inside program files dir) where you have copied ExifToolGui. If you configure that your user has access to the directory where ExifToolGui resides you can save the settings without any problems.

I'm not sure if you have the posiblity to change the security settings of a folder if you use Win 7 Home, but I know that this is possible if you use the Professional Edition or above.

Heiko

[BogdanH]

Hi,

To chwiedem:
Yes, I have tried and I can confirm, that what you describe, is a bug in GUI. It will be fixed in next days.
Btw. there's no need to run GUI as administrator -you gain nothing by doing that.

To Heiko:
I'm not planning to "extend" GUI's usage, it's privileges, writting anything into registries, or making install application (which implies manifest). As long GUI is outside "OS folders" (Programs, etc.) GUI doesn't need admin privileges to work correctly. Actually, it works correctly even if it's inside "OS folders". In this case however, it's ini files are written elsewhere (user has no idea where -I hate that). At the end, GUI is just a tiny portable application 
Just a though... as it seems, many like to run apps in Admin mode by default. I can only wonder why's that. And it's so easy to "plant a bomb" into any application...

Bogdan

[pb]

Hi,

...

Just a though... as it seems, many like to run apps in Admin mode by default. I can only wonder why's that. And it's so easy to "plant a bomb" into any application...

Bogdan

I can answer that question, as one who does just that.  The reason is that it is almost impossible to get windows (up through xp) to work smoothly to do everything you need, like install progs, run progs, move things around, fix permissions, and use printers on other machines, without being Administrator.  In principle, you don't need to be Administrator, but I have spent countless hours trying to avoid just always running as Administrator, and finally gave up.  Something always comes up that doesn't work in the obvious way, and fixing up permissions and handshakes and trust relationships so that things actually work involves getting a 3rd degree black belt in Windows administration.

BTW, I have been doing this for years, even on my wife's machine, and so far nothing bad has happened.  Of course, one has to practice careful digital hygiene and be ever vigilant.  On the other hand, when I worked for a large company's lab which had several professional Windows system administrators with certifications, with all sorts of annoying security requirements making life impossible, all my Windows machines (but not Liinux machines) got infected with some worm that got in to our secure intranet because a secretary chose to open an obviously bogus email attachment.  Within minutes every Windows machine in the place was infected.

BTW, on Unix, I have never found a need to run as root.  sudo takes care of every special need, and everything else works great out of the box.

--peter

[Phil Harvey]

BTW, on Unix, I have never found a need to run as root.  sudo takes care of every special need, and everything else works great out of the box.

I've got the root account disabled on all of my Mac machines (BSD Unix as you probably know).  I think this is probably the default as shipped for OS X.  Certainly makes me feel better to disable root access.

BTW, this "flashback" trojan for the Mac that is getting all of the attention recently doesn't even infect the system.  It can only infect a single user.

- Phil

[BogdanH]

Hi Peter,

.. Of course, one has to practice careful digital hygiene ..

-I like how you said that.
I admit, that because of programming (and testing, etc), I'm somehow forced to work as Admin most of the time too. I just thought that "regular" user wouldn't need Admin rights often. But, you're right: default user rights on Windows are not implemented well and user is "forced to try" with Admin many times. That's why I have hate/love relationship with Windows ever since.
Sometimes I envy Linux users (for reasons Phil mentioned). At the time when WinXP was introduced, I actually decided to switch to Linux and used it for a (very) short period. As you can see, it didn't work for me.

Bogdan

[BogdanH]

Hi chwiedem,

New ExifToolGUI version 5.12 is ready for download -hopefully it works as it should now 

Bogdan

[Heiko]

Hello Bogdan,

I only tried to explain why ExifToolGui can't save the settings if the user has copied GUI into program files dir. A user has not the privileges to write a file in this folder, and therefore I've written about the possiblities how to give ExifToolGui these privileges. I personally never would start ExifToolGui with "Run as Administrator" ..

Heiko