[Solved] Download problem

[Icebreaker]

Hello.

I know this will sound funny but I can't download Windows OpenOffice v2.3.1.
I can download from other sites so it appears to be a OpenOffice configuration.

This is the error message I get.
Please run this program from the Administrator account so it can set up your license. Once the license is set up, you can run it from any account.

Is this normal for OpenOffice?

I certainly will not be using the administrator account.
I do not want to download with an administrator account and not prepared to change my privilege just to do
a download.

What is the basis for this and it leaves me concerned with security issues and OpenOffice code of conduct?
I cannot see any justifiable excuse for this and I shouldn't have to change any privilege for a user account to download a file from the internet.

Has anyone else come across this?
Is this an OpenOffice website setup?

Cheers in advance.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The installation file is an executable (*.exe) file. I guess that is why you're user account does not allow you to download it. Is it a Windows thing, or an Internet Explorer security setting? Try downloading it with Firefox or Opera.

Are you sure you haven't already download the file? From the message, the problem seems to be with running the installation program. If so, I think there is no way around it but to switch to Admin to run setup or to give users permission to run executable files on your PC.

[Icebreaker]

Hello.

Thanks for the reply.

I can download other exe files fine.
I am using Firefox.

Note. I am not running the install.
I am clicking the download button to download the install file but I am not running the install.
I just want to download the file first.
(nothing abnormal with that)

This is also according to the site documentation which stipulates to download first and thenm run the installer.
This should be like a walk in the park.

[Icebreaker]

Errr...I should mention I am a "beginner" only in this forum.
My computer skills are fairly advanced.
This is an OpenOffice configuration.

This isn't a Windows explorer or Internet Explorer issue on my machine.

Does OpenOffice.org ask the Linux camp to download as root or superuser as well?

[foxcole]

You don't have to have an admin account to use any old .exe file, but it seems to me this is behaving as I would expect it to. Only an admin can run an installer file. The Windows OS knows whether it's able to run an .exe based on the current login security settings... which tells me there are security settings in the file's header that make the file unavailable to a non-admin account. Because the OS allows you to choose to run the installer from its download location, it seems logical that this might come into play. Logically, what good would it do for a non-admin account to download a file that only an admin can use? I can see all kinds of reasons to prevent that from happening, especially on an employer's computer.

I'm stumped as to why you're so adamant against using an admin-security account:

I certainly will not be using the administrator account.
I do not want to download with an administrator account and not prepared to change my privilege just to do
a download.

Jeez.... lighten up.

Please realize this is a user-to-user forum, so all we can do is try to help figure out ways to work with the files as they exist, and help identify bugs... though I'm not quite convinced yet that this is a bug.

Do you have examples of other [non-OOo] installer files you've been able to download without admin privileges? If this is a bug, and it could well be, this would help programmers identify the issue. Or it might prove that OOo is doing its security job better than other software providers. Whatever.

[floris v]

If you have an account with admin rights (and doesn't have to be the administrator account) you probably won't run into problems. Did you try to download with an account without any admin rights at all?

And you should add what version of Windows you use.

[Icebreaker]

Hi Guys.

Thanks for your posts and problem solved, exe downloaded.
Yes, I admit I was pretty fuming the other day.

Suitably chilled now....you know when you get to that point where you can't see the forest for the trees?
Problem solved and mostly my mistake I have to admit.
Problem was not OpenOffice download config but my DAP download manager which coincidentally
is installed with my firefox as the default download manager.

Clouding the issue
All downloads with IE worked...but don't use IE that much(as it didn't use DAP).
Downloads with firefox didn't work yesterday but the report message was vague and inconsistent.
( You shouldn't need admin rights to download a file...that I do know!...hence the outcry)

The reason why I didn't obey that was because I am not installing on this machine.
I want to test and install the exe on my test machine first, check the product out and see that it doesn't break things
or install anything it shouldn't.
...and yes ...I was not happy about the admin account message but now I know OpenOffice was not to blame.

DAP was the culprit....sort of...actually not really...skype was to blame in this chain of events
I actually ran a repair of my OS after skype v36 killed my machine dead.
(Beware of Skype v36 as it is not stable...at least not on a w2k machine with my sound card.
in fact...sound quality also dropped with v3.2...so I have reverted to v2.5 )

Anyway, The repair of my OS deregistered my DAP software and it was not that obvious that DAP wasn't working....
Hence the obscure message it gave with no indication it was coming from DAP.
...just three letters...DAP... in the message was all it would have needed to be clear.

Now ...I know there is not much finger pointing at Numero Uno...yes me but hey....I didn't correlate
repairing the OS to breaking my DAP which is buried in firefox download plugin.
...it was one of those days I would prefer not to see for a very long time you understand!

So thanks to all who read my message and attempted to help and I now look forward to trying out
this OpenOffice.
...and downloading with an admin account from the internet these days is fraught with danger and peril so try to avoid!

Stay safe amigos.

[foxcole]

Wow, what an amazing chain of events! Glad you were able to get all that sorted out, and well done! Thanks for taking the time to post your findings... just maybe it might help someone else figure out what's going on.

...and downloading with an admin account from the internet these days is fraught with danger and peril so try to avoid!

Could you perhaps explain that? I'm not sure what you mean, and it appears that my logic, while perhaps logical, wasn't all that well informed. Always wiling to learn! Especially where it involves keeping my computers safe.

[floris v]

Please add [Solved] to the title bar of the first message of this thread (edit it). Great that you figured it all out btw, I'm with fox there.

Downloading or internetting with admin rights is so dangerous because if somebody hacks your account they have your admin rights, so they can do vastly more harm. I do it all the time though.