FAH won't run correctly as a 'standard' user on Win10 (FIX)
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2020 5:47 pm
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EDIT: There is now a simpler version of this workaround here: viewtopic.php?f=108&t=34839
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I was having issues getting FAH to run on a 'standard', non-administrator account on WIN10. It ran ok on the administrator account, but not on the standard 'user' account (the problems were: FAH did not start automatically, and when ran manually the log listed various access/permission issues and errors especially after downloading a work unit, also FAH icons were missing on the standard account). This is a major concern since most people are running WIN10 as a standard user, as they should since doing so stops about 94% of malware from infecting the PC. The FAH client could be installed as a service, but that would prevent the system from using the GPU to fold. GPU folding generally results in a higher Points Per Day when compared to CPU folding. (However, both forms of folding, CPU and GPU, are beneficial for science.) With the following install method, the system can fold using the CPU or the GPU, or simultaneously use the CPU and GPU, on a standard Windows 10 account.
My workaround to run under a standard Windows 10 account with GPU support is:
First uninstall FAH
1. This can be done through either 'add or remove programs', or you can run 'Uninstall.exe' in the FAHClient folder. Check the box to remove 'data' as well (if FAH wasn't working right, there probably wasn't much completed data there anyway).
Reinstall FAH:
1. Run the installer (you will still need to give it administrator rights for the install). Choose custom install, change program install folder to C:\FAHClient\ and data folder to C:\FAHClientData\
2. Choose 'Automatically start at logon time' ('start manually' will work too)
3. Uncheck run FAH (Otherwise this would start the client under the admin account since the installer runs with admin rights. It still needs to be setup to run as a standard user, so if you accidentally started the client, just right click the client and select 'quit')
Make some OS changes:
**** EDIT: After further testing, most people should be able to skip steps 1 and 2 here since 'users' should already be able to write these folders when in this location. ****
1. Change security permissions on the 'C:\FAHClient' folder to allow 'full control' for 'users' (right click the folder, click 'properties', click 'security' tab, click 'edit', select 'users', for 'full control', check 'allow', hit 'apply', hit 'ok').
2. Do the same for the 'C:\FAHClientData' folder if needed.
3. If you weren't already, login to windows on your 'standard', non-administrator account.
4. Create a shortcut to run FAH. (Right click the desktop, click 'new', click 'shortcut', for the location of the item enter:
"C:\FAHClient\HideConsole.exe" C:\FAHClient\FAHClient.exe
(with the quotes), click 'next', give it another name if you want, and click 'finish')
5. Doubleclick the shortcut to start the FAH client (allow firewall permissions if it asks).
Choosing 'Automatically start at logon time' only sets that up for the admin account. If you want FAH to startup automatically at windows logon for the standard user account, just copy the shortcut to the startup folder at:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
while logged in to your standard user account.
I was able to download a CPU work unit and start folding within a few minutes as a standard user. The GPU started working on a work unit about 15 minutes later. (Note: the FAH servers seem to be struggling to keep up, work units are not always available and it may take hours to get a work unit.)
This really should be fixed in a new release, most people run their PC's as a standard user and will not want to go through all this, most probably are not even aware that the client isn't working right. A lot of potential folding power is being wasted! (btw changing permissions on the default client install folder 'C:\Program Files (x86)\FAHClient' does not work. I can give the 'user' account full access to that folder, but it still has access/permission denied errors in the log).
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EDIT: There is now a simpler version of this workaround here: viewtopic.php?f=108&t=34839
********
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I was having issues getting FAH to run on a 'standard', non-administrator account on WIN10. It ran ok on the administrator account, but not on the standard 'user' account (the problems were: FAH did not start automatically, and when ran manually the log listed various access/permission issues and errors especially after downloading a work unit, also FAH icons were missing on the standard account). This is a major concern since most people are running WIN10 as a standard user, as they should since doing so stops about 94% of malware from infecting the PC. The FAH client could be installed as a service, but that would prevent the system from using the GPU to fold. GPU folding generally results in a higher Points Per Day when compared to CPU folding. (However, both forms of folding, CPU and GPU, are beneficial for science.) With the following install method, the system can fold using the CPU or the GPU, or simultaneously use the CPU and GPU, on a standard Windows 10 account.
My workaround to run under a standard Windows 10 account with GPU support is:
First uninstall FAH
1. This can be done through either 'add or remove programs', or you can run 'Uninstall.exe' in the FAHClient folder. Check the box to remove 'data' as well (if FAH wasn't working right, there probably wasn't much completed data there anyway).
Reinstall FAH:
1. Run the installer (you will still need to give it administrator rights for the install). Choose custom install, change program install folder to C:\FAHClient\ and data folder to C:\FAHClientData\
2. Choose 'Automatically start at logon time' ('start manually' will work too)
3. Uncheck run FAH (Otherwise this would start the client under the admin account since the installer runs with admin rights. It still needs to be setup to run as a standard user, so if you accidentally started the client, just right click the client and select 'quit')
Make some OS changes:
**** EDIT: After further testing, most people should be able to skip steps 1 and 2 here since 'users' should already be able to write these folders when in this location. ****
1. Change security permissions on the 'C:\FAHClient' folder to allow 'full control' for 'users' (right click the folder, click 'properties', click 'security' tab, click 'edit', select 'users', for 'full control', check 'allow', hit 'apply', hit 'ok').
2. Do the same for the 'C:\FAHClientData' folder if needed.
3. If you weren't already, login to windows on your 'standard', non-administrator account.
4. Create a shortcut to run FAH. (Right click the desktop, click 'new', click 'shortcut', for the location of the item enter:
"C:\FAHClient\HideConsole.exe" C:\FAHClient\FAHClient.exe
(with the quotes), click 'next', give it another name if you want, and click 'finish')
5. Doubleclick the shortcut to start the FAH client (allow firewall permissions if it asks).
Choosing 'Automatically start at logon time' only sets that up for the admin account. If you want FAH to startup automatically at windows logon for the standard user account, just copy the shortcut to the startup folder at:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
while logged in to your standard user account.
I was able to download a CPU work unit and start folding within a few minutes as a standard user. The GPU started working on a work unit about 15 minutes later. (Note: the FAH servers seem to be struggling to keep up, work units are not always available and it may take hours to get a work unit.)
This really should be fixed in a new release, most people run their PC's as a standard user and will not want to go through all this, most probably are not even aware that the client isn't working right. A lot of potential folding power is being wasted! (btw changing permissions on the default client install folder 'C:\Program Files (x86)\FAHClient' does not work. I can give the 'user' account full access to that folder, but it still has access/permission denied errors in the log).