Run a program in compatibility mode without Administrator privileges

Question

I have a PC which is mostly used for playing games. The PC is a few years old, running XP, and most likely won't ever be upgraded to Windows 7.

However, there are a few games that need to be run in compatibility mode for some reason, and this currently requires them to be run as the administrator. Unfortunately, I haven't found any way around this - although I have the administrator password, I don't want to reveal it to the others who use the PC, and this means that I have to be present every time to start the program for them (using Run as ... -> Administrator).

Is there any way I can allow these programs to be run in compatibility mode without requiring elevated user privileges? I have already made the standard user a Power User, but this hasn't helped at all. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer 1

You can set up a task with Task Scheduler, set to run with highest privileges, and then create a shortcut to run that task. Here is a tutorial.

Answer 2

The only way I can think off the top of my head (and it isn't that easy, is to try and find why the program needs admin access, and come up with a way round.

For example, if it simply needs access to write in it's own directory, give the everyone group (or just the user) full access over the folder etc.

I had some compatibility issues with old programs that were because of this, if it is more advanced or not working due to api/Windows changes, Compatibility mode may be the only option, and as Alan said, try to use Task scheduler.