I'll try to clarify. I have an exe, let's call it foo.exe on a Windows 10 PC.
If I dbl-click this file--whether it's via a shortcut on the desktop or by dbl-clicking from File Explorer--it throws an error (at this point the error specifics don't matter, but I believe it may be trying to call some dll and fails).
However if I create a .cmd file that says "Start foo.exe" this runs fine--no error and program is fully functional.
I'm wondering what are the functional differences between the launch modes, and I'm leaning towards possibly the security token it runs under.
So basically, If I just do a plain dbl-click--I get fire and brimstone.
However, if I:
A. Run it from a .cmd file
or
B. Run-as Administrator
or
C. Launch the Troubleshoot Compatibility thing (right-click).
These errors don't happen. It does not appear to be a Compatibility issue because:
a. It runs fine via .cmd file or run-as-admin
b. If I save the chosen Compatibility mode it still errors when dbl-clicked next time.
I'm getting killed by this one--it's a vendor's .exe so I have no source code and can't give any details about what dlls it's calling, etc. I'm just looking for a high-level second set of eyes as to why running via a different launch method makes a simple exe run fine.
This same .exe did NOT have this issue in Windows 7--this behavior is new with WIndows 10. I've heard there is something in WIn 10 that by-default runs anything under the least privileged token it can--regardless of whether the user is a super admin or guest, and this is sort of where I'm leaning but I'm not sure, and not sure how to fix it. Thanks!
