Aja on 28/9/2008 at 19:48
Vista is a very confusing OS for someone used to XP.
I turned off UAC because I was sick of those annoying popups every two seconds. Then I created a folder in my personal folder (C:\Users\David) called "games". Then I wanted to rename it, and Windows wouldn't give me permission to do so.
Then I tried to install Thief 3 -- I applied the No-CD patch, and when I ran the exe windows informed me that Data Execution Prevention was not going to allow it. SO I tried to add t3.exe as an exception, and it told me that this particular file could not be excepted.
So I did a search, and was instructed to enter the following into a command line: bcdedit.exe/set {current} nx AlwaysOff . After doing so, I restarted the computer, and it was unable to start (it would flash a blue screen before it got to Windows, and then automatically restart again). I had no choice but to reformat windows.
So now I have a fresh install, and I want to know if it's possible to disable all of these DEP/Securities/Permissions crap. XP didn't do any of this stuff and I never once contracted a harmful virus. Google searches usually give directions on how to temporarily remove certain security barriers, but I want them permanently off. I am an administrator, why doesn't Vista treat me as one?
bikerdude on 28/9/2008 at 20:46
I had the same exact problem a wee while ago
I have recently found this website - (
http://www.winvistaclub.com/Ultimate_Windows_Tweaker.html). its a very good tweaker for vista - but in this case it comes with a tick box to disable DEP.
I assume you logged in with an admin level account and can I assum you turned UAC of 1st then fired up a command prompt and ran the bcdedit.exe inside that then rebooted...? T3 should now work...?! If it still dont it could be the no-cd patch(not all of them work). Drop me a pm with yer email and I`ll send you my T3 & T3main.
biker
Aja on 28/9/2008 at 21:05
PM sent.
But what on earth could've caused the system failure? Should I just leave DEP alone, or try the command to disable it again? Is it possible to remove all of these annoying security measures? Not being allowed to rename my own folder without jumping though hoops is irritating.
Aja on 28/9/2008 at 21:57
ok never mind I just applied full security/ownership to the C: drive, and it let me take control of most files. This'll probably be good enough for now.
Aja on 28/9/2008 at 22:06
And there's also this command:
Net user administrator activate:yes
which unlocks a hidden administrator account that has no restrictions whatsoever. It worked, but I didn't feel like transferring all my files and settings. I'll just keep it handy for later.
bikerdude on 29/9/2008 at 07:21
Quote Posted by Aja
And there's also this command:
Net user administrator activate:yes
which unlocks a hidden administrator account
Ah I never got around to finding out how to unlock the hidden admin account - but that said I havent had to do that to get T3 to load.
All i did was set the permissions of my D drive (games folder location) so that the admin group had ALL permissions inc special ticked.
nice find on the hidden admin though.
biker
Ostriig on 29/9/2008 at 15:59
Still, if you want to disable DEP completely, this is how to do it:
Quote:
Disabling Data Execution Prevention (DEP)
Data Execution Prevention is a security feature that can be a bit of a pain at times. Often things will simply appear not to run at all; hopefully you will notice a bubble from the taskbar letting you know that DEP is the cause. If Vista (and actually this has been around since Windows Server 2003) sees that a process is being spawned that "could" be unwanted, DEP shuts it down. This is especially common in some application installations: if a Windows Installer setup (MSI) calls an executable in Vista, DEP could very well put a stop to it. If you are trying to run an installation or other executable being stopped by DEP, it could save you some trouble so turn it off while you attempt to give it another shot…
Run a command prompt as administrator. From the start menu, select "All Programs", then "Accessories" and right-click on the "Command Prompt" shortcut and choose "Run As Administrator". From here you can use the following command to disable Data Execution Prevention (DEP) with the following command:
bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff
Keeping your command prompt open, run your setup or other process being stopped by DEP. Then, to turn it back on again, do the same and run the following:
bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOn
Microsoft recommend you keep it enabled or something, so it's at your own risk. Personally, I keep it completely off, alongside User Account Control and Program Compatibility Assistant.
Aja on 1/10/2008 at 04:08
The new .exes didn't work. Got the DEP error again -- I tried to contact you, biker, but apparently you don't accept private messages or email..?
Anyway, I'd really rather not risk destroying my operating system like last time. I think I'll leave DEP alone, and focus on the original Thief games, which seem to work fine (after a ton of tweaking/balancing/praying ;) )
catbarf on 2/10/2008 at 00:37
Just try it once more. There are a lot of old games that send DEP apeshit.
jtr7 on 2/10/2008 at 07:19
bikerdude has left the building....:(
