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Tray Icon Remains Gray
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:36 am    Post subject: Tray Icon Remains Gray Reply with quote

I've just bought a new PC with Window 7 Pro and have been playing with various VVEngine configurations in order to deal with system resource access. Anyhow to make a long story short, my tray icon remains gray now and the only way I can get it to turn blue again is to run VVEngine as a service under the local system account. When I run it as a service under my own logon or if I no longer run it as a service & run it "normally", the tray icon remains gray. When I double click on it, I'm offered a message saying that VVEngine is not running. But I can go to VVENgine via 127.0.0.1:8001 and it displays and runs fine. I just need to get the blue tray icon back. I've tried reinstalling, (but not uninstalling first).
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TGRMN Software
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When running VVEngine as a "normal" application and not a service, are you running under an account with admin rights or limited account?
thanks
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With admin rights, positively verified.

So far, as a service, I've been able to maintain the blue icon by running the VVEngine service under the "Local System" account & the machine's actual "Administrator" account. But when I run the TrayIcon app under my account which is positively a member of the Adminsitrator's group, either manually or as a part of startup, it remains gray.

And, it's interesting to note that when I open Windows 7 task manager and view the list of processes, only the tray icon processes shows. I have to click on the "Show processes from all users" in order for the vvengineservice.exe process to show up also. And when it does, it shows it running under my account name. So obviously, the trayicon app cannot "see" the vvengineservice running task even though by all rights it should since they are both run under the same user account.

I am a seasoned or "advanced" computer user, but Windows 7 Pro is new to me and I've been spending most of my time getting issues like this resolved, but this one's got me stumped so far.
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And before you ask, the reason I don't run the service under the Administrator's or Local Service account, just to be done with this issue, is because scripts that are run after a VVEngine profile require my user account in order to run successfully. When I run it under anything other than my own account, the executeables within my scripts can't see processes that they require to interact with. You'd think this wouldn't be a problem with the vvengine service running under the adminstrator account, but it is.
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My latest attempt at a workaround is to run the engine icon executeable under XP compatibility mode. First, I merely changed the icon compatibility mode properties, success. I then tried dragging the modified icon into the startup folder, but the tray icon no longer loads at startup. So I used the Windows 7 compatibility mode wizard and changed it to always run in XP mode. I verified that this works but running the tray icon executeable from command line. Success. So, I've dragged the modified icon out of my startup folder and verified that the tray icon executeable is still listed in misconfig & the run portion of the registry, and all is fine. Alas, the icon no longer loads, in any color!
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

After trying a hundred different hacks & system preference combinations, I've found the soltuion. Go to the VVEngine programs folder, and change the compatibility setting on both VVEngineIcon.exe & VVEngineHome.exe to "Windows Server 2003 SP 1".

I suspect that there's something wrong at your end with the code, but at this point all that matters is I got it working. All this for a stupid tray icon. Smile
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TGRMN Software
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Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 8759

PostPosted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 12:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello

It seems the issue is with the icon running under your account instead of the Administrator. What restrictions does this account have? How was this account created?

thanks
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 3:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think I mentioned this earlier, the account uses my name, it is a member of the administrators group. My account is a member of the Administrators group plus the "Debugger Users" group, plus the Home Users group. It is the very first account you are greeted to setup when the machine is turned on for the first time out of the box from the factory. I don't see the means to paste a pic of my user account info, so you'll have to take my word for it.
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TGRMN Software
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, I am now trying to reproduce this issue.
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TGRMN Software
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, I can't reproduce the issue, but I found the following:

- my account (which is my name) is also part of the admin group and home user group , but not "debug group"

- when I run VVEngine as a "standard" program under my account, it shows up in the Windows Task Manager Processes without clicking on "Show processes from all users" (it's running under my account), Two processes show up VVEngine.exe (this is the VVengine program running) and VVEngineIcon.exe (this is the icon on the desktop)

- Maybe useful to check the Local Security Policies, in Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policies -> Local Policies -> Security Options. The section on "User Account Control", which ones are not "Disabled"
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

TGRMN Software wrote:
Maybe useful to check the Local Security Policies, in Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policies -> Local Policies -> Security Options. The section on "User Account Control", which ones are not "Disabled"

Almost half are disabled, the other half is enabled, and 2 are marked prompt. I wasn't quite clear from your comment... They should all be marked as "enable" or as "disabled"?

I can't imagine my account's membership in the 'Debugger's Group' having any effect on it, but stranger things have happened.

Right now, it's all working as it should for me with:
- VVEngine run as a service under my "named" account.
- VVEngineIcon.exe runs in "Windows Server 2003" mode
- VVEngineHome.exe runs in "Windows Server 2003" mode

Quote:
- when I run VVEngine as a "standard" program under my account, it shows up in the Windows Task Manager Processes without clicking on "Show processes from all users" (it's running under my account), Two processes show up VVEngine.exe (this is the VVengine program running) and VVEngineIcon.exe (this is the icon on the desktop)

And when I run it that way, it does not work. The only process that shows without switching to "show all processes" is the VVEngineIcon.exe process. The others only show up when I switch to the show all mode.

Even now with it working as described above, the VVEngineIcon.exe process is still the only one that shows without going to show all mode. But apparently running the two icon executeables in compatibility mode works around that.
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've made some changes, I'm now able to run in "normal" mode, and I'm able to see all VVEngine-related processes in task manager. Of course it's resulted in the disabling of some of the fundamental safeties in Windows 7, but there's no one else on my home network nor am I on a domain or subject to group policy.

Here is my current user account settings that you refered to:

User Account Control: Use Admin Approval Mode for the built-in Administrator account (Disabled)
User Account Control: Allow UIAccess applications to prompt for elevation without using the secure desktop. (Disabled)
User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode (Prompt For Consent)
User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for standard users (Prompt for Credentials)
User Account Control: Detect application installations and prompt for elevation (Enabled)
User Account Control: Only elevate executable files that are signed and validated (Disabled)
User Account Control: Only elevate UIAccess applications that are installed in secure locations (Disabled)
User Account Control: Turn on Admin Approval Mode (Disabled)
User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation (Disabled)

User Account Control: Virtualize file and registry write failures to per-user locations (Enabled)

The ones I changed frome enabled to disabled are the three near the bottom in bold. The rest are as they were.

If any of these three can be set back to enabled and you think I'll still get the same results, let me know. I'd like to have as much security as possible.

How do your settings differ?
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TGRMN Software
Site Admin


Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 8759

PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, that's interesting. Settings on my machine are:

User Account Control: Use Admin Approval Mode for the built-in Administrator account (Disabled)
User Account Control: Allow UIAccess applications to prompt for elevation without using the secure desktop. (Disabled)
User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode (Prompt For Consent on the secure desktop)
User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for standard users (Prompt for Credentials)
User Account Control: Detect application installations and prompt for elevation (Enabled)
User Account Control: Only elevate executable files that are signed and validated (Disabled)
User Account Control: Only elevate UIAccess applications that are installed in secure locations (Enabled)
User Account Control: Turn on Admin Approval Mode (Enabled)
User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation (Enabled)
User Account Control: Virtualize file and registry write failures to per-user locations (Enabled)

In bold are the differences with your current configuration.

Changing User Account Control: Turn on Admin Approval Mode to disabled is what I think solved the issue (which is also what setting compatibility with Server 2003 does). But this disables UAC for the whole machine, which is not recommended. VVEngine works with this setting on , so the issue must be a different one.

Maybe you can try using "Prompt For Consent on the secure desktop" but that should not make a difference.

Try also this test: start Notepad with "run as administrator" (right click on Notepad icon and select "run as administrator"). Once Notepad started, open the task manager and check if you can see this process without clicking on "show processes from all users". Then try again starting Notepad normally.

thanks
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TGRMN Software wrote:
Maybe you can try using "Prompt For Consent on the secure desktop" but that should not make a difference.

OK, my user account settings now match yours, and I still have a blue icon. But doesn't this still defeat some of the security? It reverts back to all the nags on the desktop, but wouldn't a rogue program that added itself to startup run now without permission?

Quote:
Try also this test: start Notepad with "run as administrator" (right click on Notepad icon and select "run as administrator"). Once Notepad started, open the task manager and check if you can see this process without clicking on "show processes from all users". Then try again starting Notepad normally.

Whether my user account settings were the way they were or the way the are, notepad still shows without having to click on "show processes from all users".

One pattern I'm starting to notice, is that any program I run that I have permission issues with has the shield over it's excecuteable icon in windows explorer, including many of the VVEngine executeables, like VVEngine.exe. For instance, ViceVersa.exe does not have the shield, and it should be noted that I do not have any problems with it's permissions. (Remember the other thread where we talked about the error I would get with a VVEngine profile but not with the same profile in ViceVersa.) I'll have to do some research and see what qualifies an executeable as shielded and not shielded. Early investigation sites that it's contingent on the executeable's programming, not on the judgement of windows.

It doesn't seem to have anything to do with digital signatures, both vvengine.exe & viceversa.exe have the same signatures.

I looked through most of the startup executeables that run on my system, and almost all do not have the shield, but vvengine.exe does. And the other one that does have a shield I also have problems with (Raxco PerfectDisk).
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BLatSD



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've now tried many combinations of user account security settings & compatibility mode settings, and every change seems to have ramifications down the line. The 3 problems, "attributes have changed" error, "Target folder not found", and "gray icon" issues all only seem to be resolved by:

1 Setting "User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode" to Prompt For Consent on the secure desktop

2. Changing all target paths to UNC paths (remember the target folder is a network drive). When I use the letter of the drive, I get a target folder not found error.

3. Setting compatibility mode for VVEngine executeables to "Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1" mode. Removing compatibility mode, the icon either remains gray or doesn't load at all.

4. Turn off archiving on all profiles.

Any change to any one of these settings affects one of the three issues or combinations thereof.

The most disappointing aspect of having to make these settings is the user account setting which I feel is insecure. I'd like to put it back to just Prompt for Consent for security's sake. And I'd very much like to run witih archiving in the profiles, but turning it on returns the "attributes have changed" issue we've gone over in the other thread, which as you pointed out had nothing to do with the drive & folder priviledges & owner issues.
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