I think it might be time to stop obsessing over irrelevant topics that you deem "security issues".  If you know about security, then you should know that ALL installers require elevation to administrator to install because you cannot write to places like the program files folder to install the software without it.  I don't know why you would have trouble installing as a non-administrator: people do it all the time.  You run the installer as the non-admin and (like any installer), the installer will ask you for the admin password just to gain access to install the software.

Mike

You are making incorrect assumptions.  If you install Qimage as a normal (limited) user, the installation asks for the admin password or PIN, the software installs without issue, and running it (as the limited user) afterward does not require any form of administrative permissions or "run as administrator".  And no, others are not having this problem (see below).  If you have any issues and/or have to run as administrator, it is not the fault of Qimage and you have one of the issues listed in the bottom list below.

To address your errant assumptions:

(1) Access to the ProgramData folder is guaranteed by Windows: that's what it is for: program data.  It is a folder where programs can store data and by definition, it is accessible by all users!

(2) Some poorly written anti-virus software (Norton for example) may try to prevent writing program data to the ProgramData folder.  This could result in "write access denied" but is due to AV interference and not Qimage.

(3) The installer no longer uses the ProgramData folder (hasn't for a while): the latest versions use the user data folder (%appdata%) instead.  If an old version used ProgramData, new versions won't try to change that: but you can during install if you like.

(4) Qimage certainly doesn't try to access "non-existent" folders because every folder that Qimage needs is created/confirmed to exist during installation.  If you believe otherwise, tell me what "non-existent" folder(s) you think it's trying to access!


Bottom line: there has never been a problem with Qimage using wrong folders or access privileges.  All issues with permissions or users reporting needing to run as admin are caused by the following:

(1) Anti-virus software blocking access to areas that should be accessible.

(2) Limited users making mistakes: using an admin account to install the software and then switching to a limited user after the install to run it: limited users need to install under their own account.

(3) Users deciding to change the "application data" folder during install and picking a location where they don't have full access as a limited user.

If you've seen any other (rare) complaints about messages regarding file access, they can all be binned in one of those three categories.

Mike

I'm not going to get into a measuring match and start measuring my 40 years as a software engineer against your 25 as a system's analyst, my CS degree versus your degree, etc.  I don't care about any of that.  What I do care about (and what I know) is that the installer works perfectly, including for a limited (non-admin) user if it is installed from the correct account and you don't make mistakes during the install like picking an install/application folder where you don't have full access.  It installs properly (with admin password), the installer gains admin/installer access needed to install the application, files and folders are still created under the limited user's account and are owned by the limited user.  There are no problems with permissions and the limited user can run the software normally without ever having to use run as administrator.  As expected, all folders/files created during install are accessible without needing admin rights because regardless of how they were installed, they are owned by the limited user and the only files that need write access are those located in the "application data" folder and the installer automatically picks a folder that should have full access for that, even if you are a limited user.

Now, if you want to discuss why you are having your one-up issue on your particular system, that probably makes more sense than you coming here, telling me how to run my website, and then proclaiming that my work is "bad programming".  If you really learned what you needed in your 25 years "analyzing systems" and you know more than I do, certainly you'll know how to fix this: reinstall and pick a folder for the "application data" selection where you know you (as a limited user) have full access.  Done.  There is even a data migration tool in the Utilities menu in Qimage that helps you move prior data... if that's your wish.

Mike

More and more these days, the leading companies are calling things the way they see them and not coddling rude customers, reviewers, etc.  If you wanted advice, answers, or help, you wouldn't have come here and started the conversation by making insulting remarks and repeating them in literally every recent thread you could find.  So I suspect you got exactly what you wanted: drama.  Fine by me.  Nothing wrong with a little drama sometimes.

Party over.  Back to your regularly scheduled program.

Mike