Elevated Command Prompt

need4steer · 26 Oct 2010

Thanks a lot for another great tutorial.

I have 1 questions and 1 tip:
1) About the symptom of the elevated commnad prompt you wrote:

EXAMPLE: Elevated Command Prompt
NOTE: Notice how the elevated command prompt opens to C:\Windows\System32 and not C:\Users\(user name) as the default command prompt without administrator rights.

Well when I open mines it shows like this:

If I try one of the methods you mentioned I get the same command promp.
Please note the title: "Administrator:C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe"
I'm guessing it's another symptom that the command prompt it elevated.
BTW my account has administrator privilege.

2) Another method to make the command prompt elevated, as you mentioned at Elevated Command Prompt Shortcut is to modify it's shortcut:
right click on it --> properties --> shortcut tab --> advanced --> mark "Run as administrator".

Elevated Command Prompt-modify-properties.gif

And once again, thanks a lot for this great tutorial.

EDIT
Please read post #19 on this topic at https://www.sevenforums.com/1039804-post19.html for further information.

Brink · 26 Oct 2010

Hello Need4steer,

As a test, copy and paste diskpart /? into your command prompt from the above screenshot. If you get a UAC prompt or an error, then it's not a elevated command prompt.

need4steer · 27 Oct 2010

Well this is how it's looking:

I didn't get UAC prompt or an error.
BTW I disabled UAC.

The reasone I posted my command line prompt is in order to suggest that there might be another symptom for the elevated command prompt - it's title.

Brink · 27 Oct 2010

Ah, that my why you didn't get a UAC prompt or error. Enabled UAC, then try again.

Unless you are logged in as the built-in Administrator, you should get a UAC prompt using that command if the command prompt didn't open at C:\Windows\system32.

ZaLiTH · 27 Oct 2010

Hi need4steer; Keep in mind that a user account in part of the administrator's group (and therefore having administrative privileges) is not the same as the 'Administrator' account,

I'm not sure how correct this really is, but from my personal experiences having a user account in Windows Vista and 7 that is set as an administrator will still run as a standard user account by default, but doesn't require re-authentication as administrator to perform administrative functions. [1]

Following that assumption, it makes sense that by default the standard command prompt is launched as it doesn't require administrative rights to run.

need4steer said:

Well this is how it's looking:

I didn't get UAC prompt or an error.
BTW I disabled UAC.

The reasone I posted my command line prompt is in order to suggest that there might be another symptom for the elevated command prompt - it's title.

I must admit it's a bit confusing with referring to this as a 'symptom'... If I had to guess, I'd say you're saying another indication of whether the command prompt is elevated or not is it's title?

If so; then yes, that is correct. An elevated command prompt will show the word 'elevated' in the title.

Brink said:

Ah, that my why you didn't get a UAC prompt or error. Enabled UAC, then try again.

Unless you are logged in as the built-in Administrator, you should get a UAC prompt using that command if the command prompt didn't open at C:\Windows\system32.

I also have UAC disabled on my system (it drives me insane), and I can get to the elevated command prompt without any issues. I get the impression that need4steer isn't saying he can't get to it, but rather just pointing out that there is another way to get to it... I might be mistaken though.

Edit: [1] Just to expand on that note, a user account with administrative access is still required to pass through the UAC prompt in order to perform certain functions, but shouldn't require the 'Administrator' password to do so. As I said though, I might be mistaken, that's just what I've gleaned from my own experiences with it.

need4steer · 27 Oct 2010

Brink, ZaLiTH,thanks a lot for your fast response.

Brink, I'll try enabling UAC and I'll post back.

ZaLiTH, yes - this is what I ment. So if an elevated command prompt have to show the word 'elevated' how do you think I can get it without UAC enabled?

ZaLiTH · 27 Oct 2010

need4steer said:

Brink, ZaLiTH,thanks a lot for your fast response.

Brink, I'll try enabling UAC and I'll post back.

ZaLiTH, yes - this is what I ment. So if an elevated command prompt have to show the word 'elevated' how do you think I can get it without UAC enabled?

To be honest, it shouldn't really make any difference whether you have UAC enabled or not; User Account Control works by limiting the level of access a user has to change settings that affect your system. Turning this control system off should in theory make it easier to get to the administrative side of Windows...

However, try Brink's suggestion and see what happens. I can't think of anything else to check off hand (Unless something in the group policies might be affecting this...? Not likely though.).

Well, I'm leaving work now and I have no internet access at home, so I won't be able to check for any replies until tomorrow morning... Hope you manage to figure out what's happening. :)

need4steer · 27 Oct 2010

Thanks again ZaLiTH.
You were right - it didn't make any difference.

I enabled UAC, and I even set it to the highest (one above the default) level.
This is how the administrator command prompt lookes like:

You can see that now the path is C:\Windows\system32 and not C:\Users\need4steer. I don't have "elevated" in the title though.

This is how mine (need4steer) command prompt lookes like:

You can see in the title that C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe is still there.

I disable the "Run as administrator" option in the command prompt options:

This is how mine (need4steer) command prompt lookes like now:

So now it's the default command prompt with "command prompt" in the title.

It apears that I can't get a command prompt with "elevated" in the title...
I tried all the methods in this post.
Any suggestions?

Brink · 27 Oct 2010

Need4steer,

There is no "elevated" in a elevated (Run as administrator) command prompt's title. Your top screenshot in the post above is a elevated command prompt.

need4steer · 27 Oct 2010

But in your 1st picture in this post there once was "elevated" in the elevated command prompt's title.

Anyway what do you think?
Should I just stay with the annoying UAC on and use elevated command prompt (without elevated in the title) or is it good enough to use the probably elevated (chkdsk /? ran ok) command prompt that has "Administrator: Command prompt" in the title?

BTW, I went back and disabled UAC disabled and checked "Run as administrator" option in the command prompt options and found that if I'm running the command prompt from a shortcut with or without right click --> run as administrator it is looking as before:

But if I'm running it via start --> run --> cmd or via "CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER" after I'm typing cmd in the start menu search bar I'm getting a command prompt with "Administrator: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe":

So the title depends on where and how you started the command prompt.
Anyway I'm truly believe that the command prompt it elaveted. I only wish I could get to the mode in which the word "elevated" shows in the title - just to be sure.

EDIT
OMG I got it.
I decided to start to read this post from the begining because I thought I must have missed something - AND I DID!!!.
In the begining of this post, In step 1, you posted a link to another post:
Elevated Command Prompt Shortcut.
I bypassed it because I didn't wanted a made shortcut.
Anyway I decided now to try and download it, but suddenly I discovered another tutorial from you. In this tutorial you wrote: NOTE: You can type in any name that you would like to use for the shortcut though.

So I did it:

It is just a title. That's all. And as for the path - this is the "start in" property in the command prompt properties that should be configured to "C:\Windows\System32".

On the right is my old shortcut, where "start in" is configured to the user profile home folder (in my case %HOMEDRIVE%=C:\ and %HOMEPATH%=\Users\need4steer - which makes C:\Users\need4steer).
On the left is the shortcut I created as shown in your other tutorial - Elevated Command Prompt Shortcut, and which I configured with the title "elevated command prompt".

So, Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I finally got it:
The title could be whatever you want.
The "start in" property too.
It's running it as administrator in one of the methods mentioned at the head of this topic that makes the command prompt elevated, and it is elevated because the administrator user is running it.
And to sum it, the one symptom that is matters and ain't modified through all this topic is that the elevated command prompt should have "Administrator:" in the begining of the title - which indicates that the administrator user ran it.

Thanks a lot for your help and effort.
And I'm sorry for post #10, https://www.sevenforums.com/1037016-post10.html, in which I suggested method 2. I didn't saw that on your other turotial. I edited it with credit.

ZaLiTH, thanks a lot to you too. Appearantly you'll arrive to work and see that we figured it out somehow...