Firestorm under Windows Vista and 7
Who would like to take advantages of Firestorm or Dupehunter Professional under Windows Vista and higher should notice the following remarks:
User Account Control (UAC)
The User Account Control, UAC is a part of Windows Vista. This technique is active directly after the installation of the operating system, however, can be deactivated in the system control under "user accounts"!
The user accounts control system shall prevent that faulty programs or malicious code change the system.
Straight beginners are protected so better from unpleasant surprises.
Disadvantages are:
- Old programs partly run not or only restrictedly under the user accounts control system!
- Also at normal applications which would like to change something at the system warning announcements appear so that it very frequently comes to such reports. Becomes dulled with the time the user doesn't and can of unimportant queries distinguish important any more.
How does the protection build up?
An administrator also only has restricted rights in the system.
Look back:
It was so under Windows 2000 and XP that after an installation of the operating system at least a user who then had administrator rights was typed in. The administrator has all rights to configure a system, to modify important parts or even to delete.
With these rights the user dialed in and remained an administrator also during the whole session. If he opened the Internet Explorer, this got all rights automatically. Viruses caught at the surfing or Trojans who came into the system about the Internet Explorer also had inherited the full rights and then could cause damage. Up to the complete deletion of the hard disk.
Is new now:
Under Vista, if he starts the Internet Explorer, this can execute also only with restricted rights at downloaded harming code. So the virus cannot change sensitive data because for this the rights don't suffice.
The problem
Since all programs are always started with restricted rights, programs which would for example like to change something in the registry don't have all required rights to do this.
However, programmers can modify the executable files so that they inform the operating system that the program needs extended rights.
The user accounts control system recognizes this and immediately asks the user at this whether the application XY may be started by the manufacturer XY. It comes to small differences here:
Case 1: The user is set up as a normal user. Since the program needs administrator rights, Windows asks the user to enter the password of the administrator.
Case 2: The user is the administrator. Here Windows only asks whether the program may be started and the password query is dropped.
Digital signatures and colors
What is identical in the two cases? Windows always distinguishes between programs signed digitally or not. The digital signature shall ensure, it is known that the manufacturer of the software is trustworthy and at worldwide certification places as manufacturers.
We also use a digital signature for all programs produced by us.
Moreover, it is an important aspect at the digital signature that an intact signature ensures that the program runs on the customer computer just like the manufacturer has created it and hackers or Trojans haven't manipulated this.
The user accounts control system finds an intact signature, the safety query of the system appears in an unobtrusive ice blue dialog and the manufacturer name (in our case "Carsten Heidtke") is displayed. If no signature was, however, found, the dialog is deposited with yellow or red color. Windows then says that the manufacturer is unknown.
Both of our programs Dupehunter Professional and Firestorm are signed digitally. This concerns both the executable ones installed program files Dupehunter.exe and Firestorm.exe, that is also the respective installation programs.
You also can check the whole certificate, i.e. the signature in which you click in the Windows Explorer with the right mouse button on one of the files mentioned above. A little menu in which you click on "Properties" below is published. In the dialog seeming now you can "Digital certificates" learn further details on the rider.
Selecting the following pictures for a greater view.
If the signature should be faulty or not existing, this indicates data errors or else improper changes to. Please don't hesitate to contact us under support@dupehunter.com and mention the source of supply of the files if possible.
Firestorm and Administrator rights
Firestorm needs in version 9 administrator rights to clean a system like Windows Vista completely. We have therefore adapted the installation so that administrator rights are already required during the installation. Normal users can only install Firestorm consequently when the administrator password is known to the user. It is for certain a positive side-effect that only persons may operate the program with special rights in company networks.
The most frequent question:
Q: Why does the safety query appear at every program start and can i switch these off?
A: Unfortunately, the user accounts control system asks at every program start! Unfortunately, remedy creates only the complete switching off of the whole user accounts control system as described on this side above.
Caution!
If the user accounts control system is switched off, Windows Vista operates as XP or Windows 2000. Who can handle that and already didn't have any problems under these systems can take this into consideration. Newcomers who know only Vista let themselves be advised better whether one should pay attention more in different places or not.
Closing sentence
Nothing has to do all described here with the Windows firewall or other safety programs. Even at deactivated user accounts control system the Windows firewall is actively, so further it it was before, too. Please, in case of questions on products of third party suppliers contact the support of the suppliers.
Windows®, Windows Vista® und Windows XP are registered Trademarks and Copyright of Microsoft Corp., USA.