Does F4SE really need admin rights?

[kplusa]

Help please!

I can't remember anymore if I gave F4SE admin rights when I first installed it but, after trying different profiles on Vortex, I keep getting "please try running f4se_loader as an administrator" popup messages whenever I click it. Should I just give it admin rights permanently?

Thank you. 

[subaverage]

Can you start the game through the f4se_loader directly? If so, it might be more a problem of Vortex. But besides I gave it admin rights long time ago without negative side effects and perhaps it works for you.

[fraquar]

No.

Usually when an app "needs" admin rights it means you have the app either in a protected folder, trying to operate on files in a protected folder - and/or both.

In fact, anything that "needs" admin rights in Windows - that is your red flag.    

Program Files?   That is a no-no for games and modding.    

[kplusa]

@subaverage Yes, I can if I give it admin access. That's where I encounter the pop-up message. I don't launch f4se through Vortex.

@fraquar They're both installed in C:\Games. For additional context, Vanilla FO4.exe has admin rights while my mod manager does not (and it works fine). 

I am on the 1.10.163 version of F4SE

Edited yesterday at 05:15 AM by kplusa

[AndalayBay]

If you're using a user account that doesn't have full privileges, then sign on as an admin and give your user account full permissions to your games directory.

The only other thing I can think of is that you've got something that wants to modify the Windows file associations. For example, changing the editor that opens if you double-click on an ini file.

[kplusa]

I'm using the admin account so that's not the issue. 

Maybe it's the 2nd one? I recently changed the default program for opening JPEG files but that's it. Nothing else that's really related to FO4 or mods.

[subaverage]

I am a bit confused. Do you use the f4se_loader.exe from FO4 main folder directly, because you first mentioned Vortex? You say you get the message when giving the f4se_launcher admin rights? Where does this message come from? Could you post a screenshot? The only message when starting the launcher as admin should be from Windows asking if you want to allow that the app can make changes to your system. Starting an app with admin rights is not per se bad. Sometimes a user misses some needed rights like write permissions. As I said I start the f4se_launcher as admin without problems. The only message (every time) is from Windows. But I believe that normally the launcher should not need admin rights. Maybe it's simply because you have write protected files in your FO4 installation where data need to be written to. You could try to disable write protection for your installation folder and see whether F4SE works without error message.

Edited yesterday at 08:59 AM by subaverage

[kplusa]

Yes, I use it from the main folder directly through a desktop shortcut. I don't launch it on Vortex. 

I mentioned Vortex to explain how it started (switching profiles)

No, I get the message when I DON'T give f4se_launcher admin rights. When I run as admin, it works perfectly fine. 

[fraquar]

Make sure you aren't using OneDrive.   

[kplusa]

@fraquar I'm not. I'm not signed in.