Topic askSam Installation Issues with Vista and XP

 Applies_To askSam

    Version 5.x 6.x

Last_Update January 29, 2008

Question When I open the new askSam 6.1 the first screen to come up is an askSam screen that gives four choices, Extend, Purchase, Unlock Code and Cancel.  I click on the Unlock Code and it asks for the serial number.  This is still an askSam screen.  I enter the serial number again and click the button.  A screen comes up and says I do not have administrative priviliges. This is still an askSsam screen.   My account is set up with me as the administrator

Answer Some versions of XP and Vista do not give the same priviliges to the true administrator and users in the administrator group.

Resolution There are a couple of workarounds for this problem.

We have a new version of askSam 6.1 with a new install that should fix this problem. You may download it from our website at the following url;

http://www.asksam.com/downloads/askSamSetup.exe (after downloading uninstall your current version of askSam and install the new one instead), or follow one of the methods below if you choose not to download the new version.

Method 1 (Vista only)

1. Go to Control Panel and select CLASSIC VIEW (it can be found on the left hand side of the screen in the default blue section

2. Then select USER ACCOUNTS.

3. Turn the "User Account Control" off.

4. Go back to askSam and enter your serial code

5. After this, you should be able to run askSam without any problems.

Method 2

Make sure askSam is not running before you follow this procedure.

1. Click START > PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > NOTEPAD

2. Click FILE > OPEN

3. Browse to the file found at C:\Program Files\askSam\askSam5\askSam.ini (if using askSam 6 the default path would be C:\Program Files\askSam\askSam6\askSam.ini) (if you did not install to the default folder then click on FILE -> SEARCH and search for the asksam.ini file).

It should look like the box below:

4. Type your 16-digit serial code into the area immediately after "Serial=" (no spaces but use the dashes).

5. Click FILE > SAVE.

6. Click FILE > EXIT

The next time you run askSam, it should be unlocked.

The following is a tip on logging in using the Administrator account in Windows Vista.

When working with Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP and Windows 2000 you must have true Administrator privileges to either install or activate askSam. Windows editions other than Vista make this relatively easy, but Vista installations will often conceal the true Administrator account, apparently hoping to prevent inexperienced users from using it to misconfigure their systems.

Users working with Microsoft Vista are sometimes surprised to encounter an error message during installation or other operations that advises them the login they are using does not have Administrator rights. Some users mistakenly think that if a login is a member of the administrators group it has the same administrative rights as the actual Administrator. That is not the case, as Vista does not automatically grant the same rights to members of the administrators group that the actual Administrator login has.

The easiest way to assure you have full Administrator rights in Windows Vista is to login using the actual Administrator account. This account is different from the accounts displayed as having the "Administrator" role in the User Accounts applet in Control Panel. You must login as the actual Administrator account to have true Administrator privileges in Windows Vista.

Some Windows Vista installations may have the Administrator account turned off. If so, it is easy to turn the true Administrator account on. To do so, open the Control Panel and open the User Accounts applet. If you do not see any accounts named Administrator, this account is disabled. To enable the Administrator account, do the following:

1. Click Start, type cmd into the search pane, wait until the system displays the cmd.exe item at the top.

2. Right click the item and choose Run as administrator.

3. In the opened command prompt, type the following and press the Enter key, and then log off;

net user administrator /active:yes

4. There will now be an Administrator account enabled.

5. Log in as the Administrator to install askSam.

Important: Your authoritative technical resources for Microsoft products are Microsoft documentation and technical support services. This page provides advice that has helped many askSam users with typical Vista installations. Your particular Vista installation may be different. If so, please consult your Microsoft tech support resources for assistance.