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Ignored target list not sticking
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Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Ignored target list not sticking Reply with quote
I recently updated my PDF editor to NitroPDF 9, for whatever reason SQL Assistant prevents it from launching properly (was not a problem with NitroPDF 8).

I added Nitro* to my ignored target list, hit apply and then hit OK. I then ran NitroPDF expecting it to come up fully (it seems to when I have SQL Assistant unloaded).. only this time it did not come up as expected.

I then unloaded SQL Assistant and re loaded it using "Run as administrator", testing NitroPDF with Nitro* in the ignore target list worked, so I then unloaded SQL assistant again and re-ran it as normal.

Much to my surprise, my target list is now missing nitro* at the end of the string. NitroPDF again does not launch with any reliability.

Re-running SQL assistant in administrator mode indeed does show Nitro* at the end of the ignored targets.

How can I make this stick in normal user mode, and why isn't SQL assistant reading the config as set?
Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:11 pm View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7841

Post Reply with quote
SQL Assistant config settings like exception lists are stored in SQLAssist.ini file. If you have Windows Vista, 7, or 8, and UAC is enabled, it then virtualizes user files (it's called file and registry redirection). Moreover, the use user running a process in normal mode and in 'run as administrator' mode is not really the same user, the former is nobody, the later is an admin. Windows maintains several copies of user files and feeds different files to applications based on the current user session settings and mode. Note that the applications don't know they get different files, they access them as if files were always in the same place.

The implications: if you have installed SQL Assistant in 'Run as Administrator' mode and created config files in that mode, then logged in normally and started the application not using 'Run as Administrator', you can see and change what has been installed but you want be able to retain your changes. As soon as you close the application, Windows will erase the modified files and replace them with previous copies. However, if you turn off UAC, things will start working just as you expect them.
Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:39 pm View user's profile Send private message
Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Reply with quote
How can I make it stick as a normal user without disabling UAC? I don't generally run my apps "run as administrator" unless they prompt me to for various reasons. SQL Assistant is not one of them. I do not believe I originally installed SQL Assistant in "run as administrator" mode either? I can change most of the settings (such as formatting rules, bound editors, etc) without having to run as administrator.

As I said, if I set up the ignore list in normal user mode it does not keep the list after closing the config dialog box.
Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:42 pm View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7841

Post Reply with quote
Please check C:\Users\{your user name here}\AppData\Roaming\SQL Assistant\6.4\SQLAssist.ini file. If it doesn't exists, you have an issue with the installation. Use Import/Export button in the Options dialog to create that file. If it does exist, check it gets updated when you save changes in the Options and then quit SQL Assistant. If it doesn't and the changes get reverted each time, try temporarily disabling UAC, saving changes and then re-enabling UAC. Hope that helps.
Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:58 pm View user's profile Send private message
Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Reply with quote
I do have a SQLAssistant.ini in C:\Users\MYNAME\AppData\Roaming\SQL Assistant\6.4

However, it's full of stuff like this:

Code:

[TfmSCSBrowser]
state=0
pos_x=176
pos_y=127
width=1089
height=647
[TfmSCSBrowser.tvDB]



There's also a SQLAssistant.sas file, which seems to have much more stuff, but nothing I can decipher as an ignore line.

Editing the config as a standard user, the SQLAssistant.sas does re-save to my directory listed above, but the changes do not keep in the UI.

Turning off UAC makes no difference.

I did find IgnoreTargets in the registry:

HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\SoftTree technologies, Inc.\SQL Assistant\6.0\

I added ,Nitro* to the end of it, restarted SQL assistant but it seems to be ignoring that as well. The registry key can be changed via running SQL Assistant as Administrator. Likewise, if the target list is changed via the registry, it's only reflected in SQL Assistant if you run SQL assistant as administrator. If you run it as a normal user it must get some default string somewhere?
Tue Oct 08, 2013 9:36 am View user's profile Send private message
Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Reply with quote
Monitoring SQLassist.exe with procmon:



When I try to change my ignored target list as a standard user I get access denied messages.

Giving my MYCOMPUTER\Users full control to SQL Assistant\6.0 in this registry tree (defualt was read only) allows me to permanently save this change.
Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:02 am View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7841

Post Reply with quote
It's supposed to be in the SAS file. I don't know how and what writes it to the registry. Is the some sort of antivirus program running that might be somehow interfering?
Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:31 am View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7841

Post Reply with quote
The 'Access denied' explains why it did get saved. But why the directory was read-only is still a puzzle.
Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:34 am View user's profile Send private message
Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Reply with quote
We have AV but I can't imagine it doing this. The sas file timestamp changes when I apply settings but the ignore data isn't in there.
Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:35 am View user's profile Send private message
Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Reply with quote
SysOp wrote:
The 'Access denied' explains why it did get saved. But why the directory was read-only is still a puzzle.


The directory isn't. It was a registry branch. I cannot imagine how it should be in the SAS file but ends up in the registry.
Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:37 am View user's profile Send private message
Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Reply with quote
I deleted the IgnoreTargets from the registry, relaunched sql assistant, re added Nitro* to the end of the string and hit apply. The registry key came back...

here's the .sas file being written

but.. searching for chrome.exe or any of the other items in that string come back no results.
Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:42 am View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7841

Post Reply with quote
I'm going to ask our developers if they know about connection to the registry
Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:49 pm View user's profile Send private message
Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Reply with quote
SysOp wrote:
I'm going to ask our developers if they know about connection to the registry


Excellent.
Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:06 pm View user's profile Send private message
Mindflux



Joined: 25 May 2013
Posts: 810
Country: United States

Post Reply with quote
Any luck on this? I just upgraded and lost my ignored target list even after restoring my exported settings file.
Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:59 pm View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7841

Post Reply with quote
Here is what I found out. There are 2 registry entries that control the behavior

HKLM\SOFTWARE\SoftTree Technologies, Inc\SQL Assistant\6.0\IgnoreTargets - this is a list of program files to be ignored. SQL Assistant will not attempt to check their target registrations.
HKLM\SOFTWARE\SoftTree Technologies, Inc\SQL Assistant\6.0\AllowTargets - this is a list of programs located in the system directories that SQL Assistant is allowed to work with, for example, notepad.exe. by default, all programs from system directories are ignored.

If you run SQL Assistant as non-admin user or if you launch an upgrade from it, Windows will allow it to update the registry, but then will silently erase all settings. That is a wonderful behavior of the so called User Account Control (UAC).

Try to update the above registry settings manually and see if your changes stick. If not, turn the UAC off and then try again. After that you can turn the UAC back on.
Sun Feb 02, 2014 8:26 pm View user's profile Send private message
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