[Win7] Only allow a user to execute a program via another

[RATiO]

So, I want to prevent a user from executing a program via explorer, start menu shortcuts or desktop shortcuts.

BUT, they must be able to launch the program from within another app which executes the one I wish to block.

Is there any way to do this?

[RATiO]

No one?

[+BudMan MVC]

Have never heard of wanting to do something like this.

So you have 2 exe's for example

abc.exe

dfg.exe

You want user to be able to start abc.exe but not dfg.exe -- but abc.exe starts dfg.exe?

Why would you need to do this? So details of what your trying to prevent would be helpful in coming up with the correct solution to the problem.

[RATiO]

You've got the gist of it yes, the app I want to block has no user logging capability so I want users to only launch the app through this other app which has custom username and passwords and logs the login and logout time against username

[+BudMan MVC]

so you wrote the apps? Or someone in the company did? Are these apps available to everyone - can I look up the company, or download them?

Why would the users know to launch dfg.exe vs abc.exe?? Users are dumb!! You give them an icon to abc, and then don't say anything about dfg, how would they know to run dfg so nothing is logged?

[firey]

You've got the gist of it yes, the app I want to block has no user logging capability so I want users to only launch the app through this other app which has custom username and passwords and logs the login and logout time against username

You could always have some sort of background app that checks to see if that process is running. If the launcher process isn't running then kill it, otherwise it's good.

[RATiO]

@budman

It's a factory system based on windows logins but the terminal at which the users run this program from will always be logged into the same windows account - therefore not actually logging who did what. It's impractical to set all of these users up with their own domain account so I have made my own program that asks for a username and pin then launches the program.

Yes I could set up an icon on desktop to the launcher but it's still not going to stop the 'above average intelligence' user from browsing to c:\program files\xxxi and manually starting it

@firey

I like that idea, will have to try it

[Tech Geek Alex]

OK - here is an out of the box idea. Why cant you use a program like Kido'z (which is free) and basically lets you control what they can and cant do, like what what files they can access. Ya I know that Kido'z is a "kids" program but my end users act more like kids then some kids I know. That's how I control who can get to what on my terminals.

http://kidoz.net/

PS - I don't work for Kido'z , Im just a satisfied customer.

Alex

Head of TechGeekandMore.com

[_BeanZ_]

It's impractical to set all of these users up with their own domain account so I have made my own program that asks for a username and pin then launches the program.

When you spend more time on the work around than it would take to create the user accounts, it isn't "impractical". ;)