Can I allow domain users to Install software without making them Admin

[cjoyce1980]

I want to allow domain users to install software and updates without making them local or domain admin?

I've been through group policy so many times and I can't see a policy that would allow the users to install, hopefully I've just missed it.

Simple as that really, just getting bored of applying patches and stuff.....

[adamt]

Depends on where this patch needs to read/write to.

You may be able to grant users modify permissions to c:\program files\MyApp

If it's Windows/Office patches, try looking at WSUS:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/wsus/default.aspx

[surinalluri]

I want to allow domain users to install software and updates without making them local or domain admin?

I've been through group policy so many times and I can't see a policy that would allow the users to install, hopefully I've just missed it.

Simple as that really, just getting bored of applying patches and stuff.....

Hi

Create one OU and assingn the permissions for that OU users through GPMC.

[cluberti]

For manual, user-initiated installs, the answer to this is "no", but there are exceptions to every rule. You can loosen permissions to the filesystem and registry to the \Windows directory (and subfolders), \Program Files directory (and subfolders), and the HKLM and HKCR sections of the regsitry (and subkeys), but at that point THE USER IS BASICALLY AN ADMIN . So, technically, the answer is "no" .

For applications pushed out via group policy, this becomes muddier. If you allow the MSI elevatioin policies to be enabled in both the Computer and User portions of the policy applying to that user and his/her machine, the user can install applications pushed out via Software Distribution in group policy (from add/remove programs, or pushed automatically to the machine or user) without being an admin.

[IcemanND]

If you have an SMS server your users can install advertised software as standard user.

[nmX.Memnoch]

Another thing to remember is that some installers actually check to see if the user is a local admin or not. InnoSetup, for one, allows the install creator to specify that the installer should check local admin group membership. I've used this in several application installers and install wrappers that I've created for work.