C# – Access denied when creating registry key

access-deniedcregistry

I am trying to create a registry key at following location but I am getting access denied error:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MyCompany\MyProgram

Here is the code:

RegistryKey reg;
reg = Registry.LocalMachine.CreateSubKey(@"SOFTWARE\MyCompany\MyProgram");

Best Answer

You are most likely using User Account Control (UAC). This means that even if you are an administrator your access token doesn't have the necessary privileges to do things like creating registry keys in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

However, by going through a UAC prompt you can elevate your privileges.

Regedit includes a UAC manifest that will raise the prompt before it is executed ensuring that it can perform the actions it needs to be able to do. You can also right-click on an executable or shortcut and select Run as administrator.

So essentially you have three options:

Turn off UAC
Use Run as administrator
Include a UAC manifest in your executable

The first solution is less secure and the last solution is the most elegant (but also the one that actually requires some effort).

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C# – Create Generic method constraining T to an Enum

Since Enum Type implements IConvertible interface, a better implementation should be something like this:

public T GetEnumFromString<T>(string value) where T : struct, IConvertible
{
   if (!typeof(T).IsEnum) 
   {
      throw new ArgumentException("T must be an enumerated type");
   }

   //...
}

This will still permit passing of value types implementing IConvertible. The chances are rare though.

Registry permission question for win7-64 c# development

The only way to do it from your program is to execute the code that writes to the registry under an account that has sufficient permissions. You may check out this article which gives an example of impersonating a user. There are some security considerations to take into account with this method so IMHO the best way is to perform this operation during program install.

Best Answer

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