Error executing program (5) due to IE10?

[commodore]

I've tried installing a program by double-clicking the EXE within TC, but I got the "Error executing program (5)" dialog box. On a subsequent info, it mentioned something about internet security settings. Double-clicking the same file in Windows Explorer started the installation normally.
Could it be that the latest MS installation/update of Internet Explorer changed something to prevent me from starting certain EXE files in TC?

[ghisler(Author)]

Error 5 means "Access is denied".

I'm not aware of any such problem. Can you give me more details, please?
- where is the EXE located
- does it have the shield overlay icon (you need to enable overlay icons)

[umbra]

Hi, I can reproduce it on Windows 8. Executable files, that are downloaded with Internet Explorer and not recognized by its internal database, have an alternate data stream added to them, so Windows knows, it has to treat them carefully. (google for SmartScreen) As far as I know, Win8 and IE10 have stricter rules than Win7 and IE9, so this might be caused by the update commodore mentions.

When you run such file, Windows shows a security warning and if you dismiss it, the app will be closed. I think, it's basically the same thing as http://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=32473.

commodore
Have you seen any security dialog, when you tried to run that file?

[commodore]

Yes, the file was downloaded from the internet (although I think I used Firefox for it, not IE), saved to Downloads, and was blocked from execution.
That was on Windows 7, 64-bit, and I did the monthly MS update (including IE9 to IE10) yesterday (previously, I had no such issues).
And there was no shield icon on it.
No, there was no prior security alert (usually there may be some) -- which at first lead me to believe I had some "leftover characters" in the command line that were taken for a mistyped command.

[umbra]

Firefox creates those alternate streams as well. But it's weird that there was no security warning. Can you reproduce the issue or was it only a one-timer?

[commodore]

It was not a one-timer (I was working on two or three setups), but right now I don't have anything to install/upgrade. I'll keep an eye on it, though.

EDIT: I've had several downloads to upgrade some of the programs in the last two days. They were all downloaded in Firefox. And all of them exhibited the same "misbehavior" (i.e. I had to start the setup from an Explorer window).

[ghisler(Author)]

I do not have this problem on Windows 8 with IE10 - I do get the security dialog when launching an installer from TC after downloading it with IE 10 - tested with the 32-bit and 64-bit version of TC. I still have IE9 on Windows 7, though.

[umbra]

2ghisler(Author)
I doubt you will see any difference if you update your IE9 to IE10.

2commodore
So you can reproduce it quite reliably. Just to make sure that this is caused by the SmartScreen, try this:
1. Download any file causing such issues and make sure it doesn't work in TC
2. Right-click on it, open its Properties dialog, on the "General" tab click"Unblock" and apply changes
3. Now try to run it again in TC

If the unblocking helps, the SmartScreen is the most probable culprit. If it doesn't, it's something else.

[commodore]

Thanks, I'll definitely try this on next xysetup.exe download. Is this a setting that came with recent Microsoft updates (as the security dialog boxes in TC were present before, and everything was fine)?

Is this related to the setting under Internet Properties > Advanced > Security section, "Enable SmartScreen Filter" (which is checked now)?

[umbra]

2commodore
Yes and no. SmartScreen and Zone Identifier (the specific feature that might be causing your troubles) aren't new to Windows 8 and IE10. They existed in previous versions too. Microsoft just integrated them more into system. On Windows 7, you shouldn't see much difference after updating to IE10.

And that setting probably won't help you. First you are using Firefox, so disabling something in IE is irrelevant. And second, I've got a feeling you would have to disable it directly in Group Policy anyway.

But for now lets just test, if the SmartScreen is really somehow misbehaving on your computer or not. Because I have never seen such issues before.

[commodore]

OK, I already had an update for a program... Tried UNBLOCK button, it accepted the change, but the issue remained.

[umbra]

In that case I'm slowly running out of ideas. There is only one case, when I saw TC to show that error without any obvious reason or error/security message - when I tried to open a file with corrupted file association settings. But since your files are working fine outside of TC, I doubt it applies to your case.
I don't know, is there anything that those files have in common? Or something that differentiates them from those that are working?

[commodore]

All I can think of that they have in common -- those not working have been downloaded from the web using Firefox, and are updates/setups to already installed applications (no malware at all, just innocent applications such as Notepad++, MyPhoneExplorer, VirtualBox etc.).
Those EXEs that can still be started have been in the system "for a while".

[ghisler(Author)]

Are the files which can be started located in the same directory as the files which cannot be started?

[commodore]

No, the files that couldn't be started were in either Downloads or Documents folders. The one's that are OK are elsewhere (program files..., c:\bin).