how to check if a Windows user can install application? or Is a windows computer member of a domain?

Question

Hi,

I am re-implementing auto-update mechanism in an application for internal use in our company. The old system used .exe based installers, which I had to replace with .msi based installer which can work in a Windows Domain. This I have done and works well.

Most of users in our headquarter are members of windows domain, but there are many users in remote locations which are not in the domain. For the users in domain we distribute updates automaticly. The remote users shoud use the auto-update mechanism build into the application.

So, the question is: How to check if windows user can install applications on his machine? or How to check if a computer runing windows is a member of a domain?

(I use Borland C++ 6 for development)

Answer 1

Why not simply run the .msi and let it report its own errors if the user is not allowed/capable of installing? Checking the current user's credentials is not really reliable, especially when you take UAC into account, which would allow the user a chance to temporary log into an elevated account with domain privileges to run the .msi if it requires that.