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I just installed Windows 10, after years spent with Windows 7.

Drag & dropping a .wav file into SoundForge is something important in my workflow. Why doesn't it work anymore in Windows 10?

Maybe linked: why the shield icon on the SoundForge shortcut? I tried Properties > Shortcut > Advanced > Run as administrator ON or OFF, it's the same.

PS: I'm using Windows 10 Pro, with a single user account (I'm the administrator).

enter image description here

I also tried administrator ON/OFF in Properties > Compatibility, but it's also the same.

enter image description here

Basj
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  • [How to Remove UAC Icon Overlays (Blue-Yellow Shields) in Windows 7](//superuser.com/q/68345) – DavidPostill Jan 30 '17 at 00:22
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    It probably does have to do with that Sheild on the icon, but the problem isn't that it is on the icon, but that the program is for some reason required to run as admin. A program running in administrator mode will not be able to receive drag and drops from a program not running as admin, – Yisroel Tech Jan 30 '17 at 03:14
  • You may try the answer here http://superuser.com/a/547846/368970 – Yisroel Tech Jan 30 '17 at 03:23
  • I only have one user : myself, and this user is Administrator. UAC is already in its lower state (slider low position). But still doesn't work – Basj Jan 30 '17 at 08:40
  • This does not have to do with how much users you have on your PC. In you own user some programs (most of them) run without needing admin right and some do require admin rights. Drag and drop doesn't work between these two types of programs. Turning down UAC (which is a bad idea as its own) does not mean it'll not run as admin just that it won't ask you permission every time to do that. – Yisroel Tech Jan 30 '17 at 12:43
  • Have you tried doing with your program like that answer I linked suggests? – Yisroel Tech Jan 30 '17 at 12:44
  • @YisroelTech I tried, it didn't work. How can I always run it as administrator? I tried to modify the properties of the shortcut ("Run as administrator"), but it doesn't change anything. Something else: I'm drag&dropping from desktop to SoundForge 8. – Basj Jan 30 '17 at 15:04
  • What "didn't work"? Did all the steps including clicking "No, I have finished investigating the problem - undo any changes made and clear all settings"? You are asking how you can "always run it as administrator", but really you need the opposite. You need to find a way to run the program not as administrator. – Yisroel Tech Jan 30 '17 at 16:11
  • @YisroelTech: What didn't work => drag and drop a .wav file from desktop to SoundForge 8, even after the technique mentioned in the linked answer. – Basj Jan 30 '17 at 19:46
  • Are you still using SoundForge version 8? If yes, is updating to the latest version is an option? You could also try the solution in [this link](https://www.magix.info/us/forum/program-will-not-open-unless-it-is-run-as-administrator--1207220/) (export the registry data before deleting). – harrymc Jun 17 '20 at 15:56
  • @harrymc Funnily, after years, yes I still do (I still have the license for it), it is exceptionnally lightweight and fast to launch which is what I want 99% of the time for small sound editing tasks. For more complex tasks, I also use newer software. – Basj Jun 17 '20 at 16:01
  • Did the above link help? It was specific to SoundForge. – harrymc Jun 17 '20 at 16:52
  • @harrymc I'll try it when I have access to my Win10 machine, thanks for sharing this – Basj Jun 17 '20 at 16:54

3 Answers3

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You see a effect of the User Account Control. Drag & Drop only works for programs that have the same permission level. If you run an application as admin, you can only drag and drop files from applications that also run as admin.

User Interface Privilege Isolation (UIPI)

UIPI blocks Windows messages being sent from process with a lower MIC level to one running at a higher MIC level. Drag-and-drop is implemented via Windows messages. Therefore, if you try and drag-and-drop a file from Windows Explorer (medium MIC) to Notepad running elevated (high MIC), the Windows messages are blocked and drag-and-drop doesn’t work.

Moving the slider down to the lowest position no longer disables UAC since Windows 8, because UAC is required to use the store apps, because UAC provides the sandbox in which the apps run isolated.

The version 8 is very old, so Windows detects that it has issues running under normal user permissions and requires admin rights.

As mentioned above this is a feature that can't be fixed. But there is a workaround to run Explorer as admin to be able to drag & drop files from Explorer to a process running as admin.

magicandre1981
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  • yes, you can run Explorer as admin and drag&drop them from here: http://superuser.com/a/1060578/174557 – magicandre1981 Jan 30 '17 at 19:13
  • use app compatibility tools (part of Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK)) to alter the shim for SF8 to run "AsInvoker" – magicandre1981 Jan 30 '17 at 19:19
  • there is no easy way. Set **AsInvoker** for the application: http://meridian.ws/wordpress/?p=306, http://www.ghacks.net/2010/07/08/get-rid-of-uac-prompts-with-microsofts-application-compatibility-toolkit/ – magicandre1981 Jan 31 '17 at 16:43
  • in win7 you also have the issue and disabling UAC is very bad – magicandre1981 Jan 31 '17 at 19:33
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    as I said, moving the slider no longer disables UAC since Win8, so that is why you don't see this in Win7. no, you don't know what you do, otherwise you wouldn't ask here ;) – magicandre1981 Jan 31 '17 at 20:02
  • @Basj there will never be a fix, just run [explorer as admin](https://superuser.com/a/1060578/174557) – magicandre1981 Jun 17 '20 at 15:00
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    @Basj I've added it to the answer. – magicandre1981 Jun 17 '20 at 15:08
  • I used RegOwnershipEx to take ownership on HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppID\{CDCBCFCA-3CDC-436f-A4E2-0E02075250C2}, then I deleted the `RunAs` key. Then I went to Task manager, I killed the `explorer.exe` process (there was only one). Then I used 'Run' from the menu, I entered `explorer.exe`, I checked the "As admininistrator" checkbox. But then then column `Elevated` still mentions No :( and not Yes like in your screenshot... Do you have any idea @magicandre1981? – Basj Jun 18 '20 at 19:46
  • @Basj https://superuser.com/questions/1060456/is-there-any-way-to-run-file-explorer-as-administrator-under-windows-10/1060578#comment2377922_1060578 – magicandre1981 Jun 18 '20 at 20:05
  • I confirm it works @magicandre1981, but it requires to create a `explorer.exe` shortcut on desktop and manually start each new explorer window from this to have the dragndrop working. How to have explorer.exe start as admin by default on boot? – Basj Jun 19 '20 at 10:33
  • this would require to disable UAC completely and this would break the UI, as the Win10 is build the same way like the store apps. – magicandre1981 Jun 19 '20 at 13:08
  • I rejected the edit. Add some more details, not only links. – magicandre1981 Jun 19 '20 at 15:12
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    Ok @magicandre1981, I posted it as a new answer with a few remarks, for future reference. Full credit to you, I just awarded you the bounty. – Basj Jun 19 '20 at 15:37
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I have this exact same issue with an older version of Wavelab and my only workaround is to drag and drop onto the Wavelab desktop icon shortcut. For some reason this opens the file in the program as normal and can also be used to add more files into it while running.

Shriker
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As posted in a comment from @magicandre1981 (to whom I'll give bounty of course, credit to him), another solution is to use RunAsInvoker as mentioned in http://meridian.ws/wordpress/?p=306 and http://www.ghacks.net/2010/07/08/get-rid-of-uac-prompts-with-microsofts-application-compatibility-toolkit/.

Here is how it goes; I used a similar method to previous links, but with a few slight differences (point 6 was not mentioned in these articles, it was needed for me).

More precisely:

  • Download ADK (Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit) from here and install ACT

  • Launch Compatibility Administrator (32 bit, in my case) and create a new Application fix:

  • Choose the SoundForge 8 executable path, and add RunAsInvoker:

  • Auto-generate in the next step:

    enter image description here

  • Save the Database (File > Save As) somewhere. Then File > Install it.

    enter image description here

  • In the Properties of "Forge80.exe" (right click on it), uncheck everything related to Compatibility mode (this was necessary for me)

  • Delete the original shortcuts, and create new shortcut on your desktop if necessary

  • It works!

Basj
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