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220-1202 Practice Question: During a software deployment, you need to ensure…
During a software deployment, you need to ensure that a legacy application always runs with administrative privileges, even for standard users. How can you configure this using Windows built-in tools?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that disabling UAC or adding users to the Administrators group is the correct way to grant admin rights to a single application, when the targeted 'Run as administrator' shortcut setting is the proper built-in method.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set the application's shortcut to 'Run as administrator' in the Compatibility tab
The Compatibility tab in a shortcut's properties allows you to set the 'Run as administrator' flag, which embeds a compatibility manifest that prompts for elevation via UAC when the application is launched. This ensures the legacy application always runs with administrative privileges, even for standard users, by triggering a credential prompt for an administrator account.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Set the application's shortcut to 'Run as administrator' in the Compatibility tab
Why this is correct
Setting the application's shortcut to 'Run as administrator' in the Compatibility tab is the most targeted and secure method for a specific application requiring elevated privileges. This configuration modifies the shortcut's properties to include a flag, instructing Windows to prompt for administrative credentials via User Account Control (UAC) each time the application is launched. This ensures the application consistently runs with the necessary elevated rights without granting the user full administrative privileges for all their activities, adhering strictly to the principle of least privilege.
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Disable User Account Control (UAC) in the Control Panel
Why it's wrong here
Disabling User Account Control (UAC) globally through the Control Panel significantly compromises system security by allowing all applications to run with full administrative privileges without prompting for elevation. While it might allow the problematic application to run, it does not specifically grant administrative rights to a standard user for that *one* application. This is an extreme, system-wide measure that violates fundamental security best practices and exposes the entire system to unnecessary risks.
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Add the user to the local Administrators group
Why it's wrong here
Adding a standard user account to the local Administrators group grants that user full, unrestricted administrative privileges across the entire operating system. This is an excessive security risk, as it permits the user to make any system-wide changes, install software, and access sensitive data without any UAC prompts. It is an overly broad measure for merely enabling a single application to run with elevated rights and directly contradicts the principle of least privilege.
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Use the 'Run as different user' option from the Shift+right-click menu
Why it's wrong here
The 'Run as different user' option, accessed via Shift+right-click, allows a user to launch an application using the credentials of another user account, potentially an administrator account. However, this is a manual, one-time action that requires entering credentials every single time the application is launched. It does not permanently configure the application to always run with elevated privileges and therefore is not an automated or scalable solution suitable for a software deployment scenario.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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