“Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”

EmilDK said:

Whenever I install some new software, the window appears, where I get asked the following:
“Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”

When you give approval to proceed, that permission applies only to that installation utility on only that occasion. When the installation utility stops running [whether successful or not], the permission lapses.

The dialog box always contains a Show more details link. You can click on that to see exactly what task you are giving permission to.

- - - - - -

This dialog can also appear at other times - not just during installation.
- If you run an application that has the capability of affecting other users of the computer then you will also need to give Admin permission to proceed. That permission also lapses when the task ends. This applies whether there are any other user accounts or not.
- If you try to access folders outside of your own C:\Users\%UserName% area you might also need to provide permission to proceed. In some cases, the permission lapses [when, say, a copying task ends] but in most cases, the permission is permanent.

- - There is no central record of folder access permissions granted.
- - To find out what permissions have been granted, you'd have to examine the security settings of each folder to see what permissions apply and you'd need to know what those permissions had been originally.

Denis

EmilDK said:

Could anyone please help with my remaining questions concerning the topic:
a. Depends on what the program is.
Authentic games (acknowledged titles and not pirated)
AVG and Malwarebytes
EaseUS Data Recovery and Piriform Recuva
Should any of those rise any concern?

What are you asking?

EmilDK said:

b. Depends if you install it as all users or single user.

What are you asking?

EmilDK said:

My user is admin. Which is the same as having access to all files?

No. You have to look at folder Security permissions to see what you have access to. You will not, by default, have access to the folders of other users or some Windows folders.

EmilDK said:

Would just be nice to know, wether this access is only restricted to the installation folder, or my whole drive with all my data?

I have already explained that in post #11. You gave access to the job. When the job finished so did the permission.

EmilDK said:

If ANY software tries to install (malicious or not), will this window asking for permission get triggered?

Any operation that can affect other users will trigger the dialog. Operations that do not affect other users do not.


Denis

Emil,

To find out what permissions have been granted, you'd have to examine the security settings of each folder to see what permissions apply and you'd need to know what those permissions had been originally.
Where can I see this?

Look in the Right-click, Properties, Security, Advanced for each individual folder.

Authentic games (acknowledged titles and not pirated)
AVG and Malwarebytes
EaseUS Data Recovery and Piriform Recuva
These 3 examples, when they have been granted permission, I was wondering if they in any was acting malicious / getting access to folders not meant / upload of person files etc.

Once you have given them permission to run you can only trust them and hope that Microsoft Defender would pick up any suspicious activity [which, for those applications, could only come about if your installation file had been infected and Microsoft Defender should have detected that even before you ran the installation].

I have already explained that in post #11. You gave access to the job. When the job finished so did the permission.
But if the permission is permanent, then how can I find out if the permission is to all of my files / whole drive?

The permission is to whatever you have given permission to.
- If you give permission to run an application such as Recuva, it can access whatever it needs to do its job. With some exceptions, permissions given to an application last until the application is closed. That's why you have to give Recuva permission again every time you run it.
- If you give permission to a user to access a folder then that permission is limited to that folder. With some exceptions, folder permissions are permanent.

Any operation that can affect other users will trigger the dialog. Operations that do not affect other users do not.
What if I only have one user?

If it can affect other users [whether they exist or not], the dialog is triggered.

Denis

Emil -
Please make use of the Quote button beneath posts. It was very difficult to work out what text you had copied from other posts and what text was for your new questions.
You can always manually split quotes if you want to make separate comments about separate bits if it. Just manually write
[quote] … [/quote]
around each bit.

…

There's also an icon in the editing bar to do this for you - it's the one that looks like a square speech balloon.

I was more looking for which software has access to a given folder

There is no such thing.

would pick up suspicious activity aswell if the file was infected

Yes, malware infection should be detected upon download/copying to your computer and also if its behaviour is suspicious later on.

How come its not like this for my games?

We've already discussed this.

Try3 said:

Any operation that can affect other users will trigger the dialog. Operations that do not affect other users do not.

So if your games do not have the ability to affect other [real/potential] users, they will not trigger the dialog.

How can I surely find out, that no "shady" software has acccess to my personal folders and they have no uploaded the content of these folders without my knowledge?

All you can do is trust Microsoft Defender to pick up such activity.

Denis

Emil,

EmilDK said:

So the UAC window only appears, if the app will affect other users?
What if, I only have 1 user / admin?

I have already answered that.

Try3 said:

So if your games do not have the ability to affect other [real/potential] users, they will not trigger the dialog.

Or, to put it another way, Windows does not care that you only have one user account at the moment.

EmilDK said:

"How can I surely find out, that no "shady" software has acccess to my personal folders and they have no uploaded the content of these folders without my knowledge?
How would you approach this?"
You would trust your anti-virus etc. software / Microsoft Defender?

I have already answered that.

Try3 said:

All you can do is trust Microsoft Defender to pick up such activity.

Denis