Structure of runas command

JackieChan

Hi I was trying to run a command similar to this on Vista

runas /user:<myuserid>@&lt;mydomain> "CMD /C copy /Y d:\\newhosts c:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts"

The idea is to replace the hosts file with an updated file.
When I run this, I get prompted for the password. I enter it and the cmd prompt flashes and nothing happens.
Access to most of the C drive requires admin privs which I can access using UAC.

The command will work if I try and copy to an open location, for example the D drive.
Any thoughts on what might be going on?
Thanks
JC

SickBoy

JackieChan wrote: »

Hi I was trying to run a command similar to this on Vista

runas /user:<myuserid>@&lt;mydomain> "CMD /C copy /Y d:\\newhosts c:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts"

The idea is to replace the hosts file with an updated file.
When I run this, I get prompted for the password. I enter it and the cmd prompt flashes and nothing happens.
Access to most of the C drive requires admin privs which I can access using UAC.

The command will work if I try and copy to an open location, for example the D drive.
Any thoughts on what might be going on?
Thanks
JC

Are the double backslashes necessary?

Fysh

JackieChan wrote: »

Hi I was trying to run a command similar to this on Vista

runas /user:<myuserid>@&lt;mydomain> "CMD /C copy /Y d:\\newhosts c:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts"

The idea is to replace the hosts file with an updated file.
When I run this, I get prompted for the password. I enter it and the cmd prompt flashes and nothing happens.
Access to most of the C drive requires admin privs which I can access using UAC.

The command will work if I try and copy to an open location, for example the D drive.
Any thoughts on what might be going on?
Thanks
JC

There's a difference between a standard command prompt and an admin-level one.

As an experiment, I would open an administrative-privilege command-prompt and test your command there. If it works, your issue is with invoking an administrative command prompt when using runas. Might be better to look into creating a powershell script to do this for you - save it to the desktop, run the script as administrator, up pops a command prompt asking you for the password for the account specified, and away you go.

JackieChan

Fysh wrote: »

There's a difference between a standard command prompt and an admin-level one.

As an experiment, I would open an administrative-privilege command-prompt and test your command there. If it works, your issue is with invoking an administrative command prompt when using runas. Might be better to look into creating a powershell script to do this for you - save it to the desktop, run the script as administrator, up pops a command prompt asking you for the password for the account specified, and away you go.

thanks Fysh, yes if I start an admin command prompt and then run the command it works fine. Im looking at this been a 'dirty' workaround to get an entry in to the hosts file for some users.So I want a handful of users in remote sites to be able to run it under my account(with a quick password reset afterwards by me)

JDxtra

Why not just copy the updated hosts file from your machine (logged on as an admin) directly to theirs? You just need the remote machines to be online.

Saves the hassle of embedding your password in a batch file and changing it later.

JDxtra

If it's only a handful, this would work.

copy /Y d:\newhosts \\machine1\c$\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
copy /Y d:\newhosts \\machine2\c$\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
copy /Y d:\newhosts \\machine3\c$\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
copy /Y d:\newhosts \\machine4\c$\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

Any more, and I'd write a script which logs errors, checks machines are online etc.

Fysh

There's a useful-looking script chunk in the comments of this page that might help you do it as a batch file, though it depends on the target boxes having Powershell installed.

JackieChan

Thanks guys,

JD,I tried following the syntax of your command to copy something to my machine initially, but just got "the network path was not found"...and yes the machine is online!
It was only going to be for 10-12 users so would have been a nice workaround.

I've bitten the bullet and actually requested a new DNS entry...just takes extra time to get this done(as in days!)

JDxtra

You may not have been an admin on the remote machines or maybe the Windows folder is different. But yes - a DNS entry saves all this hassle!