Project Publisher have support for the MultiUser NSIS plugin which make creating installers with different execution levels in the Windows NT platform. This allows programs to be installed per-machine or per-user.
The following table provides an overview of the execution levels available in Project Publisher. It is based on the manual of MutiUser.
| Execution Level | Description | Typical Application |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator | Administrator privileges are required. | Access data of all users accounts. |
| Power User | Power User privileges are required (Power Users no longer exist in Windows Vista and newer versions of Windows. For these platforms it is equivalent to Administrator). | Installation for all users (writing to "Program Files" or HKLM registry keys), driver installation. |
| Highest | Request the highest possible execution level for the current user. | Mixed-mode installer that can both be installed per-machine or per-user. |
| Standard | No special rights required. | Installation for current user only. |
Windows NT 4/2000/XP/2003 give the installer the same privileges as the user itself. If the privileges of the user are not sufficient (e.g. Administrator level is required but the user has no administrator rights), the installer will display an error message and quit. It is however possible to manually run the installer with an administrator account.
Windows Vista and newer versions of Windows restrict the privileges of all applications by default. Depending on requested execution level, the installer will request the required privileges. The user will be asked for confirmation and (if necessary) for an administrator password.
Windows 95/98/98SE/ME do not set any restrictions on users or applications. Administrator rights are always available.
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