Not reproducible here w/Windows 10 x64.
This would have to be an issue with either Windows Installer (i.e., Microsoft), or Windows 7 x86 (i.e., Microsoft). Windows Installer is supposed to always start elevated; otherwise it can't write anything to "\program files". But that's a function of Windows Installer, not the installation script or who starts it.
The "install logic" is in the MSI itself. The MSI dictates if it will be runing elevated. It depends on the user's ability to provide the neccessary credentials if the installation will succeed. (There is a group policy to install *every* MSI elevated without asking for credentials, but this is a very bad idea (it will also install any malware without asking ..)
You can influence under what credentials (a certain part of) the MSI will be installed with properties in the MSI itself, like ALLUSERS and MSIINSTAALPERUSER or by setting to run it elevated:
(This is 32 bit TCMD.msi build 21)
The installation itself will be done by MSIEXEC.exe, not by the Windows Installer service (msiserv). It is very common to have multiple msiexec threads running while installing an MSI. If you look, you will see they are running with different credentials.
There are a lot of reasons why this isn't working. The most likely in this case:
- Windows Installer service is not running
- Not allowed to extract the files (access denied)
- The MSI itself (after just a quick look):
There are considerable differences in the MSI's between build 20 and build 21. By removing the InstallerAnalytics (the track& trace telemetrics component of Advanced Installer), 32 bit files are installed in a different way in build 21. And I believe Charles G and w_krieger are both running 32 bit Windows. Probably no problems on 64-bit Windows versions.
