Does process lasso need to run as admin, to enforce all rules?

[empleat]

Hello,

i need to edit system processes, which are not visible, if process lasso is not running as admin! But then, after i set setting, if i launch process lasso in non-admin mode. There is no longer my profile name in profiles and settings are not applied anymore! Do i need to run process lasso in admin mode all time, or there is some way to edit setting in admin mode, so they are saved and applied even in non-admin mode?

Thanks!

[Jeremy Collake]

The Governor process (ProcessGovernor.exe) is what actually enforces rules. These days it is deployed as a system service and so is always running with elevated rights.

If you first installed Process Lasso prior to a couple months ago, I suggest opening 'Options / General settings / Reconfigure the way Process Lasso starts' and ensure it is set to start as a service.

If you want to make configuration changes *without* elevating Process Lasso's GUI, then ensure the configuration path in the dialog following that one is accessible to your user. For instance, maybe place it under your user home directory. I suspect this is the cause of the disappearing profiles (GUI can't access programdata folder with limited rights).

Use of named configuration profiles introduces more complexity, so I suggest verifying everything is working, then start using the profiles.

Let me know how it goes!

[empleat]

Thanks! This was extremely helpful!

Tho i don't like services, they usually cause huge input lag. Doesn't it takes more resources to run process lasso as service?

I see this service in processes as separate process and it has cpu usage. I would prefer to run process lasso in admin mode if possible to minimize cpu usage! Ty!

[Jeremy Collake]

Services normally consume less resources because they don't host a GUI. They also don't inherently affect performance. It depends on what a service does. They are really just processes, and are varied in characteristics just like apps.

Process Lasso has two components: The GUI (window you see and system tray icon) and the background service (core engine, governor).

It is done this way to minimize resource use. The governor service uses negligible resources. The GUI consumes a little more, particularly when visible. However, you can close the GUI (system tray icon) completely and the rules will still be enforced by the governor.

Running as admin or not doesn't impact CPU use.

[Coldblackice]

Is there any benefit to having Process Lasso not run as a service? Not that I want to, just curious.

[Jeremy Collake]

Is there any benefit to having Process Lasso not run as a service? Not that I want to, just curious.

For most users, there is no benefit to running the governor as a normal process. That would only be useful in some rare situations, such as not being able to install a service. Previous limitations to the governor-as-a-service have all been resolved.

EDIT: The one remaining exception is 'Keep Running' rules to auto-restart an application Those still require the governor to be running within the user session of the target process.