You cannot launch a web page from an elevated application. This will raise a 0x800004005 exception, probably because explorer.exe and the browser are running non-elevated.
To launch a web page from an elevated application in a non-elevated web browser, use the code made by Mike Feng. I tried to pass the URL to lpApplicationName but that didn't work. Also not when I use CreateProcessWithTokenW with lpApplicationName = "explorer.exe" (or iexplore.exe) and lpCommandLine = url.
The following workaround does work: Create a small EXE-project that has one task: Process.Start(url), use CreateProcessWithTokenW to run this .EXE. On my Windows 8 RC this works fine and opens the web page in Google Chrome.
Accepted answer no longer works on .NET Core 3. To make it work, use the following method:
var psi = new ProcessStartInfo
{
FileName = url,
UseShellExecute = true
};
Process.Start (psi);
You cannot launch a web page from an elevated application. This will raise a 0x800004005 exception, probably because explorer.exe and the browser are running non-elevated.
To launch a web page from an elevated application in a non-elevated web browser, use the code made by Mike Feng. I tried to pass the URL to lpApplicationName but that didn't work. Also not when I use CreateProcessWithTokenW with lpApplicationName = "explorer.exe" (or iexplore.exe) and lpCommandLine = url.
The following workaround does work: Create a small EXE-project that has one task: Process.Start(url), use CreateProcessWithTokenW to run this .EXE. On my Windows 8 RC this works fine and opens the web page in Google Chrome.
Accepted answer no longer works on .NET Core 3. To make it work, use the following method:
var psi = new ProcessStartInfo
{
FileName = url,
UseShellExecute = true
};
Process.Start (psi);
I've been using this line to launch the default browser:
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("http://www.google.com");
While a good answer has been given (using Process.Start), it is safer to encapsulate it in a function that checks that the passed string is indeed a URI, to avoid accidentally starting random processes on the machine.
public static bool IsValidUri(string uri)
{
if (!Uri.IsWellFormedUriString(uri, UriKind.Absolute))
return false;
Uri tmp;
if (!Uri.TryCreate(uri, UriKind.Absolute, out tmp))
return false;
return tmp.Scheme == Uri.UriSchemeHttp || tmp.Scheme == Uri.UriSchemeHttps;
}
public static bool OpenUri(string uri)
{
if (!IsValidUri(uri))
return false;
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(uri);
return true;
}
The old school way ;)
public static void openit(string x) {
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("cmd", "/C start" + " " + x);
}
Use: openit("www.google.com");
I have the solution for this due to I have a similar problem today.
Supposed you want to open http://google.com from an app running with admin priviliges:
ProcessStartInfo startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo("iexplore.exe", "http://www.google.com/");
Process.Start(startInfo);
Microsoft explains it in the KB305703 article on How to start the default Internet browser programmatically by using Visual C#.
Don't forget to check the Troubleshooting section.
The old school way ;)
public static void openit(string x) {
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("cmd", "/C start" + " " + x);
}
Use: openit("www.google.com");
Here is my complete code how to open.
there are 2 options:
open using default browser (behavior is like opened inside the browser window)
open through default command options (behavior is like you use "RUN.EXE" command)
open through 'explorer' (behavior is like you wrote url inside your folder window url)
[optional suggestion] 4. use iexplore process location to open the required url
internal static bool TryOpenUrl(string p_url)
{
// try use default browser [registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\http\shell\open\command]
try
{
string keyValue = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.GetValue(@"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\http\shell\open\command", "", null) as string;
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(keyValue) == false)
{
string browserPath = keyValue.Replace("%1", p_url);
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(browserPath);
return true;
}
}
catch { }
// try open browser as default command
try
{
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(p_url); //browserPath, argUrl);
return true;
}
catch { }
// try open through 'explorer.exe'
try
{
string browserPath = GetWindowsPath("explorer.exe");
string argUrl = "\"" + p_url + "\"";
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(browserPath, argUrl);
return true;
}
catch { }
// return false, all failed
return false;
}
internal static string GetWindowsPath(string p_fileName)
{
string path = null;
string sysdir;
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
{
try
{
if (i == 0)
{
path = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SystemRoot");
}
else if (i == 1)
{
path = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("windir");
}
else if (i == 2)
{
sysdir = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System);
path = System.IO.Directory.GetParent(sysdir).FullName;
}
if (path != null)
{
path = System.IO.Path.Combine(path, p_fileName);
if (System.IO.File.Exists(path) == true)
{
return path;
}
}
}
catch { }
}
// not found
return null;
}
Hope i helped.
I have the solution for this due to I have a similar problem today.
Supposed you want to open http://google.com from an app running with admin priviliges:
ProcessStartInfo startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo("iexplore.exe", "http://www.google.com/");
Process.Start(startInfo);
string target= "http://www.google.com";
try
{
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(target);
}
catch (System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception noBrowser)
{
if (noBrowser.ErrorCode==-2147467259)
MessageBox.Show(noBrowser.Message);
}
catch (System.Exception other)
{
MessageBox.Show(other.Message);
}
Here is my complete code how to open.
there are 2 options:
open using default browser (behavior is like opened inside the browser window)
open through default command options (behavior is like you use "RUN.EXE" command)
open through 'explorer' (behavior is like you wrote url inside your folder window url)
[optional suggestion] 4. use iexplore process location to open the required url
internal static bool TryOpenUrl(string p_url)
{
// try use default browser [registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\http\shell\open\command]
try
{
string keyValue = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.GetValue(@"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\http\shell\open\command", "", null) as string;
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(keyValue) == false)
{
string browserPath = keyValue.Replace("%1", p_url);
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(browserPath);
return true;
}
}
catch { }
// try open browser as default command
try
{
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(p_url); //browserPath, argUrl);
return true;
}
catch { }
// try open through 'explorer.exe'
try
{
string browserPath = GetWindowsPath("explorer.exe");
string argUrl = "\"" + p_url + "\"";
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(browserPath, argUrl);
return true;
}
catch { }
// return false, all failed
return false;
}
internal static string GetWindowsPath(string p_fileName)
{
string path = null;
string sysdir;
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
{
try
{
if (i == 0)
{
path = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SystemRoot");
}
else if (i == 1)
{
path = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("windir");
}
else if (i == 2)
{
sysdir = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System);
path = System.IO.Directory.GetParent(sysdir).FullName;
}
if (path != null)
{
path = System.IO.Path.Combine(path, p_fileName);
if (System.IO.File.Exists(path) == true)
{
return path;
}
}
}
catch { }
}
// not found
return null;
}
Hope i helped.
While a good answer has been given (using Process.Start), it is safer to encapsulate it in a function that checks that the passed string is indeed a URI, to avoid accidentally starting random processes on the machine.
public static bool IsValidUri(string uri)
{
if (!Uri.IsWellFormedUriString(uri, UriKind.Absolute))
return false;
Uri tmp;
if (!Uri.TryCreate(uri, UriKind.Absolute, out tmp))
return false;
return tmp.Scheme == Uri.UriSchemeHttp || tmp.Scheme == Uri.UriSchemeHttps;
}
public static bool OpenUri(string uri)
{
if (!IsValidUri(uri))
return false;
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(uri);
return true;
}
I've been using this line to launch the default browser:
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("http://www.google.com");
Microsoft explains it in the KB305703 article on How to start the default Internet browser programmatically by using Visual C#.
Don't forget to check the Troubleshooting section.
string target= "http://www.google.com";
try
{
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(target);
}
catch (System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception noBrowser)
{
if (noBrowser.ErrorCode==-2147467259)
MessageBox.Show(noBrowser.Message);
}
catch (System.Exception other)
{
MessageBox.Show(other.Message);
}
I've been using this line to launch the default browser:
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("http://www.google.com");
Source: Stackoverflow.com