VirtualDub can be run from a Windows user account with limited privileges, but there are some limitations to be aware of.
File layout
Currently, VirtualDub stores batch queue information in a writable file called VirtualDub.jobs, placed next to the program file (VirtualDub.exe). If VirtualDub is located in a folder that is not writable by the current user, the job queue will not be saved between sessions.
Operations that require elevated privileges
The "shutdown when finished" option in the Job Control dialog requires shutdown privileges.
Preallocating disk space in capture mode works differently depending on whether the "Manage Volume" privilege is available, which is normally granted only to administrators. If this privilege is available, VirtualDub preallocates space very quickly; if it is not available, then capture files can still be preallocated, but Windows will zero the entire file, which can take some time.
| Note | The turbo preallocation mode causes the capture file to contain whatever was previously on the disk, which may cause the contents of previously deleted files to reappear until the capture finishes and the unused space is re-deleted. If you are on a shared system, you may want to protect the directory with the capture file so that non-administrators cannot read the old data in the capture file. |