modify hosts file with autohotkey without running as administrator - autohotkey

Question

In C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, I have the standard hosts file
In C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, I have a file named hosts-backup.txt
Using autohotkey, when I press `abc1, I'd like to replace the hosts file with the contents of the file named hosts-backup.txt
Here's what I have so far:
`::
Check := true
SetTimer, CheckOff, 1000 ; 1 second to type in 001
return
:*:abc1::
If Check
; Read the contents of the backup file
FileRead, Contents, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts-backup.txt
if not ErrorLevel ; Successfully loaded.
{
ListVars
Pause
; delete the old hots file
FileDelete, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.txt
; also tried this with C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
; save a new copy of the hosts file with the content from the backup file
FileAppend, %Contents%, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.txt
; also tried this with C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Contents = ; Free the memory.
}
return
CheckOff:
Check := false
return
ListVars returns the following:
Global Variables (alphabetical)
--------------------------------------------------
0[1 of 3]: 0
Check[1 of 3]: 0
Contents[0 of 0]:
ErrorLevel[1 of 3]: 0
When the above script is run, the file at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts is not updated.
How can I fix this?
Update per Blauhirn's suggestions (still not working)
`::
Check := true
SetTimer, CheckOff, -1000 ; 1 second to type in abc1
return
:*:abc1::
If Check{
; Read the contents of the backup file
FileRead, Contents, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts-backup.txt
if not ErrorLevel ; Successfully loaded.
{
ListVars
; delete the old hots file
FileDelete, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.txt
; save a new copy of the hosts file with the content from the backup file
FileAppend, %Contents%, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.txt
Contents = ; Free the memory.
}
}
return
CheckOff:
Check := false
return
Update
This appears to be a permissions issue, if I compile the script to an exe and run it as an administrator, it works as expected.
Is there a simple way around this using autohotkey?

Answer 1

This piece of code of yours:
`::
Check := true
SetTimer, CheckOff, 1000 ; 1 second to type in 001
return
CheckOff:
Check := false
return
Will set check to false every 1000 ms repeatedly. "Specify a negative Period to indicate that the timer should run only once". Since it doesn't get set back to true anywhere in your code automatically, this whole timer thingy is kind of useless. What is it you want to achieve with it? Check will only be true within the first 1 second. Thus,
If Check
FileRead, Contents, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\hosts-backup.txt
Will not do anything after the second is over. Also be aware that the if-clause only works for the next line, because you're not using any braces { }.
edit
I might be wrong, but seems that you can spare the timer and simply make a hotstring out of it: (two `` because backtick is the escape character in ahk)
:*:``abc1::
; Read the contents of the backup file
FileRead, Contents, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts-backup.txt
if not ErrorLevel ; Successfully loaded.
{
ListVars
Pause
; delete the old hots file
FileDelete, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.txt
; also tried this with C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
; save a new copy of the hosts file with the content from the backup file
FileAppend, %Contents%, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.txt
; also tried this with C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Contents = ; Free the memory.
}
return
Seems logical to me that only Administrators may edit the system32 folder.. have you tried changing the AutoHotkey.exe to "run ALWAYS as Administrator"? http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff431742.aspx