User Account Control

The Windows Vista User Account Control (UAC) has become a much talked about security feature. The aim of the UAC is to improve the security of Windows Vista by allowing application software to run under "standard user" permissions only, instead of Administrator permissions. As a general rule, administrator permissions are needed to install any new software. If an application needs administrator authorization, you'll see a pop-up message letting you know that an increase in the permission level is needed. Then it is up to you to either allow or deny permission. The result is, only applications that you, the user, approve will receive elevated permission. This is designed to prevent malicious software (malware) from infecting your PC because it won't have the necessary permission to load itself on your operating system. Sounds like a good idea, doesn't it?

The question is... Is the security aspect enough of a justification for the annoying prompts?

The computer professionals and geeks overwhelmingly find the constant prompts to be quite annoying and feel that they are the best judge of what can and can't be done on their computer. I can understand that. However, most of them also agree that maybe for the "non-savvy user", it may be a good idea to help home users prevent having malware installed on their computer. I can understand that too!

I think the simple answer is that it comes down to having a choice. Those that feel it is a valuable tool in the constant war on malware should take full advantage of it. On the other hand, those that feel it is not necessary should be able to turn it off if they choose to do so.

Since the default setting for the UAC is "on", those of you who feel that they would like to use this feature don't have to do anything. But, for those of you who may find it annoying, here is how to turn it off.

How to Turn Off the UAC

• Click Start, then click Control Panel.
• In Control Panel, click User Accounts.
• In the User Accounts window, click User Accounts.
• In the User Accounts tasks window, click Turn User Account Control on or off.
• If the UAC is currently configured in Admin Approval Mode, the User Account Control message appears. Click Continue.
• Clear the "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer" check box, and then click OK.
• Click "Restart Now" to apply the change right away, or click "Restart Later" and close the User Accounts tasks window.

Return From User Account Control to Windows Vista

Return to Windows Vista Tutorials

Return to the Home Page