User Account Control
User Account Control (UAC) is the biggest security improvement to Windows Vista, and you’ll hate it.
You see, sometimes, bad software (known as spyware, viruses, or malware) can abuse your user account to change settings on your computer. It happens to everyone, including me (several times). One of the most effective ways to stop this software is to strip away your user accounts’ rights to make changes or install software. That’s what UAC does–it gives you an account that can’t install software or make important changes.
Of course, sometimes you’ll want to make a change. That’s when UAC will prompt you for confirmation. If you’re doing something like installing software or changing your computer’s clock, go ahead and click Continue or type the password for an administrative user account. If you’re just browsing the Web or reading e-mail, click Cancel, because some bad software might have caused the prompt to appear. If you’re just sick of UAC and you have antispyware and antivirus software installed, you can follow these instructions to disable UAC.
For more information, read the Windows Vista Resource Kit (co-authored by your very own Tony Northrup). Got a question for Tony? Send an e-mail to qa@vistaclues.com.
Posted: December 7th, 2006 under Security.
Comments: 12
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Pingback from Vista Clues » Make User Account Control (UAC) Less Annoying - Windows Vista help
Time: December 12, 2006, 1:48 pm
[…] User Account Control (UAC) prompts you before an application makes an important change to your computer that requires administrative privileges. By default, the UAC prompt appears on the “secure desktop”, which freezes and darkens your screen. By freezing your screen, secure desktop makes it more difficult for another application to impersonate Windows and trick you into typing your administrator password into a fake UAC prompt. […]
Pingback from Always Run a Batch File as an Administrator - Windows Vista help
Time: December 17, 2006, 2:26 pm
[…] Now, when you double-click the batch file, UAC will prompt you for administrative privileges. You can use a similar technique to always run the command prompt as administrator, or to always run an application as administrator. […]
Pingback from How to Quickly Find an Application - Windows Vista help
Time: December 18, 2006, 4:53 pm
[…] If the program is at the top of the list, just press Enter to launch it. To launch it with elevated privileges, press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Then, press Alt+C to confirm the UAC prompt. You can use the same technique to find any file on your computer–just type a few letters from the file’s name or even the file’s contents. It’ll appear in the Start menu after a few seconds. To browse search results in a separate window, click See all results. To search the whole Internet, click Search the Internet. […]
Pingback from How to Schedule a Complete PC Backup - Windows Vista help
Time: December 28, 2006, 8:51 pm
[…] Windows Vista can automatically schedule file backups that back up your most important documents. It does not, however, give you a wizard to schedule Complete PC backups. Complete PC backups store your entire hard disk (well, your system volume), so if your hard drive dies at some point, you can do a quick restore and be up and running again in minutes. That’s better than file backups in many ways, because all your applications will be restored, and none of your files or settings will be lost. It’s so useful, you should schedule automatic Complete PC backups to an external hard disk. Just follow these steps: 1. Click Start, type Task Scheduler, and then press Enter (you’ll need admin rights). […]
Pingback from Driver Staging in Windows Vista - Windows Vista help
Time: January 4, 2007, 5:13 pm
[…] In Windows Vista, administrators can stage drivers to the Driver Store. Once a driver is in the Driver Store, any user can install the driver without providing administrative privileges or responding to a UAC prompt. […]
Pingback from Antivirus software - Windows Vista help
Time: January 24, 2007, 11:18 pm
[…] So, give them a shot, if you want. I think I’ll pass for now. Antivirus software is only one way to manage the risk of malware. For me, I think the built-in features like UAC and Internet Explorer Protected Mode will do enough. Also, I tend any questionable software in virtual machines. If I do get bitten by malware, I’ve got nightly backups, and restores are easy to do. Basically, I’m betting that running antivirus software would waste more of my time than it would save. […]
Pingback from Index logs (or any other type of file) - Windows Vista help
Time: January 26, 2007, 3:43 pm
[…] 4. Click Advanced, and provide administrative credentials at the UAC prompt. […]
Pingback from Search a Custom Folder - Windows Vista help
Time: January 26, 2007, 4:00 pm
[…] 5. The Indexed Locations dialog appears. Click Show all locations, and then provide administrative credentials at the UAC prompt. […]
Pingback from Advice for New Vista Users - Windows Vista help
Time: January 30, 2007, 5:13 pm
[…] Often, hardware component manufacturers (such as Nvidia or ATI, which make video cards) release updates weeks or months before the computer manufacturer releases them to you. During the first few months of Vista’s consumer lifespan, we’re going to see lots of important updates, so it’s worthwhile to check component manufacturer websites for your video, audio, and network adapters. To figure out who manufactured each of your components, click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and then press Enter. You’ll be prompted for administrative credentials. Now, expand Display Adapters, and make note of your video card manufacturer. Go directly to the company’s website (try Googling the manufacturer name) and look for their support section for updated drivers. Repeat this for devices in Sound, video, and game controllers and Network adapters. […]
Pingback from Reader Question: Internet Explorer cannot download / from windows - Windows Vista help
Time: March 8, 2007, 8:31 pm
[…] type Cmd. Right-click Cmd on the Start menu, and then click Run As Administrator. Respond to the UAC prompt that […]
Pingback from How to Get Drivers When Your PC Manufacturer Doesn’t Offer Them - Windows Vista help
Time: March 20, 2007, 12:34 pm
[…] To launch Device Manager, click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and then press Enter. You’ll be prompted for administrative credentials. Now, expand Display Adapters, and make note of your video card manufacturer. Go directly to the […]
Pingback from Reader Question: - Windows Vista help
Time: March 26, 2007, 12:23 am
[…] if you log on as an administrator, you don’t really have administrative rights, thanks to UAC (User Account Control). UAC runs almost everything using non-administrator rights to help protect you from bad software […]
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