Vista's User Account Control 'Nags' Are Useful – Believe It or Not

Mark Soper — Thu, 10 May 2007 15:04:55 -0500

Vista's User Account Control (UAC) is one of the most criticized new features in Vista. Select a task or utility marked with the Windows security shield, and UAC asks you to confirm the operation (if you are using an administrator account) or asks you to select an administrator and enter the password (if you are using a standard account).

I'll admit, UAC gets old (especially when you're digging through every nook and cranny of Vista as I've been for my upcoming Maximum PC Guide to Windows Vista Exposed), but UAC has also been very useful in figuring out how programs communicate with the system.

Installing some applications (such as Adobe Photoshop Elements 5) triggers a UAC prompt. Why? When you run a program installer that expects a deeper level of system access than Vista provides by default, UAC pops up to confirm the operation. Should you worry in such cases?

I don't worry about UAC prompts when I'm running a program from a known vendor. But if I see a UAC prompt triggered by a program I've never heard of before, or if UAC pops up and asks me to confirm an operation I didn't start, it gives me the chance to say "No" and stop that program from running.

Disabling User Account Control (you can do it with msconfig, the System Configuration utility in Vista) might seem like a good idea, but if you want to keep an eye on possibly-misbehaving programs, leave it enabled. A little nagging isn't going to hurt you – and it might save your computer from big security problems.

Digging Deeper: For more insight into the big security picture that UAC addresses, see George Ou's "Missing the true impact of Vista UAC."

Welcome to the Windows Blog

Mark Soper — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:00:57 -0500

I'm Mark Soper (the technology writer - not the actor), and I'll be your host as we explore the good, bad, and the ugly of the world's most popular operating system that people also love to hate: Microsoft Windows.

Windows and I go back a long way – all the way back to the days of Windows 1.0! I've worked – and played – with Windows as it gradually transformed from a goofy-looking home for a lame-o drawing program and a crippled word processor into the control center used by hundreds of millions of PCs.

My realization that Windows was more than a graphical toy was similar to Will Smith's recollections: when I discovered its ability to run multiple programs at the same time, it was goodbye DOS, and no turning back.

Along the way, I've taught thousands of students computer troubleshooting and networking, contributed to several books in the Special Edition Using series from Que (starting with Windows Millennium), written over 160 articles, and written and co-authored seventeen books on technology topics ranging from home and office networking to computer upgrades, troubleshooting, and digital imaging. With as many as six or more programs running at a time and sometimes as many as a dozen windows open on two desktops (I bought one of the first ATI Radeon VE cards to feed my windowing addiction), I couldn't have gotten so much done without Microsoft Windows.

Although Windows Vista is the latest edition of Windows to hit the market, and Microsoft has told computer makers that Windows XP will be off the market by the end of 2007, I'll be blogging about Windows XP (and older versions when appropriate) as well as Windows Vista. Because an operating system is only useful when you add hardware and software, you may find occasional blog entries about these topics as well.

I've been reading Maximum PC since its pre-history as boot magazine, and I've always appreciated its 'take no prisoners' attitude. If Microsoft fouls up, you'll hear about it here, and you'll also hear about it when they get things right. Let's get started!

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Vista's User Account Control 'Nags' Are Useful – Believe It or Not

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