User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

milan — Sat, 26 May 2012 12:55:08 GMT

my uac is not disable am click ok and not happening.

What to do pliz help me!!!

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

Mike — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:23:58 GMT

I use the default Win 7 setting. I have one program that prompts me every day. (MS Remote Desktops admin tool - with an "s" - it's not the same as remote desktop). Why can't I just check a box so that one particular Microsoft program won't ask me and leave the rest of the protections alone??? If you google it there are a lot of people wondering the same thing. There is one ridiculous work around but nothing simple. Do I have to wait for Windows 8, or just disable it entirely and lose security?

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

Beauford — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:22:37 GMT

Bottom line, if the OS was secure and written properly this would not be needed at all. Don't see a MAC or Linux with these ridiculous programs.

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

Morris — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:15:27 GMT

I just bought a gaming pc with windows 7. I have owned it for six weeks and can not play a single new game. I have tried everything. Microsoft engineers tell me it is a driver problem eventhough I tell them about the "run as admin" which does not work. I am held at ransom for $165.00 to people that tell me my drivers are bad. Microsoft should fess up and fix their products that we purchased in good faith. Where are their ethics?

Clarification Required on UAC Shields.

krishnakumartry — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:00:52 GMT

Hi All,

Can any one suggest me the behaviour of UAC shield in desktop shortcut.

Suppose if i set UAC as "Always notify" should all desktop icons have that shield ?

and also if i set UAC as "Never notify" should all desktop icons should be without shield ?

I will be thankful if anyone help in this regard.

Thanks,

Krishna

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

mhonzell — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:59:47 GMT

UAC is still missing the point:

1. If I elect to "turn it off", install a few programs (Yes, even MS products) and then slap myself "what was I thinking" and "turn it back on", some of those installed programs will no longer function.

2. If I turn it off, I want full access to my computer including the entire registry and all folders. It should not continue to work at "some" level that restricts my use of my computer.

3. If I had an anti-virus program, or firewall program that asked me everytime a file was scanned or attempted to transmit data if this was expected, I'd get rid of it in a heartbeat. I need the program to perform it's "security" function without interrupting my real work.

While UAC has somewhat accomplished it's real purpose, (institutionalizing the standard "admin" user and making the user complain to programmers to stop their product from giving them prompts), it has failed at the most fundamental level of helping the user make valid security decisions and has corrupted any future use of this function.

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

DWalker — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:19:42 GMT

Well, I saw in another blog where Steven Sinofsky says that 92% of users run with UAC enabled. Frankly, that's more than I expected. It's good to know the percentage, though.

One of the blog entries on UAC, which I can't find right now, says something like MS has heard the feedback: "Don't ask me if I want to do someting I just clicked on", etc.

However, I didn't see that MS has taken notice of the feedback that says "I trust this program -- allow it to do its thing", and don't ask me again. That might not be desirable for Windows Explorer, but are there any other comments on this point?

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

DWalker — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:13:34 GMT

In the earlier blog post that talked about "the why of UAC and its implications for Windows, the ecosystem, and customers", it seems that all of the reason for the diminished UAC elevation prompts, was the improvement of the "ecosystem".

I seriously doubt that ALL of that huge decrease in UAC elevation prompts was due to improved third-party and Microsoft applications. I'll bet that a large percentage of it, larger than the article wants to admit, comes from users who gave up in frustration and searched the Internet to find out how to turn off the prompts completely. THAT would reduce the number of prompts over time: when more and more people get frustrated with them.

There is a mention in the article how a few intrepid souls, explorers on the farthest edges of the universe, managed to somehow turn off the UAC prompts. Really, it's not that hard to find instructions on this, or for casual users to ask their techie friends how to do it.

Are there any statistics on what percentage of users have turned off the elevation prompt? I haven't seen those numbers.

I was disappointed to see that the Windows 7 engineers didn't seem to CONSIDER this, or admit to it as a possibility.

And yes, I agree that too many prompts will result in users not reading them. The user suggestions that ask for the prompts to be clearly worded, as in "Are you trying to install a new program?" would be HUGE improvements.

David Walker

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

niclas.lindgren — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:27:52 GMT

At the very least you should enable "always prompt" for any changes made to UAC itself. Otherwise something simple as this unelevated script will easily take a non privilieged installer, and make it possible to install itself into startup

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WshShell.SendKeys("^{ESC}")

WScript.Sleep(1000)

WshShell.SendKeys("uac")

WshShell.SendKeys("{ENTER}")

WScript.Sleep(2000)

WshShell.SendKeys("{TAB}")

WshShell.SendKeys("{DOWN}")

WshShell.SendKeys("{TAB}")

WshShell.SendKeys("{ENTER}")

Now install yourself into the uses startup and reboot. Next time around you can play havoc on the computer and reset UAC back and reboot.

Sure it is a long shot and you will notice that something is wrong. But UAC is a first line of defence, it would be really silly to not prompt for this one particular change with the explanation that users complain to much about prompts.

I mean how many times a day do they change their UAC?

It should at the very least prompt when you go from any of the top 2 options to any of the bottom 2.

re: User Account Control (UAC) – quick update

Fduch — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:57:54 GMT

Please REMOVE the !insecure! UAC options. Even a child understands that the options that don't "dim screen" don't protect you at all, giving false sense of security. If any of these insecure options is used (as it is by default) malicious program can do anything. It can even disable UAC completely. The "security feature" that any malicious app can disable is useless! http://www.istartedsomething.com/20090130/uac-security-flaw-windows-7-beta-proof/