Question: What is User Account Control and why does it keep popping up?
Answer: Simply stated, User Account Control, or UAC for short, is a "security" feature built into Windows Vista and Windows 7. I use the word security lightly, because I have yet to see it actually protect against anything. The idea behind UAC was to make users verify that they were the ones which initiated a program capable of modifying computer settings and data, and that it was not some rouge process or malicious software trying to install itself.
The other purpose of UAC is to make sure that users knew when they were about to modify system settings. If you try to use Device Manager with UAC on, it will prompt you to click yes in order to continue. The same will occur if you run a program which changes system settings. This is where the majority of UAC notifications occur. Older software often tries to modify system settings and will cause a UAC prompt to spawn.
If you can live with the annoying popups of UAC, then it is best to leave it on. In Windows 7 only, you can dial down UAC's aggressiveness, so that it won't bug you as often. In Vista, the only options are on and off. To do this, go to Control Panel, then choose User Accounts. Click Change User Account Control Settings from the list. If you do decide to turn UAC off completely, you really need to be running good antivirus software (which you should be doing anyways). It should also be noted that without UAC enabled, it is easier to inadvertently modify a settings with potentially serious consequences to your system, so make system restore points or system images often.
2 comments:
Or, you could just use Ubuntu and never have to worry about UAC ever again. :P
Correct. Instead of hitting yes to continue, you have to type you password every time.
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