User Account Control (UAC) in Vista

User Account Control (UAC) is a feature in Windows that can help prevent unauthorized changes to your computer. UAC does this by asking you for permission or an administrator password before performing actions that could potentially affect your computer's operation or that change settings that affect other users. When you see a UAC message, read it carefully, and then make sure the name of the action or program that's about to start is one that you intended to start.

By verifying these actions before they start, UAC can help prevent malicious software (malware) and spyware from installing or making changes to your computer without permission.

When your permission or password is needed to complete a task, UAC will alert you with one of the following messages:

Windows needs your permission to continue

A Windows function or program that can affect other users of this computer needs your permission to start. Check the name of the action to ensure that it's a function or program you want to run.

A program needs your permission to continue

A program that's not part of Windows needs your permission to start. It has a valid digital signature indicating its name and its publisher, which helps to ensure that the program is what it claims to be. Make sure that this is a program that you intended to run.

An unidentified program wants access to your computer

An unidentified program is one that doesn't have a valid digital signature from its publisher to ensure that the program is what it claims to be. This doesn't necessarily indicate danger, as many older, legitimate programs lack signatures. However, you should use extra caution and only allow this program to run if you obtained it from a trusted source, such as the original CD or a publisher's website.

This program has been blocked

This is a program that your administrator has specifically blocked from running on your computer. To run this program, you must contact your administrator and ask to have the program unblocked.

Due to this UAC features most of the installed programs when you try to open, might not launch. This is where most of us disable this UAC feature. If you are having issues opening any particular application on your Pc, then you may disable UAC feature to isolate if UAC is blocking the access, or is it due to some other reason.

Disabling UAC:

1. Click on Start,
2. Click Control Panel, and type in UAC into the search box. You'll see a link for Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off:
3. On the next screen you should uncheck the box for Use User Account Control (UAC), and then click on the OK button.
4. You'll need to reboot your computer before the changes take effect.

Alternate steps to disable UAC:

1. Click Start, Control Panel.
2. Under User Account and Family settings click on the Add or remove user account.
3. Click on one of the user accounts, for example you can use the Guest account.
4. Under the user account click on the Go to the main User Account page link.
5. Under Make changes to your user account click on the Change security settings link.
6. In the Turn on User Account Control (UAC) to make your computer more secure click to unselect the Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer. Click on the OK button.
7. You will be prompted to reboot your computer. Do so when ready.

You are done.