Windows 7 UAC concern.......

[djwayne]

hmmmm..after reading this, I decided to up my UAC level to the highest rating........


Link Removed


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[Kyle]

UAC is only for people who have no idea what they're doing/ no idea about a computer's preservation.
I don't use it, never have never will.
I know where my programs and downloads come from and that they're safe. If you can't say the same, then yes, turn UAC all the way up.
It's a good option for less experienced users.

 

[djwayne]

UAC is only for people who have no idea what they're doing/ no idea about a computer's preservation.
I don't use it, never have never will.
I know where my programs and downloads come from and that they're safe. If you can't say the same, then yes, turn UAC all the way up.
It's a good option for less experienced users.

Most of the sites I visit I also trust, but I have a friend who also uses my computer on occasion, and there's no telling where she goes.

Better safe than sorry, I say.......I can deal with the notices easier than I can deal with malware messing around with my computer or the info on it.



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I think the UAC feature is indeed a security tool.


I like the idea of being notified if a change to my computer is about to be made. I like it alot !!


I have mine set to it's highest level, as I do want to be notified if somehow my computer is being hacked.


I can always turn it down while I'm installing programs, if I want.


The UAC feature in Vista was a big selling point for me. It makes sense, and is very effective.

 

[kbz1960]

Djwayne, what is to keep your friend from answering yes to all of the prompts? Just seems like if she is going to answer yes then there is no need to have it since it will get installed and changed anyway.

 

[djwayne]

You're absolutely right. Just a couple of days ago she downlaoded a anti-virus program that really annoyed me. I told her not to download any program, but she said she hit the wrong button and it downloaded before she knew it.....she must have gone on to answer the questions "yes", as that program was installed. It was just a trial version, but nagged a lot. It took me awhile to get the program removed. I had to go into run>msconfig and shut it off of the start menu, before I could delete it. So it was a pain in the neck and believe me, she heard about it.

In the meantime though, I've got my UAC setting all the way up, and haven't had much problem with it, so I feel pretty secure.

I really don't like anybody else using my computer, but I don't have much of a choice. She's desperately trying to find a job and using the internet to do it. I'm trying to help her, as she is a friend and really is in a tough situation.

 

[john3347]

"I like the idea of being notified if a change to my computer is about to be made. I like it alot !!"


djwayne, UAC cannot differentiate between good stuff and bad stuff. If you wish to download an application, you give permission to "make a change to your computer" regardless of what malware may or may not be attached to it.
How can you be assured that some malware is not being passed on to you without you or the sender knowing that it is attached to a legitimate download? When you give permission to download an item, neither you nor the useless UAC knows with certainty you are going to get exactly what you want, all that you want and only what you want. Such a large percentage of malware comes to you attached to documents, files, applications, etc, that you give permission for that UAC is nothing in the world but false security.

 

[djwayne]

Yes you have to give permission, some programs are like trojan horses. They contain things they don't tell you about like keyloggers and browser hacks.

I know that UAC can't tell good from bad.


Sometimes these things can be introduced into your computer without your knowledge, so when they try to attempt to create a change in your computer, UAC notifies you, and you can decide whether or not to let the installation in question continue. This becomes important when a program is trying to sneek in without your knowledge. This gives you more control. I used to get browser hacks and keyloggers occasionally, and I would have no idea where they came from, but not so since I've been using the UAC feature in Vista. I know alot of people complained about it, but I think it's a great security feature, and makes sense to me. That was a big selling point for me when I bought Vista, and remains a desired feature for me in W7. I always had a secure feeling in Vista, and have that same secure feeling with W7.

 

[GomJabbar]

I am booted into Vista at the moment, and checking just now I see that Vista still supports the "Power Users" account of W2K. You can create a user account and make them a member of the Power Users account in Computer Management of Administrative Tools. I suspect W7b still supports this.

In XP, I have 3 user accounts set up: An Administrator account, a Power Users account, and a Users account. I use the Welcome screen to choose which account to log into. For day to day use, I use the Power Users account. It lets me get things done that I cannot do in a regular Users account. For Windows Updates and Installing Software, I use the Administrators account. If I loan my computer to someone else, I log them into the regular Users account. This prevents them from installing software and committing mischief. Only I know the passwords to the Administrators and Power Users accounts.

I have a triple-boot setup with 3 hard drives and 4 OS's. I have XP and Mandriva Linux on the first hard drive, Vista on the second hard drive, and W7b on the third hard drive. The first hard drive is in the main hard drive slot of the machine. The other 2 hard drives I swap out in the Ultrabay 2nd hard drive adapter.

For Vista and W7b, I only use the default Administrators account with UAC turned on. If I want to let someone use my computer for awhile, I boot into XP and log them into the 'restricted' Users account. XP is still my primary OS since Vista is a bit sluggish on my T42 ThinkPad. Happily, W7b is snappier. For the most part, I find myself agreeing with djwayne above regarding UAC.

 

[reghakr]

UAC is only for people who have no idea what they're doing/ no idea about a computer's preservation.I don't use it, never have never will.

totally agree, I have turned off UAC completely even since I got my first Vista computer and turned it off in Windows 7 as well

If you're using a good spyware detector with real-time monitoring, a good Anti-Virus also doing background monitoring, and finally a good firewall that actually informs you when programs are trying to access the Internet and what site they are trying to connect to.

No need for UAC whatsoever.

 

[loathe]

I cant stand UAC back chatting to me when I tell my PC to do something

 

[aka]

Never used Vista, but I was aware of UAC. When I installed Win7, I had turned UAC down within the first hour, and completely off soon after. It's very annoying!

 

[GomJabbar]

IMO, not using UAC is kind of like not using your seatbelt when riding in a car, or not wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle. In either case, yes it is slightly annoying, but you can get used to it. And in either case, you might regret it at some point if you choose not to use it.

I do agree that there are other security measures that can be used in lieu of UAC.

I believe if you are running software (and it's associated plug-ins) that was designed for Vista, you should not see UAC pop up that often. If you are using older software, then UAC becomes more problematic.

 

[djwayne]

That's the thing, I rarely see a pop up now that my computer is set up and I'm done installing programs... if it gets annoying I can turn it down, but now it just sits quietly in the background doing it's thing. I hardly know it's there.