Vista UAC (User Account Control) on or off???

Vista UAC (User Account Control)....turn it off or leave it on?

  • Turn it off

    Votes: 104 51.0%

  • Leave it on

    Votes: 100 49.0%
  • Total voters
    204
I used to leave it off but was convinced to turn it back on. UAC is an annoying son of a bitch when you're first setting up a PC(why I turned mine off and never bothered to re-enable) but otherwise it doesn't really get your way much afterwards.
 
Riftsaw said:
I used to leave it off but was convinced to turn it back on. UAC is an annoying son of a bitch when you're first setting up a PC(why I turned mine off and never bothered to re-enable) but otherwise it doesn't really get your way much afterwards.
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I heard though that if you turn it off and then turn it back on, it can screw some things up by changing certain file locations.
 
I turn it off. I hate it beyond words & prefer to have greater control over what I'm doing than have a watchdog stop me from doing everything I did smoothly with XP.
 
Like I said in many other UAC threads, its on, on all my machines, and anyone I get suckered into helping (Family, friends)

I've run OS X for so long that I'm used to it, on my machines I actually require admin PW to alter any system properties.

I mean honestly, once everything is installed and setup... I dont think I should ever see a UAC prompt....
 
Certain programs trigger the UAC on my PC: CPU/GPU-Z, Hardware Monitor, City of Heroes(Suprised the fuck out of me) and so on.

I keep meaning to do some research to see WHY UAC is paranoid about these programs but it doesn't bother me enough to actually follow through. Damn I'm lazy.
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
I turn it off. I hate it beyond words & prefer to have greater control over what I'm doing than have a watchdog stop me from doing everything I did smoothly with XP.
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LOL

It doesn't stop you from doing anything.

I leave it on, and the very occasional prompt it generates is fair price for its protections.
 
I use linux here and there and am used to and like the fact that Vista asks for my permission to do certain tasks .... it would be more secure I feel if it actually asked for my password instead of just bringing up an "allow" button to click on ..
 
I'm leaving it on but you can raise your rights so it quits nagging you for items you actually click on but is still working otherwise.
 
I turn mine off when I set up the computer, and then I turn it back on. It really doesn't prompt you or bother you much once you set up the system. Anyone who's tried to rearrange their start menu shortcuts with UAC enabled, knows exactly why I disabled it temporarily.
 
ThreeDee said:
I use linux here and there and am used to and like the fact that Vista asks for my permission to do certain tasks .... it would be more secure I feel if it actually asked for my password instead of just bringing up an "allow" button to click on ..
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You can change this in secpol.msc
 
Turned it off when installing Vista on computers at home and on employee's computer, but once I'm done installing and setting everything up (drivers, software, etc), I turn it back on before giving the employees their computer and before I actually use them. The prompts are very minimal this way.

If I don't want to be prompted, simply right-click and Run As Administrator. Simple as that.
 
Azhar said:
Turned it off when installing Vista on computers at home and on employee's computer, but once I'm done installing and setting everything up (drivers, software, etc), I turn it back on before giving the employees their computer and before I actually use them. The prompts are very minimal this way.
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Aye. We do this at my work as well. During the build process we will turn it off, but once its done and ready for deployment we turn it back on.


@Azhar: Creepy, we started off our post the same. *Shiver*
 
ThreeDee said:
I use linux here and there and am used to and like the fact that Vista asks for my permission to do certain tasks .... it would be more secure I feel if it actually asked for my password instead of just bringing up an "allow" button to click on ..
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UAC also goes hand in hand with not using an admin account. If you set up a standard user account with UAC enabled it will ask for the admin credentials when needed.
 
I only turned mine back on last week. I've been running Vista since it was released and I turned it off from that point on because it annoyed the hell out of me. I figured though with my new PC I'd give it another shot just to see if it had been improved.

Now though I see it once a day and that's only if I update my Anti-virus. No update...no UAC prompt. Small price to pay to stop a rootkit.
 
The only time I turn it off is while I'm setting up a new system, then I turn it right back on.

I rarely see the UAC popup.
 
Catweazle said:
LOL

It doesn't stop you from doing anything.

I leave it on, and the very occasional prompt it generates is fair price for its protections.
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Learn to read context. I basically said "stops me from doing things smoothly". I hate being halted in the way the UAC does in Vista. Linux is way less intrusive about this, so I don't mind that. I just won't deal with the way UAC is altogether.
 
UAC is very protective about the C drive. If you give Windows it's own partition/drive and install everything somewhere else you won't see UAC when you run programs (unless they specifically require admin privileges).
 
I turn it off during install and setup, but once everything is set up the way I like it, I re-enable and only see it pop up occasionally.
 
Right-click 'Run as Admin' install, right-click 'Run as Admin' the first time you run software. What UAC prompts? :)
 
DeathFromBelow said:
Get used to it. Every other major OS does it.
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Amazing how so many people just don't get that, ain't it? They're all pissed because Microsoft finally created an OS that cares more about taking care of itself and not letting idiotic users fuck things up, or possibly errant software run amuck, and all the users can do is - instead of bitching about it being so insecure - bitch about it being too secure.

Most people have never used Linux and tried to make some system-level change and be required to punch in the password for root level access just for a single operation, most people have never had OSX do basically the same type of prompting. Most people come from a past of using Windows "wide open" and now are flabbergasted to find it's not interested in who you are, what experience you have, and whether you think you're capable of being an Admin or not.

Funny stuff...
 
Joe Average said:
Amazing how so many people just don't get that, ain't it? They're all pissed because Microsoft finally created an OS that cares more about taking care of itself and not letting idiotic users fuck things up, or possibly errant software run amuck, and all the users can do is - instead of bitching about it being so insecure - bitch about it being too secure.
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Exactly, especially since better security was the number one request for Vista.

I would like to see a comparison between the number of exploits patched in the first year or so after Vista and XP's releases. It always seemed like there were several new ones for XP each week. I've only heard of a few with Vista.
 
I leave it on for all my PCs except I make it just elevate without prompting for my Administrator account.
 
Joe Average said:
Amazing how so many people just don't get that, ain't it? They're all pissed because Microsoft finally created an OS that cares more about taking care of itself and not letting idiotic users fuck things up, or possibly errant software run amuck, and all the users can do is - instead of bitching about it being so insecure - bitch about it being too secure.

Most people have never used Linux and tried to make some system-level change and be required to punch in the password for root level access just for a single operation, most people have never had OSX do basically the same type of prompting. Most people come from a past of using Windows "wide open" and now are flabbergasted to find it's not interested in who you are, what experience you have, and whether you think you're capable of being an Admin or not.

Funny stuff...
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So I'm an "idiotic user" now? I never had any problems with XP an it's "insecure" environment. What, pray tell, is UAC protecting you against that any good IS suite won't? I use OneCare and it protects me just fine, without asking me a bunch of stupid questions every 10s.

It's a needless irritation. Good security should be under the hood and not in your face. All I care about is system performance and control, without a bunch of stupid questions or pop-up nags. Besides UAC, I've turned off the Recycle Bin and System Restore, just like I did in XP.

Seriously, Joe, I don't know where you come up with some of your rants sometimes.
 
Also funny how when I point something out and use words to describe the majority of folks some people take offense. Perhaps they're in that majority? I don't know, hence the comments being directed at the majority.

Vista's #1 priority is to keep itself running, period. Why people can't figure that out is beyond me. And even though I've got more day to day experience with computers than the majority because it's been my way of making a living for nearly 30 years even I screw things up sometimes. Rookie errors are not beyond my ability to experience.

If I say "idiotic users" and someone pipes up, well... you figure it out.

As I said, if people run Linux and attempt to do something at the system level, they get prompted - they get NOTIFIED something is trying to do something at that level, and that's what UAC is doing: NOTIFYING THE USER which is not something that happened in the past. OSX does the same damned thing.

So when people - that means every fucking one of us, myself included - gripe about UAC for whatever reason, it's a bit pointless as that's how things are these days. I know how Vista works, and I know why, and that's not a problem for me whatsoever. Why it's a problem (meaning how Vista works) for others is just... well... it's idiotic.
 
Spectrum17 said:
. Good security should be under the hood and not in your face.
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I am not trying to start a long-winded argument here, but I need to ask this question/statement.

Linux often ask to elevate permission when installing Updates and editing major areas.

OS X often ask to elevate permission when installing programs/updates and tinkering in system preferences.

So, by your statement (which I assume is exaggerated) these two operating systems do not fall under the category of "good security" because they prompt for elevation?

Why then is it such a big deal in Windows? I will not address: "What, pray tell, is UAC protecting you against that any good IS suite won't? " as its been discussed too many times on this forum and on the web for that matter. Just go read up on it.

/Shrug.
 
Spectrum17 said:
So I'm an "idiotic user" now? I never had any problems with XP an it's "insecure" environment. What, pray tell, is UAC protecting you against that any good IS suite won't? I use OneCare and it protects me just fine, without asking me a bunch of stupid questions every 10s.
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OneCare, defender and whatnot can't protect you against zero day exploits and other unpatched threats. If it's not in their definitions they can't catch it.

UAC can prevent malicious applications like rootkits and other attacks that might otherwise be invisible to the user from running by asking for authorization from the user. Its a major security component, and it's part of every major OS.

Microsoft did a great job at making UAC as unobtrusive as possible (compared to Ubuntu and OSX) and even allows power users to turn it off. What are you complaining about?
 
Sipster said:
I heard though that if you turn it off and then turn it back on, it can screw some things up by changing certain file locations.
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That's the problem with most people with Vista... "They heard" things, never actually any first hand experience :rolleyes:

Riftsaw said:
Certain programs trigger the UAC on my PC: CPU/GPU-Z, Hardware Monitor, City of Heroes(Suprised the fuck out of me) and so on.

I keep meaning to do some research to see WHY UAC is paranoid about these programs but it doesn't bother me enough to actually follow through. Damn I'm lazy.
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I'll tell you why: Those programs are accessing either system files, or writing to system directories. Both of which are direct faults of the program creator, and/or sloppy writing.

ThreeDee said:
I use linux here and there and am used to and like the fact that Vista asks for my permission to do certain tasks .... it would be more secure I feel if it actually asked for my password instead of just bringing up an "allow" button to click on ..
Click to expand...
Same thing, actually.
The ONLY thing that would prevent is someone else AT YOUR COMPUTER from allowing stuff... That's it.

CrimsonKnight13 said:
Learn to read context. I basically said "stops me from doing things smoothly". I hate being halted in the way the UAC does in Vista.
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Install something, change system setting, etc in Linux: Prompt.
Install something, change system setting, etc in Vista: Prompt.
What's the difference? Heck, Vista even 1-ups Linux but not requiring you to type in a password on the prompt (provided admin account used)!

Spectrum17 said:
So I'm an "idiotic user" now? I never had any problems with XP an it's "insecure" environment. What, pray tell, is UAC protecting you against that any good IS suite won't? I use OneCare and it protects me just fine, without asking me a bunch of stupid questions every 10s.
Click to expand...
Like DeaconFrost pointed out- it doesn't protect against viruses it doesn't know about. UAC does.

But UAC is not just virus protection. It protects your whole system. Something tries to change your hardware configuration or anything like that- it'll prompt you as well.
 
I leave it on, of course.

It frustrates me when people turn UAC off because it's "hand-holding" or "protecting them from themselves" and they "know what they're doing". It's not about protecting inexperienced users from doing stupid things, because they can just hit 'Continue' and do that thing. It's about allowing most programs to run with limited privileges, while still giving tolerably easy access to administrative functions, and controlling what you give administrative privileges to.

If your web browser is running with limited privileges, even if it has a vulnerability and becomes compromised, it's not easy for the attacker to seriously tamper with the system without administrative access. No-one runs as root for regular operations on Linux, and this is a major part of why it's not easy to attack - so why run every program with administrative privileges on Windows? It's just asking for trouble when most programs have no legitimate use for them.

(There's no security problem with just clicking 'Continue' unless the malware author is sitting at your computer. The prompt appears on the Secure Desktop - that's why the screen flashes as it changes to it - where only system processes are permitted, so nothing can click 'Continue' for you.)
 
Off during install and setup of my apps after an OS install. Turn it back on afterwards. It rarely bothers me after I have the OS setup the way I like and apps installed.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
Get used to it. Every other major OS does it.
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Well, I don't use every other major OS (I've got 6 Windows machines) and I have turned UAC off, so I don't worry about it.

When I'm on my admin account (the one that I only have the password to), I don't want to see all these pop-ups. Sometime you'll get 3 pop-ups to open a window. It gets very annoying.
 
yamahaSHO said:
When I'm on my admin account (the one that I only have the password to), I don't want to see all these pop-ups. Sometime you'll get 3 pop-ups to open a window. It gets very annoying.
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Do you have an example of what window gives you 3 prompts????

Again- logging on as "admin" is a bad thing. That is EXACTLY why Microsoft put UAC there, because people still do it.
The Linux community has always understood this- very very few people log in as root on Linux, yet it's common on Windows. Only solution would be to make Administrator a limited account itself, hence UAC.
 
TechieSooner said:
Do you have an example of what window gives you 3 prompts????

Again- logging on as "admin" is a bad thing. That is EXACTLY why Microsoft put UAC there, because people still do it.
The Linux community has always understood this- very very few people log in as root on Linux, yet it's common on Windows. Only solution would be to make Administrator a limited account itself, hence UAC.
Click to expand...

The actual admin account itself is disabled. Any account you create as an administrator account, has two tokens. One of a standard user, and one of an admin. For every purpose that it can, it will use the standard user token, when it can't it will prompt you with UAC to use the admin token.

Personally I leave UAC on so that other users that I create still get the UAC prompts, and then I just made it elevate without prompting for my admin account through secpol.msc
 
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