UAC: godsend or just a big pain?

[Byan]

Hmm, I can't do polls?

Eitherway, I am curious..
Who loves it? Who hates it?


The reasons I like UAC is because everything I run while in user mode doesn't have enough privileges to do anything damaging. This is very important to me.

I also use it as an excuse not to have a active scanning antivirus. I do scan my computer every so often with a "on call" virus scanner, but with UAC the need for an active scanner is greatly diminished.

If the main reason you hate it is because it blacks out the screen (and somehow has horrible performance while doing so [WTF vista?]) then I urge you to try turning it back on and use this guide to get rid of that feature.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...windows-vista/

also useful:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...windows-vista/


I'd love to hear feedback from other users. Why they use it.. Why they don't use it..

Thanks

[Train]

UAC ; does not bother me one way or the other.

Sit behind a router and a good firewall and no AV. Done that and finally chickened out and installed CA.

[Byan]

Another option is to do this:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...strators-only/

This automatically accepts that prompt for you, and so it seems just a seamless as disabling it all together. However, if there is an application that isn't suppose to have privileges, then it won't be able to do anything damaging. For instance, if internet explorer gets hacked, it won't be able to make any system changes, and so you will be safe.

[bistro]

UAC....it is not a godsend....God didn't send it, but some crazed underpaid developer sitting in a dingy one-bulb room, 3 stories underneath Microsoft's HQ who has a chainsaw for a paper shredder, an autographed picture of Atilla The Hun on the wall and types on his keyboard with a sledge hammer.

[dneilson]

I'm very surprised you spoke so well of that fellow--he's no where near that good. He's sharp as a marble.

[Byan]

I'll take it you guys are less fond of UAC..

Instead of bashing the "guy" who programmed it, why don't you say why you don't like it..

All the other operating systems have similar systems..

[jdc2000]

Because it is so annoying to most people, they either shut it off or just ignore the messages and click "OK" each time they appear, which negates the usefulness of UAC.

[Byan]

Because it is so annoying to most people, they either shut it off or just ignore the messages and click "OK" each time they appear, which negates the usefulness of UAC.

that does not negate the usefulness of UAC...

Sure, it isn't as secure as it could be when people use it that way... but programs that are not suppose to be privileged cannot change settings.

That means if the security of internet explorer or any other program gets compromised then it won't be able to effect the rest of the system.

[dneilson]

jdc2000--that's basically it, very annoying aggravating useless pain in the lower regions. Turned it off immediately. I have XP on one drive and Vista on another and I always use XP--I play around with Vista once in a while and after MUCH tweaking fiddling and tuning it runs almost as good as XP--but not really. I've been running XP for seven years now and it doesn't have UAC and I've NEVER had a problem because of it so why put up with it in Vista.

Byan--"All the other operating systems have similar systems.." Can you tell me where in XP is a similar system? Apparently I missed it.

[Byan]

Byan--"All the other operating systems have similar systems.." Can you tell me where in XP is a similar system? Apparently I missed it.

How do I say this.. Windows XP is Windows 5... Windows Vista is Windows 6..
But they both are windows.. so they are the same Operating System, just a different version.

When I made that statement I meant that Linux, Unix (including BSD and Mac OSX, etc), and many other more obscure ones have such a system.

[dneilson]

Byan--You said it fine, I see your point. Not having used those other systems I can't comment. I stand by take on Windows UAC.

[Train]

Most folks will not bother to read what the UAC has to say, but then again I too think it does not need to jump up after the second or 3rd time we say OK for a certain operation.

[Broni]

I'd put it this way.
Most computer savvy people, turn it off.
Less computer savvy people to whom, it could work as some extra protection, just click OK, and go on.
Useless, in both cases.

[dneilson]

Amen.

[Welshjim]

Byan--You already have diagnosed my opinion of UAC.
(See http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...d.php?t=236199 )
Of course you have every right to state your opinion and should.

Win7 seems to try to offer some less intrusive ways to use UAC, if the user still thinks he/she needs it. Maybe Microsoft had time to reconsider.

As you know, I, rather, agree with most of the above. Broni may have said it best in post #13. I think a single user really does not need UAC.