User Account Control (UAC) is a feature in Windows Vista 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.
In Windows Vista, UAC and its Admin Approval Mode are enabled by default. When UAC is enabled, local administrator accounts run as standard user accounts. This means that when a member of the local Administrators group logs on, they run with their administrative privileges disabled. This is the case until they attempt to run an application or task that has an administrative token. When a member of the local Administrators group attempts to start such an application or task, they are prompted to consent to running the application as elevated.
The following procedures step you through the tasks of disabling Admin Approval Mode, disabling UAC from prompting for credentials to install applications, and changing the elevation prompt behavior.
Disable Admin Approval Mode
(Use the following procedure to disable Admin Approval Mode.)
To perform the following procedure, you must be logged into a client computer as a local administrator.
To disable Admin Approval Mode
1. Click Start orb, click All Programs, click Accessories, click Run, type secpol.msc in the Open text box, and then click OK.
2. From the Local Security Settings console tree, click Local Policies, and then click Security Options.
3. Scroll down and double-click User Account Control: Run all users, including administrators, as standard users.
4. From the User Account Control: Run all users, including administrators, as standard users Properties settings box, click Disabled.
Disable User Account Control from prompting for credentials to install applications
(Use the following procedure to disable UAC from prompting for credentials to install applications.)
To perform the following procedure, you must be logged into a client computer as a local administrator.
To disable UAC from prompting for credentials to install applications
1. Click Start orb, click All Programs, click Accessories, click Run, type secpol.msc in the Open text box, and then click OK.
2. From the Local Security Settings console tree, click Local Policies, and then Security Options.
3. Scroll down and double-click User Account Control: Elevate on application installs.
4. From the User Account Control: Elevate on application installs Properties settings box, click Disabled.
Change the elevation prompt behavior
(Use the following procedure to change the elevation prompt behavior for UAC.)
To perform the following procedure, you must be logged into a client computer as a local administrator.
To change the elevation prompt behavior
1. Click Start orb, click Accessories, click Run, type secpol.msc in the Open text box, and then click OK.
2. From the Local Security Settings console tree, click Local Policies, and then Security Options.
3. Scroll down to and double-click User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators or User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for standard users.
4. From the drop-down menu, select one of the following settings:
-No prompt
-Prompt for credentials (this setting requires user name and password input before an application or task will run as elevated)
-Prompt for consent (this is the default setting for administrators only)
