do you want this program to make changes message

Hi,you should try TweakUAC.In the quiet mode you have the security of UAC enabled without the annoying popups!Works great and is free.

Disable annoying Vista UAC popups with TweakUAC (FREE)

bounce said:

UAC seams REALLY clunky, coming from XP it feels like win7 became less transparent with things like this... I'm sure it's been said millions of times before but UAC needs a programs exclusion option.
Anyhow, I'm going to hunt for some threads on how to keep computer safe with it off. In XP all I had going was nod32, malwarebytes, and I no problems for years. If anyone has any suggestions for this it would be great to hear them. thanks

Can't do that - b/c then you'd need UAC to also perform some sort of verification that the program starting to load is the same exact executable that it was when it was exclude. If that were not included, then all a user has to do is spoof known applications that many people exclude and get a Trojan / backdoor / downloaded to replace the existing one and UAC will never let you know that the program is now malicious instead of legitimate.

zigzag3143 said:

bounce said:

Is it possible to set the security level for certain programs, the "do you want this program to make changes to your computer" message is annoying to have to click on everytime I open a program.

Is this how it's supposed to be, or am I missing something here? thanks

Bounce

win 7 with UAC turned off and NOD32 and malwarebytes is just as secure as XP with them. Actually slightly more secure because of DEP

Its a royal pain and many of us have it turned off

Ken

many have - and many have not. I prefer to have UAC on - I get prompts only when I:

1. Install a new program
2. Reboot my system (I get a single prompt from eVGA's Precision utility - and I like that b/c it lets me know that it is actually trying to run).

By all means, turn it off if you wish - but here is something to consider.

When IE 6 started getting really really popular, every time you set up a default installation of it it would warn you about sites that wanted to install an ActiveX control. However, there was that handy little check box that stated Do not ask me again that people made use of left and right. Well, Malware scripters are not completely stupid - they figured out that that was a great way to deliver a payload to unsuspecting users' computers - b/c most people were annoyed with the prompting and turned the prompting off, it was easy to set up malicious sites that did exactly that - installed malicious ActiveX controls without the users knowing it. I cannot count the number of times over at Castle Cops forums, MBAM forums, CalendarofUpdates forums, and other places I have visited, not to mention my own clients as well as my parents, have said to me "But I didn't do anything, it just installed itself." Of course it did - you gave it the #$^@#%^ key to the backdoor of your house and assumed it was trustworthy enough not to clean you out.

UAC was developed in conjunction with numerous other security measures to protect users from themselves. In Vista it was hard to turn it off - but M$ backed down (a major, major blow, IMO) and allow it now to be easily turned off.

I personally leave it on and make sure it stays on on all systems hat I work on. I have a 15 minute speech that I give regarding the need for the UAC and the benefits versus the risks.

If you are an IT professional or else a major computer geek (in that you've been using computers for years, you don't need to go to forums to find out how to remove most malicious products, and you practice many forms of Safe Hex, then by all means turn it off. If you are (honestly!)not in one of those two categories, I highly suggest that you leave it on.

[/soapbox]

bounce said:

Thanks Ken, that's a major relief to hear.

fseal said:

bounce said:

Is it possible to set the security level for certain programs, the "do you want this program to make changes to your computer" message is annoying to have to click on everytime I open a program.

Is this how it's supposed to be, or am I missing something here? thanks

For most programs that should never come up.

Are you getting it for EVERY program? Or is there one particular program that's doing it every time?

Some programs try to write things into the windows folder or protected areas of the registry. Those popups are basically telling you that a certain program is doing something that it probably shouldn't.

Once you are done setting a mchine up UAC fades into the deep background ususaly. I totaly forgot about it on Vista after the first couple months after my hardware/software install frenzy abated. But if some program DOES try to change system settings without my ok, I sure want to know about it. I fear the more and more pervasive maleware like behavior of software from "trusted" companies like google more than viruses at this point. Things are getting more... extreme with those guys all the time.

zigzag3143 said:

bounce said:

Thanks Ken, that's a major relief to hear.

Only other thing I would do is to run ESet smart security instead of just running NOD32. ESS has a pretty darn good firewall as well as nod32's virus engine

While it is not a bad idea to have a firewall, I have found that hardware firewalls take a major load off your system's resources and perform much better than software firewalls. Of course, this point is moot since Windows7 has a built in firewall.

Most modern cable modem / DSL routers have built in firewalls - use them as your first line of defense and you'll be very, very happy. With that in place I never use another FW other than Win7's built-in FW.

bounce said:

zigzag3143 said:

bounce said:

Thanks Ken, that's a major relief to hear.

Only other thing I would do is to run ESet smart security instead of just running NOD32. ESS has a pretty darn good firewall as well as nod32's virus engine

To the post above this one, it's just certain programs that do it. Cheers for the smart security tip. I also started a new thread here UAC off, now what?

but I think I have what I need to enjoy win7 more now. thanks

Enjoy the OS.

My pleasure - of course I advocate leaving it on, but the ultimate choice rests with the user - I just want the user to make an informed decision as opposed to making a decision with haste out of anger.

Oh, and I have been making the same analysis since the days of Vista, back in 2007....

Kewl, you've been around them almost as long as I have (my TI-99/4A dates me....)