Solved New install of Windows, completely different set of UAC rules?

[AndarielHalo]

From 2009-2013 last May, I've had my Windows 7 Home Premium edition working fine and safe, with few, if any UAC shields on my icons.


Since my new Windows install (using same Windows 7 disc and same hardware components), virtually EVERY program now has that ****ing UAC shield icon on it.


I recognize that according to unhelpful nonanswers, it's impossible to remove the UAC shield from icons, but given that it's now pasted onto program icons that never had them before, what is going on here? It can't be just a random Windows update, because this conveniently only started once I reinstalled Windows.



EDIT: Worse, there are some programs that DON'T have the UAC shield icon on them, and they STILL bring up a UAC prompt when I try to open them; they just start off with a Security Warning pop-up first. My UAC setting is on the second-to-last setting---notify me only when programs try to change, without dimming desktop.

 

[VistaKing]

andarielhalo

See if you could run this program

Click here DDS

:ar: Click on Download Now button

:ar: When the download is complete . Drag the DDS program from the Downloads folder to your Desktop

:ar: Double click the DDS icon on the Desktop then click the Run button to run the tool.

:ar: Place a check next to attact.txt and click Start . When done, DDS will open two logs
DDS.txt
Attach.txt

:ar: Save two logs onto your desktop and upload them with your reply

 

[AndarielHalo]

attached

 

[Brink]

Hello Andariel,

Are these shortcuts by chance?

If so, then it may just be the shortcut arrow overlay having the wrong icon. You could use the tutorial below to restore the default shortcut arrow if this is the case.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3606-shortcut-arrow-change-remove-restore.html

Hope this my help,
Shawn

 

[VistaKing]

Not locating anything . Can you give us a screen shot of what you're referring to

 

[AndarielHalo]

Not just shortcuts; programs and files directly. Will screenshot something for you.

Spoiler

The files circled in red are ones that don't have the UAC shield on them, but still bring up the UAC prompt when I try to run them.

 

[VistaKing]

What is your user access control settings ?

 

[AndarielHalo]

"Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop) - Don't notify me when I make changes to Windows settings"

 

[VistaKing]

Did you run malwarebytes ?

Download Link :ar: MalwareBytes

When the installation is done uncheck Enable free trial of Malwarebytes (see image below )

Update the definitions and do a full scan

 

[AndarielHalo]

I've been running Malware Bytes on a fairly regular basis, and I did a full scan when I first installed. Why is that relevant?

 

[VistaKing]

Just asking to see if you had any malware .

 

[cottonball]

AndarielHalo,

Try the following...

:info: Pease create a Restore Point before proceeding:
System Restore Point - Create
Select: Option Two


:info: Type UAC in the Search box above Start
In the Control Panel window, click: Change User Account Control settings
In User Account Control (UAC) settings, disable UAC by moving its slider to the lowest position.


:info: Rebuild the icon cache

Do you still get the UAC shield icon?

 

[AndarielHalo]

AndarielHalo,

Try the following...

:info: Pease create a Restore Point before proceeding:
System Restore Point - Create
Select: Option Two


:info: Type UAC in the Search box above Start
In the Control Panel window, click: Change User Account Control settings
In User Account Control (UAC) settings, disable UAC by moving its slider to the lowest position.


:info: Rebuild the icon cache

Do you still get the UAC shield icon?

This worked, thanks! It also did something to my cookies.



I haven't gotten a straight answer from google searching; is it safe to be without UAC on? Also, if I re-enable UAC, will it do the shield icons again, or will it start applying that only with newly installed programs?



EDIT: Wow, and whether it was a result of one of the commands, or deleting the IconCache, suddenly my Internet Explorer is remembering my tab positions when saving images---previously, as of IE 8 or 9, when I opened multiple tabs to save pictures or files, it would always direct me to My Documents or My Pictures default. Older versions remembered which folder I saved the first image or file to, and would prompt up that folder to save instead.



EDIEDIT: I re-enabled UAC, and the shield icons are still gone (for the most part), but I see some programs still have them; namely icons that didn't get to load up last time I scrolled through the folder.

Also, the IE tab thing I described above appears to be UAC related, since it's back to auto-redirecting to My Documents or My Pictures.



So again... is it safe to have UAC off? Considering that I have internet security, am pretty knowledgeable enough to use a special eraser program, and run MalwareBytes every day (or every other day) and that my track record is such that I've never gotten a virus ever, and never suffered any major data loss that wasn't at the hands of someone else's negligence.

Not meaning to push my luck, just mentioning that I tend to be very careful about my Internetting compared to the "casual" or average user, though I often end up on shady websites that tend to be pop-up-happy.


Also, iffin when some malware tries to install itself onto my comp, my Norton (insert jeers) automatically catches and quarantines it. Anything Norton misses, MalwareBytes gets ahold of. Anything both miss, I tend to catch manually, then delete myself, or erase it using Norton eraser thing, or a freeware. Would UAC really be anything extra in that process, or is it more like putting an extra sliding screen door between malware and my computer?