Thank goodness Windows 7 will have Windows Updates until 2020!

[MouseGolf]

I have tried both Windows 8 and 8.1 on my system. My experience for non-touch screen use: inefficient in every area. People are downloading the Start Menu from many (10 now) different sources. Even the faux start menu in W8.1 is useless.

This is a perfect example of how quickly accessed the integrated Start Menu in Windows 7 is in this guy's video at YouTube. Just move the marker on the progress bar past his opinions on three free programs "IF" you're not interested in viewing them.

Emphasis on the Start Menu

 

[gregrocker]

We await a worthy successor to Win7, one which continues the perfected Desktop Experience which drives the world economy and is used by all those doing productive work.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I have an issue with one tip the video give. UAC may be a royal...ah...hurt in the donkey but it's there to protect you from an unknown unwelcome process being started up by a nasty that might have "snuck" in. It doesn't take but a second or two to read and click when it pops up. I have mine full enabled.

 

[Dude]

I have an issue with one tip the video give. UAC may be a royal...ah...hurt in the donkey but it's there to protect you from an unknown unwelcome process being started up by a nasty that might have "snuck" in. It doesn't take but a second or two to read and click when it pops up. I have mine full enabled.

Well said, it is an necessary evil in my opinion

 

[bobafetthotmail]

+1 for UAC. Screen dimming is not just cosmetic, it locks down any other program to prevent malware from simply operating the buttons on the popup on its own (which is pretty easy).

That's a feature that is more or less the same in all serious linux distros. So yeah. It's good to have.

Given that I have a rooted phone, I'm pretty much used to seeing "app X is asking for SuperUser permission, what should I do?" anyway so it's not that bad.

 

[MouseGolf]

I personally find the UAC a major pain in the neck. If a person is experienced they really don't need that enabled. It's probably a good idea for the average day-to-day user to keep it enabled.

After all, Windows 95 through XP didn't have this added layer of protection. I've yet to hear from anyone (might here) who said UAC alerted them in time to thwart a worm or trojan infection.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

Its mere presence scares off script kiddies from coding shit like that (that was more prevalent in the past, admittedly). Because it won't work on most modern PCs.

I keep it at level 3 I think, not max, it alerts me if there are programs that want to do admin stuff. I know what I am doing, but programs might be trying to deceive me.

Windows 95 through XP didn't have this added layer of protection

Malware was more basic too in their days. UAC would have been useful in XP, I do remember quite a few infected PCs where it would have made a difference. It's an arms race.

As I said, the fact that every major Linux distro and even Android has it too should mean something. Windows ripped off that feature (the concept of it anyway, their code isn't compatible) and called it UAC.

 

[Britton30]

I personally find the UAC a major pain in the neck. If a person is experienced they really don't need that enabled. It's probably a good idea for the average day-to-day user to keep it enabled.

After all, Windows 95 through XP didn't have this added layer of protection. I've yet to hear from anyone (might here) who said UAC alerted them in time to thwart a worm or trojan infection.

I fully agree to that.

 

[MouseGolf]

We await a worthy successor to Win7, one which continues the perfected Desktop Experience which drives the world economy and is used by all those doing productive work.

Absolutely! I agree 100%!

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I personally find the UAC a major pain in the neck. If a person is experienced they really don't need that enabled. It's probably a good idea for the average day-to-day user to keep it enabled.

After all, Windows 95 through XP didn't have this added layer of protection. I've yet to hear from anyone (might here) who said UAC alerted them in time to thwart a worm or trojan infection.

The purpose of UAC isn't so much to prevent an infection as it is to stop an infection that "snuck" through from starting an unwanted process without your knowledge. An unwanted process doesn't have to be an obvious one, such as propagating spam. It can be one you normally would initiate yourself, such as going to a banking website to transfer money or to a social media page to steal the addresses of friends.

It doesn't matter how careful or experienced one may be, nasties will sneak through every once in a blue moon or few (and you won't know it). Nasties can attach themselves to downloads that used to be safe. Reputable websites can get infected and that infection can then sneak aboard your computer. Once there, it can do all sorts of "wonderful" things, such as delete your data, mine it for passwords in cookies, send spam, etc. UAC, if allowed to do its job, will alert you to any process starting without your knowledge.

UAC is like auto insurance. You may be the world's best driver and go for decades without an accident, never needing insurance, then some moron goes out of control and slams into your car while it is stopped at a red light. At that point, the insurance suddenly becomes welcome.

I've had UAC tell me a couple of times a program was self-starting a process I didn't want it to do at the time. Both times, it was harmless—the program was doing what it was supposed to—and all that was needed was to tweak the programs settings a little. However, it just as easily could have been a nasty up to no good.

 

[MouseGolf]

I've had UAC tell me a couple of times a program was self-starting a process I didn't want it to do at the time. Both times, it was harmless—the program was doing what it was supposed to—and all that was needed was to tweak the programs settings a little. However, it just as easily could have been a nasty up to no good.

In my case, working on computers remotely around the world from my home (residentail remote service) the first thing I do is disable UAC so I can get whatever job they are asking of me done more quickly. During the remote session we are talking on the phone or Skype, I ask them if they would like the UAC re-enabled and the answer is "no".

That's the beauty of Windows 7. We have access to everything we want to customize and having said that, my PC Station will be W7 for years to come. IMHO W7 is the flagship OS from Microsoft and for what is worth, I feel W8 and W8.1 are user hostile. I have recommended to all my clients that they upgrade their Vista computers with an upgrade disk from wherever they feel comfortable buying it online. As for XP users, if their machines are 32 bit and very old I suggest they buy a new Windows 7 computer online.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm still baffled by complaints about UAC slowing one down. It's kind of like carping about automobile seatbelts. How long does it take to click on the darned popup? When I initiate a process, I know the popup is coming (takes a whole second or less on a slow day) and I'm poised to click on it after a quick glance to be sure it's the process I initiated. Big fat hairy deal.

 

[MouseGolf]

I'm still baffled by complaints about UAC slowing one down. It's kind of like carping about automobile seatbelts. How long does it take to click on the darned popup? When I initiate a process, I know the popup is coming (takes a whole second or less on a slow day) and I'm poised to click on it after a quick glance to be sure it's the process I initiated. Big fat hairy deal.

Like I said, it's a personal choice. When I am working on my system or anyone's system the UAC pop-up disrupts the continuity for me. No argument here that one should or should not use it, I just prefer not to and when asked by my client's if they can disable it or if I would disable it for them I always say "yes".

But we are a bit off topic from the original post.

The main thing I wanted point out to everyone is the speed of accessing the standard Windows Start Menu. To me it's the best first-tool in Windows. I would like to see it returned in all it's glory in W9, it's too late for W8 and people are downloading free W8 Start Menus in droves.

 

[brotherboard]

"when asked by my client's if they can disable it"

Of course they or you CAN disable it, the real question is SHOULD you disable it.

The argument about UAC slowing people down is ludicrous. How long a period of time or, how short a period of time does it take read the alert, move the mouse and click OK? Seems a very small price to pay for extra protection.
If you find this a major pain the neck you need physiotherapy

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

"when asked by my client's if they can disable it"

Of course they or you CAN disable it, the real question is SHOULD you disable it.

The argument about UAC slowing people down is ludicrous. How long a period of time or, how short a period of time does it take read the alert, move the mouse and click OK? Seems a very small price to pay for extra protection.
If you find this a major pain the neck you need physiotherapy

Actually, the pain is about 2' lower. Other than that, I so totally agree with you. The interesting thing is, the clients probably are the ones who need UAC most.

 

[MouseGolf]

"when asked by my client's if they can disable it"

Of course they or you CAN disable it, the real question is SHOULD you disable it.

The argument about UAC slowing people down is ludicrous. How long a period of time or, how short a period of time does it take read the alert, move the mouse and click OK? Seems a very small price to pay for extra protection.
If you find this a major pain the neck you need physiotherapy

Your statement is combative. I tell people they can, meaning they "can" do it on their own or I can do it for them when I am connected to their computer.

As for "should" anyone disable it? That's a personal choice. My personal choice is "disable it".

Please don't be so vicious in your interaction in this post. I have cleary stated that disabling UAC is a personal choice. Let's not let this topic go down a combative path. :shock:

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

"when asked by my client's if they can disable it"

Of course they or you CAN disable it, the real question is SHOULD you disable it.

The argument about UAC slowing people down is ludicrous. How long a period of time or, how short a period of time does it take read the alert, move the mouse and click OK? Seems a very small price to pay for extra protection.
If you find this a major pain the neck you need physiotherapy

Your statement is combative. I tell people they can, meaning they "can" do it on their own or I can do it for them when I am connected to their computer.

As for "should" anyone disable it? That's a personal choice. My personal choice is "disable it".

Please don't be so vicious in your interaction in this post. I have cleary stated that disabling UAC is a personal choice. Let's not let this topic go down a combative path. :shock:

I totally agree with you about personal choice (that's one of the benefits of Win 7, unlike Win 8's "my way or the highway) but I also feel it should be an informed choice. While I feel it is the users' prerogative to turn off UAC or not, I also feel they should understand why it's there before making that choice. If a user isn't knowledgeable enough to know why UAC is there and the possible consequences of turning it off, then I would advise leaving it on. It's just not that big a deal otherwise I would probably turn it off instead of cranking it all the way up since it is as annoying as an itch you can't reach. Automotive seatbelts are also annoying (actually, more so) but I wear them anyway (and did before they became mandatory).

 

[MouseGolf]

Automotive seatbelts are also annoying (actually, more so) but I wear them anyway (and did before they became mandatory).

That's good because you're far more likely to need the security of a seat belt then the security offered by UAC. Plus, you'll not have to adjust your seat belt every 2 miles you travel down the road.

 

[alphanumeric]

Unless Microsoft does an about face or some kind or compromise I think I'll be running Windows 7 on my desktop PC's for quite a while. I back UAC down one click from the default.

 

[Lee]

This thread is what is wrong with things now days. . .it seems that at the end of the day is about nothing more then how much someone hates windows 8.

Sometimes I wonder if I am on Seven Forums or Macrumors Forum. They both seem to be taking the same road. . .I hate OS X 10.8.3 it is just a piece of . . .; I hate Windows 8/8.1 it is just a piece of. . .

I think you get the point.