Microsoft: Vista UAC was supposed to piss you off

Filed under: OS Updates, Security, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft: Vista UAC was supposed to piss you off

by Brad Linder Apr 11th 2008

One of the first things Windows XP users will notice if and when they switch to Vista is the User Account Control, affectionately referred to as UAC or "Why the hell does this window keep popping up!" The UAC prompt is a security feature that will alert you if you are about to make changes to your computer that could technically expose it to some threats.

Some users get around this by disabling or modifying the UAC using programs like TweakUAC. Others insist that Microsoft put it there for a reason, and disabling will result in your computer bursting into a ball of flames. But if you're tired of looking at UAC prompt after UAC prompt, here's something that should give you a little comfort: Microsoft knew all along that the UAC prompt was annoying and designed it to be that way.

Microsoft product manager David Cross says the goal was to make users think twice about making changes to their system willy nilly. It's also designed so that software developers will think of ways to write programs that don't burrow too deeply into your operating system. The less system configuration changes a program makes, the less often you're going to see a UAC prompt.

Cross says that 88% of Vista users have not disabled UAC, and 66% of Windows sessions do not lead to a UAC prompt showing up. And that makes sense if you're someone who just runs the software that came with your computer and a handful of other applications. But if you're constantly looking for cool new programs to add features to your computer -- in other words, a typical Download Squad reader -- we're guessing you see the UAC prompt a lot more often than most users.

Tags: security, uac, uac-prompt, vista, windows-vista

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

roni691 said 5:51PM on 4-11-2008

What!?!? I am shocked! You mean Microsoft hates its customers, and takes their money, then makes no effort to provide a smooth user experience? NO!

Time for a quick re-visiting of this Apple commercial making fun of the UAC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvzo390Mthc

Champzilla said 7:24PM on 4-12-2008

This headline is a Red Herring, Linder...

Please spare us from your anti-Microsoft agenda, and be more honest... because writing like this makes you look like a hack link baiter.

Quikboy said 7:47AM on 4-14-2008

Funny considering OS X has it's own security verification prompts sometimes.

Todd said 5:53PM on 4-11-2008

Apple commercial making fun of the UAC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvzo390Mthc

Christian said 6:15PM on 4-11-2008

ha! I love download squad so much I just turned that thing off and hoped for antivirus and firewall to protect my a$$ as much as possible.

Bufsabre said 6:15PM on 4-11-2008

ive just been disabling it since windows longhorn beta. its under the user account settings, just turn it off, if you have a good firewall and antivirus you dont need it

Ryan Carter said 6:30PM on 4-11-2008

88% still have it turned on because they don't know how to turn it off. I explain it to people daily. Microsoft is as crazy they've always been. Their days are numbered.

Conda said 6:53PM on 4-11-2008

The point is valid, regardless of how annoying it is to us power users. If people weren't so stupid about just installing whatever, then the spyware problem would never have gotten as bad as it is now, because people would be mindful not to install it. You can't just quietly say it to someone, because they won't listen, so they went with this option, to shout out for people to stop being idiots.

Peter said 9:10PM on 4-11-2008

Conda - Agreed. MS doesn't hate it's customers (roni691), it's actually trying to make them have a better experience.

DS readers know what spyware and malicious Active-X controls are, but when they happen to your average user, they think it's a Windows problem. Believe it or not, some people think everything on the machine is "Microsoft".

MS is simply trying to let users know/understand that some of the problems they are having with Windows are of their own doing and not really Microsoft's fault.

Ralf said 8:46PM on 4-11-2008

Hello,

make UAC a little less annoying.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/make-user-account-control-uac-stop-blacking-out-the-screen-in-windows-vista/

this will turn off the screen blacking "Feature" and allow you to do stuff before and during the UAC

Ralf

Sorr said 9:28PM on 4-11-2008

lol, i use vLited windows.. and i remove the UAC from the windows basically ;-)

sorr said 9:33PM on 4-11-2008

lol, i use vLited windows.. and i remove the UAC from the windows basically ;-)

kerrickter said 10:16PM on 4-11-2008

The last comment regarding typical download squad member behavior reminded me to make a better ghost image next time I have to reinstall my OS.

Conda said 10:30PM on 4-11-2008

@verycheeky

typical FUD statement. Remember, they just ran a voluntary monitoring usage and survey system for the last several months for free copies of Windows or other Microsoft software. thats just one peice of data they've gathered from that survey

verycheeky said 11:33PM on 4-11-2008

Notice

"Cross says that 88% of Vista users have not disabled UAC"

hmmm...
I wonder how they know 88% of Vista users have not disabled UAC?

Because Vista is calling home obviously and reporting this, as well as other settings, Data for marketing etc I am sure.

Does that make you angry?

sherif mansour said 7:46AM on 4-12-2008

Microsoft: "88% of Vista users have not turned off UAC"

Yeah right, 100% of all vista users I know have turned off UAC . My top 10 hates of Windows Vista: http://blog.sherifmansour.com/?p=165

#1 In my list - UAC

sherif mansour said 7:46AM on 4-12-2008

Microsoft: "Cross says that 88% of Vista users have not disabled UAC"

Yeah right - 100% of all Vista users I know have turned of Vista UAC!.

I recently blogged about my top 10 hates of windows vista:
http://blog.sherifmansour.com/?p=165

#1 in the list - UAC!

whiskey said 7:47AM on 4-12-2008

Oh yes! It's like that beloved "Why the bleep are you turning off W2k3 for?" question that pops whenever you turn win2k3 off (yes i was trying to get an MSCE...

UAC is not the way to do stuff... Why? Because i do not want it confirming every step any installer takes!

Brian E said 7:48AM on 4-12-2008

You know, I wonder why no one ever mentions that Linux has a similar feature with Sudo, I don't understand why everyone is so freaked out... I consider myself to be a power user and regular Download Squad peruser, and I have no beef with it.

Izido said 7:48AM on 4-12-2008

Way to go, MS. That's exactly what made me switch from MSExplorer to Firefox. A company with no customers is a happy company...

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