How to Safely Disable User Account Control in Windows Vista

User Account Control is a feature of Windows Vista that asks for permission each time a program tries to make changes to your system. The intention was to prevent unauthorized changes to Windows Vista. However, many people feel that User Account Control is merely an annoyance, and that it provides little protection to compensate for the irritation it causes. You can easily disable User Account Control in Windows Vista. Keep in mind that these changes will leave your computer more vulnerable to viruses, spyware and other malware which might make unauthorized changes. If you wish to disable User Account Control, you will need to take additional precautions to protect your computer against these threats.

First, make sure that you have quality anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed on your Windows Vista computer. Also ensure that you have a firewall installed. If your anti-virus software doesn't include it own firewall, you should enable Windows Firewall. To do this, click the Start button, select "Control Panel" and click "Security." Click "Turn Windows Firewall on or off." Select the check box beside "On." If your anti-virus software has a firewall which you would like to use, you may disable Windows Firewall by selecting the "Off" option. click "OK" to save your settings. Run a virus and spyware scan about once a week to check for problems.

To disable User Account Control in Windows Vista, click the Start button, then click "Control Panel." Click "User Accounts and Family Safety." Click "User Accounts," then click "Turn User Account Control on or off." Uncheck the box beside "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer. Click "OK."

You can also turn off User Account Control by using the Microsoft Configuration Utility. Click the Start button and type "msconfig" in the search box. Click the "Tools" tab. Scroll down and select "Disable UAC: Disable User Account Control (requires reboot.)" Click "Launch." Restart your computer when prompted by Windows Vista.

Making this change will cause Windows Vista to display a message that User Account Control is not enabled. To turn this notification off, return to Control Panel and click "Security." Select "Security Center." Click "Change the way Security Center alerts me." Select "Don't notify me and don't display the icon." When you select this option, you should check the Security Center manually on a regular basis to ensure that your anti-virus software, firewall, automatic updates and Internet security settings are functioning properly.

You can reenable User Account Control at any time. If you are very concerned about unauthorized changes to your computer, you can set up a standard account for yourself to use most of the time. Go back to Control Panel. Under "User Accounts and Family Safety," click "Add or remove user accounts." Click "Create a new account." Type a new account name and select "Standard user" as the account type. Click "Create account." Then password-protect your administrator account. Click the administrator account in the list and click "Create a password." Type and confirm the password in the fields provided. Then create a password hint that will help you to remember your password should you forget it. Click "Create password." Log into your standard account when you work on your Windows Vista computer. Certain programs won't function properly in a standard account. Also you will not be able to install programs with standard account privileges. If you experience these problems, you can right click the icon or shortcut for the program in question and select "Run as administrator." Enter your administrator password, and the program should run properly. If the "Run as administrator" option isn't available on a shortcut, right click the shortcut icon and select "Properties." Click the "Shortcut" tab." Check the "Target" box for the location of the program file. Navigate to that location, then right-click the program icon and click "Run as administrator."

For more tips, read How to Troubleshoot Computer Startup Problems in Windows XP and Vista and How to Set Up a Wireless Home Network in Windows XP and Vista.

Sources:

Microsoft.com; "Turn User Account Control on or off"