If you are running Vista and you have intentionally disabled the UAC, you might find the never-ending “Check Your User Account Control Settings” Windows Security Alert a bit annoying. Well, it is not very difficult to disable this alert, but it takes a little digging.
Here’s how you disable the popup:
1. Right-click on the Windows Security Alerts (red shield) icon in your task tray.
2. Choose “Open Security Center.” Alternatively, you could also open Security Center from the start menu.
3. Select “Change the way Security Center alerts me.”
4. When prompted, choose either “Don’t notify me, but display the icon” or “Don’t notify me and don’t display the icon (not recommended.)” I personally went with the former since I really like a cluttered task tray.
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Brill, thanks for this, really helped! I never knew about that setting
dear god, thank you!! this has been driving me nuts for MONTHS!!
haha thanks
Thx, this is one of the annoyances of Vista…
Thanks for this little gem. I’d never have found that otherwise.
Very nice thank you
I found this by googling ‘Check your user account control settings’.
Really helpful, thank you for sharing!
To be honest I was hoping it’d be some editing work in the register, as that’s always a bit more exciting.
Thanx man! I just HATE all that VISTA intimadation crap. You totally RULE!
To “King Cyrus”: ‘Intimidation’? I’m not sure what that means exactly…I’m not a huge fan either, but for a lot of people the UAC is beneficial. Many end users of Windows (VISTA or otherwise) do not have decent knowledge of how things work (or even that people with too much time on their hands can – and often do – make a website and distribute viruses or malware in the guise of something useful). UAC gives these users a chance to read more information or consult a relative or professional about the issue.
I even gave UAC a chance for about a month. However, I am a programmer; and as such I occasionally need to do things like modify the hosts file on my computer. This requires me to open notepad with administrator privileges to save changes. I have opened the hosts file a few times (which is a few times too many), made my changes, and tried to save, only to be told that my effort is for nought because I opened Notepad outside of administrator mode.
I also think they may have been able to design it a bit better. I often delete files of various types. There is no reason that I should have to confirm three times (if I remember correctly) to delete a SHORTCUT from the Start menu.
There have also been many times when I have tried to delete a folder that contains a file which is currently opened for editing. Instead of telling me the file is opened for editing, the popup tells me something like “I need permission to continue”, and never lets me give that permission. It also has not been immediately evident which program has something from that folder locked/opened. I eventually solve the problem by closing several programs (sometimes an entire development suite) to release that file for deletion.
Additionally, I think that rather than having a disable/enable option, Microsoft should have made a few more options, such as “keep programs from running” and “keep me from deleting files”. UAC is currently an all or nothing deal. A piecemeal option, with everything DEFAULTED to be annoying would be a much nicer way to cover their rear ends from minor lawsuits. They may eventually add these options.
In Short, I see a potential benefit to UAC, but the current implementation is too restrictive and time consuming to tolerate. I apologize to those who are annoyed by my rant – I hope I have not wasted too many people’s time. Thank you for reading.
I also found this helpful blog by searching for ‘Check your user account control settings’
I guess MS has to make an OS for all levels of users, so these really annoying messages are a must
I bet every MS developer had this message turned off both now and during development
Thanks Ben!
That worked great.
Thank you!
Haha, take THAT, “computer savvy” friend of mine who said this wasn’t possible! Thanks!
And don’t worry, I like having a cluttered taskbar too XD
Alas… Another Vista annoyance is removed… FOREVER!! Why do all these Computer companies Insist on being in your face…
Thanks for this, I’ve always wondered how to do that. You have some really good tips on this blog.
Wonderful tip! Many thanks