How to Disable the User Account Control in Windows 8
Controlling when the UAC box appears is easy, just move the slider in the
Control Panel. The hard part is truly understanding the ramifications
of this feature so that you can make an informed decision.
Always notify me when: - Programs try to install software or make
changes to my computer - I make changes to Windows settings.
Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer.
(But) Don't notify me when I make changes to Windows
settings. [Default level]
Never notify me when programs try to install software or make
changes to my computer.
Pedants will point out there is a 3rd setting, but I have never seen
anyone use it! The only difference from number 2, is that with number
3 the UAC is enabled, but does NOT dim the desktop.
Microsoft's goal for the UAC is to persuade techies to logon with a
humble account with limited privileges, and then to avoid having to
logoff/logon by
providing the UAC for when they need to install a program or change an
operating system setting.
Users have three main reactions to turning off the Windows 8 UAC:
Sensible people, those who always choose best practice, logon with a standard
account and
accept the default UAC behaviour.
Gung-ho types, who always logon as an administrator, will recklessly
change the UAC to 'Never
notify', thereby removing the last line of defence against a rogue program
trying to install itself.
Techies like me, who use an account with administrative
privileges yet keep the default UAC setting, find that in practice the dialog box is
more of an occasional reminder than a constant pain.
My conclusion is that there is a trend for techies to
'go with the flow' and accept the UAC shield, even with the default,
nagging settings. It seems to be ordinary users with pre-conceived
ideas, or bad experience with Vista, that are the ones who want to turn
off the UAC in Windows 8.
As for me, I always like to glance at the name of the program which
generates the UAC, just to be sure its not malware.
See more
on Understanding the UAC.
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By using gpedit.msc once again you can set the UAC for all users. As you search
for gpedit, remember that .msc extension otherwise it's difficult to locate
this Local Group Policy Editor.
If you expand the Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security
Settings and Security Options, then you will see about a dozen User Account
Control policies. I would start with: User Account Control:
Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in
Admin Approval Mode. (There is a similar settng below that for Users.)
'Elevate without prompting' disables the UAC.
This Is What Microsoft Say About Admin Approval
Mode
User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for
administrators in Admin Approval Mode
These are your choices
Elevate without prompting: Permits administrator accounts
to configure any setting without the UAC appearing.
Prompt for credentials on the secure desktop: The current
account is prompted for an administrator's name and password, the
operation continues with the user's highest available privilege.
Prompt for consent on the secure desktop: When you ask the operating
system to perform a security sensitive it asks you to Permit or Deny.
The key point is that it tries to continues with the your highest
available privilege, which is fine if you are an administrator.
Prompt for consent for non-Windows binaries: (Default) When you
are configuring a third-party application, if it needs elevation of
privilege, you either Permit or Deny.
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Launch Regedit and navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Locate the following REG_DWORD value: EnableLUA
Set the value of EnableLUA to 0. See screenshot below.
Note 1: Changing EnableLUA is one of those settings where you need to
reboot the computer before it takes effect.
Note 2: To enable the Windows 8 UAC, set EnablueLUA to
1.
Note 3: If you like this registry hack, then click on
regedit's Favorites menu, and Add to favorites'. This saves time if you ever
have to return to this place in the registry.
I was pleased to find that the old MSConfig was still alive and well in
Windows 8. The idea is that you can select the 'Tools' menu and
'Change User Account Control settings'. See screenshot below.
Note 4: What I ask you to observe with this method is the name of the
executable :-
UserAccountControlSettings.exe, because it corresponds to the above setting
in the Control Panel.
Note 5: A point to contemplate is that this setting is
bound to affect all users of the Windows 8 computer.
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This Is What Microsoft Say About
Enabling or Disabling the
UAC
"User Account Control (UAC) is a feature in Windows 8 that can help you stay
in control of your computer by informing you when a program makes a change
that requires administrator-level permission. UAC works by adjusting the
permission level of your user account. If you're doing tasks that can be
done as a standard user, such as reading e‑mail, listening to music, or
creating documents, you have the permissions of a standard user - even if
you're logged on as an administrator.
When changes are going to be made to your computer that require
administrator-level permission, UAC notifies you. If you are an
administrator, you can click Yes to continue. If you are not an
administrator, someone with an administrator account on the computer will
have to enter their password for you to continue.
If you give permission,
you are temporarily given the rights of an administrator to complete the
task and then your permissions are returned back to that of a standard user.
This makes it so that even if you're using an administrator account, changes
cannot be made to your computer without you knowing about it, which can help
prevent malicious software (malware) and spyware from being installed on or
making changes to your computer." See more about
Microsoft and Disabling the UAC.
Security v Ease of Use
Adjusting
the computer's clock is an interesting case study for using the UAC.
Changing the time is a security issue and by default will the
require the UAC. However, changing the time-zone does not compromise
any of the operating system's audit time-stamps, consequently the UAC is not
needed.
Windows 8 also allows standard users to view the firewall settings and
use Windows Update to install optional updates and drivers.
They can also adjust the display DPI, and refresh the IP address with
needing administrative privileges and hence attracting the UAC dialog box.
In Windows 8 the User Account Control dialog box is much less 'in your face'
than Vista or even Windows 7.
Microsoft has re-thought when it's desirable for the UAC to leap into
action and inform us of a significant change to the operating system
settings. Furthermore, if you disagree with Microsoft's default
settings it's much easier to make the UAC even less intrusive.
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