User account control or UAC is a service first introduced in Windows Vista, though similar measures have existed for a long time in NT and server versions of Windows previously. UAC is designed to allow the user to increase or decrease the per-operation security notification of any program, which seeks to run or make changes to this system. This allows users to keep their software behaving in a civilized manner. However, some people find UAC to be annoying, and wish to take the risk of disabling UAC.
How To Disable UAC
In Vista and 7, disabling UAC is really easy to do. In XP, it’s a tad more complex. But, disabling UAC is not rocket science even then!
· Disable UAC in Windows Vista
Disabling UAC in Vista takes only three steps, thanks to the layout of Explorer in Vista and later.
1.) Go to Start Menu -> Control Panel, and launch it.
2.) In the search box to the right of the window, type in UAC. Press enter.
3.) Your search results will reveal UAC, with a link to turn it on or off. Click this link.
4.) A new window will appear. It contains a warning about the risk of shutting UAC down. Ignore this, leave the checkbox unchecked, and press OK.
5.) A reboot is required for these changes to go into effect.
· Disable UAC in Windows 7
Disabling UAC in Windows 7 is actually easier, and more adjustable than Vista. It also takes fewer steps, and requires no reboot.
1.) Go to the Start Menu.
2.) In the search, type UAC.
3.) In 7, the start bar contains results from this kind of search. Observe the one entry that is marked as being in the control panel. It will have a heading like Control Panel (1). Click this link.
4.) The UAC adjustment screen will appear. It has a horizontal slider, which can adjust how persistent UAC notifications actually are. Setting it to the lowest setting will completely disable it.
5.) Press OK after the adjustments. Settings take effect immediately.
· Disable UAC in WINDOWS XP
There is no option for disable UAC Windows XP, unfortunately. XP has the ancestor of the UAC system, the Security Center. 7 and Vista also have the Security Center, but the difference is that it doesn’t handle UAC aside from in XP. Therefore, the Security Center needs to be turned off. This is somewhat riskier to security than UAC disabling in Vista or 7.
1.) Go to Start -> Run, and type in Control Panel. Press enter.
2.) In the Control Panel, open the Administrative Tools.
3.) In the right hand list of icons in Administrative Tools, locate Services. Its icon looks like a gear. Open it.
4.) This will present a list of Windows services that are available. They also show their default state (Automatic/Manual/Disabled), and whether or not they are running at that point. Most of these services should be left alone at all times, but some can be shut down safely. Locate the service labeled as Security Center.
5.) Double click on it, and a little window will materialize. Set the Startup Type to Disabled, and click the Disable button at the bottom. Then, click Apply.
No reboot is necessary. Remember, though, that crippling XP’s security is not really the same as disabling UAC, and can be hazardous if the computer is attacked or exposed to anything harmful!