Thread: Less-Bothersome User Account Control

Despite all its arguably good intentions, UAC became the poster child for what's wrong with Vista. Either it bugs you continually or you turn it off and nullify its value as a safety net. In Windows 7, UAC tries to stay out of your way while still offering its Vista predecessor's security benefits. You can choose from four security levels, thereby dictating how often you'll receive notifications from Microsoft.

Vista users are stuck with all or none of UAC 1.0, but you can always turn it off and opt for a third-party replacement. For example, Norton User Account Control replaces the stock UAC with one that learns from your responses and consequently bugs you less often with information you don't care about. This download also gives you a 'Don't ask me again' option, and useful details about the nature of the security alert. Another alternative is UAC Snooze, a system tray utility that puts the UAC to sleep for a designated period of time-a helpful arrangement if you plan to do some system tweaking and don't want to be bothered every step of the way.