Windows XP's reputation for shaky security stemmed in part from the scary possibility of hackers worming their way into your PC and launching applications or changing settings at will. In Vista, Microsoft responded with User Account Control, a safeguard that tries to protect you by asking, in effect, "Are you sure?" before executing a wide variety of system actions. The problem is that, in the vast majority of instances, those actions are intentionally initiated by the user. Telling Vista that you know what you're doing'gets old quickly. But Vista's UAC essentially has only two settings: on and off.

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Windows 7 still lets you opt for full-tilt UAC or no UAC at all. It adds two useful intermediate settings, though: One notifies you of attempts to install software or change settings without making you click to continue, and the other notifies you only when a program tries to change settings. Both of those options alert you when potentially dangerous actions transpire on your PC, but your work won't grind to 'a halt nearly as often as it does with Vista's version of UAC.

The UAC settings reside in a new Control Panel section called Windows Solution Center, which replaces Vista's Security Center. It's home to features for adjusting security settings, using Windows Update, and backing up data. The Solution Center also lets you turn off various Windows notifications, such as those that warn about security settings. Turn off eoery nagging notice that Windows 7 lets you disable, and you could wind up with the least intrusive edition of the OS in a long time.
Did we say that Windows 7 is longer on substance than on style? For the most part, that's true.

But the new features for applying Themes to the Windows interface are nicely done. As before, the Theme controls let you choose collections of wallpaper, color schemes, sounds, and screen savers to give Windows an instant makeover. In Windows 7, however, you can see a full-screen preview of a Theme's effect on the OS with one click, and it's easier to create and save your own Themes than it is with Vista's antediluvian controls. (Microsoft, incidentally, says that Themes will be renamed Styles before Windows 7 ships: That's a classic example of the company renaming a familiar feature without any clear purpose.)