VISTA VS. XP AND FORMATTING YOUR COMPUTER!

author=GreatRedSpirit link=topic=3161.msg62098#msg62098 date=1234804694
No. Confirming that an application needs admin privliges to continue is part of UAC. Auto accepting still gives the security benefits without the biggest issues people have with UAC (well, besides this performance issue I can't comment on)

Yes, but how does UAC confirm this raising of priveleges with the user? Through a UAC prompt. Auto-accepting all UAC prompts, in terms of security, is the same as disabling it altogether.

Unless you mean enabling only specific apps to bypass UAC, which is different.

author=GameOverGames Productions link=topic=3161.msg62139#msg62139 date=1234819344
If all else fails, you could always go to each of the devices' manufacturer's websites and see if they have XP drivers you can get.

This is what I suggested...baaaaaaaaaah

author=myersguy link=topic=3161.msg62190#msg62190 date=1234833209
Well, I am going to have at it again. I found several complaint threads about this specific laptop and it's vista issues, and some of them had some drivers. What I know I have now are: 2 sets of drivers for video card, a set for sound, and a set for internet.

As far as I know, those were really the only problems I was having, so hopefully it now works.

The reason there are so many complaints is because, as it turns out, the original laptop (I guess mine is refurbished) only contains 512mb of ram. Thats right. They chose to run Vista on a single core celeron 1.6 with 512mb of ram. Idiots! I assume their decision was fueled by the crowd of people going "ooh, vista, I want to try that!".

Anyways, I will post again after formatting. For now, I think I will play some garrys mod first!

If you have a Vista CD, you could try using vLite. If not, see if a friend has one, with the specific edition you have mind you. With any other edition besides the one you got, your product key will not work.

author=GreatRedSpirit link=topic=3161.msg62214#msg62214 date=1234838806
Auto accepting all UAC prompts is different than disabling it because the prompt is only part of the security measures that make up UAC. Auto accepting them does not disable all of the other security features which disabling the service would do.

You're assuming I'm speaking in literal terms. I am not. They are virtually similar to each other, as I will explain in two use-cases...

Microsoft's description of UAC: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709691.aspx I'm not sure where you're getting at besides the fact that administrators do not get an administrator token on login. Which is passed through by the UAC prompts anyway on execution.

Situation 1: Program installation with the user's knowledge:

Imagine a user who has finished downloading a program, and that program contains embedded, hidden malicious software. The user does not know about this, however. He then runs the program, and the malicious software triggers UAC; however, because the UAC prompt was auto-accepted, the user realizes only too late that something in that program required core access to the system. When the program itself was only advertised to use functions that did not require administrator access. UAC might as well have been off at that point, because the malware now has a foothold in the unlucky victim's computer.

Situation 2: Program installation without the user's knowledge:

In this case, imagine another user visiting a website, and that website contained a destructive operating system attack of some kind (think Virtumonde and Smitfraud). The webpage launches code which auto-downloads some piece of malicious software onto the user's computer, and attempts to execute it without that user's knowledge; when it executes, it then triggers a UAC prompt. The UAC prompt is automatically accepted, however, and the malicious software is installed. The user knew that visiting websites on the Internet does not require administrator access, and would've otherwise clicked the Cancel button. However, because the prompt was auto-accepted, that user is now screwed with no way out.

My point is, auto accepting all UAC prompts is virtually similar to turning off UAC, because the prompt is all that bars something from executing and totalling a hapless user's computer. Why even bother having the prompts on, when you're just going to end up clicking OK all the time?

Situation 3: System compromised and IE is used to infect system

System gets compromised by a program that spawns a new IE process and use it to run code to get adware/viruses into protected areas of the system.

With UAC disabled: IE7 can do all this given the current user has sufficient access and it falls to hoping that the antivirus will catch this before it gets into the gears

With UAC enabled: IE7 will be in protected mode irregardless of current user access level and any attempt to write to a protected area is not allowed. No prompts are generated as being in protected mode IE7 shoots down any attempts at getting admin access right away.

author=myersguy link=topic=3161.msg62257#msg62257 date=1234844648
Gateway

I have found the root cause of your problem!

At least you only have to dig it once (unless you work in tech support and have to deal with a bunch of new Vista machines taken to hell and back again. I got lucky and never had to deal with Vista)