Reading through…
BeyondTrust Tames Vista’s UAC Pop-Ups
…in PC World, I kept thinking that this utility must be freeware or, maybe, an Open Source product. But, the last line of the article states: Privilege Manager 3.5 is priced starting at $30 per seat. Now, hey, more power to anyone who can make a few $$$ selling software while making Vista more palatable to users. But, doesn’t this just indicate that UAC (User Access Control) is just broken in Vista?
I think Microsoft needs to rethink and redesign how UAC works (make it less annoying) and take a look at Vista’s menu system while they are at it. Has anyone looked at the network configuration maze lately? Ouch.
One can buy a copy of Windows XP and make all of the UAC messages and the Vista network menu maze disappear, for only a few more dollars!
As a VAR, I intend on selling and loading my built systems until the stroke of midnight with XP. Vista is a disappointment. The Vista systems I have to support are configured to both classic on the desktop, menu bars, and UAC turned off.
Why don't you just change Vista UAC settings manually? This can be done for a group policy:
http://www.petri.co.il/disable_uac_in_windows_vista.htm
Ben: Turning off the policy defeats the assumed purpose of UAC's security model to prevent bad software from being installed. What is needed is a fixed end-user security model.