How to Remove the Administrative Mode in Vista

The new MS Vista operating system is trying to be much tougher on viruses, trojan horses and other forms of malware. However, to implement this tough approach, Vista employs UAC (User Account Control) as the default setting.

Vista UAC while is a great tool and resource for many to have on their computer, it does get on some peoples nerves. For experienced or power users, it can be down-right annoying, the reason being that any function that can limit security requires an administrator-level user level. Moreover, one must click through a set of prompts to ensure that the user understands what they are doing and this can limit security on the computer or network.

Vista UAC has earned the reputation of being extremely zealous in firmness, requiring prompts for seemingly arcane requests. Since most users blindly click on the dialogue boxes or prompts that pop up, Vista's UAC definitely loses its effectiveness after a while. For tech and power users, many have simply disabled UAC.

What you Should Know Before Disabling UAC

Microsoft obviously included UAC as a feature on Vista for a reason: To boost the security on your pc. If you are removing this administrative mode, you will lower the level of security and make your PC or network more susceptible to malware including virus, spyware and firewall attacks.

Turning Off Vista UAC

Step 1. Log on to Vista. You will need to have the credentials of the local administrator to turn off UAC.

Step 2. Click the 'Start' button and then choose 'Control Panel'

Step 3. Once in Control Panel, choose 'User Accounts'

Step 4. In the User Accounts window, you should choose your User Accounts

Step 5. Now that you are in the User Accounts task window, you can choose to turn 'User Account Control' Off

Step 6. For those computers that are currently configured in Admin Approval Mode, you should receive a message. Once this message appears, click Continue

Step 7. Clear the check box that says 'User Account Control' (UAC) to help protect your computer. Once cleared, click OK.

Step 8. Follow the prompts to restart your computer right away, so that the new settings can take effect.