A screen shot of the User Account Control in Windows Vista prompting for approval
One problem Windows XP users faced was the lack of sufficient user account options. Windows XP only offers administrator and limited accounts. Limited accounts are more secure for day-to-day computing in Windows XP since they can't install software or perform other potentially dangerous actions. However, limited accounts often don't provide users with the access they need to accomplish routine actions.
User Account Control in Windows Vista tries to solve this problem. If you try to perform a restricted action (such as installing software) while using a limited account, the User Account Control feature of Windows Vista will prompt you for an administrator's password.
If you try to perform a restricted action while using an administrator's account, Windows Vista will prompt you to ensure you really want to perform a potentially harmful action. In the screen shot above, Windows Vista has prompted me to ensure that I really want to set up Windows Collaboration on my computer.
The User Account Control in Windows Vista is a huge improvement over the user account options in Windows XP. It helps to ensure you're always aware that an action you're taking could damage your computer. However, the User Account Control tends to annoy advanced users who already understand the risks of taking different actions and don't want to be bombarded with warnings.
User Account Control in Windows Vista tries to solve this problem. If you try to perform a restricted action (such as installing software) while using a limited account, the User Account Control feature of Windows Vista will prompt you for an administrator's password.
If you try to perform a restricted action while using an administrator's account, Windows Vista will prompt you to ensure you really want to perform a potentially harmful action. In the screen shot above, Windows Vista has prompted me to ensure that I really want to set up Windows Collaboration on my computer.
The User Account Control in Windows Vista is a huge improvement over the user account options in Windows XP. It helps to ensure you're always aware that an action you're taking could damage your computer. However, the User Account Control tends to annoy advanced users who already understand the risks of taking different actions and don't want to be bombarded with warnings.