Disable the User Account Control Popup in Windows Vista

What is User Account Control (UAC)?

With anyone that has Windows Vista one of the first things that they noticed with their shiny new operating system is that anytime you try to make a change, install a program or even remove software it pops up a window that lets you know that "A Program needs your permission to continue".
For some people this is a fascinating tool that can show you when something is trying to make changes to your PC, however if you are more of a advanced user it can be very annoying. The User Account Control pop up was designed to according to Microsoft, "User Account Control (UAC) is a new security component in Windows Vista. UAC enables users to perform common tasks as non-administrators, called standard users in Windows Vista, and as administrators without having to switch users, log off, or use Run As.". What this means is that this feature is now giving us the ability to make changes inside of our operating system even without logging off and back on as the admin assigned to the PC. This can be a fantastic tool and is built in such a way to help keep illicit programs from accessing you PC. Much like a Mac with its similar feature, this will in turn help to keep down the number of viruses and malware that installs itself on your PC.

Disabling the UAC
If you are someone who feels comfortable around their computer, maybe even enough so to turn off the UAC the following are the steps to complete this task. Keep in mind that if you do this, and Microsoft does not recommend it, that illicit programs that you may not want could indeed install themselves on your computer without tour knowledge. After you have disabled the UAC, make sure that you frequently scan your PC for viruses and keep your virus programs up to date. If you are frequent visitor to gaming sites or forums with a lot of pop ups then I would make sure to clean you computer a little more often then usual.

Step 1
Click Start > On the right hand side click Control Panel

Step 2
Once that you are in the Control Panel area, click on User Accounts and Family Safety.

Step 3
Once you are in the User Accounts and Family Safety window, click User Accounts.

Step 4
Okay now once you have entered the User Accounts tasks window, click on the Turn User Account Control on or off it will be the bottom option and have a shield beside it.

Step 5

If your UAC is currently on, the User Account Control message will pop up. Click Continue this will be the last time you see it.

Step 6
Un-check the option that says "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer" and then click on OK.

Step 7
Save any documents you have open and restart your computer.

Congratulations! You have now successfully turned off User Account Control. If there is any point in which you would like to turn it back on simply follow these steps again, just re-check the box in Step 7.