Many of the reasons why Microsoft developed Windows Vista to replace Windows XP were related to security.  It’s a scary world on the network with bad guys always trying to get you.  That being acknowledged the question remains does Vista just go too far sometimes?

The most annoying aspect of Vista for many people is that when you install new software on your computer, Vista may ask you whether you really want to give permission as many as three times for the same installation.

This request for permission is by something called the UAC or User Account Control in Vista.  It’s different from the old days of Windows XP where if you had administrator privileges on your computer, you could install software with no more questions asked.  In Vista, even if you have Administrator privileges, you don’t really use them most of the time, so when you install software, the UAC keeps checking with you to make sure you want to, as an administrator, perform the requested action.

Poor Vista means well – it really does, but like an overly protective parent, sometimes it just gets in the way.

This leads us to a hint for Vista configuration from the popularmechanics.com website.  You can, fairly easily, turn off the UAC feature meaning no more questions from Vista asking permission.

Here goes from The 3 Biggest Vista Headaches and How to Fix Them

If the endless warnings are really bothersome, you can disable the UAC feature altogether. Just click on the Vista icon in the lower left corner of your desktop, type in “msconfig” and hit Enter. This will open up a system configuration utility. From there, select Disable User Account Control under the Tools tab and reboot your machine.

But be warned: Disabling UAC means disabling a key line of defense against malware. A Microsoft representative told us the company is in the process of reducing the number of unnecessary prompts for programs that have a low security risk, but until they do, we are left in the uncomfortable position of choosing between safety and sanity.

As the Popular Mechanics’ note says – beware – beware – beware.  You are turning off some of your systems’ defenses against the bad guys – but if you feel you know what you’re doing – it makes your system so nice and quiet.