# Another computer question: Getting past Vista security. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-computer-question-getting-past-vista-security/431090 "2007-12-24T03:27:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-computer-question-getting-past-vista-security/431090/1 "2007-12-24T03:27:47Z")
So my mother wants to play games on Hoyle’s website. She tried to fire up Euchre, and it says she lacks an ActiveX control with which to run it. So we try to download it, and it asks for permission twice. You say yes and then it says “Windows has blocked this software because it cannot verify the publisher.” Uhh… what do we do now? I have very little familiarity with Vista. NOTE: Please do not tell me to “buy a Mac.” I’m trying to get my mother’s computer to do something, I’m not looking for OS holy war snark. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-computer-question-getting-past-vista-security/431090/2 "2007-12-24T03:48:10Z")
You can run Vista on an Intel Mac, so that’s no excuse. 🙂 I’m generalising from XP, but is there a global setting for something like “distrust unsigned ActiveX” in the browser’s Internet Settings? ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-computer-question-getting-past-vista-security/431090/3 "2007-12-24T09:58:33Z")
That’s a rather disingenuous answer **Sunspace**. The OP should obviously install Linux instead. 😛 Despite widespread derision of Vista, Microsoft is at least finally taking some decent steps to introduce some security to what has historically been a single-user, all-administrator OS. That said, if you’re set on trying to defeat this particular setting, I would first check the website to see if they have any suggestions for Vista (our office employs far fewer programmers, and we have some for our software). If that doesn’t work, like **Sunspace** sez, the Vista test machine at work seems to have the options required to follow the steps at the top of [this page](http://www.onlinebroadcasting.com/resources_ts.htm) (set “Download unsigned ActiveX controls” to Enable), so I’d try that. ---
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-computer-question-getting-past-vista-security/431090/4 "2007-12-24T11:58:47Z")
Hi RickJay, Instead of snarking, I’d suggest two things. Remove the UAC (User Access Control) - the bit which dims the screen and asks for permissions every 5 minutes, and consider dropping the security level of Internet Explorer (not always a good idea). To do the first and generally improve your Vista experience, click Start and type msconfig. Press enter. Click OK. In the new window, select the tools tab and scroll down to “Disable UAC”. Select it and then click Launch. Follow any instructions and reboot. Now go back to your website and try again. If it still doesn’t work you need to change your ActiveX security settings. This is in Internet Explorer. Press Alt once and select the Tools menu. Select Internet Options. Scroll down to “Unsigned ActiveX controls” and select Prompt. Click OK. Now go back to the website. You should get a scary warning about the site offering an unsigned control. If you really want it, click OK. There you go! Happy christmas! tim ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-computer-question-getting-past-vista-security/431090/5 "2007-12-24T15:26:13Z")
Those are pretty much the same instructions you would follow if you wanted lots of spyware on the system. ---
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-computer-question-getting-past-vista-security/431090/6 "2007-12-24T16:11:11Z")
[QUOTE=SmackFu] Those are pretty much the same instructions you would follow if you wanted lots of spyware on the system. [/QUOTE] They are also the technically correct steps to enable what the OP asked for. I think I made it pretty clear that dropping the IE settings isn’t the best plan and the option is set to Prompt, not Enable. Tim ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-computer-question-getting-past-vista-security/431090/7 "2007-12-24T17:17:16Z")
[QUOTE=trmatthe] They are also the technically correct steps to enable what the OP asked for. [/QUOTE] No, they’re not. Why do you need to disable UAC? That’s a terrible idea.