# Vista: getting rid of "Permission to Continue" pop-ups? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 28, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504 "2009-07-28T00:56:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/1 "2009-07-28T00:56:24Z")
I’m giving Vista a try. I’m already sick of being asked for permission every freakin’ time I want to run something. Can I shut that off!?! ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/2 "2009-07-28T01:14:36Z")
Turn user account control off. Control Panel -\> User Accounts and Family Safety -\> User Accounts -\> Turn User Account Control On or Off ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/3 "2009-07-28T11:25:43Z")
Related question: Having turned User Account Control off, I get the red, scary shield with an X in it and periodic warnings of “OMG, your User Account Control is shut off. Click here to avoid your computer spontaneously combusting.” Is there anything you can do to convince the computer that, yes, I don’t want the damn thing on? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/4 "2009-07-28T11:37:53Z")
Go Control Panel \> Security Center. On the left there’s a link that says “Change the way security center alerts me”. Click it, and you can disable the alerts. It disables all the security center alerts, mind you, not just the UAC ones. ---
**Author:** ![Galwegian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galwegian/32/3426_2.png) [@Galwegian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galwegian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/5 "2009-07-28T12:27:05Z")
This is just one of the reasons why Vista is not allowed in my house at all. I actually need a new desktop PC, and I’m trying to nurse my old XP machine along until Win 7 gets a full release in October. Yes, I know I can upgrade to Win 7 for free from Vista if I buy a new PC now, but I don’t want to deal with a new OS installation and all the crapware that I suspect Vista will leave behind. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/6 "2009-07-28T12:38:22Z")
> [@Galwegian](#): > > This is just one of the reasons why Vista is not allowed in my house at all. Because it allows you to customize the security settings to meet your needs? Because it doesn’t inflict your security settings on everyone else right out of the box? I don’t understand. > [@](#): > > I actually need a new desktop PC, and I’m trying to nurse my old XP machine along until Win 7 gets a full release in October. Do you think Windows 7 will not replace all the things you hate about Vista with all _new_ things for you to hate? ---
**Author:** ![mecaenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/91b2a8/32.png) [@mecaenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mecaenas)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/7 "2009-07-28T12:46:47Z")
No offense, but if you don’t know how to turn it off, you probably shouldn’t. User Account Control is there to protect you from potentially dangerous programs. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/8 "2009-07-28T13:48:36Z")
> [@mecaenas](#): > > No offense, but if you don’t know how to turn it off, you probably shouldn’t. User Account Control is there to protect you from potentially dangerous programs. No offense taken. I’m a computer geek by trade and I’m comfortable dealing with dangerous programs. Vista is new for me and I don’t have time to squiggle through all the new stuff and learn everything about it–as dearly as I would love to. I’ll ask my specific questions here and live with the consequences however dangerous they might be. Thanks everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/9 "2009-07-28T18:58:02Z")
May I ask what kind of things you’re running. I don’t mean it as a slam, I’m just curious ‘cause I LOVE that feature. And it almost never effects me. The only daily time I get it is when I update my Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware. I found it handy, especially since I look at foreign sites a lot, when these stupid sites try to download stuff without me knowing. So is it like games and such that 'cause the continual harrassment? Again I don’t mean to be critical or slam anyone, I’m just curious, 'cause I don’t get that ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/10 "2009-07-28T19:15:56Z")
UAC isnt just a pop-up, its an entire security layer. You’ll find some security software wont work without it or that some sandboxing features are now broken. If it comes up a lot then something in your system is poorly written. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/11 "2009-07-28T21:18:08Z")
> [@HorseloverFat](#): > > UAC isnt just a pop-up, its an entire security layer. You’ll find some security software wont work without it or that some sandboxing features are now broken. If it comes up a lot then something in your system is poorly written. There’s other software won’t work with it. Frankly, it’s 90% annoyance, maybe 10% useful, and unless you’re running lots of code from shady sites, you really don’t need to have it. If you’ve got security software that won’t work without it, get better security software, or change your habits so you don’t need security software. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/12 "2009-07-28T21:21:57Z")
The software that doesnt work with it is poorly written. You have things left over from the win98 days like writing to c:\windows emp, writing to c:\program files, etc. Youre throwing out the baby with the bathwater here. No wonder there are so many trojans and viruses. We’d rather be supporting legacy junk than moving to basic separation of privs. \>or change your habits so you don’t need security software. The habits you advocate are terrible. Running as an admin 24/7 is just a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/13 "2009-07-28T21:28:26Z")
Oh and linux and OSX do this by default too. What do you think sudo is or that prompt when you try to change system libraries on a mac? So, if you think the entire computer industry is wrong, then you’ve got quite a chip on your shoulder. Im an admin by profession and I dont like to run as admin by default on a workstation. Joe Computer User needs to start thinking like this. This is no different than people who dont wear seat belts because they think they are good drivers. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-getting-rid-of-permission-to-continue-pop-ups/504504/14 "2009-07-28T21:35:12Z")
I regularly use an application called GSAK (stands for Geocaching Swiss Army Knife). Every time I start it, the screen goes dark and Vista asks me if I want to allow it. Is there any way for me to enable this program once and for all?