Windows Vista’s security has massively improved with the introduction of User Account Protection and Windows Defender. However, how annoying is this protection?
User Account Protection
User Account Protection is to protect users from themselves, it is designed to stop a user from performing a system task like deleting a file or changing a setting, asking for a password in order to continue a task.
In Linux and Mac OS you are not set up as an administrator unlike in Windows where you have up until now had the option to change or do anything on your system. User Account Protection stops this. You can however turn it off, and you may find that you will end up doing this because of how much it gets in the way, for example, deleting a shortcut off your desktop requires no less than three windows before it finally is deleted.
The way it works is that when you ask the computer to make a system change or install a program, your desktop gets blanked out and a dialog appears asking for your username and password. Only if you input the correct details will the task start.
Windows Defender
I mentioned this in a previous part of my Windows Vista Review, but I’ll mention it again, it is aimed at protecting you from malicious software or malware. It is not an anti virus program, I recommend AVG for this, but it does allow you to run a scan of your system for malware.
Conclusion
My personal opinions of UAC in Windows Vista is that it gets in the way too much, in Linux it’s out of the way and I feel secure without having to enter a password everytime I want to do something. However, it does secure you very well from yourself and hackers, and most users of Windows don’t actually delve into the system settings anyway, so for most people this is a good thing, for enthusiasts like me, I hate it.
Part Six
Part Six will be my final review of Windows Vista, where I conclude my dealings with it, it’s advantages and disadvantages and tell you why or why not to buy it.
Simon North, 14th February 2007
