The UAC warning isn't clear from the TechQuickie video.
The UAC warning isn't clear from the TechQuickie video.
I understand, the UAC prompt often doesn't appear when I install unsigned software—wouldn’t that be exactly where it should show up? Anyway, it doesn’t bother me; it’s just part of my usual workflow.
MSI command center runs without prompting, no UAC alert, update denied, fan curves set. MSI Afterburner is only MSI-related software by name, right?
UAC opens, I confirm, yes—apply the update, close, open Steam, and the PC starts smoothly. Thanks to the modern Windows 10—it’s a big plus!
Personally, it doesn’t bother me, and you shouldn’t disable it unless you want to risk malicious code running. Even if it’s not perfect, clicking “yes” occasionally is worth it.
P.S.: I think you can disable it for certain programs, but not fully—probably need to right-click > properties > run as admin or something similar.
It relates to SmartScreen instead of unsigned code. You seem mixed up with UAC, which appears only when accessing system files. If you're on Linux or Mac, it functions like using sudo and entering your password for each command. No, it's a universal configuration.
It makes sense, I appreciate the explanation. Smart screen prompts aren't always reliable for these programs, and UAC behavior can be confusing—especially with tools like Afterburner. It's understandable why many people disable it, but I'd still recommend keeping it on to protect your system from unexpected installations.
That is exactly what you want. You are installing a program to the system, which typically installs it for all users on the system. So it puts it in (by default and typically) "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)", which are 2 locations, shared by all users, designated for programs, that requires elevated credentials to put stuff in, so that non-elevated credentials programs can't modify files on your back. The setup program can sometime install additional system level files it requires for the program to operate correctly, so it may write things in other directories. You may notice that when you install a program from the Store, that UAC prompt is not presented. This is because the program is installed at a user level. If you install a program, switch to another account, it won't be there. You'll need to install it there as well (or add your account to that account in the Store account list, to download for free any purchased apps, so that you don't need to buy it again). Store apps are also put into a sandbox environment as a protection system, to prevent cross app modification, hence why games acquired from the Store can't be modded unless the game specifically allows it (UAC can't help you there either). As for program that needs files on system files, well... this is a limitation of the Store currently, this is why you don't have Office or Visual Studio for example in the Store. Once the program is installed, then the program doesn't need elevated credentials to run, as there is no system level task that it needs to do. Yup. This is because the program was poorly designed. It is fine for system tweak tools, as typically, the user run it once or twice to set things up to your liking and never touch it again. From the dev perspective, it is not worth the extra work needed. But for program that you use often that need elevated credentials, they should either register itself to run under highest privileges under Task Scheduler, or ideally, have a service (which once installed, always runs as admin), and have the program interact with it. You can technically do it via a driver, which is what anti-cheat system in games do, but that opens a huge cans of security issues to deal with, which is why it requires massive trust by the user, and experience has been very negative due to poor past implementations (example, causes BSODs for example, even outside of the game, as the driver always runs, due to the driver crashing). Which is why many people are against anti-cheat systems. You are essentially giving permission to a program (driver) that has total view of your system. Anything you do, you type, including password can be tracked. So yea, going with a service approach is easier. Or, as mentioned, make it a start up program via Task Scheduler, which MSI Afterburner does if you enable "Startup with Windows" option. Just make it not OC at startup (if you don't want that). And open it up and pick your profile when you want to OC, or setup a keyboard shortcut for switching profiles.
Here’s a clearer version of your text:
I appreciate your reply. The content is quite dense, but I’m trying to understand it better. Often I install or remove software, and most of these aren’t available in the Microsoft Store. I usually don’t realize the store exists. On average, I encounter an UAC prompt daily—like when Intel Extreme Tuning Utility asks me. Sometimes I run a console in admin mode. Pressing alt+y feels automatic now. It’s meant to stop something I’m not sure about doing. How does it work? It never explains what the program is actually doing. At times, I have to click “yes” for the prompt because the software insists. Sometimes I need to confirm with a click. With my Adobe products, I usually just accept without checking. I don’t feel the need to run security audits or verify if anything is compromised. My computer stays private—no shared access, no suspicious emails. If Lenovo software needs an update, I have no way of knowing if it’s malicious. It acts as a barrier between users, but I’m not sharing my machine. If my emails were hacked, I wouldn’t open any attachments. Also, if Lenovo pushed for an update, I wouldn’t know if malware was inserted. (It’s like they’re spying on me.) Honestly, I’m annoyed by these annoying prompts and forms. I dislike wasting time filling out unnecessary questions or digging through data. If ransomware ever gets in, I’d restore from a backup automatically.