LandzDown Forum

Brynn,
Try this click on the then type in to the search UAC this will open up your User Account Control Settings. you can ajust the settings to suit your own neds some turn off the UAC as they say it gets anoiying  :muahaha:
Other live with it  :tease:

However please NOTE turning the UAC off is the least secure setting.
When you set UAC to never notify, you open up your computer to potential security risks.
I sure Aaron or one of the other can tell you more.

GR@PH;<'S   :Hammys pint:

Thanks for your help, guys.  I'll give these things a try and let you know what happens.

Ok, I've had a look at what you suggested, GR@PH;<'S.  I looks like that setting just turns off the 'do you want to allow this change' type of dialog.  I may turn it down one notch, because they ARE annoying.  But the problem I'm having isn't one of those dialogs.  The one I'm getting is about permissions.

Just tonight I've found the route to changing permissions (and I can hear you all thinking right now -- don't mess with the permissions!).  But I am thoroughly reading the User Access Control and Permissions help files, and trying to understand.  In the end, I may choose not to change the permissions, and just learn to live with it.  But if I can safely add a check mark or 2, and it won't have unintended "side effects" I might do a slight tweak.  We'll see how I feel about it after I finish reading and digesting.  In the end, I may not be able to understand it well enough to feel safe making changes.

not a good idea to be manually adding / removing files from the program files folder

But here's what I don't get, Temmu.  So many programs require you to download extra files in order to add more functionality -- like skins for example.  Or else one program that I'm thinking of in particular, a fractal graphics program called Apophysis, there's a gradient editor that has to be added separately later.  It doesn't come with the main program.  Or all kinds of add-ons, and...I think it's in that same program, or it might be a different fractal graphics program, where you can download various different scripts which allow the program to draw certain sort of varieties of fractal images.  And they have to be put into  that program's directory.  A vector graphics program called Inkscape has all sort of extensions available for download around the 'net, which also have to be installed into the program's directory.  And they don't come with an installation wizard.  You just download and put them in the directory, or previously I would download directly into the Program Files.

So there are all sorts of valid reasons why a compter's admin might need to access, add things to and remove things from Program Files.

I'll rephrase:  This is by design.

ok.  let's start with what a windows 7 user is not:  users are not administrators.

ever noticed everything in win 7 has "run as administrator" or has the shield to the left of it?
that is because you are not an admin and to do most stuff in windows (since win 2000) you need to be an admin.
(this keeps you safe.)

now, armed with the sure knowledge you are not an admin on your own win 7 machine,
let's look at ntfs security (file and folder security.)

navigating to c: program files, and bringing up properties, security,
you will notice that users can read, run, and list contents.
administrators, however, (via the advanced button) can do anything to the contents.

that is why you, on your own machine, cannot add files and folders to "program files"

(can it be done? yes.)

It switches to Secure Desktop when prompting

So Aaron, you're saying that the prompts come from a place that is....highly secure, and harder for malware writers to penetrate?  Ok, now that does make sense to me  :thumbsup:

And Temmu, you're saying that everything with the blue and yellow shield is one of those special, highly secure things, or related to them?  If so, then yes, it's becoming more clear to me now.

Temmu and Aaron,
Yes, yes, I understand why the admin can't download files directly into Program Files.  (And I think I understand how to change it, if I want to.)  And I understand how the admin account doesn't really provide full administrative permissions, how it's really kind of a specialized regular or standard account, which is granted some admin permissions at certain times.  I was more asking....I'm trying to understand why the developers created W7 in this way.

I was more thinking....  I guess the old adage "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" is the simplest way to express what I'm thinking.  In order to increase our security, we've made it harder to use our computers.  To me, it's much like all the new restrictions on air travel, since "9-11" (in the US) (I'm not familiar with international travel, although I have the impression it's even more restrictive).  In order to increase our security, we've removed some of our freedoms (what we can put in our suitcases, eg).

And I'm concerned that, just like travel restrictions are growing (1st it was metal detectors, then shoe inspections, and now we can't carry shampoo!) this may be the beginning of a trend, that in the interest of security, ordinary users' admin accounts will make it more and more difficult to manage files.

And don't think I don't know, that these are the best solutions that have been found by all our most knowledgeable and skilled professionals, and they are sacrifices we all have to make in the interest of security.  For national and international security, I'm content to leave it up to the professionals.  But for computers, I'm not convinced this really is the best solution.  I don't use my computer for work, but it's as important to me as if I did; so I really want to understand, and try to help find better solutions, even if all I can do is voice my opinion  (:mrgreen:)

Anyway, thanks again for listening