UAC is a major security feature man

The idea is, you should not run your os as an administrator all the time, instead, you should run as a limited user, than escalate to administrator when needed.

This is a common feature in all OSs, and it does do a lot for security

Some time ago I was reading in a forum on malware, and there was this user who seriously boasted with that the never uses firewall and anti-virus, instead avoids threats by practicing what he called "intelligent surfing."

No, he did not receive much laughs or mockery, instead some very angry replies, and well-deserved, because this fool helps to spread inflections via his system without even being aware of his system being infested, and things like rootkits and drive-by-downloaded malware he obviously never had heard of. You must not even executer some file anymore by clicking or opening something to have these things going active. Just landing on a site is enough - not more is needed.

"Intelligent surfing". Well, I'm all for it. And part of intelligent surfing is to have a firewall, antivirus and malware solution on guard, always. And I mean commercial packages with the full allways-active feature set, not some downgraded testing versions with manually launched HD-scans only.

UAC is part of an overall strategy as well.

Most people whose systems are infested, are not aware that they are infested. Most involuntary members of zombie networks do not know they are part of a zombie network.

I am quite certain that if all subsim-member'S systems would be checked all at once for security breachings and malware being present, a very huge group, probably even the majority would have an unpleasant Aha!-experience.

Has any one gotten Windows 8 and installed it? I saw on CompUSA that it's 59.00 for the upgrade... and that it will work for XP too. I don't think I really want 8 but would like to hear if it's as good as MS says it is.

What I really want is 7 with 32 and 64 bit. I'm hoping the price for 7 Pro comes down now seeing 8 is out.

I like my XP but now I'm having too many problems with it, and now I have to do a reinstall. :wah: :/\\!!

Windows 8 pro comes with downgrade rights I believe

Just get it, try windows 8 for week or so, if you don't like it, downgrade

Its actually cheaper than getting windows 7

So now me saying that I don't like being held in hand becomes synonymous to all that?

I can see clearly enough where this is going. And I'm going to follow my own advice from the other thread.

Hottentot: "The point was that I never had to tell XP to STFU."

Skybird: "Because XP did not have that security feature. Mind you, it is a security feature, like there are also some more security features that 7 has and XP not."

Hottentot: "Or it expected me to have a brain."

Skybird: wondering. Frowning eyebrows and still wondering. Then: "Some time ago I was reading in a forum on malware, and there was this user who seriously boasted with that the never uses firewall and anti-virus, instead avoids threats by practicing what he called "intelligent surfing. (...) "

Hottentot: "So now me saying that I don't like being held in hand becomes synonymous to all that? I can see clearly enough where this is going. "



I don't see the problem. Maybe you see where this is going. But since ""or it expected me to have a brain" I did not even know anymore where it was coming from. The lack of a security feature due to years-earlier release is not linked to that being a brain thing.

I just said that UAC is a security feature. It is meant to limit the spread of an infection due to the current user account having limited rights only, or hinder a malware to gain control of software installed that the user currently logged in has limited or no rights for. That way, the infestation process gets hindred, slowed down. Or the malware must become more active to overcome these obstacles, raising the probability that one of your scanners smells the smoke in the air. - And I did not say that I assume you were that other user from that other forum. I just wanted to make clear that you cannot avoid threats by using your brain exclusively - that you also need some tools and procedures - like UAC for example. You cannot defend yourself against drive by downloads by choosing to surf "smartly", because you do not know which sites are infested. And it is not only the obviously suspicious sites. Unfortunately. That is where that guy simply was wrong, and misled.

I'm getting Win7 64-bit for X-Mas, tell then I'm going to keep using XP.

I have no issues with my XP and may long it go on. :)

Steed I had no issues with XP until last week. I have to reinstall my HP 5610v Officejet software but can't do it. I keep getting a Print Spooler not Running error mssg. I found a program that said it fixed it... MS' Mr. Fix Center. Which says it's fixed but not running, and that's as far as I can get.

I need to buck up and either do a 'Repair' for XP, reinstall, or upgrade to 7 or 8. I've heard good things about 7, but so far not crazy about 8 and the looks of it.

Tyrant, 'downgrade rights' sounds good if.... you can really downgrade back to XP. I can get an Upgrade for 59.00 or a OEM copy for 109.00 from here.... http://www.tigerdirect.com/email/WEM...=WEM3303&cm_lm Not a bad deal at all. I'm just wonder if you must reinstall games and all software after the ugrade from XP to 8. I've never done the upgrade route before.

from what I read, you can't go down to XP unfortunately:

Maybe ask tiger direct or even Microsoft about it. After all, Microsoft licensing is notoriously difficult, they even have a certification for people who understand how it works.

:oops: Sorry. My dissatisfaction towards pre-assembled and installed computers boiled over badly. Experiences I have had from them are not most positive.

Meh, it's not like I had the best day either yesterday. Which showed in more than this thread.

It's just that I use each and every computer quite literally until it blows up for good and it's simply not worth the trouble to fix it anymore (which I have learned to do, since it saves lots of money). I replace a computer maybe once per decade. Therefore, even if I learned to assemble one from scratch, I'd have forgotten half of it the next time I needed the skill. And the technology would have possibly left me behind as well.

After using Windows 7, I'm back to Windows XP now for the last 6 months. Windows XP is still the best. No problems whatsoever. No driver issues, no viruses, just OS sweetness. Viva la Windows XP!

I had no troubles and needs to re-orientate myself at all when going from XP to 7 early last year when getting a new system. Hadling is almost the same.

However, Darren, weigh your praise for XP against this: statistics showed that last month (or the one before) was the first month when the number of PY systems in the world operating under W7 is no bigger than the number of systems running XP. But the number of security issues and rootkit and trojan infections on XP systems is counted to be m ore than twice as high than on W7.

You may not like some details or handlings where you have to make slight adjustements in your ways of how to install a software or do something else (nothing really serious in there anyway), but the truth remains to stay that XP by today'S threat level is a rather unsafe OS, and W7 being very superior regarding inbuild malware defences and security measures that in ordinary operation you do not realise to be there. Frequent Windows Updates do not change this, since XP simply lacks several key technologies and features that W7 has. And in slightly more than one year, free Windows Updates will not be comign anymore anyway, so then you either leave XP anyway, or you get stuck with an increasingly endangered system that also poses a risk to others.