Microsoft Vista Is "Protecting" Me From My Mods

[bsalyers]

I've posted this as a "me, too" in another thread, but I'm hoping to get more attention from knowledgeable modders with a thread of my own.
Before I kill UAC altogether, is there a way to keep MS Vista from protecting me from my own mods? I need write permission to my Programs folder. I need it to make my mods work. I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen.
Before people post a plethora of "turning off UAC will kill kittens/burn babies/let the terrorists win" replies, I, too, am a computer consultant. I appreciate protection, but not at the cost of usability. My mods worked great in XP; they don't work at all in Vista. I've followed JScones suggestion of running JSGME with elevated privileges in XP SP 2 compatibility mode. I've checked my mods folder structure. If you think the solution to the problem is obvious, I've probably tried it.
Thanks in advance.