OneAndOneIs2

If you've read much about Vista, or used it, you'll probably be familiar with UAC, User Access Control.

AKA the annoying way Vista asks you for permission to do just about anything by default.

Unlike almost all other Vista users you read about, I left UAC switched on. It was annoying, sure, but it was one more layer of security on an OS that, frankly, needs all it can get.

For a whole year of owning this laptop, which came with Vista, I left UAC switched on.

I have now turned it off. Not because it was annoying me. But because it was actually impossible to use Windows without doing so.

With UAC on, I couldn't alter some of the settings in the control panel without right-clicking and setting "Run as admin". Even then I still couldn't alter some things.

Every time I ran Firefox, I was told that it wasn't the default browser, did I want it to be? Even though it WAS the default browser. Clicking on links in other apps failed to open any browser, even when IE was set to the default. Which was hard, because IE couldn't run properly unless it was told to run as admin...

The whole thing was an unworkable mess. UAC wasn't asking me for permission to do things, it was just stopping them working at all.

I suppose a system that renders your computer unable to do anything could be considered something that makes it very secure.

But on the whole.. I think not.

So yes, well done, Microsoft. Your security measures are so bad that even the people who are willing to put up with them are left unable to. That's pretty impressive even for you.