Make User Account Control (UAC) Stop Blacking Out the Screen

Welcome to mintywhite.com! If you're new here, you should subscribe to the RSS feed.

Take a tour of Mintywhite.com | Follow me on Twitter @mintywhite

Thanks for visiting!

Have you noticed that when Windows Vista prompts you to allow a program to take action, that the screen blacks out? This is to show you that you are moving to an elevated desktop - where you will allow the program to continue. This can be annoying but you can disable this feature.

Download the Registry Hack

If you don’t feel confident working with the Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor, then you can download this registry hack. Simply extract the file and double click on DisableUACBlackout.reg to re-enable the blackout, double click on ReEnableUACBlackout.reg

Vista Business and Ultimate Users

1. Type in security to the start menu search box and click on Local Security Policy.

2. In the Local Security Policy window, in the left pane, click Local Policies and then Security Options.
Now in the right hand pane, scroll down near the bottom and find the item titled User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation.

3. Double-click on the item, select disabled and then click OK.

Vista Home Users

1. Click on the start menu and type regedit and press enter.

2. Browse to the following registry key:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]

3. You should see a key called PromptOnSecureDesktop. Double-click this and change the value to 0

4. Press OK. You are done!

What Next?

• Top 10 Vista Sidebar Gadgets
• 10 Ways To Improve Performance in Windows XP
• The First Windows Vista SP1 Security Vulnerabilities
• Make your Computer Boot Faster with Startup Delayer
• Links
• Freeware Applications for Your Every Need
• Disable Windows’ “Use the Web Service” Prompt on Unknown Files
• Disable Task Manager Access in Windows Vista/XP