In Windows 7, Microsoft wisely dialled back the prompts that drove Vista users to distraction. There’s no denying that UAC, which necessitates your explicit approval before any major system change, is a good thing, but Vista’s implementation was enough to make you want to switch it off altogether. No doubt that’s just what many people did. The Windows 7 implementation of UAC strikes a much more comfortable balance between safety and usability. Still, there are times when you may need to circumvent a particular UAC prompt. Here we show you how.
For example, the super-fast search utility, Everything, which we covered recently, requires administrator approval to run. This may seem like security overkill for a search program, but because Everything gives you access to, well, everything on your system, it’s a necessary safeguard. On the other hand, having to respond to a UAC prompt each time you use Everything detracts from its speediness and on a well-secured system, this precaution really isn’t necessary.
Using Task Scheduler
To sidestep an overly protective UAC prompt, simply use Windows’ Task Scheduler to schedule a program to run with the highest administrative privileges. Here’s how to create a task to run Everything without the UAC prompt.
- Log on to Windows using an administrator account.
- Run Everything in the usual manner, click Tools —> Options and on the General tab, make sure ‘Start Everything on system startup’ is unticked. Then close Everything.
- Click Start, type
schedulerand press Enter to run the Task Scheduler. You’ll need to acknowledge a UAC prompt. - Click ‘Create Task’ in the Actions pane.
- In the ‘Create Task’ dialog, type
Search Everythingin the Name box and enter something descriptive in the Description box. - Tick the ‘Run with highest privileges’ box.
- Click the Actions tab —> New button.
- In the ‘New Action’ dialog box, click the Browse button and locate Everything.exe (it’s usually located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Everything). Then click OK.
- Click the Settings tab in the ‘Create Task’ dialog, tick ‘Allow task to be run on demand’ and from the drop-down box under ‘If the task is already running, then the following rule applies’, select ‘Run a new instance in parallel’.
- Click OK to finish creating your task.
You can adapt these steps to create a task to run any program that usually requires administrator permission. However, with most programs, instead of choosing the ‘Run a new instance in parallel’ option in step 9, you’ll want to select ‘Do not start a new instance’.
Run via a shortcut
Now that you’ve created your task, all you need to run it is a shortcut.
- Right-click an empty space on your desktop and select New —> Shortcut from the context menu.
- In the location box, type
schtasks /run /TN "Search Everything". This command tells the Task Scheduler to run the task named ‘Search Everything’. Make sure the task name you use is exactly the same as the name you gave it when you created it (you don’t have to match the case of the letters). - Click Next, name your shortcut
Search Everythingand click Finish.
You now have a shortcut on your desktop. Double-click it to run Everything and the program should launch without displaying its usual UAC prompt.
UAC Trust Shortcut
It’s a good idea to become familiar with the Task Scheduler, as it’s a highly useful yet often under-utilised utility. If you’d prefer not to mess around with it, give UAC Trust Shortcut a try. This freeware program lets you create a shortcut to run a program without a UAC prompt. You can download it from http://www.itknowledge24.com/downloads.html and it’s available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions for Windows Vista and 7.
UAC Trust Shortcut lets you set up a ‘whitelist’ of trusted programs to run without a UAC prompt. It’s a very barebones utility. When you run it you’re prompted for a name and path for the trusted program. Use the Browse button to search for the appropriate program, give it a name and click ‘Add Now’. A new shortcut will appear on your desktop; double-click it to run your program without UAC intervention.
Safety first
Be judicious in your use of these tools and techniques. Although it may seem perfectly safe to run a search program without UAC, for example, you’re creating a deliberate vulnerability in your system. Make sure your computer is adequately protected before you follow this route.
