Is Windows 7 worth it?

[Hampton]

That i cant agree with. The Security is XP is lacking in every account. With Vista and even more so in Win7 with UAC a person, especially in school, is so much more protected. UAC is a big help to security, even though everyone hates it. It does so much to help a PC user out but no one is willing to live with a pop up to stay secure.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with the UAC being a good thing in security.. it is the very first thing that malware bypasses.. it actually gives a false sense of security.

 

[KSoD]

The UAC thing is certainly something to be debated. Users use computers as a tool to get things done. Being prompted 9 times to open command prompt and control panel isn't a way to "help a user out" even if it's an attempt at being more secure. Although I think it's more intelligent in 7 than it was in Vista, that was the first thing I turned off, as I'm sure it was for many users.

Okay first off it is not 9 times. In Windows 7 i have been prompted 2 times for UAC and it was a single click to get the function running. That is not bothersome and it is most definately not 9 prompts. Even as a exaggeration that is way to far fetched.

Like the UAC, IE doesn't even get a chance anymore. I Firefox it up before IE even has an opportunity to breathe.

Again that is a personal opinion. I have been using IE8 more than Firefox or even Opera as of late. It is a personal choice, not a matter of anything else.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with the UAC being a good thing in security.. it is the very first thing that malware bypasses.. it actually gives a false sense of security.

Seriously? I dont know what articles you have been reading, but UAC STOPS more than it allows through. The stuff that does get allowed through, is because people turn IT OFF or just click OKAY to everything that comes up without reading it. Malware does not in any way bypass it first as it is only triggered when something tries to make chances to the Core of the OS or something that requires Admin approval. If you see it, then there is a problem. I have already stated how many times i have seen UAC in Windows 7 in almost 2 FULL Months of use. that is with installing every piece of software i can to test for compatibility, installing just about every game i can and testing it out vigioursly. If i get only 2 prompts with everything i have done with still having my system clean, as tested by Osiris's guide once every 2 weeks, then i would say that UAC is no where near a false sense of security.

So i dont have a clue that you guys are doing that gets you so many prompts. Even with installing over 150 applications in just over 6 weeks, i still can count on 1 hand the amount of UAC PRompts i have had. That includes running Command Prompt, and a bunch of commands from the Run Prompt as well. It also includes some modifications. Sorry but i see no evidence of anything to say UAC is bad or overly bothersome.

Jayce, dont compare the UAC in Vista to that of Win7. It is not the same. Vista's was overly bothersome. Win7's is not. I suspect your comments were in regards to your dealings with only the Vista UAC.

 

[GamerGuru]

Sweet! Can you get me a job where you work?

Haha .. I run a business

 

[Jayce]

Okay first off it is not 9 times. In Windows 7 i have been prompted 2 times for UAC and it was a single click to get the function running. That is not bothersome and it is most definately not 9 prompts. Even as a exaggeration that is way to far fetched.

Oh I know. I know I was definitely exaggerating a bit on the UAC stuff. I can see how in theory something like a UAC would be useful, but the way it was executed (in Vista) was rather poor. You might only get 1 prompt for 1 thing, but when you're going click happy trying to do this, this, and this, it seems like the majority of your time was spent getting the system to shut up and just do what you need. As I admitted, 7 has improved on this from what I've seen, but I still feel the need to shut it off before it has the opportunity to chirp.

Again that is a personal opinion. I have been using IE8 more than Firefox or even Opera as of late. It is a personal choice, not a matter of anything else.

You're right. My statement was what "I" did on "my" computer, which indicates my personal choice.

Jayce, dont compare the UAC in Vista to that of Win7. It is not the same. Vista's was overly bothersome. Win7's is not. I suspect your comments were in regards to your dealings with only the Vista UAC.

Yeah, they were. Granted I DID shut the UAC off in 7, but it wasn't because 7 was bothering me, it was because I had testing to do with 7 and I just needed it to be as least picky as possible. Vista just put a bad taste in my mouth with the UAC, hence why it was the first thing to shut off in 7.

 

[Hampton]

I had a few viruses in the past year and the UAC did nothing.. non existant.. I have always used the UAC until recently.. ( I figure why bother it doesn't stop what i don't need only what I am doing,lol) and I don't use 7 at all right now and was unaware of the changes to the UAC from Vista to 7 so all of my testimony is based of the Vista UAC..

 

[KSoD]

Hampton,

You are looking at it SOOOO wrong. The problem was not UAC. The Viruses didnt get around it. They affected other aspects of the system. Do you seriously think that Windows is the only platform out there attacked? Do you not read up on the patches to IE, Firefox, Chrome, Office and so many other applications cause of security risks. things like Adobe Flash and Reader are prime canidates. You dont need to bypass UAC when all you do is affect a program that is already installed and from there muscle into the system.

At that point UAC would do nothing because you already told it that those programs were fine to use. It already did your bidding. You think that you were infected just because you had windows and that not a single other program you have could have possibly cause this. Did you check the log files of the infection to see what files were infected? Were they files only in the Windows\System32 folder? If not then it wasnt because of a lack of UAC.

So yeah UAC isnt perfect, i never said it was. But it offer FAR more protection than what XP does. Which doesnt even prompt to tell you if a file is making changes to the Core OS Files.

Jayce,

I have used 7 for going on 7 or more weeks now. I have left UAC on. I have installed upwards of 200 or more applications for tested and currently have over 100 still installed. UAC has not hindered me in anyway, shape or form. It has not prevented me from doing anything that i want to do. The Ownership of files that you want to modify has nothing to do with UAC and is a totally different beast. That is not tied to UAC at all. As you can still have UAC on but modify the permissions for the files. UAC doesn't need to be turned off to have 7 fly. If i can hammer 200+ applications into it and get 2 prompts and still be clean and worry free. That says a bit more about the improvements than saying turn it off cause of past behavior or because UAC is being mistaken for file permissions.

 

[Jayce]

Oh I don't doubt what you're telling me Mak. It's just, the UAC in Vista absolutely sucked, and as a result I turned it off in 7 before I even got a chance to see that it improved. That's all I was referring to.

 

[KSoD]

Just try it for a bit. You will be pleasently surprised.

 

[Jayce]

Just try it for a bit. You will be pleasently surprised.

Are you suggesting I need User Account Control?

 

[KSoD]

No. But the best way to know if it will work in your environment, is to use it.

I use it so that i can give people information like i have. If I had UAC off it would be useless for me to sit here and talk about it. I find the best way to find out answers to questions like this, is to JUST DO IT! Sorry nike impulse....