In the next version of the Windows client, end users will be able to customize the level of nagging that the operating system generates via the User Account Control, revealed Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, on behalf of the team building the feature. Sinofsky emphasized that, as early as Windows 7 pre-Beta Milestone 3 Build 6801, users of the operating system would be able to see a reduction in the volume of prompts associated with UAC. At the same time, Microsoft started implementing the new dialog designs into the platform, along with the new UAC Control Panel.

The User Account Control was introduced in Windows Vista with the purpose of making all Windows users run under standard privileges, even those with administrator accounts. In this respect, the mitigation is able to provide an extra layer of defense against malicious code that would attempt to install itself on a machine, as UAC requires the user to grant it the rights. Sinofsky indicated that, in Windows 7, users would have more control over UAC compared to what was made available in Windows Vista.

“The UAC Control Panel enables you to choose between four different settings: always notify on every system change. This is Vista behavior – a UAC prompt will result when any system-level change is made; notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer - this setting does not prompt when you change Windows settings, such as control panel and administration tasks; notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer, without using the Secure Desktop - this is the same as #2, but the UAC prompt appears on the normal desktop instead of the Secure Desktop; never notify - this turns off UAC altogether,” Sinofsky stated.

The Windows boss revealed that user feedback pointed to the need of greater equilibrium between UAC control and the amount of notifications. With Windows 7, Microsoft strove to achieve this equilibrium. As a direct result, the default settings for Windows 7 UAC out-of-the box will be “Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer.”

“This setting does not prompt when you change Windows settings (control panels, etc.), but instead enables you to focus on administrative changes being requested by non-Windows applications (like installing new software),” Sinofsky added. “For people who want greater control in changing Windows settings frequently, without the additional notifications, this setting results in fewer overall prompts and enables customers to zero in on the key remaining notifications that they do see. This default setting provides the right degree of change notification that a broad range of customers’ desire.”

Windows 7 Beta is available for download here.