If you are a Windows XP user who recently switched to Windows 7 you must have been getting annoyed by the blacking out of the screen every time the User Account Control kicks in. Microsoft calls this dimming the screen. What actually is happening is that the Windows dims the screen to bring the user’s attention to the UAC prompt that has been opened. This happens for instance during software installations and there is no option to continue working with the operating system until action has been taken in the UAC prompt.
Most advanced users might not need the extra eye-opener when a program tries to change data on the computer system, especially not during software installations that have been initiated by the user.
Windows 7, and Windows Vista as well, provide an option to disable that UAC dims the desktop during prompts. This will still display a notification in the form of a normal window so that it is possible to interact with other elements on the desktop.
To change that setting type in UAC into the start menu run box. This will open the User Account Control Settings. All that needs to be done is to move the slider down one step from the default position .
This new setting is helpful for users who regularly install new software or make other changes to the operating system that display an UAC prompt.
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That’s correct, but…
If you want to stop dimming, with the “Always Notify” setting It couldn’t be done by this way, but its possible by editing the local policies of the computer.
Hi Guys,
There is a reason why the desktop dims; this is a visible indication that the UAC prompt has control of the input focus and that background apps are frozen to prevent them from messing with the UAC prompt.
Seriously .. don’t fiddle with UAC it’s there for a reason and while it may not be perfect it may save your OS one day from a serious malware infection.
Regards
Simon
I personally don’t care what reasoning Microsoft has for the screen dimming feature. I don’t want my screen dim and unreadable ever, and if i cannot have that “option” on my microsoft OS then it may well be time for me to switch to a Mac.
Additioanlly i shouldn’t have to edit policies to prevent something i just got from annoying the heck out of me
in addition, i should not have to COMPLETELY disable a security feature. to remove an annoying trait that decreases usability. I can’t even figure out how to get it to undim without just rebooting the computer
This doesn’t remove a security feature, it just stops the annoying screen dimming. The UAC still prompts for an ok on a download.