The test won’t take longer than a few seconds and a page with results will be displayed in the end. The services optimizer will display its findings and suggest possible fixes for problems that have been found. The diagnostic results can be saved and exported to various formats and there are also links to the automatic and manual TuneUp parts of the software.

Similar questions have to be answered before starting the automatic tuneup process. A few new options are added including the one to choose between standard and maximum service optimization. The optimization ends with the click on the Apply Changes button. The program requires a restart of the computer after applying the changes.

The differences between automatic and manual tweaking of the Windows Vista Services are the options that are presented to the user. The manual tuneup provides access to four tabs and dozens of options to check. The tabs divide the process in performance, network, security and tuneup entries.

Another option is the creation of so called service profiles which can be used to run optimized profiles in certain situations. Cautious users will be delighted to note that it is possible to restore a previous state without difficulties from within the software program.

Everyone that has worked in Windows Vista regularly has surely come in contact with the User Account Control, the pestering service that brings up a window asking for your confirmation if an application needs elevated rights. The idea of the UAC is in fact sound but Microsoft apparently did not think of that required elevated rights to run. It was not all Microsoft’s fault though, many elevated prompts were caused by applications that would not need an UAC prompt if the software developer put a little more thought into the process.

A positive side effect is the increase in engineering quality since the release of Windows Vista. Software developers are actually putting more effort into coding applications that do not need elevated rights. Can’t be done for all but many function just fine without.

Back to Norton’s UAC. It basically replaces the original Windows Vista UAC giving the user more options in hand when an UAC prompt appears.

The software adds a Do not ask me again checkbox to the UAC prompt which can whitelist an application so that the user won’t be asked again if the application needs elevated privileges.

One side effect is that the tool is sending meta data to Norton whenever the application is being used. Metadata including the file name and the hash. Norton apparently uses that data to build a whitelist on their own that could be shipped with Norton UAC.