UAC and Frontmost Window

[Guest]

The other day I was installing a program (iTunes) on Vista, and when the
installer started, I clicked on a different app to bring that window to the
front. At some point during the installation, the UAC needed to click in and
blank out the screen, etc., to ask me if I wanted to continue.

However, because the installer wasn't the frontmost program, there was no
appearance of the UAC "blackout" -- it looked as though the installer
application had frozen, in fact. The only way to finally figure out what was
going on was to look at the Taskbar, and I saw a separate program tab had
appeared. When I clicked the tab, then the UAC blackout happened and the
dialog box came up asking me if I wanted to continue.

This doesn't seem right, does it? The UAC shouldn't make it seem as though
the installer has just frozen like that, even if the installer isn't the
frontmost active program. A lot of people are bound to be confused and think
that an installation has frozen or crashed -- I did at first, in fact.

Any thoughts?

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the very clear reply -- I can understand the thinking behind the
behavior I observed.

Still, I can't keep from hoping that the MS engineers will come up with
something a little more elegant in time...

 

[Robert Firth]

Two things are going on here. First, the fact that the screen didn't darken
was a decision made because so many people were complaining about the
numerous UAC prompts. Sometimes they will open but you will have to click on
the tab. This was done to make it less intrusive.
Secondly, you can't click on those programs because secure desktop has been
enabled. This is important because secure desktop prevents those other
programs running from answering the UAC prompt for you. It is opening it in
a completely new process and what you are seeing isn't really your desktop.

Anyway, it is an odd deal, but it was done to keep you safe without being so
intrusive. The first time you see it, it may be odd, but after that it
becomes second nature as you learn what requires administrative privileges.

--
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* Robert Firth *
* Windows Vista x86 RTM *
* http://www.WinVistaInfo.org *
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