A+program+needs+your+permission+to+continue

A program needs your permission to continue.

You can then either hit the Continue button to go on or the Cancel button to stop what you're doing. Just so we're accurate, the window looks a little something like this:

So, you can either sit around making up your own names for that box (I'm sure some of them are inappropriate for this newsletter!) or you can just turn that particular feature off. All you have to do is disable the User Account Control and you'll be all set. Here's how you do it:

1.) Go to Start, Control Panel.

2.) In the search box, type in user account.

3.) You will then see a link that says Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off. Click that.

4.) Next, just uncheck that box and then restart your computer.

That's all there is to it! Once you do all of that, the annoying pop up will be gone for good. Now, as you probably know, Microsoft highly recommends that you do not turn this feature off. That's a given, but if you decide to do it anyway, be aware that a little shield icon with a red x will sit in your taskbar until you turn the feature back on. It's just a constant reminder of the security risk you're taking. But, you can get rid of that too!

To do so, go to Start, Control Panel, Security and then click on the Security Center link. On the left hand side of that window, click on the link that says "Change the way Security Center alerts me." Next, choose the option of "Don't notify me and don't display the icon (not recommended)," as shown below:

Once you do that, those nagging pop ups will be gone forever. Of course, this probably isn't something you should do if you're just starting out with Windows Vista, but if you've been using it for a while now and if you feel comfortable with it, you can certainly give this a try. Yes, Microsoft is there to help us, but sometimes they can really test our patience, can't they? At least we know there are options! 