WinCleaner UAC Switch

WinCleaner UAC Switch is a tool specifically designed for Windows Vista, which gives you the possibility to easily change User Account Control (UAC) settings by switching it to normal or quiet mode, or by turning it off. It basically provides a shortcut to the Windows feature to accomplish this task faster, especially if you don't know where to look.

Setup, requirements, and interface

The utility gets unpacked quickly and effortlessly. Just keep in mind that you need administrative privileges to change UAC options.
As far as the interface is concerned, WinCleaner UAC Switch opts for a small window that gives you an overview of all options available.

Switch to quiet or normal mode, or disable UAC

It autodetects and displays the current UAC status at startup, enabling you to switch it to normal or quiet mode, or to turn it off completely. To disable and re-enable User Account Control, it's necessary to reboot the computer. However, the normal and quiet mode settings are applied with one click.

Compatibility issues on newer Windows versions

The application runs on newer Windows editions without hanging, crashing or displaying error dialogs. However, because Microsoft changed the UAC rules after Windows Vista, it doesn't deliver the same results on recent OSes.
Four UAC levels have been implemented starting with Windows 7: never notify, notify when programs try to make changes (without dimming the desktop), notify only when programs try to make changes, and always notify. Therefore, the quiet mode is no longer available, so WinCleaner UAC Switch can either switch to always notify on normal and quiet mode, or never notify when turning off UAC. This means that this app can be used on Windows Vista only.

About User Account Control

UAC was integrated into Windows starting with Vista, in order to allow or deny the access of various applications attempting to make modifications to the operating system internal settings. It gets triggered when trying to install or uninstall programs, to run apps with admin rights, to apply Windows configurations or change options, or to access specific areas of the Windows core.