to provide their password or confirmation BEFORE MAKING CHANGES THAT AFFECT OTHER USERS" -- (the capitalized part is to add emphasis) -so if you install a program for ALL USERS, you will get a UAC prompt. -if you change anything under "C:\Program Files\" (which WILL affect ALL USERS), you will get a UAC prompt -if you access the Registry (which WILL affect ALL USERS), you will get a UAC prompt You get my point. SO STOP BASHING MICROSOFT for an idea that is designed to protect everyone on the computer from anyone. However, you may still say "I am the only person on my computer, there are no other accounts." That is where you are wrong. Deep inside Windows (well not so deep really), there is a hidden account called "Administrator", this is the TRUE administrator account. This account is the one that you are elevating to when you click "Yes" to any UAC prompt. So you are still making changes for another user, the REAL Administrator account. Looking at Windows from a bird's view, I'd call this whole setup BRILLIANT. I had similar problems installing a valid version of MS office Home and Student 2007 with error 1303. No matter what I tried, I had no ability to change access/permissions to change ownership of the necessary folder C:\programfiles (x86)\common files\microsoft shared\equation\1033. I tried a plug in reg program "GrantAdminFullControl" which was useless, and about 3 hours of google searching for solutions. Also tried to totally disable UAC (successfully, but