the UAC, although admittedly doing more than just this, is merely adding a 'pain in the neck' to make things 'secure' -- which is a complete and total pipe dream. On the other hand, those who suggest that the UAC is 'keeping novice users safe' must have been visiting some other planet. For example, sure, its great that the UAC will alert such a user when a 'nasty' program is about to install -- but the alert itself is cryptic, and the UAC doesnt do squat about cookies, adware, and spyware -- so to suggest this is some 'solution' is pure baloney. Novice users dont understand most messages, and further, dont understand that truly protecting a machine involves a great deal more than an occassional 'Are You Sure?' prompt. On the whole, you have to blame Microsoft -- they are trying to please too many people at the same time. Home users, business users, novice users, power users, and on and on and on it goes -- they simply cannot be the do-all, be-all in the OS area -- BUT! -- the problem is that they try to be and thus in doing so, take on an impossible task they already know they can never achieve. Microsoft are the fools, but we are the fools who follow the fools, hence, we are ALL fools. With the only exception being (sadly) the hackers who love all of this stuff. Why? Because it makes their life either easier, or they just sit