Windows 8 In Depth

Elevating Privileges

The idea of elevating privileges is at the heart of the UAC security model. In Windows XP, you could use the Run As command to run a task as a different user (that is, one with higher privileges). In Windows 8 (as with Windows 7 and Vista), you usually don’t need to do this because Windows 8 prompts you for the elevation automatically.

With your main Windows 8 user account (which, again, is a member of the Administrators group), you run with the privileges of a standard user for extra security. When you attempt a task that requires administrative privileges, Windows 8 prompts for your consent by displaying a User Account Control dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 31.6. Click Yes to permit the task to proceed. If ...