Completely Disable UAC in Windows 8

Windows 8, just like Windows 7, has Control Panel interface to disable UAC. There’s difference though: disabling UAC via Control Panel in Windows 8 doesn’t fully disable UAC. You can check it by launching Command Prompt: in Windows 7, you’ll get administrator command prompt (the signs are “Administrator: Command Prompt” window title and default directory at %WINDIR%System32) while in Windows 8, you’ll get normal command prompt.

Also reported here (complete with “fix”).

Fix by editing registry:

  • Key/Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesSystem
  • Name: EnableLUA
  • Value: 0
Note that there isn’t really much reason anymore to completely disable UAC. Well, in my case, this ancient (but useful) tool isn’t quite compatible with UAC.

Windows 8 Initial Impressions

6 hours with Windows 8.

  • Metro Modern UI is shit (the applications)
  • The Start Menu (or whatever it’s called now) is ok-ish though
  • The lock screen is awesome with its customizable background image
  • The global one is difficult to change though
  • File association was updated and doesn’t work properly in at least IrfanView and 7-Zip
  • Compressed folder still exists and can be disabled the same way as Windows 7
  • So is Aero Shake. Really though, there is no more Aero but there’s still Aero Shake? Is it some kind of joke?
  • The window border is thick-ish but I guess OK for now (quick google also showed some border customizer)
  • Hyper-V is in it as promised. Works as expected. Most OS need Legacy Network Adapter (except Ubuntu and SLES) or installation of the integration driver for some OSes. The biggest plus is it works at system level – VMs can be automagically started as Windows starts
  • All applications I usually use works without problem
  • It’s not move to (top right) corner but move to corner and move down a bit
  • Updates (from Microsoft Update) which requires license agreement doesn’t work (at least on my PC)
  • There’s no discernible performance difference
  • Yes, Everything also works
  • Also, flat
  • Windows Explorer is a bit better: no more intrusive action buttons above file list (moved to the top)
  • Remote desktop work OK. There’s no more classic style but I think the new one (Modern UI) doesn’t use too much bandwidth (being flat and all)
  • WRT RDP, the 2X Client I usually use in Android doesn’t work with Windows 8. The good old Remote RDP Lite works though (and with CyanogenMod’s plain keyboard, the physical keyboard input works again)

I think that’s it for now.

On AFAID 2012

So, uh, in the end, I decided to go to this AFAID despite my current state. Due to that I got laziness fee of 100k IDR for buying two days worth of standing concert tickets (which includes stage and exhibition tickets). On the brighter side, there’s almost no queue for this type of ticket which, from what others told me, saved me two hours of queuing.

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