Hello,
In Windows Vista, even though you are an administrator, only the programs
that you give permission to (via a "Windows needs your permission to
continue" prompt) will be able to use your administrator powers.
Programs that do not need admin powers (such as the calculator) will not ask
for it and thus will not be able to do such things as format your hard
drive.
Really, why should <insert name of non-administrative program> be able to do
system administration tasks? That's just begging for trouble.
The benefits of this is:
1) Programs that do not need admin power, don't get it
2) You are aware of all programs that start with admin power and are able to
deny programs access to your admin power (for example, if
SeeTheDancingBears.exe request admin access to your computer, you can
disallow it).
All Windows Vista-compliant applications will automatically ask you for
permission when they want to do administrative tasks.
Legacy programs, or programs that generally don't need admin permission but
may need such permission in certain scenarios (such as using notepad to edit
the HOSTS file), you will need to explictly give them admin permission by
right-clicking them and clicking Run As Administrator.
To prevent a possible denial-of-service, programs that require
administrative privileges CANNOT automatically start up when you log in /
start your computer. Windows blocks these programs from running, instead of
showing a bunch of prompts on every login.
These programs should be updated to be Vista-compatible, if (or when) such
updates are available.
--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User
Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/