Installing "old" stuff on Windows Vista

Apparently some software installations aren’t very happy when running on Windows Vista. It turned out that the solution to one of them was to disable the UAC functionality so that its key validation routines would work. I do not recommend running Windows Vista with this disabled as most of your users will be running with it enabled. However, you can disable it and re-enable it without too much of a problem; though it does require a reboot.

Disable User Account Control (UAC)

1. Type “msconfig” in the Run From Start Menu (or by using the Windows+R keys) to open “System Configuration”.
2. Select the “Tools” Tab in System Configuration.
3. Select the “Disable UAC” tool and click on the “Launch” button.
4. Restart the computer. (This is required to reflect the updated settings.)

While you are running Windows Vista with UAC disabled, the red shield will be visible in the notification area reminding you.

Re-Enable User Account Control (UAC)

1. Type “msconfig” in the Run From Start Menu (or by using the Windows+R keys) to open “System Configuration”.
2. Select the “Tools” Tab in System Configuration.
3. Select the “Enable UAC” tool and click on the “Launch” button.
4. Restart the computer. (This is required to reflect the updated settings.)