Vista - What do u mean I'm not the administrator??

I'm unable to install any software onto the computer. It keeps saying I must log off and log on as the administrator....I am the adminstrator, and the only user! The computer is new....any information would be appreciated!!
Thanks in advance!

Hi, Ledoux, and welcome to the forums.

Can you post a screen shot of the issue you are having? Most software that runs installers on Vista will know to automatically ask for elevated privileges. If it is not asking you to grant elevated privileges then something is seriously wrong....

This is common in Vista due to programs not designed to work with UAC. Alot of programs are only able to run with full admin privledges, and give policy and/or failure to install errors with UAC (i.e., NOD32 3.0 and powerdvd 7/8).
The fix is easy-
click Start>Control Panel>User Accounts &family safety>user accounts>Turn user account on/off>uncheck, and click ok>restart computer>install software>navigate back to user accounts and check user account to turn it back on>restart computer.

NOTE- I do not recommend leaving UAC off for more time than it takes to install non-UAC compatible programs as this exposes the user to security issues such as rootkits, malware, viruses that would otherwise be unable to run.

Hi Ledoux,

Just right-click the Installer and Select "Run As Administrator"

Do not Turn UAC off as Rive0108 suggested, You will be leaving your computer open to hundreds of Virus`s and malicious programs, web-based exploits via web-browser and many, many other things...

This won't work with some programs. If it did, then I wouldnt have shut off my UAC when I installed nod32 3.0 x64 and powerdvd ultra 8. I keep getting "policy in effect to prevent installation..." errors. The only way some programs will install is if UAC is off.

UAC really bugs me I have to leave it off, is it really that bad to leave it off, I thought it was there more just to make you think twice about what your opening, plus you always have a restore point to go back to if you mess things up.

It is not bad to leave it off. I think that it was designed more for the average user in the security driven world that wanted to make sure that no apps were running without the consent of the user (ie. spyware, malware, so on). It can be a pain sometimes, I shut mine off on my various Vista machines and haven't had any issues.

acadamis is right. If you used XP (no UAC there ...) and did not get infected with viruses or trojans, disable it in Vista. You will not be more "unsafe" than you was in XP. Leave UAC on if you have kids using your computer (or any other user without basic understanding of "online security". Anyway UAC is not a substitute for a good antivirus program (ENOD32 works great in Vista x64).

I thought the same thing about UAC till last night. I picked up the Antivirus XP 2008 virus. Only Avast Pro 4.8 and fast work prevented it from taking hold. I turned on UAC after a cleanup. I hope when I get home it is gone. I will do a boot time Avast Pro scan. Leave UAC on.

I agree with Michael. It is best to leave UAC enabled. If an application fails to install (or run) because of it, even when granted administrative credentials as it would be if you manually select the program installation executable, right click it and select 'Run as administrator' (provide administrative credentials or grant elevated access), then that program cannot, in my opinion, be classed as fully Vista ready/compatible.
Dwarf