Stop UAC/Secure Desktop from dimming the screen

I like the concepts of UAC and the "Secure Desktop" in Windows 7, but I don't like the dimming of the Secure Desktop to prompt for Admin credentials (or OK button to get clicked).

However, dimming goes so far that my monitor regularly goes into PowerSaver mode, which is annoying (as it takes another 10 seconds for it to wake up), and might harm the monitor: two weeks after switching from XP to Windows 7, my 30" monitor stayed black and it had to get replaced.

The web is full of tips how to turn off dimming, but that will always also turn off the "Secure Desktop".

Is there a way to present the Secure Desktop without dimming? Or with a different visual effect to show that it is the Secure Desktop?

EDIT: To clarify, I'm not looking for a way to disable dimming by disabling Secure Desktop (as is done by lowering the UAC level). I want to keep both UAC and Secure Desktop.

Florian

Posted 2010-11-17T13:48:06.523

Reputation: 273

I think the reason the desktop is dimmed is to highlight the UAC box. While disabling UAC would work it's not the answer to your question. Have you looked into seeing if there is a regisrty key which defines the colour and density of the dim? – tombull89 – 2010-11-17T14:22:45.620

I've searched the web extensively and haven't found a way to keep UAC and "Secure Desktop" (SD) but not dim. Maybe you just cannot get SD without dimming? – Florian – 2010-11-18T00:45:02.953

Answers

Ok, the thread is old, however, as I managed to find the solution for myself, I want to share it with everybody who like OP or me wanted UAC with Secure Desktop and ON but had problems of monitor/video modes switching. I'm on Windows 7 but I hope there's no difference to Vista for this solution to implement (can anybody try?).

The root cause of the problem (in my case at least) appeared to be slow switching to another video mode on Secure Desktop before dimming the screen. So, I looked for the way to find these settings somewhere then change them to more appropriate. As described here http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-hardware/windows-7-changes-screen-resolution-on-boot-up/13c17468-0d70-4827-a559-dca0fa558a69 the resolution and refresh settings are stored in multiple subkeys here:

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO

so all I had to do is get my current user settings from Control Panel -> Desktop -> Adjust resolution (note Resolution parameters) and then -> Advanced settings -> Monitor (note Screen refresh rate parameter). These parameters could be entered by regedit in all subkeys having values DefaultSettings.XResolution, DefaultSettings.YResolution and DefaultSettings.VRefresh. Now Secure Desktop (check it by Ctrl+Alt+Del) doesn't switch to different mode, so that unacceptable UAC delay stopped to bother me. Hope it can help.

P.S. Another approach that worked temporarily was switching to Secure Desktop by Ctrl+Alt+Del, pressing accessibility button and checking High Contrast option. In my case it worked till first logout, so if the first approach won't work, try to investigate more in this alternative direction.

Van Jone

Posted 2010-11-17T13:48:06.523

Reputation: 378

Is there a way to get this to work with different resolutions when using 2 different monitors (LCD and external, for example)? – rustyx – 2014-09-06T08:42:44.780

I'd experiment with different subkeys representing different devices and having independent sets of resolution parameters – Van Jone – 2014-09-07T04:33:14.453

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO does not exist on Windows 10. A VIDEO key does exist in the same path beneath HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, but it doesn't contain any DefaultSettings.xxx values. – JonP – 2018-05-30T13:10:19.597

I never checked it on Win10 since having this OS only on my laptop, thus not getting impacted by the original issue. I checked it today and still found this key there, though with somewhat insane values like DefaultSettings.XResolution=5040 or so. I decided not to alter it as already having enough DPI related inconsistencies in this OS. Of course, the reaction might be totally different as the original answer was given for long-ancient Win7, with which I'm still in love yet today. :-) – Van Jone – 2018-06-02T15:12:05.027

On my system the VIDEO key has only one subkey, which has a single 0000 subkey which has a single value: Attach.ToDesktop (set to "0"). I have multiple monitors. Should I just "blindly" add some values? Anyone succeeded solving this for multi-monitor setup? – David Balažic – 2019-05-29T17:18:59.080

1Van, Superuser is a knowledge base, not a forum. We like it when people come up with new answers to old questions. – Isaac Rabinovitch – 2012-11-29T21:32:32.560

This works! the UAC screen is dimmed, but it's so fast that the monitor will not go into sleep mode. Btw. my VRefresh setting was "1". I still changed it to 60, and it works. – Florian – 2012-12-03T21:08:32.420

@Florian, 60 is a good generic choice for all LCD monitors. For old non-LCDs, however, things are way more complicated and 60 would be one of the worst (though still workable) VRefresh choice. I just hope, for purpose of the solution, not that many non-LCDs left in possession as part of personal workstations suitable for Vista/7. ^_^ – Van Jone – 2012-12-06T22:10:02.193

Yet another observation: my monitor still may be a bit "thinky" for the first time it switches modes since its power on. But after this first occurrence it's satisfactory fast as long as in power on state. – Van Jone – 2012-12-06T22:12:49.370

On Windows 7 search for "Change user account control settings" in the start menu and then move the slider to the position shown in the image. This will keep UAC enabled but won't dim the desktop.

alt text

starofale

Posted 2010-11-17T13:48:06.523

Reputation: 353

If you use the registry change, then you have a different option: "Always notify me (and do not dim my desktop) when:", which satisfies both conditions of the question.

– palswim – 2016-06-13T20:30:55.543

@palswim No, because it disables Secure Desktop.

– cdlvcdlv – 2017-12-29T18:07:37.327

3I completely skipped over your answer because I looked at the slider, but not the text next to it. Then I read the screen and was like really??!? -1 to Microsoft for bad layout, but +1 to you for finding it! – Theo – 2010-11-17T14:42:56.870

wow, all the times I've just diabled UAC without realising that was there. +1 for you. – tombull89 – 2010-11-17T17:44:02.693

Do you know how to change this in Vista? It seems to only have full on and full off for UAC. – Paused until further notice. – 2010-11-17T18:15:32.463

3hi, sorry, this is not the right answer. Lowering UAC level to "not dim" mode will keep UAC, but will deactivate "Secure Desktop". The Secure Desktop prevents malware to spoof clicks, and to capture passwords. – Florian – 2010-11-18T00:43:10.863

@Dennis I don't think there is a way of doing this in Vista – starofale – 2010-11-18T15:07:05.037

@Florian: yes, that's true, but it's better than turning UAC off completely if you don't find any other solutions – starofale – 2010-11-18T15:15:26.623

@DennisWilliamson See my answer for a reg script. It works in Vista. – kinokijuf – 2012-03-12T17:52:14.183

Use this registry script to turn off Secure Desktop:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"PromptOnSecureDesktop"=dword:00000000

It is impossible to turn off dimming while keeping Secure Desktop. This is to keep users from asking „why doesn’t my desktop accept clicks?”.

kinokijuf

Posted 2010-11-17T13:48:06.523

Reputation: 7 734

Not sure why you were down voted, this works perfectly. It doesn't require you to lower your UAC setting but keeps the idiotic screen flash from happening which plays havoc with my projectors. – Mike Bethany – 2015-07-19T00:31:05.627

This is the only correct answer, at least for Windows 10. – palswim – 2016-06-13T20:29:43.607

OP doesn't want to turn off Secure Desktop. -1 – Marc.2377 – 2016-10-28T04:52:16.073

"I want to keep both UAC and Secure Desktop" said the OP. This "script" is just the registry counterpart of starofale's answer. Both of them (really the same) disable Secure Desktop.

– cdlvcdlv – 2017-12-29T17:51:52.940