UAC seems to be in 'always notify' mode, ignores preference settings
I am an administrator level user on my computer (I'm also the only user). I previously praised Windows 7's UAC because it did not prompt me when making changes in my Start menu, such as moving an Office program shortcut into a different Start menu folder by dragging it within the Start menu itself. However, today when I tried to move some shortcuts for recently installed programs, I received 2 alerts I did not expect: • "You'll need to provide administrator permission to move this folder" I choose Continue, which then displayed a UAC dialog with Yes/No choices. Neither dialog should have shown, because it should have self-elevated since I (the user) initiated the action. My settings in UAC Control Panel are at the default level. - - - Now that I take a closer look at the UAC dialog shown, I'm quite alarmed. The dialog says "Do you wish to allow the following program from an unknown publisher to make changes to your computer: EXPLORER.exe" Why would Explorer.exe be from an unknown publisher? That scares me. I'm a power user that follows every safety best practice, I use Security Essentials and I utilize the firewalls in my networking equipment and the Windows firewall. I've also tried various online scans, all turn up fine. My computer isn't sluggish, nor do I notice any strange or numerous processes running. I have none of the signs of an infection. Everything is nominal... what else can I do to figure out what the heck has replaced my shell?If this was helpful, please vote by clicking the green triangle. If it solves the issue, click Propose as Answer. Thanks!
March 14th, 2010 7:53pm

I ran the SFC tool and rebooted. I still receive the first prompt (as expected), but now it silently elevates again. But how do I know how my explorer.exe was replaced originally? Also, are there any steps I need to take post-SFC? If this was helpful, please vote by clicking the green triangle. If it solves the issue, click Propose as Answer. Thanks!
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March 14th, 2010 8:56pm

Hi, When does the "Do you wish to allow the following program from an unknown publisher to make changes to your computer: EXPLORER.exe" window pop up? Does it occur when launching certain application? At this stage, I suggest type "explorer.exe" in Search box and right click it, and then select "Run as administrator". Can the execute file be recognized as a Windows file? Please click Yes and continue. Does the dialog pop up now? If so, please capture the dialog and upload it. Thanks, Novak
March 17th, 2010 9:21am

Nope, the SFC tool fixed the issue by restoring the correct & signed version of Explorer.If this was helpful, please vote by clicking the green triangle. If it solves the issue, click Propose as Answer. Thanks!
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March 25th, 2010 6:11am

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