Access Control and User Account Control

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

Viewing and editing an object’s security properties is an operation that requires administrative credentials or ownership of the object. The shield icon on the Continue button indicates that the intended operation requires elevated permissions to proceed. This is enabled by User Account Control (UAC).

How User Account Control Works with Access Control

In this version of Windows, UAC allows you to perform common tasks as non-administrators, called standard users, without having to switch users, log off, or use Run as administrator to elevate your permissions. A standard user account is the equivalent of a user account in Windows XP. If your account is a member of the local Administrators group, UAC will allow most applications to run under the standard user account.

UAC provides the means to elevate your permissions so that you are able to continue to view or edit security properties by using the access control user interface. Therefore, you might be required to provide administrative credentials when you are already logged in as a standard user. Or, when you are logged in as an administrator, you might be prompted to provide your consent to proceed, or you might be prompted to enter your credentials.

Note

In some cases, you might not be able to view the object's security properties even if you have administrative credentials. This is because the object's security permissions do not grant the required access even to administrators. In this case, you need to take ownership of the object. For more information about taking object ownership, see Take Ownership of a File or Folder.