Features : Special Features for Windows Vista

Windows Vista has a much improved security model compared to its predecessors, but that same security can be a source of irritation for an administrator who's just trying to get a job done quickly. To help you work faster, PromptPal now allows you to open tabs with full administrator privileges. Such tabs have a number of advantages:

• They offer full access to all administrator commands
• You only see the elevation prompt when you create the tab. Thereafter, operations you perform in that tab will typically be free of further interruptions.
• Any utility of application you launch from the tab inherits full administrator privileges, making it a very convenient launch-pad for a variety of tasks.

Opening an Administrator Tab

There are two ways to do this:

1. Select File->New Admin Tab, OR
2. Press the corresponding button on PromptPal's toolbar

When you open the tab, Vista will typically ask your permission. If PromptPal is running under an administrator account, you'll typically see the standard elevation prompt:

If you're running under a non-administrator account, you'll probably be asked to provide an administrator password. Either way, the tab will only open once you've given your permission.

Once the tab is open, you'll notice that it has the User Account Control (UAC) elevation shield icon alongside its title. This makes it easy to see which tabs have only standard privileges and which have full administrator privileges:

 

Making PromptPal Start With an Administrator Tab (or tabs)

This is really no different from setting the startup options for regular tabs, and it starts by opening up PromptPal's configuration dialog by selecting File -> Configure...

If you choose "Restore tabs and directories from previous session", then each time you start PromptPal you'll get all the tabs - both regular and administrator - that you had open in the last session.

Alternatively, you can choose "Open tabs at directories as specified below". This lets you define exactly what tabs will open when PromptPal next starts up. Any tabs that are set to open with administrator privileges will have a shield icon next to them. You can toggle the "administrator" setting on or off for each tab by selecting it and pressing the button with the shield icon (to the immediate right of Delete in the above screenshot).

Please bear in mind though that when PromptPal next starts up, you'll typically receive a UAC elevation prompt for each tab that is opened with administrator privileges.