Question

I installed windows8 on my system.
Then I installed VIM in program files (x86).

I noted that I have to run VIM always as administrator to be enable to modify files.
I resolved this right clicking on gvim.exe –> properties –> compatibility –> run this program as administrator.
Is that the correct way?
How did you resolve this problem?

I still receive the UAC prompt every time I start vim.
Is there a way to avoid this prompt?

Answer 1

You should not need admin rights in order to run Vim. (Except for when you edit system files or update Vim’s runtime itself.)

It looks like Vim wants to modify something inside its runtime directories, which causes Windows to display the UAC prompt. Have you created a vimfiles folder in your user’s directory? Does Vim start up in C:\WINDOWS or somewhere in C:\Program Files (x86)\? Try changing the shortcut that launches Vim to change the working directory to your user’s directory.

If you want to make changes to Vim’s runtime files, create a user-specific vimrc in C:\Users\<username>\_vimrc instead of editing the one provided by Vim (same for other files like menu.vim; put them into C:\Users\<username>\vimfiles\...); this way, you have clean separation, avoid problems when upgrading Vim, and won’t get the UAC prompt.