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#1
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into
or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. |
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#2
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
On Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:31:25 -0400, Art Todesco
wrote: Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. Looking at it another way, what problems are you having by leaving Program Files (x86) and Program Files alone? None? Then that's probably the easiest approach. The old days of "I like to run a tidy ship" don't really wash anymore. -- Char Jackson |
#3
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
On 10/17/2017 5:31 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. There is a registry tweak that adds "Take Ownership" to the pull-down context menu for folders and files. I installed it but have not yet had a need to use it. Thus, I cannot assert that (1) it works or (2) that it is otherwise harmless. If you are interested, post a reply here; and I will make the .reg file available to you. -- David E. Ross http://www.rossde.com/ By allowing employers to eliminate coverage for birth control from their insurance plans, President Trump has guaranteed there will be an increase in the demand for abortions. |
#4
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
Art Todesco wrote:
Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. Did you actually check your Windows account is in the Administrators security group? Did you try logging on under the Administrator account? Permissions can be changed by software and by you. Did you try to change ownership and the permissions on the folder (and inherit the permission changes to all its children; i.e., any files and subfolders)? Was the error about permissions or about files being inuse? That Windows says it wants admin permissions does not mean you got blocked from performing the deletion. That could be just a UAC prompt. Do you have UAC enabled? If so, what happens when you grant permission in the UAC prompt? If you go into the folder (with Windows Explorer configured to show ALL files, including system and protected files), can you delete all files and any subfolders then back out of the folder and delete the folder? |
#5
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
In message , Char Jackson
writes: On Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:31:25 -0400, Art Todesco wrote: Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. Looking at it another way, what problems are you having by leaving Program Files (x86) and Program Files alone? None? Then that's probably the easiest approach. (I am not the OP but): if things don't disappear when he uninstalls something, that _is_ "harm", regardless of the fact I think you are implying that disc space is cheap nowadays. The old days of "I like to run a tidy ship" don't really wash anymore. There's untidy because of my own messes, and untidy because of someone else's. When someone else (the unwanted prog. in this case) leaves a mess, it's doubly frustrating not to be able to clean it up. -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf Actors are fairly modest...A lot of us have quite a lot to be modest about. - Simon Greenall (voice of Aleksandr the "Simples!" Meerkat), RT 11-17 Dec 2010 |
#6
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
On Wed, 18 Oct 2017 12:05:00 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote: In message , Char Jackson writes: On Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:31:25 -0400, Art Todesco wrote: Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. Looking at it another way, what problems are you having by leaving Program Files (x86) and Program Files alone? None? Then that's probably the easiest approach. (I am not the OP but): if things don't disappear when he uninstalls something, that _is_ "harm", regardless of the fact I think you are implying that disc space is cheap nowadays. It's not just disk space, and in fact that's probably the least of it. The bigger question is, what harm is caused by a folder being left behind? In nearly every single case, there's no real harm. There's just a sense of "things aren't right". That bugs some people, but I'm saying that it shouldn't unless it affects how the computer operates. If you're saying a folder left behind _is_ harm, then we simply have to agree to disagree. -- Char Jackson |
#7
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
On 10/18/2017 9:01 PM, KenW wrote:
On Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:31:25 -0400, Art Todesco wrote: Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. I think that is why many use an uninstall program. Because Windows uninstall doesn't always do a good job. I use Revo Uninstaller and it usually gets rid of everything including registry entries. KenW I second that. |
#8
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
In message , Mike S
writes: On 10/18/2017 9:01 PM, KenW wrote: On Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:31:25 -0400, Art Todesco wrote: Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. I think that is why many use an uninstall program. Because Windows uninstall doesn't always do a good job. I use Revo Uninstaller and it usually gets rid of everything including registry entries. KenW I second that. I third it - and Revo is not an _alternative_ to the application's own uninstall, as it _runs_ the alternative's own install as part of what it does. (Maybe other third-party uninstallers do too; I've not used any.) -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned. |
#9
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
On 10/18/2017 7:05 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , Char Jackson writes: On Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:31:25 -0400, Art Todesco wrote: Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders.Â* Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission.Â* This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin.Â* I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86).Â* So I tried to delete it.Â* Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want?Â* Thanks. Looking at it another way, what problems are you having by leaving Program Files (x86) and Program Files alone? None? Then that's probably the easiest approach. (I am not the OP but): if things don't disappear when he uninstalls something, that _is_ "harm", regardless of the fact I think you are implying that disc space is cheap nowadays. The old days of "I like to run a tidy ship" don't really wash anymore. There's untidy because of my own messes, and untidy because of someone else's. When someone else (the unwanted prog. in this case) leaves a mess, it's doubly frustrating not to be able to clean it up. I agree, I hate cleaning up after others. |
#10
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
On 10/17/2017 8:31 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders.Â* Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission.Â* This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin.Â* I've googled this and nothing seems to work.Â* Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86).Â* So I tried to delete it.Â* Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want?Â* Thanks. Well, after I re-installed the current, non beta program, it sort of cleaned up by using that directory. But, my original question still stands: Why can't I delete something I want to delete? I am the admin, but it seems there is a higher level of admin, which I can't seem to get! |
#11
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
Art Todesco wrote:
On 10/17/2017 8:31 AM, Art Todesco wrote: Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. Well, after I re-installed the current, non beta program, it sort of cleaned up by using that directory. But, my original question still stands: Why can't I delete something I want to delete? I am the admin, but it seems there is a higher level of admin, which I can't seem to get! You can. Download psexec. Unpack it. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sys...wnloads/psexec In a Run As Administrator Command Prompt window... cd /d %userprofile%\Downloads # My copy of psexec.exe is here psexec -i -s cmd.exe # Start a new Command Prompt window In the new Command Prompt window that opens, I do this: whoami # Reports the current account. # Now Art is "SYSTEM", the OverLord. OK, so now that we're super-powerful, we can do stuff. rd /? # RemoveDir help page, for usage rd /s "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla\Thunderbird" # Use quotes, for paths with spaces Use with care. While it might be inviting to start forking all sorts of stuff that way, the approach has limits. Sometimes the system won't let you do stuff like this. At least the Command Prompt window seems to work OK. This one might not work. The desktop session is "owned" by the current logged in user, and forking things with a different owner into that GUI, might not work. psexec -i -s explorer.exe ******* And you're also cautioned, not to overplay your hand. The reason this works, is folders that are actually owned by TrustedInstaller (such as Program Files folders), also happen to be owned by SYSTEM at the same time. When you do a RemoveDirectory as SYSTEM, it's only a happy accident that SYSTEM is an owner. There isn't a guarantee that something opened by TrustedInstaller, is also owned by SYSTEM. TrustedInstaller is not a full account. It doesn't have a home directory. TrustedInstaller is a "token" used by certain services on the computer, to install files in high security places. Such places include the Windows folder (System32), as well as Program Files. It's all part of the Security Theater that thinks malware cannot get into those places, if the malware gets elevated. Well, of course the malware is going to get in there, because that's what malware does, and the malware dude spent three months figuring out a way to make it happen :-) So this is not really a "security model" as much as it's a "damn nuisance". It's really to prevent naive users from damaging stuff. And... it works :-) People spend hours trying to override protections like this. The OS is not Windows 98... HTH, Paul |
#12
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Windows 7 Administrator Permission
On Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:31:25 -0400, Art Todesco
wrote: Things used to work well, but lately I've gotten blocked from going into or modifying some directories or folders. Win7 Pro says I need Administrator's Permission. This is a 1 person (well actually 2) computer and I am the admin. I've googled this and nothing seems to work. Yesterday I uninstalled a program which left a folder in Program Files (x86). So I tried to delete it. Win7 wanted admin permission. What's the best way to let me do what I want, where I want? Thanks. For fuller explanation than you have been given so far, try to find a post of mine in this group from April 2016 in a thread entitled "Can't access registry keys". -- ================================================== ====== Please always reply to ng as the email in this post's header does not exist. Or use a contact address at: http://www.macfh.co.uk/JavaJive/JavaJive.html http://www.macfh.co.uk/Macfarlane/Macfarlane.html |
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