CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[incova]

Hey all, my htpc has been running fin for about a year then bang I got a virus that destabalised it, I did what I usually do in this case, I reformat the c drive then re install clean. However this time my HDD was not bootable, I installed windows on another HDD a Hitachi and used Test Disk and it showed that the C drive of lets call it the original drive a mAxtor was not bootable. I partitioned the new drive and transferred all the folders over again using Test disk (http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download is a free program and its excellent copy it and put it somewhere safe). The MBR of the maxtor was obviously shot so I wanted to keep the data safe before I attempted to fix all that.

OK, that was the good part. I then reinstalled windows onto the new HDD and it went well with sp3 and the new patches. However, I cannot properly control the folders and files i have copied over and ferther to that I think I somehow installed windows and made myself part of a Domain! So first of how do i find out wether I am part of a domain and second and just as important how do I get total access to all my folders as they are on three partitions. Can I just take ownership of the partitions etc.

On one folder I had a little success, I can now put things into the folder and delete folders but I cannot move things into folders inside the main folder. Under sharing, I am now sharing this folder with everyone and they have full control, under security in advance settings it says I have full control over this folder subfolders and files however this clearly is not the case.
If I attempt to copy files from my desktop into one of these folders it says access denied, this is just one of the new probelms I have come accross on this new install, any help would be great thanks all.

[incova]

simple file sharing is off as well.

[MikeEby]

I believe you should have simple file sharing turned on. I don't think you made it a member of a domain unless you have a domain controller present on the network.

Go to the system systems properties dialog box in control panel.




Then press the change button.



Setup your system like this for workgroup mode. Make sure all systems on the network are in the same workgoup.


Mike

[WayneB]

It has been a while since I have done this, but I will try to remember:
Assumptions:
You are using Windows XP.
You are logged on as an administrator
Simple file sharing is off.
If you right click the folder, you can see "Sharing and Security..."
If so, left click on it.
You should be on the "Sharing" tab. Click on the "Security" tab
This lists the users that have permissions to the folder
If Administrators is not in the list,Click the "Add" button, type "Administrators" without the quotes and add it.
Give Administrators "Full Control" by clicking the "Full Control" check box under the "Allow" column
Click the "Advanced" button
Select the "Owner" tab
Select the owner you want to change it to, such as Administrators, or your logon id
Check the box "Replace Owner on Subcontainer and objects"
Click "Apply" then click "OK",
Click "Apply" then click "OK", again
Close the dialog boxes
Logoff and logon again (as an administrator)
Try accessing a file in the folder

[incova]

MikeEby

thanks mike it says I am a member of workgroup A, but not a domain, not sure how that effects permissions but the information is useful.

[incova]

thanks Wayne, I will try this out.

[incova]

You are using Windows XP.
You are logged on as an administrator
Simple file sharing is off.
If you right click the folder, you can see "Sharing and Security..."
If so, left click on it.
You should be on the "Sharing" tab. Click on the "Security" tab
This lists the users that have permissions to the folder
If Administrators is not in the list,Click the "Add" button, type "Administrators" without the quotes and add it.
Give Administrators "Full Control" by clicking the "Full Control" check box under the "Allow" column
Click the "Advanced" button
Select the "Owner" tab
Select the owner you want to change it to, such as Administrators, or your logon id
Check the box "Replace Owner on Subcontainer and objects"
Click "Apply" then click "OK",
Click "Apply" then click "OK", again
Close the dialog boxes
Logoff and logon again (as an administrator)
Try accessing a file in the folder

hmm tried it out but no luck I still cannot modify add to files although I can extract and copy files to other locations and delete them, strange stuff, thanks Wayne.

[WayneB]

What do you mean by extract?
Is this folder on the C: drive?
Was the folder ever encrypted?
This still sounds like a permissions problem. If you can copy a file, you should be able to read it.
It sounds like you (the currently logged on user) does not have "Full" control (all "Allow" boxes checked
Were you able to successfully change ownership of the folder and all files below it?
It is possible the permissions did not replicate to the files below the folder.
Do the procedure for just a single file. Then check the "Permissions" tab (next to Auditing & Owner) (Advanced button)
Another remote possibility: You named your computer exactly the same as the previous one and XP is getting confused because the names and user name is the same, but the security signatures don't match. If you did, try creating a new userid, making it a member of Administrators group, then taking ownership of one of the files with that userid, then giving full permissions to that userid, then logging off and on again with that userid and checking ownership and permissions for that file (should be FULL) and seeing if you can read/write it.

[incova]

I didnt name the computer I just left it as is and I think your correct, is there a way to check this?



What do you mean by extract? I can move the files to c, they are on another partition, and from there I can delete modify have total control over a folder file, perhaps the permissions change when it is copied to c.

Is this folder on the C: drive?
these folders are on other partitions.

Was the folder ever encrypted?
the folder was never encrpted it was made read only but thats it.

This still sounds like a permissions problem. If you can copy a file, you should be able to read it.
I can read and use it but not transfer files into a folder from anywhere else even the same partition even though I seem to have permissions to do so in every place I check, the only permission I do not have is special permissions right at the bottom.

It sounds like you (the currently logged on user) does not have "Full" control (all "Allow" boxes checked
Under security it says I have full control everything is checked and under permissions in the advance tab it says I have contol over the folder subs and files, very disconcerting!

Were you able to successfully change ownership of the folder and all files below it?
this is the interesting part, no I was not able to change those only the primary folder changed permissions but the subs and all the files inside it did not even though permissions has said I have full control!

It is possible the permissions did not replicate to the files below the folder.
I think you have it nailed there.

Do the procedure for just a single file.
I did this and same result I cannot put files into those folders nor move them to any folders that were copied.

Then check the "Permissions" tab (next to Auditing & Owner) (Advanced button)
permissions says I have control over folder subfolder and files.

Another remote possibility: You named your computer exactly the same as the previous one and XP is getting confused because the names and user name is the same, but the security signatures don't match. If you did, try creating a new userid, making it a member of Administrators group, then taking ownership of one of the files with that userid, then giving full permissions to that userid, then logging off and on again with that userid and checking ownership and permissions for that file (should be FULL) and seeing if you can read/write it.
i will try this step out, thanks Wayne!

[incova]

Hmm tried that out but the box to add administrators is grayed out so this is not a option, the only thing I can think of is to copy the files and then put them back as this removes the previous owners from the list of owners and gives me full access to all the folders etc. Didnt want to do this as its about 500 gigs aside from the fact I prefer to work things out and not mess about copying files over and over again. Thanks for all your time Wayne any other advise would be apprecited.

[WayneB]

Did you log on as an administrator make the new user an administrator by changing the account type from "Limited" to "Computer Administrator" ? (Control Panel-User Accounts-Change an Account). Then log off and on to the new user.

If you copied the files to a DVD and then to a hard drive, the read-only bit would be set. To remove it, Right click the folder, left click "Properties", uncheck Attributes "Read Only", click Apply, Select "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files", click OK, and click OK again when it is finished doing it.

Effective Permissions are a combination of the permisions you set on a file or folder and the permissions inherited from a parent folder or the root drive. An inherited permission may over-ride what you expicitly give to the file. You could try taking control of the root drive on that partition, eg "E:" and propagating to all subfolders. (WARNING. Don't do this on C: drive) Or try unchecking the box that says to inherit permissions from a parent. You can see the effective permissions for any particular user, by selecting that user in the security properties dialog for a file, clicking advanced, and clicking the "Effective Permissions" tab. You change permissions on the permissions tab.

If these don't work, since you have a work-around, it may be more effective to do the copying.
Good luck....

[incova]

Did you log on as an administrator make the new user an administrator by changing the account type from "Limited" to "Computer Administrator" ? (Control Panel-User Accounts-Change an Account). Then log off and on to the new user.
yup, did that.

If you copied the files to a DVD and then to a hard drive, the read-only bit would be set. To remove it, Right click the folder, left click "Properties", uncheck Attributes "Read Only", click Apply, Select "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files", click OK, and click OK again when it is finished doing it.
have not tried this yet.

Effective Permissions are a combination of the permisions you set on a file or folder and the permissions inherited from a parent folder or the root drive. An inherited permission may over-ride what you expicitly give to the file. You could try taking control of the root drive on that partition, eg "E:" and propagating to all subfolders. (WARNING. Don't do this on C: drive) Or try unchecking the box that says to inherit permissions from a parent. You can see the effective permissions for any particular user, by selecting that user in the security properties dialog for a file, clicking advanced, and clicking the "Effective Permissions" tab. You change permissions on the permissions tab.

i will try this out thanks a lot Wayne, basically I have to copy about 400 gigs so I would prefer to work this out so if it happens again I can handle it, I prefer not to use work arounds.


If these don't work, since you have a work-around, it may be more effective to do the copying.
Good luck....

[incova]

If you copied the files to a DVD and then to a hard drive, the read-only bit would be set. To remove it, Right click the folder, left click "Properties", uncheck Attributes "Read Only", click Apply, Select "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files", click OK, and click OK again when it is finished doing it

i did do this i forgot, it removes the read only but then when I go back to the file it says read only again!