Re: Unable to remove read-only attribute from files and folders

"Jimmy Brush" wrote:

> Hello,
>
> By default, you only have write access to folders and files that are inside
> your user directory (c:\users\yourname), some hidden folders, and any folder
> that you have created.
>
> The only time you should need write access to any folders outside of this
> area is when doing system administration or installing a program.
>
> This can be done easily by running whatever tool or install program you are
> using "As Administrator" by right-clicking it and clicking Run As
> Administrator, which will allow the tool to access the system.


Thanks a lot for that info JB. I've been super frustrated with Vista, as
once I upgraded, all of my old files (like mp3s, jpgs, etc) were made
read-only and I was about to pull my hair out by going in to security and
adding myself and giving myself full access to the files. Just a couple of
questions for you though.

1) Do we have to do the 'run as administrator' each time we open Explorer?
2) I just opened explorer with the 'run as administrator' option and tried
to deselect the read-only on files in my C: drive and it got pretty far into
the process but then I got that menacing error message about needing admin
access. when I click continue, I get an error message saying 'access denied'.
(this is the point where I was going into the security preferences, adding
myself and giving myself full access) Is there a better way of doing this?
3) Would there be any advantage in creating a 2nd user account and just
using that acct all of the time?

Thanks for your help!

Hello,

> 1) Do we have to do the 'run as administrator' each time we open Explorer?

No. Actually, this doesn't do anything anymore - explorer cannot be ran as
administrator. I strongly disagree with Microsoft's decision to do this ...
however, as far as I know, this is the only exception.

> 2) I just opened explorer with the 'run as administrator' option and tried
> to deselect the read-only on files in my C: drive and it got pretty far
> into
> the process but then I got that menacing error message about needing admin
> access. when I click continue, I get an error message saying 'access
> denied'.
> (this is the point where I was going into the security preferences, adding
> myself and giving myself full access) Is there a better way of doing this?

Like Kerry said, you should not change default permissions on your drive C.

The permissions are in place to protect your system from malicious programs.
Changing them removes this protection.

You should only change permissions on files you created.

> 3) Would there be any advantage in creating a 2nd user account and just
> using that acct all of the time?

Many people consider using a standard user account to be better than using
the default prompt-protected administrator account provided by Vista.

Although this is debatable, there are differences: If you run as a standard
user, you will receive less prompts asking for your permission. Also,
instead of just being prompted for permission, you will have to enter the
password for your administrative account in order to run a program that
requests permission.

It's up to you on this one

> Thanks for your help!

You're welcome


--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

"Jimmy Brush" <JimmyBrush@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:27AA7885-362E-4212-8418-58210AFD1C4D@microsoft.com...
>
> No. Actually, this doesn't do anything anymore - explorer cannot be ran as
> administrator. I strongly disagree with Microsoft's decision to do this
> ... however, as far as I know, this is the only exception.
>

I use Run as administrator with Windows Explorer quite often. Are you saying
it doesn't do anything or it isn't possible? I do get a uac prompt when I do
this and it has allowed me to rename folders and change NTFS permissions I
couldn't do without using Run as administrator. Both of my computers
(Ultimate and Business) are joined to a domain, I'm not running as a domain
admin, I am running as a local admin, if that makes any difference.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca

Have you changed your explorer settings to Run explorer windows in seperate
processes? If you have this setting, this should allow you to use Run As
Administrator on explorer as long as you are logged in as an administrator.
I guess I should have said, with the default configuration, it is not
possible to elevate explorer when logged in as an admin .

"Jimmy Brush" <JimmyBrush@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:957A0F31-09DB-4501-BBF8-7D2CCE0D7EE3@microsoft.com...
> Have you changed your explorer settings to Run explorer windows in
> seperate processes? If you have this setting, this should allow you to use
> Run As Administrator on explorer as long as you are logged in as an
> administrator. I guess I should have said, with the default configuration,
> it is not possible to elevate explorer when logged in as an admin .


I haven't changed anything on the notebook. That's my work machine. I
installed Vista, joined my SBS domain, and installed programs. I may have on
my other Vista machine. That's the one I experiment on. Where is the setting
to do this. I'll see what it is on both machines.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca

Here's what I have discovered thru testing:

In explorer,

Organize -> Folder and Search Options -> View tab -> "Launch folder windows
in a seperate process"

* If this option is disabled (default):

right-clicking explorer.exe and clicking Run As Administrator should have no
effect. You will still get the UAC prompt, but the resulting explorer Window
will not actually be running with administrator privileges.

* If this option is enabled

running explorer.exe "as administrator" will actually get you an admin
explorer window, IF and ONLY if you have no other explorer windows open.

If you DO have another explorer window open, this will have no effect.

If you do end up with an "admin" explorer window, *ALL* further windows
explorer windows that you open will ALSO be "admin" windows (even if you
don't run them "as administrator"), until you close all open explorer
windows.


--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

Thank you. I didn't know that. I must have changed that setting at some
point in experimenting on the desktop. On the notebook because I was seeing
the uac prompt I assumed it was elevated because I had done stuff that
required elevation on the desktop and it worked. Testing it now on the
notebook it is working exactly as you say. I get the uac prompt but not
elevated privileges. I wonder if this is a bug or by design?

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca


"Jimmy Brush" <JimmyBrush@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:44A40DE5-0DF1-4AF3-BBC2-EF9DE8FA4939@microsoft.com...
> Here's what I have discovered thru testing:
>
> In explorer,
>
> Organize -> Folder and Search Options -> View tab -> "Launch folder
> windows in a seperate process"
>
> * If this option is disabled (default):
>
> right-clicking explorer.exe and clicking Run As Administrator should have
> no effect. You will still get the UAC prompt, but the resulting explorer
> Window will not actually be running with administrator privileges.
>
> * If this option is enabled
>
> running explorer.exe "as administrator" will actually get you an admin
> explorer window, IF and ONLY if you have no other explorer windows open.
>
> If you DO have another explorer window open, this will have no effect.
>
> If you do end up with an "admin" explorer window, *ALL* further windows
> explorer windows that you open will ALSO be "admin" windows (even if you
> don't run them "as administrator"), until you close all open explorer
> windows.
>
>
> --
> - JB
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User
>
> Windows Vista Support Faq
> http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

The elevation was working just fine until around RC1 when it starting
behaving as it is now - I bugged it, then around RC2 it came back as by
design.

I think the reasoning behind the change was something very technical, as I
seem to remember reading a MSie's blog about it, but I can't remember much
about it now. Something to do with a higher privileged process consisiting
of lower privileged chunks breaks the security model, I believe.

Still, I think the current behavior is misleading and very inconsistant...
something else should have been done.


--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/