Anybody know why all of a sudden all my personal user files end up
with the message "Application Data is not accessible". I can view and
even copy out internal Windows system files, but I can no longer see
my user data. As well, a couple of applications now run with error
messages indicating restricted access to the file system. Heck, I'm
an "adminstrator", so how can this be happening? I turned off "UAC",
and I just tested the HD fully with Spinrite to make sure the HD
wasn't failing

Fortunately, this Windows "Ultimate" is on a beater machine, or a
person could get upset over losing access to personal data. Seems
like this is the reverse of most security schemes where system files
are blocked but personal data is not.

System Restore does not fix this problem nor does creating another
user account. System Restore allegedly doesn't mess with documents,
but I've discovered it really does delete personal files, but that's
another issue. When Vista goes fully public, there's going to be a
firestorm of criticism.

On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 10:17:57 -0800, Arrowcatcher wrote:

Problem resolved - these show as NTFS "junctions" and the Vista tree
has simply been rearranged.

>Anybody know why all of a sudden all my personal user files end up
>with the message "Application Data is not accessible". I can view and
>even copy out internal Windows system files, but I can no longer see
>my user data. As well, a couple of applications now run with error
>messages indicating restricted access to the file system. Heck, I'm
>an "adminstrator", so how can this be happening? I turned off "UAC",
>and I just tested the HD fully with Spinrite to make sure the HD
>wasn't failing
>
>Fortunately, this Windows "Ultimate" is on a beater machine, or a
>person could get upset over losing access to personal data. Seems
>like this is the reverse of most security schemes where system files
>are blocked but personal data is not.
>
>System Restore does not fix this problem nor does creating another
>user account. System Restore allegedly doesn't mess with documents,
>but I've discovered it really does delete personal files, but that's
>another issue. When Vista goes fully public, there's going to be a
>firestorm of criticism.