Access is Denied???

[Jack Ryan]

I am the sole user of this computer.

I routinely receive a "Location is not available" warning that states:
(Example) "C:\Users\Jack\My Pictures is not accessible" "Access is Denied"

Sometimes I can get by this by simply attempting access via a different path
to the item. That's a real pain but is better than nothing.

Today, just out of the blue, I can't access a single folder. Every place I
turn I get the subject warning.

Can/would someone help?

Thanks

 

[Robert Firth]

The folders 'My Pictures', 'My Documents', 'Documents and Settings'... are
not real folders. They are junctions for application compatibility. Use
'Pictures', 'Documents', and 'Users', respecively.

I suggest you recheck the box 'Hide protected operating system files' in
folder options. You wouldn't have this problem.

Robert Firth
http://www.winvistainfo.org

 

[Vista Advocate - Now]

I hope someone answers this soon because I just started getting this
after an update to Vista, and I can't access most of the User or Doc &
Settings folders. This is getting to be a real pain.

Take ownership by using the following at a command prompt:

takeown /F c*

 

[Guest]

Take ownership by using the following at a command prompt:

takeown /F c*


Thanks for the response and information. It did give me access to two folders that I had been denied. But most of my problem was not knowing the Vista way of showing junctions. I thought that the junctions were actual folders, which they are not. Other posts to other threads helped a lot. A little education can go a long way. Again, Thanks.

 

[Joe Guidera]

Some of the folders that you're seeing aren't really folders at all.
They're what's called "junction points". They are protected from you to
prevent you from damaging them (however programs attempting to access them
can do so just fine as they're magically redirected to where the junction
point points to).

If it's a junction point it will appear as a hidden folder with the shortcut
icon superimposed on it.

Examples of these include:

users/<username>/
cookies
Application Data
Local settings
My Documents
Nethood

These locations have actually been moved under Vista so these "junction"
points cause applications trying to access the "old" location to
transparently be redirected to the new location.

J

 

[Joe Guidera]

And you don't want to mess with a Junction point as if you mess it up lots
of things break