cannot change Program Files to full control

[barryadam]

I'm trying to load MS Info Exporter to print my WMP 11 library on my
stand-alone home computer Vista Home Pro will not allow it to load as it
will not give access to the Program Files/Windows Media Player/Icons
directory.
I have tried to change the security directly as well as on everything fron
C: on down to allow full control, but it won't change these directories.
How do I do this?

 

[Paul Montgumdrop]

I'm trying to load MS Info Exporter to print my WMP 11 library on my
stand-alone home computer Vista Home Pro will not allow it to load as it
will not give access to the Program Files/Windows Media Player/Icons
directory.
I have tried to change the security directly as well as on everything fron
C: on down to allow full control, but it won't change these directories.
How do I do this?

First is there some kind of Vista O/S called Home Pro?

Here is what I suggest you do to see the problem:

1) Go to the Program Files and create a new directory call it *Test*.
Vista should allow you to create the directory even as you being Admin
on the machine.

2) Start Notepad enter some text and try to SaveAs with the file to
Program Files/Test. You should get permission denied. Yeah, you're
getting it even if the account you're using is your Admin account.

3) Come out of Notepad, forget the save, and cancel out of Notepad.

4) Go to the directory and to the Security tab for the directory and add
a new account to the security account list. It's going to be the User
account you login to the computer with as Admin. If you login with
*barryadam* as admin on the machine, then you're going to add
*barryadam* as another account the will have access to the directory.

5) You'll set *barryadam* to have Full Control just as Administrators
has Full Control of the folder.

6) Go back to step # 2 with Notepad and try to SaveAs the file to
Program Files\Test. You should be able to save the file.

Hopefully, you'll see the issue of account permissions conflict for the
user/admin on Vista.

On one hand, your account is in the Administrators group account. But on
the other hand, your account is part of the User group account. If your
user account *barryadam* is not on the folder with the same rights as
as Administrators, there is going to be a permissions conflict, because
Vista with UAC enabled is looking at the combined rights of those two
accounts in some situations.

What Vista defaults to is Users account group permissions on the
directory if it doesn't see your individual user account on the folder,
and Users doesn't have Full Control.

This is because on Vista with UAC enabled, a user/admin on Vista is not
an Admin with Full rights, like it is on XP or Win 2k.

 

[Gordon]

I'm trying to load MS Info Exporter to print my WMP 11 library on my
stand-alone home computer Vista Home Pro will not allow it to load as it
will not give access to the Program Files/Windows Media Player/Icons
directory.
I have tried to change the security directly as well as on everything fron
C: on down to allow full control, but it won't change these directories.
How do I do this?

From a CD? Open the CD in Windows Explorer, find Setup.exe, right-click and
choose "run as Administrator".
Same procedure if you downloaded the program from the internet...

 

[barryadam]

Thanks Paul. I have Vista Home PREMIUM not PRO. As a simple end user with
limited time on this system, I'm lucky to remember anything.

I tried your suggested tests and they performed just as you predicted. I
guess I sort of understand a bit about what's happening in Vista from that
excercise, but I'm still not clear on what I can do about the WMP Icons
directory in order to load the MS Info Exporter.

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit slow here. I was able to add a user in the test
directory and change the control for the user level. But I cannot do the
same in WMP or in the Icons directory. It will not allow me to add a user.

What do I do to get this thing to load?

Barry

 

[Paul Montgumdrop]

Thanks Paul. I have Vista Home PREMIUM not PRO. As a simple end user with
limited time on this system, I'm lucky to remember anything.

I tried your suggested tests and they performed just as you predicted. I
guess I sort of understand a bit about what's happening in Vista from that
excercise, but I'm still not clear on what I can do about the WMP Icons
directory in order to load the MS Info Exporter.

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit slow here. I was able to add a user in the test
directory and change the control for the user level. But I cannot do the
same in WMP or in the Icons directory. It will not allow me to add a user.

What do I do to get this thing to load?

Barry

Yes, I see your problem. If you go to the Programs File the top folder,
you can't do anything there at that point too for account permissions.
It looks like that folder and some folders within the folder are in a
total locked out and total protected user permissions state when it
comes to user permission modification, even for user/admin.

You could try to enable the hidden Admin Account on Vista, which is
suppose to have Full Admin rights permission on Vista like it does on XP.

You can enable it and see if that Admin account has the power. You
should read first before you do it.

Get back to me on this and let me know what happened? Can you even add a
new account or modify an existing account on a protected folder?

<http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...idden-administrator-account-on-windows-vista/>
<http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/vista/vista_administrator_activate.htm>

 

[Paul Montgumdrop]

Thanks Paul. I have Vista Home PREMIUM not PRO. As a simple end user with
limited time on this system, I'm lucky to remember anything.

I tried your suggested tests and they performed just as you predicted. I
guess I sort of understand a bit about what's happening in Vista from that
excercise, but I'm still not clear on what I can do about the WMP Icons
directory in order to load the MS Info Exporter.

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit slow here. I was able to add a user in the test
directory and change the control for the user level. But I cannot do the
same in WMP or in the Icons directory. It will not allow me to add a user.

You will also find the Program Files has some different restrictions
applied and they seem to be the following:

1) User/Admin on Vista even with UAC enabled or disabled cannot add a
new user account, cannot delete an existing user account or change the
permissions of a existing user account on the Programs Files folder.

2) The Program Files folder as far as NTFS permissions for user accounts
is static on the folder and cannot be changed.

3) Other folders like the Windows Media Player within the Program Files
folder have this same characteristic of restrictions.

4) You can take a folder like Windows Media Player, copy it to another
folder and work with that folder in regards to user account permission,
copy that folder back to Program Files folder, and everything you have
done as far a user account permissions is going to be undone and put
back the way it was in its original static state.

5) All folders in the Programs File folder do not share this static
characteristic and changes to user account permission can be done.

6) I have not gotten around to using the hidden Vista Super Admin
account to see if it has the power to change account permissions on the
Program Files folder or sub folders that have this condition.

 

[Paul Montgumdrop]

Thanks Paul. I have Vista Home PREMIUM not PRO. As a simple end user with
limited time on this system, I'm lucky to remember anything.

I tried your suggested tests and they performed just as you predicted. I
guess I sort of understand a bit about what's happening in Vista from that
excercise, but I'm still not clear on what I can do about the WMP Icons
directory in order to load the MS Info Exporter.

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit slow here. I was able to add a user in the test
directory and change the control for the user level. But I cannot do the
same in WMP or in the Icons directory. It will not allow me to add a user.

What do I do to get this thing to load?

I think you can take ownership of the folder by doing this:

1) goto the <C> drive and add you user account with full rights on <C>
2) activate the Vista built-in Administrator account
3) login to the system using the Administrator account
4) go back to WMP folder to the Security tab to the Advanced button and
to the Owner tab.
5) Then whatever the owner is change it to Administrators or your user
account, as both accounts should have full rights on the folder.

Hopefully, that should do it for you so you can gain control of that
folder and the files in it or other folders in the folder.