Folder Will not be Rremoved

[Bruce]

Has Anyone addressed my problem to remove an old folder taking up gigs of
space, I was not able to see any reference. Well again; I have an old Folder
that came from my old computer that I can't access or delete, it's like a
backup I no longer need. I am sole user of this computer (no guest account)
and I still get "Access Denied", that puts me in a spin. I feel I'm reliving
"2001 A Space Odyssey", while I'm on my box, any views on Microsoft's
Authorizing and reactivation program. It just rubs me wrong receiving
threats from a box.
Thanks Please lend me some sharp mind out there for just a minute I can't
keep on track too long. Bruce

 

[Wouter Willemse]

What the name of the folder? Some folders should be left alone, and they
have nothing to do with system activation. No need to be that paranoid.

If the folder is called System Volume Information, let it alone. Windows
needs it, and it can take up lots of space due to system restore points. If
you need the space, you can remove those restore points with Disk Cleanup.

If it's anoher folder, check the permissions. If you are administrator of
the machine, you can take ownership, add yourself to the permissions and
delete it.
But first make sure that your paranoia does not cloud your judgement ;-)

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Sometimes, in order to get access to a folder, you need to "take ownership"
of it. To do this, you must be using an administrator account, or an account
that has either a higher level of privileges or privileges equal to the
account currently in control of the folder. First, you must be able to
access the security tab of the folder properties. For the security tab to
appear in a WindowsXP Pro system, you must disable simple file sharing in
the control panel/folder options/view tab, it's at the bottom of the
advanced settings. For a WindowsXP Home system, you must restart in safe
mode and logon as administrator.

Right-click the folder, select properties. Go to the security tab and click
advanced. You can take control of the folders on the owner tab by clicking
on your user account, then click apply/ok. Note also that these sorts of
permissions are only available when using the NTFS file system, they are not
supported in FAT or FAT32. More details here:

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP [Q308421]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421

An additional note for WindowsXP Pro users: This procedure will not help you
recover data if the files are encrypted. All you will be able to do is
delete them. To recover encrypted files you will need the original
encryption certificate or a Recovery Agent from the installation under which
they were encrypted. Without one of these, the files are not recoverable.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org