Take Ownership in Context Menu Registry Editor
Seems like he is trying to delete the windows old folder. That is a tough folder to delete, as advised, you need to take ownership of the folder from the root so that it can propagate to the sub folders. Download and merge this reg key:
http://files.getdropbox.com/u/976813/own.reg-take ownership of registry.reg
then right click on the main folder, the choose take ownership, and wait for the settings to finish, then try deleting the folder. I am working on a reg script that will allow you set a folder for delete on reboot. I will try to have it finished today.
Edit: the power of google is always respected, lol. There is a tool already created:
CFi ShellToys > Download 45-Day Trial you can use it with full functionality for 45 days. Hopefully it won't take you 45 days to delete your folder, lol.
Some sections of the registry, those applying to specific applications that were installed, like MS Office and the Sound Card Driver have locked out all users, including Administrator (there are "permissions" for no one). When these apps needed to be uninstalled and reinstalled, or even repaired, Windows does not have access to these locked-up sections and can't perform any of those functions.
In order to access these sections, one cannot batch Change Properties as they refuse to allow any changes to these frozen sections, even to Properties, and each file must be attacked individually from the bottom of the tree to the top in a time-consuming process of clicking, closing error message, right-clicking and selecting "permissions", closing second error message, clicking on Advanced in the Permissions for Properties Box, closing the third error message, click on the Owner tab, then click Under Change Owner To, select your user name from the list, Apply and OK. Then in the Select User or Group box, select Advanced.
Then in the Select Object box, select click on Find Now to search for users, then select your user name from the list, highlight it, then OK. Then in Permission Entry box make sure your user name is in the Name box, make sure you're applying changes to "This key and all subkeys", then checkbox under Permissions, allow yourself Full Control, OK, then Apply, OK, then in the Security box, click OK to close the Properties Boxes. The you try to delete the file, and it says you can't because it has a previously hidden "child" file that also needs to be unfrozen. Each registry entry may have 50-100 children that only show up after you've taken ownership and granted yourself full control of the fifle. Each one of these newly revealed children also require the same painstaking effort, and many have children of their own as well.
I have deleted over a thousand of these files related to the programs I mentioned above, was then able to delete them and proceed to fully uninstall/reinstall the previously frozen application. I tried the ShellToys program which gives you unparralelled control of all except the registry. I also tried your reg edit to take ownership of the entire registry. While it did Take Ownership of much of the registry, it was not permitted to change ownership in these frozen sectors. In addition, many system files stopped working under new ownership and many applications started going on the blink as well. Do Windows functions and some applications require remaining under the ownership of Trusted Installer, or Administrator, or SYSTEM? Do you think this problem could be avoided if
all files were Taken as Owners by the principle user?
For my purposes, and so as not to mess up other applications and Windows functions, I would like to apply Ownership to a section of the registry through right-clicking on a Context Menu item on a small section of the registry, leaving the rest in the hands of the previous owners. Would this be possible?
Another had suggested trying out Ubuntu by booting it from a CD without actually installing it. I did this, but when trying to access Registry Editor, all shortcuts and system files were greyed-out and unselectable, so I could not access and delete the registry entries I needed to.
Anyway, I need a way to isolate these sections of the registry that give permission to no one, open them up by Take Ownership/Full Control of only the bad sectors. Once you have Ownership and Full Control, you can pretty much do anything you want with registry files.
Does anyone out there have a better suggestion? Would there be a command line process for deleting registry entries?
