Windows 7: Documents and Settings & users not accessible

drugo · 10 Apr 2010

Hi

i got a terrible headache , i spent all the afternoon to browse my Documents and Settings & users folder , no way , i was not able!

today i installed photoshop cs4 32 bit on my Windows 7 32bit

i tried to browse Documents and Settings ->denied access

i tried to customize cs4 keyboard shortcuts and and menu

i tried to browse the folder user
i found my name , clicked on application data ->access denied

i was not able to browse these folders

i tried Add_Take_Ownership.reg , nothing

i'm really sad

is there a way to take control of my pc

i'm the administrator
i want to browse my pc
i bought Windows 7 ultimate(ultimate only to have 2 language ,mine and my girlfriend) and it was not cheap

is there a way to take Ownership of my pc?

thanks

ps i'm almost disperate
have a great day

pebbly · 10 Apr 2010

hi drugo, you could try a system restore prior to when you had problems System Restore or if that fails a repair install Repair Install hope that helps you

karlsnooks · 10 Apr 2010

DrugO,

Thou shallt sweat it not. Everything is OK.

You have encounterd a "Junction Point" or link as Microsoft likes to call them.
I prefer to refer to them as a "forwarding address".

Microsoft moved where somethings are kept. To accommodate older software then they use Junction points.

Documents & Settings is going to point to %systemdrive%\Users

If you run cmd.exe, then you can run dir /al and see this link.

I'm pasting in a clip from my toshiba:
C:\>dir /al
Volume in drive C is ToshibaC
Volume Serial Number is 14F5-F34B

Directory of C:\

13-Jul-09 21:53 <JUNCTION> Documents and Settings [c:\Users]
0 File(s) 0 bytes
1 Dir(s) 30,083,604,480 bytes free

Oh yes, to see all of them go to %systemdrive% and enter
dir /al /s

the /s tells dos to recurse thru your subdirectories.

logicearth · 10 Apr 2010

Any folder that is giving you Access Denied is a junction point. Nothing is there so leave it alone.

drugo · 11 Apr 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by karlsnooks

DrugO,

Thou shallt sweat it not. Everything is OK.

You have encounterd a "Junction Point" or link as Microsoft likes to call them.
I prefer to refer to them as a "forwarding address".

Microsoft moved where somethings are kept. To accommodate older software then they use Junction points.

Documents & Settings is going to point to %systemdrive%\Users

If you run cmd.exe, then you can run dir /al and see this link.

I'm pasting in a clip from my toshiba:
C:\>dir /al
Volume in drive C is ToshibaC
Volume Serial Number is 14F5-F34B

Directory of C:\

13-Jul-09 21:53 <JUNCTION> Documents and Settings [c:\Users]
0 File(s) 0 bytes
1 Dir(s) 30,083,604,480 bytes free

Oh yes, to see all of them go to %systemdrive% and enter
dir /al /s

the /s tells dos to recurse thru your subdirectories.

Quote: Originally Posted by logicearth

Any folder that is giving you Access Denied is a junction point. Nothing is there so leave it alone.

thanks but to copy or delete a file inside these folder ,how could i do it?

Dzomlija · 11 Apr 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by drugo

Quote: Originally Posted by karlsnooks

DrugO,

Thou shallt sweat it not. Everything is OK.

You have encounterd a "Junction Point" or link as Microsoft likes to call them.
I prefer to refer to them as a "forwarding address".

Microsoft moved where somethings are kept. To accommodate older software then they use Junction points.

Documents & Settings is going to point to %systemdrive%\Users

If you run cmd.exe, then you can run dir /al and see this link.

I'm pasting in a clip from my toshiba:
C:\>dir /al
Volume in drive C is ToshibaC
Volume Serial Number is 14F5-F34B

Directory of C:\

13-Jul-09 21:53 <JUNCTION> Documents and Settings [c:\Users]
0 File(s) 0 bytes
1 Dir(s) 30,083,604,480 bytes free

Oh yes, to see all of them go to %systemdrive% and enter
dir /al /s

the /s tells dos to recurse thru your subdirectories.

Quote: Originally Posted by logicearth

Any folder that is giving you Access Denied is a junction point. Nothing is there so leave it alone.

thanks but to copy or delete a file inside these folder ,how could i do it?

You don't need to. The "Documents and Settings" link points to "Users". So if you want to delete something from "Documents and Settings", just go into "Users".

I went into my user folder, and executed the "DIR /AL" command:

Code:

 
 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is EE35-0757
 Directory of C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     Application Data [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     Cookies [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     Local Settings [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Local]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     My Documents [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\Documents]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     NetHood [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     PrintHood [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     Recent [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     SendTo [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     Start Menu [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu]
08/11/2009  12:16    <JUNCTION>     Templates [C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates]
               0 File(s)              0 bytes
              10 Dir(s)  16,494,596,096 bytes free

As you can see, the "Application Data" link points to "C:\Users\Peter Dzomlija\AppData\Roaming".

karlsnooks · 11 Apr 2010

You can't. You must go to the true "destination". As you saw, Documents and Settings points to \users

Many of us when we first encountered these weird links spent time trying, sometimes with success, to delete them only to find out that we had shot ourselves in the foot since Windows 7 and many apps rely upon those links.

Personally, I wish they had been hidden since they only cause confusion.

But as you noticed,
C:
CD\
DIR /AL /S
will show you where they point.

logicearth · 11 Apr 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by karlsnooks

Personally, I wish they had been hidden since they only cause confusion.

They are hidden! You have to uncheck "Hide protected operating system files" in order to show these junctions. It doesn't get any more hidden that.

drugo · 11 Apr 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by karlsnooks

You can't. You must go to the true "destination". As you saw, Documents and Settings points to \users

Many of us when we first encountered these weird links spent time trying, sometimes with success, to delete them only to find out that we had shot ourselves in the foot since Windows 7 and many apps rely upon those links.

Personally, I wish they had been hidden since they only cause confusion.

But as you noticed,
C:
CD\
DIR /AL /S
will show you where they point.

Quote: Originally Posted by logicearth

Quote: Originally Posted by karlsnooks

Personally, I wish they had been hidden since they only cause confusion.

They are hidden! You have to uncheck "Hide protected operating system files" in order to show these junctions. It doesn't get any more hidden that.

thanks i got it , i used total commander and i notice the "Junction Point"
thanks
but if i want to delete a file inside users , application data for example
or edit or copy a file inside

i get access denied

logicearth · 11 Apr 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by drugo

thanks
but if i want to delete a file inside users , application data for example
or edit or copy a file inside
for example add a shortcut inside the folder sent to
i get access denied

You are going to the wrong place, there is no Application Data folder any longer.

C:\Document and Settings\[username]\Application Data is now C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming

C:\Document and Settings\[username]\Local Settings is now C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local

What you should do it check "Hide protected operating system files" so you will not be distracted by these false folders.

Windows 7: Documents and Settings & users not accessible

Documents and Settings & users not accessible problems?