Solved I AM the Administrator,UAC is OFF,Yet I need Administrator Permission

[BanStoningWomen]

Because LIFE is short and precious, it's reasonable to not have to waste time, clicks and energy FIGHTING the most simple of OS tasks: deleting a file or folder.

Because it was SO DRAINING to add thousands of extra hoops to my daily work, I now log in as the Administrator and have turned off UAC. Please SPARE ME THE LECTURE about security.

With no time to waste, busy life, I want to delete a folder but I got: "You don't have permission for this action." Very well. I'll graciously accept that, EVEN THOUGH I'M THE ADMINISTRATOR, I must take ownership of the files. Done - I set Administrators as owner FOR ALL FILES in that directory.

Now, hours later, after searching google, I still CANNOT do this simple task. Thanks Windows 7.

The error, in a set of errors, I NOW get is: You need permission from the Administrators. Windows really likes you to feel as if you DON'T OWN YOUR OWN **#%%^ COMPUTER. Good job.

I don't work for a company. I've never had a virus or problem. Linux, XP - they let you GET THE JOB DONE. Windows 7, regardless of what they claim, is engineered to WASTE YOUR TIME and give you Carpel Tunnel Syndrome as you type, post and search for answers TO THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL tasks: write, delete, move files.

It's degrading, but I find myself in the embarrassing position of asking: HOW CAN I, AS THE OWNER, ADMINSTRATOR, logged in as Administrator, which means I am, of course, in the Administrator's group - GET PERMISSION FROM THE ADMINISTRATORS as the error suggests?

And does anyone know of an OS that let's Admins work unhindered on basic tasks?

 

[Brink]

Hello, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you like, you could enable the built-in "elevated" Administrator account, and log on to it to have full unrestricted access.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[BanStoningWomen]

Hello, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you like, you could enable the built-in "elevated" Administrator account, and log on to it to have full unrestricted access.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Hello Brink - Congratulations on your MVP award. I used to work in Redmond and know how rigorously they screen employees and how competitive it is there - but fun

I thought I had the elevated Administrator Account - but let me double check your article and see where I missed a trick? So merely logging in as the enabled Administrator account is still not the highest order of Administrator huh? Okay...checking right now - and thank you!

Oh...I noticed my avatar was removed and my signature: TheAngel.org - Nothing to do with human rights allowed here? In other words, if my entire life is about saving women from being stoned, and you allow people to include all manner of personal information, why can't I include the tiniest blurb about what I care? OS bits are important, no doubt, but some might argue human life, even more so...

 

[pbcopter]

What files or folders are you unable to delete?

 

[Brink]

In addition to what Paul posted above....

Administrator accounts are "unelevated" by default like a standard user. Unlike a standard user, if you perform an action that requires elevated rights, you will then get prompted by UAC to approve it. If you try to open or modify some system files, then you may need to take ownership of and "Allow" your account "Full control" first before Window will let you access it since system files are protected.

The built-in Administrator is an "elevated" account with full access. The security risk of using this account is that anything that runs while logged on to it will also run as administrator (elevated) with full access without asking for your approval first. Imaging malware having this type of unrestricted access without UAC acting as a heads up to you.

 

[BanStoningWomen]

Hello, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you like, you could enable the built-in "elevated" Administrator account, and log on to it to have full unrestricted access.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Hello Brink,

I did read the article. I thought you were referring to something unexplored, but I am using the Built In Administrator account and UAC is turned off.

To answer

What files or folders are you unable to delete?

I am deleting the most vanilla files imaginable: pictures of cats in a directory called pics. Nothing special about it: this folder was copied from another computer that used XP. Please tell me that copied files don't need special massages to work under Windows 7. It's not as if they were Linux NFS or some bizarro file system. Vanilla XP, no compression, plain old files with all default permissions.

So...I'm ADMINISTRATOR, using the "elevated" built-in Administrator Account which is, of course, a member of Administrators, and yet Windows 7 says, "You need permission from the Administrators" to delete this file. For advanced users who never had a problem with ZERO security and just want to be able to use a computer for the most basic functions: read, write, delete - Windows 7 is a labyrinth of hoops - a real incipherable maze of carpel tunnel syndrome.

But I will say - THANK YOU MICROSOFT FOR WINDOWS. Overall - IT'S AMAZING. And I do like Windows 7 when it's not prompting me. But back to the rant: how can I beg the "Administrators" for permission to delete my own files?

 

[logicearth]

It is because the files are from another OS installation, you need to reset the permissions on those files. You would have to do this if you reinstalled Windows XP as well.

 

[BanStoningWomen]

It is because the files are from another OS installation, you need to reset the permissions on those files. You would have to do this if you reinstalled Windows XP as well.

Hello LogicEarth: Did you miss the bit in my OP that says: Done - I set Administrators as owner FOR ALL FILES in that directory. I reset the permissions of the folder and all its contents. 3 years at Microsoft + 20 more Years in IT and counting So the files were stripped of the numeric SID of the XP and now Administrators owns the files. Silly hoop, but I have already jumped through that one....

 

[Brink]

Hello, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you like, you could enable the built-in "elevated" Administrator account, and log on to it to have full unrestricted access.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Hello Brink,

I did read the article. I thought you were referring to something unexplored, but I am using the Built In Administrator account and UAC is turned off.

To answer

What files or folders are you unable to delete?

I am deleting the most vanilla files imaginable: pictures of cats in a directory called pics. Nothing special about it: this folder was copied from another computer that used XP. Please tell me that copied files don't need special massages to work under Windows 7. It's not as if they were Linux NFS or some bizarro file system. Vanilla XP, no compression, plain old files with all default permissions.

So...I'm ADMINISTRATOR, using the "elevated" built-in Administrator Account which is, of course, a member of Administrators, and yet Windows 7 says, "You need permission from the Administrators" to delete this file. For advanced users who never had a problem with ZERO security and just want to be able to use a computer for the most basic functions: read, write, delete - Windows 7 is a labyrinth of hoops - a real incipherable maze of carpel tunnel syndrome.

But I will say - THANK YOU MICROSOFT FOR WINDOWS. Overall - IT'S AMAZING. And I do like Windows 7 when it's not prompting me. But back to the rant: how can I beg the "Administrators" for permission to delete my own files?

If the folder was copied over to a drive formatted as NTFS, then the permissions from the XP computer will carry over with the folder and it's contents. That would be why you don't have permission since they did not originate from your PC that you are administrator of.

If the folder had been copied over to a drive formatted as FAT32 instead, then the permissions would not have been carried over and you would have had full access to them.

Normally, as logicearth posted above, you would need to take ownership of the folder and it's contents, then set permissions to "Allow" your account "Full control" of them as well before having access rights.

Personally, I find using the added "Take Ownership" context menu item from below makes it much easier to automatically do the above.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-take-ownership-shortcut.html
​

You might double check to make sure that you are the owner and have "Full control" permission of the files you are trying to delete.

 

[BanStoningWomen]

Thank you Brink and LogicEarth - It's working now and to summarize: I initially did exactly as Brink suggested: took Ownership - but it simply didn't work. When taking ownership I did notice it offered Administrator or Administrators the group. I chose the group. It didn't work immediately. I've since rebooted and now it does work. Its parent folder was HUGE, many files. But I would think propagation is done when the Take Ownership prompt indicates. Perhaps a reboot did something? (No, it wasn't a file in use type file lock, it was definitely a permissions/ownership error.) Lastly - I have many files copied from the same machine. This happens unpredictably and sporadically. Ah well. I truly am thankful for Bill Gates and his incredible contribution to tech but more importantly, thank Bill for his work in Africa.

 

[Brink]

Glad we could help, and that you got it all sorted out.

 

[Rincewindwiz]

I know this is an old post but I just want to add ,my support for BanStoningWOmen attitude to the whole security piece in Windows. It wouldn't be so bad if you could just turn it of (and accept the resujting lack of security) but you cant.

The paperwork pretends that turning off UAC makes the problem go away but it doesn't - as evidenced by the above tale of woe. This effing nanny state attitude where "MS knows better" and "it would be irresponsible not to protect you from yourself" is seriously irritating - and totally disproportionate.

In the example above, it was almost certainly possible to delete system files at will and screw up the entire Windows installation but not to be allowed to delete a harmless file (doc in my case) when one is "Lord of the Computer" is just irritating.

Us single users on a machine should be allowed complete freedom to do whatever we want on our own machines and not have to put up with all this multi-user high security stuff. What business is it of MS to try to stop us. Why is there no facility to turn it all off.

End of Rant

Is there some way I can give the administrator account I normally use the same elevated level of privilege as the hidden Administrator account? Then presumably all these irritations would go away?

 

[Rincewindwiz]

Oh B*g**r. I suppose I'll have to start a new thread.
I did all of the above; took ownership; rebooted; and I still cant copy or edit the file.
Honestly!!!

Eventually I had to use unlocker to move the file and that required a reboot - and still it failed to move the file

 

[CJ Cotter]

I have a switch which shuts off my internet. I could use the elevated Administrator account to do work on my computer with no internet, but then revert to the regular Administrator account with security prompts when my internet is switched on. This will be most useful.

 

[CJ Cotter]

Maybe Not!

Yikes! Maybe I DON'T want this! I enabled the Administrator account and logged into it. Most of the programs, tweaks, and modifications that I spent many hours doing to my computer, did not carry over to the Administrator account. My desktop looked almost like Windows 7 when I first installed it! It was like starting all over again! I was horrified.

Guess I'll put up with the annoying UAC prompts.

 

[Brink]

Hello CJ,

If you like, instead of using the built-in Administrator account and starting over with that account, you could use the tutorial below to elevate the privilege level of all administrator accounts to be the same as the built-in Administrator. This way you could continue to use your original account with it elevated.

User Account Control (UAC) - Elevate Privilege Level

 

[Rincewindwiz]

Brink,
Thanks. Potentially very helpful.
I'll try it in the next few days

 

[CJ Cotter]

OK Brink, I checked out the tutorial you recommended. I used the method of doing the setting manually in the registry. It's interesting what I found there. Not 0. Not 1. Not even 2. But 5. Five?!?! FIVE?!?! What does THAT mean? Security tighter than a prison lockdown?

 

[Brink]

5 would just be for another UAC level setting. It would be the same as using step 3 in Option Two below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/299-user-account-control-uac-change-notification-settings.html

 

[CJ Cotter]

Thank you Brink, most kindly.