My Pictures and Permissions Issue

I've just done a total re-install, as in, reformat then re-install.

On my 2nd HDD I keep Phils Docs, Phils Toons, Phils Vids and Phils Pics. After the reinstall I changed the default locations as usual to point to the above paths/folders.

When searching through the Phils Pics folder all I could see was the default system icon so I checked to make sure I had "Show thumbnails instead of icons" under Properties/Performance Options ticked (I had) and that "always show icons, never thumbnails" under Folder Options/View was unticked (it was).

As soon as I took ownership of a couple of the files, I could see the thumbnail instead of the icon so I tried to open them in Photoshop only to be told by PS they couldn't be opened, they may be "read only" (they weren't).

I went back to the folder and tried to re-name one or two of them only to be told I needed permission off the Owner/Administrator/Phil Eus to modify the files.

Well it's the same old story, I AM PHIL EUS (not Claudius!!) and I AM an Administrator.

QUOTE:-
"" Tip
After you have taking ownership of the item, you may still need to Allow your user account Full Control of the item before you will have full permission to access it to be able to modify or delete it. Take Ownership of file - Vista Forums ""
END QUOTE.

The folders name has always been Phils Pics, the HDD has always been P:\ so the "path" has always been the same. Phils Docs, Phils Toons & Phils Vids (mainly GIF's) were not affected but everything in Phils Pics:- AI, PS, PSD, PDF, EPS, BMP, PNG and GIF(!!) formats, was. I solved the issue by taking ownership of the folder and granting myself full permissions but I'd really like to know why this happened.

This has never happened on previous installs (and hope it doesn't again, wasted a couple of hours), whether a totally new set-up or a repair/upgrade. Confused?? I AM!!

Although you've kept the same names during your reinstall the accounts are still different from before.

The permissions you had previously were for a different Administrator account.

What you would want to do is to take ownership of the directory and subdirectories and files and then reconfigure the permissions to whatever you want them to be.

Note if you selected the option to encrypt the files you're pretty much screwed (altough a maven might still have a solution for that)

Doing the Take Ownership operation can be simplified by usage of this tool:
Add "Take Ownership" to Explorer Right-Click Menu in Win 7 or Vista - How-To Geek

Note that in the future, when you set up a new OS to replace an old one, use the "Windows Easy Transfer" tool to direct transfer your account from an older machine to a newer one. Or to backup yor account for restore on the newer one when you reinstall and it will then be the exact account as on the old machine and you won't ever have to go through this again.

But yes, after taking ownership of all the files in all the folders, you may then need to check the permissions and give your account full permission, then apply to all files and subfolders in your photos folders.

JamesR404 said:

Although you've kept the same names during your reinstall the accounts are still different from before.

The permissions you had previously were for a different Administrator account.

What you would want to do is to take ownership of the directory and subdirectories and files and then reconfigure the permissions to whatever you want them to be.

Note if you selected the option to encrypt the files you're pretty much screwed (altough a maven might still have a solution for that)

Doing the Take Ownership operation can be simplified by usage of this tool:
Add "Take Ownership" to Explorer Right-Click Menu in Win 7 or Vista - How-To Geek

We have a nice tool here Take Ownership Shortcut

Good advice fseal.

Fseal! There is a useful purpose to the Windows Easy Transfer tool?! I always dismissed it as being annoying. Thanks for sharing =]

Haha yes I generally know how to transfer al lthe verious settings for mail and games IE and all that myself, having done it that way in the past. But the honest to ghod transfer of your actual account and your user ID and bitlocker keys, etc. it worth using. Plus you can just check a few boxes and it'll transfer all your mail and ie and games setteings and such along with it so I've gotten used to using it lately :) It's damn slow but in the end rather painless