Cannot take ownership/cannot change permissions for windows folder

[dreambled]

Hello all! All this started when I just wanted to change the way the clock looked to a custom one.

I go to the Windows Sidebar folder to locate the Gadgets folder for the clocks, and I try to make backups of a few of the files in the clocks folder by moving some of them to a new folder I created on the desktop. I cannot move them, access denied. I try taking ownership of the folder, cannot do it, access denied. I try changing the permissions, cannot do it, the boxes you can tick are grayed out. Long story short, I tried backing out of all the folders, trying to take ownership and change permissions all the way back to the Program Files folder itself to no avail. It seems if it is a default Windows folder I cannot mess with it in anyway; this also seems to be the case with my McAfee folder, but something that is less of a risk to change, like my Zune folder, I can change around no problem.

Quick rundown, I am using W7 Ultimate edition, this is my only account for the computer, and it is an admin account. I have tried using several different "Take Ownership" downloads, including the one suggested on this site, but it does not work for the Window folders. "Take Ownership" won't even show up if I right-click on the folder. I know the Take Ownership mod is installed correctly, because it will popup for something that is not a default folder, like my Zune folder.

Hopefully someone will be able to help me out, it's resulted in having a very frustrating day.

Looking forward to a response, please let me know if you need any more information.

 

[kegobeer]

Are you trying to move or copy these files? Exactly what directory are you in?

 

[dreambled]

Move. Copying works fine, but the clock I am replacing it with uses the same name (cronometer). Changing the name of the custom clock does not work. But since all this mess happened because of me not having permission, I consider that to be my primary issue now, the clock issue I cannot care less about.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Live Linux CD?

Make sure you create a backup image of your partition.
Messing around with permissions and ownership can cause all sorts of problems if it goes wrong.

Do you have access to a Live Linux CD (e.g. Ubuntu)?

If so you can simply rename, copy, etc. to your "heart's content" and your Windows permissions won't get screwed up.

 

[WebMattR]

Can I propose we attack this from a different angle? I think focusing on the clock aspect is better than taking a hacksaw to permissions and ownership. If memory serves, you can't take control of the Windows folder for good reason.

Why do you need to remove the current clock, rather than simply over-writing it with the custom one you want to use? Also, why can't you rename it? That seems like the simplest solution, quite honestly.

 

[Layback Bear]

I agree with WebMattR. I like to start with basics. Run sfc /scannow from the cmd prompt/admin to make sure Windows system files are working properly. Doing this can't hurt and might help. Let us know what the sfc finds.