Solved Can't delete folder - access denied (despite attempts to fix)

[coffent]

I'm trying to delete an obsolete directory. When I try to do so, I get a message "Folder access denied: You require permission from Administrators to make changes to this folder."

Based on forum advice for a similar problem that worked in the past, I did the following:

Right-click the directory and choose Properties, then Security/Advanced/Owner/Edit. Check "Replace owner on subcontainers". When I checked it and clicked OK, I got a message saying "If you have just taken ownership of this object, you will need to close and reopen this object's properties before you can view or change permissions." However when I closed & reopened Properties, the check mark was gone.

Once I was able to delete such a directory in spite of this problem, so I continued:

Right-click the directory/Properties/Edit: Give Full Control to Administrators (I gave it to Administrators and everyone else).

Right-click the directory/Properties/Security/Advanced/Change Permissions. Check Replace all child permissions with inheritable permissions from this object.

When I reopened Properties, the check I made was gone and more to the point, I still couldn't delete the directory.

What can I do? Is there any way to avoid all these senseless (to me) machinations and just get rid of the directory? Thanks for any help.

 

[Jacee]

What is the obsolete Directory?
Was it copied from a different computer?

 

[cottonball]

If you do not get this issue sorted out...

...try to Take Ownership of the folder:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-take-ownership-shortcut.html

Next, try Unlocker:
UNLOCKER 1.9.2 BY CEDRICK 'NITCH' COLLOMB
Go down on the page, to where it says: Download Unlocker 1.9.2 - 32 and 64 bit version

 

[coffent]

Thanks for the suggestions. Unlocker (which I've used on many occasions) doesn't work, as the problem isn't one of another process locking the directory. I looked at the "Take Ownership" shortcut, but was a little concerned that if one used it inadvertently to take ownership of the C: drive, one would have to reinstall Windows! I may try it as a last resort.

Regarding what the directory is - when I upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7 I left the XP operating system and some other files on an old drive in case I wanted to reboot into XP. I'm no longer going to do that and am trying to clear out files to free up space on the disk. The particular directory is called "cmdcons", and I'm not even sure what it is, other than that it contains a lot of .xx_ and .dll files. I ran into the same problem with another directory on the drive but using the procedure I described I was finally able to delete it. The procedure doesn't work for this one though.

 

[Jacee]

The CMDCONS folder in the root of the Windows system drive is the XP Recovery Console.

To delete the Recovery Console Microsoft Corporation

 

[coffent]

Thanks. I hoped the link might solve my problem, but it says to do what I'm already doing:
"6. At the root directory, delete the \Cmdcons folder."
When I click Delete, I get (as before) the message "Folder access denied. You require permission from Administrators to change this folder."

 

[Jacee]

Have you done this? http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html?filter[2]=User Accounts

 

[coffent]

I've now tried it. I successfully enabled the Built-in Elevated Administrator Account (via the Command Prompt option) & logged in as Administrator. Nevertheless, when I tried to delete Cmdcons folder I got the same "You need permission from Administrators..." message.

 

[coffent]

Forgot to ask - you have "[2]=User Accounts" in your message. I'm not sure what you mean by this. The command I used was net user administrator /active:yes. There was no number choice.

 

[Jacee]

That's just the way the address link copy/paste came out when I posted it

 

[BSeanD]

Wild stab in the dark but have you tried removing it via the command line in Safe Mode using the Administrators account?

 

[coffent]

I tried just now from the "Administrator:Command Prompt" in normal mode and got "Access is denied". I'll try again in Safe mode next time I reboot.

 

[coffent]

Safe mode command line delete didn't work either. It went through all the files saying "Delete", but at the end said "Access denied" and the directory & its files are still there.

 

[ShamrockRig]

Pulled this from one of the microsoft sites

Step 1: Take ownership of the root drive:
Method 1: Take ownership of the drive from user interface.

1. Right click on drive and select “Properties” from Context Menu.

2. Click on "Security" tab.

3. Click on “Advanced” button.

4. Now click on "Owner" tab in Advanced Security Settings for User windows.
5. Click on Edit Button and select user from given Change Owner to list if user or group is not in given list.
6. Click on other users or groups. Enter name of user/group and click ok.
7. Now select User/group and click apply and ok. Check “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects” if you have files and folder within selected folder.
8. Click ok when Windows Security Prompt is displayed.
9. Now Owner name must have changed.
10. Now click Ok to exist from Properties windows.

11. Once you have taken the ownership of file or folder next part comes is granting permissions to that file/folder or object.
If the above method doesn’t work, you could try taking ownership from the command line.
Method 2: Taking ownership of a folder from command line
Open an elevated Command Prompt window.
To do so:

1. Go to > Start > All Programs > Accessories
2. Right-click on Command Prompt, and then click Run as Administrator.
3. Type the following command and press ENTER:

takeown /f <foldername> /r /d y

4. To assign the Administrators group Full Control Permissions for the folder, use this syntax:

icacls <foldername> /grant administrators:F /T
The /T parameter is added so that the operation is carried out through all the sub-directories and files within that folder.

5. To know more information about the above commands, run these commands from a Command Prompt window.
takeown /?
icacls /?
Once you take ownership, you can grant permissions on those folders.
Step 2: How to Grant Permissions in Windows
1. Locate the drive on which you want to take ownership in windows explorer
2. Right click on drive and select “Properties” from Context Menu
3. Click on Edit button in Properties windows Click ok to confirm the prompt.
4. Select user/group from permission windows or click “add” to add other user or group.
2. Now under Permission section check the rights which you want to grant i.e check “Full
3. Control” under the “Allow” column to assign full access rights control permissions to Administrators group.
4. Click Ok for changes to take effect and click ok to exit from Properties window.
For more information, refer:

What are permissions?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/Windows7/What-are-permissions
This should help you in copying the file in System32 folder.

 

[coffent]

I'd actually tried this before (see my first post), and whenever I clicked "Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object" the check mark would disappear when I checked drive Properties again. This time - for reasons I have no idea about - it didn't disappear and instead Windows Security went through a *long* procedure of setting security information for apparently every file on the disk. When I again tried to delete the directory, I got a screen saying "Preparing to recycle" and "Calculating". This went on for several minutes, at which point I clicked "Cancel". "Canceling" went on for several more minutes until I uncovered a dialog box saying the recycle bin was corrupted. I chose to delete the recycle bin at which point the Canceling finished. Finally I used FileMenu Tools to delete the directory bypassing the recycle bin. This time it worked!

So thanks for the information. The problem is solved, though I must say I'm no more enlightened as to why it occurred than I was before.

Thanks again.

 

[ShamrockRig]

Glad to hear mate