Permission...

[Doctor180185]

I have three external hard drives and I am trying to transfer files and folders from one to the other.
But some of the folders won't transfer. Instead, I get a message saying "FILE ACCESS DENIED, YOU NEED PERMISSION TO PERFORM THIS ACTION. YOU REQUIRE PERMISSION FROM THE COMPUTER'S ADMINISTRATOR TO MAKE CHANGES TO THIS FILE".

I have no idea how this works and I need help. How to I transfer these files and how do I delete folders and files that need permission? How do I get permission?

 

[Dzomlija]

I have three external hard drives and I am trying to transfer files and folders from one to the other.
But some of the folders won't transfer. Instead, I get a message saying "FILE ACCESS DENIED, YOU NEED PERMISSION TO PERFORM THIS ACTION. YOU REQUIRE PERMISSION FROM THE COMPUTER'S ADMINISTRATOR TO MAKE CHANGES TO THIS FILE".

I have no idea how this works and I need help. How to I transfer these files and how do I delete folders and files that need permission? How do I get permission?

Try this:

Take Ownership Shortcut

 

[Doctor180185]

That's a start. But what does this permission stuff actually mean? I don't get it. Permission from whom?

 

[Dzomlija]

That's a start. But what does this permission stuff actually mean? I don't get it. Permission from whom?

Permissions are there to help protect your computer from malware, and ...

...wait for it...

Yourself!

They generally prevent you from doing things that could be potentially disastrous to the PC.

The question remains though: Are you getting these messages copying files from a hard drive that comes from or was formatted on another machine, or are you trying to copy files from you hard disk?

Which files/folder are you trying to copy anyway?

You might want to have a look at this Microsoft article:File and Folder Permissions

 

[Doctor180185]

Yes, I am trying to move files from a hard drive that was originally the main drive on a previous machine - I have three - I call them "TOM, DICK & HARRY".

TOM is a SATA drive which was taken out of my previous machine and put into an INTERGRAL external hard drive.

I am trying to move files from TOM to DICK so that I can use TOM for more storage. TOM, being a SATA drive I guess, is faster than DICK and HARRY, which is why I want to put more onto TOM.

I hope I'm being clear. I understand it can be confusing - even for me!

 

[Dzomlija]

Yes, I am trying to move files from a hard drive that was originally the main drive on a previous machine - I have three - I call them "TOM, DICK & HARRY".

TOM is a SATA drive which was taken out of my previous machine and put into an INTERGRAL external hard drive.

I am trying to move files from TOM to DICK so that I can use TOM for more storage. TOM, being a SATA drive I guess, is faster than DICK and HARRY, which is why I want to put more onto TOM.

I hope I'm being clear. I understand it can be confusing - even for me!

Hey, I've been does this for longer than I care to remember. I will admit though that my first encouinter with this whole permissions thing (back in 2001, when I started using Windows XP) got to me too. But just like everthing else, just give yourself time to learn how.

Which reminds me also that I should have given you this link aswell: Permissions - Allow or Deny Users and Groups. Once you;ve given yourself Ownership, you can add yourself to the permissions list with full access if you wanted...

 

[Doctor180185]

But is it safe?

I've read about people changing permission settings and so on and finding that it can cause problems.

All I'm trying to do is get folders and files from on drive to another - it's a simple task. If I use this Take Ownership Shortcut, will my computer be safe?

 

[Dzomlija]

But is it safe?

I've read about people changing permission settings and so on and finding that it can cause problems.

All I'm trying to do is get folders and files from on drive to another - it's a simple task. If I use this Take Ownership Shortcut, will my computer be safe?

Been there. Done that. Earned the noddy badge.

That's actually why a usually prefer to discourage messing with permissions in the first place. I don't mean to alarm you you anything, but in the wrongs hands, messing with the permissions can create more problems than what you're to solve.

But as long as all you do is ADD yourself to the permissions list, and leave everything else alone, then you should be fine.

 

[Doctor180185]

Imagine you're talking to a total amateur - because you are...

"But as long as all you do is ADD yourself to the permissions list, and leave everything else alone, then you should be fine."

What does that mean?

 

[Dzomlija]

Imagine you're talking to a total amateur - because you are...

"But as long as all you do is ADD yourself to the permissions list, and leave everything else alone, then you should be fine."

What does that mean?

When you go in editing permissions, you'll see such items as "Authenticated Users", "SYSTEM", "Administrators", "Users", etc. You may even see some "Unknown User" items too in your case. What I meant is that you should leave those alone, because YOU DID NOT ADD THEM TO THE LIST - WINDOWS DID. Only edit those permissions for those users that you have added manually as shown in the tutorial.

In other words, only edit permissions for your own username.

For example, here is a screenshot showing the security properties of a folder on my computer "Disk Images":


In the following screenshot, I followed the tutorial to add myself to the permissions list:


Once I've added myself, I'm safe to select me in the list, click edit, and select the "Full Control" option:




Off Topic:
Think of learning how to use a computer like climbing a ladder. I'm a little further up than you, but given enough time, you'll get to the top also.