"Take Ownership" of files not working

[ThereWillBeAWay]

Hey all, I have been wracking my brain trying to find a way to fix this issue.

Backstory: (2010)
My computers hard drive (herein referred to as driveA) filled up and I installed a second drive (herein referred to as driveB) to hold all my files. Simple. Next, I updated my windows from XP to 7 Home Premium 32bit. This is where I think the trouble begins. I installed Windows 7 on driveA and let it keep a Windows.old folder to keep all my old things. Install went swimmingly and I was happy as a clam. I could operate any file any time from any location no worries.

Fast Forward: (present day)
I can't open well over half of my files. The vast majority being pictures. I am talking thousands. Every picture I have taken from 2007-2010 and every picture saved from the internet along with music and videos.

I have tried going through folders and individual files properties and changing permissions. I am the only user and I am the administrator but I have checked every box Allow just the same. I still cannot access my files. I don't know when this happened, or why, or how. I just know that I would sure love to have all of my wedding photos, family albums, etc.

I have also tried using the registry "take ownership" tweak and the same results. Nothing changes. I have changed them all, restarted, and they still will not open. Can't see a thumbnail and no program can open it. The permissions stay saved as 'allow - all'

Help me sevenforums, you're my only hope.

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

Could really use some help here, folks. Anything would be appreciated

 

[oneextraid]

Locate one of the files that has this problem and right click mouse on it and look at the properties. Select the Security tab and post what it shows.

 

[indianacarnie]

Did this happen overnight say? Or did it gradually accumulate? Have you installed any new programs lately? Have you tried a system restore to before when this started?

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

Locate one of the files that has this problem and right click mouse on it and look at the properties. Select the Security tab and post what it shows.

You got it. Thanks for the response

Did this happen overnight say? Or did it gradually accumulate? Have you installed any new programs lately? Have you tried a system restore to before when this started?

I have no idea. I'd like to say overnight but I do not know. A couple months ago I had no issues. This is my "spare" computer. I use it for storage and such. I use my other desktop for banking and what not. Totally secure and I don't do anything on it other than business and such.

Hope these images help out.
Pictures by therewillbeaway - Photobucket

 

[indianacarnie]

Have you tried associating them with another viewer? VLC say? Have you tried the system restore to an earlier time?

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

Have you tried associating them with another viewer? VLC say? Have you tried the system restore to an earlier time?

Not to sure what you mean there. I'm the only user for the computer. I have not tried VLC, but I have with paint, IE, firefox, the list kinda goes on

Tried restore to a few months ago, no luck.

 

[indianacarnie]

Meant making a different program the "default" opener. Have you tried a sfc /scannow? Or the microsoft fixit center?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/139810-sfc-scannow-run-command-prompt-boot.html

Microsoft Fix it Solution Center: troubleshooting software issues

 

[indianacarnie]

Just an afterthought..... have you ran any malware detection? Malwarebytes , your A/V etc.?

 

[indianacarnie]

File Association Fixer: Fix File Associations in Windows 7

You can try this also..... forgot it earlier. Have used myself.

 

[oneextraid]

When you try to open the files with a program like paint, what error message to you receive?

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

Meant making a different program the "default" opener. Have you tried a sfc /scannow? Or the microsoft fixit center?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/139810-sfc-scannow-run-command-prompt-boot.html

Microsoft Fix it Solution Center: troubleshooting software issues

Yes on the first one. Nothing changed. Microsoft says I'm good to go.

Just an afterthought..... have you ran any malware detection? Malwarebytes , your A/V etc.?

Have Norton and it's all clean. Sorry took so long, ran a full system scan. Just some tracking cookies.

File Association Fixer: Fix File Associations in Windows 7

You can try this also..... forgot it earlier. Have used myself.

Checking that out now, thank you

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

When you try to open the files with a program like paint, what error message to you receive?

Sigh. Thanks for the interest

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

Think I might have something... Just did yet another restart and now suddenly my windows is not genuine. Well how about that. Could this be the culprit? If so, why is it just now telling me this? facepalm.jpeg

 

[logicearth]

Alright, this is easy. Go to the root of the drive, right-click the folder the images are in. Go to Security tab, click the "Advance" button. Then "Owner" tab > "Edit" > Select you name in the large box > check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" > Ok.

Next go to "Permissions" tab > "Change Permissions" > Remove every single entry by selecting and clicking "Remove" > after that click "Add" > type "Everyone" in the box hit OK > selected the first checkbox after "Full control" under the "Allow" column > Ok > check "Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object" > Ok.

You should now be able to access all the files. The permissions currently set on the files is from a previous installation, that "Unknown Account" is normally what tells us that.

Note, in order to remove entries you might have to uncheck "Include inheritable permissions from this object's parent"

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

Alright, this is easy. Go to the root of the drive, right-click the folder the images are in. Go to Security tab, click the "Advance" button. Then "Owner" tab > "Edit" > Select you name in the large box > check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" > Ok.

Next go to "Permissions" tab > "Change Permissions" > Remove every single entry by selecting and clicking "Remove" > after that click "Add" > type "Everyone" in the box hit OK > selected the first checkbox after "Full control" under the "Allow" column > Ok > check "Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object" > Ok.

You should now be able to access all the files. The permissions currently set on the files is from a previous installation, that "Unknown Account" is normally what tells us that.

Note, in order to remove entries you might have to uncheck "Include inheritable permissions from this object's parent"

Well, I did all of this, and nothing. Same issues. Computer Issues pictures by therewillbeaway - Photobucket

If I cannot do anything about this, I have a 2tb external drive. Is there anyway I can copy everything over to it? At this point I cannot copy or move any of the denied files. So, is there a program I could run to allow me to move them anyway?

Both hard drives combined do not have over 1TB for sure. They are 250 and 500GB respectively. Thanks in advance again for your hard work.

 

[logicearth]

I see the problem now. The files are encrypted (the file names are green)! And without the previous installation of Windows or if you did not make a recovery key, the files are lost. I should have looked closer at the images...but decryption without the key is impossible.

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

I see the problem now. The files are encrypted (the file names are green)! And without the previous installation of Windows or if you did not make a recovery key, the files are lost. I should have looked closer at the images...but decryption without the key is impossible.

Well hell. All I did was get a new harddrive, copied all the files into the new drive (in case of loss), then installed windows 7 on the old drive.

How did they get encrypted?! Lost you say? This makes me want to Hulk Smash

OK, well, I have the "Windows.old" folder, which at least contains a portion of what I want recovered. They are all greentext too.

Any chance I can do anything about this?

 

[ThereWillBeAWay]

After doing a quick peek... Windows 7 Home Premium cannot do anything with encryption. Somehow (really have no idea) over half of my files became encrypted before I upgraded, thus getting me stuck in this mess... Since this copy is now no longer valid (rustling my jimmies) can I upgrade (or downgrade) to a version of Windows that WILL allow this and simply decrypt them?

 

[flashback99]

I have a livecd which works in PE environment(live win cd better to say), there is a program called erd commander and it has the option to reset permissions in Ntfs file system.

i have never tried to use that option myself but it may be of help.


Here are the links about it :

ERD Commander 2005 to USB : Tutorials

Free Download ERD Commander 2005 - 2007 for Windows XP

Create an ERD Commander Bootable USB Flash Drive / Memory Key


Free Download ERD Commander 2005 - 2007 for Windows XP