If it is due to a permissions issue, a new install would have them set as they should be.
To reiterate Brink, never, ever take ownership of the C:\ drive, you may have other issues down the road.
You may want to start a thread here for better exposure to File Icons issues.
Performance & Maintenance - Windows 7 Help Forums
Well, here is the problem. I'm caught in a catch-22. If I wipe the hard drive and start all over again, I will end up right back here. I have my files backed up on a WD Passport 2TB drive. I recently had to wipe my hard drive and I restored my files from that backup. Because of the way Win7 handles file permissions, none of my backed up files were accessible to me when they were restored. It required me to first take ownership of the restored files, and then also change the permissions. On some folders, I could do the entire folder and all child objects with a couple clicks. On other folders, like the pictures folder, there was no option to do that. That left me having to do the above steps for each and every file. I'd be here for years trying to get that done.
The problem is, if I wipe the drive and start all over again, I'll be in the exact same situation as I am now. Either no access to my restored files, or I'll have to take ownership of the entire C drive in order to get permission to use my own files. The problem here is Win7 permissions. I'm getting completely screwed by them.
Is there no way to reset all Windows permissions (or at least the system files) to their defaults? I've seen other problems now. Device manager takes about 2 minutes to open. It does open eventually, but this is just a PITA. Thanks Microsoft...
I'm following the instructions here right now: How to reset all user permissions to default? - Microsoft Community
Hopefully that gets it. Even though I told it to install in the Windows/System 32 folder, it didn't. I had to find it in the SystemWow64 folder (or something like that) and move it. What a PITA, Microsoft... It's running but also reporting failures, so who knows...
The above didn't work either. No surprise. Device manager still takes forever to load, and icons are still FUBAR'd.
I guess I'm back to formatting and reinstalling everything. What good to file backups do if Win7 won't let you have access to them later after they are restored to your hard drive?
Not only do I have the above problem, but I'm stuck in an update loop too. Two windows updates run each and every time I shut my computer off. Microsoft has a LONG way to go before they have a stable product. You would think with how long they have been in business they would have figured this out by now. Not so much.
Last edited by Brink; 18 Feb 2014 at 10:58. Reason: merged
You have done something wrong somewhere, somehow.
I've done many reinstalls and copied backed up files to it from external drives, USB sticks, and CD/DVDs and have full access.
This issue isn't due to something MS has done but may lie in the way you copied to the external drive, or with the way the drive handles data. Did you by chance encrypt the external?
No encryption on the external, nor on the files when they were on my laptop. WD uses their software to automatically back up the files whenever the drive is plugged in. There is another option for retrieving the files after a system recovery. It puts the files back in the folders they were in (and creates them as necessary). None of my restored files were accessible due to permissions. This was the only way to get all my permissions set to allow me access to my files. Otherwise, I would have to do it file by file and it would take forever....
As is, I'm going to be forced to wipe and reinstall yet again. Fun.
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