Why not recognized as an Administrator for file deletion?

My Windows 10 Pro v1909 (18363.657) PC created a memory dump file as the result of a BSoD. After rebooting, File Explorer showed a blank for its owner. I TAKEOWNed the file so my personal account was the owner and also ICACLS /reset its access list. Its only attribute was/is the one for "A"rchiving.

My personal account, which I was using, is an administrator. Its UAC setting is "Never notify."

Can anyone tell me why Windows 10 asks me to supply administrator permission to delete this file? That is, what did I miss in trying to convert this file to be just like any other personal file I might create? (I am unaware of any differences.) Is there some group policy I need to change so that Windows will actually recognize that I match being an "Administrator" for the purpose of deleting the file?

The access list for the file when I try to delete it is:
Authenticated Users (Modify, Read & Execute, Read, Write)
SYSTEM (Full control and all the rest except Special permissions)
Administrators (MyPCName\Administrators) (Full control and all the rest except Special permissions)
Users (MyPCName\Users) (Read & Execute, Read)

My account has all of the effective access attributes (File properties -> Security tab -> Advanced -> Effective Access tab).

Any file owned by system is above admin and protected as all system files are so you can't mess up the system

The file owner is not SYSTEM. It is my personal account.

GregJ7 said:

The file owner is not SYSTEM. It is my personal account.

The folder it's in would be owned by System, it's probably for the modifying that folder (deleting one of its contained files) that you are being asked to use your admin rights.

You stated SYSTEM (Full control and all the rest except Special permissions)

This snapshot of the root directory and the subdirectories involved should make my situation more clear. My login owns everything. The security access list is the same for C:\, C:\TEMP, C:\TEMP\Debug Info, and the file itself. Administrators have Full Control for all of them. It can't be a bug in Windows, so I am trying to find out what I don't know: what invisible thing about the file is File Explorer seeing that makes it demand confirmation of Administrative permission? It looks the same to me as any other boring file. I changed the extension to .txt and it still asks for Administrative permission. I don't get this prompt when I delete any average file.

The problem is probably that File Explorer itself runs as standard user by default. If you try to delete the file form an elevated command prompt there should be no problem:

del file

You can make the following test:

1. Open elevated command prompt:

2. taskkill /im explorer.exe

3. explorer.exe

* Now explorer runs as admin, try to delete file using File Explorer


The fact that c:\temp is not the default user temp folder may also have something to do with it. Usually it's something like: C:\Users\Ricardo\AppData\Local\Temp

Good idea, but it didn't work. I also tried to get a File Explorer running with Administrative privileges every way I could think of. In all cases, the Task Manager -> Details showed the process with Elevated=no. At this point, I suspect a group policy setting is being annoying, since I can't think of anything else. I familiar with hardly any if the group policy settings available.

What about your user rights inside this c:\temp folder?