Administrator Accounts Can't Change Permissions Anymore

Earthlost · 14 Apr 2023

Hey, so...

Permissions for my hard drive had everything checked as allowed (except "Full control", and "special permissions"; the latter I don't have access to change anyway), so; I clicked Full control to see if it gave me special permissions. It didn't, it did however change the icon to one with people in it.

Administrator Accounts Can't Change Permissions Anymore-drive-ico.jpg

When I tried to change the permissions back, the icon remained, even after restart.
Next I removed full control from Administrators too (wasn't sure if Authenticated had been the one I'd first changed or not).

So now... I can not change the permissions at all

How do I regain permission to change permissions; after that; how do I get the people icon off my drive and the permissions back to normal?

dalchina · 14 Apr 2023

Given your other issue, assuming same PC, and assuming you don't have a disk image to restore created when all was well, do you not consider it's time to do the unthinkable.. and clean install Win 10, and then start a regular routine of using disk imaging?

Oh, I know you won't like that answer!!

Samuria · 14 Apr 2023

Were have you done this on one folder or the whole drive?

Earthlost · 15 Apr 2023

I don't have the hard drive space for such an unthinkable thing; and it was never in a good state.

The whole drive got the permission change. I'm about to try a new user account, for permissions.

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A new administrator account was not able to edit drive permissions?! I used to be able to, that's how I made the problem.
It only shows the grey unclickable checkboxes.

It does say the owner of the drive is SYSTEM. That should be right, right?

I have to figure out how to delete all files the extra account created. It said "You don't have enough space to create a user account". A space was made, and I want it back. Is that possible? I could fill my computer with user accounts and call it art.

Samuria · 15 Apr 2023

If you have done it to the whole drive its likley nothing will run or work and the only option is a clean install of restore from backup you never make changes like that without making a backup

TairikuOkami · 15 Apr 2023

Have you tried to reset permissions?

Code:

icacls C:\* /T  /L  /Q /C /RESET
attrib /s  -h -s C:\*

Earthlost · 15 Apr 2023

I can access everything on the drive and do all the normal stuff such as creating files and editing them. It's more of an aesthetic change in terms of impact at this point. Perhaps some detail will clarify. When I test set "full control" and, then unchecked it to go back to what I thought was normal permissions, I did so by including the others listed as sub-permissions. Modify, R&E, List folder contents, Read, Write; they all got checked manually.

Somehow, putting the checkmarks exactly the way they were, did not result in the same settings returning to normal.

Administrator Accounts Can't Change Permissions Anymore-3.jpg

It's as if there are permissions included in "full control" which are not included in the visible list of permission subsections.

Try3 · 15 Apr 2023

Part of your problem is that you don't seem to know what you did to your installation before.
That icon in your first post shows that, when you thought you were changing permissions for your user account, you were actually sharing the whole drive instead.
I suggest you retrace yours steps precisely in the hope of putting things back together. That would obviate any need for a Clean Install - TenForumsTutorials and, in preparation for one, Backup and Restore Device Drivers - TenForumsTutorials

The diagrams you've just posted as I was writing this are not the digrams you saw when you set up that sharing property. Those were in the Sharing tab to the left of the Security tab.

All the best,
Denis

Earthlost · 15 Apr 2023

What is that L for symbolic links doing there? Should I do that?

Oooohh! "[/setowner <username> [/t] [/l] [/q]][/C] Changes the owner of all matching files to the specified user."

Is the second drive supposed to be owned by SYSTEM? If it is not, I might use this.

I'll use yours, while I wait, for that answer.

[/grant[:r] <sid>:<perm>[...]] Grants specified user access rights. Permissions replace previously granted explicit permissions.
Not adding the :r, means that permissions are added to any previously granted explicit permissions.

Ooooh; gritty details. I don't have the teeth for this grits.

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@Try3 That what thought! I noticed it, and thought "Why is that like that? I didn't click sharing on it. "

Maybe I did ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯ but...
I'm pretty sure I didn't.

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I haven't tried the permissions reset yet but this happened:

I did delete some windows credentials. Some user looked randomly generated and was active this month. I deleted it and now I don't have any easily readable user groups. Apparently there's a backup file for that, or; there would have been, if I had known, I could back it up.

Administrator Accounts Can't Change Permissions Anymore-4.jpg

"Keep picking away at it"

That's my motto -- for making it worse.

Try3 · 15 Apr 2023

Earthlost said:

I did delete some windows credentials. Some user looked randomly generated and was active this month. I deleted it and now I don't have any easily readable user groups.

If you have a system image from beforehand then restore it.
Otherwise,

Try3 said:

Clean Install - TenForumsTutorials and, in preparation for one, Backup and Restore Device Drivers - TenForumsTutorials

And I urge you to start making system images as soon as the Clean install has been completed.

Many people like Macrium reflect. There are TenForumsTutorials for it [see my ditty link below].
Some mention that AOMEI Backupper Standard Edition - Free is particularly easy to use.
I use Acronis TI.

my ditty - File backup vs imaging, imaging utilities, backing up drivers [post #3] - TenForums
I make a new system image every month before Patch Tuesday.
I back up my own files separately using RoboCopy scripts.

Best of luck,
Denis