Permissions/users etc. woes


  1. Posts : 89
    Win 10 Pro
       #1

    Permissions/users etc. woes


    Hello,

    Is there a way to stop Windows from trying to keep everything so damned 'secure'? Eliminate the need for permissions and file protection etc?

    I have a whole host of folders I can't access, or can only access by every time granting admin privileges. The biggest problem being that when a program wants to access a folder, it can't give those rights and just crashes. If I try to scan a page for instance, I have to store it somewhere like C:\TEMP or something because I can't store it to My Documents!

    Normally I've only been logged in as administrator, and signed into my microsoft account. However, when I try to use the MyDocuments folder, for instance, it always says I don't have the right to do that. In accounts, I have made sure even normal users have full control of all files and folders, let alone admins. I haven't even basically created any other users until as a measure to try to access my My Documents etc. folders I made a normal user (with admin rights though) but to no avail.

    If I check the properties of the MyDocuments folder - it says 'read only'. Now if I tick that off, it takes a while applying the command to all subfolders and such. Fine. The tick vanishes. Now here's the fun part - if I close the properties box, and re-open it immediately - AGAIN it has turned read-only! Seems like there is no chance to win!

    I believe this all has something to do with the fact that I have...umm..seven harddrives in my machine, and they of course have been used in older Windows installations as well etc. How else could I transfer all my old data? So what I fear is the issue is that Windows somehow gets messed up with all kinds of old permissions set to those files and all, and doesn't really know how to work them.

    Well, as a result of all that I now have several MyDocuments folders; one is on C drive and I can't access it really, but some programs apparently store info there, and then there's my main MyDocuments folder on E: drive which I keep separately for documents only, and it has been transferred all the way from back to win 95 days I suppose, of course having been transferred to new HD's every now and then.

    I really don't want to have anything on C: except Windows and the main programs I use, the drive is really small too, only 256GB (SSD) and I need a separate SSD drive for my work projects, another for video, another for documents, another for like games and such, and then there are storage drives for backups and files I use less frequently.

    But anyway...is there some kind of way that would let you kind of reset all privileges and permissions and eliminate all admin bull?

    ALL I want to be able to do is:

    - Login to windows without any passwords or such needless stuff
    - Access any and all folders as admin and NEVER get bothered with any permissions and whatnot protection
    - Login to MS account for Windows and work MS account for my office programs and mail and such

    This whole thing seems so bloody convoluted and difficult. WHY do I need to have users and everything, can't there just be one general admin for everything?

    The problem gets even more severe as this is only one machine, I have like six other machines at home, and they all need to be able to swap files between them, and I for instance stream music and play games via SteamStreaming between them all...and aaaagggghhh....it's just hell to try and keep it all accessible to all in the home network. Especially when some machines that run critical apps I don't want to be on the network except rarely, and don't want to update them or change ANYTHING on them, have them login automatically when they boot automatically etc. etc...

    But if I could at least get control of my own main machine's files and such that'd be a great start...
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 51
    Win 7
       #2

    You can go to most any folder and right click select Properties then the Security tab and Add your Username to the list and give it full rights.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 89
    Win 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Like I said, I have made sure full rights are set there for each user but even logged in as the admin I can't still access or make changes to said folders, at least without a prompt for granting access separately.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 51
    Win 7
       #4

    Ok that is because of the UAC, User Access Control, features of Windows. I turn that down to the lowest setting, Don't Ask/Don't Prompt Give Access.

    Since the My Documents and or Documents folder is inside the Users/Username folder it is treated slightly different than normal folders you might create some other place on the hard drive. Actually I have the My Documents folder on my D drive. But then I have only one user account.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 89
    Win 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #5

    UAC is off, and my documents folder is on E: drive...that one works well. The problem is that there is however also another MyDocuments on C: created by windows and although I don't use that Windows points many programs to save data there even though the My Documents folder is pointed to E:. And fails, with the 'you don't have permission to access' error. It must have something to do with old privileges inherited from previous installations and such. Namely, in the old w7 installation under this one I had not logged in as any specific user or MS account but just a local admin user and had all logins and such disabled and all permissions open, so now that I have to log in with MS account (actually two of them, one for Windows and a different one for Office 365) it for some reason treats my old account as unknown, or since I didn't have log in enabled for that, doesn't ask for any password or didn't store it during installation or whatever...it's a mess anyway. I hate having to have user accounts and all that crap...I don't see why can't there just be a generic login with no passwords and such and no restrictions, not even a need for networking really in every machine. Except home networking.

    I'm starting to think the only way to correct it will be to clean install Ten...I have had to do that on almost every machine so far, only two remain that were merely upgraded and work fine.

    It's just that I have such a lot of work in progress that require all kinds of 3rd party settings and plugins that when I do re-install clean it will be a week long project to install everything again and likely there will be great problems trying to continue the projects as some settings and such will be changed for sure.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 89
    Win 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #6

    It might also not like that I have denied Windows access to any networking I don't want it to, I block all outgoing traffic by default and most of the incoming as well and also route everything thru a VPN service.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 51
    Win 7
       #7

    You can Move the My Docs/ Docs folder by right clicking on it and selecting Properties then the Location tab. Then point it to your other My Documents folder you created on the E: drive you can then change the security settings to allow access.
      My Computer


 

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