File access rights were altered following a system reboot.
File access rights were altered following a system reboot.
I faced some issues after a previous update on my Windows 10 system. To fix things, I performed a complete reinstall while preserving most of my files. However, now another complication has appeared... On certain areas of my PC—especially other internal drives—I encounter a warning when trying to move, rename, or delete files. The message insists I need admin rights, which I can’t provide. When I press continue, it shows an access denied error, pointing to either an old local account (ALBA\MohawkADE) or an unknown one (S-1-5-21-4009105186-2181681972-3483528481-1001). My current account is linked to my Microsoft account and differs from the old one. Any new files added to these folders follow the same restriction. So far, I’ve tried: adjusting security settings to gain full control, using safe mode to copy files into a new folder and delete old ones, creating a local account with the same name as the old one, enabling an administrator account, copying everything to another drive, and even taking ownership of files with advanced settings. Still, Windows keeps asking for permission each time. In safe mode, I can move, rename, or delete files without rebooting, but I’m not comfortable doing that often. Anyone have solutions?
Add this option to the context menu for files and folders you wish to access, move, or manage.
Just tested it, didn't succeed... quite strange. Noticing that most folders next to the one I'm struggling with (and their contents) work perfectly, all with identical permission settings. Do you have any suggestions? Also updated the main post with extra steps I've followed. One peculiar point is that I can still copy the problematic files elsewhere—they can be moved, renamed, or deleted without entering safe mode. When I learned about this, I tried a drastic approach: backing up all data from the HDD containing the files, reformatting the drive, and restoring the old data back to its original spot. The restored files keep the same issue, while the copies don't. Also, it appears the problem is focused on a folder I use for pictures and select files on my desktop. Changing that location's default doesn't seem to fix it. I'm hoping these details might help some Windows experts.
Use a command line utility to restore file permissions. Follow these steps:
1. Place the batch file in the System32 folder.
2. Launch Command Prompt as Administrator.
3. Execute the command: `take /d %userprofile% %userprofile%` (without quotes).
The tools involved are "takeown" and "icacls".
I discovered an alternative approach! They recommended copying the old files to a FAT32 drive since it doesn’t keep permission info, then restoring them after rebooting. After that, I changed the folder name to "temporary pictures" on the flash drive. When I copied it back, it switched back to "TEMP PIX." That’s quite unusual. Looking into my registry, I searched for various folder names like "temporary pictures" and "TEMP PIX," finding them all under a protection setting for AVG files. I updated the registry entry to remove those names, making the files editable and deletable. Thanks for your help!