Access Denied to Documents and settings

  • Thread starter Thread starter hotjennybuende
  • Start date Start date
Hi,

I am trying to access the Documents and settings folder in C:\ but i get an
access denied message.

I have turned off the Account Control in the User Accounts in the control
panel but i still get that message.How do i turn that access restriction
OFF?

thanks
 
The user profiles are stored in C:\Users. C:\Documents and Settings is not a
true folder but a junction pointing to C:\Users for program compatibility.

As an aside you missing out on the enhanced security by turning off uac. You
can do everything you could do with XP while uac is turned on. You just have
to do it a little differently.
 
Documents and Settings is now just a link to C:\Users. It doesn't really
"exist". Use C:\Users\Username and you shouldn't get the access denied
message. It was just there for program compatibility.

Dustin Harper
(e-mail address removed)
http://www.vistarip.com
 
See, this is one of those fubar things Microsoft did and as a developer I
simply have to call them on it. First of all, I applaud the move to \Users
for the user related documents. This makes Vista look much more like many
versions of Unix (including OS X) and it is a step in the right direction.

The thing I have problems with is how MS has never really grasped the
concept of file links. Oh sure, you can have shortcuts, but these are only a
bit like a full scaled link in the File system. The new 'Documents and
Settings' fiasco is a major case in point. Why was this not implemented as a
file system link? If users (who have been trained for years now that
"Documents and Settings" is where their personal files are stored) click on
this thing, they get a rude message that says they are stupid. The thing that
Microsoft should do is simply open the Users folder whenever "Documents and
Settings" is clicked. The fact that they didn't implement it this way is
clear evidence that they didn't do much testing of the User Experience, and
they don't really understand what a file system link is for.
 
There is a way. Don't tell the operating system to "show protected operating
system files". It really is your fault that you are seeing that because you
went out of your way to tell it to show those files. If it is there, I want
to see it if I choose to do so, as implemented.

--
/* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Robert Firth *
* Windows Vista x86 RTM *
* http://www.WinVistaInfo.org *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * */
 
Documents and Settings is a link, not a shortcut.

The reason access is denied when attempting to do a folder list on it is to
prevent applications from misbehaving, not for any technical reasons.

Some Windows apps simply could not handle seeing the exact same files in two
different folders, let alone infinite recursion.

However, I do agree with you that Windows Explorer should handle these
correctly by moving to the new location. It was a very BAD idea to have them
throw access denied. Even though that is technically the correct behavior.


--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/
 
I am having similar "Access Denied" problems - and have not seen a proper
solution.

I have done a clean install of Vista on a brand new HD, then connected my
old (XP) C drive via USB port to copy my old data files. Initially Vista
complains that I do not own the files on the old drive so I cannot browse the
folders. I solve that by taking ownership of the old drive and subfolders.
BUT... then, if I try to Copy and Paste folders from my old C drive onto my
new Vista C drive I get the "Destination folder access denied" problem. Yet
I can create folders and files in my "Documents" folder on the new Vista
drive without problems.

Please help!
 
Hello

We have the same problem, trying to copy files from a shared directory
on XP, and paste it on the desktop (or any folder) on the Vista
machine. But, the fact is, that some files can be pasted while others
can't. We think that this can be related to the file extension, by
changing the extension of a file that could be pasted in the extension
of one that can't, the file can't be pasted anymore (even by changing
the extension to the original one).
It's just an observation and we don't understand why at all.

More test :
We also tried to use the Audit system of VISTA or XP, and we didn't
manage to obtain a failure event on both sides.

Does someone experienced the same problem ?

Thanks
 
Back
Top