Cannot access Windows.old folder

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Installed Vista Business last night. This was a clean install from XP pro.
The install went flawlessly and I am having a ball checking out all the new
features. One problem - I have a bunch of programs that were moved into the
windows.old folder that I still want to have access too. Everytime I try to
run a program from this folder, or move it into another folder, I get an
error saying

"Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have
the appropriate permissions to access the item"

I have gone into the folder properties/securities and given myself
permission. I also took ownership of the files and folder. I am the only user
on this PC and I do have administrator rights. Still, I get the same error
message when trying to do anything with these files. Anyone have any
suggestions?
 
Josh:
You have to re-install your programs in Vista for them to function since
you did a clean installation. After you re-install the programs you should
be able to open your data files.
 
You have the right idea, Josh, but it's the way you're giving yourself
permission I suspect. Try going to the security tab, and either doing it
from the add button or the advanced button. If all else fails, you can type
in the word users as the object name and then after you get the .old folder
open, I'd go back and take the users privileges away (before all you
UACanistas jump in and say it's not a good idea. I'm recommending to give
users permission for the amount of time you need to get the folder open.

If this doesn't work try the same from Windows explorer in Safe Mode.

CH
 
Hello,

- What specific folder is giving you problems?

- Can you run the following command in an elevated command prompt, and then
report back the output:

1) Open an elevated command prompt (right-click command prompt, click Run As
Administrator)
2) change the directory to the folder that contains the file that is having
problems (e.g. "cd windows.old\program files\program folder")
3) Type the following command and press enter:

icacls program.exe

Where program.exe is the program that won't run.

If you get an access denied error, execute this command, and then try again:

takeown /F program.exe /A



--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/
 
Windows.old is to do with your old winxp installation. You need to delete
that and re install your progs. If you wanted to keep your progs you should
have done an upgrade.


Ken
 
Thanks for the advice.

Jimmy, it is not one program that I am trying to work with, it is a bunch. I
am trying to salvage most of the programs on the program files folder, that
is under the windows.old directory. I ran the command you gave me, from an
elevated commnad prompt, on the entire directory. I'm not sure if that will
tell you anything, but here is the output:

F:\Windows.old>icacls f:\windows.old
f:\windows.old NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users:(OI)(CI)(F)
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(OI)(CI)(F)
NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE:(OI)(CI)(F)
NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE:(OI)(CI)(RX)
BUILTIN\Administrators:(OI)(CI)(F)
BUILTIN\Users:(OI)(CI)(F)
BUILTIN\Administrators:(I)(F)
BUILTIN\Administrators:(I)(OI)(CI)(IO)(F)
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(I)(F)
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(I)(OI)(CI)(IO)(F)
BUILTIN\Users:(I)(OI)(CI)(RX)
NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users:(I)(M)
NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users:(I)(OI)(CI)(IO)(M)

Successfully processed 1 files; Failed processing 0 files

F:\Windows.old>
 
Thanks for that output,

However, I am interested in seeing the output of that command on a specific
file that is denying you access :)... just pick any one file, try to
open/execute, rename, copy, etc that file and verify you are denied access,
then run icacls against it and report back the output.

- JB
 
Here it is, Jimmy.

f:\Windows.old\Program Files\Mirabelle>icacls GameClient.exe
GameClient.exe: Access is denied.
Successfully processed 0 files; Failed processing 1 files

f:\Windows.old\Program Files\Mirabelle>
 
Sorry.. here is result of the takeown command:

f:\Windows.old\Program Files\Mirabelle>takeown/F GameClient.exe /A

SUCCESS: The file (or folder): "f:\Windows.old\Program
Files\Mirabelle\GameClien
t.exe" now owned by the administrators group.

f:\Windows.old\Program Files\Mirabelle>

I still get the same error when I try to run the program :(
 
Ok, now that you have ownership of the file, you should be able to run the
icacls command again and have it say something besides access denied.

- JB
 
f:\Windows.old\Program Files\Mirabelle>icacls GameClient.exe
GameClient.exe No permissions are set. All users have full control.
Successfully processed 1 files; Failed processing 0 files

f:\Windows.old\Program Files\Mirabelle>

Still won't let me do anything with the file :(
 
LOL "No permissions are set. All users have full control" - wrong. Looks
like you found a minor bug in the icacls tool - when no permissions are set,
all users have no access, not full control.

Looks like the permissions on those files got messed up somehow durring the
installation process.

Executing these commands should give you access to the files:

cd f:\windows.old\program files

takeown /F . /A /R /D Y > NUL

icacls . /grant System:(CI)(OI)(IO)(F) /grant
Administrators:(CI)(OI)(IO)(F) /grant Users:(CI)(OI)(IO)(RX) /grant
System:(F) /grant Administrators:(F) /grant Users:(RX) /T /L /Q

This will allow you to get at the files inside those folders. You should
follow the advice of another poster and re-install the applications in
Windows Vista, as most of them won't work just by running them from
Windows.old.

--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/
 
Jimmy:
I may be wrong but the programs in the Windows.old folder can't be
started or run. The Windows.old folder is for access to data that was on the
original hard drive or partition.
 
Jimmy, thanks so much for your time. I'm getting an error when entering the
first command line you gave me, and I am sure it is because I am screwing up
the spacing or something.

"invalid argument/option - 'y' "

I'll start on this again tomorrow, and as you suggest, will most likely
reinstall the programs that I still have.
 
You are correct; the windows.old folder contains reminants of the previous
windows installation. Running a program inside of windows.old will have
about as much success as running a program installed on another computer.

However, I believe these files should still be accessible. As it stands, no
entity, not even the system, can access the OP's files ... this doesn't seem
correct.

- JB
 
IT WORKED! Thanks, Jimmy. I'm only moving a few programs over to the new
program files directory. The few I have moved over need permissions changed
again, but after that they work fine!
 
You're welcome :).

Again, I feel like I should point out that moving a program from an old
program files folder (whether it be from an obsoleted installation of
windows or from another computer) to the new one will usually not work... it
will probably fail completely or fail in unexpected ways ... and regardless
of the success, it is a bad idea, assuming you still have the installation
media for the program you should use it and not try to take what may appear
as the easy way out (tho not in this case ;).

The process of "installing" an application onto windows is much more complex
than simply throwing some files into the program files folder; it also
involves numerous registry settings, even for a program that does not use
the registry itself.

Plus, programs may choose to install differently based on the version of
Windows you have or what other programs are installed.

However, I think it is important that there be some way to access all of the
files in your windows.old folder for you to do with as you please, whether
it is a good idea or not.


--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/
 
I've tried to do exactly what Jimmy has underscored as problematic. I did
it with every XP program I had (you don't want to know how many that I had
loaded onto XP) when I was first making space on one box to give Vista its
own partition. I would say all my programs run well to this date, except
for approximately 12 of them, and I had to reinstall those. The most
significant of them was Office, and I can't remember what the rest were.
I'm sure your milage may vary, and I wanted to get it done quickly if it
would work, but the lesson I took from this was exactly as Jimmy says. For
whatever specific reasons, it is not a good idea, and anytime I have to do a
similar thing, I'll use the installation media to reinstall it if I have it.

No doubt the registry settings are a major reason for this, and I imagine
when programs have multiple files or folders they don't copy and move well
either.

Jimmy makes the point about concommitant programs and the version of
Windows, and no doubt those are factors.

Well said Jimmy. I'm surprised at the programs that did move well now (and
it wasn't from one OS to another, it was from XP on one drive to another).

CH
 
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