It seems like you're encountering a complex issue with file access and permissions on your Windows 7 systems. The symptoms you described, such as being unable to save files due to permissions errors, not being able to take ownership of files, inability to change folder attributes like "read-only," and files not deleting until a restart, indicate a possible system-level problem. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve these issues on your Windows 7 systems: 1.
Check User Account Control (UAC) Settings: - Ensure that the User Account Control settings are not too restrictive. You can adjust this in Control Panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control settings. 2.
Run as Administrator: - Try running applications like Photoshop and Command Prompt as an administrator by right-clicking on them and selecting "Run as administrator." 3.
Reset File and Folder Permissions: - Use the command prompt to reset permissions for your user account on the problematic files and folders. Use the following commands:
Code:
takeown /f "C:\path\to\file" cacls "C:\path\to\file" /G username:F
4.
Check Disk for Errors: - Run a disk check to ensure there are no underlying disk errors causing these permission issues. You can do this by right-clicking on the drive in File Explorer, selecting Properties, going to the Tools tab, and clicking on "Check now" under Error-checking. 5.
Check for Malware: - Although you have McAfee installed, perform a full system scan to check for any malware that might be affecting file permissions. 6.
Temporarily Disable McAfee: - Temporarily disable McAfee to see if it is causing any interference with file access. Sometimes security software can conflict with file operations. 7.
Check for Windows Updates: - Ensure that your system is up to date with the latest Windows updates. Some updates can address permissions-related issues. 8.
Create a New User Account: - As a troubleshooting step, create a new user account with administrative privileges and see if the issue persists there. This can help isolate if the problem is user-specific. 9.
Backup Important Data: - As a precaution, make sure to back up any important files in case further troubleshooting causes data loss. 10.
Consider Upgrading Windows: - Windows 7 reached its end of support in January 2020. Consider upgrading to a newer version of Windows for better security and ongoing support. Given the complexity of the issue, it might require a combination of these steps to diagnose and resolve the problem. If none of these steps work, there might be underlying system corruption that could require more in-depth troubleshooting.