Windows 8 Command Prompt & Commands, PRO? Windows 8

MARNster

MARNster

Member
I was trying to implement a suggestion from a forum and was unable to find Accessories or Command Prompt. Did a search and found the executable file in System 32. Got into command or dos mode.... and kept getting error messages that the commands were not recognized. Then it seemed to tell me to upgrade to something Pro.

Then I typed in "help" as a command and it listed commands. I tried to export that list into a text file. It wouldn't do that, either. What's up? Do I need special permissions? I am the pc administrator/owner.
 
Could you have been asked to use an "elevated" prompt? The standard command prompt doesn't have admin rights, that requires an "elevated" or admin command prompt.

If you right-click on the windows logo in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen you should be able to select "Command Prompt" or "Command Prompt (Admin)".

When you ran the executable file from within the system32 folder, you could right-click on it and select "Run as admin".
 
strollin said:
Could you have been asked to use an "elevated" prompt? The standard command prompt doesn't have admin rights, that requires an "elevated" or admin command prompt.

If you right-click on the windows logo in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen you should be able to select "Command Prompt" or "Command Prompt (Admin)".

When you ran the executable file from within the system32 folder, you could right-click on it and select "Run as admin".
Click to expand...

LATER REPLY new problem encountered. A video instructed me to create something in registry. I was unable to rename a default item. see Link:
 
The video shows a new key being added to the registry. What does that have to do with your inability to rename a default item? Can you explain what you are trying to do or what problem you are trying to solve?
 
Yes. I am trying to get my thumb drive off of being write protected. I was able to do everything in regedit except that last part... when I tried to change the word default as per the video, the option of renaming it was grayed out. I'm trying to find out how I can gain permission (as administrator, since it is my pc) to rename it and finish the fix in the registry. I have an 8G drive plugged in and I want to back up my Documents, Pictures and Music.
 
Watch the video again, it never tries to change the word default. It adds a new registry key called "StorageDevicePolicies" then adds a dword value there called WriteProtect, it then shows setting it to 1 to enable writeprotect or 0 to disable.

See this: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/registry-hack-to-disable-writing-to-usb-drives/

The page I linked to actually has 2 little registry scripts that you can download then double-click on to invoke. One to enable write and the other to disable. Try downloading and running the enable script. You need to reboot after running the script in order for it to take effect.
 
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Well, I did what you suggested. But first I finished that regedit that I was doing. I am figuring it out that what causes the thumb drive to become write protected is if there is ever a write protected file I am trying to save on it, that makes the thumb drive write protected.

Now I have deleted that regedit that I did, and I'm using only the two scripts you suggested. But I am not able to get the usb drive to NOT be write protected. I have tried using the script for the write protect, restart, use the no write protect script, restart. Unable to get the drive's write protection off. Also tried these without restarting. Still unable to get the drive's write protection off.

I am going to try to edit that other thing back into the registry and try that again. I think if that doesn't work, then I will try ejecting the thumb drive, restart, and then plug the thumb drive back in, as a variant of this and see if that does the trick.

Do you happen to know where the registry key is located that these scripts are modifying? It may also be that I need to remove that before this will work. Yes, I know. If I set a default, it should work. But then, Windows 8 has a lot of unexpected bugs in it.

I had also thought of buying a new thumb drive, but then I thought differently, that if the pc is set to write protect the drive, then any drive I put in that USB3 slot will be write protected and I still won't be able to save anything to it.
 
Those scripts modify the key that you were trying to manually add. The script you want to run is the one called Enable USB Write. If the key isn't there, it will add it and set the Writeprotect value to 0 (zero). If the key is already there, it will just set the Writeprotect value. You don't really want to run both of them.

I'm not sure why your thumb drive is being write-protected in the first place. I have about a dozen thumb drives and have never encountered this issue.
 
Well, I am back again to let you know I did discover that it was that same key. Anyway, as I said, I believe that when I try to save a write protected file to the usb drive, that toggles it automatically to protected. At that point I can no longer add any files to the device. I will do what you said this time and delete that unwanted script.
 
Now, I see that the write protected files were saved on the usb drive. That is what is keeping me from being able to re-format. I need to know how to remove the write protect from those files before I can reformat.
 
When you say the file is write protected, do you mean it is set to read-only? Typically, a drive is write-protected meaning it cannot be written to but individual files are set to read-only which effects only that file.

An individual file set to read-only should not have any effect on whether the rest of a drive (thumb or otherwise) is write-protected or not. I'm not saying that isn't what is happening, I'm saying it shouldn't happen that way.
 
If you right-click on the thumb drive in Windows Explorer, then select Properties, what file system does it say the thumb drive is using?
 
In order to make the files read/write if they are read-only is to right-click on the file, select properties and make sure that the read-only box in the Attributes section is not checked.
 
strollin said:
In order to make the files read/write if they are read-only is to right-click on the file, select properties and make sure that the read-only box in the Attributes section is not checked.
Click to expand...


Yes, and I found that info on this link: http://www.ehow.com/how_6560745_remove-write-protected-regular-files.html

I was able to do this with the files on the pc, but not the files on the thumb drive. And the thumb drive's file system is currently NTFS. I will try to format it with fat ... back again. I was unable to reformat with fat32. I was unable to change the permissions or attributes of the folder or the files. I think I now need to find out how to sign in as administrator so I can have access to those.
 
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Hi again. I'm still not really too familiar with how to navigate this forum. I did use the link you just gave me. It is instructions for Win 7, and this pc has Win 8. In Programs there is no such thing as an Accessories folder. And again, as in previous things you have had me try, the options I have to look for in those places do not exist.
 
I have tried to use a restore point and restore this pc to that point. It was unsuccessful. Will try a previous point.
 
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