Windows 7 Complete access to everything.

Bobv2

New Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Hello. I can't seem to access my windows folder to modify it. I am a single user on this computer, and I would like rights to do absolutely everything I want without question. I shouldn't need permission from a "trusted installer". How can I give my account absolute control over everything forever?

I'm sorry, I'm just a bit angry after Microsmart decided to not include winhlp32.exe with Win 7, so I go into my XP partition and attempt to copy the winhlp32.exe that DOES WORK, only to be told I don't have permission.
 
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Hello. I can't seem to access my windows folder to modify it. I am a single user on this computer, and I would like rights to do absolutely everything I want without question. I shouldn't need permission from a "trusted installer". How can I give my account absolute control over everything forever?

I'm sorry, I'm just a bit angry after Microsmart decided to not include winhlp32.exe with Win 7, so I go into my XP partition and attempt to copy the winhlp32.exe that DOES WORK, only to be told I don't have permission.

Hi Bobv2,
you could try turning off the UAC. I must admit to hating the thing myself and never use it. To turn it off, you'll need to visit 'User Accounts' (see screenshot)
Beware though! If your the type of user who is always tweaking your pc, trying new software and keep a rigerous eye on virus scans and other security needs then it's probably ok to turn it off..If on the other hand, you never run any scans of any type and system security is rather low on your priorities then keep it enabled..
Further reading can be found here: User Account Control Step-by-Step Guide
 
Hi Bobv,

Try this,extract the CAB file and Run as Admin the Install.cmd.

WinHlp32 for Windows 7 x64 & Windows 7 x86.cab - Windows Live

Thankyou....In my haste I'd forgotten about the above...
grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
XP and 7 are 2 different OS's they do not technically co-exist.
The kernal's are different. Many Many Many things have changed.
It's the equivalent of going from Win3 to 9x to XP, they are all very different OS's

You can turn off UAC (not recommended) and create an Admin account and run as full admin (not recommended, even under XP), but that doesn't mean you have full access to everything and this is by design.

It is not perfect, but it is far better than XP over all.

If you want to run 7 as XP, then you need to stick with XP, because Vista/7 is not XP and vice versa.
 
WinHlp32.exe is not designed for Windows7. Am I right, you have an older OS version program using integrated help files, which you need to see? Are there a lots of such programs? If you only need just one or few programs, can you upgrade it (them) to a Vista/Windows7 version? When that is not a viable solution for you (for ex. costs involved), can you log in into your XP on your (assuming) dual boot XP/Windows7 PC? Can you just e-mail the file with a fake extension like WinHlp32.txt (or use ftp) to your Windows7 palm, change the extension back to exe and store it in your x86 folder?

Please disregard all the tips given to you regarding UAC. UAC is a complex animal, but it's purpose to save your system. Leave that alone!

User Right's issues could be caused due different installation avenues. You probably let format the disk by Windows7 and had not re-formated before the installation took place. And now, you just have access to within the Windows7 formatted part of your system.

Those are just my own thoughts and suggestions. Use them on your own risk.
 
"I'm sorry, I'm just a bit angry after Microsmart decided to not include winhlp32.exe with Win 7, so I go into my XP partition and attempt to copy the winhlp32.exe that DOES WORK"

I am baffled by this, and by the responses. Why do you find you need an outdated help, with , possibly, very wrong advice. The Windows 7 help seems to cover most circumstances?

I would not care to open another debate on the UAC. It is mainly a warning, and does nothing over that to prevent you using the very well publicised ways to by pass it. A good antivirus program does the job adequately, without the pop ups.
Like kemical, the first thing I do after installation is disable it.
Fwiw. You can also access it, probably more quickly, through the MsConfig - "Tools" tab.
 
Many, many programs use hlp files. It's a pain to not be able to use them, especially when it's a ROM hacking program. thanks for your help, though!

EDIT: Winhlp32.exe runs on windows 7 just fine. There was absolutely no reason whatsoever (trolling?) to remove it.

EDIT: I only see a slider in the UAC settings. I cannot disable it. I still can't access the Windows folder. Do I have to beat by computer to give me permission to access my folders?
 
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To disable the UAC ...you need to slide the bar to the bottom..
 
At the end of the day what you do with the UAC is down to you but you can see by the above posts what a 'hot potatoe' this subject is...
Turn it off, leave it on....it's up to you..Just be aware that if turned off you have to be a little more vigilant and run scans perhaps a little more than you would normally. I've always turned the UAC off since it's first inception with vista and funnily enough I didn't grow an extra head or get attacked by hordes of malware. Used in the right situation (an office enviroment or new user) then the UAC is a great idea and certainly nothing new..
 
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UAC vote: Turn it off

UAC is really worthless. It only monitors a keystroke or a series of keystrokes and, from that and NOTHING else, determines that you are about to go somewhere or do something that COULD allow something ugly to happen to your computer. There is no risk assessment involved! There are no "approved" and "non-approved" actions or websites. There is only the warning that the TYPE of site or the action that you propose IS CAPABLE of delivering a bad thing, not that it is likely going to. If you make a decision to open a certain website and a window pops up asking you to verify that you want to go to that website, of course you are going to select "yes". UAC has done NOTHING except to frustrate you.

A MUCH better plan is to install Microsoft Security Essentials and have a little window pop up telling you that a it has detected a virus, trojan, etc, in a file that you are about to download or open. You then have the opportunity to select "don't open" or "open anyway". With MSE you only get this warning when you are attempting to do something that will harm your computer, not every time that you do something that POSSIBLY COULD or simply HAS THE POTENTIAL TO do harm. If UAC worked this way, it would be VERY beneficial; as it works, it is worthless.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!
 
I,ll stick with it too, John!! (Also using Essentials and so far very happy with it)
 
Ditto.......:D

(I'm currently downloading essentials now)
I tried to get Essentials when it was first released but was told it was only open to users in the US.. I now see that this has changed..
 
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UAC is really worthless
No, actually it is not. It can save you at times and make people think twice about what they are doing. Those that ignore it's warnings have only themselves to blame.

Is it perfect? No. But that doesn't make it completely worthless.

You may not have a need for it, but this doesn't make it worthless as a whole.
And recommending flat out that it is worthless and should be turned off, you are doing a disservice to many for whom the UAC may be quite beneficial.

Just cause you don't like it or see a need for it, does not automatically make it worthless.

For one,,, Parental Controls rely on it being turned on as do some other services.

You can stick to your story till your blue in the face,,, it doesn't make it right.
 
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Depending on the situation the UAC can be an invaluable little tool...
 
One small Challenge

I don't make this one last post on this subject just for the sake of argument; but to challenge anyone to give me specific details as to the conditions and circumstances where UAC actually prevented something ugly from happening to their computer. And specifically what did UAC prevent from happening?

UAC is like a little voice in your car that responds to the activation of your turn signals and tells you that is is possible that there MIGHT be some oncoming traffic that you need to stop for before making a turn. This hypothetical car has no sensors that "look" to the sides to determine if there might actually be any oncoming traffic. It just takes a que from your turn signals and nothing else. Likewise; UAC only takes a signal from a series of keystrokes to determine that there is some level of POTENTIAL that something bad could happen to your computer. WE ALREADY KNEW THAT! We already get various warnings that we can get bad things from the internet, etc. In both the car example and the computer example. Neither UAC nor our "little voice" in the car has given us any WORTHWHILE information.

Until someone meets my challenge here, I will continue to contend that UAC is ABSOLUTELY worthless.

That's still my story, and I'm still stickin' to it.
 
I think in the case of a newbie then the UAC could save them from doing a lot of damage... Also in the office enviroment where you don't want some one 'faffing' around with the internals then again I think it's fine.. but they are the only two instances that spring to mind....

As you say though...To someone like me who is constantly twiddling and fiddling with this setting and that it's a huge pain in the ass and so I do what MS themselves recommend...Turn it off!
 
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Likewise; UAC only takes a signal from a series of keystrokes to determine that there is some level of POTENTIAL that something bad could happen to your computer.
No, it doesn't. It detects that you are accessing a secure location (through the use of security tokens, see below) and asks if you are sure this is what you want to do.
In the case of Spyware/malware ,,, if it tries to directly access these areas, the UAC will prompt you for confirmation that it is actually what you want to do.

Technically, it is not recommended to run as an admin anyway. - (yes I realize that is the default account created, but ignorance is no excuse)
People are supposed to run as a Standard User and Elevate with Admin Credentials when needed. - (This should be the primary lesson at all times)
This is far more secure environment than running as Admin with UAC and AntiVirus. - (As done in a properly setup Linux environment.)
But Windows users have been conditioned otherwise - (and incorrectly I might add).

No, it's not perfect and things can and do bypass it. It is not a perfect solution, but it is better in some cases (those cases when you thought you wanted to do something that you think twice about doing when prompted by UAC, ie: installing a piece of software you really aren't sure of. Or an attack from some website, and yes, I have had it save me and inform me taht some website I hit was trying to make changes to my system.) than running without it.

I am not going to debate you any longer on this issue. Run with it or don't, that is your choice.
But just because you do not know how, or that it actually does work, does not make you right or it useless.

See http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709691(WS.10).aspx

Also See..... Engineering Windows 7 : Update on UAC
UAC also helps software developers improve their programs to run without requiring administrator privileges. The most effective way to secure a system against malware is to run with standard user privileges. As more software works well without administrator privileges, more people will run as standard user. We expect that anyone responsible for a set of Windows 7 machines (such as IT Administrators or the family helpdesk worker (like me!)) will administer them to use standard user accounts. The recent feedback has noted explicitly that running as standard user works well. Administrators also have Group Policy at their disposal to enforce the UAC setting to “Always Notifyâ€Â￾ if they choose to manage their machines with administrator accounts instead of standard user accounts.
So Software Devs have, for a long time, been advised to stop requiring ADMIN PRIV's for thier damned software.
This is the main reason that Quickbooks was broken when Vista first released, and prompted Quickbooks to recode their software (maybe make some updates and add some features also, but regardless, it was uncalled for at the time) and sell it as a new version, just to run under a standard user account (even though there was a work around at the time). But they weren't the only ones that forced users to run as full admins without UAC.

I am not saying that UAC doesn't have it's problems,,, and for some it is annoying (mainly those who use their system in a particular way, they are not the average user), but it is annoying to many because they are not used to it either.

You can stick to your story till your blue in the face,,, it doesn't make it right.

and.....
Even more damaging, because the user is an administrator, the malicious software could use the administrator's access control data to infect core operating system files and, in some instances, to become nearly impossible to remove.

The primary difference between a standard user and an administrator in Windows Vista is the level of access the user has over core, protected areas of the computer. Administrators can change system state, turn off the firewall, configure security policy, install a service or a driver that affects every user on the computer, and install software for the entire computer. Standard users cannot perform these tasks and can only install per-user software.

To help prevent malicious software from silently installing and causing computer-wide infection, Microsoft developed the UAC feature. Unlike previous versions of Windows, when an administrator logs on to a computer running Windows Vista, the user’s full administrator access token is split into two access tokens: a full administrator access token and a standard user access token. During the logon process, authorization and access control components that identify an administrator are removed, resulting in a standard user access token. The standard user access token is then used to start the desktop, the Explorer.exe process. Because all applications inherit their access control data from the initial launch of the desktop, they all run as a standard user as well.

After an administrator logs on, the full administrator access token is not invoked until the user attempts to perform an administrative task.

Contrasting with this process, when a standard user logs on, only a standard user access token is created. This standard user access token is then used to start the desktop.
In closing,,, many people expect Vista/7 to run like XP. This is completely wrong thinking, they are not the same OS, and therefore should not be viewed or used in the same way.
 
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