Windows 7 Restore NTFS write permission on file?

[FWishbringer]

Ok, so I tried setting my password file (save my passwords in) to apparently stupidly high security.

I have ownership, and set read and write permission to Deny through the security tab in the properties dialog for Admin through Guests. I assumed that, by having ownership, it would not Deny -me- permissions. I was wrong.

So now the file is sitting there, inert. If I attempt to retake ownership via the properties dialog or takeown, I get access denied.

If I attempt to change permissions via the dialog or icacls or cacls, I get permission denied.

If I try to take full control of the directory it resides in, and force it to inherit, I get access denied.

Safe mode doesn't help either.

My googlefu hasn't dug up anyone else that has done what I have done, and all of the major keywords bring up thousands upon thousands of loosely related, at best, topics. As I'm already owner, and the effective permissions for everyone is Deny Read and Deny Write, all of the 'take full control' methods I've found do nothing but give access denied messages.

I can't open it, move it, copy it, delete it, or change permissions on it.

Is there anything I can do, short of formatting the hard drive, to either regain control of the file or make it go away?

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you've encountered a challenging situation with the permissions on your password file. When you've effectively denied yourself access to the file and are unable to modify permissions even as the owner, resolving this can be tricky but possible. Here are some steps you can take to try to regain control of the file without resorting to formatting your hard drive:
### 1. Use a Linux Live CD/USB:
- Boot your computer using a Linux Live CD/USB.
- Mount your Windows partition and access the file from the Linux environment.
- You can then modify the permissions or copy/delete the file from Linux.
### 2. Create a New Admin Account:
- Create a new administrator account on your system.
- Log in with the new account and try to access the file.

### 3. Command Prompt in Recovery Environment:
- Boot into the Windows Recovery Environment.
- Use the Command Prompt to access the file and change permissions.

### 4. Reset File Permissions with a Script:
- You can create a script to reset file permissions using icacls.
- Run the script from an elevated Command Prompt.
### 5. Safe Mode with Command Prompt:
- Boot into Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
- Use the Command Prompt to modify the permissions of the file.
### Example Script to Reset Permissions:
Here's an example of a script you could use to reset permissions. Replace FILE_PATH with the path to your password file.

takeown /F FILE_PATH
icacls FILE_PATH /reset /T

Try these approaches and see if any of them help you regain control of the file. It's important to be cautious when making changes to permissions to avoid unintended consequences. If these methods don't work, more advanced techniques like using a Linux Live CD or seeking help from professional data recovery services might be necessary.