Windows 7 User Permissions; Ouch!

[turbines]

I just installed Windows7 Professional with 2 standard users. I wanted to restrict access to one user's documents from the other. I was successful in doing that but then later I deleted both users and user files. Now I can't access the restricted root directory even as Administrator. If I take owner of that folder it only allows me to see all the subfolders but not access there contents. Then If I take ownership of that subfolder it will only allow access one more level down. Even after I take ownership I have to edit and remove the user, which shows as a long alphanumeric name, before I can actually open the folder and I assume that name was created when I removed the user files. There are several hundred subfolders. Is there any solution to fixing this mess other than taking ownership and then creating new user permissions one folder at at time?

 

[tblount]

Yeah.. restore your backup

 

[turbines]

Wished I could. That would be too easy. I had it turned off.

 

[tblount]

Ok... you can do this... boot from the install cd... get to the command prompt and you have access to delete the entire userprofile... just don't delete your own. If you can't do that... I'll tell you another way.

 

[turbines]

I may have not made my problem clear. The documents folders are located on another physical NTFS drive and the the permissions stay with the drive regardless to any operating system installed. I have performed a clean install of Win7 and still cannot access those folders.

 

[tblount]

Have you tried takeown and icacls ? I get access to delete and rename files that are locked by trusted installer this way. See my last blog.

When/if you boot to command prompt from an install disk before Windows loads.... what is locking them?

It may be easier to just copy what you want then format the drive.