Access to Program Data,

[martycon]

Windows 10 denies me access to Apps files and Apps Data. I had no trouble wit such access with Windows 7. Can anyone please tell me how to grant myself authority to access these files?

[farmmax]

Are you signed into your computer as an administrator?

[arthurking83]

If you rightclick the directory select Properties and go to security tab, it should show you your rights to this directory.

I can't specifically remember what I did, other than I remember looking into any of the folders directly in the C:\ directory was a PITA and needed to pass some security/admin check.
I think what I did was to allow access to the C:\ drive directly, so everything in that drive was allowed.

I think part of the problem may be that even the admin may not have full control over all the sub directories in the C:\ drive, so you may need to change this security bit.
If admin isn't allowed full control, then this could be the issue.
If you're worried about some viral/security issue, you can do what you gotta do and then undo whatever security change you made to give yourself access. But personally I'd just leave it allowing you full control.

Obviously if you do this tho, all the usual caveats apply with respect to using dodgy software and so forth!

[martycon]

Thanks for your replies, yes I am. When I open "Application Data", right click for properties-security, Administrator is shown all ticked for full access, but attempting to open the file either way, I get the message "Access Denied", as I said this did not occur with Win 7.

[arthurking83]

Weird.
I remember getting this too and fixing the security preferences to get access.

Nikon's ViewNX2 stores jpg thumbnail database in AppData folder it creates, so I regularly have to go in there and manually delete them myself.
If you use ViewNX2 to view lots of images this thumbnail image db can grow significantly and I've seen it over 2Gb after forgetting about it for some time.
Like you said, in Wn7 there was never any access issue, but then the update to W10 did this.
So I gave myself access to the entire C drive after realising that many of the folders under the C drive were access limited.
Ever since then I've had no access issues to any folder under the C drive as long as the folder or file within isn't locked out for some process that's currently running.

Note that there is a small utility called Lock Hunter (http://lockhunter.com/).
It's not a program as such, but a shell extension. Right click any file/folder and it will reveal a way to unlock it(or it supposed too).

I'll explain why I used it too tho, as I didn't use it to unlock my access to C:\ drive.

Initially, I updated to W10 from W7 .. just to see what it's like. That is, is it stable, does it work, does it do what W7 used too .. etc.
So after the first upgrade and being fine with W10, I then decided that I wanted a clean install, with no carry over flotsam from W7.
So I did what I though was a clean install, not realising that I just did another update install. ( I may have just been to inattentive, but so far it's still been OK as is since W10 first came out early Aug.

Anyhow, the problem is that when you do a upgrade, there is a folder on the C:\ drive called [Windows.old]
it contains lots of data for the Windows OS you upgraded FROM so took up a fair amount of space.
Problem is I did two updates so I had two of them ... both taking up many hundreds of Gigs each.
Should have been easy to delete them like I did on my Tablet, with a simple Shift Del(completely delete it) .. but on the desktop I could fully delete the entire folders(called Windows.old)
For an unknown reason they are locked .. and still are.

There is a file in each buried deep within many multiple layers of folders that is simply locked hard for no known reason and simply can't be deleted .. so the entire folder structure has to remain in place for this one single file in each of the two .old folders.

This is just one strange paculiarity that's happened to my PC tho, and I think for most situations, this Lock Hunter may work well for 'ya.

FWIW: the locked folder in these two .old folders is related to one of my fave programs for which I manage all 'our' (Android) phones.
I know it's not a virus or malware, and it may have something to do with a bit set on the file that may have been encrypted or something when I did a backup of my son's phone(ie. my bad).
All the other phone backups were deleted easily and no fuss, just this one silly 2kb file in this one obscure folder situation sort of thing.
I'll get rid of it when I next update my PC with some new drives and stuff .. whenever ......

Hopefully something like Lock Hunter can help 'ya.

- - - Updated - - -

ps. if you do try to use Lock Hunter, don't use it on the C:\ drive.
It'll take a few years to list all the processes involved in why you're C:\ drive may be locked! :p

If you do use it, just use it on specific folders and suchlike. It also give you an option to unlock a folder/file after a restart too.

[martycon]

Arthur, it is reassuring to communicate with one who is rational about W10. I shall look for windows.old by way of curiosity. I will definitely try Lock Hunter on Application Data, and thank you for your help.

[nardes]

Are you the same User in the Win7 installation as the Win 10 installation?

I once accidentally re-installed Win XP over an existing Win XP install and basically it left the old User stuff on the C: Drive (My Documents, My Pictures, etc.) and created a new set of My Documents, My Pictures, etc. for the new install.

When I tried to access the old install “My Documents” from my (new) User (Admin) on the new install, the OS prevented me. It was as if Win XP was treating me as 2 separate Users or family members with different Accounts, one from the old install and second from the new install.

As I did not want this scenario, I just wiped that disc and did a fresh install so I did not explore the problem any further.

Cheers

Dennis

[martycon]

Denis, you may be right, I do have files and folders from previous versions in the Applications Data folder, and they could be the root cause of my problem.

[martycon]

I applied LockHunter, nescessarily, to the entire App Data folder, but unfortunately it reported that it did not find any locked files.

[John King]

Gidday Marty

IMO&E, you need to identify each individual file that is blocking the erasure of the folder tree, then take ownership of each file via the advanced security options. Once you have ownership, select the folder in the LH pane of Windows Explorer, then right click on the file in the RH pane, then left click on 'Delete' in this menu.

Once you have done this, you should then be able to delete that folder.

It is tricky. I have had to do this hundreds of times.

[martycon]

John thanks for your continuing support. I must be doing something wrong, because I can not expand the tree to see what is in there. With everyone's help, I recon we have nailed it as far as being about "ownership"

[John King]

Gidday Marty

Ownership and security access are subtly different concepts in Windows NT (actually in Kerberos, the third party security product shipped as part of all versions of NT ... ). Taking ownership gives you access that changing group access rights does not.

If you cannot expand the folder tree, take ownership of that tree. Make sure you tick the box to apply to all sub items. After doing this, you should then be able to manipulate the tree, folders and files. Some of those files will not inherit the parent security parameters. These need to be dealt with individually, as above.

An alternative is to install TeamViewer, and let someone you trust absolutely to work on your computer remotely. TeamViewer is fantastic software, and very secure. I use it all the time to support friends and family computers. It is free for personal use, and very expensive for commercial use.

Hope this helps.