# C:\Program Files is not accessible



## Twills (Apr 29, 2008)

when i try to open my program files folder with an administrator account it says 
C:\Program Files is not accessible.
Access is denied.
there is no reason for this to be happening no one has changed any settings and i am a pretty skilled kid with computers yet i am completely baffled by this error message. I have logged on to another administrator and they are able to open the folder and i have made sure the file is being shared to all users.
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!


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## kilaJules (Apr 23, 2008)

Twills,

Disable simple file sharing: in explorer, go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Folder Options'. Select the 'View' tab and scroll to the bottom. Untick 'Use simple file sharing (recommended)'.

Right click on the 'Program Files' folder and select 'Properties'. Go to the 'Security' tab and select 'Advanced'. You can check the permissions of the admin account under 'Effective Permissions'.

If the admin account does not have 'full control' of the folder:

1) Check what permissions the admin user has in the 'Permissions' tab. In fact, the user name should not be present here at all. The only entries here should be for Administrators, CREATOR OWNER, System and Users. If the admin account is listed here with permissions other than 'Full control' you can either edit them to give the user full control or delete the restricting permissions all together.

2) Go to the 'Owner' tab, and verify which user or group is the owner of the folder. This should probably be set to Administrators. If not, select Administrators and apply.

3) Check effective permissions again to make sure all is well.

Press OK to exit the folder properties windows, and re-enable simple file sharing.

I hope this solves your problem.

Regards

[EDIT]
Apologies, I didn't notice you were running XP Home. To disable simple file sharing in XP home, you have to restart in Safe Mode and log in as an administator. Simple file sharing is disabled while in Safe Mode.


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## chauffeur2 (Feb 7, 2006)

Hello Twills, Welcome to TSF! :wave:

A far simpler solution to this is...

Open *My Computer* > *Tools* > *Folder Options* > *View*.
Scroll down and check the bullet *Show hidden Files and Folders* > *Untick* > *Hide protect operating system files (recommended)*.
Doing this will allow you to see these files.
Having said that, is there any particular reason for needing to 'see' these files?
It is extremely dangerous playing with the operating system files and folders unless you are experienced with them.
Altering system files/folders can have catastrophic consequences with your computer, and can render it totally useless.
I suggest that you think very carefully about 'playing' with these files/folders just for the sake of it.
Post back with the resuilts.

Kind Regards,


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## kilaJules (Apr 23, 2008)

Twills,

chuaffeur2 is right. You should avoid fiddling with file permissions as much as you can. In fact, it should never be necessary!

The information I posted above was merely intended for you to check that the default file permissions have not been changed and to try and correct if required.

If chauffeur2's suggestion does not solve your problem, I would recommend that you do check the file permissions anyway. But rather, skip straight to step 2 and check which user or group has taken ownership of the Program Files folder. This should be Administrators. If it isn't, you aught to change it. Before you Apply your changes here, tick the box 'Replace owner on subcontainers and objects' (I forgot to mention this in my earlier post).

After you apply the changes, check the effective permissions of the admin user, but unless there are deny permissions specified for the admin user, this should solve all your problems.

There is no risk whatsoever in making this change.

Regards.


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## Twills (Apr 29, 2008)

I need to get into program files bcs i play World Of Warcraft and i use UI mods that i need to place in a folder within the world of warcraft folder. I have checked out who has permissions and it is all normal so i do not see why it isnt working for me.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Twills, please confirm you did the following :

1) boot into safe mode : repeatedly press F8 to start the computer and choose safe mode in the menu that will appear

2) log as "administrator" (leave the password blank if you never set any for that account)

3) right-click the c: drive (the admin should have full access on the drive so we'll treat the program files folder as a subfolder) => properties => security => advanced.

4) tick the box at the bottom (replace permission entries on all child objects...).

5) select adminitrators => edit => tick full control

6) do the same for the system and owner accounts, click ok until you're back at the desktop (make sure the replace permissions box is still ticked on the way) and restart the computer

Here's a guide with pictures if needed :
http://www.doublehammer.com/winxp/set_file_folder_security.htm

If that didn't help then some malwares can lock you out of program files, please follow these steps and wait until an analyst reviews your logs (be patient, they're very busy) : http://www.techsupportforum.com/sec...read-before-posting-malware-removal-help.html


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## 90-31 (Jun 27, 2008)

Hey,
I've just had the same problem and I was kinda pissed for an hour because I "secured" C: with folder lock so I couldn't do anything...
EXECUTE - Command
then you type
ICACLS C: /reset
that will just resert all the authorization on your computer and then you restard in safe mode you delete that stupid software and you'll be fine


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