Windows 10: Admin user still getting permission prompts/Can't take ownership of C drive.

HP OMEN; Windows 10


I just got this laptop. Went through set up using my existing Microsoft account without issue. However, although my profile is by default an admin, I am unable to do much of anything--even creating a new folder--within the C drive without getting some variety of an access denied message. No warnings when creating folders in Documents or Downloads.


1 I was able to download into the Downloads folder the files for an app I wanted to install; however when I attempted to install it into the Program Files folder, I got a message that I did not have permission.


2 I attempted to change the owner of the C drive from TrustedInstaller to me.

>Properties

>Security

>Advanced

> TrustedInstaller > Change

>Advanced

>Find Now

>Selected my name

>OK

>OK

> Check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects"

> Check "Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable entries from this object"

>Apply


I get:


"Error Applying security"

"An error has occurred while applying security information to:

C:\DumpStack.log.tmp

The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.

[Continue] [Cancel]


If it actually is being used by another process, it must be a background process, because nothing else is open.


If I click Continue, it just goes on and on with other files that are currently being used by another process.


If I click Cancel, I get: If you stop the propagation of owner settings, it might lead to an inconsistent state where objects have different settings. If you made a mistake... And then I'm returned back to the point at which I can click Apply.


3 I reset the laptop and went through setup again, but nothing changed.


4 I created local accounts--Standard and Admin. No warnings with Documents or Downloads, but when doing anything under C, with the Standard user, I was prompted to enter my PIN from my default setup account, and under the local Admin, I got the same warnings and prompts that I got under the default setup account.


5 I also tried to just change the permissions for \Users and \Administrators, but I got the same errors.


I don't actually need to change the C drive owner or the owner of anything, actually, but I don't want to have give myself permission for every action and I want to be able to install apps that I need to get on with my work.


Any insight is appreciated.

:)

 

Error messages when taking ownership or changing permissions in C:\

Use this to reset permissions:
Code:

You do not need to take ownership for this, just keep System and Administrators and remove the rest.

 

Ownership Issues

that will not hurt taking ownership, but I would also then look in the list of users on the ownership page and make sure your user account name is there with full permissions. Probably not.

even though you take ownership of an item, you may not be in the list of users with permissions.

first select disable inheritance, then select "ADD" in the list of users, and add your user account the same way you took ownership and select full permissions.

Then administrators may only have select permissions in the list. so after you disable inheritance, delete admins user. then select add again and select admins in the list and select full permissions

restart pc

 

File Ownership, and Permissions

So, I've thoroughly messed up some files on my pc somehow, as I have what appears to be "Full Control" and "Ownership" of the files.

The problem however is that even though these things seem to be true, I'm still met with a message suggesting I need permission from a user that technically doesn't exist anymore. These are Windows.old files after I performed a recovery of the system.
They are taking up a massive chunk of my OS drive, and I want that space.

I've done everything I know to do to take ownership, and subsequently add all the permissions to the files that I need. Beyond that I removed every other credential so that my primary account (which is also an administrator) would be the only one with full
control of the files (System, admins as a group, and the account itself all have "Full Control" listed.)

Does anyone know why these ghost permissions are still in effect, and how I could remove it? This account it's saying I need permission from is NOT listed on any of it's permissions. Besides, the account literally doesn't exist anymore.

Help?