Windows 10: Changed ownership of C: and everything stopped working

Running Windows 10 Pro.


Wanted to change file details of photos on my computer to make them searchable by keyword. Couldn’t do it initially so thought I would change the ownership to give permission. I have thousands of photos and hundreds of folders so figured would do C: drive entirely. Went into security settings and changed ownership from default TrustedInstaller to Everyone. At first seemed ok, but after reboot, a second set of icons now appears on desktop and there is no text associated with icons as if fonts are no longer working. When try to open folder, no dialogue box opens with a list of files, instead get a search bar. Clearly something is wrong.


Tried system restore but it failed with an error message. Possible cause corrupt registry.


Used recovery USB to access command line. No C: anymore, now its X: and none of the commands I have tried have worked. I have a backup of my registry files but cannot seem to access them from command prompt.


I have no idea what has happened and although everything is backed up, I cant seem to utilize my backups. Trying to avoid totally wiping the hard drive and having to re-purchase expensive software.


Any advice/insight is greatly appreciated!

:)

 

Changed Ownership of C:\ and Can't Fix

Hi Greg,

Let's get this issue sorted. To better assist you with this concern, we would like to know the following information:

• Which account is the new owner of the C drive?
• Are you using an account with administrator rights?
• Have you tried changing the ownership back to yourself?

In the meantime, let's try taking back the ownership by following the steps provided by
BurrWalnut in the following thread:
Is there a way to take ownership of my C drive?

You may also perform a repair upgrade using a
Creators Update ISO file. This method can repair broken operating system files while preserving your files, settings and installed applications. For more information and steps on how to perform a repair upgrade, kindly refer to the wiki article created
by Andre Da Costa on the following link:
How to perform a repair upgrade using the Windows 10 ISO file.

Keep us updated on the status of the issue, and we will be glad to assist you further.

 

Changed Ownership of C:\ and Can't Fix

I changed ownership of C:\ now apps like Store, calculator, calendar, etc. don't work.

I have reset using Fresh Start and Recovery, but the ownership settings or app functionality haven't changed.

How can I reinstall Windows 10 with a complete reset of folder ownership and permission settings?

All my files are backed up so if I have to wipe C:\ and reinstall I will. Just don't want to lose my ability to reinstall Windows 10.

Thank you,

Greg

***Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category.***

 

Changing the ownership of C: drive and all the folders and subfolders within it to default settings

Hi,

You may modify the ownership of the drives on your computer for specific users for security purposes to access its permissions. However, this option is unable to revert back to its default setup. If you run into a problem with other users on your PC, you
may just add the Administrator and they must use the administrator account to access its permission. To do this, you may follow the steps below:

• Click Start, type File Explorer, and press
  Enter.
• Right-click on the C: drive and select Properties >
  Security tab and click the Advanced button.
• On the Advanced Security Settings for Windows (C window, click the
  Change button for the Owner, type Administrator on the
  Enter the object name to select section, and then click
  Check Names. This will allow all administrator accounts.
  
• Once you’re done, click OK > Apply and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
• After completing the steps, click OK to save the changes, and then check if these steps resolved your concern.

Keep us updated about your concern for additional assistance.