New Win7 user annoyed at ‘unhelpful’ Win7 way of doing things

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It was finally time to replace my computer, and of course new ones come with windows 7.

I am now running windows home 7 premium 64 bit. I know it stores things in different locations and I am ready, willing and able to move into the brave new windows 7 world.

I installed a second hard drive in my old XP computer, used WD data tools and made a bootable copy. Then I installed it into the new computer. (just for fun, I disconnected the original drive and tried to boot the new computer from the xp backup. It would only boot into safe mode, and could not find the new hardware. I expected as much. I really don’t want dual boot, I just want to easily move my files and programs to the new computer)

Anyway, the first thing I do is download firefox. I want to run profile manager, so right click on the brand spanking new firefox icon and add -P to the command so that it reads; “C:Program Files (x86)Mozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe -P

“ERROR!!..specified in the target box is invalid.make sure the path and file name are correct. What the heck? I can type firefox.exe -P in the run box and it works. Why can’t I change the shortcut?

(In XP the start/run box would remember the last several commands and give me a drop down so I wouldn’t have to type it again. This handy little shortcut is no longer available in win7.)

Then I try to save a simple text file to C:;Just so I know where it will be.
“You don’t have permission to save in this location” What? I am the administrator, why is windows 7 refusing to let me do what I want?This is hugely annoying to me.

I found a big long winded methodon a microsoft site to grant permissions(click property, security, advanced, owner, change owner,but it did not work. I still cannot save a simple .txt file to C:

I guess I am off to buy some books, like “Missing Manual” and/or “Windows 7 Annoyances”I am trying to do the real work of moving my stuff to the new computer, but I keep getting stopped by all these little stupid things.

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Install TakeOwnership. Makes 7 a lot “friendlier” to those who have known and enjoyed the freedom to do stuff with XP.

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From what you entered you are missing a quotation mark aft firefox.exe.

Starting with Vista and continuing forward with Windows 7, even though your account is a member of the administration group you do NOT have unfettered, unrestricted access to everything on the PC. You do NOT have the same privileges as the builtin “Administrator” account. All this is a part of Microsoft’s continuing effort to reduce the attack surface available to malware.

Joe

--Joe

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From what you entered you are missing a quotation mark aft firefox.exe.

Starting with Vista and continuing forward with Windows 7, even though your account is a member of the administration group you do NOT have unfettered, unrestricted access to everything on the PC. You do NOT have the same privileges as the builtin “Administrator” account. All this is a part of Microsoft’s continuing effort to reduce the attack surface available to malware.

Joe

I want unfettered, unrestricted access to everything on MY OWN COMPUTER. Microsoft’s efforts to reduce malware, while late, are appreciated. Except when they interfere with me using my computer.

I had difficulty posting to my original thread:
“C:Program Files (x86)Mozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe -P” should have been the original post. What I discovered is the parameters should be outside the quotes
“C:Program Files (x86)Mozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe” -P worked as expected.

My objection was to microsoft’s not very helpful error message. I suppose I will get more familiar with them, considering all the mistakes I will be making with windows 7.

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I just lasted a total of about 4 hours with a OEM from HP. It was denying me all sorts of access and driver signed program installations. I couldn’t even get at the UAC.
So more than ever W7 does seem set up to reduce attack vectors…and the convenience to use the computer exactly like I want to…my own install is going on NOW!

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Ahhhhh…my stress level just went down about 2 notches :^_^: Functioning as expected now.

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The only way on a Windows 7 system to get complete unfettered access is to a activate the builtin Administrator account and login using it.

BTW, I’ve not found anything on a Windows 7 PC that I can’t get done. It may take me a little more effort but I can find a way. I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. It makes me consider what I’m doing more thoroughly than with XP.

Joe

--Joe

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Microsoft’s efforts to reduce malware, while late, are appreciated.

It should also be borne in in mind that the reason why Microsoft products were such an “easy” target was the unrestricted access through accounts with full administrator privileges. No modern OS gives complete, unrestricted access without some kind of workaround and a big risk.

This is not the fault of Microsoft, Red Hat, Sun, Berkeley, HP, Canonical or Apple (to name but a few). It is a sensible precaution especially in light of the attacks by the bad guys out there.

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The biggest problem, in my mind, is the huge numbers of people out there that do NOT use even simple precautions in the everyday computing. These people generally do NOT visit this or any other forum. They just blindly go about whatever they want without thought to the consequences. Then they wonder what’s happening to their PC’s, why are they slowing down, why don’t they have access to sites they used to see, etc. MS, by necessity, builds the security in Win 7 for these masses of people who don’t know or care about security. I do not care what happens to their systems, but when their system begins sending Spam without their knowledge, or they begin spreading the latest variation of nasty trojan, which might ultimately affect me, then I begin to care.

Win 7 is the securest offering from MS to date and I applaud them for the steps they take to make us all more secure. I will always be willing to take the extra steps to gain “full access” to my PC if I want it. I do however plan on a multi-layered approach to the security of my PC before taking these steps to try to protect myself from these masses of people that do not.

By the way, in most cases it’s these masses of people that keep the PC techs in business, JOB SECURITY!!!

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The biggest problem, in my mind, is the huge numbers of people out there that do NOT use even simple precautions in the everyday computing.

To be fair to Microsoft, the original concept of the PC was that every home should have one, just like fridges and washing machines, and Joe Public should be able to take one home, take it out of the box, plug it in and just………..use it. MS do their best to make it so; that’s why a typical new shop-bought Windows installation has so many services, programs and stuff that you don’t need. Trouble is, what you don’t need isn’t necessarily what the bloke next to you doesn’t need, and so on. So Windows tends to be a one-size-fits-all out of the box, and for most people it needs tweaking.

Maybe MS should release a Windows I practise safe hex and don’t need my hand held edition! 😉

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I don’t think this has been said, at least in this thread. One thing that could make UAC much better would be to not have to give permission to the same program every time it runs. In other words, if a program has been given permission once, and hasn’t changed, you shouldn’t have to give it permission again. This should not be hard to implement. Several firewall programs do this with no problem.

Jim

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I don’t think this has been said, at least in this thread. One thing that could make UAC much better would be to not have to give permission to the same program every time it runs. In other words, if a program has been given permission once, and hasn’t changed, you shouldn’t have to give it permission again. This should not be hard to implement. Several firewall programs do this with no problem.

Jim

Good idea Jim! I think it would need a strong security system to ensure the validity of the system that implements it because it would immediately become a target for malware, but that’s not too difficult with a decent crypto engine.

7 also starts programs for me when I am not in the room! These can be Calculator, Thunderbird, My Computer to name but three.

Did you remove SP1 as previously suggested – if it took 3 hours to install and your problems started afterwards as you indicated, it seems a reasonable starting point to remove it.

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Quote from JimP: ”One thing that could make UAC much better would be to not have to give permission to the same program every time it runs. “

You can change how UAC ‘gets in your face’:
Type UAC in the search bar and go to User Account Control Settings.
Config the way you want it to behave.

I have it set to the second setting from the top. It seems to ‘do’ it’s job and stay out of face at the same time.

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Quote from JimP: ”One thing that could make UAC much better would be to not have to give permission to the same program every time it runs. “

You can change how UAC ‘gets in your face’:
Type UAC in the search bar and go to User Account Control Settings.
Config the way you want it to behave.

I have it set to the second setting from the top. It seems to ‘do’ it’s job and stay out of face at the same time.

Yes, that’s where I have mine set also. However, there are some programs that still need to be given permission to run every time. One example is Foxit pdf reader, among others.

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Yes, that’s where I have mine set also. However, there are some programs that still need to be given permission to run every time. One example is Foxit pdf reader, among others.

I no longer use Foxit, but used it until a few months ago and never had this issue. My UAC is set as described, too, which I also find unintrusive enough.

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I no longer use Foxit, but used it until a few months ago and never had this issue. My UAC is set as described, too, which I also find it unintrusive enough.

Interesting. We both have UAC set the same, but it acts differently.

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Interesting. We both have UAC set the same, but it acts differently.

Did you change the properties on the compatibility tab for the .exe file to “Run this program as administrator”?

Joe

--Joe

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Did you change the properties on the compatibility tab for the .exe file to “Run this program as administrator”?

Joe

Yes, and I have done that for some other programs that need approval every time. It makes no difference.

Jim

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Yes, and I have done that for some other programs that need approval every time. It makes no difference.

Jim

That will cause the UAC prompt each time.

Joe

--Joe

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Yes, that’s where I have mine set also. However, there are some programs that still need to be given permission to run every time. One example is Foxit pdf reader, among others.

Foxit should not need admin permission to run, at all. If it does, then something is very wrong. (Admin permission should only be given to programs that actually require it to do their job.)

You said in a later reply that you have the “Run this program as an administrator” checkbox on the Security tab enabled. This will not stop the UAC prompts at all; in fact, it’ll cause Windows to pop up the UAC prompt every time you run it!

(Regarding my thoughts on UAC: I actually do something very unusual and have my UAC setting turned *up* from the default, not down, so that the prompt occurs on everything that needs administrator permission, even things that I do myself. The point of UAC is not to save me from myself, but to save my computer from malware, and to me, the extra bother is worth it, especially as I don’t just click “Yes” every time the dialog comes up; I make sure that it’s something I need. If I run a program that doesn’t require admin permission, but it asks for it anyway, I click “No” and start worrying. I do understand that this is not for everybody, though.)

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Foxit should not need admin permission to run, at all. If it does, then something is very wrong. (Admin permission should only be given to programs that actually require it to do their job.)

You said in a later reply that you have the “Run this program as an administrator” checkbox on the Security tab enabled. This will not stop the UAC prompts at all; in fact, it’ll cause Windows to pop up the UAC prompt every time you run it!

(Regarding my thoughts on UAC: I actually do something very unusual and have my UAC setting turned *up* from the default, not down, so that the prompt occurs on everything that needs administrator permission, even things that I do myself. The point of UAC is not to save me from myself, but to save my computer from malware, and to me, the extra bother is worth it, especially as I don’t just click “Yes” every time the dialog comes up; I make sure that it’s something I need. If I run a program that doesn’t require admin permission, but it asks for it anyway, I click “No” and start worrying. I do understand that this is not for everybody, though.)

You are right. Foxit doesn’t need to be run as an administrator. In have no idea why I was doing that. However, there are some programs that have to be run as an administrator to work properly. One example is Autoruns. If it isn’t running as an administrator, you can’t make changes to startup programs.

There are some programs that require permission regardless of whether they are run as an administrator or not. One example is the “Everything” search progarm.

Back to my original point, and that of the original poster: Microsoft could make things easier for the end user. In this case, once a program gets permission to run, that permission should stay in effect unless the program changes. Several firewall programs do this, and it should be fairly easy for Microsoft to program this feature into UAC.

It will be interesting to see how Windows 8 will work in this regard.

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By the way, in most cases it’s these masses of people that keep the PC techs in business, JOB SECURITY!!!

I have to admit an ironic smile upon reading that one Ted! :evilgrin:

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It’s pretty early here for me to get my brain cell working well enough to come up with that one. I better rest for a while. Don’t want to overtax the cell! :rolleyes:
Have a great day. Gotta get ready for work. :coffeetime: :coffeetime: It’s a 2 mug morning.

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Working? I stopped doing that six years ago!
Every morning is a Two-Mug morning for me.

Back on topic:

Win-7 is a lot more enjoyable if you take out your software baseball bat and beat the heck out of it.

I go berserk when Windows tells me I don’t have permission to do something on the computer I built and own 100%.

So, out of self preservation and to keep some semblance of Sanity, I first shut off UAC, with a little script.
Then I install “Grant Full Admin Control” which is like Take Ownership on steroids.

Then I install the “Classic Shell”. That makes menu’s and windows a lot more friendly.

There’s a lot more, but that would take up more space than I really want to use up on this forum. 🙂

My entire tune-up package for Win-7 is on my web site.

Cheers Mates!
😎

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Working? I stopped doing that six years ago!
Every morning is a Two-Mug morning for me.

Back on topic:

Win-7 is a lot more enjoyable if you take out your software baseball bat and beat the heck out of it.

I go berserk when Windows tells me I don’t have permission to do something on the computer I built and own 100%.

So, out of self preservation and to keep some semblance of Sanity, I first shut off UAC, with a little script.
Then I install “Grant Full Admin Control” which is like Take Ownership on steroids.

Then I install the “Classic Shell”. That makes menu’s and windows a lot more friendly.

There’s a lot more, but that would take up more space than I really want to use up on this forum. 🙂

My entire tune-up package for Win-7 is on my web site.

Cheers Mates!
😎

I found your post very interesting, I heard of some things I knew nothing about. For instance, I installed Take Ownership but will take a look at the one you suggested. If it’s as good as you hinted then I’ll make a quick exchange. I’m as sick & tired of Trusted Installer as you are.

Next, where do I get Classic Shell, is that a Windows program?

Gloria

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Just started using W7 about 6 weeks ago, and though I’m not a beginner, I’m not exactly a geek, either. I started using “take ownership” when I got my first Vista machine, because of the annoying inability to make the OS look the way I wanted it to, as I had freely done with XP. One of the first things I did when I got my W7 machine was to install “take ownership”. So I am Really intrigued by your comments referring to installing the “classic shell”, and also your W7 tune up package. Please tell me, what is the “classic shell”, where does one get it, and what does it do? Also, I did visit your web site, and saw your W7 tune-up package and have downloaded it, but … what the h is a .rar program, what does it open with, and what are the tweaks found in it??? Thanks.
Bill

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Just to gently stir things up a bit more: you don’t 100% own the computer. You do not own the OS, nor it’s implementation. You have purchased a licence to install and use the Operating System. In this case Microsoft specify the terms of that licence and you have accepted it by installing and activating the OS. If it were OSX it would be the same except even more restrictive. Linux would give you a OS that can be molded to your every whim to the extent you can go so far as editing and re-compiling the kernel if you wish, but that is for a different forum.

Back to Windows: By turning off UAC and operating as Admin, one runs a big risk of malware exploiting the system and, potentially, there is nothing ones AV software could do about it. This is fine for experienced engineers and technicians, who understand the risks and can recover from serious mis-configurations and infections.

However, for the average user, these things are included for a very good purpose.

There is a reason why Mac OS and Linux have malware infection rates which are lower than the pro-rata user base for Windows you know.

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Mart44 may I ask Where does one find “Customize Start Menu” options? I checked Taskbar & Start Menu in the control panel but that doesn’t seem to be the one you referred to. I saw in Customize > Run Command and found Search with public folders checked. That has nothing to do with the Run command and holding the entered commands.

Gloria E

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@Gloria – right click the Start Orb and select “Properties”. Then click on the “Start Menu” tab and the “Customize” button. Scroll down to find “Run command” and click the check box.

Using Win Key + R brings up the same RUN box too. It has an MRU list.

Joe

--Joe

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Personally, on moving to Win 7 I found almost everything better and easier than Win XP. I don’t find it beneficial to kick the daylights out of my computer, I like to keep everything tidy and Win 7 helps with that. I do agree that some error messages are frustratingly non-specific but I don’t get many. There’s so much to like in Win 7 that I can forgive the odd quirk.

Incidentally, Didn’t profile manager disappear after Firefox 4? It doesn’t seem to be present in FF8

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Thanks for all the good info helping me learn a little bit about how windows7 is different. It seems it is designed to prevent saving anything to root (C:/) easily and I should just get used to saving stuff in different places, like /user.
This restriction is new to me and old habits die hard.

I am always behind in getting new software. So when Windows Secrets Newsletter was talking about moving to windows 7, I was not ready and only skimmed those articles. Now I need to get up to speed. And what I need to know is more detailed than the books and articles written for the typical consumer.

As far as my error with the quotes on the shortcut, wouldn’t it be nice if the error checking mechanism saw that since I was using quotes, instead of just saying ‘invalid command’, it said, ‘invalid command, check quote placement’? Maybe someday….

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As a system admin since DOS days… I recall that Windows XP was itself a bit of a learning curve after Windows 2000.
In general think Windows 2000 was the most straightforward version of Windows. Of the NT derivatives it came the closest to the ease of use in Macintosh System 6.

If I had one request of Microsoft it would be that they maintain Windows 2000 forever –
because embedded systems that run Windows NT, and Windows 2000 are now harder and harder to support.
You don’t replace a voicemail system because Microsoft has decided to stop supporting DOS.

On server systems anything but a plain desktop is just getting in the way.

Rich

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Thought I was doing pretty well on computers, especially for a great-grandmother, but when my PC showed signs of “quitting” I let my son talk me into replacing it with a MAC. Gave up on that after a month and now have a new Dell with Windows 7 Home Premium. Loved XP but am feeling pretty DUMB trying to adjust to 7. Got the newest “Dummies” book but having problems with some of the tecnical terms. What is this “Take Ownership” program. Where do I find it? Should I just go back to my knitting?????

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Thought I was doing pretty well on computers, especially for a great-grandmother, but when my PC showed signs of “quitting” I let my son talk me into replacing it with a MAC. Gave up on that after a month and now have a new Dell with Windows 7 Home Premium. Loved XP but am feeling pretty DUMB trying to adjust to 7. Got the newest “Dummies” book but having problems with some of the tecnical terms. What is this “Take Ownership” program. Where do I find it? Should I just go back to my knitting?????

Take Ownership is linked in my initial post, above. Windows 7 changes some folders ownership, in order to best secure them. Take Ownership will install as an option available once you right click a folder and will make your account the owner of that folder. If there is a folder that you used to access on XP but you find you cannot Access on 7, using Take Ownership on that folder will allow you to access it.

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I don’t like the way that so many Microsoft programs are ‘predictive’. If they were prophets they would be out of a job quicktime – they are almost always wrong, and I find it very frustrating having to ‘correct’ something that Microsoft Windows 7 thinks I ought to be doing.
7 also starts programs for me when I am not in the room! These can be Calculator, Thunderbird, My Computer to name but three.

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7 also starts programs for me when I am not in the room! These can be Calculator, Thunderbird, My Computer to name but three.

The thing which this brings to mind for me is that these programs – calculator, email and Computer – are all programs that are *very* common for the shortcut keys on the keyboard to run. Do you by any chance have anything which might be pressing those keys while you’re away? (For example, a cat who might be walking on the keyboard?)

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I think that what people object to is Microsoft saying by their behavior “We know what the best way is for you to use your computer, and we will force you to use it as we deem correct and allow you no other option.” “We own a monopoly on the PC operating system and We will do whatever We want to without any regard for your difficulty accessing files that you created on your own computer.” “We are the creator, and you a mere user. You may own the computer, but We will dictate how you may use it.”

I wonder how long it will be until our cars come with the monopoly AutoDrive System factory installed. You may own the car, but the molopoly AutoDrive System will tell you where it will allow you to drive, and exactly how you will drive there! Oh yes, monopoly AutoDrive does crash your car now and then. But, you did agree to the EULA stating that any losses from the AutoDrive System crashing your car will be borne by you. Does anyone have a problem with this picture? If you do, you might want to keep your old car for as long as you possibly, possibly can. I here predict that XP will be the longest lived product in Microsoft’s history or future! Like Joni said, “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone. . .”

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I think that what people object to is Microsoft saying by their behavior “We know what the best way is for you to use your computer, and we will force you to use it as we deem correct and allow you no other option.” “We own a monopoly on the PC operating system and We will do whatever We want to without any regard for your difficulty accessing files that you created on your own computer.” “We are the creator, and you a mere user. You may own the computer, but We will dictate how you may use it.”

I wonder how long it will be until our cars come with the monopoly AutoDrive System factory installed. You may own the car, but the molopoly AutoDrive System will tell you where it will allow you to drive, and exactly how you will drive there! Oh yes, monopoly AutoDrive does crash your car now and then. But, you did agree to the EULA stating that any losses from the AutoDrive System crashing your car will be borne by you. Does anyone have a problem with this picture? If you do, you might want to keep your old car for as long as you possibly, possibly can. I here predict that XP will be the longest lived product in Microsoft’s history or future! Like Joni said, “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone. . .”

I thought of such an analogy myself after encountering this under Vista on a previous PC, and although it is an exaggeration somewhat, i can sympathize with the sentiment. But with cars depending on software more and more, you could very well be told that you do not have permission to open your hood or something (or “are you sure you want to allow access?”) all of which could be justified in the name of safety. And with cyberwarfare becoming an increasing threat (Stunext on steroids), the move toward more precautions will be.

Driving is analogous to using the Internet, as you have a lot of freedom on where to go, and there are places you should avoid, and thus instruction on correct usage and investigating what is running should be emphasized more.

I actually first ran into this “you do not have ownership” of my own files on my own hard drive using Linux years ago, and i never found the right script to get full read and write rights to an external drive.

My desire for such freedom is within the context of having extensive daily use of the Internet under W/9x and XP over the course of 10 years and only experiencing 2 viruses, thank God, the last being a due to a free program, the first out of multitudes.

I have used the mvps host file for years which i think helps, and avoid bad (porn, gambling) sites, and i try to keep an eye on what is running. A helpful utility in this regard isWhats my computer doing? I do think that MS should came standard with an apps that shows you which http addresses the PC is accessing, as well as what i writing to the HD, with an optional log file, while the clock should allow showing CPU usage. I have actually found the former hard to find. If anyone has a recommendation let me know.

I did use Vista for a while, and found and used the TakeOwnership tweak, and which helps.

peacebyjesus.net

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I thought of such an analogy myself after encountering this under Vista on a previous PC, and although it is an exaggeration somewhat, i can sympathize with the sentiment. But with cars depending on software more and more, you could very well be told that you do not have permission to open your hood or something (or “are you sure you want to allow access?”) all of which could be justified in the name of safety. And with cyberwarfare becoming an increasing threat (Stunext on steroids), the move toward more precautions will be.

Driving is analogous to using the Internet, as you have a lot of freedom on where to go, and there are places you should avoid, and thus instruction on correct usage and investigating what is running should be emphasized more.

I actually first ran into this “you do not have ownership” of my own files on my own hard drive using Linux years ago, and i never found the right script to get full read and write rights to an external drive.

My desire for such freedom is within the context of having extensive daily use of the Internet under W/9x and XP over the course of 10 years and only experiencing 2 viruses, thank God, the last being a due to a free program, the first out of multitudes.

I have used the mvps host file for years which i think helps, and avoid bad (porn, gambling) sites, and i try to keep an eye on what is running. A helpful utility in this regard isWhats my computer doing? I do think that MS should came standard with an apps that shows you which http addresses the PC is accessing, as well as what i writing to the HD, with an optional log file, while the clock should allow showing CPU usage. I have actually found the former hard to find. If anyone has a recommendation let me know.

I did use Vista for a while, and found and used the TakeOwnership tweak, and which helps.

I’ve thought about this anology too and isn’t this what is behind DRM technology where you don’t really own the music or video, you own the right to play or watch the music or video even if you own the CD, DVD, or BluRay. I’m concerned that the PC will become a closed system which is the opposite of the open PC system that everyone enjoys today where anyone can build a PC and install the Operating System of their choice or even create their own operating system. Closing the PC could be used to stop people from using linux and other operating systems or even disable a version of Windows that Microsoft no longer supports to force people to buy the newest version of windows. I really hope this concept doesn’t move on to other things like cars. Under this concept, your car’s hood would be locked and if you had problems with your car, your only option would be to take it to a dealership who has the keys to open the hood instead of a mechanic you trust since the engine and other components are locked down for your own safety and to prevent damage from faulty aftermarket parts, bad mechanics, etc. I still wonder, can the RIAA, MPAA, or Microsoft use DRM technology to stop me from running Windows 7, playing a CD, or watching a movie merely because they believe I am involved in piracy of some kind but am completely innocent? I remember having to reactivate my Windows XP computer after a false positive from Windows Genuine Advantage (or whatever it’s called) which told me after 2 years of running my copy of XP that my copy was not a “valid copy” and I had to call Microsoft to get a new key. With DRM technology, they could disable my entire computer if they believe I have an invalid copy of Windows, or pirate music and videos. I just have to trust them that they will never do this and give me the chance to prove I am not doing what I’m accused of doing.

Sorry for going off-topics. My opinion of Microsoft taking away some features and adding restrictions in the name of security is that the one-size-all approach for their OS doesn’t work. Even with all the confusing editions of Windows, Microsoft should offer an edition for people who are more tech savy and understand computers and network security that doesn’t have as many restrictions. The one-size-fits all approach is ridiculus. Why should I be restricted on what I can do just because someone else who didn’t know what they were doing ended up infecting their computer with malicious software? A lot of people I know don’t use anti-virus software, download items from the Internet and expect them to be virus free and never run a virus scan on them, keep their virus definition files out of date, etc. Then they come to me for help wondering why they managed to get infected with a virus. Of course if they did offer some version for people who are more computer literate, everyone else will buy it too. I don’t think locking everything down to protect people from themselves is the right approach. This would be like locking the hoods of cars so only the dealer (who has the key to open the hood) can fix a car just to prevent you from damaging your car, someone stealing parts from your car, or a bad mechanic screwing it up. This would mean even for an oil change or to change a burned out headlight you would have to go to the dealer instead of doing it yourself and doing all repairs from a dealership instead of a mechanic.

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Thank you, thank you ruirib! Your link to TakeOwnership is easily the most helpful post I have seen yet on this site. I quickly found it to be a godsend! It was only after posting my unhappiness with the inflexibility of Win7 that I spotted your kind and temperate words on XP. I knew that if I dug here long enough that I would find a gem! Your post was that gem.

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Thank you, thank you ruirib! Your link to TakeOwnership is easily the most helpful post I have seen yet on this site. I quickly found it to be a godsend! It was only after posting my unhappiness with the inflexibility of Win7 that I spotted your kind and temperate words on XP. I knew that if I dug here long enough that I would find a gem! Your post was that gem.

I did it the hard way until I saw someone here advising it, too. This site is a fountain of knowledge and I am glad it has been of use to you, Bob :).

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Thank you, thank you ruirib! Your link to TakeOwnership is easily the most helpful post I have seen yet on this site. I quickly found it to be a godsend! It was only after posting my unhappiness with the inflexibility of Win7 that I spotted your kind and temperate words on XP. I knew that if I dug here long enough that I would find a gem! Your post was that gem.

Before routinely using “Take ownership”, a description of your issue(s) might be in order. There are several things that have changed in Windows 7 that are not readily apparent to those migrating from XP. They can be very frustrating. OTOH, if you try to force Win7 to work just the way XP did you’ll likely end up breaking something.

Joe

--Joe

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I have been following the thread with interest and the hope that my problem would be solved but no such luck. I have Win 7 Home Premium installed and I am very happy with it on the whole. However, it sometime does something strange which I can’t resolve.
I use Firefox 8 as my browser and when ver 8.01 was available, I downloaded it and tried to install it. I then got a “Run as” message informing me that I do not have the necessary permissions to run the install program and gives me 2 options: run program as current user (myself) or as the following user, with Administrator filled in in the user name box. This has never happened to me when installing previous versions of Firefox.
I installed Win 7 myself on a new PC and never assigned a separate Administrator user and therefore no password either. I thought that I was the Administrator. Neither of the options work for me and when I click on the “OK” box I get an error message saying “Logon failure”.
Has anyone any thoughts on resolving this issue?

Charlie

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charlieb, Welcome to the Lounge as a new poster.

Even running an account with administrator privledges does not give the highest level of permissions. A couple of ways to gain this higher level of permissions is
1) download the exe and save it to your PC. Right click the file and choose Run As Administrator.

2) Enable the hidden Administrator account.

I hope this helps in your quest.

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Thanks for your prompt and useful reply. I tried your first solution and it works so that’s great. I learnt something new

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Glad I could help. Have a great weekend.

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.rar is a archiving format; similar to zip files if you know that format. I use WinRar for all my .rar needs but I’m sure many other file packaging programs handle the rar format.

Classic Shell addschanges some of the interface features of explorer.

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7-Zipis my archiving choice.

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