User Account issue

[Cokehead]

I recently reinstalled Windows 7 to minimize driver issues with some major hardware changes.

This has made many problems surface, but this one I have dealt with before - I just forgot what I did >:/

Every time I try to copy a file or do anything with a folder I didn't make this install (some of these go back to when I had Windows Vista), I can't seem to manage it - programs will throw up an error (or do nothing). I suspect it's a permissions issue, since I remember this being a problem last time I did a reinstall.

In short: How can I convince Windows 7 that this computer, and thus the hard drives in it, belong to me? How do I assume control?

Thanks

-Coke

 

[aford10]

Try this.
http://www.blogsdna.com/2173/add-take-ownership-option-in-right-click-context-menu-of-windows-7.htm

 

[Cokehead]

Tried that, but having to do that for each folder is sort of a pain. Any other options? Appreciate your help all the same though.

 

[aford10]

Does that tool solve the issue on the files you use it on?

Are there any other users listed in the control panel-->users?

 

[Cokehead]

Not always, but it works on folders that don't have many subfolders. My 'games' folder, for instance, is pretty massive, and the command doesn't seem to quite give me ownership of everything.

 

[Cokehead]

Ended up disabling UAC. The take ownership tool didn't work.

There are other users listed, S-2349836576897 types.

 

[aford10]

Are the other users ones you created? If you don't want them, try deleting them.

 

[Cokehead]

They were ones that existed before the reinstall. Perhaps on other installations. But they only show up when I go to properties>security. Not elsewhere. To get rid of them, I would have to delete them from every folder these ghost usernames have access to, which is basically all of them.

Quick update: I did actually disable UAC. This has helped somewhat, but only when doing routine tasks, like copying files with the regular windows copier. If I try to use Teracopy, it doesn't work. If I run an older program that doesn't give itself admin privileges/does whatever magic newer programs seem to usee to not have to do this, it won't work.

The only thing that has fixed this so far is marking the directory as writeable to 'Everyone.' This seems like a bad move securitywise, though, as this means when I share a folder over my network, my friends can put files there. Which I don't mind generally, but some of them like to prank >_>