How to become Admin' for real?

[Curt]

I remember this from when I first started using Vista, but back then I installed a certain application and, voila! I was the boss of my own computer. Now I am in a similar situation again. This time on Windows 7. "You do not have the right to save this picture at this location. Will you like to save it to the Pictures folder instead?". Such a question can make me go ballistic; is this my computer or does it belong to someone else?!!

Please help me to become boss of my own computer!  

also:
1) Must I LEAVE the (none-existent) home-group? It gives me all kind of warnings when I start trying to leave ("no print!", etcetera), so I don't dare! I never started a home-group, so how did it evolve? I don't understand the home-group layout; has the very concept of a private, single user been cancelled?
2) How can shortcuts apparently be situated in "Public", when there is no such location?


Maybe there is a program that will automate the "become the single user Admin' of your Win 7 PC" process?

[Shades]

By enabling the Administrator account in Windows 7?

Easy enough to do, but that still does not comply with what you want to become.

Home-Groups are enabled by default and you will find that leaving it will work in your benefit. See what Fred Langa writes about that on the 'Windows Secrets' website (pressed for time, so no link).

Symbolic links are your other problem. These can make your life a lot easier and harder at the same time. Easier when you know why and when you should be using those, and harder when you don't.

[nite_monkey]

I had the permissions problem also, but ever since I disabled the UAC, I now own my computer again, and I can save files anywhere I want.

[jacquesrober]

There is also a free program called:"Take ownership". It will install in the context menu and will really take ownership on anything you point it at. Do it only once, but a warning from the site: do not take ownership of the whole C drive.

[tomos]

I had none of these problem with a standalone machine.

Possibly because of my settings (?) -
After a bit of discussion I took the advice in this thread -
I run an admin account and have UAC cranked up to the highest level.

I also have machine setup so I dont have to add the password at all - but I'd have to say that is dangerous - I almost forgot it once and still havent backed it up properly

[Curt]

sorry that i haven't had time to follow up on the answers.

I AM the administrator of my PC. Guest account is not activated. The problem may be HOW various programs are installed, and/or where their shortcut is situated ("Curt-user" vs "All users"). It now #seems# to me that in general it is mostly a question of not double-clicking installation files, but right-click > Run as admin'. But I am not yet certain of this. Please teach me! On my previous computers I would always just double-click the installer, and never had this new problem.

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Does any of you use the $30 (plus VAT) Windows 7 Firewall Control?
It is not clear to me if that shocking high price is for a major version's number only, or...? Please tell!  

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Info service: 129 Windows 7 Shortcuts from http://www.7tutorials.com/biggest-library-windows-7-shortcuts :

[attachurl=#]

[Curt]

Windows 7 Firewall Control?
It is not clear to me if that shocking high price is for a major version's number only, or...? Please tell! 

It was just a matter of scrolling even further down on their homepage:

    Upgrade 1.x/2.x/3.x to 4.x Discount
    Get 30% discount coupon for the upgrade now

Right now you can test version 5 BETA for free:

Free licenses for testing version 5 Beta:

Plus version: VFCR05000000TEST07CF72E75F54
Network/Cloud version: VFCS05000000TESTD43DD26B055F
XP Plus: XFCR05000000TEST2B91889D03E0

Free commercial licenses for making the product better
(by finding initial, significant, accepted, reproducible problems/bugs of the product).
Free 32-bit
Free 64-bit
Plus 32/64-bit (2in1)
Network/Cloud Edition 32/64-bit (2in1)
XP Plus Edition
XP Free Edition

I think the program makes it too easy to create bad settings.

[Ath]

I AM the administrator of my PC. Guest account is not activated. The problem may be HOW various programs are installed, and/or where their shortcut is situated ("Curt-user" vs "All users"). It now #seems# to me that in general it is mostly a question of not double-clicking installation files, but right-click > Run as admin'. But I am not yet certain of this. Please teach me! On my previous computers I would always just double-click the installer, and never had this new problem.

I think you really need to get up to date on (maybe Windows Vista) Windows 7 and the UAC 'issue' http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/user-account-control

[Curt]

Sorry, I have of course been terrible bad, explaining myself.  

I have no problem with UAC; I have a severe problem with some shortcuts opening a guest / none-admin version of my Internet browser or Explorer. I am the administrator and only user, there are no guests - so everything  I do must be recognized as being done by the admin; nothing must tell me that I don't have the right to save a picture in C:/filename.jpg

[Ath]

nothing must tell me that I don't have the right to save a picture in C:/filename.jpg

Well, then do as nite_monkey said: Turn off UAC

[Curt]

-I don't think is has to do with UAC; that will only warn or ask. But:

Home-Groups are enabled by default and you will find that leaving it will work in your benefit.

-this seem to have done the trick. Thank you, all, esp. Shades!

[TaoPhoenix]

I had the permissions problem also, but ever since I disabled the UAC, I now own my computer again, and I can save files anywhere I want.

I think I second this, once you tell all of UAC to go to San Terrandino Franciscan University (STFU) and not bother you again, I have never seen those kinds of messages.

[Innuendo]

The root of the C: drive (and other select folders) are protected by Windows from being written to by misbehaving/malevolent programs. This is generally considered to be A Good Thing as it can protect you from a lot of grief if one's PC is ever compromised.

Turning off UAC and circumventing Windows other security protocols is not a good idea at all. If you should ever want to save something to one of these protected zones, just right-click on a program's shortcut & select Run As Administrator if it's just a one-time thing. If you need something more permanent, then you should go into the program shortcut's properties and select Run This Program As Administrator on its property tab.

The smartest method is to work with UAC rather than try to work against/around it. If you are trying to download something from your browser to the C: drive, make a folder, and save the item inside it. You won't be bothered by UAC at all then. The location C:\ is a protected space, but say....C:\Downloads or C:\Graphics is not.

Personally, I have my primary hard drive set up as two partitions.  There's a small 75 GB partition & that's where I installed Windows. It's my C drive. I leave that for Windows to do what it will & for those brain-dead programs that don't know how to do anything but install to C: (Yes! They STILL exist!!). The rest of my primary drive is my D: drive. It's 1.8 TB or so & that's where I save all my downloads, install all my programs, and keep their data.

With this system even with having UAC on the highest, most secure setting I only see UAC prompts two or three times a week and that's when I'm doing something I know needs admin access like registry edits or installing certain programs that work at the system level. A sweet side-benefit to laying my hard drive this way is if the need or desire to reinstall Windows ever comes up I can just format that 75 GB partition immediately & reinstall Windows. I don't have to worry about copying/saving anything because everything is on the other partition.

(Oh, C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86) are protected spaces as well. Using my system above everything is installed to D:\Program Files and D:\Program Files (x86) which allows older programs and games that don't know anything about UAC to work properly.)

[Curt]

-thanks, Innuendo  

BTW: I haven't touched UAC; it is still on the second-highest level.

How on earth do you have a disk sized almost 2TB? I mean, is it inside a normal (full) tower?
Mine are both 500GB, and I was told there was no room for more.

[tomos]

^ you can get 3 terabyte disks now Curt - the drives are the same size as usual.


edit/ - if your machine has no more space for drives, you could always replace one of your drives...

[Shades]

"No room for more" means either that there are no more (SATA) connectors on your mainboard, your PC case has no room to fit another disk or your power supply cannot handle the load of an extra hard disk anymore.

My money would be on the first option.

However, it is possible to buy a drive with the biggest capacity your budget allows. Download freeware (Paragorn, HDClone etc.) to transfer the complete content of one of your current drives to the new one. Disconnect the drive that you don't want to copy and connect the new drive in its place. Boot from the media created by the freeware and verify you copy correctly(!!!) and then initiate the copy.

After that is finished, which can take quite some time (depending on a lot of speed factors (SATA controller, amount of content etc.)), disconnect the original drive and reconnect the previously disconnected drive. You should notice a small speed increase as the new hard disk will be (slightly) faster than the drive it replaced. When you open the drive management software from Windows you will notice that there is a lot of room left to make (a) new partition(s) or expand the one(s) you already have.

"Rinse-and-repeat" for the other 500GB drive and your PC should be able to store 6 TB of data if your budget allows you to buy 2 3TB drives, of course.

The above procedure is quite simple but do it with a clear mind, because you can seriously mess up if you do one step wrong. Relatively easy procedures makes a mind wander/complacent and that is the moment Murphy is waiting on to strike your data dead cold.   

[Curt]

-most interesting.

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rest deleted. I am tired and going to bed now.

[4wd]

"No room for more" means either that there are no more (SATA) connectors on your mainboard, your PC case has no room to fit another disk or your power supply cannot handle the load of an extra hard disk anymore.

My money would be on the first option.

I don't think you'll collect

MS-7379VP = MSI G31 based motherboard which all have 4 SATA-II ports.

Being a mini-tower case it's more likely to be lack of space or the PSU doesn't have a spare SATA power plug, (which can be remedied).

The FUJITSU SIEMENS Scaleo Pi2680 shows as having two 5.25" bays, if only one is occupied then another HDD can be installed in the other using a pair of mounting adapters, then just plug it in and use it for the data drive.

[Shades]

@4wd:
Crap, my comment was made without that the system specs (from where did you those?)

[Curt]

-answer to Shades and others:

Send some info of your PC! - DonationCoder.com

[4wd]

Motherboard from here.