Q: I receive an "Access Denied" message when accessing a file or folder?

A: You will need to make sure your account has administrative privileges. Go to Control Panels -> Users. Edit your user name and make sure your new user is an administrator, not a limited user. If you cannot change anything, you will need to log back in as Administrator or a user with administrative privileges to complete this. Once you've made the change, reboot and log back in. If you are still getting those Access Denied, right-click on the file(s) or folder(s) you wish to access and choose Properties.

(Detour: If there IS a “Security”, skip this step. If NOT, close the properties box, then in any Explorer window choose Tools->Folder Options->View tab->Uncheck the LAST item in the list “Use simple file sharing”. Now right-click on your old user and choose properties tab again and the Security tab should have appeared.)

Choose Security tab->Advanced->Owner tab->under “Change Owner to” highlight your NEW user name->check “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects”->Click OK. This might take a few minutes. When done, reboot and log in as new user and see if you can get to your stuff.

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