Re: Flames are really getting hot

From: Roger Abell (mvpNOSPAM@asu.edu)
Date: 06/08/02 

From: "Roger Abell" <mvpNOSPAM@asu.edu>
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 2002 02:21:35 -0700

"Subzero" <subzeronyc@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:GdaM8.3409$a11.2623@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
> People are really quick to blame someone around here.
>
I guess I missed that/those threads (?) as I don't recall what
has prompted your OT subject.

> Let me break this down to *** and Jane level for those pointing fingers
> that I screwed up by not doing a back-up and attempting something that I
> knew nothing about.
>
perhaps the comments were taken too heavily ?

> I'm forever tweaking my computer-- it's a clone that has none of the
> original parts any longer from years ago. I'd like to think that I have a
> pretty good understanding of installing hardware and software.
>

There are four main parts: hardware, network, systems, software
Many of us have travelled the path you outline . . .

> Two months ago, even though my 'puter was tweaked to my satisfaction and
> couldn't have functioned any better, I decided I wanted to upgrade my
> motherboard and processor. I knew this meant I would have to reinstall
> WinXP. Instead of copying the contents of the My Documents folder to my
> second HD, I just copied the "Documents and Settings" folder since I knew
it
> contained files I wanted.
>

Sure, makes sense. Rather complete too given a reinstall, as long as
there is no encryption in use or the copy is done mindful of it.
Seems the difference is only how much space was used for the copy,
provided you had permissions to copy it all.

> I am the only one who uses this computer so I always log on as ABC with
the
> password XYZ. After the upgrade and reinstallation, I tried to access
this
> "Docs and Settings" folder that I'd copied to the second HD, as my user ID
> was still ABC. In a logical world, it would seem that if the same user
was
> trying to access a folder with the same identity settings as before, the
> folder would be tricked that it was still the same person accessing it.
Of

If it was "with the same identity settings" it would not have to be tricked.
The account name and its display name are top-dressing. It is a unique
128-bit pattern which represents the identity. Each account creation gets
one (its own) of these, called a SID.
This is a pre-requisite for having a securable filesystem, etc., as
otherwise it could be easily tricked.

> course, access was denied so the next logical step was to look into
changing
> the permissions and trying to take ownership of this particular folder so
> that I could access these files. No such luck.
>

No such luck getting access, or also no such luck "trying" to
take ownership ? You should have been promoted to reset
permissions, leading to a done deal.

> I have worked these security settings in every combo I know and still
can't
> access these files although I see them as plain as the sky outside. When
I
> click on a Word doc, it launches Word but then tells me that "user does
not
> have access to <filename>"--- this is what is very frustrating to me,

You can see that due to access control (permissions) settings, or, due
to encryption. In the General Advanced area of Properties do these
files show that they are encrypted ?

> because even after stripping permissions from the directories in this
folder
> and resetting them to inherit from the main drive, which I have total
access
> to, still no dice.
>

So, apparently you did have no problems setting ownership.

> I am not someone who just decided to click this button to see what
happens,
> as I have been using Windows since the preshistoric days.

That was DOS and its kindred. You are using NT now, which has a
prehistory only some 20 years ago.

> And as long as I
> can remember, people have always griped about bugs/glitches and things
that
> seem to have no workaround.
>

We have griped about most things that are not just how we
want them, especially those not working as advertised.
The rub seems to be that the richer the environment, then the
more the code that has to be tightened just right.

> And as long as others are posting that they are encountering similar
> problems, I know that there is validity in my gripe.
>
> 

--
Roger Abell
MVP (Windows Platform)  Associate Expert
The Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone