Re: Unknown user has control of an entire directory of files.

From: Dave (noone_at_nowhere.com)
Date: 12/15/04 

Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 00:02:01 -0000

use the security tab, advanced button, ownership tab, and change owner to
yourself. check the box under the list of users and it should change the
whole tree at once. i don't know why this happens, but i have some folders
with a guid as owner, though i do have admin permissions on them... maybe it
happens when files are copied from a different machine in some cases.

"JF" <jfNO@SPAMlateralc.com> wrote in message
news:OG7sbMj4EHA.2124@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> I recently downloaded and unzipped an SDK (Apache Axis, fyi) into a
> directory on my machine. At some time later, I tried to copy a file to
this
> directory but was getting an "Access Denied" error. I really don't
remember
> anything out of the ordinary happening between when I unzipped the SDK and
> when I received the access denied error message.
>
> Anyway, I eventually discovered that every file and folder at and below
the
> unzip directory had read-only access. I could not understand how this
was
> possible as I am logged in as the Administrator. My goal at this point
was
> to just delete the directory but I could not seem to do it. I tried every
> trick in the book, including re-booting, disabling explorer.exe, etc. and
> even trying a program called MoveOnBoot that supposedly allows for
deletion
> before Windows Access control takes over. Nothing worked.
>
> Finally, I enabled the security tab to check out the owner of the files.
> Some unknown user who's username looks more like a GUID has full control
of
> this folder and all files and sub-directories within. Every other user
has
> read-only access - including the Administrator. I can't even change
rights
> as the Administrator!
>
> This strange user has a little icon next to the username in the security
> dialog box that looks like the typical user icon (a head) but it also has
a
> little question mark overlapping the head. I consider my self pretty
> skilled in this sort of thing but I can't for the life of me figure out
what
> is going on here. I can rename and move whole directory without a
problem,
> but that is about it. So, now I am stuck with this stupid directory on my
> machine.
>
> Might anyone offer suggestions as to what is going on here? An OS bug? A
> virus? I am really confused.
>
> Regards,
>
> JF
>
>

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