Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not

[bstonehill]

I copied all of my important files from XP onto a disc before installing Vista Business. After copying them to my hard drive a good portion of the files, but not all, give me this error when I try to access them:

Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.

I can access them on any XP machine. I am an administrator, I have taken ownership of the files, I have full permissions, and I have tried using run as administrator to launch the files. I still get the same error every time.

Can someone please help with this as I am locked out of some important files.

Thanks in advance!

 

[linney]

Is the Read-Only Attribute set on any file you are trying to Write to? See the Properties of the files concerned.

What location are these files stored in on Vista? What are the Permissions for Parent folders etc?

 

[bstonehill]

I changed permissions on the folder and subfolders to full access, I even went up to the root folder and changed the ownership and permissions on it and all subfolders to be sure but I still have the same error. The files are stored on a seperate data drive. I tried accessing them on an XP machine again but I get the same error on XP also.

 

[linney]

This was why I was asking about the Read-Only Attribute.

HOW TO: Remove the Read-Only Attribute While You Copy Files from a CD-ROM in Windows 2000 (Q323002)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q323/0/02.asp

What is strange is some are accessible and some are not, what is the difference between the two types of files?


This Data drive you describe, I take it it is on the Vista Machine? Is the Vista Business an upgrade from XP? If it was, were there any tweaks or settings carried across from XP that might be effecting access to this drive? Were any files Encrypted, but copying to CD should/would have decrypted them?

Have you had a look at the SubInAcl tool to see if you can use that on Vista. I can't confirm whether it is suitable or not for Vista, but I think that it might work, and probably (hesitantly!) should be able to do the Permissions for that data drive?

Download it here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...56-d8fe-4a91-93cf-ed6985e3927b&displaylang=en

Are the files still on CD, perhaps you could try copying them elsewhere (your Documents folder?) just to see if you can access them there?

Have you tried another Admin user, in case of a corrupt profile type of situation?

Are you using the "Administrators" User in any Permissions, thinking it would cover and include your username as being a member of the Administrators Group (it should but not always from my experience), have you tried listing your actual username in the Permissions or taking ownership with your username?

 

[Bishop2701]

Don't feel alone, I am having the same problem so I hope we can figure this one out??

 

[linney]

Bishop2701,

Have you tried taking ownership of the files concerned like "bstonehill" has? Are your files Denied Access, both in XP and Vista, the same as the original poster?

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP (Q308421)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q308/4/21.asp

Error Message: "Access Is Denied" When You Try to Open NTFS File System Folders

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q823306#appliesto

 

[BadBigBen]

When you type: [b]net view \\[i]computername[/i][/b], you get the error message,

"Error 5: You do not currently have access to this file. The file may be marked read-only, or it may be part of a shared resource such as a folder, a named pipe, a queue, or a semaphore. You can use the ATTRIB command to change the read-only attribute, or try again later when the file may be available."

This is in some cases caused by a registry setting named RestrictAnonymous. Go to the computer which you cannot access, start a registry editor and change the following registry value.

 [b]HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa[/b]

 Value name: [b]RestrictAnonymous[/b]
 Value type: [b]DWORD[/b]

If the value is 1 or even 2, change it to 0, reboot and retest. If the problem is solved, leave the value at zero. If not, you can change it back if you like.

Background: RestrictAnonymous controls whether null sessions, sessions that work without any authentication and use the permissions of the groups Everyone and NETWORK, are allowed (value 0) or disallowed (value 1). The value 2 is obsolete.

source: Chicagotech.net

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."