Locked files in windows XP

R

rpravda

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Hi there!

Does anyone know how to make files that were password-locked for an identity in windows XP available for all the other identities that exist on that computer?

Let me explain further... I assigned a password to one of the user accounts and at the prompt that asked if I wanted to protect my files I said yes... now, even though I removed the password the other identities cannot access that files.

Any suggestions?


Thanks!
 
If you want it back to normal, check the permissions for a regular folder that everyone can use (using rpravda's instructions) and find out what everything is set to. Then go back to the problematic folder and set it's permissions to be the same.
 
So, it is just a matter of assigning permissions?

Making the folder (and I guess its subfolders) available to all users will "unlock" the files as well?
 
OK, will try your advice tonight.

Then, when XP asked me if I wanted to secure/protect my files, the only thing that was done is to change the permissions of the folder "My documents" is that right?
 
Just goes to show really that XP acounts are useless cos anybody
can still access your files:)
 
What version of XP are you using, home or professional? as how security works is completely different between the two. XP Home admin accounts are not the same as admin accounts in XP Professional but there is a way to make home act like professional for the purposes of assigning rights as to who can do what, both with files and folders.

This courtesy of Microsoft: -

Controlling Access with NTFS Permissions.

If you’re frustrated by the limitations of Simple File Sharing, you do have an alternative—that is, if you’re running Windows XP Professional and if the drive that contains the files you want to protect is formatted with the NTFS file system. (On a machine running Windows XP Home Edition, the only way to adjust permissions on individual files or folders is by restarting in Safe Mode or using the Cacls utility from a command prompt. By disabling Simple File Sharing and using the full range of NTFS access controls, you can accomplish any or all of the following goals: -

Control access to any file or folder on any NTFS-formatted drive This is a dramatic improvement over Simple File Sharing, which allows you to protect files in your user profile only.

Allow different types of access for different users or groups of users For instance, you might allow your teenagers read-only access to your collection of digital music files, so they can play them but not erase them to make room for their own downloaded tunes. You and your spouse, on the other hand, get full rights to add or delete any files. This is a significant change from the all-or-nothing access controls available via Simple File Sharing.

Fine-tune permissions on specific files or folders In a folder that contains the templates you use to create new documents or Web pages, you might want to restrict users to read-only access, while blocking their ability to overwrite or delete files. Anyone can open a new file based on an existing template, but you can be certain that the revised file won’t inadvertently replace one of your carefully crafted templates.

Caution: -

Setting NTFS permissions without understanding the full consequences can lead to unexpected and unwelcome results, including a complete loss of access to files and folders. Working with the built-in permission sets—Full Control, Modify, and so on— is the safest strategy. If you plan to tinker with special permissions, set up a folder and fill it with test files so that you can experiment safely. When you’re certain you’ve worked out the correct mix of permissions, apply them to the folder containing your real working files and delete the test folder.
The best way to begin working with permissions is to start by using the Make This Folder Private option on any folders you want to protect in your user profile. This sets a baseline of default permissions that guarantee you’ll have exclusive access to those files. After completing that process, you’re ready to turn off the Simple File Sharing interface and reveal the more complex Security tab, with its full array of NTFS permissions. To do so, from any Windows Explorer window, click Tools and then click Folder Options. On the View tab, clear the Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended) check box.
As a general practice, you should be consistent in your use of either the Simple File Sharing interface or the full NTFS permissions. Switching back and forth indiscriminately can wreak havoc with network shares. If you normally use Simple File Sharing, but occasionally need to work with the full set of permissions, you can bypass the dialog boxes with this simple script, which toggles between the two modes. Open Notepad or any plain text editor and enter the following text:

'' ToggleSharingOptions.vbs
' Toggles between Simple Sharing and full NTFS permissions
Option Explicit
Dim strOldForceGuestValue, WshShell

On Error Resume Next

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
strOldForceGuestValue = WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\forceguest")

If strOldForceGuestValue = "1" Then
WshShell.RegWrite "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\forceguest", 0, "REG_DWORD"
WScript.Echo "Full permissions are now available"
Else
WshShell.RegWrite _
"HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\forceguest", 1, "REG_DWORD"
WScript.Echo "Simple sharing is now on"
End If
 
OK,

I am using XP Professional if this helps.

I cleared the privacy option and it worked, but, here I have an even more difficult question:

What if the folder to read/modify/delete was created with an identity it does not longer exist?

How can I acceess it or at least delete it?

Thanks again
 
Hopefully the admin account has access to it. Once the owner of a folder is deleted, I'm not really sure who the ownership rights would transfer over to, if it transfers at all. Anyway, I bet the Admin account can kill it if need be. If that doesn't work, I wonder if you could go through recovery console.
 
If you’re using XP Pro you will have access to the file/s and directorys (sadly now called folders) you can recover/delete/read/write etc, (as the administrator) any file even if it’s been deleted from the recycle bin, using third party recovery utilities. These start for free and end up costing thousands, depending on how many times the file has been overwritten. That’s why security exists, to provide control both over users and the system itself. Just delete the file if this is what you want.

XP has no “kill” command; this is from various VB type environments or other operating systems, which require the environment to be loaded into memory before you can use such a command.

AS the admin you can re-assign rights to any users to access this file or folder bearing in mind that the rights you assign will be inherited by all the sub-directory's and files contained therin if a tree structure exists below.
 

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