"Program Files" Folder Inaccessible, Taking ownership does nothing

ig4

New Member
This all started when I recently had some malwares/viruses roaming around my laptop one day. I had managed to get rid of it all but it left my Direct Console 2.0 useless (I have an ASUS G-50V, Vista Premium 64-bit). I've tried reinstalling it and it just wouldn't load, no error message or anything (it did show up on taskmanager but no window appeared).

So trying to find a solution on google I ended up installing .net Framework 4.0. However, after restarting i started getting a ton of error messages about files in the Program Files folder, and then I realized it had just completely disappeared (rather, all the files inside disappeared). First the error messages said the folder was "corrupt and unreadable."

I navigated to the folder and tried clicking it, which then another error message popped up saying "Access is denied." I tried almost every solution I found on google, changing ownership and such, but I still cannot open the folder. Moreover, I cannot repair or uninstall any program that is or has been in the Program Files which I'm assuming has to do with the permission issues. I noticed this when I ran the setup for Direct Console 2.0 and tried to repair it, only giving me an error saying "The Installer has insufficient privileges to modify this file: C:\Program Files (x86)ASUS\OvClk.dll." But this also makes no sense to me as this is the x86 program files folder, which I can access.

I checked both of the folders and TrustedInstaller has ownership to both of them.

*Edit - I just checked the ASUS folder inside my Program Files (x86) where the only group assigned to it for security is "Everyone" and it had no access whatsoever.

I would like to know if there is any possible way to fix this and if the files inside the folder are still there as this is very frustrating to deal with. Most of my ASUS programs were in the Program Files, including the hotkey manager is really useful to me. Thanks a lot.


In case you need to know:
As for the what I did to deal with malwares and viruses I mentioned before, I did install Malwarebytes on another computer with updated definitions and loaded it on a flash drive here, removing whatever malwares it found. Even after this though (and this has been a consistent problem), mbam.exe would disappear after installing Malwarebytes regularly on my own laptop.

Thinking there was some virus or other malware laying around that it didn't pick up, I downloaded and installed AVG. I updated it and full scanned, which found more viruses and did fix the issue of mbam.exe disappearing after install. At this point I installed Malwarebytes again, updated, and scanned again, finding 1 or 2 trojans and I think at this point there shouldn't be any viruses/malwares causing issues, but of course I could be wrong.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

Hello ig4,
Not sure if this will help, try opening a command prompt as administrator and do the following.

Type this command & hit Enter: (or copy and paste)
Net user administrator /active:yes

To disable this account, type this command & hit Enter: (or copy and paste)
Net user administrator /active:no

This will enable the so called "super admin account"
It may get around the problem, just don't get your hopes up.

Also, when you are trying to install the software, are you installing as administrator ?, if not try that too.

Good luck and post your results.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor
    300 Gig Maxtor
    300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
Thanks the for the suggestions Stoneys, but none of them worked. Yes I have tried running the setup as administrator as well via right click 'Run as Administrator.' Before this I've been able to go into my Program Files just fine and do whatever I wanted to do in there but now not only can I not access it, but it shows up as empty when go to the folder through a menu. I have used malwarebytes, AVG, and super antispyware.

Could this possibly have anything to do with installing .net framework 4.0? It 'did' happen after I did the required restarted after installation.
 

My Computer

Its quite possible, un-install the update and see if that helps.
Have you tried a system restore to a point before all this started ?.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor
    300 Gig Maxtor
    300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set
Just another thought, can you access the folder in safe mode ?.

(its 3 am here, but will be back on tomorrow).
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor
    300 Gig Maxtor
    300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set
I did manage to uninstall .net 4.0 but it didn't fix the issue, and I tried repairing the 3.5 framework that was still installed but then it said I had no access for that either. Yes, I have tried through safe mode as well. Even in safe mode I can't edit the permissions.

I am currently doing a scan with a-squared as ilikefree suggested.
 

My Computer

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor
    300 Gig Maxtor
    300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set
I've tried this as well, but it's not compatible for 64-bit OS, at least from what I heard and experienced. Appreciate all your help though, thanks.
 

My Computer

You have probably done this but its worth a go.
Open a command prompt as administrator and type sfc/scannow press enter and let it scan.
This will scan and try to repair the Vista file system.
If errors are found you may need to scan more than once.

Also. if you have a Vista disk run a startup repair. Link to tutorial below.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/91467-startup-repair.html

I'm thinking if there are damaged system files from the virus attack, this could be what is causing all this grief.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor
    300 Gig Maxtor
    300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set
TSST corp CDDVDW TS-L632H ATA device

Ok, The name of installed CD/DVD in my Toshiba Lap is TSST corp CDDVDW TS-L632H ATA device and have being using it for over twenty months on my laptop, runing Vista Home Premium, because that`s the discs I`m used to buying. Now I find out that the system does not even recognise the device even if you put a cd in it
So I decided to buy an extanal CD/DVD+R device, thinking that may be a quick solution. Tried installing it doesn`t even load the drivers.
Tried the divece manager but got this message

"Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)

I just wonder why my system is not recognising my CD/DVD Device named above becouse I cant even see it in the profile when you click on my computer at the start menu
I hope I explained myself enough, THANKS!!
 

My Computer

I ran the sfc scan but at 18%, it stop and says "Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation."
 

My Computer

I remembered this from another post.

Try the following.
(All commands are to be run from an elevated cmd prompt.
chkdsk /f
sfc /scannow

If it fails again, try the following:
chkdsk c: /f /r
(This will tell you that the drive cannot be locked, do you wish to run
CHKDSK on the next reboot. Answer: Yes.
While you are not trying to recover bad sectors, you are trying to get
chkdsk to run before Vista is running.)
After the reboot, try:
sfc /scannow

If it fails again, boot with your Vista installation DVD and go to the
Repair section.
Select Repair
If successful, go to the command prompt from the Repair section and try:
sfc /scannow

Should this fail again, your options are getting rather limited.
A re-install may be in order. But before you go there, post back and we'll
see if we can't find the trouble spot in your CBS.log.
Also, look in the event viewer for anything that may help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor
    300 Gig Maxtor
    300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set
Can you run it again, just to double check the log, also, at the end of the scan, does it say that all repairs were carried out ?.
If errors are found, you would need to run it again, as it will not repair all errors on one pass.

Download this free app and run.

CCleaner - Optimization and Cleaning - Free Download (Backup Registry When Prompted).

The log is still showing files that were not repaired, but this may be fixed with another sfc/scannow, if not then use the Vista disk to do a startup repair.
Link below.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/91467-startup-repair.html

Is the system showing any signs of being more stable ?.

As system restore is not able to help, turn it off for now as there may be parts of the virus stored there. (Don't for get to turn it back on when this is fixed).

I will put all this in some sort of order for you.

1. Turn off system restore.

2. Run Malwarebytes. (With system restore off).

3. Run CCleaner. (Scan and clean registry).

4. sfc/scannow (At least two more times).

5. Startup Repair (Will check and repair file system).

There are still corrupted files but I'm sure they can be cleaned, you know what the alternative is, but lets not think about that just yet.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    QX9650 (black box) [email protected]
    Motherboard
    Asus P5Q Premium
    Memory
    8GB-4x2GB Corsair Dominator DDR 2-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    2 x ASUS EAH 4870 X 2 (Quad)
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Fujitsu Siemens 22inch flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    150 Gig WD Raptor
    300 Gig Maxtor
    300 Gig Maxtor, (External)
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 1000
    Case
    CoolerMaster N-Vidia stacker 830
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12P x 1x120mm fan, 6x120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    20Mbps
    Other Info
    Audio FX Pro 5+1 gaming head set
ig4 did a squared find anything? I'm told it has 60 scanning engines so if there is any infection it should find it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
Sorry about that, yes it did find several infections but none of which solved the issue.

However, I think the first sfc /scannow that I did fixed the Program Files being locked as I can access it fine now. I still have the problem of all ASUS programs denying access though - I can't uninstall Direct Console 2.0 nor repair it as it says the installer does not have access to modify certain files. I cannot delete the file either in the folder.

I ran another sfc scan, as well as run it again after cleaning the registry/files with CCleaner and still no luck.
 

My Computer

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