TrustedInstaller - Restore as Owner

**Brink**

How to Restore TrustedInstaller as Owner of a File in Vista

Information

This will show you how to restore TrustedInstaller back as the owner for a protected system file, folder, or drive (usually the C: drive) that you have Taken Ownership of with your user account.

NOTE

There are a few essential protected system resources (system files, folders, and registry keys) that are installed as part of Vista. To help prevent a application and operating system failure, these resources are protected using Windows File Protection (WFP) in such way that applications or users cannot modify these resources by default. The way this protection is implemented is by setting an Access Control List (ACL) on these resources only to allow the TrustedInstaller user to modify them. Not only can a Administrator (elevated or not) account cannot modify them, but neither can the System.

WARNING

It is best not to Taken Ownership of these protected system resources to prevent them from being changed and less secure. If you do, then be sure to change the Owner of the file back to TrustedInstaller below to secure the file again.
Not all files are set with TrustedInstaller as the Owner, so do not change random files ownership to this. If you do, your user account will not be able to modify these files until you have Taken Ownership of them again.

RELATED LINKS:

Here's How:

1. Right click on the file, folder, or drive and click Properties.
2. Click on the Security tab and click the Advanced button. (See screenshot below)

3. Click on the Owner tab and click on the Edit button. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If the Current owner is listed as TrustedInstaller, then you can stop here. The file's owner is already set as TrustedInstaller.

4. Click Continue for the UAC prompt.

5. Click on the Other users or groups button. (See screenshot below)

6. Type in the object name of NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller and click on the Check Names button. (See screenshot below)

7. Click on OK. (See screenshot below)

8. Click on TrustedInstaller to highlight it. (See screenshot below step 9)
NOTE: If you also wanted to change the owner for all subfolders and files to, then check the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects box. This option will not be here if you are doing this for a just a file from step 1.

9. Click on OK. (See screenshot below)

10. Click on OK for the window that just popped up. (See screenshot below)

11. Click OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: Notice that the Current owner is now TrustedInstaller again.

12. Click OK. (See screenshot below)

That's it,
Shawn

Feroc1ty · 07-05-2008

Hi Brink. Thanks for the guide, got TrustedInstaller back as owner, but now i got another problem. I cant install or uninstall programs. I tried uninstalling norton nd just as it starts uninstalling, it then begins with error reporting, i cant even do updates on norton now. Installed new ATI drivers as well and i cant open the control center anymore.

I ran SFC (thanks for that as well) and it says everything is fine.

What can i do? I cant restore because the point before all this went down isn't in the list anymore, unless there's another way? Would a startup repair actually help, seeing as the SFC scan says all is ok? Or is the only option now a clean install? (I hav a OEM Recovery Install disk)

Thanks
Calvin

**Brink** · 07-05-2008

Hi Calvin,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

If it is just Norton that you are having problems with, then try the Norton Removal Tool to clean up the remnants.

Download and run the Norton Removal Tool

If that does not help, then you can try doing a Repair install to see if it can fix the problems before having to do a clean install again.

Repair Install For Vista

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Feroc1ty · 07-22-2008

Hi Shawn

Thanks for the help. Unfortunately had to do a clean install

Oh well at least everything is running again, no problems yet nd hopefully never will have. Fingers crossed!

And once again thanks for all the tutorials posted on the site. Your help is invaluable!

Regards,
Calvin

**Brink** · 07-22-2008

Sorry to hear you had to do a clean install Calvin, but I'm happy everything is running smooth for you now.

Shawn

sbw07 · 08-22-2008

Hi, I added a context menu item for folders to "open command window here (administrator). Somehow it the command got replaced with a take ownership command. I realized this when I right-clicked on the System32 folder in C:\Windows and selected the admin command button but a command window opened up and started taking ownership of the folder and all its contents. I stopped it as soon as I realized what was happening but now I don't know which files were under which ownership originally.

Is it safe to simply make TrustedInstaller the owner of System32 and all its subcontainers and objects?

**Brink** · 08-22-2008

Hi sbw07,

Most of everything in and including the System32 folder has TrustedInstaller as the owner. There are a few a items that should be owned by System and your administrator account instead, but there is just to many items to go through them all. You should be ok setting everything to TrustedInstaller though since the permission levels will still allow the others access.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

sbw07 · 08-26-2008

Thanks,
If there are any files that belong under different ownership that are particularly important, that you can list offhand, I would be very grateful.

**Brink** · 08-27-2008

Your welcome, but I do not have any offhand. There were just too many files in that folder. You should be fine though since the permission levels will still be there for the other owners for access.

07-05-2008
Feroc1ty Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Vista Home Basic 32bit 2 posts Rep Power: 3	Re: TrustedInstaller - Restore as Owner Hi Brink. Thanks for the guide, got TrustedInstaller back as owner, but now i got another problem. I cant install or uninstall programs. I tried uninstalling norton nd just as it starts uninstalling, it then begins with error reporting, i cant even do updates on norton now. Installed new ATI drivers as well and i cant open the control center anymore. I ran SFC (thanks for that as well) and it says everything is fine. What can i do? I cant restore because the point before all this went down isn't in the list anymore, unless there's another way? Would a startup repair actually help, seeing as the SFC scan says all is ok? Or is the only option now a clean install? (I hav a OEM Recovery Install disk) Thanks Calvin
My System Specs

07-05-2008
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP1 16,594 posts Texas, USA Rep Power: 150	Re: TrustedInstaller - Restore as Owner Hi Calvin, Welcome to Vista Forums. If it is just Norton that you are having problems with, then try the Norton Removal Tool to clean up the remnants. Download and run the Norton Removal Tool If that does not help, then you can try doing a Repair install to see if it can fix the problems before having to do a clean install again. Repair Install For Vista Hope this helps, Shawn
My System Specs

07-22-2008
Feroc1ty Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Vista Home Basic 32bit 2 posts Rep Power: 3	Re: TrustedInstaller - Restore as Owner Hi Shawn Thanks for the help. Unfortunately had to do a clean install Oh well at least everything is running again, no problems yet nd hopefully never will have. Fingers crossed! And once again thanks for all the tutorials posted on the site. Your help is invaluable! Regards, Calvin
My System Specs

07-22-2008
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP1 16,594 posts Texas, USA Rep Power: 150	Re: TrustedInstaller - Restore as Owner Sorry to hear you had to do a clean install Calvin, but I'm happy everything is running smooth for you now. Shawn
My System Specs

08-22-2008
sbw07 Newbie Join Date: Mar 2008 Vista Home Premium 32bit 5 posts Rep Power: 5	Re: TrustedInstaller - Restore as Owner Hi, I added a context menu item for folders to "open command window here (administrator). Somehow it the command got replaced with a take ownership command. I realized this when I right-clicked on the System32 folder in C:\Windows and selected the admin command button but a command window opened up and started taking ownership of the folder and all its contents. I stopped it as soon as I realized what was happening but now I don't know which files were under which ownership originally. Is it safe to simply make TrustedInstaller the owner of System32 and all its subcontainers and objects?
My System Specs

08-26-2008
sbw07 Newbie Join Date: Mar 2008 Vista Home Premium 32bit 5 posts Rep Power: 5	Re: TrustedInstaller - Restore as Owner Thanks, If there are any files that belong under different ownership that are particularly important, that you can list offhand, I would be very grateful.
My System Specs

08-27-2008
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP1 16,594 posts Texas, USA Rep Power: 150	Re: TrustedInstaller - Restore as Owner Your welcome, but I do not have any offhand. There were just too many files in that folder. You should be fine though since the permission levels will still be there for the other owners for access.
My System Specs

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