Vista - can't access some directories in vista

i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files from
my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened? Thanks.

Hello,
I think, because your new computer's Vista has a user which is different
from the old one (at least for Windows), you have to set the folder security
settings so that you are allowed.

Right-click a folder, and select Properties -> tab "Security" and click
"Edit...". Add your user account, if necessary, and check "Full control".

Hope this will help. Please ask if there's an issue.

Greetings,
Paolo Di Stolfo

"RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:BF10A1FC-A40E-452C-AF80-C2D167CC8D36@microsoft.com...
>i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
>from
> my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
> computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
> Thanks.

yes that works but who is the other user? i'm the first and only user; i
installed all the programs after the factory-installed Vista, etc. thanks.

"P. Di Stolfo" wrote:

> Hello,
> I think, because your new computer's Vista has a user which is different
> from the old one (at least for Windows), you have to set the folder security
> settings so that you are allowed.
>
> Right-click a folder, and select Properties -> tab "Security" and click
> "Edit...". Add your user account, if necessary, and check "Full control".
>
> Hope this will help. Please ask if there's an issue.
>
> Greetings,
> Paolo Di Stolfo
>
> "RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:BF10A1FC-A40E-452C-AF80-C2D167CC8D36@microsoft.com...
> >i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
> >from
> > my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
> > computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
> > Thanks.
>

Hello,

is the other's name something like S-5-00203-...? This is your other user
account, seen as your real user name from the other Windows.

Greetings,
P. Di Stolfo

"RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0FEB3158-FAF1-474B-AC4A-EBB30B9DDD40@microsoft.com...
> yes that works but who is the other user? i'm the first and only user; i
> installed all the programs after the factory-installed Vista, etc. thanks.
>
> "P. Di Stolfo" wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>> I think, because your new computer's Vista has a user which is different
>> from the old one (at least for Windows), you have to set the folder
>> security
>> settings so that you are allowed.
>>
>> Right-click a folder, and select Properties -> tab "Security" and click
>> "Edit...". Add your user account, if necessary, and check "Full control".
>>
>> Hope this will help. Please ask if there's an issue.
>>
>> Greetings,
>> Paolo Di Stolfo
>>
>> "RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:BF10A1FC-A40E-452C-AF80-C2D167CC8D36@microsoft.com...
>> >i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
>> >from
>> > my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
>> > computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
>> > Thanks.
>>

not that i know of. if i look at user accounts i only have me and guest
which isn't turned on.

"P. Di Stolfo" wrote:

> Hello,
>
> is the other's name something like S-5-00203-...? This is your other user
> account, seen as your real user name from the other Windows.
>
> Greetings,
> P. Di Stolfo
>
> "RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:0FEB3158-FAF1-474B-AC4A-EBB30B9DDD40@microsoft.com...
> > yes that works but who is the other user? i'm the first and only user; i
> > installed all the programs after the factory-installed Vista, etc. thanks.
> >
> > "P. Di Stolfo" wrote:
> >
> >> Hello,
> >> I think, because your new computer's Vista has a user which is different
> >> from the old one (at least for Windows), you have to set the folder
> >> security
> >> settings so that you are allowed.
> >>
> >> Right-click a folder, and select Properties -> tab "Security" and click
> >> "Edit...". Add your user account, if necessary, and check "Full control".
> >>
> >> Hope this will help. Please ask if there's an issue.
> >>
> >> Greetings,
> >> Paolo Di Stolfo
> >>
> >> "RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:BF10A1FC-A40E-452C-AF80-C2D167CC8D36@microsoft.com...
> >> >i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
> >> >from
> >> > my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
> >> > computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
> >> > Thanks.
> >>
>

"RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:BF10A1FC-A40E-452C-AF80-C2D167CC8D36@microsoft.com...
>i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
>from
> my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
> computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
> Thanks.


What folders? Some objects that look like folders in Explorer aren't really
folders but junctions. These junctions just point to the real folders which
have a different name in Vista. "C:\Documents and Settings" is an example.
In Vista this is a junction pointing to "C:\Users". Don't try to access
these junctions or copy files to them. Use the real folders instead and
ignore the junctions. They are only there for compatibility with old
programs.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca

good tip but i think \users is one of the places i had trouble with because i
was trying to copy my old outlook.pst to the new computer and had a heck of a
time with it.

"Kerry Brown" wrote:

> "RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:BF10A1FC-A40E-452C-AF80-C2D167CC8D36@microsoft.com...
> >i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
> >from
> > my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
> > computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
> > Thanks.
>
>
> What folders? Some objects that look like folders in Explorer aren't really
> folders but junctions. These junctions just point to the real folders which
> have a different name in Vista. "C:\Documents and Settings" is an example.
> In Vista this is a junction pointing to "C:\Users". Don't try to access
> these junctions or copy files to them. Use the real folders instead and
> ignore the junctions. They are only there for compatibility with old
> programs.
>
> --
> Kerry Brown
> Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
> http://www.vistahelp.ca
>
>

The .pst files go into a different folder in Vista.

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

where username = your user account name. There may also be an issue with
ownership depending on how you transferred the file from the old computer.
You may have to take ownership and then give yourself full control of the
file. Even if you had the same account names on both computers Windows (both
XP and Vista) uses the SID not the account name when deciding who can access
a file. The SID is unique to each account on each computer.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca


"RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8F9FBAEB-5AEC-423F-B32E-81FC7F7E2298@microsoft.com...
> good tip but i think \users is one of the places i had trouble with
> because i
> was trying to copy my old outlook.pst to the new computer and had a heck
> of a
> time with it.
>
> "Kerry Brown" wrote:
>
>> "RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:BF10A1FC-A40E-452C-AF80-C2D167CC8D36@microsoft.com...
>> >i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
>> >from
>> > my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
>> > computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
>> > Thanks.
>>
>>
>> What folders? Some objects that look like folders in Explorer aren't
>> really
>> folders but junctions. These junctions just point to the real folders
>> which
>> have a different name in Vista. "C:\Documents and Settings" is an
>> example.
>> In Vista this is a junction pointing to "C:\Users". Don't try to access
>> these junctions or copy files to them. Use the real folders instead and
>> ignore the junctions. They are only there for compatibility with old
>> programs.
>>
>> --
>> Kerry Brown
>> Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
>> http://www.vistahelp.ca
>>
>>

"RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
>from
> my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
> computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
> Thanks.

Which folders? Certain folders used in XP, such as Documents and Settings
or the "My" folders were brought into Vista for compatibility for legacy
apps. They are not used to store data. They appear dimmed with the shortcut
arrow and give access denied.

You don't need access to them. They hold no data. All they contain is a
pointer to the actual folder where the data is kept. They are actually a
junction point.

If you want to see what folder it points to, open a elevated command prompt,
navigate to the folder that contains the folder in question and give the
command:
dir /al

Junction points are designated by <Junction> and the folder to which it
points is at the end of the line in square brackets. Do not change the
permissions on these junction points. It can cause problems for the same
legacy apps they are they for in the first place.

From a post by Jimmy Brush here is a list of the these XP folders and their
corresponding locations in Vista:
Windows XP Location Windows Vista Location
\Documents and Settings \Users
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\My Documents \Users\$USER$\Documents
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\My Documents\My Music \Users\$USER$\Music
\Documents and Settings \$USER$\My Documents\My Pictures
\Users\$USER$\Pictures
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\My Documents\My Videos
\Users\$USER$\Videos
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Application Data
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Cookies
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Local Settings
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Local
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\NetHood
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\PrintHood
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Recent
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\SendTo
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Start Menu
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Templates
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Local Settings\Application Data
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Local
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Local Settings\History
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History
\Documents and Settings\$USER$\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
\Users\$USER$\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
\Documents and Settings\All Users \ProgramData
\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data \ProgramData
\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop \Users\Public\Desktop
\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents \Users\Public\Documents
\Documents and Settings\All Users\Favorites \Users\Public\Favorites
\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
\Documents and Settings\All Users\Templates
\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Templates
\Documents and Settings\Default User \Users\Default "

If this doesn't address your issue post back with more specifics. Good
luck.

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

you could be right and then i also didn't know about these junction points so
that may have confused me. i eventually got to the files and directories that
i needed but it took me all afternoon. if i have any further problems with
it i'll be back. thank you all very much for the help! bye

"Rock" wrote:

> "RCS" <RCS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
> >i bought a new computer with Vista and i can't copy my some of my files
> >from
> > my old computer because access is denied on some directories on the new
> > computer. there's only one user on the system -- me. what happened?
> > Thanks.
>
> Which folders? Certain folders used in XP, such as Documents and Settings
> or the "My" folders were brought into Vista for compatibility for legacy
> apps. They are not used to store data. They appear dimmed with the shortcut
> arrow and give access denied.
>
> You don't need access to them. They hold no data. All they contain is a
> pointer to the actual folder where the data is kept. They are actually a
> junction point.
>
> If you want to see what folder it points to, open a elevated command prompt,
> navigate to the folder that contains the folder in question and give the
> command:
> dir /al
>
> Junction points are designated by <Junction> and the folder to which it
> points is at the end of the line in square brackets. Do not change the
> permissions on these junction points. It can cause problems for the same
> legacy apps they are they for in the first place.
>
> From a post by Jimmy Brush here is a list of the these XP folders and their
> corresponding locations in Vista:
> Windows XP Location Windows Vista Location
> \Documents and Settings \Users
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\My Documents \Users\$USER$\Documents
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\My Documents\My Music \Users\$USER$\Music
> \Documents and Settings \$USER$\My Documents\My Pictures
> \Users\$USER$\Pictures
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\My Documents\My Videos
> \Users\$USER$\Videos
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Application Data
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Cookies
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Local Settings
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Local
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\NetHood
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\PrintHood
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Recent
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\SendTo
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Start Menu
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Templates
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Local Settings\Application Data
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Local
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Local Settings\History
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History
> \Documents and Settings\$USER$\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
> \Users\$USER$\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
> \Documents and Settings\All Users \ProgramData
> \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data \ProgramData
> \Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop \Users\Public\Desktop
> \Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents \Users\Public\Documents
> \Documents and Settings\All Users\Favorites \Users\Public\Favorites
> \Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
> \ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
> \Documents and Settings\All Users\Templates
> \ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Templates
> \Documents and Settings\Default User \Users\Default "
>
> If this doesn't address your issue post back with more specifics. Good
> luck.
>
> --
> Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]
>
>