Specifications

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CHAPTER 1 Customizing Windows Explorer
TIP
An ideal setup is to have Windows 7 and your programs in one partition and your docu-
ments (that is, your user folders) in a separate partition. That way, your documents
remain safe if you have to wipe the system partition.
Taking Ownership of Your Files
When you’re working in Windows 7, you may have trouble with a folder (or a file)
because Windows tells you that you don’t have permission to edit (add to, delete, what-
ever) the folder. You might think the solution is to give your user account Full Control
permissions on the folder (see Chapter 17, “Securing the File System”), but it’s not as easy
as that. Why not? Because you’re not the owner of the folder. (If you were, you’d have the
permissions you need automatically.) So the solution is to first take ownership of the
folder, and then assign your user account Full Control permissions over the folder.
. See “Setting Security Permissions on Files and Folders,” p. 359.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. Use Windows Explorer to locate the folder you want to take ownership of.
2. Right-click the folder and then click Properties to open the folder’s property sheet.
3. Display the Security tab.
4. Click Advanced to open the Advanced Security Settings dialog box.
5. Display the Owner tab.
6. Click Edit.
7. In the Change Owner To list, click your user account.
8. Activate the Replace Owner on Subcontainers and Objects check box.
9. Click OK. Windows 7 warns you that you need to reopen the property sheet to
change the folder’s permissions.
10. Click OK in the open dialog boxes.
11. Right-click the folder and then click Properties to open the folder’s property sheet.
12. Display the Security tab.
13. If you do not see your user account in the Group or User Names list, click Edit, click
Add, type your username, and click OK.
14. Click your username.
15. Click the Full Control check box in the Allow column.
16. Click OK in the open dialog boxes.