Got the upgrade to Windows 10 done successfully, but now when I use it, I have all sorts of messages from my applications that I don’t have the right permission to access a data file, or I have to be an administrator (which I was in 8.1).  I can’t even write to drive C.  Is there some major change from 8.1 to Windows 10 that is preventing me from accessing my own files, from opening data files or writing files? 

Example – trying to open Outlook, I was told I didn’t have the right permission to open the *.pst file.  Then in Quicken, I was told I didn’t have the right permission to open my data file, did I want to make a copy and open it from a different place (?).  Just a couple examples of where the applications are hitting roadblocks based on my permissions – never had that in Windows 8.1, I had access to everything.

I have tried changing permissions on a folder basis, a file basis and also changing permissions in groups.  It looks like this version is trying to force you to have a separate administrator account and a separate user account, but since I am the only one using the files and apps, I have been “both” as administrator. I can foresee hours and hours of fixing files, there was no warning on this. 

Is there a simple top level fix?

I have this issue on at least three machines I upgraded to Windows 10, two Windows 8.1 Pro and one Windows 7 Ultimate.

Looking at the particular error folder for my latest problem I see these permissions:

Administrators: Full control
SYSTEM: Full control
HomeUsers: Read & Execute

The owner of the folder is my current Microsoft account signon.

What’s got me puzzled is that the current signon on the machine is an administrator, so it would seem to me that the user should have full control of the folder, but that’s not the case.

Use the following procedure to fix this as long as you don’t reboot your machine:

1. Signon as an administrator on your machine.
2. Navigate to the folder where you’re having the problem, in my case D:\users\myname\Documents. Right-click and select Properties from the pop-up menu.
3. Under Properties | Security tab, click the Advanced button, then click “Change” owner on the Advanced Security Settings dialog (if you are already the owner, do this step anyway!), and in the resulting dialog enter whatever you want the owner to be, in my case it’s my Microsoft account).
4. Now a new check-box appears labeled “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects”; check it.
5. Also check the box at the bottom “Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object.”
6. Make sure under the Permission entries grid that your current account has Full control (if not Edit or Add your account to be listed with foll control). Finally hit Apply. This may take a while.

If you don’t follow the above Advanced procedure and just try to add permissions on the Security tab, you may get errors.