Files on C drive are read-only

Please help!!
I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one of them.
With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive is
automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it IN A
FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my files
directly to the C drive.
Can anyone please help?
I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
Thanks.

Strange,
I wouldn't think it would let you put files there in the first place.
Vista will not let me save files to c: from within Word 2007. I get:
You don't have permission to save to this location. Contact the
administrator to obtain permission.

Michael

"ALP" <ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2176FCE4-78FD-49C7-8107-DA50406CDFBB@microsoft.com...
> Please help!!
> I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
> I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one of
> them.
> With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive is
> automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it IN
> A
> FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
> This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my
> files
> directly to the C drive.
> Can anyone please help?
> I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
> Thanks.

Michael,

Actually you are correct. I can't save files to the C drive either, even
though with Windows 98 and XP I could.
My issue is with files I imported from my old computer (which were not
read-only, of course) which I saved to the C drive, and now they are
read-only.
It seems that Vista doesn't want us using the C drive directly, perhaps
because it has the OS.
So we have two problems.
1 - We can't save files directly to the C drive.
2 - Even files imported from another source are read-only.

Anyone know a way to change this?

Thanks.

"ALP" <ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2176FCE4-78FD-49C7-8107-DA50406CDFBB@microsoft.com...
> Please help!!
> I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
> I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one of
> them.
> With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive is
> automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it IN
> A
> FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
> This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my
> files
> directly to the C drive.
> Can anyone please help?
> I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
> Thanks.

By design. Users should be saving files to folders within their user area,
or folders they have created on the drive.

You could change it so users have write access to the root of the drive, but
I strongly recommend against doing this.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
http://www.windowsresource.net/

*Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 12:02:01 -0700, ALP
<ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>Please help!!
>I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
>I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one of them.
>With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive is
>automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it IN A
>FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
>This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my files
>directly to the C drive.
>Can anyone please help?
>I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
>Thanks.

Have you tried turning UAC off? Go to Control Panel User Defaults.

Using Dell or Gateway and the word technician together is a oxymoron.

What happens if you right click on any of these read only files
properties, then unclick the read only attribute? Check if it is
colored, then has been made 'read only'. Can you change it that way or
not?

Just trying an experiement...

Have UAC turned on. Picked a file at random and tried to copy to my C
drive, not any folder. Vista responds with a nag screen "You need to
provide administrator permission to copy to this folder" Ignore that
Vista is too dumb to know copying directly to the drive letter isn't
technically a folder. I click continue and Vista allows the copy, the
file's attributes are NOT read only. Next I try to delete this file.
Again I get a nag confirmation screen, but can delete after clicking
continue.

Next I create a new folder on my C drive I call 'my stuff'. I repeat
the previous steps and no longer any nag screens. So I suggest you
simply create a folder on your root drive and move stuff there.

Why?

Vista assumes any direct activity to any "secure" area is a potential
security risk. Even though all of Vista's interals are tucked away
inside various folders it none the less hogs the C drive and treats it
"special" nagging worse than any mother-in-law, even when you do
routine things. Just poor design and shortsightedness on part of
Microsoft, in my opinion.

The root is a special place and is under tight control of the system (it was
a special place in XP but not controlled very well).
Note that the problem is not that the files are 'read-only' (right click,
properties and see that the read-only box is empty). What is happening is
that you do not have permission (as a user) to write/modify in the root.
This is actually a 'good thing' as it makes it difficult to mess up the
root. (you still can of course as an administrator but at least you get
nattered at if you try).

My suggestion is, if it hurts don't do that, i.e. is there some operational
reason to not import the files into 'Documents' for instance?

Michael

"ALP" <ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9F5EE967-9A92-4567-ABFB-B6AF14294587@microsoft.com...
> Michael,
>
> Actually you are correct. I can't save files to the C drive either, even
> though with Windows 98 and XP I could.
> My issue is with files I imported from my old computer (which were not
> read-only, of course) which I saved to the C drive, and now they are
> read-only.
> It seems that Vista doesn't want us using the C drive directly, perhaps
> because it has the OS.
> So we have two problems.
> 1 - We can't save files directly to the C drive.
> 2 - Even files imported from another source are read-only.
>
> Anyone know a way to change this?
>
> Thanks.

"Paul Smith" <Paul@nospam.windowsresource.net> wrote in message
news:9D0E131E-EF24-404B-AAEB-99F67B0891FE@microsoft.com...
> "ALP" <ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:2176FCE4-78FD-49C7-8107-DA50406CDFBB@microsoft.com...
>> Please help!!
>> I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
>> I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one of
>> them.
>> With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive is
>> automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it IN
>> A
>> FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
>> This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my
>> files
>> directly to the C drive.
>> Can anyone please help?
>> I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
>> Thanks.
>
> By design. Users should be saving files to folders within their user
> area, or folders they have created on the drive.

This is what I most despise about Vista (and the general direction Microsoft
is taking). It's my computer. My "user area" is the whole computer. I'll
use it however I want. If I want to save files to the root (and sometimes I
do), I will. There's no "should" about it. I'm responsible for what I do
on my computer, and Microsoft "should" not be overriding my judgment on how
I use it.


>
> You could change it so users have write access to the root of the drive,
> but I strongly recommend against doing this.
>
> --
> Paul Smith,
> Yeovil, UK.
> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
> http://www.windowsresource.net/
>
> *Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*
>
>

People are responsible for what they do on their computer
until............they screw it up. Then they come here sniveling and blaming
everyone except themselves. User error is the biggest windows exploit.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban MVP
Microsoft Windows Shell/User


"PTravel" <ptravel@travelersvideo.com> wrote in message
news:eJrSr4xcHHA.4352@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>
> "Paul Smith" <Paul@nospam.windowsresource.net> wrote in message
> news:9D0E131E-EF24-404B-AAEB-99F67B0891FE@microsoft.com...
>> "ALP" <ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:2176FCE4-78FD-49C7-8107-DA50406CDFBB@microsoft.com...
>>> Please help!!
>>> I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
>>> I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one of
>>> them.
>>> With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive is
>>> automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it
>>> IN A
>>> FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
>>> This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my
>>> files
>>> directly to the C drive.
>>> Can anyone please help?
>>> I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
>>> Thanks.
>>
>> By design. Users should be saving files to folders within their user
>> area, or folders they have created on the drive.
>
> This is what I most despise about Vista (and the general direction
> Microsoft is taking). It's my computer. My "user area" is the whole
> computer. I'll use it however I want. If I want to save files to the
> root (and sometimes I do), I will. There's no "should" about it. I'm
> responsible for what I do on my computer, and Microsoft "should" not be
> overriding my judgment on how I use it.
>
>
>>
>> You could change it so users have write access to the root of the drive,
>> but I strongly recommend against doing this.
>>
>> --
>> Paul Smith,
>> Yeovil, UK.
>> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
>> http://www.windowsresource.net/
>>
>> *Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*
>>
>>
>

PTravel wrote:

> This is what I most despise about Vista (and the general direction
> Microsoft is taking). It's my computer. My "user area" is the whole
> computer. I'll use it however I want.

Every hacker on the internet says exactly the same thing about your
computer. Until Vista, they all had the power to do it.

> If I want to save files to the
> root (and sometimes I do), I will. There's no "should" about it. I'm
> responsible for what I do on my computer, and Microsoft "should" not be
> overriding my judgment on how I use it.

And if your machine is used to send out thousands of spam emails or
used to attack other innocent users on the internet, who is responsible
then?

Until Vista, Microsoft was directly to blame. They have finally
taken responsibility for their previous disasters and fixed them.
If you defeat the good-common-sense security of Vista, then only you
are to blame.

At this point, MS really should start teaching their customers about
security now that they've (finally) supplied the needed tools.

"Richard Urban" <richardurbanREMOVETHIS@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:%230VvzSycHHA.1216@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> People are responsible for what they do on their computer
> until............they screw it up. Then they come here sniveling and
> blaming everyone except themselves. User error is the biggest windows
> exploit.

Yes, so? Driver error is the main cause of accidents involving automobiles.

I don't need big brother telling me where I can save files on my hard drive.
Microsoft does something similar by hiding system files. However, though
that's the default, there's a user-accessible switch.

I don't like a vendor who thinks that I'm so stupid I must be protected from
myself.


>
> --
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Richard Urban MVP
> Microsoft Windows Shell/User
>
>
> "PTravel" <ptravel@travelersvideo.com> wrote in message
> news:eJrSr4xcHHA.4352@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>
>> "Paul Smith" <Paul@nospam.windowsresource.net> wrote in message
>> news:9D0E131E-EF24-404B-AAEB-99F67B0891FE@microsoft.com...
>>> "ALP" <ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>> news:2176FCE4-78FD-49C7-8107-DA50406CDFBB@microsoft.com...
>>>> Please help!!
>>>> I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
>>>> I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one
>>>> of them.
>>>> With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive
>>>> is
>>>> automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it
>>>> IN A
>>>> FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
>>>> This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my
>>>> files
>>>> directly to the C drive.
>>>> Can anyone please help?
>>>> I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
>>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> By design. Users should be saving files to folders within their user
>>> area, or folders they have created on the drive.
>>
>> This is what I most despise about Vista (and the general direction
>> Microsoft is taking). It's my computer. My "user area" is the whole
>> computer. I'll use it however I want. If I want to save files to the
>> root (and sometimes I do), I will. There's no "should" about it. I'm
>> responsible for what I do on my computer, and Microsoft "should" not be
>> overriding my judgment on how I use it.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> You could change it so users have write access to the root of the drive,
>>> but I strongly recommend against doing this.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Paul Smith,
>>> Yeovil, UK.
>>> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
>>> http://www.windowsresource.net/
>>>
>>> *Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*
>>>
>>>
>>
>

"Don" <don195702@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OU0SkgycHHA.4352@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> PTravel wrote:
>
>> This is what I most despise about Vista (and the general direction
>> Microsoft is taking). It's my computer. My "user area" is the whole
>> computer. I'll use it however I want.
>
> Every hacker on the internet says exactly the same thing about your
> computer. Until Vista, they all had the power to do it.

Really? Then why is it, in 30+ years of computing on Microsoft platforms,
I've never had a computer hacked? Not once, not ever.

I do not need Microsoft removing functionality in the name of "protecting
me" from threats that I am perfectly capable of managing myself.

>
>> If I want to save files to the
>> root (and sometimes I do), I will. There's no "should" about it. I'm
>> responsible for what I do on my computer, and Microsoft "should" not be
>> overriding my judgment on how I use it.
>
> And if your machine is used to send out thousands of spam emails or
> used to attack other innocent users on the internet, who is responsible
> then?

I would be, if it had ever happened to any of my machines. It never has and
it never will -- they're all protected by (non-Microsoft) anti-virus and
anti-malware, they all sit behind a hardware firewall, and I'm not so stupid
as to click on some website pop-up (though pop-ups are disabled on my
machines) that says, "Click me."

I do not need Microsoft removing functionality in the name of "protecting
me" from threats that I am perfectly capable of managing myself.

>
> Until Vista, Microsoft was directly to blame. They have finally
> taken responsibility for their previous disasters and fixed them.
> If you defeat the good-common-sense security of Vista, then only you
> are to blame.

How is saving a Word file to the root directory, "defeating
good-common-sense security"? My systems are secure. I've never had a
virus, never had a trojan, no machine has ever been turned into a zombie.
Not in 30+ years of using Microsoft OSs.

I do not need Microsoft removing functionality in the name of "protecting
me" from threats that I am perfectly capable of managing myself.


>
> At this point, MS really should start teaching their customers about
> security now that they've (finally) supplied the needed tools.

Microsoft hasn't supplied the tools. Calling it a tool implies the option
to use it as and when necessary.

I do not need Microsoft removing functionality in the name of "protecting
me" from threats that I am perfectly capable of managing myself.


>

"Paul Smith" <Paul@nospam.windowsresource.net> wrote in message
news:9D0E131E-EF24-404B-AAEB-99F67B0891FE@microsoft.com...
> "ALP" <ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:2176FCE4-78FD-49C7-8107-DA50406CDFBB@microsoft.com...
>> Please help!!
>> I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
>> I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one of
>> them.
>> With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive is
>> automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it IN
>> A
>> FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
>> This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my
>> files
>> directly to the C drive.
>> Can anyone please help?
>> I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
>> Thanks.
>
> By design. Users should be saving files to folders within their user
> area, or folders they have created on the drive.
>
> You could change it so users have write access to the root of the drive,
> but I strongly recommend against doing this.

Why? aren't the "protected operating system files" hidden by default anyway?
I don't put files on my root but third party programs do without trouble.

>
> --
> Paul Smith,
> Yeovil, UK.
> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
> http://www.windowsresource.net/
>
> *Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*
>
>

"PTravel" <ptravel@travelersvideo.com> wrote in message
news:%235y6gY0cHHA.3484@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
> "Don" <don195702@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:OU0SkgycHHA.4352@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> PTravel wrote:
>>
>>> This is what I most despise about Vista (and the general direction
>>> Microsoft is taking). It's my computer. My "user area" is the whole
>>> computer. I'll use it however I want.
>>
>> Every hacker on the internet says exactly the same thing about your
>> computer. Until Vista, they all had the power to do it.
>
> Really? Then why is it, in 30+ years of computing on Microsoft platforms,
> I've never had a computer hacked? Not once, not ever.
>
> I do not need Microsoft removing functionality in the name of "protecting
> me" from threats that I am perfectly capable of managing myself.
>
>>
>>> If I want to save files to the
>>> root (and sometimes I do), I will. There's no "should" about it. I'm
>>> responsible for what I do on my computer, and Microsoft "should" not be
>>> overriding my judgment on how I use it.
>>
>> And if your machine is used to send out thousands of spam emails or
>> used to attack other innocent users on the internet, who is responsible
>> then?
>
> I would be, if it had ever happened to any of my machines. It never has
> and it never will -- they're all protected by (non-Microsoft) anti-virus
> and anti-malware, they all sit behind a hardware firewall, and I'm not so
> stupid as to click on some website pop-up (though pop-ups are disabled on
> my machines) that says, "Click me."
>
> I do not need Microsoft removing functionality in the name of "protecting
> me" from threats that I am perfectly capable of managing myself.
>
>>
>> Until Vista, Microsoft was directly to blame. They have finally
>> taken responsibility for their previous disasters and fixed them.
>> If you defeat the good-common-sense security of Vista, then only you
>> are to blame.
>
> How is saving a Word file to the root directory, "defeating
> good-common-sense security"? My systems are secure. I've never had a
> virus, never had a trojan, no machine has ever been turned into a zombie.
> Not in 30+ years of using Microsoft OSs.
>
> I do not need Microsoft removing functionality in the name of "protecting
> me" from threats that I am perfectly capable of managing myself.
>
>
>>
>> At this point, MS really should start teaching their customers about
>> security now that they've (finally) supplied the needed tools.
>
> Microsoft hasn't supplied the tools. Calling it a tool implies the option
> to use it as and when necessary.
>
> I do not need Microsoft removing functionality in the name of "protecting
> me" from threats that I am perfectly capable of managing myself.
>

Looks like MS is going the the way of our facist government. No more
individual
liberties and no more control over are MS OS. Vista checks in with big
brother
(backdoor trojan) and soon we will all have subdermal implants so we can be
tracked
by GPS.

I know that sounds wild but DNA was once only taken from felons comminting
capital crimes. Now all felons have to submit DNA. Soon they will include
anybody
commiting a misdemeanor and finally someday implants for all.

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:41:44 -0500, Adam Albright <AA@ABC.net> wrote:

>On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 12:02:01 -0700, ALP
><ALP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>>Please help!!
>>I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista.
>>I have three different word processors, with Microsoft Word being one of them.
>>With ALL THREE programs, any file that I save DIRECTLY to the C drive is
>>automatically read-only and I can not modify it. However, if I save it IN A
>>FOLDER on the C drive it saves as regular and I can modify it.
>>This is awfully strange and very inconvenient, since I usually save my files
>>directly to the C drive.
>>Can anyone please help?
>>I spent two hours with a Dell technician.....to no avail.
>>Thanks.
>
>Have you tried turning UAC off? Go to Control Panel User Defaults.
>
>Using Dell or Gateway and the word technician together is a oxymoron.
>
>What happens if you right click on any of these read only files
>properties, then unclick the read only attribute? Check if it is
>colored, then has been made 'read only'. Can you change it that way or
>not?
>
>Just trying an experiement...
>
>Have UAC turned on. Picked a file at random and tried to copy to my C
>drive, not any folder. Vista responds with a nag screen "You need to
>provide administrator permission to copy to this folder" Ignore that
>Vista is too dumb to know copying directly to the drive letter isn't
>technically a folder. I click continue and Vista allows the copy, the
>file's attributes are NOT read only. Next I try to delete this file.
>Again I get a nag confirmation screen, but can delete after clicking
>continue.
>
>Next I create a new folder on my C drive I call 'my stuff'. I repeat
>the previous steps and no longer any nag screens. So I suggest you
>simply create a folder on your root drive and move stuff there.
>
>Why?
>
>Vista assumes any direct activity to any "secure" area is a potential
>security risk. Even though all of Vista's interals are tucked away
>inside various folders it none the less hogs the C drive and treats it
>"special" nagging worse than any mother-in-law, even when you do
>routine things. Just poor design and shortsightedness on part of
>Microsoft, in my opinion.
>

I was unable to save a pdf to my user directory with a "you don't have
permission" warning. I couldn't save it anywhere. I looked at the
properties of the folder and it was marked as read only. I unchecked
the read only and told the OS to reset the flags, got some nag screens
and it claimed to reset them but every time I check properties it
shows the read only flag set. Yet aside from that one program that
seems unable to save the file, I can write to the folders with other
programs. I sense a bug.

PTravel wrote:
>
> "Don" <don195702@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:OU0SkgycHHA.4352@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> PTravel wrote:
>>
>>> This is what I most despise about Vista (and the general direction
>>> Microsoft is taking). It's my computer. My "user area" is the whole
>>> computer. I'll use it however I want.
>>
>> Every hacker on the internet says exactly the same thing about your
>> computer. Until Vista, they all had the power to do it.
>
> Really? Then why is it, in 30+ years of computing on Microsoft
> platforms, I've never had a computer hacked? Not once, not ever...

I don't know whether to admire you for your superior security skills,
or pity you for a blind fool.

Obviously, I don't have enough information to decide. Repeat: I don't
know because I can't possibly know! Neither does MS, or anyone else
except the very clever hackers who specialize in knowing your machines
better than you do.

I'm not an expert in computer security, nor will I ever be. But I've
seen plenty of people who think they are bullet-proof until it's too
late to dodge the fatal bullet.