Access is Denied

Why do I get "Access is Denied" when trying to copy a file? I have two hard drives on my computer. I have a file on one hard drive and I cannot move (cut & paste) it to my other hard drive. I get "Access is denied." I have looked at the properties for that file and see that the "Read-only" attribute is set. I have 'unset' that attribute but still can't cut and paste the file on the other drive. Can you explain this situation? The file is a TurboTax file I created. Is there a solution?• There are several possible reasons that access to a file might be denied. Some are easy to fix, but others might require a little more investigation on your part.• Read-Only Files This is perhaps the most common case people run into, because it's not always obvious that the read-only attribute might get copied with the file. Your scenario shouldn't be affected by this, but here's a way that it could have been: "... you may be denied access to a file if it's in use by another application."    

Your original file is marked read-only. Your first attempt to copy the file actually succeeds or fails after the destination file has been created. Unbeknownst to you, the destination file has the read-only flag set because the original file did. Unsetting the read-only doesn't fix anything, because in order to copy the file now you must be able to delete or overwrite the earlier copy in the destination, and the copy is marked readonly.

The solution here is to delete the previously copied file, or at least reset its read-only status as well as that of the original file. File In Use Perhaps almost as common, you may be denied access to a file if it's in use by another application. This typically refers to the destination; meaning that if the destination file already exists and you're attempting to replace or overwrite it you may not be able to if another application has that destination file open. However this can also apply to the source file. Depending on the application, a program can have a file open in such a way that you cannot even read it in order to make a copy of it until the application has been closed. I'd actually expect programs like TurboTax to operate this way. Regardless of whether it's the source or destination, the solution here is simply to close any application that might be accessing the file. If you're not sure who might be using a file in use, then you might want to check out this article: How can I find out who is using a "file in use"? File Permissions This most commonly happens:   

If your hard disk's filesystem is NTFS and you're attempting to copy from one user's documents to another and you're not logged in as the administrator

There are other scenarios where this can happen as well, but that's the most common. Most people forget that Windows is a multi-user operating system. That implies that not only does it keep separate settings and so on for each user that can log in to the machine, it's also charged with protecting those users from each other. One of those protections is file access permissions. The most obvious is that if you're logged in as user "User A", you probably cannot access files in "c:\Documents and Settings\User B". Attempts to access files therein will get you "access denied". NTFS actually supports quite complex per-user permissions on any file or folder. Right click on a file in Windows Explorer, click on Properties and then click on the Security tab for an idea of what might be involved. Other Thoughts Naturally there are other things that could be getting in your way. Filesystem or hard disk corruption might be one, which can most likely at least be identified by running CHKDSK in a Windows Command Prompt. Keep in mind that if all you're seeing is "Access is Denied", it's not telling which side of your copy you're being denied access to. It might be that you can't access the file you're attempting to copy, or it might be that you can't access the location you're attempting to copy to. Keep that in mind as you look at the various ideas above. You also mentioned that you're attempting to "move" a file. A move from drive to drive is nothing more than a copy followed by a delete. It's possible that it's the delete at the end that's failing.

"Access is Denied" error message when you try to open a folder Symptoms When you try to open a folder in Microsoft Windows XP, you may receive the following error message, where Folder is the name of the folder that you cannot open: Folder is not accessible. Access is denied. Note If you are currently using Windows 7 Or Windows Vista, See the following article on the Microsoft website: For Windows 7How do I open a file if I get an access denied message?

For Windows VistaTroubleshoot "access denied" when opening files or folders

Cause

This issue may occur if the folder that you cannot open was created on an NTFS file system volume by using a previous installation of Windows, and then installing Windows XP. This issue may occur although you enter the correct user name and password. This issue occurs because the security ID for the user has changed. Although you use the same user name and password, your security ID no longer matches the security ID of the owner of the folder that you cannot open. For example, although you use the same user name and password, you may no longer have permission to open the folder after you complete the following steps: 1. Before you install Windows XP Professional, you change the actual location, or target location, of the My Documents folder to another volume. 2. You format the primary partition. 3. You install Windows XP Professional. Back to the top | Give Feedback

Resolution To resolve this issue, you must turn off Simple File Sharing, and then take ownership of the folder: 1. Turn off Simple File Sharing: a. Click Start, and then click My Computer. b. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab. c. Under Advanced Settings, click to clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box, and then click OK. 2. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties. 3. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message, if one appears. 4. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab. 5. In the Name list, click your user name, Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group.

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If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, click to select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box. Click OK. You may receive the following error message, where Folder is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of: You do not have permission to read the contents of directory Folder. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control? All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes.

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Click Yes. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and the folder contents.

How to take ownership of a file or a folder in Windows XP INTRODUCTION This article describes how to take ownership of a file or a folder to which you are denied access. If you must access a file or a folder that you do not have rights to, you must take ownership of that file or folder. When you do this, you replace the security permissions that were originally created for the file or folder. Back to the top | Give Feedback

More information Prerequisites Log on as an administrator You must be logged on to Windows as an administrator in order to change security permissions for a file or a folder. If the computer is your personal computer, you are likely already logged on with an administrator account. If the computer is part of a network at work, you might have to ask the system administrator for help. To verify that you are logged on to Windows with a user account that is a computer administrator, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/admin

Start Windows XP Home Edition in safe mode If you are running Windows XP Home Edition, you must start the computer in safe mode, and then log on with an account that has administrative rights in order to access the Security tab. Access to the Security tab is required in order to change security permission. If you are running Windows XP Professional, you do not have to start the computer in safe mode. For more information about how to start Windows XP in safe mode, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 304449 How to start the System Restore tool at a command prompt in Windows XP

Disable Simple File Sharing in Windows XP Professional If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. By default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File Sharing when it is not joined to a domain. For additional information about how to do this, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 307874 How to disable simplified sharing and set permissions on a shared folder in Windows XP

To take ownership of a file or a folder How to take ownership of a file You must have ownership of a protected file in order to access it. If another user has restricted access and you are the computer administrator, you can access the file by taking ownership. To take ownership of a file, follow these steps: 1. Right-click the file that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties. 2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears). 3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab. 4. In the Name list, click Administrator, or click the Administrators group, and then click OK. The administrator or the administrators group now owns the file. To change the permissions on the file that you now own, follow these steps:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Click Add. In the Enter the object names to select (examples) list, type the user or group account that you want to have access to the file. For example, type Administrator. Click OK. In the Group or user names list, click the account that you want, and then select the check boxes of the permissions that you want to assign that user. When you are finished assigning permissions, click OK. You can now access the file.

How to take ownership of a folder You must have ownership of a protected folder in order to access it. If another user has restricted access and you are the computer administrator, you can access the folder by taking ownership. To take ownership of a folder, follow these steps: 1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties. 2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears). 3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab. 4. In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you want to take ownership of the contents of the folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box. 5. Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message: You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control? All permissions will be replaced if you click Yes.

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Note folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents.

Guide: Bypass access denied error when accessing data from different XP/2000 install. I have seen this question on the forums a few times, but I don't think I've ever seen a real answer to it. I just had this situation with a customer's laptop with a corrupted registry, so I played with it until I figured it out. This can be a major problem when trying to retreive your data from a corrupted XP installation or moving your data to a new PC or drive. Problem: Access denied to data on another drive or previous installation of Windows XP or Windows 2000. Solution: Take ownership of the directory and files. Microsoft sums it up better than I can, so I grabbed this article for reference... http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308421&Product=winxp TIP: Windows XP Home users should boot into Safe Mode as an Administrator. The 'Security' tab will become accessible.

----------------------------------------NOTE: You must be logged on to the computer using an account that has administrative privileges. If you are running Windows XP Home Edition, in order to have access to the Security tab, you must first start in Safe Mode and log on with an account that has Administrative rights. If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. By default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File sharing when not joined to a domain. For additional information about how to do this, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 307874 HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a Shared Folder in Windows XP To take ownership of a folder: Right-click the folder you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears). Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab. In the Name list, click your user name, Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, click to select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box. Click OK. The following message appears, where folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of: You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control? All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes. Click Yes. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents. back to the top How to Take Ownership of a File NOTE: You must be logged on to the computer using an account that has administrative privileges. To take ownership of a file, follow these steps: Right-click the file you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears). Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab. In the Name list click Administrator, or click the Administrators group, and then click OK. The Administrator or Administrators group now owns the file. To change the permissions on the files and folders under this folder, continue to step 5. Click Add. In the Enter the object names to select (examples) list, type the user or group account to which you want to give access to the file. For example, Administrator. Click OK. In the Group or user names list, click the account that you want (for example, Administrator), and then click to select the check boxes of the permissions that you want to assign that user. For example, Full Control [Allow]. When you are finished assigning permissions, click OK.