My PC has been running Vista for some years
I recently installed "Windows Mobile Device Center" from Microsoft.
Some of my folders now have a small blue arrow and report "Access is denied"
I used to be able to access them OK prior to WMDC install
Typically folder
C:\Documents and Settings
but many others also.
I have un-installed WMDC
Also I have always had UAC off and I am administrator status.
But the problem persists...
Help!!!!!!
Thanks
Jim
Ah ah! Richard knows! The problem is not WMDC, but what you are trying to access.
You mentioned C:\Documents and Settings and this is your problem. Windows Vista uses C:\Users, but some old (badly written) programs designed for Windows XP hard code to C:\Documents and Settings. Therefore, instead of breaking all these applications, Microsoft has put in a special type of symbolic link. That is the meaning of that blue arrow. It will redirect requests from C:\Documents and Settings to C:\Users. This folder does not actually exist. There is nothing anybody can do to open it up. There is nothing inside it.
This folder is usually hidden so that you cannot see it, but for some reason Hidden files have been shown on your computer. If we turn off viewing of Hidden Files, all of these folders will seemingly disappear, but still perform their function.
Here are some examples. All will be visible to you, none of them should be, and all of them will generate this error message, by design:
C:\Documents and Settings\ > C:\Users\
C:\Users\All Users\ > C:\Users\Public\
C:\Users\Default User\ > C:\Users\Default\
This list is not exhaustive, but it means that someone's poorly written Windows XP application creating C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Test\text.txt would end up in C:\Users\Public\Test\text.txt
Follow Method 2, steps 1, 3, 5, and 6 here:
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/86163-hidden-files-folders.html
That will solve the problem! Any questions - don't be afraid to ask!
Richard
