permissions problems after restoring C: partition
Running Windows 8.1 64-bit.
After restoring the C: partition from a backup, various programs are encountering file
permission problems. So far I have been able to get around it by running the program as
Aministrator, but it was working correctly on the system when I backed it up.
Why are the permissions screwed up after restoring the partition?
So far Dropbox and Cyberlink have shown this problem. Even after re-installing, I'm having
to run Dropbox as Administrator. Typically I can't figure out exactly what it is having permission
problems with, the program just doesn't run.
Is there anything I can do?
Yes, I suspect permissions on some temp/tmp directory.
Using Cygwin I changed all the ones under my user directory to 777 and
I think that is what got Cyber Media Suite working.
I think Firefox downloads are failing because of
C:\Users\Michael\AppData\Local\Temp
but this seems to be a special directory I'm having trouble modifying
Dropbox runs fine as Administrator. It just doesn't start at all as my user.
Someplace a post suggested using Process Monitor's log to see what the
directory is. I have tried uninstalling it and unlinking my computer and then
re-installing and re-linking to no avail. I suspect some Temp file.
Very much regret allowing those exclusions from the backup.
You might try modifying permissions on the Dropbox folder for your user permissions. Have you had a look at those permissions to see what rights your user has?
The Dropbox folder permissions are fine. I suspect some other directory permissions.
Process Monitor wasn't running. It would make a file in AppData/Local/Temp and then be unable to run
it. I was unable to edit the permissions on Local/Temp. Make a new folder Temp2 also
make c:\Windows\Temp2. Set user and system environment variables TEMP and TMP to point to the
Temp2 directories. It runs now. I hope to use it to see what the problems are for other programs.
BTW, Acronis isn't running either, so I can't make backups yet. What a mess. I'm really disappointed
in Acronis. I've used versions since version 6. I expect to get my system state back when I restore
a partition or disk.
It sounds more and more like all your user permissions where lost. Have you tried to reset the Windows UAC control? If you find that you need to reset permissions for your user(s) say on the entire hard drive partition C: for example you might find this useful:
First, re-enable Windows built in Administrator Account see the link below:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/enable-the-hidden-administ…
This default Windows Administrator Account has no password by default. You can run the account but caution should be used as this is a Super User Account giving you complete control over everything so can be dangerous. You should disable the account when you are finished using it as the article points out.
Second perform the following steps:
Right click on the drive/partition that is giving the issue, select properties, security, add, advanced,select find now ( leave the seach field blank.), Choose the names you are missing. You should have
creator owner,
sytem.
administrator
users
Choosing the broken user account(s) should restore all permissions for that user as an administrator. You will probably receive a message like this:
"If you have just taken ownership of this object, you will need to close and reopen this object's properties before you can view or change permissions."
You should be able to adjust permissions for any problem apps for all users/groups as needed, if needed at this point.
The AppData folders were introduced by Microsoft in order to improve security. Modern applications should store information there instead of (for example) storing in in the Program Files folders. There are several levels of Appdata folders to suit different circumstances. As a general rule, you should leave these folders as they are and let you programs manage them. Historically the .tmp file extension has been used for temporary files, so you can usually delete them. But what about .tmp files in locations that you shouldn't mess with, like Appdata ? Which rule takes precedence ? Well, if you really know what you are doing, it is safe to remove SOME .tmp files, but otherwise it is dangerous. So its a bit surprising that - by default - ATI does not back up temp files (so effectively deletes them (thanks to Enchantech for pointing that out). I would have expected the default to err on the side of caution.
Enchantech, I will try your last suggestion.
It seems that Acronis backup wasn't running because I removed almost all of the exclusions. This might
be because of the things that got screwed up because they weren't backed up properly when I restored
the C: partition.
I made a new bacukp set and left the exclusions alone and it is running now.
-- Michael
I followed your directions.
Even as Administrator after adding users to the C:\ partition I am unable to edit the permissions on
C:\Windows\Temp or Appdata\Local\Temp
It looks like eventually I will need to wipe my system restore my personal files
from the backup and re-install everything in order to get my system in proper running
order.
Various things only run as Administrator. Dropbox, Acrobat Reader ...
-- Michael
BTW I'm running Windows 8.1.
Odd. Very Odd. When you access the permissions for folder C:\Users\SOMEUSER\AppData\Local\Temp\ (say), the permissions for that folder should be set so that ALL permissions are checked (except special permissions) for SOMEUSER. Make sure that after selecting edit permissions you have selected SOMEUSER in the upper pane. Is that not the case ? If so, have you tried taking ownership when logged ? If you try this, try it with one file (something innocuous). Then see if you can access the file.
Using the Administrator command, for the directory Properties->Security Tab->Edit
My user is not listed in the upper pane and the Add button is greyed out.
Try to create a new user on the computer, and see if the programs run OK for that new user.
If you follow Pat's suggestion of creating a new user etc. can you then check out the permissions on the Appdata/Local/Temp folder ? Is it restricted in the same way as the folder we have been discussing previously ?
I created a new user with the Admin account. Afterwards my old user magically had
permission in Appdata/Local/Temp and I can edit it now.
I still have a couple of programs, Dropbox and Acrobat Reader that only start up if I run
them as Administrator. No idea how to figure out what their problem is. Presumably permissions
on some directory that Acronis didn't back up.
My suggestion to Acronis: For the directories not backed up, still back up the directory and the permissions but not the content. That would have avoided the problems I'm encountering without making the backup much bigger.
> Afterwards my old user magically had permission in Appdata/Local/Temp and I can edit it now.
Well I'd never have predicted that! Good news though.
Maybe you could uninstall Acrobat and reinstall it ? That shouldn't be too arduous, but watch out for the bloatware that Adobe like to sneak in during the install.
My suggestion to Acronis would be that the default backup should not exclude anything.
Pete K
My suggestion to Acronis would be that the default backup should not exclude anything.
Pete K
I am with you on that, but Acronis has decided to start using the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy service instead of their own proprietary solution like in previous versions. VSS comes with standard exclusions you can find in the registry. You can edit the registry at your own risk to remove these restrictions.
My suggestion to Acronis would be that the default backup should not exclude anything.
Pete K
I am with you on that, but Acronis has decided to start using the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy service instead of their own proprietary solution like in previous versions. VSS comes with standard exclusions you can find in the registry. You can edit the registry at your own risk to remove these restrictions.
Ah, I begin to see the problem. Thanks Pat.
Good experiment. The new user is able to start Acrobat Reader and Dropbox.
Fits the theory that is is permissions on some directory. Wish I had a way to
figure out which directories are involved.
I suppose I could copy my Users folder, delete my current user, then re-create my user and restore stuff from the old copy. That would save me re-installing everything on the system, only things tied to my user like Dropbox and Thunderbird. Better than wiping my whole computer.
Still a bloody mess that I'm mad at Acronis for creating. Using default settings should not create such a mess.
Good experiment. The new user is able to start Acrobat Reader and Dropbox.
Fits the theory that is is permissions on some directory. Wish I had a way to
figure out which directories are involved.I suppose I could copy my Users folder, delete my current user, then re-create my user and restore stuff from the old copy. That would save me re-installing everything on the system, only things tied to my user like Dropbox and Thunderbird. Better than wiping my whole computer.
Still a bloody mess that I'm mad at Acronis for creating. Using default settings should not create such a mess.
Please note that if you delete and recreate your user account then the new one will have no association with the old, except of course the name. When you create a user account, it is assigned a GUID or "key" that is UNIQUE. So what you are proposing will be exactly the same as creating a new user with a different name (as you did in the experiment). In fact, that might be preferable, because at least then it will be obvious that files belonging to MyUser in that old backup have no association with you new MYNewUser account.
I know it can be irritating at times when you are bombarded by suggestions and irrelevant search results, but I thought of your issue when I came across the following and I'd be kicking myself if it turned out to be useful and I ignored it :
http://www.eightforums.com/user-accounts-family-safety/27720-set-permis…
It relates to Acrobat's meddling with file permissions on temp folders.
Just a thought: so far the discussion has centred upon the ...Appdata/Local/temp folder, but this folder inherits permissions from its parent; so do the parents folders right up to C:\Users\. I wonder if you can edit the permissions of that folder ?
Creating a new user magically fixed the permission on my main user's Appdata/Local/Temp directory.
Unfortunately that wasn't the only problem.
...
After restoring the C: partition from a backup, various programs are encountering file
permission problems.
Coming back to the source of your problem... Just curious, how did you restore that partition exactly?
It was a bloody mess. I tried to install something which corrupted my DVD drive. The only way I could get
recovery to restore the partition was to make a recovery disk with the Windows stuff and the Acronis plugin.
I had made the other style of recovery disk but had never tested it and it wouldn't boot.
To make THAT I had to use the Windows recovery media to wipe my system to get a working DVD drive.
THEN I had Acronis restore the partition from a backup before the corruption. I got a working system,
but got all of these directory permission problems.
My current guess is that there was confusion between the user I created on the Wiped system (of course I used the same user
information, e-mail, user name). and the user on the backup.
When I restore a partition I expect to get the partition I backed up, not a mish-mash of what happens to be on the disk and
what is in the backup.
I agree: when you recover a partition, you should expect to restore that partition's state to the time when you backed it up. The creation timestamps for files and folders should confirm that. In this case, the APPDATA stuff should reflect the date when you created the original user account, not the date when you created a temporary account to restore a working system. Of course, any files and folders on a different partition wouldn't be affected. For example, if you created a folder on the D: drive using the temporary version of MyUser that you created on the wiped system, then the permissions of those files would be incompatible with the original version of MyUser after you restored C:. However, from your description of events, that scenario isn't relevant here.
So I re-initialized my system from the recovery manager to the original factory contents and then restored files and directories
from the backup without attempting to restore a partition. And re-installed EVERYTHING. Things are working now, but I want to find a better backup program where I can restore the C: partition and get back to what I had when I made the backup. Acronis True Image 2014 seems to be the last version that did this. 2015 is no longer a proper system backup. Any suggestions?
What an awful scenario this has been. I can't recommend an alternative product, because I have only used Acronis for years now. It has usually served me well, but my usage might not be typical. Firstly, I almost never do backups, I always usage imaging and have several HD's for that purpose. I partition my drives and try to reserve the C: drive for Windows & Programs (this is not completely possible). I generally image the complete drive when I back-up, though I might just restore the C: partition. As well as this, I backup files on my D: & E: drives piecemeal either manually or using a tool called Compare Advance. This approach would not suit everyone and does not guarantee that I won't lose ANY data, because I don't back up often enough. However, whenever I update something important such as photos, I manually back them up to at least one external drive. I also back them up to CD when I have enough of them and only then do I delete them from my cameras. I modify and create very large volumes of data on a daily basis, but I ensure that I always have copies of the important stuff on a different drive. Manual copying, assisted my Compare Advance takes care of that. If I lose my C: drive, I only have my last image to fall back on. I'd be the first to agree that this is not a perfect solution, but it has worked well for me on several occasions.
Following something closer to your methodology, case, I would review/modify the Acronis backup options to ensure a more complete backup set, and also take an image of your HD every so often. If you lose your C: drive, you can then (a) restore the C: partition form the image. (b) then restore from your normal acronis backups. That way you can always fall back to the latest image, even after a bad restore. I know this is not what you want, but its all I can suggest. One essential ingredient I haven't mentioned is the Grover Guides. Always keep these on hand. I also find that Acronis Disk Director can be a godsend at times.