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When I try to delete a file in a folder which was created way before I had Windows 7 it says:

You need permission to perform this action.

You require permission from the computer's administrator to make changes to this file.

But I AM the administrator. My account belongs to Administrators group. What the hell?

On a similar note, all the programs that don't have a GUI and are shell extensions can't create or modify files anywhere and Windows will never ask for my permission, so they basically won't work. How do I fix it?

The biggest question: why do I need to "run as administrator" when I am administrator already?

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    Tried all of that, but still doesn't work. I have UAC turned off, I have taken ownership, I am an admin, yet it still complains that I need admin permission to move a file. Same problem with deleting/renaming files/folders too. And it appears to be random files/folders. And I have also made sure no processes have a lock on the files/folders. I really hope someone can help me... Thanks.
    – user114697
    Jan 21, 2012 at 19:05
  • @David Ellams: Same here; I tried what's listed here, and I still can't get rid of a certain blasted file that's giving me errors in project setup. May 4, 2012 at 21:39

3 Answers 3

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Have you tried to take ownership of the folders? Right-click > Properties > Security > Advanced > Owner and Take ownership as yourself (not administrator).

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Reason is UAC (User account control). You can read more about UAC in this article for example.

When UAC is enabled, all user accounts—including administrative accounts—run with standard user rights.

So to perform tasks that require administrative rights you must elevate the rights of the application.

The reason you can't delete a file created before installing Windows 7 is because you are not the owner. To delete it, run Windows Explorer (or any other file manager) as administrator.

To run Windows Explorer as an administrator, type explore in search field of Start Menu then right-click on Windows Explorer in search results and select "Run as administrator".

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From How to Take Ownership & Grant Permissions to Access Files & Folder in Windows 7:

Windows 7 has implemented addition security mechanism to prevent accidental or intentional file or folder modification by not allowing users other then owner of file or folder to access it. Hence in case if you need to access, modify or delete such files or folder you need to take ownership first then assign rights or permission to respective users.

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