TrustedInstaller Preventing Deletion of Files/Folders

Question

I'm looking to free up space on my computer by deleting some unnecessary files and folders I found in Program Files (x86). A problem I came across was a "Folder Access Denied" where it stated that I'll need permission from "TrustedInstaller" in order to make changes to the folder. Is there any way to circumvent this issue without making major permissions changes?

Answer 1

You have two options if you want to list/change the content of a folder where only TrustedInstaller has permissions:

1. Take ownership of the folder, then assign full permissions to yourself.
2. Use a tool that circumvents the Windows security model by using the backup and restore privileges. My program SetACL Studio does that when listing, i.e. it displays everything regardless of permissions. I do not know of any tool that deletes files this way, though.