"You need permission from S-1-5-21-2591623339- (etc etc)" to modify this file

I'm trying to copy files from an NTFS thumb drive. Windows keeps complaining that I need permission from a ghost user that does not exist on any machine or network device or service in order to copy the files.

The full error message is this:

"You need permission to perform this action

You require permission from S-1-5-21-2591623339-22585271819-1037825628-1000 to make changes to this file."

It applies to virtually all items -- at least all of them that are native email files.

The user does not exist. It is not possible to create a user with a name this long.

Fixing the permissions so that "Everyone" has "Full Control" has no effect. Attempting to make this assignment on the source computer, and THEN copy the files to the intermediary disc, also does nothing. I still cannot copy them from the intermediary.

Reassigning ownership of the files to the currently logged in administrator account, or any other administrator account, including a newly created one, has no effect.

Disabling user account control, either via the Control Panel or via editing the Registry, has no effect.

Using a DVD is not desirable because it has to be formatted in FAT32 or some ANSI or other file format that won't accept the metadata for the files, which I absolutely need to preserve.

Network copying is not really an option because the computer may have a latent virus infection (END OF THREAD, RIGHT??) and I don't want to expose other computers by letting them share files.

I am simply not allowed to copy these files. I had no issues freely copying them and manipulating them on the machine they were copied from, which was NOT the original machine where they were created or previously stored.

I've seen a few Internet posts about this issue, which seems a recent development, but I have not seen anything explaining how to fix this issue.

Help! Major thanks in advance to any major geeks who step up and attempt to help

 

That long number belongs to the registry.
Type regedit in Search or Run, and open the Registry Editor. Expand HKEY_USERS and look for that number. Right-click it and click Permissions... Ensure the Allow boxes next to both Full Control & Read are checked.

NB Take care when using the Registry Editor.

 

Still no success. The above-named user did in fact exist in the Registry, along with an identical key with "_Classes" appended to the end. I checked ALLOW and FULL CONTROL (for both the user and the _Classes), rebooted the computer, reformatted the thumb drive, and then placed fresh copies of the files on the thumb drive after putting the new permissions in place.

Unfortunately the target computer still choked with the same error message.

The target computer has a similarly named user in its own Registry, but judging by the error message, it's the user permissions on the *source* computer that are the problem (since it complains that I need permission from that named user on the source computer).

Remembering stupid old Windows XP tricks, I am tempted to create an identically named user on the target computer. But (1) I am extremely leery of the idea of manually creating a user via the Registry, and (2) This auto-generated user account on the source computer that has a long complex username, presumably ALSO has a long complex password that I don't know.

I am also wary about the consequences of expanding the user permissions on the source computer, as I have done. Are these permissions locked down for purposes of some under-the-hood OS security mechanism? (Ancillary question, really I need to get past this failure to copy files.)

 

I always skirt round problems of this ilk by booting to a live Linux distro - I prefer Puppy for this - and copying there. It's far easier than messing around with permissions. This, along with imaging and partitioning utilities, is used so frequently that I install EasyBCD to be able to boot to the relevant bootable ISOs.

 

We have only Windows PCs for doing this.

INSANELY, I just re-confirmed that taking ownership of the files does absolutely nothing.

After setting the ownership of the files to ADMINISTRATORACCOUNT-THISPC, I still get the error message "You need permission from ADMINISTRATORACCOUNT-THISPC", essentially telling me that the current user account needs to give itself permission to copy the files.

I don't understand why this is happening; I have simply never encountered a scenario where windows files cannot be copied to (or used on) any other computer.

Another wrinkle: the original files, before we processed them, we uploaded by an idiot Mac user. (Not that Mac users are idiots, but this one is.) Apparently there is an issue with Mac OS X setting a metadata attribute that is used by Windows computers to flag the presence of encryption. The files are not encrypted but they are presented as if they were, and we keep getting warnings about the encryption being removed any time we try to make copies on the same machine. I wonder whether the Mac altering this out-of-context attribute is contributing to this complete inability to copy files, on which extensive work has already been done.

 

And that is all you need. You can download and burn to CD any Linux live CD ISO, and there are loads of them, and boot to the CD. You can then do what you like with Windows files as Windows is not running and has no idea what you are up to.

http://puppylinux.org/main/How to download Puppy.htm

 

Thank you -- I should have been more explicit. My authority to do anything at all is controlled by non-tech guys who would bat many eyelashes if I tried to tell them I was going to install another operating system on the computer, albeit only to copy files.

Your solution is indeed one I find compelling and would enjoy performing because I haven't been in a real command-line environment for over 20 years.

That said, PROBLEM IS SOLVED!

Here is what happened:

1. Source files were from multiple Mac OS X computers
2. Source files were compressed using ZIP algorithm on a Mac
3. Files were then uploaded to an FTP server
4. Files were downloaded onto a Windows system and reviewed
5. Mac OS X sets an attribute in ZIP files it creates which confuses Windows computers into thinking the file is compressed
6. ??? The fact that the file is compressed triggers heightened security that is difficult or impossible to work around ???
7. Consequently Windows 7 on all computers would not permit the copying of these files where the required authorization was not found
8. Solution: log on to the computer that contains the user account that "owns" the files, use Windows Properties interface to clear the encryption flag from all files
9. After this is accomplished, the files copy normally without complaining about needing permission from INCREDIBLY LONG USERNAME THAT'S NOT IN THE PICK LIST

10. Dance around office pumping fist in the air
11. Killself



Note: at this time I am barely scraping by from paycheck to paycheck, and thus, sadly, am currently unable to reward MajorGeeks with a donation for all the recent assistance in this and other threads. Note to self -- remedy this in the future.

 

OK, well done. But just to clarify - booting a Linux live CD does not write anything at all to your hard disk. In fact you don't even have to have a hard disk at all to run Puppy Linux, as all operations are performed entirely in RAM and nothing is retained after shut down unless you want it so. It's the easiest way by far of performing file operations that Windows doesn't approve of

 

You can reward MajorGeeks by logging in from timt to time and see if you can solve some of the posted problems.