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Can't copy .wav file to c:\windows\media

Anonymous
2018-02-02T06:09:21+00:00

I am SICK of Windows 10 "security" model.  It's a frustration model similar to the TSA at airports.  90% of guns get through in tests, but don't dare bring a bottle of shampoo that's too big.  "Security" in Windows is merely a euphemistic way to say "we (MS) own your machine".

I can't copy a blasted .wav file into C:\Windows\media to change the annoying sound of an alarm from one of the 10 lousy sounds provided.  There's not any way to configure it to use the file of my choosing like I can with my ANDROID phone, or virtually any software in Linux!!!!!  You have to overwrite a protected file to do that, and you can't- even if your user account is an administrator.  Goodness knows what would happen if the DPRK got hold of the technology to copy a sound file overwriting the one that all-wise MS put there????  The other day all of my desktop icons changed to the icon for my C: drive.  A (F5) refresh restored them- this time.

I am an administrator on the PC I paid-for.  Windows says so.  But I can't copy a lousy sound file.  Seems like only malware can get root access under Windows.  Thank goodness embedded tools vendors are providing software that runs under an OS that can be managed (Linux). I can't wait until "Windows as a (dis-) service" is a footnote of history.  "We're making your life better, so you can't use your computer to do anything important now...." is getting old already!!!

I have tried changing the permissions and I've also tried also logging on as the default admin.  None of that works.  Does anything?

Moved from: Windows / Windows 10 / Security & privacy

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-02-02T22:54:55+00:00

    Windows provides ZERO means to customize alarm sounds.  Consider Android.

    Not correct. If you know how to do it, you can replace any file in Windows. Rather than wading through multiple levels GUI screens, I'll give you the command line version of the process. BTW - sorry about forgetting the /im switch.

    1. Open an elevated Command Prompt as described before.
    2. Type these commands and press Enter after each:

    takeown  /f  c:\windows\media   /r

    cacls  c:\windows\media  /t  /c  /g everyone:f

    (answer Yes when asked "Are you sure?")

    copy    /y  e:\somefile.jpg  c:\windows\media

    If this still fails to work then the target file is locked. In this case you must replace it while in Safe Mode.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-02-03T02:52:20+00:00

    That did it! (Of course)  At least as far as being to overwrite the files.  Now they don't play. I can play them in VLC, of course, but it appears that windows doesn't approve of their protections now.  I am baffled as to why, as an admin, I couldn't do this in the GUI.  Anyway, I have bookmarked this in Firefox for future reference.  Many thanks, Frederick!

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2018-02-02T22:10:10+00:00

    Thanks very much for your post:  This is what happens when I tried cmd.exe as an admin:

    C:\WINDOWS\system32>taskkill /f explorer.exe

    ERROR: Invalid argument/option - 'explorer.exe'.

    Type "TASKKILL /?" for usage.

    Adding the /im switch worked to kill and restart the shell. (since I didn't use PID)

    BUT: The process doesn't work.  I still need Admin permissions to copy the file.  It's owned by TrustedInstaller (malware/InstallShield/Windows, etc.)  I AM AN Admin.

    I have UAC turned off, from the beginning of my PC.  ("Never notify").  It didn't help.  I think you summed it up: "Security in Windows works exactly as designed."  Not fully implemented, and very poorly designed.  Ask the 100's of thousands of malware developers, and those who have to install and maintain anti-malware/virus/spyware/intrusion software that slows their machines and doesn't fully work.  But copying a wav file- I have to be protected from doing that, and Windows provides ZERO means to customize alarm sounds.  Consider Android.

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-08T21:05:45+00:00

    If I remember, there's a "for each" loop statement, or something like that.  Is that where we're headed for the rest of the files?

    More or less. Please repeat Steps 1 . . 3 from my previous post but use the code below instead. You will end up with a lot of .wav file in your temp folder, all the same size. You can safely delete them when finished.

    Code starts below this line!

    @echo off

    goto Start

    Replace the ACLs of all .wav files with those from write.exe.

    8.Feb.2018 FNL

    :Start

    pushd

    cd /d c:\Windows\media

    for %%a in (*.wav) do (

       echo Processing "%%a"

       if exist "%temp%%%a" del "%temp%%%a"

       robocopy c:\Windows\System32  "%temp%" write.exe /copy:DATS > nul

       ren "%temp%\write.exe" "%%a"

       robocopy "%temp%"  c:\Windows\Media  "%%a"  /copy:S > nul

    )

    popd

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-02-03T14:00:08+00:00

    Well, I only replaced two of them and none play.  That is, after changing access permissions and ownership, none of the original eight files play.  One of the new two was playing when I first copied it, after having mucked around in the GUI permission settings, but I couldn't get the second one to copy so I posted here.

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