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2021/9/9 Win 10: cannot access DOCUMENTS and SETTINGS folder

Anonymous
2021-09-10T01:06:28+00:00

I wasted about 5 hours watching videos, reading pages and of course searching here. I found a ******* 2015 ****** thread about this issue here at MS Answers. SERIOUSLY?

At first there were lots of blank checkboxes, but even though they're now all checked for every user, I can't access the folder. I even turned off Webroot.

Why, why, why?

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

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-09-10T04:55:41+00:00

    So, just as I was about to lose my will to live, I watched a video and found the solution.

    In the properties for the folder, security, advanced, EFFECTIVE ACCESS the user "everyone" was listed twice. One instance prohibited folder access. I deleted that "everyone", I think in permissions?

    Magically, it now works. Considering that NOBODY has access to my machines, how does that **** happen?

    Rhetorical question. It's Windows.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-09-10T03:13:30+00:00

    Thanks, Brian.

    So I've spent almost an hour trying to download and then install junction, no go. Tried the zipped file, tried the unzipped files, nothing.

    But since I do not have junction installed, how could I have created this "junction?"

    As I hated win 7 pro less than all the other versions, I ran it till January, since I didn't want to get hacked. And I've never used the Windows directory structure but tried to get all my software to put the settings on my data drive. BUT, since that wasn't always possible, I moved my "documents and settings" dir to new installs so my old apps would still work.

    Nobody has access to my machine and I doubt a hacker would do this just to create me so much misery.

    Who can I PAY to fix this?

    I wasted my entire day on **** like this and can't deal with it anymore.

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  3. Brian Tillman 24,875 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2021-09-10T02:12:01+00:00

    Hi. I'm Brian and I will do my best to help you.

    "Documents and Settings" went away with Windows XP. User folders should be under C:\Users. If you have a remnant Documents and Settings folder, it could be a junction point to the real folder. Open an Administrator command prompt and use the free tool "junction" from Microsoft's Sysinternals. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/d...

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  4. DaveM121 (2) 13,460 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-09-10T07:54:07+00:00

    Hi Christine

    Your video indicates that folder you are trying to access is not a folder it is only a shortcut, note the small blue arrow overlay on the icon, it is just a shortcut probably copied from another PC, since Windows 10 does not have a Documents and Settings folder

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-09-10T04:59:47+00:00

    Just in case links are allowed, that's the video: https://youtu.be/Hlc4uSXQs4k

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