Windows 8 wants Admin rights, but I AM an admin

Painkiller

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Okay, I'm very sure I set my account to be Admin, there's only one account anyway, yet W8 requests admin permission to do everything.

All because of this, I can't change the .ini of a game, I can't update Neverwinter Nights using the updater, I can't save .inis or .txts anywhere except documents...It's annoying.

I used to have W7 before, it never did this to me, but Windows 8 really deeply annoys me.

Now I'll be specific by saying that I only have "Windows 8", no Enterprise or Pro.

How can I make W8 stop nagging me everytime about admin rights? I AM an admin.
 

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Even you are the Admin but to stop the nagging, you will need to set the User Access Control as shown:

1.png

Also, Make sure those .ini, .txt files are not set to read only. Just right click on the file->Properties. If set to read only then uncheck it, otherwise you will be asked to save the file somewhere else.
 
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David Bailey, that is a good workaround, thanks, but I actually want a solution of it.

topgundcp, that's what I actually did at the start, I completely disabled UAC, but it still wants me to get adminship.

Could this actually be because I changed my account's name from Mayfair to Strogg?
 

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David Bailey, that is a good workaround, thanks, but I actually want a solution of it.
It is OK for non system files. However, I would not do this for files under C:\Windows, C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86)

Could this actually be because I changed my account's name from Mayfair to Strogg?
I am not sure about this, I've never done this. Normally, Windows goes by your SID (If I remember it right, it is a 64-bit unique number for each user created) so changing the name does not change the SID.
The display name is Mayfair but I think it still point to C:\Users\Strogg.
Did it happen before you change the name ?
 

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Yes, it actually did.

Also, it's not just C: where it tells me to have admin rights, but G: as well.
 

My Computer

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    Windows 8 64-bit
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    Intel i7 2600K
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    ASUS B75M-A
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Hmmm I use an User Account on Win 8, with UAC high and I don't have this kind of problems. I only get warnings when changing the configuration of the system. I even have NWN installed without problems, although I don't use the updater.

Your problem though might be where you installed NWN. It's best to install old games in other locations than the default (Program Files) to something else like C:\Games\NWN\. I'd suggest reinstalling it.

And taking ownership of system folders is a VERY BAD idea. Don't do it. It is there for a reason. Feel free to do it for G: though.
 

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    Windows 8.1 (x64)
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And taking ownership of system folders is a VERY BAD idea. Don't do it.

Why is that specifically ?
It's caused me no problems.
 

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    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
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    Gateway
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    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
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And taking ownership of system folders is a VERY BAD idea. Don't do it.

Why is that specifically ?
It's caused me no problems.
You really shouldn't take ownership of a file unless you really need to. There are many articles on the security downfall of such an action.
 

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And taking ownership of system folders is a VERY BAD idea. Don't do it.

Why is that specifically ?
It's caused me no problems.
You really shouldn't take ownership of a file unless you really need to. There are many articles on the security downfall of such an action.

Point me to an article please. :)

I am the only user.
It's my computer.
I should have complete ownership to begin with.

Like I said, I "own" almost all things & have had no problems.

What bad things happen if you own everything ?

I'm not arguing here.
Just looking for enlightenment. :)
 

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  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
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    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
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    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
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    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
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    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
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Personally, I could not see any advantage, or use, of taking ownership of, for example, system files, unless you have a deeper knowledge of exactly how such file are used in the OS
The principal thing advantage of taking ownership is that it will then allow you to modify permissions on that particular file(S), It is possible to take ownership but still not have access to it. You then need to know how to change permissions- a quite different issue.
If, for example, you have a dual boot setup, the subsequent changing of the permissions could, without care, make the file non accessible in the alternative boot.
 

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  • OS
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...Maybe I should just install Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate and remove Windows 8 64-bit?

I use my computer for gaming, if that means anything.
 

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Point me to an article please. :)I am the only user.It's my computer.I should have complete ownership to begin with.Like I said, I "own" almost all things & have had no problems.What bad things happen if you own everything ?I'm not arguing here.Just looking for enlightenment. :)

It's standard security practice, nothing more, nothing less. Anything essential to the system must be protected somehow, giving limited access to them is common sense.

It prevents exploits : if some file is read-only for users, any attempt to modify it will first need root access which is no mean feat. If your PC is connected to a network/internet, then it's a must. You might be the only user locally, but if you have access to Internet it doesn't mean much.

It also prevents "accidents"... Ever moved a folder by mistake in explorer ? If you have full ownership you won't get any warning, and if the folder was a system one you could end up ****ed up, possibly without even noticing why.

Another reason : Some programs assume that some files have the default authorizations/permissions. This includes MS update but also most security software. For example here is an excerpt from Mc Afee Virus Scan Best Pratices

Configuring on-access scanning of trusted installers
The Microsoft Windows Trusted Installer, or TrustedInstaller service, protects certain systemfiles from being replaced, changed, or deleted. This protects these files from threats that wouldinstall a rootkit or other malware on the system. These "Trusted installer" files are very difficultfor malware to change and should not require on-access scanning.
The on-access scan trusted installer setting is disabled by default with VirusScan Enterprise 8.8.This allows the installation of trusted software without on-access scanning, which improvesperformance. This is specifically true for service pack installations for Microsoft Windows.
For security reasons, you could enable this feature so all files being installed by the trustedinstaller are also being scanned, but this increase the installation time and reduces the overallsystem performance.
And here is a thread on these forums illustrating possible problems :Problems after taking ownership of Windows folder - Page 2 - Windows 7 Help Forums
 
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In addition to what DaveC stated above, sometimes you copy files from another PC and your Username is not on the list, you might have permission problem.

If you have a need to take ownership of System Files, You should use icacls (new in Windows 8) or cacls (now deprecated in Windows 8 but still available) has the option to save the permission information so you can restore back to the original owner. There are different levels of ownership on system files, some owned by "SYSTEM", some owned by "TrustedInstaller".

An example: From Admin command prompt, if you type icacls C:\Windows then you can see C:\Windows folder is owned and has Full control by "TrustedInstaller". Administrator only has Modified Access.

Another example: In this post, OP has a corrupted "Volume System Information" folder and nothing he can do to fix the problem even he is Admin: http://www.eightforums.com/performa...olume-information-folder-occupied-100-gb.html

@Painkiller: Your problem is one isolated case, and we don't know what you have done before so I suggest to reinstall Windows 8. Games run better on Windows 8, just don't move things around without knowing exactly what they do.
 

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Backup HDD/SSD Image

If you have a need to take ownership of System Files, You should use icacls (new in Windows 8) or cacls (now deprecated in Windows 8 but still available) has the option to save the permission information so you can restore back to the original owner. There are different levels of ownership on system files, some owned by "SYSTEM", some owned by "TrustedInstaller".
Windows 7 has icacls too (mine does).

:eek: Make sure that you create a backup HDD/SSD image before experimenting. :eek:

Experiment on a folder that is not crucial to your system first (i.e. create a new folder with some sub-folders).

When I was playing around with the Windows 7 Betas, I could not get it to work "as advertised".
I created a backup of the Windows folder and sub-folders and then modified the permissions/ownership.

When I tried to restore the permissions, it skipped most of the directories (i.e. most of the directories still had the modified permissions/ownership). :confused:
 

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Thanks for your input, all. :)
 

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  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
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    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
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    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
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    Extended Family 14
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    Extended Model 2
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    Avast Internet Security
Well, can I install Windows 8 64-bit Pro/Enterprise on this same hard drive without losing anything important not related to Windows?
 

My Computer

System One

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    Windows 8 64-bit
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    ASUS B75M-A
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    8GB RAM
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    Intel HD 3000 (Integrated)
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    Firefox
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    Windows Defender
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