I'm dealing with a weird situation where there's a folder on a file share that has messed-up security settings. I've attempted to take ownership of the folder, but that fails. I've also tried using tools like psexec to run as system for ownership, deletion, and moving, but everything results in access denied errors. I experimented with FilExile and Wise Force Deleter, but they didn't work either. Even running 7-zip as system didn't help. I tried using robocopy with the purge command, but again, access denied. The only remaining option I have is to boot the server into safe mode and try from there, but since we operate 24/7, getting approval for that could take a week. I'm hoping to brainstorm some ideas here while I wait for change approval.
5 Answers
You might want to try running chkdsk /f. If it's an NTFS drive, it can find and fix security errors, which might resolve your issue if it's not just a locked file.
Honestly, it sounds like you might be facing bigger issues if you can't reboot a critical file server 24/7. The folder might just vanish on its own after a reboot anyway!
It could be that security settings aren't the main issue here; maybe something has a lock on the folder or a file inside it, causing those access denied messages. I suggest you try using Sysinternals tools, particularly Process Explorer. You can use it to find out which process has a handle on that folder by searching for 'folder/path/whatever' in Process Explorer.
If you're really stuck and can't get past this, have you thought about booting from a Linux live USB? That's one way to bypass some Windows restrictions, although it might get tricky if it's on a RAID setup.
I second what LocksmithLarry42 said. Also, have you checked the Computer Management section under Shared Folders on the file server? Sometimes the folder might be open or locked by another process on the network causing these issues.
Exactly! If the folder is open somewhere in the network, you may run into this kind of access trouble.