Option to take file-ownership missing

[sebastian42]

In a WinXp/SP3 system that I inherited, I have done my utmost to eradicate all trace of the previous owner - and that MAY be why I now have a situation where I am denied access to TXT files stored close to the root [two subfolders down from C:\]. So I cannot read them, but oddly enough I can run EXE files stored in those same locations. Trying to take ownership of them results in needing to take a step I can not take, because the option is missing, namely "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" is MISSING from the Owner's tab of Advanced Security Settings of such an access-denied file. How can I get access to reading those text files ?

[SpywareDr]

How to take ownership of a file or a folder in Windows XP

[Ned Seagoon]

Or you could try a little command line hack:
Run the following as local administrator in a CMD window:
takeown /f * /r /a
icacls *.* /grant:r everyone:f /t /c /q

[sebastian42]

Ned,
'takeown' "is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batchfile."

I ran it from the ONLY available account, which is supposed to be, (and called) Administrator. The O/S, as originally stated, is WinXp/Pro/Sp3

I have already run a ZIP : 'take_ownership', which puts THAT option into the context menu, but also to no avail.

So I don't know where to go from here.

[sebastian42]

The solution turned out to be : open Notepad FIRST (as an administrator), then open the TXT file.

Thanks for all the help.

[Ned Seagoon]

Simple when you know how.

And thanks for the information, next time I'll read the question more closely, my method doesn't work in WinXP, sorry.

[sebastian42]

LATE BREAKING NEWS - when I checked the file associations for TXT, NO program was listed. After putting Notepad as the default, the problem disappeared.

[SpywareDr]

Good news. Thanks for letting us know.