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System Folders

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Three things to remember when you are working with computers.
• First thing is "YOU CAN DO IT".
• Second take your time, a little mistake can cause a big problem.
• Third all answers are only a question away.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

If you are experiencing computer Problems such as slowness, strange icons appearing, tool bars appearing, home page changing, please use one of the following links to check for a virus or trojan.


• Panda Virus Free Online Virus Scan
  
• AVG Anti-virus Program (FREE)
  • AVG is a great "FREE" program and I used to keep a link to the download but they keep changing it all the time and I can't keep this link up to date so Google "Download AVG Free" to get the download link. SORRY!

On this web site and on many others you will see in the folder or file path the following "%SystemDir%", WHAT IS IT?
%SystemDir% is a variable
• Because of the differences in the window operating system and to save time and not have to type out 3 different paths for the 3 Window systems the %SystemDir% is used to replace the different folder paths and names where the window files are stored. The defaults are as followed. If you have to change a path insert the following folder path or name where you see %SystemDir%.
• By default
  • Windows 95/98/Me
    C:\Windows\System
  • Windows NT/2000
    C:\WINNT\System32
  • Windows XP
    C:\Windows\System32
Folders
Gain Ownership or Permissions on Files and Folders if a hard drive fails
Customize Folders
• Folder Options Is Missing
• Add or Remove Toolbar Buttons in Folder Windows
• Change How You View Items in a Folder
• Display Links to Common Tasks in Folders
Damaged History Folder
• Replace Damaged History Folder
• Setting Permissions on Files and Folders
• Display Encrypted or Compressed NTFS Files in Color
• You Cannot Select the "Make This Folder Private"
Misc

• Compress a File or Folder on an NTFS Drive
• Convert a Volume to NTFS From the Command PromptSecurity
Opening Folders
• Open Each Folder in its Own Window
• Open Each Folder in a Separate Part of Memory
• Opening Any Folder Opens up Window Search
Folder Properties
• You Cannot View or Change the Read-Only or System Attribute of Folders
Files
• Offline Files Overview
• Setting Permissions on Files and Folders
• Set File and Program Association
• Show Hidden Files and Extensions
• Show Super Hidden File Extensions (All Windows)
• How To Register A File
• Explanation of Regsvr32 Usage and Error Messages
• Recover Files Free program to recover deleted files, a small program to do just that. ??? Had good reviews.
  Download Here

Add or Remove Toolbar Buttons in Folder Windows
• Open My Documents
• Double-click the folder you want to customize.
• On the View menu
• Point to Toolbars
• Click Customize.
• To add a button, select a button from the list of Available toolbar buttons, and then click Add.
-or-
• To remove a button, select a button from the list of Current toolbar buttons, and then click Remove.
• Note:
  • To open My Documents
  • Click Start
  • Click My Documents.
  • To change the position of buttons on the toolbar, select a button from the list of Current toolbar buttons
  • Click Move Up or Move Down.
  • You can change the location of the button labels and the size of the toolbar icons by changing Text Options or Icon Options.
  • To restore the toolbar buttons to their default settings, click Reset.
    This does not restore the Text Options
  • You can also customize the toolbar by right-clicking the toolbar, and then clicking Customize.

Folder Options Is Missing
• Click Start
• Click Run
• Type
  regedit
• When the Registry Edit windows open scroll down to the following key
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
• In the right pane look for "NoFolderOptions"
• Make sure the "NoFolderOptions" is set to 0
• If there is "NoFolderOption" click Edit on the toolbar
• Click New
• Click DWORD Value
• Name it "NoFolderOption" (without the quotes)
• The value should be set to 0 if not double click on the "NoFolderOption" and a window will open, type in 0
  
  


Setting Permissions on Files and Folders
You can use this to gain ownership if your Operating System Fails and you set the failed hard drive up as a slave in another computer.
By doing this you can save the folders and files you can't afford to lose.
Once you set it up as a slave drive you lose ownership of the folders and files and this will give it to you so you can move them and save them. Group Permissions
• You can assign Full control, if appropriate, rather than individual permissions.
• Use Deny to exclude part of a group which has Allowed permissions or to exclude one user when you have already granted full control to a user or group.
• Permission can be granted depending on the type of object. Permission for a file is different from a registry key. Common permission includes the following:
  • Read permissions
  • Modify permissions
  • Change owner
  • Delete
To set, view, change, or remove file and folder permissions
• Open Windows Explorer
• Click Start
• Point to All Programs
• Point to Accessories
• Click Windows Explorer
• Locate the file or folder for which you want to set permissions
  
  
  
  
• Right-click the file or folder
• Click Properties
• Click the Security tab.
  • If you do not see the Security tab, you may not be joined to a domain. See To display the Security tab below
• Do one of the following:
  • To set permissions for a group or user that does not appear in the Group or user names box, click Add
  • Type the name of the group or user you want to set permissions for and then click OK
    When adding a new user or group, by default, this user or group will have Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, and Read permissions.
To change or remove permissions from an existing group or user, click the name of the group or user.
• Do one of the following:
  • To allow or deny a permission, in the Permissions for User or Group box, select the Allow or Deny check box.
  • To remove the group or user from the Group or user names box, click Remove
• If the check boxes under Permissions for user or group are shaded or if the Remove button is unavailable, then the file or folder has inherited permissions from the parent folder.

To display the Security tab
• Open Folder Options in Control Panel.
  • Click Start
  • Click Control Panel
  • Click Appearance and Themes
  • Click Folder Options
  • On the View tab, under Advanced settings, clear Use simple file sharing [Recommended].
• There Is No Security Tab in the Folder Properties Dialog Box
  • If you do not see the Security tab in the folder properties, it is likely that you are not part of a network or you are using the FAT or FAT32 file system. Windows 2000-XP includes a utility that can safely convert your drive to from the FAT or FAT32 file system to the NTFS file system. You can try the following, again this is not something Microsoft says you can do but it will work.
    • Gain Ownership or Permissions on Files and Folders if a hard drive fails.
  • WARNING: Do not convert your drive if you are running both Windows 2000-XP and another operating system on the computer (that is, if it is a dual-boot computer) and the other operating system cannot read NTFS drives.
  • To convert a partition to NTFS
    • Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories
    • Click Command Prompt
    • In the Command Prompt window type
      convert drive: /FS:NTFS
    • Where drive is the drive that you want to convert.
      For example, to convert drive D to NTFS, type the following line:
      convert D: /FS:NTFS
    • If you attempt to convert a drive while it is being accessed by Windows 2000-XP, Windows 2000-XP displays a message prompting you to convert the drive when the computer is restarted.
    • Click Yes, quit any running programs, and then restart your computer.

Change How You View Items in a Folder
• Open My Documents
  • If the folder you want is not located in My Documents or its subfolders, use Search to find it.
  • To open Search
  • Click Start
  • Click Search
• Double-click the folder that contains the files you want to view.
• On the View menu
• Click Filmstrip ,Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, List or Details
• Note:
  • To open My Documents
  • Click Start
  • Click My Documents.
  • To sort items by categories such as date, name, size, and type, on the View menu, point to Arrange Icons by, and then click the appropriate command.
  • In Details view, you can choose the file information you want to display.
  • On the View menu
  • Click Choose Details.
  • Use the Choose Details dialog box to select and organize the information that is displayed.

Compress a File or Folder on an NTFS Drive
• Open My Computer
• Double-click a drive or folder.
• Right-click the file or folder you want to compress
• Click Properties.
• On the General tab, click Advanced.
• Select the Compress contents to save disk space check box
• Click OK.
• In the Properties dialog box, click OK.
• In Confirm Attribute Changes, select the option you want.
• Note:
  • You can only use NTFS compression for files and folders on drives formatted as NTFS If the Advanced button does not appear, the file or folder you selected is not on an NTFS drive.
  • If you move or copy a file into a compressed folder, it is compressed automatically.
  • If you move a file from a different NTFS drive into a compressed folder, it is also compressed.
  • However, if you move a file from the same NTFS drive into a compressed folder, the file retains its original state, either compressed or uncompressed.
  • Files and folders that are compressed using NTFS compression cannot be encrypted.
  • You can choose to display NTFS-compressed files in a different color.

Convert a Volume to NTFS From the Command Prompt
• Open Command Prompt
• In the Command Prompt window, type
  convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs
• For example: typing convert D: /Fs:ntfs would format drive D: with the NTFS format.
• Note
  • To open Command Prompt
  • Click Start
  • Point to All Programs
  • Point to Accessories
  • Click Command Prompt
  • You can convert FAT or FAT32 volumes to NTFS with this command.

Display Links to Common Tasks in Folders
• Open Folder Options in the Control Panel
• Click Start
• Click Control Panel
• Click Appearance and Themes
• Click Folder Options
• On the General tab, under Tasks, click Show common tasks in folders
• Note:
  • The hyperlinks to common tasks in the left pane of your folder windows provide quick access to file and folder management activities and other places on your computer, such as My Computer, Shared Documents, and My Network Places. Windows displays these links by default, so they may already be displayed in your folders. If they are not, you can use Folder Options to enable this feature.
  • To disable this feature in your folders, on the General tab, under Tasks, click Use Windows classic folders.

Display Encrypted or Compressed NTFS Files in Color
• Open Folder Options in the Control Panel
• Click Start
• Click Control Panel
• Click Appearance and Themes
• Click Folder Options
• On the View tab, select the Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color check box.
• Note:
  • When you select this option, the names of encrypted or compressed NTFS files and folders will be displayed in a different color in the folder.

Offline Files Overview
• You can make network files available offline by storing shared files on your computer so they are accessible when you are not connected to the network.
• This can be helpful when you use a portable computer to accomplish most of your work, or if your stand-alone computer is frequently disconnected from the network. You can work with offline files the same way you work with files when you are connected to the network.
• When you reconnect to the network, any changes that you made to files while working offline are updated to the network.
• This process is called synchronization.
• If you and someone else on the network made changes to the same file, you can save your version of the file to the network, keep the other version, or save both.
• If you share folders on your computer with others on the network, they can work offline with those folders. To protect files in your shared folders, you can specify whether other users can change your documents or just view them. You can also control which shared files users can access offline.
• Note:
  • Any shared files or folders on a Microsoft network can be made available offline. You can make files available offline by using any computer that supports Server Message Block (SMB)-based file and print sharing, including Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows XP. The Offline Files feature is not available on Novell NetWare networks.
  • The system administrator can set up shared folders so that every network file you open in the shared folder is automatically made available offline, or so that only those network files you choose are made available offline.

Open Each Folder in its Own Window
• Open Folder Options in theControl Panel
• Click Start
• Click Control Panel
• Click Appearance and Themes
• Click Folder Options
• On the General tab, under Browse Folders, click Open each folder in its own window.
• Note:
• If you select this option, every folder will open in a new window.
• By default, each folder you open appears in the same window and overwrites the previous window contents. To return to this setting, click Open each folder in the same window.

Open Each Folder in a Separate Part of Memory
• Open Folder Options in the Control Panel
• Click Start
• Click Control Panel
• Click Appearance and Themes
• Click Folder Options
• On the View tab
• Select the Launch folder windows in a separate process check box
• Note:
  • When you open each folder window in a separate part of memory, the stability of Windows can be increased. However, this process uses more memory, and may cause your computer to run more slowly.

Set File and Program Association
• Click on the file that you need to set the association to highlight it.
• Holding down the "SHIFT" key right click on the file
• Click "Open With"
• The Open With dialog window will open
• Remove the tic from the "Always use this program to open this type of file" box
• Click Okay
• If the file or program opens correctly then do it again and put the check in the "Always use this program to open this type of file"

Register a File (All Window Versions)
Errors for using regsvr32 are listed below
• Follow these steps to register .dll or .ocx files:
  • Click on Start
  • Click on Run.
  • In the Open field, type
    • regsvr32 "<Path> \NameOfFile.extension"
    • Where <Path> is the directory where the file is located on your computer and NameOfFile.extension is the name of the file. For example:
      regsvr32 "c:\program files\norton anti-virus\officeav.dll"
  • Press Enter.
  • If the file registers successfully, the following message appears on the screen:
  
  
  
• To Unregister a File
  • Use the command
    • regsvr32 /u "<Path> \NameOfFile.extension"
    • Where <Path> is the directory where the file is located on your computer and NameOfFile.extension is the name of the file. For example:
      regsvr32 /u "c:\program files\Norton anti-virus\officeav.dll"
      
      
      
• Follow these steps to register an executable (.exe) file:
  • Click on Start
  • Click on Run.
  • In the Open field, type
    • "<Path> \NameOfFile.exe" /REGSERVER
    • Where <Path> is the directory where the file is located on your computer and NameOfFile.exe is the name of the file. For example:
      "C:\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\ Mspaint.exe" / REGSERVER
  • Press Enter.
  • Note:Most executables do not display messages when registered.

Explanation of Regsvr32 Usage and Error Messages
You can use the Regsvr32 tool (Regsvr32.exe) to register and unregister object linking and embedding (OLE) controls such as dynamic-link library (DLL) or ActiveX Controls (OCX) files that are self-registerable. This may be necessary to troubleshoot some issues with Windows, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or other programs. For example, the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base requires you to use Regsvr32.exe to unregister the Wuv3is.dll control before you reinstall it from the Windows Update site: 241122 WINUP- Invalid Page Fault in 'wuv3is.dll' If the registration of a control is unsuccessful or you need developer information about troubleshooting unsuccessful OLE control registration attempts, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 140346 Possible Reasons for OLE Control Registration Failure MORE INFORMATION Regsvr32.exe is included with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later, Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) or later, and Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5) or later. Regsvr32.exe is installed in the System (Windows Me/98/95) or System32 (Windows NT) folder.
• Regsvr32.exe Usage
  • RegSvr32.exe has the following command-line options:
    Regsvr32 [/u] [/n] [/i[:cmdline]] dllname
    • /u - Unregister server
      
    • /i - Call DllInstall passing it an optional [cmdline]; when used with /u calls DLL uninstall
    • /n - do not call DllRegisterServer; this option must be used with /i
• When you use Regsvr32.exe, it attempts to load the component and call its DLLSelfRegister function. If this attempt is successful, Regsvr32.exe displays a dialog indicating success. If the attempt is unsuccessful, Regsvr32.exe returns an error message, which may include a Win32 error code. For a list of Win32 error codes, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/support/eventserrors.asp
• For example, to manually register a Sample.ocx ActiveX control, type the following command at an MS-DOS prompt:
  c:\regsvr32.exe sample.ocx
Regsvr32.exe Error Messages

The following list contains RegSvr32 error messages and possible causes.
• Unrecognized flag: /invalid_flag
  • You typed an invalid combination of flags or switches (refer to the "Regsvr32.exe Usage" section in this article).
• No DLL name specified.
  • You did not include a DLL file name (refer to the "Regsvr32.exe Usage" section in this article).
• Dllname was loaded, but the DllRegisterServer or DllUnregisterServer entry point was not found.
  • Dllname is not a DLL or .ocx file. For example, typing regsvr32 wjview.exe generates this error message.
• Dllname is not an executable file and no registration helper is registered for this file type.
  • Dllname is not an executable file (.exe, DLL, or .ocx). For example, typing regsvr32 autoexec.bat generates this error message.
• Dllname was loaded, but the DllRegisterServer or DllUnregisterServer entry point was not found.
  • Dllname may not be exported, or a corrupted version of Dllname may be in memory. Consider using Pview to detect the file and remove it.
• Dllname is not self-registerable or a corrupted version is in memory.
  • For example, typing regsvr32 icwdial.dll returns this error message because the Icwdial.dll file is not self-registerable. If you suspect a corrupted version of Dllname is in memory, try restarting your computer or re-extract the original version of the file. If you are running Windows NT, you may need to use the Kill or Pview tool from the Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit. For additional information, click to view the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    197155 How to Kill an Orphaned Process
• OleInitialize failed (or OleUninitialize failed).
  • Regsvr32 must initialize the COM library before it can call needed COM library functions and uninitialize the library when it shuts down. These error messages occur if an attempt to initialize or uninitialize the COM library is unsuccessful. For example, the Ole32.dll file may be corrupted or may be the wrong version.
• LoadLibrary ("Dllname") failed. GetlastError returns 0x00000485
  • From Winerror.h, 0x00000485 = 1157 (ERROR_DLL_NOT_FOUND), which means "One of the library files needed to run this application cannot be found." For example, typing regsvr32 missing.dll returns this error message if the Missing.dll file is not found.
• LoadLibrary("Dllname") failed. GetLastError returns 0x00000002
  • From Winerror.h, 0x00000002 = 2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND), which means "The system cannot find the file specified." In other words, a dependent DLL was not found. For example, typing regsvr32 icwdial.dll with Tapi32.dll (a dependency) missing, returns this error message.
• LoadLibrary("dskmaint.dll") failed. GetLastError returns 0x000001f
  • From Winerror.h, 0x000001f = 31 (ERROR_GEN_FAILURE), which means "A device attached to the system is not functioning." This behavior can occur if you try to register a Win16 DLL file. For example, typing regsvr32 dskmaint.dll returns this error message.
• DllRegisterServer (or DllUnregisterServer)in Dllname failed. Return code was: string
  • Search Winerror.h for string.
• Regsvr32.exe and Dependencies
  • RegSvr32.exe depends on the Kernel32.dll, User32.dll, and Ole32.dll files (and the Msvcrt.dll and Advapi32.dll files in Windows NT). Regsvr32.exe loads the file you are trying to register or UN-register, along with all of its dependencies. The process may be unsuccessful if a required file is missing or damaged.
  • You can use Depends.exe to determine dependencies for the file you are trying to register or UN-register Depends.exe is included with the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit and the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit support tools. 247024

Show Hidden Files and Extensions
To View All Files in Windows 95/98
• Open My Computer folder on the Windows desktop.
• Click the View menu
• Click Options or Folder Options.
• Click the View tab.
  
  
  
  
• Do one of the following:
  • Windows 95. Select "Show all files."
  • Windows 98. In the Advanced settings box, under the "Hidden files" folder, select "Show all files".
• Click Apply
• Click OK.

To View All Files in Windows NT 4.0
• Open My Computer folder on the Windows desktop.
• Click the View menu
• Click Options.
• Click the View tab and then select "Show all files."
  
  
  
  
• Click Apply
• Click OK.

To View All Files and Extensions in Windows Me/2000
• Open My Computer folder on the desktop
• Click the Tools menu
• Click Folder Options.
• Click the View tab.
  
  
  
  
• Clear "Hide file extensions for known file types."
• Under the "Hidden files" folder, select "Show hidden files and folders."
• Clear "Hide protected operating system files."
• Click Apply
• Click OK.

To View All Files and Extensions in Windows XP
• Open My Computer folder on the desktop
• Click the Tools menu
• Click Folder Options.
• Click the View tab.
  
  
  
  
• Clear "Hide file extensions for known file types."
• Under the "Hidden files" folder, select "Show hidden files and folders."
• Clear "Hide protected operating system files."
• Click Apply
• Click OK.

Show Super Hidden File Extensions (All Windows)
• This allows potentially dangerous files to be masked as safe files, fooling the user into executing them. This tweak helps expose those file extensions.
• It is possible for a malicious user to name a file so that it looks safe to open, when in fact it may be executable containing dangerous content.
• A file could be displayed as "readme.txt" in windows, when it fact it is really name "readme.txt.dwns" but since you can't see the ".dwn" you think it is a text file, thus when you open it this file could download porn, adware, spyware or what ever.
• To show all file extensions:
  • Go to Start Button
  • Click on Run
  • Type in
    Regedit
  • Click Okay
  • When the Registry Edit window opens
  • Click on Edit on the Toolbar
  • Click Find
  • Type in or copy and paste the following
    NeverShowExt
    • If you find any highlight them and delete the NeverShowExt
    • Press the F3 key to continue the search until you have deleted them all.
    • The following are some common file extensions used by windows so do not delete these files with these extensions.
      • Document Shortcut .SHB
        • [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DocShortcut]
      • Internet Shortcut .URL
        • [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\InternetShortcut]
      • File Shortcut .LNK
        • [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile]
      • DOS Shortcut .PIF
        • [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\piffile]
      • Explorer Command .SCF
        [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SHCmdFile]
      • Shell Scrap Object .SHS
        [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ShellScrap]
      Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Use Access Control to Restrict Who Can Use Files
Setting Permissions on Files and Folders

• You can set the permissions for either a complete Folder or a single file.

Group Permissions

• It is best to assign permissions to groups instead of users.
• Assign Full control rather than individual permissions.
• Use Deny to keep a subset of a group which has Allowed permissions, or to exclude one special user after you have given full access to a user or group.
• Most common types of permission
  • Read permissions
  • Modify permissions
  • Change owner
  • Delete
  
  To set, view, change, or remove file and folder permissions
  
  • Open Windows Explorer
  • Click Start
  • Point to All Programs
  • Point to Accessories
  • Click Windows Explorer
  • Locate the file or folder for which you want to set permissions.
    
    
    
  • Right-click the file or folder
  • Click Properties
  • Click the Security tab.
    • If you do not see the Security tab, you may not be joined to a domain. See To display the Security tab below.
  • Do one of the following:
    • To set permissions for a group or user that does not appear in the Group or user names box
    • Click Add.
    • Type the name of the group or user you want to set permissions for
    • Click OK.
      • When adding a new user or group, by default, this user or group will have Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, and Read permissions.
    • To change or remove permissions from an existing group or user, click the name of the group or user.
  • Do one of the following:
    • To allow or deny a permission, in the Permissions for User or Group box, select the Allow or Deny check box.
    • To remove the group or user from the Group or user names box, click Remove
    . If the check boxes under Permissions for user or group are shaded or if the Remove button is unavailable, then the file or folder has inherited permissions from the parent folder.
  To display the Security tab
  
  • Open Folder Options in Control Panel.
  • Click Start
  • Click Control Panel
  • Click Appearance and Themes
  • Click Folder Options.
  • On the View tab, under Advanced settings, clear Use simple file sharing [Recommended].

You Cannot Select the "Make This Folder Private" Option
Symptoms
• You may be unable to select the Make this folder private option on the Sharing tab in the properties for a folder. The option may be unavailable.
Cause
• The folder is not in your user profile (Drive_letter:\Documents and Settings\User_name, where Drive_letter is the drive on which Windows XP is installed and User_name is your user name).
  The Make this folder private option is available only for files in your user profile (the My Documents folder and its subfolders, and the Cookies, Desktop, Start Menu, or Favorites folders).
• The Windows folder is located on a drive that is formatted with the FAT or FAT32 file systems. The Make this folder private option requires the NTFS file system.
Solution
• If the folder you are trying to make private is not located in your profile (Drive_letter:\Documents and Settings\User_name, where Drive_letter is the drive on which Windows XP is installed and User_name is your user name), move it to your My Documents, My Music, or My Pictures folder and then select the Make this folder private option (if it is available).
• If the Make this folder private option is still unavailable in the My Documents folder, you may need to convert the Windows drive to NTFS as follows.
• Warning: Converting the drive to NTFS removes your previous operating system backup. Do not convert to NTFS if you may later need to uninstall Windows XP. Also, do not convert drive C to NTFS if you dual-boot Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) on the same computer, and do not convert other drives to NTFS if you dual-boot Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me on the same computer and need access to the drive from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me.
  • Click Start
  • Click Run In the Open box, type the following
    cmd
  • Click OK
  • In the command prompt window, type the following and then press ENTER
    convert drive_letter: /Fs:ntfs
  • drive_letter is the drive on which Windows XP is installed.
  • For example, typing convert d: /Fs:ntfs converts drive D to NTFS format.
  • Press Y
  • Press Enter to continue if you agree to remove your previous operating system backup (if appropriate).
  • Press Y
  • Press Enter to dismount the volume.
  • Press Y
  • Press Enter to schedule the conversion for the next time the computer restarts.
  • Restart your computer.
  • The Windows volume is converted to NTFS when your computer restarts, and the Make this folder private option should be available for folders in your profile.

You Cannot View or Change the Read-only or System Attribute of Folders
Symptoms
• You may experience any of the following symptoms:
  • You cannot view or change the Read-only or System attributes of a folder by using the Propertiesdialog box for the folder.
  • For example, you may experience the following symptoms:
    • When you view the General tab of a folder's Properties dialog box, the Read-only check box is not available, and there is no check box to change the System attribute.
    • You click to clear or click to select the Read-only check box on the General tab of a folder's Properties dialog box. When you click OK or Apply, you receive the following message:
      Confirm Attribute Changes You have chosen to make the following attribute changes:
      unset read-only
      Do you want to apply this change to this folder only, or do you want to apply it to all subfolders and files as well?
      
    • If you click Apply changes to this folder only, the Read-only attribute is changed for all the files in the folder, but the Read-only attribute is not changed for the folder, its subfolders, or any files in its subfolders.
    • If you click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files, the Read-only attribute is changed for all files in the folder and all files in the subfolders, but the Read-only attribute is not changed for the folder or its subfolders.
    • Some programs may display error messages when you try to save files to a folder with the Read-only or System attribute.
    • As a result, these programs may not be able to save files to the folder.
Cause
• Unlike the Read-only attribute for a file, the Read-only attribute for a folder is typically ignored by Windows, Windows components and accessories, and other programs.
• For example, you can delete, rename, and change a folder with the Read-only attribute by using Windows Explorer. The Read-only and System attributes is only used by Windows Explorer to determine whether the folder is a special folder, such as a system folder that has its view customized by Windows (for example, My Documents, Favorites, Fonts, Downloaded Program Files), or a folder that you customized by using the Customize tab of the folder's Properties dialog box. As a result, Windows Explorer does not allow you to view or change the Read-only or System attributes of folders.
• Note: In some previous versions of Windows, you can change the Read-only attribute for folders by using the Properties dialog box for the folder, but no versions of Windows permit you to change the System attribute by using Windows Explorer.
Solution
• Click Start
• Click Run
• Type the following in the Open box.
  cmd
• Click OK
• Use the Attrib command at a command prompt (Cmd.exe) to view or remove the Read-only or System attributes of folders.
• Type attrib /? at the command prompt to view the syntax for the Attrib command.
Warning
• If you remove the Read-only or System attribute from a folder, it may appear as a ordinary folder and some customizations may be lost.
• For example, Windows customizes the Fonts folder and provides a special folder view that permits you to hide variations, such as bold and italic. It also permits you to change the folder's view settings in ways that are specific to fonts. If you remove the Read-only and System attributes of the Fonts folder, these customized view settings are not available. For folders that you have customized by using the Customize tab of the folder's Properties dialog box, the folder icon and other other customizations may be lost when you remove the Read-only attribute.
• If a program cannot save files to a folder with the Read-only attribute, such as My Documents, change the Read-only attribute to System by using the Attrib command at a command prompt.
• For example, to change the Read-only attribute to System for the C:\Test folder, use the following command:
  attrib -r +s c:\test
• Note: Some programs may not operate correctly with folders that have the System attribute set. To remove both the Read-only and System attributes from the C:\Test folder, use the following command:
  attrib -r -s c:\test

Replace Damaged History Folder
Windows 95/Windows 98
• Click Start
• Click Shut Down
• Click Restart in MS-DOS mode
• Click OK
• At the command C:>windows prompt, type the following commands
• Then press the Enter Key after each command
• Then after pressing the Enter Key you will be prompted with a yes or no, type in the letter "Y"
  cd\windows
  • deltree history
  • exit
• Reboot
• Open Control Panel
• Internet Options
• Advanced tab
• In the Browsing section, Select " Use inline AutoComplete for Web address" and "Use inline AutoComplete"
• Click OK
Windows NT 4.0 and 2000
• You must be logged on as the Administrator on the local computer.
• Click Start
• Click Run
• Type the following in the Open box
  • cmd
• Click OK
• Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE
• Click Task Manager
• On the Processes tab, click Explorer.exe
• Click End Task
• On the Applications tab, switch to Cmd.exe
• At the command prompt type the following commands and press Enter after each one.
  CD\winnt\profiles\username\history
  • attrib -r -a -s -h *.*
  • del *.*
  • explorer
  • Press Enter to restart
• Start Windows NT Explorer and locate the Winnt\Profiles\Username\History folder
• You should see a file named MSHistxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Delete this file
• On the Processes tab in Task Manager, click Explorer.exe
• Click End Task
• On the Applications tab, switch to Cmd.exe. and type in the following commands and press Enter after each command has been typed in.
  CD\winnt\profiles\username
  • rd history
  • explorer
  • Press Enter to restart
• Open Control Panel
• Internet Options
• Advanced tab
• In the Browsing section, Select " Use inline AutoComplete for Web address" and "Use inline AutoComplete"
• Click OK
Windows XP, 2000 and Windows NT 4.0
• You must be logged on as the Administrator on the local computer.
• Log on as a user with administrative rights.
• If a problem occurs with the History folder logged on as the Administrator create a new user and make this user a member of the Administrators group
• In Windows Explorer
• Locate the profile of the account with the problem.
  In Windows NT 4.0 find the %SystemRoot\Profiles\Username\History folder.
  • In Windows XP, 2000 find the Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\History folder.
• Right-click the History folder Delete it
• Click yes when you are asked if you want to delete the History folder

Open Any Folder Opens up Window Search
• Go to Start
• Click on Run
• Type in
  regedit (windows 98-ME)
  regedt32 (windows 2K-XP)
• Find the following keys and change the default values for them.
  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Directory\ shell
• With "shell" highlighted, change the "default" data to "none" on the right-side
• Then go here to the following key
  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Drive\ shell
• With "shell" highlighted, change the "default" data to "none" on the right-side
• Close the Registry Editor
• Reboot

Gain Ownership or Permissions on Files and Folders if a hard drive fails
This information provided by Gianni Rossini
• This could help if you can't boot up your computer and need to save your files.
• You have to take the hard drive out of the computer it is in and add it to another computer as a slave drive.
• Start the computer in safe mode
• Log on with an account that has Administrative rights
• If you did not set administrator account password, the password is blank (just hit enter with nothing in box)
• Select the folder you need ownership to so you can move it on the failed drive
• Right click and choose Properties
• Click on the Security Tab
• Click Advanced
• Click the Owner tab
• In the Name list do one of the following
  • Click your user name
  • Click the add button and add your user account name
  • Click Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator
  • Click the Administrators group
• Select the Replaceowner on subcontainers and objects check box
• Click OK
• Click Yes when it asks you if you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control
• Now you should be able to move the folders and files to a safe place so you can use them again.

Cannot delete file:
• When you try to delete a file in Windows, you may receive the following error message:
  • Cannot delete "filename", cannot find the specified path.
  • Make sure you typed the right path.
  • When this behavior occurs, you can still delete files in MS-DOS mode.
  • Click Start, point to Shutdown, and then click Restart to MS-DOS.
  • Type CD\, and then press ENTER.
    • Type CD RECYCLED, and then press ENTER.
    • Type ATTRIB -r -s -h info2.*, and then press ENTER.
    • Type DEL INFO2, and then press ENTER.
    • NOTE: This deletes the damaged INFO2 file and creates a new file automatically.
    • NOTE: You can start the computer with the Windows Startup disk if it is available.

Cannot delete file: The filename you selected is invalid or too long:
Change the Recycle bin Property settings:
• Right click on the recycle bin
• Click properties
• In the middle of the window you will see a setting for a percentage of the hard drive you can use for deleting files, move it to 100 percent right now until you get these files deleted.
• Also until they are deleted put a tick or a check what ever you want to call it in the "Do not move file to the Recycle bin remove the files immediately when deleted.
• Then delete the file
• After the file is deleted, change the recycle bin's properties back

Delete a file in dos:
• You have to use the wavy line (just below the ESC key) and a number 1 if the file name is to long in DOS Use the first 6 letters of the file name and then a wavy line and the number 1 plus the file extension.
• If the file was named "alongfilename.doc." And stored in the Windows directory, for example, you would type
  • del c:\windows\alongf~1.doc
OR
• Navigate to the directory where it's stored and just type:
  • del alongf~1.doc
• It is easier to move the file to the C:\windows directory and delete it from there if you not familiar with DOS
• Just drag and drop it in the windows folder making sure you don't drop it in a folder in windows where you can't find it.
OR
Deleting a file with a long file extension that will not let you delete it. ( Usually Porn Related )
• Boot to MS DOS or command prompt in XP
• Type in after the prompt
• Del [PATH]\filename.*?
• Press the Enter Key
• CAUTION: make sure no other file in this directory has the same file name with a different file extension. IF there is move that file for it will be deleted too.