ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED without run as administrator

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Posts: 29
Joined: 11 Dec 2022

franksisco

Hi, If I launch the program normally as soon as the comparison starts I get this error:
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If I click "ignore" the comparison proceeds. As soon as I start the synchronization the massage pops up again. If I ignore further the synchronization proceeds but at the end the path reported in the error is not synchronized.

Instead if I "Run as administrator" FFS I get no error message and the folder is synchronized perfectly.

It is not a tragedy to have to run FFS as administrator but I ask if there is a way to avoid the problem.
Thank you
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Plerry

Simply make sure the user under which credentials you run FFS has write access to the mentioned folder.
Posts: 29
Joined: 11 Dec 2022

franksisco

First of all, thank you for your time. As you can see here
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that folder has "Administrators (MYPCNAME\Administrators)" as the owner which seems to have full control.
I am the only administrator on this pc and I am logged in with Microsoft account so with these settings I think I have full control of that folder.. I think... But I don't understand anything about these things
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Plerry

If your Microsoft account is an Admin account on your machine, you should have full control (Controllo completo). However, if your Microsoft account is not an Admin account on your machine, you are a plain User, that only has read and execution rights, no write access (Lettura ed esecuzione).
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franksisco

I am the administrator, I am sure. In settings > account is confirmed
Image
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xCSxXenon

None of the info in this thread is correct. Modifying anything in "Program Files" needs permissions set up a certain way. When you do it manually via File Explorer, you get a pop-up asking to continue or not. Since FFS doesn't have the ability to pop up the same prompt, it errors out with the above error. Running File Explorer, or anything else, as admin bypasses this check. Being an administrator of the PC is not the same as running things as administrator. If you aren't aware of this, you shouldn't be touching permissions.

Why are you backing up the "Program Files" folder anyway? You definitely won't be able to restore it and be able to use it. Programs also rely on files outside that folder and registry entries to work.
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Zenju

Windows has the concept of "elevation". A non-elevated admin account is equivalent to a regular user account. But unlike the user account, an admin account can elevate (= make use of its rights).

This is different than Linux which does not have "elevation". When you "sudo" to get extra rights, you also always change identity (to "root"), too!
On Windows you can have this without having to change identiy.

And in order to confuse everyone, Windows calls elevation on its UI "run as admin". This doesn't make sense, since your account is already an admin account! (it's just not elevated yet). What Windows really means is "run elevated".

TLDR; identity and rights are orthogonal features on Windows, but one connected feature on Linux.
Posts: 29
Joined: 11 Dec 2022

franksisco

... Being an administrator of the PC is not the same as running things as administrator. If you aren't aware of this, you shouldn't be touching permissions. xCSxXenon, 11 Dec 2022, 18:01
I trust you, in fact I had no intention of changing any kind of permission. I just wanted to synchronize a folder. The only thing I understood is that if I want to synchronize a folder inside "Program Files" I have to start FFS as administrator. Okay I accept that
Why are you backing up the "Program Files" folder anyway? You definitely won't be able to restore it and be able to use it. Programs also rely on files outside that folder and registry entries to work. xCSxXenon, 11 Dec 2022, 18:01
The .ini file with all the program settings is inside that folder.
Windows has the concept of "elevation". A non-elevated admin account is equivalent to a regular user account. But unlike the user account, an admin account can elevate (= make use of its rights).

This is different than Linux which does not have "elevation". When you "sudo" to get extra rights, you also always change identity (to "root"), too!
On Windows you can have this without having to change identiy.

And in order to confuse everyone, Windows calls elevation on its UI "run as admin". This doesn't make sense, since your account is already an admin account! (it's just not elevated yet).

TLDR; identity and rights are orthogonal features on Windows, but one connected feature on Linux. Zenju, 11 Dec 2022, 18:10
I really thank you but I felt like listening to the basics of quantum physics explained in suomi. I will solve it by setting FFS shortcut preferences to launch it as administrator by defoult
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xCSxXenon

The .ini file with all the program settings is inside that folder.

I really thank you but I felt like listening to the basics of quantum physics explained in suomi. I will solve it by setting FFS shortcut preferences to launch it as administrator by defoult franksisco, 11 Dec 2022, 19:00
LOL! I see why you would want the settings files. Your solution is probably the best way to do it
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Zenju

Running elevated ("as admin"), just so that the directory locks (which you probably don't need anyway *) work correctly is overkill. Just ignore the warning, everything else should be fine.

*) Unless you need not only read, but write access to "C:\Program Files", in which case there's no way around elevation.