Vista Tweaks

#1 kolias

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Posted 09 May 2007 - 07:33 AM

Try to learn tweaking Vista Home Premium.

On Windows XP, the C:\System Volume Information was the place to store all System Restore Points.

On Vista I have difficulty to access this folder and when I do, I see some files with a …mile long names and I don’t know what they are. Are these the Vista System Restore Points? Any tweaks to have permanent access to this directory?

I have been unable to access the C:\Documents & Settings Folder plus some other folders under C:\User\, Any registry tweaks to achieve this?

I am the sole user of this PC and logged as Admin.
Thank you

#2 usasma

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Posted 09 May 2007 - 08:15 AM

You should be able to access the System Volume Information folder by taking ownership of it (in the Security tab) - but it's a bit tricky and will take some fooling around. I'd suggest using a BartPE disk to access the folder and work from it there.

As for the Documents and Settings folder, I understand that it's a special folder called a "pointer" - and it's sole purpose is to "point" to the Users directory (to help with compatibility with XP style programs).

You'll have to do the permissions/ownership thing with the other accounts in the User directory also.

Be careful messing around in these areas - you can hose your Vista installation very easily in there.

- John
**If you need a more detailed explanation, please ask for it. I have the Knack. **

#3 emucade

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Posted 09 May 2007 - 10:07 AM

I had the same problem. I have Vista Ultimate 64 bit. With this version the System Volume Information
Is no longer accessible. I sure at some point someone will figure out how.
As far as accessing denied folder for files you have to claim ownership.
Right click the folder or file.
Select properties.
Select Security.
From here you can edit file accessibility.
Also your User folder is now your Doccuments and settings.
Example
Windows Vista C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming

Windows XP C:\Documents and settings\username\Application Data

" If you want to be the best you better learn how do defend yourself,
Because when you are the best everybody wants to kick you’re a** "
My Dad 1986

#4 Guest_uhaligani_*

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Posted 09 May 2007 - 12:52 PM

The new Documents and settings folder is C:\user\username\Documents.
If you had left the tools/views uncustomised, the Documents and settings folder would have been invisible to you, as it is akin to a system folder.
It is known as a junction folder and is a feature of NTFS, not just Vista. It would be very unwise to gain permission, everything in it is duplicated under Users/yourname.
You might like to read this page before diving in!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_junction_point

#5 usasma

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Posted 10 May 2007 - 06:12 AM

Another link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_symbolic_link

- John
**If you need a more detailed explanation, please ask for it. I have the Knack. **

#6 Bobblewik

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Posted 24 July 2007 - 06:43 PM

uhaligani, on May 9 2007, 07:52 PM, said:

That is both interesting and worrying. I've just started with Vista and did not realise some dircetories could be unixlike hard and soft links!

I've had two online scans go into endless loops and now I suspect this is the cause. The first may have been Trend Micro a week or two ago, the second is ewido micro running right now. I ran ewido as admin, which looped, and then ran in XP SP2 compatible mode, but it looped again.
I have already emailed ewido.net asking them if their ewido micro is Vista compatible, because I now suspect it is not.
Here's what I emailed but I still feel in the dark here! Can any experts shed more light, eg. can other apps also loop forever? I've read the two wikipedia links.

Quote

Is there an endless loop problem with ewido online scanning when it encounters a PC with a non-English Vista installation?
Before running ewido micro should I follow this wildersecurity.org post?

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread....highlight=vista
"To run with Vista , you may try to go to this file's properties , choose to run the exe file in Compatibility mode for Windows XP SP2"

If I do not, then the ewido micro scanning engine starts descending

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data

and then repeatedly descends "\Application Data" in a mix
of english and the installed language.

For example for a PC with an Italian VISTA installation, one sees ewido
descend as far as this extreme path, but never end:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Application Data\Dati applicazioni\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Dati applicazioni\... until the leaf filename

Is this recursion related to the Vista feature in this post?
http://www.maxoutput.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=3276

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