Solutions for a "Take Ownership" problem?

Hi guys. Sorry, I'm brand new here and I'm just looking for some help with this. Okay so... I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to computers. However, I really seem to have a problem when it comes to stuff behind-the-scenes, like registry crap or whatever. This laptop was bought new in August last year with Windows Vista 32-bit but it has since been upgraded (via HP package) to Windows 7 32-bit. I have a problem with this stupid "Take Ownership" function. When I click on certain things (like the Set Up Backup link because I'd really like to backup my computer) a command prompt opens saying I have successfully taken ownership of the file. (I had to take a screen shot as soon as I clicked on the link to see what the hell it was doing.) It just does this EVERY time I click on links similar to that. I have issues installing programs because of it and some of my icons have been disappearing off my desktop. (I read posts by others complaining about the same problem.) This is what I'm talking about: http://i45.tinypic.com/8zo29v.png Sorry for the transparency; I was trying to catch it before it closed and that was as close as I could get.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and I'm sure I'm leaving out vital information you could use to help me so please just ask! This is kind of a big deal and it's a huge pain. I'm sorry if this question is in the wrong place.

Did you do an over the top of Vista installation or a clean install? If things are disappearing, I would suggest a 'clean' install if not already done.

Read this tutorial:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402...-7-version.html

edit .... "how to take ownership"
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-...p-shortcut.html

Edited by Jacee, 23 February 2010 - 04:48 PM.

If you double-click on a file and the Take Ownership command prompt window pops up, then you should remove the right-click shortcut you installed for Taking Ownership. Go to the link Jacee has posted download the Take_Ownership.zip and you would find removal registry entries file inside.

Did you do an over the top of Vista installation or a clean install? If things are disappearing, I would suggest a 'clean' install if not already done.

Read this tutorial:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402...-7-version.html

edit .... "how to take ownership"
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-...p-shortcut.html

No, it wasn't a clean install. This is a stupid question, but if I do a clean install now will it keep my documents and stuff like it did when I used the upgrade originally?

If you double-click on a file and the Take Ownership command prompt window pops up, then you should remove the right-click shortcut you installed for Taking Ownership. Go to the link Jacee has posted download the Take_Ownership.zip and you would find removal registry entries file inside.

I've tried this multiple times, and still no luck.

If you clean install straight over top of a current installation, it will save everything into a "Windows.old" folder (and you could retrieve it). But, if you delete/format the partition and start from scratch, then your data would be gone.

Regardless, you should always backup your data before doing anything major like this (and periodically, as well).

As for the registry thing, you will probably just have to go into the registry and manually delete the keys created by this "Take Ownership" stuff (right-click the .reg file and "Edit". This will guide you to where the entries are in the registry). Make sure you backup the registry first, in case you accidentally delete something else.

You switch off UAC completely, it's useless. All latest malware gets around it with 3 lines of code.
Its only function is to irritate the users, and make legal programs buggy.

Bad advice PeterDV