How to Recover Security Rights on Folders in Windows XP

Files and folders on Windows XP have security rights settings. The permissions indicate which users and groups can access the folders, whether the folders are read-only or users can write to them and more. Other users or programs can change these rights, in which case folders might become inaccessible or read-only to some users. Windows XP includes a command that restores the security rights on all files and folders to their default settings.

Instructions

1. Click "Start," "All Programs," "Accessories" and "Command Prompt."

2. Reset all folder and file security rights by typing "secedit /configure /cfg %windir%\repair\secsetup.inf /db secsetup.sdb /areas FILESTORE /verbose" at the Command Prompt and pressing "Enter."

3. Restart the computer by clicking "Start," "Turn Off Computer" and "Restart."

References

• Microsoft Support: How Do I Restore Security Settings to the Default Settings?
• Microsoft: Secedit