I just got a Gateway laptop with Vista Home Prem. After using the Folders options to enable seeing all the system folders, I was attempting to copy my Firefox Profiles folder in Documents and Settings from my desktop to the laptop, when I first recognized that M'soft (in their infamous propensity not to leave well-enough alone) changed the convention they used in W2k and XP. Fine, I found out which folders to go to thanks to a thread I left at another forum. However, to my disgust and frustration, I found that even with Admin rights, I was still being denied access to these Program DATA, and User folders where those profile folders are.

So, I call Gateway Support in India (don't get me started) only to find out that they want me to run a complete Restoration procedure because it was their opinion that the permissions may have become corrupted. This, despite the fact that I just bought this machine on 4/2, and the only major change that I've made (which was within warranty) was to use Vista's partitioning utility to divy up the HDD into several other partitions to protect my data.

Call me STUBBORN or stupid, but I refuse to TAKE such draconian measures based on such a flimsy, and frankly illogical basis. So, I'm posting here, and to other geeky places to get INFORMED opinions, rather than pat, sledgehammer answers.

PLEASE HEP ME,
GPLHave you tried taking ownership of the folders/files to which you are denied access?

Take your pick here..

Good luck