I realize it is a security feature that does help protect your computer, but I think the administrative privileges on this OS are worthless and annoying. I am the only user on my machine and am a system administrator, yet I cant do multiple things. For example, I recently tried to install an update for my Acrobat Reader, which failed. When it failed I lost my Acrobat completely, so I went online to re-download it. First it finished the download (with Firefox 3.0) then told me it didnt have privileges to modify my desktop where I was trying to save the installer file. So I tried again while running Firefox Run As Administrator, and it did the same thing. It wouldnt let me modify my documents folder either. Finally it let me save it to my documents folder after I rebooted. After that I tried running the installer as administrator and halfway through the install it said it lacked privileges and quit. I rebooted and got it to work (after about 15 minutes of extra and unnecessary work!). This is not the first time this has happened either, the download problem happens all the time and the installation problem happened to me with Open Office as well. For Open Office I ended up having to install it on my Vista Partition and copy the files over. This is getting REALLY annoying and I am also curious; if I dont have full administrative privileges, who the heck does have privileges to modify my files? I do have UAC on, but have tried without UAC on and still had the download issue. I just think it is ridicules that I don't have enough permission to install a program on my own computer, and that maybe this needs looked at.

That same update works perfectly on my Vista machine. It's possible that adobe at this time doesn't fully support the beta. I haven't checked the latest pdf up date on my Win7 but will do so and report back.Or you may have a overall issue as normally on my Win7 I don't have any issues as you are describing. When it fails, what are the error messages?Also are you installing files over on the Vista parition?I do know that you should not place files on the desktop that doesn't have the right permission tokens, instead place things in the download folder under your user profile. When I use that folder I have no issues whatsoever. The desktop shouldn't be used as like a temp file save location.

This problem is not specific to the Adobe update. I have run into this before, for example I know my Open Office was not allowed to install, and I had to install it on my Vista Partition and copy the Program files etc. I don't remember the exact message (I will try it and let you know) but I know it said that the install wizard did not have access to modify files in I believe my System32 folder. It told me to contact the administrator and try by logging on as the administrator, witch I already am. I was annoyed because right clicking on the .exe file and running it as administrator did not solve the problem. I don't understand how to give it more privileges. I don't know what is going on though because my roommate was able to load Open Office no problem, and I ended up getting Adobe to work (Open Office I never succeeded with). I have tried all this with UAC on and off but it did not help.I don't understand why I can't use my desktop to download to. I find it very handy if I am just installing a small program that I may not even want to keep (ex. finding software to mount a virtual drive that I liked). I think if it is in my user folder I should be able to have full access to modify it. Plus it works some times, just not all the time.This is not so much a problem, I can work around it, it is just something that I find annoying and think could be improved. If nothing else make it work when UAC is off. I don't usually have it on in Vista, I only have it on in 7 so I can use my desktop gadgets (Something else I hope they are fixing) Just make it so the system administrator has full access to install any programs they run, and modify any files or download files to any location we want.

'Trusted installer' has full control. Other than that you might need to change permissions. That in itself is problematic as it's not particularly intuitive. It used to be a cinch, but once you finally master the user accounts, you ought to be able to permit yourself to add/change software.

OK, there are a bunch of issues here;1) User Account Control (which doesn't stop users without privelege changing settings ect but does stop administrator account sometimes) I would have to say that I will never use UAC if some kiddy account with no priveledges and heaps of parental control can change not just it's own settings but the settings on the administrator account as well. If a three year old bashing the keys could accidentally turn on or off things how much more harm could a malicious guest user do? Is it impossible to have a guest account that can do nothing but run a game. It's not just a security issue, I set up the user account and Immediately had problems in the administrator account.2) Security settings (where you require the computer to notify you )I set it high so I would know if anything tries to install itself behind my back, Yes it is dreary but I figure every hacker in town is working on a better bug. The other notices, "you dont have authority to save here" are something else again. (could it be that there is so much on the desktop that it exceeds some default size?) No, I think that I saw this message when I had UAC on. Was it your desktop or another user one? it is easy to get confused.3) Installation and location of files.I have lost a file after download a few times now and I think the problem is when I download to a usb or sd device or when I transfer from one device to another. Successful downloads were accompanied by an extra "discovered" notice. Unsucessful ones were not. To keep it simple I will try to use my c:drive as a base for moving files, In the long term I expect the issue will be addressed. Meanwhile I continue to seek the missing files in case they landed somewhere after all.

I tried Open Office again to get the error message, and amazingly it worked. But something is still messed up here because I just tried to download something to my downloads folder just like you said and once again I got the following message "C:\Users\Otzen\Downloads\SetupVirtualCloneDrife5411.exe could not be saved, because you cannot change the contents of that folder. Change the folder properties and try again, or try saving in a different location." Now please explain to me why I am unable to download a file to my download folder? I am convinced that these admin privileges need revised. Especially if llynne is right and a non-admin user can modify the admin account (I only have one profile on my computer and cannot support this.)

Never count on Llynne being right, often jumps to conclusions. Just Check it out for yourself, (& let me know!) 1. Did you change the file properties? what is the setting?2. the user account that you use- full admin?3. your computer- processor, RAM, free space on hard disk. perhaps you cannot get permit to use space in use by virtual memory.4. Was it your desktop or that of another user account to the one you are logged into? The User Account Controls are probably not the cause of this problem, I suggest removing a few of the big programs, clean the registry if you can, run checkdisk, memcheck and defrag. then do a defender scan and try again. Ozten says" Just make it so the system administrator has full access to install any programs they run, and modify any files or download files to any location we want." no, not wise. It is just that you don't want it to tell you that you can't do it. You want to know why so you can fix it. Susan Bradley says"I do know that you should not place files on the desktop that doesn't have the right permission tokens, instead place things in the download folder under your user profile. When I use that folder I have no issues whatsoever. The desktop shouldn't be used as like a temp file save location." Don't tell me that! that would spoil my whole system. I use the desk top like a desk or workbench. Please someone tell me that is ok. It always works for me.

Personally, I dont find the security model in Vista or Windows 7 a pain at all. Actually, I embrace the new security model as I recognize that it will only make Vista/7 more secure. You just have to educate yourself on how it works.

llynne, I didn't change the file properties, I just tried to save a downloaded .exe installer file to my desktop. My account is a full admin and I know for a fact it was set to my desktop. As for the Processor, RAM, and free space...Dual Core 2.4GHz (~15% usually in use), 3 GB (~50% usually in use), 8GB Free (Regularly defraged). I don't think any of those are the problem. On top of all this it was my downloads folder that did it this time, shouldn't that folder of all folders work?! I guess I kind of did over state that, but I just think I shouldn't be told I don't have permission to download or install a file or program, if it wants to ask if I will allow it fine, just let me do it. I like that other programs can't do it without my permission, it is just that I can give them permission and not myself! I agree with you very much that you "desktop" should be able to be used as a desktop/workspace. Darien, I don't think a user should have to educate themselves with the proper technique for downloading a file in order to have it succeed. You should click download, tell it where to save the file, and then it should work; every time. The security is great, as long as it lets the user effectively use there computer. Not being able to download files or install programs is not exactly what I would call effectively using a computer.

Otzen, Ok, you have thouroughly ruled out a lot of things. Is this still a problem?It should, as you say work every time. you are the administrator and there is an answer somewhere.My next action would be setting things back to defaults. Darian, I think you need to embrace you fellow computer users as well, and not talk as if they are inferior to yourself. sorry mate, but I find you a bit intimidating.

llynne, I want to install some more programs but have my Windows 7 installed on too small of a partition so I am already in the process of reorganizing my drives so I can install it on a larger partition. I will try some of this after the clean install and see if the problem is corrected. I wont uninstall my current version though so I can still try to find the root of this problem. This should let me know if it is some random setting somewhere that is causing the problem.

To llynne and Otzen, You have my apologies. I did not intend for my response or suggestion to come across harshly.

OtzenWould be Interested to hear how it went, I noticed the thread was changed to a security issue which must mean that Administrator rights were trying to protect you from something. you said ".... could not be saved, because you cannot change the contents of that folder. Change the folder properties and try again, or try saving in a different location." And I understand that the UAC is designed as it is to prevent unauthorised tampering with your files. There isthe possibility that a poorly written program has changed the properties of your download folder to read only, but the on again, off again downloading some but not all makes me believe that you will find all OK on larger partition.and Darian, Thanks for the apology,I understand that we change our methods to fit in with a better scheme.We just don't all understand how to do things straight away.

Personally, I dont find the security model in Vista or Windows 7 a pain at all. Actually, I embrace the new security model as I recognize that it will only make Vista/7 more secure. You just have to educate yourself on how it works. Well, DarienHawks67Please imagine that you have to replace a wrong USB driver located in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS with a good one having the same name. How could you make this possible ?Does not matter the driver. I am mentionning the only way to replace the driver is to copy the new file on the said folder. Please, educate me how this copy works !Hope you'll find an answer in these OS (Vista / 7) and let me know.Thank you,

dear Florin Savu, I sympathise that you have gone from thread to thread looking for this answer today, It won't help you to get frustrated forums grind slow.The answer to your question is best found in elementary computer classes.1. the computer has a good reason to protect system files.2. there is a device manager which will (hopefully) allow you to change the drivers for a floppy drive.3. If you need to boot from a floppy drive the driver should be enabled in the bios.

Thank you ! I do not understand why , usually, every answer on a forum is starting from a wrong ideea : the questionnaire is a novice one.Yours assumptions are wrong.The said driver is a USB floppy driver, written by MS. So, my external floppy disk - when connected first time to a USB port of my notebook - starts the first installing process of this driver. The driver is installed , but the Device Manager reported that "the device cannot start (Code 10) " . I found an answerto this issue - saying that I have to replace the Win 7 driver (which is wrong) with the same driver from Vista or XP. The name of the driver is sfloppy.sys. This is the answer found from thread to thread.But this is not the solution. Because I do not know how to replace an existing file from a system folder with another file. As you said, the computer has a good reason to protect system files. On another threat I've found the 'solution" given by a MS specialist : just copy sfloppy.sys from Vista or XP to C:\Windows\System32\Drivers ! But if the file already exists, this is not possible. So, what kind of answer is that ?Even your reply is not an aswer. I never asked WHY can I not replace a system file - my question was HOW could I replace a system file. And I suppose it is not an abnormal question when testing a beta OS. I will never try to replace a system file on a final OS.You said "there is a device manager which will (hopefully) allow you to change the drivers for a floppy drive". Did you ever need for a floppy drive driver , after Windows 98 ?I have tried also this "feature" (using the device manager ). I have copyied the originals files from C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERSTORE\FILEREPOSITORY\flpydik.inf_x86_neutral_... to a new folder on another partition, where I've changed the file sfloppy.sys wrong with the good one. And after that I have tried to reinstall the driver , pointing the device manager to the said folder. The original driver is not changed. This is the result , no matter the intermediate replies.Conclusion : HOW TO REPLACE A FILE ON A SYSTEM FOLDER ? The question still remains.Florin

No it doesn't Florin Savu,you answered it yourself a few minutes ago on one of several threads you posted on the topic you speak of here. I am sorry but I am convinced you are a terrorist. No offence but your behaviour is suspicious. Also unfriendly, Have you got it in for anyone in particular or is this how you talk to everyone?

Well I managed to get a larger partition made and reinstalled Windows 7. So far I have run into the download issue again when trying to use my desktop, but not to my downloads folder. I have also not run into the installation issue, and I have installed about 35 programs. I am now unable to pin anything to my Windows Explorer though. I am also realizing that the only way to make the computer remember your settings for which notification icons and tool bars you want you have to run windows without UAC, evidently I did this last time without realizing it. That is also the only way to permanently change some of the settings in the task manager, such as what order the columbs are in in the processes tab. This is only mildly anoying. As far as making the partiton goes, I had to use Ubuntu because there was an unmovable file in the way (I turned off System Restore, Hibernate, and Paging File) I think that they should improve this. Well on to the "Have Comments" forum to let them know.