Change Permissions in Bulk?

**Lemur** · 01-26-2014, 08:06

Hey, unintended consequence of moving hard drives around between computers is that my old storage drive has incorrect permissions.

So when I go to open an old file, I get denied, and am forced to right-click and change the security settings.

On every damn file.

There must be a better way. Anybody have an app for Windows for bulk permissions changes?

Heck, even something as ghetto as a BAT file I can re-write would be okay.

This is killing me. KILLING ME.

**Husar** · 01-26-2014, 15:35

I usually handle permissions per folder so that they apply to everything in that folder. Is that not an option or does it not work?

**Beskar** · 01-26-2014, 16:06

I know for things like "Read Only" there is a pop-up which asks "Want to apply to all sub-folders and files as well?"

Though strangely, this is one of those things I know how to do in Linux and I am a novice on it but not Windows...

**Lemur** · 01-26-2014, 16:44

Originally Posted by Husar

I usually handle permissions per folder so that they apply to everything in that folder. Is that not an option or does it not work?

Didn't take. Yeah, that was my first instinct, change permissions and click "apply to all sub folders and items," but for whatever twisted reason ...

... hmm, maybe I should just do it again. It's Microsoft, after all, so the exact same action may, in fact, yield a new result.

-edit-

Woot! Okay, didn't fix the problem, but I ran into an entirely new error message. Tried going into the "inheritable" settings, then re-apply my ownership settings. Got this when Windows hit my library of short films that I, you know, wrote:

**Beskar** · 01-26-2014, 17:27

This looks to be a solution, see if that is helpful. @Lemur

**Lemur** · 01-26-2014, 17:35

Originally Posted by Tiaexz

This looks to be a solution, see if that is helpful. @Lemur

Ah, if you compare the screenshot I posted above, you will see that I was already on the last step of your link.

This appears to be Windows 8 getting back at me for every snide thing I've ever said about it.

Step 1: When I change security settings on an individual item, the setting take.

Step 2: When I try to make those setting inheritable, I get the "Failed to enumerate objects in the container."

Step 3: Profit!

-edit-

Okay, some ideas here. Looks like variations on the "do it three more times and then Windows will cooperate" theme.

-edit of the edit-

Nope, doesn't work for me. No matter how many times I re-apply the inheritable settings, I get the "Failed to enumerate" message.

**Husar** · 01-26-2014, 19:51

It seems like for every bug you get in Windows that I don't get, I get one in Linux that you don't get. Then again networking in Windows can be a pain with the authorizations, atm it works fine for me but I've had some weird issues before.

Have you tried simply restarting to reset access settings? Did you touch any of the files earlier? Are you using an administrator account (I assume you are)?