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OpenVPN setup difficulties on Vista: "access denied"

I am not Vista-savvy. I am trying to install and configure OpenVPN. However when I try to copy the config files into C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config I get "access denied".

The original installation of OpenVPN was done as a user with admin privileges (so I think). However, I get the same result when logged in as another admin user.

In poking around a bit, I found that the folder was set to not have all permissions. So I changed the permissions, even though as an administrator this should not have been necessary. AFter doing that, I was able to put the files into the folder and modify them.

This seems wrong. What is going on?

alainbryden

Vista has a whole bunch of security measures that are frustrating to the power user. One of these is giving full access to the administrator-creator but not necessarily all administrators. (Of course, administrators can change these permissions.) The first thing I did on my vista system was disable UAC and update the permission tables in C: and its subdirectories (except Windows) to give me full access.

Anyways, I think if you had personally created the OpenVPN folder by installing it on your administrator user account, then you wouldn't have had to give yourself further permission to modify it.

~ Alain

jasimon9

ASKER

It sounds like what you are saying is that installing under and administrator, but not an administrator-creator resulted in not assigning full access permissions. Because I did install under a "normal" adminstrator account.

I am not sure if there is even an administrator-creator account on this system, unless it is one of those Microsoft "hidden administrator" type accounts.

And I am not motivated to spend a lot of time on Vista, as that machine is scheduled to either be downgraded to XP Pro, or replaced by a Mac.

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alainbryden

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jasimon9

ASKER

I cannot rule out that the install was done under another account. Awarding points.+

OpenVPN setup difficulties on Vista: &quot;access denied&quot;

OpenVPN setup difficulties on Vista: "access denied"