We have previously written about a free tool, called Ownership Changer, that allows you to easily take ownership of files and folders so they can be modified by programs. Windows 7 and Vista have additional security for files and folders to prevent Windows users from accidentally modifying critical files and folders, and possibly damaging the system.
We found another free tool, called GlassOwnership, that makes the process of taking ownership of files and folder even easier than using Ownership Changer.
Download GlassOwnership from
http://winreview.ru/request.php?53.
NOTE: The site is in Russian, but the Download link on the page is also in English, so you can find it even if you don’t understand Russian.
To install GlassOwnership, extract the .zip file you downloaded and double-click on the .exe file.
The Welcome screen on the setup wizard displays. Click Next.
The Choose Install Location screen displays. If you want to install GlassOwnership to a different location other than the default location listed in the edit box, use the Browse button to select another location. We accepted the default location. Click Next to continue.
On the Choose Components screen, select the check boxes for the components you want to install. This screen allows you to add an option for GlassOwnership to the context menu in Windows Explorer (Context menu check box and Integrate with Explorer check box) and on the Desktop (Context menu check box) and to the Send To submenu (Make shortcut in “Send to” check box). If you want to use the Shift key to access GlassOwnership on the Windows Explorer context menu, select the Show only with SHIFT check box. Click Install to continue.
Once the installation is done, the Completing the GlassOwnership Setup Wizard screen displays. Click Finish to close the setup wizard.
GlassOwnership does not place a shortcut on the desktop, but it does add a program group with shortcuts to the Start menu. If you want quicker access, right-click on the GlassOwnership shortcut in the Start menu and select Pin to Taskbar from the popup menu. You can also add a shortcut to the main Start menu list by selecting Pin to Start Menu option.
Click on the GlassOwnership icon on the Taskbar or the shortcut on the Start menu to open the program.
A blank GlassOwnership dialog box displays. Move your mouse over the dialog box to see a tip about using GlassOwnership.
The GlassOwnership dialog box stays on top of any other windows you have open. This makes it easy to drag and drop a file or folder onto the GlassOwnership dialog box to take ownership of the file or folder.
If you selected the Context menu and Integrate with Explorer check boxes when installing GlassOwnership, you can also right-click on a file or folder in Windows Explorer (or on the Desktop) and select GlassOwnership from the context menu to take ownership of that file or folder.
If you selected the Make shortcut in “Send to” check box when installing GlassOwnership, you can also select GlassOwnership from the Send to submenu to take ownership of a file or folder.
If you use the context menu or the Send to submenu to take ownership of a file or folder with GlassOwnership, a Done dialog box displays once the task is finished.
NOTE: If you use the drag-and-drop method, a DONE message briefly displays on the GlassOwnership window when the task is finished.
To close GlassOwnership, click the X button in the upper, right corner of the GlassOwnership dialog box.
With GlassOwnership and Ownership Changer, you have a couple of very easy ways to take ownership of files and folders. This allows you to easily use customized Windows themes and looks which require access to certain system files and to use other programs that require access to system files.
by Lori Kaufman