What is the best way to fix NTFS file permissions to inherit parent?

Question

When XP clients move files on the same volume, the permissions are moved with it. With Windows 7 clients and up, when a file is moved, the permissions are inherited.

Unfortunately, we still have a lot of Windows XP clients which after time causes our file server to be a bit of a mess. What is the best way to recursively go through an entire volume and reset file permissions (not directory) so that they inherit their parent directory. Can XCALCS do this?

Solution 1

How about right-clicking each parent directory, going to Properties, then Security tab, then click Advanced, then click Change Permissions, then check that checkbox that says "Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object"?

If you have a ton of parent directories and you want to script this instead of doing it by hand:

icacls "c:\parentDirectory\*" /q /c /t /reset

Shoud have the same effect as clicking the Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object checkbox.

Solution 2

Combine these 2 commands on elevated CMD or PowerShell:

takeown  /f  C:\Windows\CSC\v2.0.6\namespace\  /r
icacls  C:\Windows\CSC\v2.0.6\namespace\ /t  /grant everyone:F

Comments

[Ryan Ries]

How about right-clicking each parent directory, going to Properties, then Security tab, then click Advanced, then click Change Permissions, then check that checkbox that says "Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object"?

[Lorenz Meyer]

@RyanRies Put this as answer.

[Zar Shardan]

I just used this to recursively enable inheritance: icacls "C:\someFolderWithSubfolders" /inheritance:e /T

[Ryan Mortier]

Manually right clicking is definitely not going to work, too many random directories. The icacls thing is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.

[sjcaged]

Granting everyone full control over a subdirectory of Windows is not what the original poster wanted to know how to do. In fact, it opens up a security hole so wide that any locally-authenticated user can drive a proverbial Mack truck through it.

[Leidenfrosty]

Locally-authenticated users is the Authenticated Users group. Everyone means literally that...everyone globally, even users who are not members of the current domain.