Minor computer irritation. Can anyone help?

[--Tom--]

More info here

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-enable-controlled-folder-access-windows-10-fall-creators-update

 

[donwatson]

Superb for the money. 99% of the capability and functionality of Autocad 2D, for a tiny fraction of the cost. You can probably no longer access it because in January it went from being a freebie to costing about £90 per year.

Thanks for the info. I won't be buying it as I don't use it very much and have been using LibreCad for the moment.
Don W

 

[Richard_C]

I wonder if one drive is getting in the way somehow. Win 10 wants to save, as default, to one drive unless you tell it otherwise. Maybe just maybe the programme saves a new file immediately on opening it, then you come along and save-as to your local machine but it thinks the one drive version is still open. Long shot I know.


A way to easily test is to disconnect your machine from the world, turn off WiFi, pull out ether net cable or both, open the programme, new file, save as etc, then close and reopen file. Still the same behaviour means not a one drive issue because it couldn't have put a copy there, but if it opens fine you need to look at your win 10 default file save behaviour.

I sometimes have similar problems with files I use across 3 devices via one drive, it simply won't 'let go' as if a file in use flag hasn't cleared.

Even if you never use one drive, win 10 might use it for you.

 

[MikeG.]

I put a question on here a while about One Drive. I don't use it, but it has its sticky little fingers everywhere.

 

[sploo]

I keep running into "Path not found". I've tried all sorts of variants of c:\ Desktop_Work with no luck. All my important folders are stored on my desktop.

Ah, yea Microsoft don't actually make it that obvious (Explorer usually just showing This PC > Desktop).

If you open a Command Prompt (with cmd) as normal; i.e. not admin, then it should start in your user directory. E.g. C:\Users\Mike (or whatever your user name is). The desktop is a child of that path; e.g. C:\Users\Mike\Desktop

When you start an Administrator: Command Prompt you're not "you", so it starts in C:\WINDOWS\system32, so you'd have to run cd C:\Users\Mike\Desktop

My suggestion in order of "aggression":

1. Windows key, type cmd, hit Enter (you'll start in your user directory)
2. Cd to your desktop with cd Desktop
3. Run attrib -r "the_folder_name_where_your_drawings_are_stored_on_your_desktop\*.*" /s /d
4. If that runs then check DraftSight
5. If DraftSight still complains then try running attrib -r -h -s "the_folder_name_where_your_drawings_are_stored_on_your_desktop\*.*" /s /d

If at step 3 above you get an error about permissions then there's stuff in your drawings folders that are not "owned" by your user account. You could try:

1. Open an Administrator: Command Prompt
2. Cd to your desktop with C:\Users\Mike\Desktop
3. Run attrib -r "the_folder_name_what_your_drawings_are_stored_on_your_desktop\*.*" /s /d
4. Try DraftSight
5. If DraftSight still complains then try running attrib -r -h -s "the_folder_name_where_your_drawings_are_stored_on_your_desktop\*.*" /s /d

I would hope that step 3 of the first list will fix the problem; though it might be that something else is fiddling with the files (and it may therefore fail, or work, but then be reversed by that something else).

 

[sploo]

This is sounding more like controlled folder access being on. If you give the following sequence a try:

Windows Key+i > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus and threat protection > Manage Settings under Virus and threat protection Settings > Manage Controlled Folder access > Toggle off Controlled Folder access

That's a good suggestion (I hadn't come across that feature). Though; if it's been enabled by accident, then wouldn't DraftSight be completely prevented from writing to the folder? Or if it'd been whitelisted then it wouldn't be complaining? I.e. it would either work or it wouldn't; it wouldn't complain then work.

 

[--Tom--]

That's a good suggestion (I hadn't come across that feature). Though; if it's been enabled by accident, then wouldn't DraftSight be completely prevented from writing to the folder? Or if it'd been whitelisted then it wouldn't be complaining? I.e. it would either work or it wouldn't; it wouldn't complain then work.

Windows is making defender a bit more aggressive which makes it more effective but gives quirks.

i have the same question as you if the folders are marked as read only how is draftsight allowing Mike to edit and then save docs to that path?
If using command line to reset the attributes as an admin is being undone that would suggest something at a Windows system level is redoing it.

 

[HappyHacker]

I used to be told that people would not use Unix instead of Windows because it was too complicated. Every iteration of Windows appears to have got more complex and has more issues "designed' into it. So far I have managed to avoid Windows 10 and when I get to the stage of needing it I think I may go completely Apple and/or a Unix variant on another machine as well.

 

[sploo]

Windows is making defender a bit more aggressive which makes it more effective but gives quirks.

i have the same question as you if the folders are marked as read only how is draftsight allowing Mike to edit and then save docs to that path?
If using command line to reset the attributes as an admin is being undone that would suggest something at a Windows system level is redoing it.

It's definitely a weird issue. The fact it thinks the file(s) being opened are already in use would definitely point to temporary files (possibly left due to the program or computer crashing while a file was open), but that's already been checked.

 

[sploo]

I used to be told that people would not use Unix instead of Windows because it was too complicated. Every iteration of Windows appears to have got more complex and has more issues "designed' into it. So far I have managed to avoid Windows 10 and when I get to the stage of needing it I think I may go completely Apple and/or a Unix variant on another machine as well.

IMO Windows 7 was about the pinnacle in terms of usability and stability (from Microsoft). Windows 10 is probably (just) better than 8, but the near impossibility of preventing Windows Update from merrily rebooting a machine while it's in use is infuriating. The problem (for me) with Linux is that a large number of the programs I run are not available on that platform. I'd consider running MacOS, but don't really want to spend (lots of) money on Apple hardware.

 

[HappyHacker]

Sploo, completely agree. I would not be using Windows if it were not for the bits of software I still need to use the are Windows only. But every day as a retiree that number gets less apart from the need for legacy stuff I need to keep around for a few years.

I tried to solve a problem on W8. The MS recommendation was to try A, if that does not work try B, if that does not work try C. Each increasing in complexity and the final one requiring the downloading of software. Then if C does not work here are the registry amendments you need to make followed by a couple of pages of amendments. I gave up and did something different. I know how to edit the registry but with my fat fingers and ADD the changes of me getting so many amendments in correctly would be very low.

On W7 an update completely upset (bearing in mind the policy on profanities) the computer to the point it could not reboot even in safe mode. I would not mind so much if I did not have updates turned off so that I could apply them at my convenience after a backup. MS decided my views could be overridden and over a period of weeks my computer did all sorts of funny things 'till one day it said applying updates rebooting in 5 ,4, 3, 2 while I was using it. I stopped it but it did it a few minutes later when I had left the office for a minute. It took about a solid weeks work to get the thing back to working. Aaaaagggghhhh

Having spend most of the last 50 years working with computers I now just want them to work and if they don't there is a bin outside but I do have a big hammer if it really annoys me.