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Question

user profile directory

Sep 7, 2017 10:44AM PDT

I get the following error message when trying to open a program in my W7: "Can't open user profile directory because lack sufficient privileges. Contact Administrator of this machine." I am the Administrator but I do not what to do. I would appreciate help.

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
What program?
Sep 7, 2017 11:19AM PDT

Also, programs do not run as Administrator (long story) and many required us to right click and Run As Admin.

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What Program
Sep 7, 2017 11:36AM PDT

My AVAST premier anti virus offers a "safe zone" When you click on it - it is supposed to offer protection if you are ordering something on line and using a credit card etc. It has been working just fine until I started messing w/my user accounts. When I clicked to open it - I got the message: Can't open user profile directory because of lack sufficient privileges. Contact Administrator of this machine". I went back and retried to open by right clicking on Administrator. Got the same message.

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Re: messing
Sep 7, 2017 11:42AM PDT

What exactly did you do while "messing with user accounts"? In Configuration Panel>Users I can't do more that change the password or change it from administrator to non-administrator or removing it. None of these should have the effect of giving this error message, I think.

And why did you do it?

Post was last edited on September 7, 2017 11:42 AM PDT

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Re: Safe Zone
Sep 7, 2017 11:51AM PDT

In https://www.avast.com/f-safezone I don't read anything about protection "when order something online". It only talks about a special treatment for banking sites (that isn't the same as webshops) so malware on your PC can't intercept what you type before it's sent across the Internet protected by the https-protocol. However, after reading your other post, I think it's highly unlikely you have any such malware on your PC. So I think it's a rather unnecessary (although not harmful) protection for you.

Do other browsers give the same error?

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Did You See The Avast Forum Response to That?
Sep 7, 2017 11:53AM PDT
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See Grif's response.
Sep 7, 2017 12:06PM PDT

For now the ball is in Avast's court.

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User accounts
Sep 7, 2017 12:25PM PDT

In your previous posts you were advised multiple times about making a backup.
You seem to have ignored that and went off playing with stuff with no lifeline back.
This seems to be a self induced problem.

Your working at a bare metal install with all it's headaches.

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Answer
What message?
Sep 7, 2017 11:38AM PDT
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Can%27t+open+user+profile+directory+because+lack+sufficient+privileges%22 shows that even Google doesn't know the message. So either it's not the exact message, or you're the first one ever to run into it. If it's your own translation from another language: can you google the original one?

However, https://www.eightforums.com/general-support/77206-post-power-loss-opera-cant-open-user-profile-directory.html and the related https://superuser.com/questions/1213694/sfc-system-file-checker-stuck-at-23-24-windows-resource-protection-could-no don't look promising at all. It could be some corruption on the hard disk. So some things to check:
1. Run chkdsk with repair options. Is anything repaired?
2. Run SFC /scannow . Is anything updated?
3. Try again to run that (unknown) program. Does it work now?
4. Make a new Windows account (with administrator capabilities) and run the program again. Does it work now?

Post was last edited on September 7, 2017 11:39 AM PDT

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However ...
Sep 7, 2017 12:18PM PDT

Seeing Grif's very applicable link (I had written the above answer before you mentioned avast) start with that and forget my reply for the time being.

By the way, when that link mentions avastclear and you don't know what that is: see https://www.avast.com/en-us/uninstall-utility