Server 2008 – Files missing inherited security permissions

Problem:

When attempting to move or edit an existing document from a shared directory you get an ‘File Access Denied’ message.

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When you check the security permissions for the file you discover that you (or your security group) is not listed in the permissions list – as should be expected.

The folder (and contents) is configured to inherit the permissions from its parent.

Resolution:

There are several scenarios (bugs) which may cause this issue – covering these is out of scope of this article.

To resolve the issue you will need to reapply the permissions from the parent folder that has the correct configuration.

Please note: If any of the child folders have special security permissions (for example, only managers can access a specific folder) you will need to reapply this security AFTER following these steps.

  1. Navigate to the first folder which has the correct permissions (user or security group is listed in the permissions list)
  2. Right click on the folder (or a blank area in the folder) and select ‘Properties’
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  4. Select the ‘Security’ tab
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  6. Click on the ‘Advanced’ button
  7. Click on the ‘Change Permissions’ button
  8. Check that the security permissions are correct (the required users or groups are listed)
  9. Tick the ‘Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object’ option
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  11. Click ‘OK’
  12. Windows will warn that you are going to replace all existing permissions, click ‘YES’
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  14. Click ‘OK’ and ‘OK’ to close the windows.