Error: “Unable to write to file.”

When logged on as a standard user on Windows XP, the following access errors occur when trying to use the program:

  • “Unable to write to file. Press OK to continue.”

Explanation

This is a permissions issue.

Solution

To resolve the problem do the following:

  1. Log in as an administrator.
  2. Right click the program folder and select “Properties”.
  3. Under the “Security” tab, you should see a section called “Group or user names”. If you cannot see the “Security” tab, follow the instructions on Enabling the Security Tab.
  4. Select the group or user that will be using the program folder. If you can’t see the group or user in this list:
    • Click “Add…”
    • Click “Advanced…”
    • Click “Find Now”
    • Select the appropriate group or user, and click “OK”.
  5. In the permissions box, tick the “Allow” checkbox for “Full Control”. The selected user will now have full control to the program folder.
  6. If you had to change the permissions in Safe Mode, restart you computer in Normal Mode and log in as a standard user. Otherwise, log out of the administrator account and log back in as a standard user.
  7. Run the program.

Last updated: August 5, 2010 at 10:41 am