Special Permissions
Each basic permission is actually a set of special permissions. Because of this, whenever you allow or deny a basic permission, Windows 7 works behind the scenes to manage the related special permissions for you. Table below lists the special permissions related to each basic permission.
Basic permissions and the related special permissions| Basic permission | Related special permissions |
|---|---|
| Read | List Folder/Read Data Read Attributes Read Extended Attributes Read Permissions Synchronize |
| Read & Execute or List | All special permissions for Read listed previously Traverse Folder/Execute File |
| Write | Create Files/Write Data Create Folders/Append Data Write Attributes Write Extended Attributes Read Permissions Synchronize |
| Modify | All special permissions for Read listed previously All special permissions for Write listed previously Delete |
| Full Control | All special permissions listed previously Delete Subfolders and Files Change Permissions Take Ownership |
Viewing and modifying existing special permissions
You can view and set special permissions for a file or a folder by completing the following steps:
- In Windows Explorer, right-click the file or folder you want to work with and then select Properties.
- In the Properties dialog box, select the Security tab and then click Advanced. In the "Advanced Security Settings for" dialog box, the permissions are presented much as they are on the Security tab. The key difference is that you now have additional advanced options.
- On the Permissions tab, click Change Permissions. This opens an editable view of the Permissions tab in a new dialog box.
- Click the existing user or group whose permissions you want to modify, and then click Edit. This displays an editable "Permission Entry for" dialog box. If any permissions are shaded (unavailable), they are being inherited from a parent folder. You can override the inherited permission, if necessary, by selecting the opposite permission, such as Deny rather than Allow.
- To modify existing permissions, use the Allow and Deny columns in the Permissions For list. Select checkboxes in the Allow column to add permissions, and clear checkboxes to remove permissions.
- To prevent a user or a group from using a permission, select the appropriate checkbox in the Deny column. Denied permissions have precedence over other permissions.
- Click OK to save your changes.
