HELP STATION
Expert solutions for everday problems.
Game folder permission problems
I have a new Asus TUF gaming laptop. I copied a game folder from my desktop PC to a thumb drive, then to my laptop to keep the saved files in sync when I traveled. When I got back, I tried to copy the files back to the thumb drive but got the error, “Your organisation does not allow you to place this file here.” I discovered it’s the folders rather than the files that won’t copy; I was able to create the folder and subfolders on the thumb drive then copy the files in the folder and subfolders, a slow chore. I’ve searched the Internet for solutions, but, no solution. Where are these permissions in Windows? How do we turn them off?
Thomas
TECHLIFE RESPONDS: This sounds like the game folder you copied was housed in a protected folder that is owned by a system user (such as TrustedInstaller) rather than your own user account. This error message occurs most frequently in conjunction with the hidden WindowsApps folder where programs installed through the Microsoft Store reside, but if you installed the game through other means, it’s possible that the installer set permissions in such a way as to prohibit (or at least discourage) folk from copying the game.
Sadly, without knowing what the game is, what was in the folder you were copying, and where you installed it from, we can’t offer specific advice in this instance, but he’s certainly not going to recommend messing about with permissions without knowing more, as you could quite easily trash your enitre Windows installation.
What we would suggest is that you install the game separately through the usual channels on both laptop and desktop, then look for an alternative means of backing up and transferring game-save data between them – for example, GameSave Manager ( www.gamesave-manager.com) supports over 6,800 games. Just download it, extract it to your USB drive, and then run it directly from there to transfer your saved games between machines.
Unwanted temp files piling up
Hello – for months now there has been junk files in the %temp% folder with the name mat-debugxxxxx.log – where the numeric part seems to be the PID of the process that created it. These files are zero bytes, but in some cases I found over a dozen of them, and a new one seems to be created every 10-15 minutes or so.
They seem to reproduce like rabbits. There have been numerous posts in the Microsoft forums, with all sorts of ways to stop this, but for me none worked – is there a way to stop these files from being created? Frank Esposito
TECHLIFE RESPONDS: These files have only started appearing relatively recently – possibly since the last major Windows update (1909). There are several theories for where they come from – some claim they’re linked with graphics drivers, others point towards Office telemetry. From what we can gather, there is no definitive information out there as to what these files are, but they’re a cause for irritation rather than genuine concern.
Given the Temp folder is always full of files you’d normally ignore in day-to-day use, the key here is to manage things so that it doesn’t fill up to clog up your entire drive. Thankfully, the folder – among other temporary files – can be kept in check using Storage Sense: head over to “Settings > System > Storage,” flick the switch to on and then click “Configure Storage Sense or run it now.” Choose how often it should run, and make sure the “Delete temporary files that my apps aren’t using” box is checked.
Where’s the SSHD?
Your magazines have nearly become a solitary blueprint for my hobbyist build ideas, and I found myself wondering the other day why SSHDs aren’t more talked about in general. I have used them in a few super-budget builds lately, and they seem to show promise for the cost. Would you consider doing a product comparison with SSD vs SSHD vs HDD? Or, perhaps a head-to-head comparison of the top SSHDs and an SSD control subject? I’m curious to know your thoughts from a cost/benefit perspective. Even a piece on how they work would be interesting. Shannon Benikosky
TECHLIFE RESPONDS: Solid State Hybrid Drives represent a snapshot in time when the price of SSD storage was still prohibitively high. As the name implies, they combine a regular spinning-platter drive with a small amount of SSD storage (typically 8GB, although some models support 32GB). The drive then identifies the most frequently accessed files on the drive, placing them on the SSD portion to speed up access.
While SSD drives were relatively expensive, SSHDs offered a smart compromise between capacity and performance. They’re obviously not as quick as full-blown SSDs because most files remain on the slower portion of the drive, but they’re a vast improvement over regular hard drives when it comes to boot and application load times.
When it comes to cost, a direct comparison between SSHD and
SSD appears to confirm that SSHDs still hold a significant advantage: you’ll pay $160-$180 for a 2TB SSHD – less than half the price of a 2TB SSD. That seems like a no-brainer for those on tight budgets, but consider this: you can buy a 120GB SSD for under $50, and a 2TB regular hard drive for around $100. So, for less than the price of a single 2TB hybrid, you can have a fast 120GB boot drive and 2TB drive for storing files, while keeping data separate from Windows and apps.
SSHDs may no longer hold the same appeal from a price perspective, but they do still possess one major advantage: they’re perfect for when you only have space for a single drive, and need both performance and capacity – typically in laptops.
USB 3.0 port problem
My old Win7 x64 desktop, GA-H61MA-D3V (rev. 2.0) motherboard + Intel Core i5 3550 has two rear USB 3.0 ports, and they have not worked for a few years. Peripherals plugged into them light up, but there is no Windows recognition. Device Manager has no errors, but should
I be suspicious that there’s no reference to USB 3.0 under “USB controllers”? I’ve installed the latest BIOS and drivers from Gigabyte, including the Etron USB 3.0 drivers. Can USB ports go bad? Curtis Raff
TECHLIFE RESPONDS: Your mobo’s Etron EJ168 USB 3.0 host controller has been plagued with problems over its lifetime, but the lack of any reference to an “Etron USB 3.0 eXtensible Host controller” in Device Manager is very suspicious. Try reinstalling the Etron USB 3.0 drivers again – the latest version via Gigabyte is 1.0.0.118 from November 2013, which is the latest version available (see https://bit.ly/ MPC178usb for an alternative download).
If this driver fails to install, boot into your BIOS setup utility, navigate to peripherals and verify “USB 3.0 Support (Etron EJ168 USB Controller)” is enabled – if it’s not, switching this on should bring things back. We suspect it’s already enabled, so your next step is to see if you can get the ports recognised in Linux. Create a live Linux CD using a distro running Kernel 5.2 or later (Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or 18.04.4 LTS both meet this requirement), and run it in “Try” mode. Connect a USB storage device to one of the
USB 3.0 ports, and it should show up in the“Files” tool.
If nothing shows up in Linux, then it’s safe to write off the ports. Thankfully, your mobo has three PCI-Ex1 slots, so you could purchase a USB 3.0 PCI-E plugin card like the Astrotek 4-port USB 3.0 card ($25), to restore USB 3.0 support to your PC.
Can’t switch HP function key lock
I purchased an HP Pavilion All-in-One 24-xa0119, which is swell but for one very annoying issue: it comes with a sleek keyboard that has the multimedia functions on the function keys, forcing me to hold Fn to use them as actual function keys. Every other keyboard I’ve used has done the opposite – I regularly use Photoshop, and I have actions that I run using the Function keys for repetitive tasks. I don’t wish to use fn+F2 to run my crop action, nor do I want to buy another keyboard.
Older HPs let you change the setting in the BIOS, but this is not present here. As an HP employee on their forums said, “I must let you know that this isn’t an issue, it’s by design, Function key settings are only available for laptops, the default function for all-in-one devices cannot be changed.” Without getting into the stupidity of this decision, is there any way to override this design choice? A script of some sort that auto-runs with Windows, or some registry tweak? None of the combos I have read online (fn-Esc, fn-Caps lock, fn-Shift) turn fn lock on. There is no fn lock key or indicator on the keyboard.
Brian Di Cesare
TECHLIFE RESPONDS: The HP forums are littered with irate users such as yourself, Brian, and for good reason. What possessed HP to remove any option – within Windows or in the BIOS – to allow you to switch the order back to what most people consider logical is beyond us. The problem isn’t limited to all-in-one users either; HP sells the offending keyboard (a Pavilion 600 wireless model) standalone too.
You could try a few more combos such as fn-Ctrl-Alt, or fn-Ctrl-Shift, or even Fn-Win – but we suspect you’re stuck with the keyboard’s foibles. If that’s a deal-breaker, you’ll find plenty of sleek, wireless (and unbranded) keyboards on Ebay that behave properly and won’t look out of place next to your all-in-one PC. They’re relatively cheap too. That said, HP should perhaps offer some kind of exchange program for those who find the keyboard’s foibles too much.