Take the 2-minute tour ×  I want to modify a file in vista (
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts ) but I can't write it to
disk.  Similar thing happen with other files that are not under
my user directory. C:\Users\me  I am in the administrator group.
What is needed to edit these files?  share|improve this question
1 Answer 1  up vote 6 down vote accepted  With UAC turned on,
you're not running as an administrator normally. That's why you
can't edit it. The simplest thing to do is to right-mouse click
notepad and choose "run as administrator". You'll be prompted
with a UAC prompt. You should then be able to edit and save the
file.  share|improve this answer Thanks Knox... I just had this
scenario perplex me in Win7 when trying to change that file. I
decided to let UAC do its job, and I am running as non-admin in
Win7. It didn't occur to me. I would have expected a UAC prompt,
but none came. Now I know; thanks. –  p.campbell May 26 '09 at
13:45  Your Answer