Today, in almost all “operating systems” of the Windows family, when you try to access, say, the system registry, the Group Policy Reactor, or even the regular Control Panel, you can often see a message like “The operation was canceled due to computer restrictions.” Let's see why this situation arises, and how to deal with it.
When is the most common warning “Operation canceled due to computer restrictions”?
When considering the problem that has arisen, two most common options can be distinguished: perhaps the operation was interrupted due to restrictions imposed on the computer by the administrator, or it may be the result of exposure to viruses and malware.
However, other versions of errors are not excluded, however, we will dwell on the most basic points and propose a technique for correcting such a situation.
Possible explanation of the error
Indeed, both options, as they say, have a place to be. The first case is quite simple. If access to some functions or components of the operating system is really blocked precisely by the terminal administrator or network administrator, then everything is clear. You will have to contact them so that the restrictions are lifted. There is nothing to worry about.
But if a user is an administrator on his own terminal, and no one else is logged in or is no longer working, a message appears stating that the attempt to access this and that has been canceled due to the restrictions applicable to the computer, to put it mildly is perplexing. How did it happen?
And this happened because of interference in the system of viruses, which today have become much more selective, if I may say so, than before. By and large, they do not attack the entire system, but only its individual components, and as a result, we are faced with a partial loss of administrative rights. However, you can fight this. To do this, of course, is not easy, but now we will consider how to bring your computer to a normal state.
Correction Technique: Virus Scan
So, we have a situation when any operation of access to certain services or system components is canceled due to restrictions on the computer. Most often this concerns, as already mentioned, the launch of the registry or other services.
The first step is to use some powerful antivirus. Of course, you can use the standard software installed in the system, but if it already missed the virus, there is no guarantee that even with in-depth scanning with the latest signature databases this will give a result. It is best to use independent utilities (even portable versions can be used). These tasks are best handled by Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool and Dr. Web Cure It! However, any other will do.
Step Two: Using the AVZ Utility
Now, if the system again gives a warning that the operation has been canceled due to the restrictions in force for the computer, we will restore access to the necessary components.
For this we need a very interesting utility AVZ. In it, you need to select the troubleshooting wizard, the so-called Troubleshooting Wizard. We call from the main menu "File", and start scanning.
In theory, at the end of the process, the results will show that, as a rule, the five main services are blocked. These are the system registry, Explorer, the My Computer section with the administrator menu, Task Manager and the command line. Naturally, depending on the degree of exposure to the virus, the list may include other services, for example, the same Control Panel.
Now you need to select all the items that appear and click on the Fix selected issues button.
Removing system registry components
In order for the message “Operation was canceled due to the restrictions in force for the computer ...” not to appear again, one cannot end the “treatment” of the computer system. It remains to do one more operation.
Currently restored access to previously blocked services. Of these, we are interested in the system registry. We go into the editor using the regedit command, which is entered in the Run menu or on the command line, after which we turn to the HOTKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section and in the Software subsection we gradually go down the tree until the Explorer line appears.
In the window to the right, many obscure NoViewOnDrive entries will be present. It must be deleted immediately (highlight and press the Del key). The system will issue a safety warning marked with a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark. Nothing wrong. Click the “OK” button, close the editor, and reboot the system. Only now can you be sure that all restrictions are lifted. “Operation canceled ...” or messages like this will not bother you anymore.
You can use the Group Policy Editor, but it only duplicates the entries in the system registry, which is much easier to work with in this particular case.
Total
In conclusion, I want to say that although the method of correcting such unpleasant situations to some users may seem too abstruse, nevertheless, of all the existing methods, this is the most effective.
Some, however, try to download registration files (.reg) from the “left” sites for automatic correction or use some automated utilities. However, in most known cases, this does not bring particularly tangible results, since in the machine such programs operate, to put it mildly, selectively and very carefully, eliminating gross interference in the system (in our case, the system registry).
By the way, registration templates downloaded from the Internet are also not suitable for every specific situation. In addition, they may be exposed to the virus at the time of downloading to a computer terminal.