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Controlled Folder Access

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Windows 11 has a new Microsoft Defender feature called "Controlled Folder Access". This protects your computer from malicious applications and ransomware which may delete or encrypt your files. This is the cause of many confusing and alarming error messages and stops many applications working properly, even when nothing sinister is happening.

Controlled folder access lets you define protected folders (directories) and which applications are allowed to write to them. By default, all the folders and files in your Documents folder are protected from all applications. However, this often causes problems with legitimate applications which need to modify or save files in these folders, which is very annoying. To solve this problem and allow trusted applications to access these files, you need to allow the application through controlled folder access.

When an application is denied access to a protected folder, you will see a scary error message like this example for the MuRip.exe application, and the application will not be able to save its data.

unauthorised-changes-blocked

 

If this occurs with one of the Music Manager applications, you will need to configure Microsoft Defender's Ransomware Protection to allow the MuMan applications to access the protected folders. You have probably already done this for several other applications which you are using, so you will be familiar with the procedure.

 

Open the 'Windows Security' app and select 'Virus and threat protection'. Click on 'Manage ransomware protection' at the bottom.

 

virus-and-threat-protection

 

Make sure 'Controlled folder access' is On, and select 'Allow an app through Controlled folder access'.

(You could just turn off 'Controlled folder access' completely, but this is NOT recommended!)

 

ransomware-protection

 

You will now see a list of currently allowed applications. You need to add the Music Manager applications to the list. Press 'Add an allowed app' and choose 'Browse all apps'.

 

add-allowed-app

 

This opens the file selection dialog box, so you can choose the application to be added.

Navigate to the "C:\Program Files\muman.ch\Matt's Music Library Manager' folder, sort by 'Name', and select the first file 'MuBpm.exe'.

Press 'Open' to add the file.

browse-all-apps

 

Repeat this procedure for the other six files, MuCD.exe, MuEdit.exe, MuMan2.exe, MuPlay.exe, MuRec.exe and MuRip.exe.

You should now see all seven MuXXX.exe applications in the list of allowed applications.

 

Protected folders

If you are using a folder for your music files which is not below the Documents folder, then you should also add that folder to the 'Protected Folders' list so your music files are protected.

In Ransomware protection, Click on 'Protected folders'.

 

ransomware-protection-2

 

Press 'Add a protected folder' and choose your music files folder.

 

protected-folders

 

That's it. Now you can go down the pub.