Rights problem - Even the administrator is locked out, but I don't see why

I needed to lock users out of a select folder due to privacy concerns. I know not to deny to all users and then attempt to allow in just select users. So I locked out just the users I needed to stay out. Then I found myself forced to reinstall Windows.

In the new installation, I tried something slightly different with that folder. I create a group containing just the members that had to stay out. I then denied to that group rather than to individual members. Trouble was, somehow, it acted like I was part of that group. (I could see the files, which others weren't supposed to be able to do, but that was it.) I never was. I verified that I wasn't by going to the window where it lists the effective rights for a user. I supposedly had all rights.

Eventually, I deleted all entries and reset it by inheriting from the parent folder. That provides full access to everyone. This, from the point of view of what I, as user, could do, changed nothing. I still can't open the files.

What is going on?
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will 68 at mtco dot com
will dot pittenger1 at gmail dot com (use this address for large signatures)
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