How do I run tesseract (anything really, that requires write permissions, from a shell) on windows10?

1

I am trying to run tesseract on windows10 (home ed), but this question is really more generic. Sources and instructions to run the program are here. I am running a downloaded windows binary, not a native build (I also tried a cygwin version, with slightly worse results, see below).

I started up powershell in administrator mode (by right-clicking and selecting "Run as administrator") and ran from the command line in a folder on the Desktop containing the image on which to perform OCR:

>tesseract image.jpg out

The shell responds with 

>Tesseract with Open Source OCR Engine v3.02 with Leptonica

but balks when it comes to the write step with error:

>Cannot create ouput file out.txt

If I run with powershell ISE I get more output:

> tesseract : Tesseract Open Source OCR Engine v3.02 with Leptonica At
> line:1 char:1
> + tesseract image.jpg out
> + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>     + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (Tesseract Open ... with Leptonica:String) [], RemoteException
>     + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NativeCommandError   

> Cannot create output file out.txt

I tried altering permissions in powershell with 

>Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned -Scope Process -Force

and 

>Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope Process -Force

but no change resulted.

Note I also tried running a tesseract version for cygwin from the cygwin bash but shell responds to any tesseract command with a blank line:

  >

and nothing written.

Note however (following advice given in a comment) that if I specify the full output file path as pointing to the Downloads folder then writing does work for the windows binary (not for the cygwin version).

I am coming up short on a general solution on how to give write permissions to executables or scripts run on windows 10 powershell (or cygwin). I am sure there must be gazillions of answers but strangely can't find one that is beginner-friendly. For instance If I search for "write to folder permission windows10" I come up with nothing on superuser and sparsely explained and ad-heavy answers such as this if I cast a wider net. How do I run tesseract (really any shell script or exe run from the shell, that requires write permissions to a user-defined folder) on windows10 ? Are there authorative but user-friendly (as in, quick) guides on how to do this?

Buck Thorn

Posted 2019-11-29T10:08:40.970

Reputation: 113

have you tried running powershell as administrator? – LPChip – 2019-11-29T10:30:32.500

Where are you running the command from? Have you tried specifying a full path in a writable area for the output file? This isn't a powershell problem, it's the directory you are writing in/to. – Mokubai – 2019-11-29T10:34:24.420

I open powershell with mouse clicking (right mouse click, tehn choose "Run as administrator"), then cd to the folder containing the image file which is a folder on my desktop. – Buck Thorn – 2019-11-29T10:36:34.877

@LPChip @Mokubai I tried specifying the local dir with ./out or the full path to the folder but that doesn't lead to writing. On the other hand I had a virus protection message from windows pop up. – Buck Thorn – 2019-11-29T10:44:50.103

I tried disabling app blocking under windows security by checking the off selection under "Check apps and files" but this doesnt make a difference – Buck Thorn – 2019-11-29T10:46:35.667

@Mokubai Thanks, you are right about the folder permissions. The program works in the downloads folder :-\ However how to change write permissions on some other folder, eg Desktop? Why is desktop of all places not writable?? – Buck Thorn – 2019-11-29T11:09:21.837

I am surprised that searching for "write to folder permission windows10" on superuser does not give an answer... – Buck Thorn – 2019-11-29T11:18:16.777

First, take a step back. Under no circumstances should it be required to run regular software with admin rights. What folder are you currently in when running tesseract? If possible provide the full path. – Daniel B – 2019-11-29T14:15:04.487

@DanielB I have attempted running tesseract from the Desktop (C:/Users/xxX/Desktop); then a windows security virus interception alert pops up. Under a folder under Desktop I also can't write but no popup shows. I have tried disabling some of the virus blocking as mentioned above but that doesnt help. – Buck Thorn – 2019-11-29T14:21:45.670

Do you have “Controlled folder access” enabled in Windows Defender? – Daniel B – 2019-11-29T14:31:17.903

@DanielB Hmm, looks like Desktop is under the "protected folders". That is probably it, huh? – Buck Thorn – 2019-11-29T14:40:16.147

Thanks for your help @DanielB – Buck Thorn – 2019-11-29T16:38:14.617

Answers

2

You indicate that you’re trying to operate on files/folders inside your own user profile. You don’t need Admin rights for that and you should not use them for security reasons. You are already allowed to perform almost any modification inside your user profile folder.

Permissions can also be denied by Controlled folder access, a part of Windows Defender that is designed to defend against ransomware. It may have classified Tesseract as unknown/unwanted software and blocked its attempts to modify your files.

You can either:

  • Allow Tesseract in the Controlled folder access settings
  • Use a folder that is not protected by Controlled folder access
  • Disable Controlled folder access (not really recommended unless you have problems with blocked software a lot)

Daniel B

Posted 2019-11-29T10:08:40.970

Reputation: 40 502

Asked: 2019-11-29T10:08:40.970

Viewed: 102 times

Active: 2019-11-29T22:01:13.970