Well, now!   Not only did/do I have a similar problem but the link above - http://www.vista4beginners.com/Change-permissions-take-ownership gives a very succinct method of eliminating this problem...............but............it doesn't appear to work!

On one computer upgraded from Vista HP to Windows 7 HP I have three folders which have padlocks on them.    I have no difficulty in opening those folders named $INPLACE.~TR, WINDOWS.~Q  and  MSOcache and accessing all files within them.

On my other computer upgraded from Windows XP Pro with a clean install of Windows 7 Pro I have two drives with a different OS on each and in both cases my Documents and Settings folders had a padlock on them.   Following various instructions within this forum did not resolve the problem since every avenue attempted was met with a dialogue stating the obvious........"access denied"..........so nothing could be changed in spite of having various "users" listed.

Following the instructions in the link given was instrumental in removing the padlocks in each case but only at the expense of each respective folder also disappearing!   So!   Now my problem  is that although the folders are missing there is a shortcut showing in each but clicking on the shortcut now brings up the message "Documents and Settings is not available.   Access denied"

It would appear to me that Windows 7 of any flavour is merely a botched "upgrade"? of the useless old Vista package but with more problems.   If Microsoft were really interested in making an error-free OS then this stupid "glitch" not only would not have occurred but since it did, would have been obviated much more promptly than it has.  Still, I suppose when one is making obscene profits from expensive rubbish nothing else is really of interest is it?