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Locked out of my documents - Help please


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Posted

I was running a Windows XP Pro system with the user account password

protected and my documents private.

 

The motherboard failed.

 

The cheapest solution was to buy a new computer which naturally

came with Vista (Home basic).

 

The drive in the new computer is a WDC Sata drive and so is the drive

from the old computer. I plugged the old drive into the new computer

as a second disk & and can see everything on it. I copied some data

files to the new computer - no problem - then I tried to copy My

Documents. I was denied access. I gained ownership of the My

Documents folder on the old drive and could then see the contents but

I can't gain ownership of the files. Thousands of photos and some Word

& Excel files are there but I can't get at them.

 

Have I lost everything?

 

I tried unplugging the HDD from the new computer & plugging in the old

HDD. It gets as far as saying Windows XP & then I get a blue screen,

probably a Sata driver related problem.

 

Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Ed

  • Replies 7
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Posted

Yeah wrote:

<span style="color:blue">

>

> I was running a Windows XP Pro system with the user account password

> protected and my documents private.

>

> The motherboard failed.

>

> The cheapest solution was to buy a new computer which naturally

> came with Vista (Home basic).

>

> The drive in the new computer is a WDC Sata drive and so is the drive

> from the old computer. I plugged the old drive into the new computer

> as a second disk & and can see everything on it. I copied some data

> files to the new computer - no problem - then I tried to copy My

> Documents. I was denied access. I gained ownership of the My

> Documents folder on the old drive and could then see the contents but

> I can't gain ownership of the files. Thousands of photos and some Word

> & Excel files are there but I can't get at them.

>

> Have I lost everything?

>

> I tried unplugging the HDD from the new computer & plugging in the old

> HDD. It gets as far as saying Windows XP & then I get a blue screen,

> probably a Sata driver related problem.</span>

 

Try taking ownership again. I suspect you only took ownership of the parent

folder and didn't check the box so all the child objects (files/folders)

will inherit the parent's (My Documents) permissions.

 

If that still doesn't work, did you encrypt the files with either XP Pro's

EFS or a third-party encryption program? If yes, did you remember to export

your keys?

 

If you didn't use encryption but still can't take ownership (and I'm not

sure why this isn't working for you), I'd boot with a Linux live CD like

Knoppix and use it to copy the files over to a different folder. Linux

won't honor Windows' permissions.

 

Malke

--

MS-MVP

Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

Guest Jimmy Brush
Posted

Don't forget to add a permission giving yourself full control over the files

after you take ownership of them.

 

- JB

 

"Yeah" <bil@ben.com> wrote in message

news:b4o4f4tsjj271c26gp88nek9cftdhhduar@4ax.com...<span style="color:blue">

>

> I was running a Windows XP Pro system with the user account password

> protected and my documents private.

>

> The motherboard failed.

>

> The cheapest solution was to buy a new computer which naturally

> came with Vista (Home basic).

>

> The drive in the new computer is a WDC Sata drive and so is the drive

> from the old computer. I plugged the old drive into the new computer

> as a second disk & and can see everything on it. I copied some data

> files to the new computer - no problem - then I tried to copy My

> Documents. I was denied access. I gained ownership of the My

> Documents folder on the old drive and could then see the contents but

> I can't gain ownership of the files. Thousands of photos and some Word

> & Excel files are there but I can't get at them.

>

> Have I lost everything?

>

> I tried unplugging the HDD from the new computer & plugging in the old

> HDD. It gets as far as saying Windows XP & then I get a blue screen,

> probably a Sata driver related problem.

>

> Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

>

> Ed </span>

Posted

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:03:35 -0700, Malke <malke@invalid.invalid>

wrote:

<span style="color:blue">

>Yeah wrote:

><span style="color:green">

>>

>> I was running a Windows XP Pro system with the user account password

>> protected and my documents private.

>>

>> The motherboard failed.

>>

>> The cheapest solution was to buy a new computer which naturally

>> came with Vista (Home basic).

>>

>> The drive in the new computer is a WDC Sata drive and so is the drive

>> from the old computer. I plugged the old drive into the new computer

>> as a second disk & and can see everything on it. I copied some data

>> files to the new computer - no problem - then I tried to copy My

>> Documents. I was denied access. I gained ownership of the My

>> Documents folder on the old drive and could then see the contents but

>> I can't gain ownership of the files. Thousands of photos and some Word

>> & Excel files are there but I can't get at them.

>>

>> Have I lost everything?

>>

>> I tried unplugging the HDD from the new computer & plugging in the old

>> HDD. It gets as far as saying Windows XP & then I get a blue screen,

>> probably a Sata driver related problem.</span>

>

>Try taking ownership again. I suspect you only took ownership of the parent

>folder and didn't check the box so all the child objects (files/folders)

>will inherit the parent's (My Documents) permissions.</span>

You are right, I did only take ownership of the parent folder,

realised what I'd done and took ownership of sub folders individually.

Problem is I'm not familiar with Vista & don't know how to start

afresh as you suggest. Can you help.

Much appreciate your quick reply.

 

Ed

<span style="color:blue">

>

>If that still doesn't work, did you encrypt the files with either XP Pro's

>EFS or a third-party encryption program? If yes, did you remember to export

>your keys?

>

>If you didn't use encryption but still can't take ownership (and I'm not

>sure why this isn't working for you), I'd boot with a Linux live CD like

>Knoppix and use it to copy the files over to a different folder. Linux

>won't honor Windows' permissions.

>

>Malke</span>

Posted

Yeah wrote:

<span style="color:blue">

> You are right, I did only take ownership of the parent folder,

> realised what I'd done and took ownership of sub folders individually.

> Problem is I'm not familiar with Vista & don't know how to start

> afresh as you suggest. Can you help.

> Much appreciate your quick reply.</span>

 

You don't need to start over. Just:

 

1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click

Properties.

2. Click the Security tab, click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.

3. Click Edit. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an

administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide

confirmation.

4. Click the name of the person you want to give ownership to.

5. If you want that person to be the owner of files and subfolders in this

folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.

6. Click OK

 

#5 is key in your case.

 

Malke

--

MS-MVP

Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

Posted

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:31:06 -0700, Malke <malke@invalid.invalid>

wrote:

<span style="color:blue">

>Yeah wrote:

><span style="color:green">

>> You are right, I did only take ownership of the parent folder,

>> realised what I'd done and took ownership of sub folders individually.

>> Problem is I'm not familiar with Vista & don't know how to start

>> afresh as you suggest. Can you help.

>> Much appreciate your quick reply.</span>

>

>You don't need to start over. Just:

>

>1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click

>Properties.

>2. Click the Security tab, click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.

>3. Click Edit. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an

>administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide

>confirmation.

>4. Click the name of the person you want to give ownership to.

>5. If you want that person to be the owner of files and subfolders in this

>folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.

>6. Click OK

>

>#5 is key in your case.

>

>Malke</span>

 

Brilliant!!

Problem solved.

Thank you very much indeed.

 

Yeah

Posted

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:14:40 -0400, "Jimmy Brush" <jb@mvps.org> wrote:

<span style="color:blue">

>Don't forget to add a permission giving yourself full control over the files

>after you take ownership of them.

>

>- JB</span>

 

Thank you

 

Yeah<span style="color:blue">

>

>"Yeah" <bil@ben.com> wrote in message

>news:b4o4f4tsjj271c26gp88nek9cftdhhduar@4ax.com...<span style="color:green">

>>

>> I was running a Windows XP Pro system with the user account password

>> protected and my documents private.

>>

>> The motherboard failed.

>>

>> The cheapest solution was to buy a new computer which naturally

>> came with Vista (Home basic).

>>

>> The drive in the new computer is a WDC Sata drive and so is the drive

>> from the old computer. I plugged the old drive into the new computer

>> as a second disk & and can see everything on it. I copied some data

>> files to the new computer - no problem - then I tried to copy My

>> Documents. I was denied access. I gained ownership of the My

>> Documents folder on the old drive and could then see the contents but

>> I can't gain ownership of the files. Thousands of photos and some Word

>> & Excel files are there but I can't get at them.

>>

>> Have I lost everything?

>>

>> I tried unplugging the HDD from the new computer & plugging in the old

>> HDD. It gets as far as saying Windows XP & then I get a blue screen,

>> probably a Sata driver related problem.

>>

>> Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

>>

>> Ed </span></span>

Posted

Yeah wrote:

<span style="color:blue"><span style="color:green">

>>You don't need to start over. Just:

>>

>>1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then

>>click Properties.

>>2. Click the Security tab, click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.

>>3. Click Edit. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for

>>an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide

>>confirmation.

>>4. Click the name of the person you want to give ownership to.

>>5. If you want that person to be the owner of files and subfolders in this

>>folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.

>>6. Click OK

>>

>>#5 is key in your case.</span></span>

<span style="color:blue">

>

> Brilliant!!

> Problem solved.

> Thank you very much indeed.</span>

 

Glad that sorted it for you. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.

 

Malke

--

MS-MVP

Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

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