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Recently my laptop's hard drive died.
I'm not so good with computers but I've managed to connect it to my PC, with an IDE adaptor.

The files I need to recover were on the desktop, but I can't access Documents and Settings\Home User - I guess because it was password protected.

How can I get around this?

Thanks

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Dani AI

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tried a good first step by attaching the drive, but being blocked from a user profile folder is usually NTFS permissions (not the account password). Two reliable approaches are: take ownership on the host Windows machine, or copy the files from a Linux live USB which ignores Windows ACLs. If Windows Safe Mode hung while the laptop disk was attached, that often means the machine tried to boot from the attached drive or the drive is failing — avoid forcing repairs until a copy is made.

Steps to try (safe, ordered):

  • Take ownership (Windows GUI): Right‑click the user/desktop folder on the attached drive -> Properties -> Security -> Advanced -> Owner -> Change owner to the local Administrators group or the current admin account -> check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" -> OK. Then grant Full Control in the Security tab and apply recursively.

  • If the Security tab is not visible (older XP hosts): open Explorer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> uncheck "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" to expose the Security tab.

  • If ownership steps fail or you prefer a simpler route: boot a Linux Live USB (Ubuntu, SystemRescue) and mount the NTFS volume; copy the files to another drive. Linux read access bypasses Windows permission blocks for non‑encrypted files.

Important cautions and edge cases:

  • If the files were encrypted with EFS or the drive used full‑disk encryption, copying will not decrypt them — the original user keys are required.
  • If the disk shows hardware errors or the host hung when the drive was attached, do not run repair/format tools or chkdsk before imaging; use an imaging tool (for example, ddrescue from a Live USB) to capture the drive first.
  • If the host fails to boot with the drive connected and it is an internal IDE hookup, check jumper settings or disconnect the drive, boot the host, then attach the drive via a USB adapter.

These methods are standard, quick, and avoid common pitfalls that cause further data loss.

Member Avatar for Pizzaboy3000

Apparently I have to restart my computer in safe mode, but when I do that it seems to stop...A long list of text appears, saying stuff about partitions, but it stops.

Should I just leave it for a long time to let it do it's thing?

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