Member Avatar for pam101

Hi I am trying to retrieve My Documents and the .pst file from a hard drive out of a computer who's motherboard just died. I have attached the hard drive to another desktop computer using a USB -sata external drive kit. When I search the hard drive I can open and access all the files except those in documents and settings. It says access is denied. I thought I could get around this by doing a backup image and then opening the files from the image. Not so, because the document and settings folder is empty. This is driving me nuts all I really want is my email folder. Can anybody explain this to me and help me please?

thx
pam

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Short, practical explanation and what to try next.

When you attach a Windows Vista/7-era disk to another PC you commonly hit two things at once: NTFS ownership/ACLs and compatibility “junction” points. On Vista+ the old-looking "C:\Documents and Settings" is not a regular folder but a protected junction that points to C:\Users. Explorer intentionally blocks/redirects it, so it can appear empty or show “Access denied.” Also, if the original user encrypted files with EFS or the disk was BitLocker‑protected, you will not be able to read those files without the proper keys.

What to do (in order)

  • Search the real user folders first. Look under D:\Users\<username>\ (not the Documents and Settings junction). Typical PST locations include:

    • D:\Users\<username>\Documents\Outlook Files\
    • D:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
    • (older XP installs) D:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\
      Quick command to find PSTs from an elevated prompt:
    dir /s /b D:\*.pst

  • If you can see the files but get “Access denied” when copying, take ownership and grant access (GUI or elevated CMD). Example commands:

    takeown /f "D:\Users\<username>" /r /d Y
icacls  "D:\Users\<username>" /grant "Administrators":F /T

    Use the GUI via folder Properties → Security → Advanced → Owner if you prefer.

Cautions and fallbacks

  • If files were EFS-encrypted, taking ownership will not decrypt them; you need the original user certificate. If the volume is BitLocker-encrypted, you need the recovery key.
  • If changing ACLs is undesirable, boot the drive internally or use a Linux live USB to copy files (Linux ignores Windows ACLs on read, but it cannot decrypt EFS/BitLocker).
  • If you made an image and it looks empty, mount the image properly (use the imaging tool’s mount or Windows VHD mount) and browse the Users folder rather than the Documents and Settings junction.

Both and were right to point at connecting the drive differently and ownership issues; following the steps above will usually let you locate and copy the PST without rebuilding the original installation.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for khakilang

Instead of plug in as external drive, plug into your computer instead and boot up from that hard disk. See if it can retrieve your files this way. Another way is plug in as a slave drive and back up those files to your main drive. See if it work.

Member Avatar for gavin1069

One of the reasons you can't get to the files is because you are not the owner of the directory see ownership (security) of the directory, you will need to take full ownership of the directory (look at permissions) which should allow you access. Look at the 'Cacls.exe' command or use explorer's options when highlighting the directory 'right click, properties, security, owner' add yourself as the owner, click apply. You need to do this on the drive itself, before you try to copy the information.

Member Avatar for pam101

I changed all the security and permissions for that drive and still I can't get into the documents and settings. Then I plugged it into the new motherboard and tried to boot up into it and Windows just says it didn't start normally and try safe mode or repair. I have tried both, it won't repair. Now I am going to try and restore from the backup that doesn't have the personal files because the guy doesn't have a Windows Vista CD. Why don't people backup their computers????

Thanks for your help

Member Avatar for pam101

It turns out that after restoring to a new hard drive, the document and settings are all there, even though the folders showed empty when browsing the backup image. After installing and updating drivers for the new motherboard all is well.
thx

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