I just replaced my hardrive in my XP box and put my old drive in a external case. Now I can't get to my Documents and Settings\user name it says is not Accessible, Access Denied when trying to access file on old drive. The old drive was XP Pro SP1 now I'm XP Pro SP2 with the same user name on both drives in Documents and Settings. What did I do wrong?
:rolleyes: :?:

Dani AI

Generated

In this thread described moving an XP SP1 drive into an external FireWire case and getting "Access Denied" opening Documents and Settings\<username> from a new XP SP2 install. The usual cause is NTFS ownership and ACLs left on the old profile so the new machine's admin account has no rights. was correct to point toward the Security-related controls as the first step.

Once the Security tab is available, take ownership of the profile folder and then grant appropriate permissions. From the user folder on the old drive: Properties -> Security -> Advanced -> Owner. Change the owner to the local Administrators group (or the new admin account), check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects", Apply. After ownership changes take effect, add Administrators (or the destination user) with Full Control and propagate the permission changes to subfolders, then copy the required files off the old drive.

Target only the user data that is needed: Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents, Desktop, Favorites, My Pictures, My Music, and Local Settings\Application Data (Outlook PSTs and some app configs). Enable viewing hidden/system files to find Local Settings. Important cautions: files encrypted with EFS remain unreadable without the original user's certificate; avoid blanket permission changes at the drive root or on system folders; make a backup before doing recursive permission edits. If ownership edits fail, other options are to reconnect the drive internally and boot the old OS to copy files, or use a Linux live USB to read NTFS data (EFS still will not be recoverable that way).

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What exactly do you mean you put it in a external case. Did you make the internal drive external? Then replace the internal. If you did how did you do it? I didnt even knw yo ucould make an internal external ;). Let me know

-T

What exactly do you mean you put it in a external case. Did you make the internal drive external? Then replace the internal. If you did how did you do it? I didnt even knw yo ucould make an internal external ;). Let me know

-T

Yes I made the internal drive, external. I put the old drive into a ADS Firewire 1394b case. That is the one that I can't go into my old "Documents and Settings/user name" folder. I want to get all my favorites, files, mp3's and pic's without having to put it back in and copy to cd or thumb drive.

Reset the NTFS access permissions on all flders on your old hard drive.
More info here: http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/showthread.php?p=171352#post171352

I can't do that with the dire not as the boot drive right? I don't even get the options called out the security settings. I' at XP PRO SP2 on my new Op Sys and XP Pro SP1 on the drive that I need the files off of. If I have to I will put the drive back in as the boot and copy the files that I need.

No, it will work. Click on Tools>Folder Options. Click the View tab. Scroll down and remove the checkbox from "Enable Simple File Sharing". This will enable the Security Tab.

Thanks, you were a great help. Now if I could only remember what I did in 2 months.

Now that I can't help you with, dude. ;)

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