PSpirine
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| posted on 24/7/11 at 11:20 AM |
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OT: Computer problem - accessing windows files!
Right, this week has gone from bad to worse when my computer packed up - XP got corrupt, and then wouldn't repair or reinstall.
I can't do a clean wipe of the hard drive because I'll lose all my data, so I thought I'd stick the HD into an enclosure, copy my
files over to a backup drive and then do a clean XP install.
Just connected the HD to another computer via an external USB case, and thank god the hard drive isn't corrupt.
My problem is, most of my files are within My Documents (X:\Documents and Settings\Pavel\...). When I try to access that folder it tells me Access
is denied.
Can anybody please tell me how I can get into that folder whilst the hard drive is connected externally, or any other ideas on how I can retrieve my
data from it? I know the password, if that's the stumbling block, but I don't see where it would be input.
I've got access to a a Mac and a PC, and I can stick that hard drive in both a USB case or into a desktop PC (but which has no OS)
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PSpirine
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| posted on 24/7/11 at 11:24 AM |
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Nevermind,
Just found a way - Mac OS doesn't seem to care much about windows/NTFS file permissions. Just connected the HD up to my Macbook and I've
got read-only access to all the files  So I'll just copy them all over!
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mads
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| posted on 24/7/11 at 11:24 AM |
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i had to do this. you need to take ownership of the files and folders. whilst you have the drive connected to your other PC with an OS, you need to do
the following to the folder:
How to take ownership of a folder
You must have ownership of a protected folder in order to access it. If another user has restricted access and you are the computer administrator, you
can access the folder by taking ownership.
To take ownership of a folder, follow these steps:
1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
4. In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you
want to take ownership of the contents of the folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.
5. Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message:
You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions
granting you Full Control?
All permissions will be replaced if you click Yes.
Note folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of.
6. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents.
Its best to do this on a Windows PC rather than a Mac.
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PSpirine
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| posted on 24/7/11 at 11:37 AM |
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Thanks mads, I'll probably do that as that way I'll have full access to it and will be able to clean up some of the Windows files which
appear to be corrupt.
In the meantime, accessing it read-only from a Mac will at least allow me to copy over my documents. 3 hours to copy it over just about gives me time
to watch the F1 
Thanks for your help!
Cheers,
Pavs
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britishtrident
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| posted on 24/7/11 at 03:55 PM |
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I would Boot from a linux live CD (suggest Mint Linux) to change the file properties copy the the files over.
Sugest after you reinstall Windows you run the linux cd again and install Linux as dual boot this will give you a built in way of rescuing
yourself from Windows crashes.
Avira the respected anti-virus software house now have a live CD for system & file rescue and virus scanning, the virus signature files
in the source file are apparently updated several times a day, Avira
Rescue Disk Download
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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britishtrident
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| posted on 24/7/11 at 03:57 PM |
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Forgot to add remember to carry your user account name over from your old PC and if you are using MS Office use the same user name as before in
Office.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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