Member Avatar for dereks812

I recently started using my old hard drive as a slave and would like to get all the data off so i can format it. The user data and compaq owner data folders give me access denied even though i am logged in as system administrator. Any suggestions how to get around this? Thanks.

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This is a very common NTFS ownership/permissions issue when you move a Windows drive between systems. Files and folders keep the original user SIDs, so an Administrator on the new machine may still be blocked until ownership/ACLs are changed. As pointed out, the Microsoft solution fixed it for , but there are a few other practical approaches and cautions to keep in mind.

If you want to do it from Windows XP Pro without extra tools, use the folder Properties -> Security -> Advanced -> Owner tab to set the owner to the current Administrators or your account and apply it to subfolders. If you prefer not to touch Windows permissions, boot a Linux live USB (Ubuntu or SystemRescue, for example) and copy the files off; Linux/ntfs-3g will let you read NTFS-owned files without Windows ACL checks. Both approaches let you copy data off the slave drive so you can format it safely afterwards.

Important cautions: do not indiscriminately take ownership of system folders (Windows, Program Files) on a drive you might boot — only target the user data folders. Files encrypted with EFS will not be recoverable simply by changing ownership; they require the original user certificate/private key. See Microsoft documentation on EFS for details (). Always verify your copied files before formatting the drive.

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Member Avatar for Rik_

You haven't said what OS you have. We need to know in order to help!

Member Avatar for dereks812

oh sorry windows xp pro

Member Avatar for Rik_

THIS is what you need to have a read of then!

Member Avatar for ajit1984

Hello, iam using Win XP Pro, with NTFS formating. I have a Folder, appears to be empty that once had some extracted files in it. It is in my Morpheus folder. Anyway, when i try to delete, rename or...
SNIP

Member Avatar for dereks812

THIS is what you need to have a read of then!

Thanks rik that did the trick :)

Member Avatar for Rik_

No problem! :)

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