Windows XP Data Retrieval???

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MetMan

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Does anyone know how to get into password protected folders in Windows XP? I think the auto update did me in causing my Windows XP not to boot properly--blue screen of death...

I bought a new hard drive, reinstalled Windows XP, but there's stuff on the old drive I want. It won't let me into it because it's under the old user name. Any help would be appreciated....

MetMan
 
How were the folders protected? If it was through NTFS permissions that is easily fixed, if you were using XP's encryption to protect them it's far more involved.
 
They were protected using a password on the XP user account. I'm not sure if this is the easy way to unscrew, or the more invovled way...

Thanks!
 
Originally posted by MetMan
Does anyone know how to get into password protected folders in Windows XP? I think the auto update did me in causing my Windows XP not to boot properly--blue screen of death...

I bought a new hard drive, reinstalled Windows XP, but there's stuff on the old drive I want. It won't let me into it because it's under the old user name. Any help would be appreciated....

MetMan

Hey. I just had the 'blue screen of death', but my dad eventually fixed it. I think it was caused by the Service Pack 2.
 
Good news then, its simply a permission issue. If you are logged in as an administrator or administrator equivalent you can go to those files (folders) and right-click on them. Select properties (bottom of the list) From the properties box select the security tab. This lists the users and what rights they have to the files. If you have administrator rights you can add users and change permissions.

Once you add your current logon to the list and give yourself the appropriate permissions you will be able to access the files again.

Heres a site that explains it all

https://www.winxpsolution.com/ApplyingNTFSXPPro.aspx
 
a good reason not to password stuff unless you really have to
on my home computer It's not necessary and saved me alot of grief when it crashed hard twice.
 
Originally posted by rocketsonly
Hey. I just had the 'blue screen of death', but my dad eventually fixed it. I think it was caused by the Service Pack 2.

Yes, SP2 can kill XP if there are any Virus' or Trojan's on the system. You have to make absolutely certain the system is "clean" before you do the update.
 
Thomas--thanks! That did it. I think it was a Windows auto update thing that got me. The system has SP2 in the queue to install but I kept deferring due to all the reports I'd heard. Something happened last night when my son was on the machine that resulted in the blue screen of death. I was able to get through one chkdsk which changed the problem (still fatal). I went out this morning, got a new disk, installed incorrectly (with my old drive still the master) and it actually booted up correctly (after running a Windows XP version of chkdsk--no idea where it got that). I tried to turn off auto updates but it locked up several times and finally I ended up with the last blue screen of death. I then decided to change the jumper and go ahead and reinstall windows. That's kind of cool too--streamlined performance without all the baggage of years of collecting stuff from the net...

Anyway, thanks again!

MetMan
 
Here is an idea you may want to try to recover your data on the old hard drive. Install the new drive on the primary IDE port and drop a fresh copy of the operating system on it. Then, temporally setup the old drive on the 2nd IDE port where the CD-ROMs usually are. The New drive should be able to access the old drive. Extract your data and do your standard virus and spy-ware checks before opening anything. This method has worked for me countless times in recovering client’s data after a hard drive crash.

Good Luck!

KarlD
 
Originally posted by stymye
a good reason not to password stuff unless you really have to
on my home computer It's not necessary and saved me alot of grief when it crashed hard twice.
Since the problem i fixed, I can make one OT comment..:) I fully agree with what was said... OS X has something known as Filevault which encrypts all your files in AES-128, a VERY powerful encryption.. You lose your admin password, or your system password (use to recover the stuff if you lose your admin pass), your information is essentially gone forever... Look through some OS X forums and you'll find people asking how to get the stuff back...:(
That's just my little story.. That said, I may go un-encrypt my files...:rolleyes: :D
Glad you got the files back!
 
Very true, do not mess around with the encryption unless you really, really need it. It can be gone forever if you lose the accounts that have the keys to access those files.

Also as an aside, for those of you owning IBM notebooks don't protect the hard drives in the BIOS. The drive and systemboard are inseperable at that point and there is no "master" password to unlock. On more than one occasion I've had very unhappy cutomers learn that the only way to "unlock" is to replace both the systemboard and hard drive., and that all their data is gone unless they send the origional drive out for recovery (expensive).
 
Can you install it on a second drive to repair the first!

I was actually able to run chkdsk /r on my original disk from the cmd screen and can now boot either disk! I suppose I can try out that program transfer wizard at my convenience and then wipe the old disk at some point.

Anyone have any experience with those programs that mirror your system on another disk? Worth the money?

MetMan
 
Originally posted by MetMan
Can you install it on a second drive to repair the first!

I was actually able to run chkdsk /r on my original disk from the cmd screen and can now boot either disk! I suppose I can try out that program transfer wizard at my convenience and then wipe the old disk at some point.

Anyone have any experience with those programs that mirror your system on another disk? Worth the money?

MetMan

Yes you can. Actually its a lot easier to make up a bootable XP enviornment CD, boot to XP from a CD, then fix the drive while running your bootable OS CD. Do a web search for Barts PE.

I once tried a program called Aloha Bob PC relocator, it worked great for moving programs like office, etc from one PC to another. Didn't work so well with programs not so well known. All in all its usually better and easier to just reinstall stuff.
 
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