accessing a folder that i made private before i reinstalled window

[Guest]

is this possible? yes it is NTFS - had to reinstall windows but did not
format

 

[Poprivet]

is this possible? yes it is NTFS - had to reinstall windows but did
not format

If you "reinstalled" windows, all previously existing data is gone. Also
you can not "reinstall" windows without format being part of the process.
No idea what you did do, but ...

 

[Shenan Stanley]

is this possible? yes it is NTFS - had to reinstall windows but
did not format

So you performed a repair installation of Windows XP?
Or a parallel installation?

In any case - if you had actually given the error you received when you try
to access the folders in question, I would bet it would be "access denied",
correct? Why is informatiuon like the actual text of any error you receive
valuable? If you perform a Google search with the exact text of the error
you receive and what Operating System you have - I would all but guarantee
you find the answer to your problem.

How to Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

Read *carefully* - do not just skim the page and start following steps.
There is important information there dependent on the version of Windows XP