Unlocking Documents

  • Thread starter Thread starter Zeepowlee
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Zeepowlee

Hi all

I installed my old hard disk as slave into a new computer.
The old hd has win2000, and I was used to login as <myname>, with
administrative privileges.
Now the account I use to login the new computer has a different name.
As a result, I can access almost all, but not all, my old hd folders.
For instance, all the My Documents folder is unaccessible.

Can anybody please help?

thanks
 
Zeepowlee said:
Hi all

I installed my old hard disk as slave into a new computer.
The old hd has win2000, and I was used to login as <myname>, with
administrative privileges.
Now the account I use to login the new computer has a different name.
As a result, I can access almost all, but not all, my old hd folders.
For instance, all the My Documents folder is unaccessible.
Click to expand...
Sounds like windows beleives these files to be owned by someone else.

Even creating a user account with the same name will not help you, because down
in the depths of the filesystem, the ownership of the files is recorded as a
unique binary identifier, which is unique to that particular instance of you on
your old machine.

What you need to do is take ownership of the files.

If using Windows XP Home, there is little to no functionality in the GUI to
accomplish this, and you will have to use the SUBINACL command from the windows
resource kit
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...56-D8FE-4A91-93CF-ED6985E3927B&displaylang=en

The syntax is something like:

subinacl /subdirectories "D:\Documents and Settings\OLDUSERNAME"
/setowner=NEWUSERNAME

In Windows XP Professional, you should be able to do this from the command line
in a similar way to Windows 2000 professional (Select the directory in explorer,
right-click, select Properties, Security, Advanced, Owner, Select an owner to
change to, click 'Replace owner on subcontainers and objects', hit OK.
 
Logged on as an administrator you should be able to take ownership and
full control of these files. On the file or folder Right Click
Properties>Secutity>Ownership.

John
 
In Windows XP Professional, you should be able to do this from the command
line
in a similar way to Windows 2000 professional (Select the directory in
explorer,
right-click, select Properties, Security, Advanced, Owner, Select an owner
to
change to, click 'Replace owner on subcontainers and objects', hit OK.
Click to expand...

I am logged on as <myname> member of Administrator group, but I still do not
see the Security Tab into Properties of that folder.


thx
 
Zeepowlee said:
I am logged on as <myname> member of Administrator group, but I still do not
see the Security Tab into Properties of that folder.
Click to expand...

In Windows XP Professional, you do not see the security tab by default if you
have simple file sharing turned on. You'll find simple file sharing somewhere
near the bottom of the folder options 'View' pane, I think. (Sat in front of a
W2K box right now, so I cannot confirm that, but I beleive it is in the same
list as 'Hide file extensions for known file types' (which I always recommend
people turn off, by the way))

In windows XP home, you have simple file sharing turned on, period. There is no
way to turn it off, and you must use tools like subinacl from the command line
to change file ownership and/or ACL's.
 
Thank you.


Jim Howes said:
In Windows XP Professional, you do not see the security tab by default if
you
have simple file sharing turned on. You'll find simple file sharing
somewhere
near the bottom of the folder options 'View' pane, I think. (Sat in front
of a
W2K box right now, so I cannot confirm that, but I beleive it is in the
same
list as 'Hide file extensions for known file types' (which I always
recommend
people turn off, by the way))

In windows XP home, you have simple file sharing turned on, period. There
is no
way to turn it off, and you must use tools like subinacl from the command
line
to change file ownership and/or ACL's.
Click to expand...
 
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