Problem w/password access to Windows XP

[j.shaftoe]

My granddaughter dropped her laptop and totalled it. She had about 1500 songs stored in itunes on the hard disk. I pulled the HD and installed it in an external enclosure and am able to access the files on the HD when I plug it into a USB port on my computer. The problem is that she and her mother shared the laptop so each had an ID with a password. I can't access the GD's documents and settings using file manager b/c of the password protection. How can I work around this protection so she can recover her itunes files?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

BTW, I know she could return her songs to a new computer off her ipod but she had the ipod stolen about 2 wks before crashing her laptop so accessing the HD is her only hope.

 

[bloo]

im not sure if this will work but i remember in another thread people said to create a new account on your computer that is the same name as the account she had on the mangled laptop.

 

[IceDigger]

Easiest to change the folders security settings. You have to do this as the administrator though.

 

[Axeldoomeyer]

As long as you don't have Encrypted File System (EFS) enabled you should be able to change the permissions on the folder. Some of the user names may not appear in the list, but you should be able to add new users. You may have to take ownership of the file/folder before you can change the permissions.

To Take ownership of the file
1. Right Click on the File/Folder then click on Properties.
2. Click on the Security Tab, then click the advanced button.
3. Click on the Owner tab, and then add your account as the owner.

Once the owner has been set, you can change the permissions. Just add your account to the security tab and hit apply. If it asks if you want to propogate the changes to all sub-folders and files click yes. It may take a while with this option. Depends on the amount of data that is under the folder.

Hope this helps.

 

[j.shaftoe]

Thanks for the prompt responses to my question.

I tried accessing the security setting by right clicking the folder and selecting properties but the only tabs that came up were "General", "Sharing" and "Customize". Nothing about security or advanced. The General tab does have an Advanced button but that has to do with archiving and indexing. I tried other selections such as "Sharing and Security" and was able to get permission to see the subfolders by selecting network sharing but when I went to the subfolders to repeat that procedure I was blocked by the access denied message.

So I tried the other method of creating an account of the same name on my computer w/administrator status and the same password. When I tried to access the subfolders I got the same access denied message.

I didn't mention before that I do have the password for the account so it isn't like I have to break into the folders I just have to find a prompt that will allow me to input the password to grant me access.

So I'm still stumped and looking for more help.

Thanks to all who tried.

 

[KatirZan]

Actually it's not that hard

first what you have to do is open a command box (start -> run -> cmd <enter> )

after that you type in the drive that is consistend with the secured disc.

when you've done that, type the following :

attrib -r -a *.*

this will remove any readonly or archive type of directories that are on there.

now go back to windows

copy the entyre disc or directory to a temporary one on your own disc, after doing so (which CAN be done ) you can access the directory.


if this also fails, check the rights on your external disc, this must be set to your own account.

the reply above this one states that you should access the rights tab on properties. If you're running XP Home edition, this won't work, because it doesn't exist there.

What DOES exist is the user rights part of the administrative tools, this can be found in your configuration screen. Try that first

 

[j.shaftoe]

Re KatirZan's solution, I ran the attrib command as described which cleared the readonly and archive attributes from directories but it did not open up access to the documents and settings folder. I then tried running Windows in safe mode (I have XP home edition) which gave me access to security in the properties window. From there I was able to grant access for the admin on my machine to open her folders and grab the files and copy them back onto my machine. There were 13 gigabites of data in over 1800 files. Whew. She must have saved every song she ever listened to. Anyway, she is happy, I'm a hero and I really appreciate the help offered. I could not have done it wo/your help.
Thanks to all,
Mike