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HELP!!! Losing important files...

T

Traveler

Senior member
This shouldn't happen (from previous experiences), but it did, and while I wasn't prepared.
My windows xp was screwing up after I installed a new CPU. It kept having fatal error/blue screen.
So I tried to upgrade it with winxp cd. But it didn't work out during installation.
Then I did a fresh installation, which deleted /windows/ folder content in local, and install a fresh copy of WinXP.

Ideally (experienced in my numerous windows xp installation), it should not touch(delete/modify) any folders within /Documents and Settings/, but establish new folders (w/ different names) for new WindowsXP.

But when I opened /Documents and Settings/ in the new windows, I can't access the original user folder (from previous windows).
It said "Access denied". More scarily, it shows 0 (folder, file, size) when I click on the folder's property.
My Desktop and Favorites files were all in there. And more importantly, all my important documents/files were stored in the /My Documents/ within that folder. I need them!!!

Is there any way I can recover those files??!!!
 
I don't have a WinXP machine in front of me, so I'm going by memory a little, but right-click the Documents and Settings folder, choose Properties > Security tab > Advanced button > Owner tab and replace the owner on the directory with an account from your new Windows installation, such as Administrator or whatever. That's the path to it in Win2000Pro, anyway.

Come to think of it, you may have to turn off Simple File Sharing in Control Panel > something > Folder Options before you have access to the Security tab. If you're using WinXP Home Edition then you may not be able to, not unless you boot in Safe Mode (that's thirdhand info I got from someone else here, see if it's correct).

Good luck, and back up your data from now on, darn it 🙂
 
What about "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects"?
Does that need to be checked when replacing ownership?
 
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