URGENT WINXP PROBLEM- i cant access MY DOCS after a reformat

[Ph33zy]

Ok here's the problem. Using Powertoys, i changed my default MY DOCUMENT drive to another harddrive so i wouldn't have to worry about backing it up everytime i formatted windows xp. This worked great many times. But this time, I clicked on "Make my folder private" in the options. Now after i formated XP, i cannot gain access to this folder anymore. I am using the same name and password that i did before i formatted. How do i get these permissions back! Windows xp will not let me do anything to this folder and i have some really important docs in there. Please! someone help me

 

[Derango]

you have to log in as administrator and change the permissions on the folder.

 

[Ph33zy]

i have tried logging in as the administrator account. It still wont let me access it. In fact, windows reports the folder as 0 bytes. But i know that the the stuff is still there because when i use NTFSDOS, i can access the files. But when i copy the files back to windows, they become garbage. I guess the files are encrypted or something. Does any windows guru know whats up? i should have never made those folders private!!!

 

[Davegod75]

you create the same username as before? Did you encrypt them?

 

[bsobel]

Creating the same user name doesn't matter, security is managed by sid's not names. The sid won't be the same after a reinstall. I'm actually not sure what the 'make my folder private' does, I thought it just changed the acl's. But if indeed turns on encryption, those files are lost.

If encryption wasn't turned on, you should be able to go (as administrator) and 'take ownership' of the files. Then you should be able to access them as admin and reassign them as you need.

Bill

 

[spyordie007]

Originally posted by: bsobel
you should be able to go (as administrator) and 'take ownership' of the files. Then you should be able to access them as admin and reassign them as you need.

Beat me too it Bill...

Like Bill said, log on as admin, turn off that damn "simple file sharing" and take ownership of the folder. Once you have taken ownership you can change the permissions so that you login can access it. Provided you havent encrypted the files it will work 100% of the time.

-Spy

 

[Ph33zy]

yea no luck whatsoever guys... i think my folder is gone =(. Even as admin i simply cannot do anything to the folder. The only thing i can do is right click the folder only to see the file size of 0 Bytes. But i know the files are there because if i use NTFSDOS (program that lets you see NTFS partitions in MSDOS), i can actually go into the folder and browse the folder and see all my files there. I can even copy the files in the folder back to my desktop. But when i log into windows and access a document file, Office will ask me to install a filter to try to decode the file, which of course, none of the filters will work.