Help NTFS XP

[CignaXI]

Recently my OS crashed. I have XP Pro, it was running in NTFS. It didn't want to load even in safe mode. I had to install a fresh copy of the OS. The thing is that I had some folders that could be view by me, but since I had to install a new fresh copy of the OS I now can't log as the user that had the ownership of those folders so I get and Access Denied message every time I try to get the files. Is there any utility that can bypass this and let me access those files? Also, do you know any utility that lets you access ntfs from WinME?

Btw, , Do you know how I can remap my drive letters? I want to change E: -> G:

[CDRecorder]

I think you can change drive letters using Computer Management. If I remember correctly, you can find Computer Management inside of the Administrative tools folder, which is in the Control Panel.

[tazdevl]

If you did a fresh install, everything is gone.

The only way you could get back to what you had before is if you did a repair install.

Disk Management in Computer Management is where you can reassign drive letters etc...

[cfitz]

Are you saying that the files are there, but that you just can't access them because you no longer have permission? For example they were on a separate partition/drive from the OS partition, and you only wiped clean the OS partition?

If so, then you can restore access to those files. You can't access them right now because the ACLs on those files and folders grant permissions to a now non-existent user. Even if you created a new user with same name as the user in the previous installation, as far as XP is concerned they are different users. And since the information about the old user got wiped away when you re-installed, the new XP installation doesn't recognize the old user and won't give you access.

You can fix this by simply changing the ownership of those files and folders to one of your new users. The XP interface differs a little from 2000, but this is how you do it in 2000:

1. Log on with administrator rights
2. Right-click the folder you want access to, and select "Properties"
3. Click the "Security" tab. Windows will tell you don't have permission to view or edit permisssions, but you can take ownership. Click "OK"
4. Click the "Advanced" button.
5. Select the "Owner" tab. It will say it can't display the current owner (because that owner no longer exists) and give you a choice of owners to change to. Pick the one you want, check the "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" checkbox, and then press "OK".
6. Respond "Yes" to questions about replacing permissions on directories.
7. Press "OK" on the properties window after Windows has finished changing the owner.
8. You now have ownership of the folders and files, and can (and should) go back and set permissions on them as you see fit.

I wouldn't change drive letters around if you have installed anything that sits on or references the drives you want to change. Doing so would break applications and make a nightmare for you. Only change drive letters of empty drives or drives that have nothing but plain old data files that don't care where they are located.

cfitz

[tazdevl]

Good point fitz. I thought he just did a fresh OS install. Couldn't tell if he was on a network or had another drive where he was accessing his files... plus my MCSE is pretty rusty .

[CignaXI]

Thanks cfitz and everyone I did what you said, I didn't remember that since the new OS was using "simple share" and the security tab was not enable. I enabled and the rest was history. Thanks for the help everyone!! I couldn't afford to loose over 2gigs of data. Like always great response from a great forum.

[cfitz]

You're welcome. Glad I could help.

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

...I did what you said, I didn't remember that since the new OS was using "simple share" and the security tab was not enable. I enabled and the rest was history.

how do you enable security (???)

[CignaXI]

...I did what you said, I didn't remember that since the new OS was using "simple share" and the security tab was not enable. I enabled and the rest was history.

how do you enable security (???)

It depends if you use XP Home edition or XP Pro. I'm not at my PC right now and this one is running on NT and I don't remember how to do it. Any way here's a link that explain it for both:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308418#3

Hope that helps.

[pranav81]

You can just type compmgmt.msc in run and then select Disk Management and then you can change drive letters.

See ya later,

::Pranav::