I have removed my HD from my old broken PC and want to open it on a new one. I have connected with a Winstars sata HD Docking station. I can locate the drive in "my computer" on my laptop, but cant open any files in My Documents. I get an error message: not accessible. Access denied. I know my old password, how do i get in to the files? Hope someone can help! Bowman

This sounds like a user permissions issue ie Windows Security permissions
If so then you need to take ownership of the My Documents folder & tick the box all subfolders when you do so.


Loki

Hi loki Thank's for replying, I'm pretty new to removing hd's and trying to open them. Were do I find the box that needs ticking? Obviously, I know the password I used.

try searching google for "how to take ownership of a folder in windows 7"

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/libr ... 53659.aspx

Loki

there are many FREE Bootable cd`s which does that with few clicks - if that is the case
good luck

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Hi Tried the taking ownership option this does not work. I have XP. It actually says the file is empty. It was full before I removed the HD when the power supply failed. Were do I get the bootable CD's?

Bowman

Try R-Studio.

@Bowman,


Actually I think it may have worked, since you did not report getting the original "Access denied" message afterwards. Now instead you are reporting a new problem:


Was that a specific error message, or was that what you saw when you tried to open a file, but without a specific error message?

My current view is that you may have 2 problems:

(a) The expected Windows permissions problem due to moving the disk onto another PC, as loki has already explained to you; and
(b) Some kind of filesystem corruption or perhaps even unreadable sectors problem, causing the "empty files" symptom which you are now reporting.

However, further diagnosis would be needed to properly understand the situation. It is also helpful for you to tell readers the exact error messages (and for you to check the system event log, for evidence of read errors). You have also mentioned new info that the original problem was a power supply failure. The specifics of this could be very relevant to issue (b) above. More details needed, to assist with better understanding i.e. what exactly happened, what were you doing at the time, anything else you can describe...

Assuming that your data on this disk not valuable, and you have considered the risks of DIY, and you accept them, then I would stop any further work on the original disk immediately; perform a raw clone onto another 160GB or larger disk, using a utility designed to cope with unreadable sectors; then continue the diagnosis. As unknown already mentioned, R-Studio is one of several utilities which could be used to clone the drive - your choice of cloning utility depends on several factors.

However if your data is valuable, then carefully consider the possibility that you may cause a larger problem, by attempting DIY (we have seen people on here who have permanently lost data, by making mistakes, or simply bad luck, during DIY recovery attempts). A respected pro in the UK who I expect could help you, would be pcimage for example.

Thank you for your very detailed advice Vulcan. The error message gives the name of the file plus /not accessible then underneath it just says access denied!

The files are important. I have been attempting DIY recovery with a program called recuva. The problem started when the electricity failed several times in quick succession. although I have surge protection the computer did not work again afterwards. I'm clearly out of my depth with this so I am going to do as you suggest and get an expert to look at it, unless the idea below would work.

Would the HD work as normal if I bought a second hand Dell Dimension 5100 off ebay and put my hard disc in?

Bowman

You're welcome - unfortunately your earlier comment misled me, as you no longer reported the "access denied" message at that point, and instead reported a new symptom (i.e. the situation seemed to have changed). Now you have said:


... which is the original symptom. I have seen multiple causes for this error especially when the drive is attached via USB as in your case, and further diagnosis would be needed, if you were taking the risks of further DIY investigation.


I'm not going to guess, due to the lack of a detailed diagnosis at this stage. Using a SATA connection would allow better diagnosis than using USB (as you are currently using), but that process would carry risks and buying the PC may be a wasted investment.


... which is a very sensible approach, so there's no point in me giving any further comments remotely. A person who has the disk in front of them, always has more tools & techniques available to perform diagnosis, than someone attempting to help remotely via a web forum. Choose an experienced DR engineer/company to help you, like my earlier recommendation - not just a general "PC person".

Good luck!