My computer (Windows XP Home Edition) crashed - blue screen of death - and after many attempts to reboot, the error message seemed to point to a hardware failure. I hadn't backed up photos or documents recently, so would like to recover these. I bought an external enclosure for the hard drive and connected it by USB to a working computer - also running W XP HE. I do not see the "My Pictures" nor "My Documents" folders. I do see a folder with my name on it, also a folder labeled "Administrator". I started the computer in Safe Mode and allowed the folders full access on the security tab. I restarted in normal mode but still do not see any documents or picture folders. The "My Music" folder is there. I was able to reload most of my music, although many songs produced the "access denied" sign when I tried to copy them onto the other computer. Some of these are songs I had downloaded onto my computer from my own CDs - not "borrowed" from the internet. Any ideas where my two folders might be? How I can access them and copy & save to a different computer? I tried PC Tools data recovery, but it seems to be searching only the deleted file. These pictures and documents would not be something I deleted. Can anyone help?
CDD248

Inside the folder with your name on it is where the My Documents
folder should be, and the my pictures folder should be inside the
My documents folder..
A blue screen usually indicates that there is a problem with windows.
what was the error message?

You limit your possibilities in connecting the patient drive via the usb port.

Connect it directly on an ide or sata port - whatever drive it is.

DONT use chkdsk or defrag this would perfect the existing chaos

If you are not sure what to do, contact a pro - it could be a defect of the drive
- where you definitely should ask a pro for help. If its only a logical (software)
problem, then you might go on on Do It Yourself...

There are several programes (freeware) in the internet to regain lost partitions
(but only to be used when the drive itself has no defect!). Even for a software
problem I would suggest to look for a pros help. What he can solve in a few
mins could take you hours and you could loose your valuabel data.

If the data is important, than contact a pro, otherwise you can play yourself
or have someone (neighbour, collegue, son etc) else playing with the drive....

+++

Normally this is a memory problem or a video card problem. Had the same problem with a client yesterday had to change out both the memory and video card and system was back up and running. Second when you look for folders inside a drive that is attached you need to follow the sytem of files. It is like a tree to go through to get to what you want. If you had a password on this drive before your problem it is likely that some of your files will be marked unaccessable to open or copy from. You best bet for the moment is to stop with playing around with the hard drive and look into the hardware problem of your mother board Once thta is fixed your drive should be able to boot up normally again. If not then attach to another system via usb or ide. Make the drive to a slave drive. After in my computer just open the drive in explorer. Click on documents and settings. Then click on your name. Inside click on documents. Inside are all your files that you are looking for. If password protected there is a way out of that one too. But you can copy them to your new drive. Then in folder properties you will need to go to the administrator function and take back possiton of these folders.

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Iorana Haraharaini

Summarizing: it has important archives for you? if yes it looks a DR to recovery and with low cost, now it was you to try and to make wrong later nor the DR can help… thinks it and will choose. you and free to fly…

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Hi I see this here about 4 to 5 times a week. Here we have weather conditions that cause this problems all the time. I have found that a good cleaning of the MB not with cleaning fluids and things like this but with a bruch to the processor fan and blower to the board plus change of memory and video card corrects 98% if these problems here. When it indicates a hard ware failure in the middle of windows running and the blue screen appears you normally can read the error inside if you know what you are looking for.

Second starting you other computer in safe mode with the drive attached to an USB is not such a good idea.

Third if this drive has an OS on it and you make it a slave drive and attach to the other computer via IDE or SATA cable this too can cause a conflict when trying to boot you system it might look for this OS instead of the OS that is on the master drive of your system.

Fourth when you put a password on your system you indicated to make you documents private and this is what is causing your password or access problem to your folders right now.

Get a good data recovery software that is not free off the Internet. This way you can access your drive and pull your files off your drive. You can use software such as GetDataBack for NTSF - if that is the file system you formatted your drive in to start off with or you can also purchase WinHex and install on another computer and boot up this system. After attach this drive to it via USB or IDE your choice and run the WinHex recovery full drive and then you can choose by file type to look for your files and what you want off this drive.

Password protect on your system is wonderful and everyone thinks that this is the way to go but they are easy to get into and break and there are software out there like Linux live CD that will do this for you. You can even try this one to find what you are looking for. But the password on your documents when backing up is another story. Normally password protected folders and files are for the user and the drive they are on. You can back them up and take back possition of these files using the file folder and going into property and there is an option inside if you understand it to take back possition of these files on another hard drive.

For what you are describing it sounds like you have a hard ware problem inside you mother board that needs to be addresses. You system might boot up correctly but if there is any problems with memory and a chip is starting to go bad this is the first error that windows does so that the data on your drive is protected and you do not do damage to your OS. You can easily check this out if you like. Attach another drive to this computer you are having problem with and try installing the OS. I am sure that you will not be able to do this one at all. If it stops the install change out your memory and this will correct your problems.

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Iorana Haraharaini

Thanks for the various suggestions. Yesterday I bought a new computer and it has VISTA on it. I attached the slave drive and have gone into the properties of several of the files, selecting "share" and then took ownership. I can now see "my documents" and "my pictures" folders on the drive. I can click on the folder and it will show me all the files and names inside, however, it still will not let me transfer or copy anything to my new computer. All it now allows is to see the file and the name of each of my pictures and documents. If I try to open or copy any, it gives me the "access denied" message. From other forums I've read, this is a problem for many people trying to transfer or recover files using an old hard drive. Will look into the software recommended. Thanks all.

If you had put a password on your XP program and deemed it private then the only way to do this is through XP again. Vista will allow you to see them but can not take back ownership of these documents. If you uesed Home then find someone with that version and take back ownership of them that way, same as Pro.

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Iorana Haraharaini

Happens all the time here. I have never had to use a software to fix this problem for me. I just use the program to do it with. Maybe software is faster. In the program you have to do it to every file tried to make all but did not seem to take. Had to go into all files and get back ownership. Here the young think password is great and use it all thet time. It is easy to get into the system and does not work like they think. Well now Vista is another story all together. Once password is in and you forget it then you need to find the password or reload the system. There is a way to do that have done in on many computers here. Took some research to find what they did for the password on Vista but found a way to get into it.

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Iorana Haraharaini

I won't kill it or change it because it is there system. I only give them back their password so they can use the program and do what they wish with it. It is not mine to kill.

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Iorana Haraharaini