How to get files off old computer?

[l0cke]

Well I just upgraded someones computer into a brand new system. I kept the old HDD's because they said they had pictures and no passwords. Then they realized that their daughter had password on and now she can't get her files. I have access to the hard drive and the old password. Problem is it will only boot the old version of XP in safe mode, and my mouse doesn't work in safe mode

Any ideas on how I can get the files?

[ColdFusion200]

Well I just upgraded someones computer into a brand new system. I kept the old HDD's because they said they had pictures and no passwords. Then they realized that their daughter had password on and now she can't get her files. I have access to the hard drive and the old password. Problem is it will only boot the old version of XP in safe mode, and my mouse doesn't work in safe mode

Any ideas on how I can get the files?

you should just be able to pull the files off of the hdd without the password (how good is microsoft security eh)

[Jeremy]

...and my mouse doesn't work in safe mode

You can navigate with just the keyboard, too. Tab and Alt keys do wonders.

[l0cke]

you should just be able to pull the files off of the hdd without the password (how good is microsoft security eh)

every time I try to open it I get the attached message. If I make a new account with the same name will it work?

[ColdFusion200]

you should just be able to pull the files off of the hdd without the password (how good is microsoft security eh)

every time I try to open it I get the attached message. If I make a new account with the same name will it work?

not entirely sure. i would've thought that administrator would be able to set different permissions tho

there is the possibility that the file is encrypted tho, in which case, i dont think you'll be able to get it without the password

[l0cke]

not entirely sure. i would've thought that administrator would be able to set different permissions tho

there is the possibility that the file is encrypted tho, in which case, i dont think you'll be able to get it without the password

I DO have the password for the original files

[FrankE9999]

If you add the drive to working XP system you still need to change the security permissions on the files.

First take ownership of the files.

Logon the XP computer using an account that has administrator rights.

Right click on the folder and select properties.

Select the security tab, click the advanced tab, click the owner tab.

Select the administrators group or the current users and check the option to replace the owner on subcontainers and objects then press ok.

Next change the security perms on the files.

Open the properties folder again and add the administrators group to the folder and give it full access. Select the option to reset the permissions on all child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions.

[IcemanND]

This process has work for me on numerous drives belonging to customers when we pull them and place them in our data recovery systems.

If you haven't already done it turn off "Use Simple file sharing"

To do this open my computer, select tools menu, folder options.

All the way at the bottom of the list on the Views tab under advanced settings is a check box to "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" remove the check mark and click OK to close the Folder Options window.

Now right click on the drive/folder with the problem. (If you select the drive you can reset permissions for all files/folders contain on it and start over.)

Select Properties and then select the Security Tab.

Click the Advanced button.

Select the Owner tab.

Select your preferred user name or group, and place a check in the box for "Replace owner on sub-containers and objects"

Click OK

and wait it takes about 5-10 minutes depending upon the size of your drive and how much stuff you have on it.

If it comes up with a security warning click yes to replace permissions.

[jcarle]

If the data was encrypted on the old harddrive, you'll need something like this to recover it.

[Aegis]

Why spend the money? Just export the data recovery certificate for the account and import it into the new computer. Once you have the certificate, you can access the files from your new computer. This is assuming the files are encrypted. If it's an issue of file permission, follow FrankE or Iceman's advice.

[jcarle]

Why spend the money? Just export the data recovery certificate for the account and import it into the new computer. Once you have the certificate, you can access the files from your new computer. This is assuming the files are encrypted. If it's an issue of file permission, follow FrankE or Iceman's advice.

I thought to recover the files from EFS you had to have a user with the same GUID and password to be able to do that?

[uvmain]

just boot into safe mode and navigate with the keyboard?

use alt keys, and the tab key atc.. navigating without a mouse really isn't that hard..

[LLXX]

I wouldn't even try to boot off the OS already on there, I'd just plug it into another machine and read it from there, after the permissions application discussed above if it happens to be NTFS.

[Aegis]

I thought to recover the files from EFS you had to have a user with the same GUID and password to be able to do that?

All he said was that he had a password, which I assumed was for the account that created the pictures.

[HyperHacker]

I navigate mouseless all the time. Under Accessibility Options in the control panel is a nice feature called MouseKeys, which lets you control the cursor with the keyboard. It's useful since a lot of XP apps are difficult or impossible to use without a mouse, and it's also a great way to do pixel-precise movements.