Accessing a user's hidden files

[sayaprayer]

OK here goes:

My computer crashed.

Can't boot Windows (MCE 2005).

My workaround was to remove the hard drive from this computer, and connect it to a different PC to get my files off of the drive, then reformat.

Problem is, when I set up my Windows user account, I selected the option to make my files hidden from other users.

Now, with the drive in the second machine, I am unable to access the user folder under Documents and Settings.

Any ideas on a workaround? Or am I screwed?

Thanks!

 

[talldude123]

To view the files, you must login to your account, or manually go into Documents and Settings, Username, and go from there...

 

[sayaprayer]

I tried this and it's giving me an access is denied error. Only on my one account. I can access the Admin account. Just not my personal one.

Edit:
When trying to boot the OS, I get the blue screen, with this error message:
0x0000007B
It's followed by four parameters...but I only wrote the first one down.

 

[black_ws6]

Log in as an admin and take ownership of the folder and all files in it. Give yourself full control under the security tab and you should be ok.

 

[sayaprayer]

I can't log on to any account. When I start my PC I get the blue screen of death. I put the Hard drive into another computer just to try and save my files. I can't access them, even from the admin account. Unless there's a way to turn on full access. Both PC's have media center edition.

 

[Alvin.C]

Re:

Hello,

Ditto black_ws6's post. You need take owership or the files and folders in question (or the entire drive).

...also he means, have the drive hooked up to the second MCE 2005 PC that is working, and log into the admin account on that second machine machine to take ownership...

...not hook it up to your crashed MCE 2005 and go into your admin account to change ownership (because firstly you can't boot up in safe mode as you stated, and your admin account on the crashed MCE 2005 already has ownership of the files...the whole point is to let the working machine's admin account take ownership so you can access your files).

 

[sayaprayer]

How do you take owner ship on those files? I have it hooked up to the working PC as a second drive. That's where i'm getting the errors.

 

[Alvin.C]

Re:

Hello,

Taken from thread:

http://www.techist.com/showthread.php?threadid=106989&highlight=ownership

Adapted instructions:

In order to gain all read and write permissions for the new drive, you need to take ownership of the new hard drive using the Windows MCE 2005 Access Control settings in Security properties of the new drive. To do this you need to boot into Safe Mode.

It's relatively easy if you follow instructions properly. Here are some guides to help you:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421

http://www.winxptutor.com/ownership.htm

You must be logged into the MCE 2005 Administrator's account in order to modify access rights to files and folders. This means you will need to boot into Safe Mode to because the Administrator's account isn't accessible outside of Safe Mode.

 

[sayaprayer]

That worked perfect. Just booted in safe mode and took over ownership on the folder. Thanks for all the help.