How do I restore a damaged folder?

Solnyshko

Solnyshko

Solnyshko

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I had a system crash a while ago and was never able to boot again from the disk. I bought a new HDD, did a fresh install of XP and found that the corrupted disk appeared pretty much intact.

The only area that appears to be damaged is the C:\Documents and Settings\user directory

it is this folder (and its contents) I am trying to recover

clicking on it opens a popup declaring C:\Documents and Settings\user is not accessible. Access is denied.

any thoughts?
 
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Access is denied sounds like a permissions error rather than a disk error. Have you a) run chkdsk on it and b) reset permissions on the folder?
 
You need to take ownership of the folder because the file permissions still belong to the old installation.

Right click folder, properties, security tab, advanced, owner tab, change owner to your current user.
 
hmmm... problem is on cursory examination the folder appears to be empty (0kb). Is this consistent with a read error? :-/

So right click>properties, security tab, advanced, owner tab, and then select from one of the two options in the list?

Current owner appears to be the same as that on my current installation...
 
From your first post, an access is denied error should be down to permissions since it's from a previous install. I've had to do this before too.

See if you can change the owner anyway and see if it makes a difference, there should be an option to replace permissions on sub folders etc too.
 
Yeah I'm a little worried about overwriting any data (someone advised me to make a mirror of the drive using Encase which I think is a forensic recovery tool and a bit beyond my reach - before tampering at all with the original drive)

But changing permissions should be perfectly reversible, right?

Actually from the security tab rather than going into advanced (which offer two possible permision identities from a list) should be ussing Add to create a new permission?

(I hope that makes sense)
 
I've always found that adding a new permission doesn't seem to make any difference and it was the owner that made the difference! I know what you mean though.
 
Ah this is interesting. On the security tab only two Group or User names are listed: S-1-5-21-1659004503-1123561945-725345543-1003 and SYSTEM but no administrator whereas if I rightclick on another user profile there is a third permission available, that of an Administrator....

hmmm.

2348733040_099e029a38_o.jpg


whereas this profile (also from the source disk) is accessible:

2348739556_4a962629b1_o.jpg
 
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Yeah the S-1 etc is a user from the previous install that your new install can't identify, you need to change it to a user from the new install, ie your new user account. That should fix it.
 
right ok. but oddly if you look at the two following screengrabs I [HOWARD] already appear to be the current owner but this is not being reflected in permissions

2347917609_e8ca85a919_o.jpg



2348746890_087666e50c_o.jpg
 
Ok, so the first screen shot looks ok, so on the Permissions tab, add a new user (you) to the list with full control and tick the second box below before pressing ok.

That should add you without removing the S-1 account (not that it really matters because it doesn't exist!) but if it doesn't work, remove the S-1 account.
 
Ok. Sorry for being a bit slow with this, I've never done it before! - what should i be entering in this field? It doesn't seem to be offering a suggestion - and the 'examples' make next to no sense to me!

2347956505_e53083364e_o.jpg


EDIT: ah figured it out! - went through Advanced....
 
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You should just type your username and press Check Names.

From the able screen shots it looks like your name is Guilhem, so type that and press Check Names. It should add the computer name and a \ to it.
 
You still don't seem to have the Guilhem user in the permissions list.

I'd delete the S-1 user and replace it with your new user and make sure that box is ticked to replace subfolder permissions.
 
It worked! it worked!

for months I've been trying fix this with all sorts of recovery tools! I don't believe it! great, thanks mate :D

ended up using administrators/HOWARD (plural seem to do it)
 
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