XP HD data recovery - file ownerships

[Lemmy]

I am trying to recover data from the main HD from my XP-home machine, which has een removed and placed into an external USB case.

This process has been simple and I have migrated *most* of my data. However, some of the data sits in the default directory C:\Documents and Settings\Compaq_Owner\Compaq Owner's Docuements <link to My Documents>, and this foler had some default permissions set such that I canot access many of the files.

Initially I was unable to view *any* documents below Compaq_Owner ( Folder-> properties showed 0 files). However after changing ownership through the properties menu I was able to view all the files / folders under the very first level Compaq_Owner folder.

The problem is, below this directory I can still view but am unable to copy many of the files, due to lack of permissions. I had tried a recursive change of ownership / permissions changes many times and it basically gets stuck. This work is being done using a fully patched, 2 week old laptop with XP pro.

None of the data is enrypted, just a permissions or ownership issue that has carried over in the HD from the original machine, and I cannot sem to overide.

Are there any tips or guidelines for this issue or should I just try to use a Linux live CD?

Thanks,

Mike (Lemmy)

[Scarecrow Man]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

Remember, replacing ownership means these files will no longer be able to be opened by the original computer. If, like your case, the computer has crashed, there is nothing to worry about.