Recovering data

[Tiny]

Hi Guys I need help.

I have a lap top hard drive with data that needs to be recovered.

The computer it came from was set up to have 3 users

one of the three users had a password set on it and that is were the data is located.

I have the password that I would use to gain access if the hard drive was being used to boot a computer, but I was not able to use it as a primary drive in any computer that I attempted this with.

How can I gain access to the locked section of the hard drive so that I can copy the needed data to a CD or DVD.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks Tiny

[Tiny]

The hard drive has windows xp home installed on it.
It came out of a DELL SONY Lap Top.
Its 15 Gig

[Socket]

Well, lets see.... here at work we'd use a USB-IDE adapter to plug the 2.5" drive into a desktop to mount it as a removable drive on either a Mac or Linux box.  The drive is my plaything at that point, assuming the data is not encrypted.  If the data is encrypted, then you got yourself a problem.

You really couldn't boot to that drive unless it was installed on a fairly identically configured laptop.  And how is it that you have a Dell Sony?  Dell doesn't make Sony and Sony doesn't make Dell...  Was it Sony refurbished by Dell or vice versa?

[Tiny]

Dell sony was a typo, 

The original machine was a Sony Lap top. My first attempt was to install it in a Dell Lap top.

For reasons you know it would not boot, But I was able to boot the computer with a Boot CD to confirm that the Data was there and the original computer failure was a Mother board issue not a HD issue.

The HD has been installed in to an external case with a USB connection and I have been able to look at most of the data on the HD.

What I have not been able to look at is the folder in the  Documents and settings folder that is related to the user that had a password on it.

When I tried to copy that folder to my HD or burn it onto a CD I was given a no access message.

Could I avoid this message if I was doing this on my MAC?

Thanks for the quick response.

[Tiny]

The exact message that I get is:

E:\Documents and Settings\Mint Condition is not accessible.
Access is denied.

I get this message when I connect the HD to any PC running Windows XP Pro.

Would connecting it to a MAC possibly change the results?

Tiny

[Socket]

It is likely.  The problem is a user permissions thing by the looks of it.  Macs don't care about Windows permissions so it should be fair game.

[Tiny]

Woo Hoo, It may take a day more but if it works, that will be great..

Thanks Tiny

[Oni no Ted]

You could also:

Start in Safe Mode, then Login as Administrator

that removes the permissions issues (temporarily, at least)


Transfer files, then restart system

[Tiny]

Thanks for the help everyone. I was able to recover the data after I was given more information on what I was looking for.

The program that I am recovering is a 10 year old program made by Cosmi called Perfect Accountant, when I searched for that, I was able to find all the components and them copy them in the correct file locations on the new computer and get the program running.

I did not need access to that part of the hard drive, but it is good to know that I can get to it if I need to.

BTW, Ted I took the leap and now have a 1TB network HD set up as a Raid1.
Ill let you know what I think about it and the program that they supplied with it in a few weeks.

Tiny