Most vexing problem with XP and access rights...

[Guden Oden]

I'm trying to transfer the contents of the "my documents" folder on one harddrive belonging to my old XP install to the "my documents" folder belonging to my NEW install on a NEW harddrive. There's a lot of cool and/or important stuff there that I MUST salvage before I format the drive and stick it in my PS2 instead.

Problem is, the doggoned OS won't let me do anything with the old "my documents" folder, it flat out refuses despite I am the administrator of my own computer.

How do I bitch-slap XP into letting me enter my own folder on my own goddamn harddrive?

I hate shit like this... Fuck Billgates!

 

[Vadi]

Do you use Professional? Maybe you have to "unlock" the folder first (in the properties tab). Or boot from the old drive if possible and then copy the files.

 

[Guden Oden]

I have XP Home, and there is no unlock stuff in the properties window (I checked that already), it just says I don't have the right to access that folder for some bullshit reason...

Fuck Billgates!

 

[kipper67]

I've not had to do this myself but i've seen the process described to others with the same problem , so

boot into safe mode - F8 as the machine starts up
log into the administrator account
you should now find if you right click on any folder in explorer you have access to the usual file security tab rather than the "simple" file sharing tab
you should now be able to "take ownership" of the folder in question and grant full access rights to all users
that should let you access all the documents when you reboot and log in normally

You can find more info , if it's not clear here - http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421

Mark

 

[Guden Oden]

Egad! Why should I have to faff around like this to access my own files? Stupid microsoft...

I know who Tarantino should have cast as the main antagonist in his "Kill Bill" movies!

Thanks a lot for the infos! I will check this out tomorrow after I've had some sleep.

 

[Humus]

Why should I have to faff around like this to access my own files? Stupid microsoft...

It's called security. It's a good thing to have in an OS at times ...

 

[g__day]

Can you login as your old self - and tranfser the My_docs to temp/me/ then login as the new you and transfer temp/me/ to your current My_docs?

 

[Guden Oden]

It's called security.

Umm, right. So this "security" is protecting WHO from WHAT, really? Me, from myself?!? No, it's not security, it's IDIOCY. It's the mother-fucking windows HOME edition for starters with just one user account, and in any case it shouldn't start protecting ANYTHING unless specifically ASKED TO, because otherwise it's just a damn bother when I need to recover my own old data like in this case.

I'm not running a datacenter for some corporation here, it's just me, myself and I living in a 1-room apartement with a kitchen. No need for any fucking security...

 

[Martin Eddy]

Your username might be the same on the new system but it is still a different user account. How would you like it if someone else could use the same user name as you to access all your stuff, then you would be winging at microsoft becasue they didn't protect you're files. :?

Give them a brake. As the old saying goes"You're damned if you do,you're damned if you don't"

 

[Guden Oden]

How would you like it if someone else could use the same user name as you to access all your stuff

A - as I am the only person who can access my stuff, I'd prefer if I'd be able to access my own stuff without having the computer telling me I'm not allowed to. It only seems to block the "my documents" folder anyway so what's the point? Most people I know do not use that folder for anything because they think it is stupid. I think it's stupid too, but I still put my collection of funny pics I downloaded off the web there, amongst other sentimental stuff.

B - if I didn't want myself accessing my stuff, I'd expect the OS to protect my stuff from myself a LITTLE better than letting me circumvent the block by booting into safe mode and taking possession of the folder...

So like you said, it's indeed a lose-lose situation here. It's true, MS can't do anything right.

 

[3dilettante]

How would you like it if someone else could use the same user name as you to access all your stuff

A - as I am the only person who can access my stuff, I'd prefer if I'd be able to access my own stuff without having the computer telling me I'm not allowed to. It only seems to block the "my documents" folder anyway so what's the point? Most people I know do not use that folder for anything because they think it is stupid. I think it's stupid too, but I still put my collection of funny pics I downloaded off the web there, amongst other sentimental stuff.

B - if I didn't want myself accessing my stuff, I'd expect the OS to protect my stuff from myself a LITTLE better than letting me circumvent the block by booting into safe mode and taking possession of the folder...

So like you said, it's indeed a lose-lose situation here. It's true, MS can't do anything right.

The programmers at Microsoft have no way of knowing if only you or eighty others can log on to that computer, and for the vast majority of single-user cases, the ownership of that folder is completely transparent.
The My Documents file is specifically designed to be the one file that nobody but the owner(or the administrator) can remotely copy.

The problem you are having is due to the fact that a different windows installation has absolutely no way to tell if the "You" who claims that "You" own this file is really Guden Oden, and not some random person saying he is. A copied My Documents file from another acount has no characteristics that can be used to determine that the current party is the original, as that is information that exists entirely outside of the computer, and is impossible to code for.

The administrator work-around is used because odds are the owner of the machine would be the authority on who is who, and normally would have that high-level account passworded, but it's only useable on the same system, not remotely.

You'll just have to copy the files to a non-protected folder and transfer them.

 

[Guden Oden]

The programmers at Microsoft have no way of knowing if only you or eighty others can log on to that computer

Precisely, which is why it at most should ASK me if I want to protect my own shit from myself, or better yet, not bother with shit like that at all when there's only one user account set up on the drive anyway. Like I said, it's the HOME edition of XP, not Secret Government Branch Located 3000 Feet Beneath the Pentagon edition...

 

[RussSchultz]

And then when somebody broke in and stole your stuff you would be bitching that it didn't assume you wanted it protected.

You're just pissed off because you're inconvenienced and are venting.

 

[3dilettante]

The programmers at Microsoft have no way of knowing if only you or eighty others can log on to that computer

Precisely, which is why it at most should ASK me if I want to protect my own shit from myself, or better yet, not bother with shit like that at all when there's only one user account set up on the drive anyway. Like I said, it's the HOME edition of XP, not Secret Government Branch Located 3000 Feet Beneath the Pentagon edition...

You sort of can, just take My Documents off the desktop, and you'll probably never see it again.

 

[Sage]

permanent solution to your problem