Used PC issues

[CSULB71]

I’m trying to help my son fix a few issues he has with the used PC he bought recently (it’s a HP Pavilion running XP with SP2):
1. There are several folders that he can’t access; message says “C:\(name) is not accessible. Access is denied.”. Have they been password-protected by the previous (unknown) owner, or “locked” in some other manner? How can he find out what is preventing access, and how does he undo it? He just wants to delete the folders, but the system won’t let him. One of the folders is named “USER DATA” (under C:\) – is that a system-required folder that should not be deleted, and is always “locked”?
2. The hard drive is 80 GB and has the bootable drive partition (70 GB) formatted as NTFS, and Drive “D” (10 GB, formatted as FAT32) is where only System Restore files are kept. Was the partition sizes and formatting scheme set up by HP at the factory, or did the previous owner do it that way? I’ve read that it’s better to have the boot drive formatted as FAT32 (supposedly can’t use an emergency boot disk if drive is NFTS), and I’m wondering if I can change the formats and/or the partition sizes without reformatting the hard drive?
Thanks for any help.

[gadgetguy]

If it's like the ones I've worked on, HP set up that 10 GB "restore" partition. I don't remember exactly, but IIRC pressing the F12 key while booting up will restore the system back to the original HP config (along with the preinstalled crapware). This process is destructive and you will lose everything on the primary partition, (which shouldn't matter since it's someone else's stuff).
In order to access existing folders he will have to be logged in as the admin and then take possession of the folders in question.

[Ollie6431]

... 1. There are several folders that he can’t access; message says “C:\(name) is not accessible. Access is denied.”. Have they been password-protected by the previous (unknown) owner, or “locked” in some other manner? How can he find out what is preventing access, and how does he undo it? ...

It does not look like you have the Administrator account for Windows XP. With such account, you should be able to get access to any folders. I wonder if you can get one from the previous owner. You need an Admin account to do other things like installing new softwares, etc. If you cannot get one, then the other more difficult option is to reformat the hard drive and to install Windows XP again if you have the operating system software.

[ntscuser]

I’m trying to help my son fix a few issues he has with the used PC he bought recently (it’s a HP Pavilion running XP with SP2):
1. There are several folders that he can’t access; message says “C:\(name) is not accessible. Access is denied.”. Have they been password-protected by the previous (unknown) owner, or “locked” in some other manner? How can he find out what is preventing access, and how does he undo it? He just wants to delete the folders, but the system won’t let him. One of the folders is named “USER DATA” (under C:\) – is that a system-required folder that should not be deleted, and is always “locked”?

I've just accessed that folder on my HP and there is nothing in it of any size or great significance. Probably best left alone.

[CSULB71]

Thanks for the quick replies so far.
gadgetguy and Ollie6431 - we've already cleaned out/uninstalled a whole bunch (approx. 40 GB!) of the previous owner's crap, so reformatting and starting over is the last thing I want to do. We're both new to XP, but I think the "Administrator" login happens by default during normal bootup (no screen asking for an Admin login), and I had no trouble loading new software. The BIOS has "Supervisor Password" disabled, so maybe that is why there is no login required? The PC was bought on eBay from a pawn shop, so finding the previous owner is not possible.

ntscuser - I'll leave that folder alone, then.

[gadgetguy]

The BIOS password is completely separate and has nothing to do with Windows XP. The Administrator may or may not be the default login but you can check by going to the Control Panel and open User Accounts.

[redwudz]

Just to add, it sounds like you are OK the way it is. If you were missing large chunks of HDD space, or having other strange problems, I would be concerned. And if you can stuff a second hard drive in there to increase your HDD space, even better.

If you are having strange problems, then maybe the best method might be to wipe the hard drive and do a fresh XP install. But then you would need to buy a OS disc. But if XP is behaving properly, good enough. JMO.

[gll99]

Make sure you have administrator privileges on the system before you do this or it won't work.

First change how windows handles folder sharing:

In the explorer click on the "tools" menu and select "folder options" and then "view". Uncheck "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)".

Now you will be able to access the folder security options.

Right click on the locked folder and select "properties" and then choose "security". Next choose "add" and then "advanced" and click on "find now". Find your logon id and click on it and then select "ok" and then "ok" again on the next panel. Now assign yourself permissions for the folder such as "full control" by putting a check-mark in the appropriate box in the "allow column". Now click "apply" and and then "ok". You have just given yourself permission to read, write or delete the folder. Using this method you can assign or restrict whatever you want by folder and/or by logon userid.

Other administrators can override the settings if they know how but normal users cannot.

This is one of the powerful features of XP which you can apply to a whole partition, a folder or just one individual file.

btw) You can reset the folder options to the recommended simple file sharing settings (step 1) when you're done.

[ahhaa]

gll99- damn, you're good! 8)

& I was gonna suggest using one of the Linux Live CD distros, several can read/write winfiles now...

[CSULB71]

gll99 --

1. To confirm that I ("Owner" account name) have admin priveliges on the system, I have to see that the User Accounts screen (under Control Panel) shows "Computer Administrator" under the account name and picture (which it does)? There's nothing/nowhere else to look? It's never asked for a logon ID from the very first time my son booted up the PC, and since I've successfully deleted/moved files and folders and installed new software, I assume that "Owner" does, in fact, have admin priveliges on the system?

2. After opening Explore/Tools/Folder Options/View, I don't have "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" listed, so I can go no further. What next?

[Dv8ted2]

You may need to go into safe mode and log in as the administrator. This account is normally hidden by default. Once logged in as administrator, right click the folder in question and select properties. Select the security tab. Hit the advanced button and then hit the ownership tab. You would need to take ownership of the folder, then add the user account to be able to use that folder. You may also need to click the little checkbox at the bottom that states replace owner on all subcontents and objects. Reboot and then that user should be able to access the folder and contents.

[CSULB71]

Dv8ted2 --

As I've said before, a logon screen has never appeared during normal Windows boot-up, so I have no idea if the previous owner has an unknown password set up somehow for the administrator account "Owner" that I don't know about. Will booting in SAFE mode require a password to logon -- if so, what do I do then?

[Dr_Layne]

Just my 2 cents here. This is a used PC with the previous owner's data still on it. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A COMPLETE REFORMAT AND REINSTALL. Why?? Becuase you have idea what virus, trojans, spyware, etc might be on it. No software based program to remove these is 100% effective.
I would wipe and reinstall.

A_L

[gll99]

gll99 --

1. To confirm that I ("Owner" account name) have admin priveliges on the system, I have to see that the User Accounts screen (under Control Panel) shows "Computer Administrator" under the account name and picture (which it does)? There's nothing/nowhere else to look? It's never asked for a logon ID from the very first time my son booted up the PC, and since I've successfully deleted/moved files and folders and installed new software, I assume that "Owner" does, in fact, have admin priveliges on the system?

2. After opening Explore/Tools/Folder Options/View, I don't have "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" listed, so I can go no further. What next?

Before I go on I should confirm that security settings only apply to NTFS partitions so if this is not the case and you have issues with the fat32 parttition then it's probably a different issue.

Another important question, is this XP pro or XP Home edition? I've heard that the Home edition has locked that option and may not show it unless you boot in safe mode.

[aedipuss]

just for peace of mind you might make use of the hp restore feature and start fresh in either case. that would give you a new install, but would take quite a while to get all the updates from MS.

[Dv8ted2]

Dv8ted2 --

As I've said before, a logon screen has never appeared during normal Windows boot-up, so I have no idea if the previous owner has an unknown password set up somehow for the administrator account "Owner" that I don't know about. Will booting in SAFE mode require a password to logon -- if so, what do I do then?

The hidden administrator account by default has no password.

[CSULB71]

Dr_Layne (and others) -- Yes, I agree with you about doing a reformat and a fresh install, but my son didn't get any software installation discs with the PC, so that is a major problem at this point. Not sure he realized that when he bought the PC.

Gll99 -- It is the Home Edition. The C drive is formatted as NTFS, and is where the folders are that I'm asking about. I just wish I knew how much HDD space the "locked" folders are taking up. If it is only a small amount, I probably would tell him not to worry about it. But either way, it just bugs me to not know/be able to delete them.
If SAFE mode doesn't require a logon ID/password, I may try that route tomorrow and see what happens.

Thanks again.

[gll99]

Ok, it's different for the Home Edition.

To save me some typing here is a link to what I would say

http://www.jkg.in/119-how-can-i-disable-simple-file-sharing-in-windows-xp-home-edition.htm

It's pretty straight forward. Let us know how it works for you.

btw) Note that you still won't see the "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" option but by right clicking on the folder you should be able to change the access properties.

[gll99]

As an afterthought I did a Google search using "xp home security tab" to see if there was another option for those who have a lot of folders and don't want to continually switch to "SAFE" mode.

These are the google results:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-12,GGLD:en...e+security+tab

The following are 2 similar examples picked early on in the Google results:

This first one seems pretty easy to do and I checked the link to the file they show for download and it's active.
http://www.the-pc-guru.com/Get_a_Security_tab_in_XP_Hom.php

I checked the ftp link on this one and it works so does the MS link they provide
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_home_sectab.htm

And another which discusses the same thing but also a registry edit solution

http://www.msfn.org/board/lofiversion/index.php/t49800.html

It seems that there are more permanent solutions to this problem but I don't have the Home edition so can't test these suggestions myself. If you only need this for one folder it may not be practical for you to risk doing this but maybe it will help someone else who comes across this thread in the future.

[CSULB71]

Problem solved! But, holy crap, it wasn’t easy. Because the OS is XP Home Edition, booting into “Safe” mode was the key to getting to the necessary security options.
Gll99 -- I did this all late last night, and I now realize I forgot to uncheck the “Use simple file sharing (Recommended)” entry . After doing all of your other steps, the main folder was unlocked but the sub-folders were still locked, so I ventured further into the “Advanced” security settings . I’m sure forgetting that first step made everything that followed more complicated (and necessary?). I don’t remember what exact combination was the final answer, but it included opening the “Owner” tab, selecting “Owner” in the “Change owner to:” space, and checking the “Replace owner on subcontainer and objects” box. I think there was one other box I checked on the previous screen, something to do with inheriting parent permissions (or some such), but I can’t remember which box. The folder/subfolders in question had 3.6 GB of data in them, so pursueing this issue was worth it, plus I learned something. I'll check out those links you provided to see if it will help in the future.

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful suggestions.

[gll99]

Glad it worked for you. Safe mode is the simplest way to resolve this when you only have a few folders.