I can't access any files on my old HARD DRIVE. Please HELP!

[Bluelaade]

Hello,

So I recently bought a new computer, and of course I had to transfer all my programs, files, pictures, and videos over to the new PC. I transferred all my stuff via a USB stick. However, not everything fit on the USB stick, so I just took the essentials. Well now, I am needing something else that's on my hard drive, but guess what? I can't get into it because it apparently doesn't belong to me. I've followed tutorials, both video and written ones, but I have yet to find success in this whole ordeal. I've even tried downloading and using the program "TakeOwnershipEx", but still no luck. Every time I supposedly take ownership of the hard drive or one of the files on it, it tells me, "You get full access to target!", but of course, I prove it wrong every time. I've done the whole "Find the file, right-click and go to properties, security tab, advanced" thing, yet it still won't work. I am literally on the verge of throwing this damn thing against a wall. Of course, I don't want to do that as it has some pretty valuable things on it that would be pretty helpful to me since I am currently on a path to becoming a full-time YouTuber. If anyone at all has any kind of helpful information, please don't hesitate to reply. All help is welcomed. I do ask, however, that you explain it to me as if I was a 3 year old. I'm not that tech savy when it comes to this kind of stuff.

Thanks in advanced!

P.S: My old PC was a Dell and my new PC is an ASUS. Just in case that is need to know info later.

 

[The Paladin]

Question:
Do you still have your old PC ?

IF YES : slap that drive in old pc, copy files to usb drive and copy to new PC
IF NO: attach Drive to new PC as secondary drive and access data directly as D: or E: drive

 

[DR_Luke]

Most data recovery programs bypass Windows permissions...unless encryption is enabled. One program I recommend is R-Studio, which is a paid program. I'm not a big fan of free recovery programs, but a lot of people speak highly of Recuva.

 

[MyDNA]

you didn't say how you are trying to access the old HDD? From the old system as it was before, trying to copy files to the USB stick? or you added the old drive to the new system?

In any case if you added it to the new system or still have it connected to the old Dell, go to the system it is on and bring up a command prompt opened as Administrator [right click Start and choose Open Command prompt as Administrator]. Now type the following command:

powercfg.exe /hibernate off

Reboot and try accessing the old HDD.

This might work. The command turns off hybrid hibernation, which locks the drive and other partitions on the same drive in the event of an improper shutdown. But I have had a similar problem like yours and the above is what worked. Good luck

 

[LordLuciendar]

Most data recovery programs bypass Windows permissions...unless encryption is enabled. One program I recommend is R-Studio, which is a paid program. I'm not a big fan of free recovery programs, but a lot of people speak highly of Recuva.

I had a ReFS partition (6 Disk 12TB RAID) fail (twice now) on my server, R-Studio saved the day. I'm the opposite, I think the pay programs are usually a waste of money, but R-Studio is an exception and a recommendation I'm glad to make.

You could also icalcs. Pop open an administrative command prompt and run something like:
d: (where d is your drive letter)
icalcs * /reset /t /c /q (or icalcs * /setowner username /t /c /q, where username is your username, or icalcs * /grant:r username:f /t /c /q)

icalcs reference