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Accepted
Will Marcouiller
Asked: 2010-12-02 16:09:31 +0800 CST

How to change the content ownership of an external HDD under Windows 7 for backup (all folders at once)?

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Summary

I'm currently trying to pickup the data of a HDD which PC is now dead (the M/B). I connected the HDD to my PC using an External IDE->USB Enclosure and can navigate thoughout some of the alien drive folders.

Aside, when I attempt to access some of the folders, like the ones in Documents and Settings\*, I always get the message that I need to go to the Security Tab.

Security Issue

The problem I'm having is because the ownership of the Document and Settings subfolders is undefined. Changing the ownership to MyPC\Administrators suffice to let me continue exploring the folder I just double-clicked. Then, I have to do it for all, and I mean for all the subsequent subfolders.

Wanted

I would like to get a workaround as per setting the ownership all at once to all of this HDD's folders and subfolders, without being obliged to click [Continue], when I'm asked to, or going to the Security Tab to change the ownership manually for each single folder.

Configuration

My PC:

  1. Microsoft Windows 7 Professional;

Alien HDD:

  1. Was using Windows XP.
  2. Currently connected through an external IDE/USB hard drive enclosure.

Purpose

I need to retrieve important business files, since the PC this drive was installed on just died.

Question

Is there a way to allow me to change all of the ownership of this external drive folders and subfolders so that I don't need to change it manually for each and every single folder again?

Please feel free to ask whatever question that may help you help me! I will be more than pleased to give the more accurate answer that I can with my basic knowledge as a system administrator (I'm a software developer).

Thanks for your kind help everyone! =)

hard-drive file-transfer security windows-xp windows-7

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    This might not be the most direct solution, but you may want to try this. Linux doesn't obey NTFS permissions, it just loads the entire drive and lets you access whatever you want. You could boot off of a linux Live CD and use that to copy the files off.

    Another approach would be to use the command line permissions editor to change all of the permissions. The program is icacls, and there is documentation for it on TechNet.

    icacls "E:\path\to\folder\" /grant %USERNAME%:F /t

    ...will give full permissions to the user running the command to all folders and files in that directory, and all subdirectories. I tested it with a directory tree I had removed all read permissions from, and it worked on all the files in it. If you don't have ownership of the files, you may want to run 

    icacls "E:\path\to\folder\" /setowner %USERNAME% /t

    to make yourself the owner of the files, then run the grant command above, once you have ownership. You may need to run these commands in an elevated command prompt.

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