"Access Denied" error message on copying files

[ben]

I just purchased a new hard drive with a clean install of
Windows XP Pro. I hooked up my old hard drive to the new
system. When I try to go into the "my documents" and
the "windows" directory, I recieve an "Access Denied"
message. I am unable to log into the old hard drive to
fix anything on there. Any advice would be very much
appreciated.

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

See Help and Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421