"Access Denied" folders

[Monica]

Recently I had to format my main hard drive. I backed up
important files to a folder in my second hard drive, and
then formatted the main one and reinstalled Windows XP
Professional (the OS I'd had before the install).

Now I can't access the folder I'd backed things up on.
Every time I double-click it, I get an error: "D:\Blah is
not accessible. Access is denied." The rest of the drive
is fine; but everything I'd put on the drive within a few
hours of the reinstall is inaccessible. (This includes the
backup folder and one Web page that I'd happened to save
not long ago.)

The folder's properties sheet claims it contains 0
kb...but there is a 200-MB discrepancy between the amount
of space the uncorrupted files take up, and the total
amount of space that D:'s properties sheet says is taken.
This 200 MB roughly corresponds to the amount of space
that the files in my folder had occupied.

I can't rename, delete, or compress the folder. (I tried
deleting the lone corrupted Web page, and that worked. It
was not sent the the recycle bin, just deleted.)

I've run chkdsk /f /r on D:, and while it says that there
are 16 Kb in bad sectors, it never recovers them, and
that's the only error it finds.

Can anyone tell what's going on? I'd love to either
recover the files or just get rid of the folder, but I
can't do either, and I'm out of ideas.

 

[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

 

[Monica]

Thanks for the reply, but...my properties sheet doesn't
have a "security" tab. It has "sharing" which, when you
click it, is headed "Sharing and Security." However, the
only options are to share with local users or share with
the network. There is no "Advanced" button. (for
screenshot, see
http://www.empyreanhalls.com/properties.jpg .)

In the screenshot it says you can drag something
to "Shared Documents" to make it accessible to everyone.
However, any attempt to move the folder gives "Access is
denied. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected
and the file is not currently in use."

I don't see any security/ownership options under drive
properties, either. (Actually, I've never heard of, seen,
or dealt with the "ownership" property.)

I'm on a standalone workstation and all files and folders
were created by my account, which has administrative
privileges. Most of my settings are "Windows Classic."
(Fiddling with folder settings didn't turn up any security
options, though.) I don't know how much those things
affect the problem.

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options, View and uncheck
Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a drive, folder or
file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll see a Security
tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on user name or user
group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders under My Documents
"private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file and selecting
Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other folders, you need
to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built in Administrator
account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in Properties, and you
can assign permissions based on user name or group membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home (makes the Security
tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder Permissions in Windows
XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for Files and
Folders
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a Shared Folder in
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;307874

Thanks for the reply, but...my properties sheet doesn't
have a "security" tab. It has "sharing" which, when you
click it, is headed "Sharing and Security." However, the
only options are to share with local users or share with
the network. There is no "Advanced" button. (for
screenshot, see
http://www.empyreanhalls.com/properties.jpg .)

In the screenshot it says you can drag something
to "Shared Documents" to make it accessible to everyone.
However, any attempt to move the folder gives "Access is
denied. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected
and the file is not currently in use."

I don't see any security/ownership options under drive
properties, either. (Actually, I've never heard of, seen,
or dealt with the "ownership" property.)

I'm on a standalone workstation and all files and folders
were created by my account, which has administrative
privileges. Most of my settings are "Windows Classic."
(Fiddling with folder settings didn't turn up any security
options, though.) I don't know how much those things
affect the problem.