Manually restoring users Documents & Settings on new XP install

[Guest]

After HDD crash, I installed a new HDD and made a fresh OEM XP Pro install.
How can I "reinstate" 4 previous Users Documents & Settings folders (from
backed-up copies transferred on the new drive). When I add new users with
same names (i.e. "Luc"), XP creates new Documents and Settings folders under
different names (adding the PC name as an extension i.e. "Luc\PCname"). Is
there a way to replace these with the original ones?

Thank you!
Luc

 

[Guest]

While the old install was running you might have used the "Files and Setting
Transfer Wizard" on the start menu to save a copy of the user settings, but
now you don't have the access control list data to recover the user settings
contained in the 'ntuser.dat'. You can 'take ownership' of the files to
access them, but not their settings.
Q308421 - HOW TO Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q308421

 

[John John]

How to restore a user profile in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314045

Written for Windows 2000 but it's the same thing for XP. The
instructions for Server 2003 are also the same:

How To Restore a User Profile in Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324734

These instructions will work providing that the copy of the profile is
not corrupt.

John

 

[Guest]

Thank you! That did it for the documents and the desktops.; however, the
programs also restored from an external backup onto the new drive, do not
start from the desktop icons or Start/All Programs. (I was using ntbackup
without ASR floppy so that's why I have to restore settings manually). Is
there a way to copy from the original registry the program registrations (old
"bad" drive is installed as 2nd drive and is accessible) to paste into the
new registry?

Thanks!

 

[John John]

You have to reinstall the programs, there is no other way to register
them (to the registry).

John