XP - Locked out of data on new machine

[GPG]

I had a Fujitsu-Siemens machine with OEM XP installed. A terrible accident
suddenly happened to this machine, but I believe that the HD is intact.
So I bought a new machine, not Fujitsu, also with XP OEM installed. I tried
to boot the new machine from the old HD, but it fails on the XP (part of the
multiboot system).
Never mind - I will make the old HD secondary, and transfer the data from
the old one to the new one. But a I've hit a big problem. The data I really
want, of which there is much, is in folders which say "access denied". This
seems to be because they were in my account which had administrative
privileges. No such problems with other, largely unused accounts which had
no such privileges.
Also on the multiboot menu is a fixit option which asks for the machine's
Administator Password - I have no idea :-(, but pressing enter brings one
into a mode which can explore the NTFS partitions on the OLD HD, but the
same folders etc are "access denied".

Does the old HD fail to boot because it knows it is not on the 'correct
machine', or is it just that there are driver incompatabilities?
If it is the former, one is inclined to say "stuff Microsoft".

Am I stuffed?

 

[Guest]

How to take ownership of a file or folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=308421

"Access is Denied" Error Message When You Try to Open a Folder
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=810881