I recently had an operating system meltdown on our desktop so I bought a new hard drive and re-installed the O.S. on the new drive with the intention of copying my documents, programs etc. off the old disc. All went to plan until I tried to access my documents, I get 'access denied' and the folder reports it is empty.

Is this because my account on the desktop was admin. and password protected? and if so, is there a way I can get access to all my settings, profiles again? HELP!!

Any help greatly appreciated.Welcome to the CH forums.

Try this..

Please readme..

Good luckThanks, It worked !

Really appreciate the assistance, I have some IMPORTANT work and personal stuff that I had not backed up PREVIOUS to the meltdown, and it's all there .... intact. THANKS.

tjNow is a good time to think about a solid backup strategy...
I use and highly recommend ACRONIS True Image...2manyBuds - Thanks for coming back to report your success.

I echo Patio's comments, you can never tell when your hard drive will suffer a catastrophic failure and you really need backup files. A half decent POWER surge or lightning strike could fry every component in your box.

Good luck