the normal Access Denied message then it could be a simple case of Taking Ownership, as explained here;
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421
But if these files were encrypted using Windows' EFS then that won't work. The EFS certificates would need to be retrieved from your backup.
Mark
I'm looking for help here... My windows XP crashed and I was able to reload windows without losing everything from the hard drive. All previous files are still there and my wife's are fully accessible. My old "My documents" will not open and I get a box that tells me "access is denied". The only difference is that I had previously had a password for my login.
I've tried everything I can think of including making my login the same as my old one and my password the same as well. I am the system administrator. I can see the files right where they should be. I just can't open them, move them, etc.
If anyone can let me know how I can open these files, I would be very, very appreciative!
Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic