How to Access Files on a Former Hard Drive Without Permission Errors in Windows

Problem

When a failed computer’s hard drive is connected to another Windows PC, the original user’s desktop files are often inaccessible because the mounted drive inherits the original ACLs. The drive receives a new letter (e.g., E:), and the desktop folder resides at E:\Users\<em>original_user</em>\Desktop. If the source drive was created under the built‑in Administrator account, a standard administrator account on the host PC cannot read the folder.

Cause

Windows stores file‑system permissions per user SID. The Administrator account on the source system has a different SID from the Administrator (or any other) account on the host system, so the host account lacks the required rights to the Users\Administrator profile directory.

Solution

Enable and log in with the built‑in Administrator account on the host computer, then access the mounted drive.

Press Win+R, type compmgmt.msc and press Enter .

In Computer Management navigate to Local Users and Groups → Users .

Locate the Administrator account, right‑click it, choose Properties , and clear the “Account is disabled” checkbox.

Click OK , then log out ( Win+L) and log in using the Administrator credentials.

After switching to the Administrator account, revisit the mounted drive. The original desktop folder ( E:\Users\Administrator\Desktop) can now be opened and its contents copied normally, including documents, QQ chat logs, and WeChat data.

Alternative

If a Windows PE bootable USB is available, the same files can be copied directly from the PE environment without modifying user accounts. The method described above works on a regular Windows installation and requires no special tools.