I got an “Access is Denied” message when try to open the “My Documents” when my notebook died and I moved the hard disk onto my PC using a 2.5’ hard disk enclosure.
The problem is that the “My Documents” folder has security settings that need to be changed if you want to access the folder from a different Windows install. To fix the security problem you need to turn off Simple File Sharing:
- Click Start, and then click My Computer.
- From Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
- Go to Advanced Settings and turn off the checkbox "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" and click OK.
- Right-click the problem folder and click Properties.
- Click the Security tab and OK any Security message if one appears.
- Click Advanced and then Owner tab.
- In the Name list, click your user name you want to own the folder.
- Click to select the "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" check box and then OK.
- Click Yes, for the security warning about granting full permission control
- Click OK.