My laptop recently burnt out beyond repair due to a faulty power lead. In order to retrieve data (photos mainly) that was on the HDD I decided to remove the HDD and mount it in a USB caddy and use/access it as an external storage device. All is sort of going well (IE it works and I have access to it) but my wife and I both used seperate profiles. These were not password protected when created and accessed as part of the OS but now that they are two folders on the HDD access is denied unless I submit a password. Obviously as there has never been one I am stuck. The OS was Windows XP.Thanks in advance for any help/advice1 person needs an answerI do too

You need to take ownership of the folder(s):1. If you’re using XP Home, boot the computer to Safe Mode (start tapping F8 when you switch on), choose an OS and your Account. Right-click the folder you want to retrieve > Properties > Security Tab > then OK on any security message that appears. Click Advanced > Owner Tab. In the Name list, click your user name. Put a tick in ‘Replace owner on subcontainers and objects’ > OK, then click Yes.2. If you’re using XP Professional, you must firstly turn off simple file sharing via Folder Options > View Tab > Advanced Settings section and click to clear the Use simple file sharing box.Now right-click the folder > Properties, etc. as (1) above.