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Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

Tags: Microsoft, Security, Windows

Hi,
Hoping someone can assist with the strangest permissions issue I have ever come across. A client brought in a windows XP box with booting issues. We tried all the usual, safe mode, repair, HDD health check, virus check using offline Linux systems and various AV recovery images. When OS disk is removed from machine and inserted into a windows 11 box, the drive is visible in device manager, has a drive letter, but shows as access denied when you try to access.

We have tried changing permissions, taking ownership and all methods we know via Gui to get access. Run endless CMD takedown & icacls commands and in both approaches, the commands run, finish and yet drive is not accessible. Even downloaded utility called takeownershippro.exe and nothing provides us ability to access drive.

Booting to a Linux OS and data recovery software shows file system, allows access to files and when copied across on a usb stick to a windows machine, files open okay. Just direct access to drive from a windows box is proving impossible. I am 100% confident physical drive is okay, that we have tried all approaches at AV scanning to verify not a boot sector/rootkit/ransomware type infection and have followed countless steps on changing permissions and yet no joy. Totally stumped.

Normally, we would just extract data and then just reload fresh machine, however customer runs a very old and no longer available software for laundromat business and no longer has access to software for us to reload in fresh OS. Agree use of XP very unwise, however his current software platform can only run on this and for mean time they are stuck with this option ?

ANY idea would be most appreciated 😊

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[kees_b]

Reply To: Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

In reply to Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

It’s not clear from your story why you need data recovery software in Linux to access the files. That shows that something is wrong with the disk, I should say. Usually, Linux doesn’t mind Windows privileges.
And what are those boot issues? Those also point to something wrong with the disk.

With apparently no image backup and no backup of the software the business needs, this is a problem indeed. But even a fresh install of XP might be a problem, because it seems Microsoft shut down its activation server for XP a long time ago already.

It might be time to start looking for new software. Like, surely, a laundromat business buys new laundromats if the old ones break down and can’t be repaired. Sorry to say so.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by kees_b.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by kees_b.

So what happens?

In reply to Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

If you attach this to a PC running XP?

In fact you may want to consider setting up a XP PC anyway then look into those App/Program movers. I can’t offer support on that but defer to the companies that made them.

Remember they had decades to plan for this day. I don’t think anyone is going to find a miracle but my plan would be to get another PC up and running XP then use an App/Program mover to see if I can get that app over to the new PC.

As to cost, this is going to run up quite the bill as there’s a few hundred for the new (old) XP PC. Then the hours to get the app off the old and onto the new XP PC.

Reply To: Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

In reply to Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

Have you tried running a CHKDSK? Other than that you’ve tried pretty much everything I’d have gone through.

Never do that to your last copy of data.

In reply to Reply To: Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

Many forget the basic rule about data recovery and preservation.

NEVER write to a drive that has your last copy of whatever it is you are trying to save. CLONE and operate on the clone.

Data, system recovery work isn’t cheap. If the client isn’t paying, bow out now before you are stuck doing charity work.

Reply To: Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

In reply to Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

“Normally, we would just extract data and then just reload fresh machine, however customer runs a very old and no longer available software for laundromat business and no longer has access to software for us to reload in fresh OS.”

While I understand this is a valid reason, it is still a bad reason. It isn’t like XP was end of life last year. It was 12 years old when supported ended in 2014. They’ve had almost 10 years to move to new software.

CHKDSK?

In reply to Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

Have you tried running a CHKDSK?

ccess Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

In reply to Access Denied XP disk in Win11 OS – Impossible to change permissions

It seems like you are facing a very strange permissions issue on a Windows XP machine. Despite trying all the usual troubleshooting methods, you are still unable to access the drive on a Windows 11 machine even though the drive is visible in the device manager and has a drive letter assigned.

You have tried changing permissions, taking ownership, and using various command-line tools such as takedown and icacls to no avail. Even a third-party utility called takeownershippro.exe failed to provide access to the drive.

However, when you booted into a Linux OS and used data recovery software, you were able to access the file system and copy files onto a USB stick, which were then accessible on a Windows machine.

It’s possible that there is a compatibility issue between the old XP file system and the newer Windows 11 file system. You may want to try accessing the drive on a Windows XP or Windows 7 machine to see if that resolves the issue. Alternatively, you could try accessing the drive through a virtual machine running Windows XP.

Another possibility is that the issue may be related to the file system permissions themselves. You could try running a disk check utility on the XP drive to see if there are any errors or inconsistencies in the file system. You could also try using a third-party tool to repair or recover the file system.

Overall, this seems like a very complex and challenging issue. It may be worth seeking the assistance of a professional data recovery service or IT specialist who has experience dealing with these types of issues.

[Author]

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