# Another Windows XP question re: deleted user accounts
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-windows-xp-question-re-deleted-user-accounts/256570
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 23, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-windows-xp-question-re-deleted-user-accounts/256570 "2004-07-23T20:09:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-windows-xp-question-re-deleted-user-accounts/256570/1 "2004-07-23T20:09:45Z")
Okay, so, I’d reinstalled XP on this computer a while back – or so I thought. I was doing a defrag earlier and noticed that certain files were being … defragged… files that I thought I’d lost under the reinstallation.
So I log on as Administrator and lo and behold, in my documents and settings folder, there is:
Bob Smith (the user before the ‘reformat’)
Bob Smith.HPPAVILION (the user I created after reinstalling)
I can log on as “Bob Smith.HPPAVILION” by entering “Bob Smith” at the logon window, but can’t figure out how to get to the documents of the original “Bob Smith”. When I try to browse the folder as Administrator, I get an “Access Denied” message. Defrag showed that all of my old files are still in there, I just don’t know how to access them.
Suggestions?
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### Author:  [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-windows-xp-question-re-deleted-user-accounts/256570/2 "2004-07-23T20:19:57Z")
As Administrator, go to the Security tab of the folder, and take ownership of it. Then set the permissions for it to permit Administrator and Bob Smith Full Control, and propagate those permissions down through the tree.
Then you’ll be able to browse through the folder.
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### Author:  [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-windows-xp-question-re-deleted-user-accounts/256570/3 "2004-07-23T20:20:25Z")
Take ownership of the “Bob Smith” profile.
Right click on the “Bob Smith” folder, choose Properties, Security tab and then the Advanced button. Then select the Owner tab and select the Administrators group. Make sure the “Replace owner on subfolders” option is checked and click OK.
This should change the ownership on the files and your administrator account will have access then.
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### Author:  [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-windows-xp-question-re-deleted-user-accounts/256570/4 "2004-07-23T20:21:33Z")
Or what **Bricker** said 🙂
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### Author:  [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2004, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-windows-xp-question-re-deleted-user-accounts/256570/5 "2004-07-24T03:22:27Z")
No Security tab… only General, Sharing, and Customize… none of which have the options you guys suggested.
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### Author:  [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-windows-xp-question-re-deleted-user-accounts/256570/6 "2004-07-24T03:27:55Z")
Nevermind, found it! I was using “Simple Sharing”.
Thanks guys!