I am trying to access files on a Toshiba 60GB laptop hard drive that I removed from a laptop that has bitten the dust.

I have connected it via a USB cable with a 2.5" hard drive enclosure.

I can open up the drive via My Computer on the desktop I am using but the personal files(pictures, music, videos, etc.) are not accessible under Documents and Settings tab of the drive. My laptop did have password protection on startup. I can see the files under each of the other folders, such as Administrator and All Users, but my person files are showing Access Denied when I try to click on the folder bearing my username.

When I move the mouse pointer over the folder icon it shows no files, but I know there are numerous music and photo files in this folder.

I am trying to move these to the desktop I am hooked to, again via USB, and then format this laptop drive and use it as a backup external drive.

Any suggestions on accessing the "missing" files?

For the most likely cause, NTFS file permissions now incorrect due to moving the drive to another machine, right-click the folder bearing your username and choose 'Properties'. Select the 'Security' tab. Verify the user account that you logged into the computer with is listed or a member of one of the groups listed. If not, add the account via the 'Add' button, and set permissions as desired. Since you don't already have access, you will probably need to log-off and log back in using an Administrator account.

Otherwise, if the permissions appear to be correct, did the laptop have any encryption hardware or software active?