Question: I’m trying to transfer some files from an old hard drive (32 bit Windows 7 HDD) onto my new one (64 bit W7 SSD). I connected the old HDD to the 2nd SATA port on the motherboard. Most of the files I need are in the User directories (e.g. User/My documents, etc.) When I try to open it, I get an pop up message “Click to gain access to this folder permanently” – but it just sits there with the loading bar at the top, not opening. I am on the administrator account, and I tried adding permissions in the Security Properties tab. Other folders are opening normally. I have a decent build (8 core cpu, 8 GB ram, OS running on an SSD) The old hard drive is fully functional, I just need to transfer some stuff to my new PC.
Answer:Unfortunately it is quite painful to take ownership of the root-level directories in windows to resolve the user ID permissions…
Quick way is to use a linux bootable os like ubuntu in live mode, mount both of your windows drives and just copy to/from similar to this guide
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2147063/linux-to-the-rescue-how-ubuntu-can-help-a-computer-in-distress.html
then you only have to deal with permissions on the new drive which will be much faster