Windows 7: Locked out of Harddrive/folders

so i reformated my computer and in attempt to re-install old software instead of going to each site and re downloading everything i found out that every possible folder in my external hard dive doesnt want me in.



i am not the "administrator" of my folders and does not want me in.

what do i do?

To share out an entire drive with Windows 7 you need to take an extra step beyond the standard sharing permissions.

You need to go into the Security tab of the drive and allow "Everyone" access by adding Everyone to the access list like in the picture below. Be sure and hit the apply and ok buttons once you change the settings for the authenticated users. That should get you full access to the drive.

An error occured while applying security information to:



access denied

how do i fix that