View xp files on external drive via new win 7 computer

My old computer died - was xp. I had a seagate secondary drive for all my data on xp computer. I added a case to make it an external hdd and attached to my new win 7 desktop. I can see the old ext drive in win explorer and can see the folders I had on it. But I cannot access any part of the old drive/folders/files.

How can I transfer files from my old xp external hdd to my new computer or new external hdd? Must I find someone who still has xp on their computer , attach the old ext xcp hdd to it and then use the transfer cable to transfer to my new desktop?

 

In Windows 7, you'll need to take ownership of the drive you want to get your files from. See here for instructions on how to do so (the instructions begin after the suggestions on how to connect the drive).