Retrieving XP back-up to a Windows 7 system

WD External Drives External Drives for PC
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I got to retrieve all the contents; however, most of the important files are missing.  I don’t know why.  I retrieved the files to the original laptop into one folder and everything was fine.  Two months later I can only get games, baby pictures, and other non-essentials.  Where are my Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, Access programs, banking records, etc.  I guess I’ll start building everything from scratch again!   THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!