Windows 10: Suddenly denied access to D: drive. Can't write to a USB stick or

My laptop running Windows 10 has suddenly denied me access to D drives. I need to be able to write to USB for and it won't let me. Why has this happened and what do I do to solve? It was fine, then the next day it wasn't.

:)

 

D drive is showing, but access denied.

Thanks for reaching out! I'm an Independent Advisor and a Microsoft user like you.

To resolve the "access denied" issue on your D: drive in Windows 11, follow these comprehensive steps to diagnose and fix the problem. These steps include taking ownership, running CHKDSK, and modifying the registry.

Step 1: Take Ownership of the Drive

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
   
   • Press Windows + X and select "Windows Terminal (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)".
     
2. Take Ownership:
   
   • Type the following command and press Enter:
     
     
   • This command will recursively take ownership of the D: drive, granting your user account the necessary permissions.
     

Step 2: Run CHKDSK

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
   
   • As in Step 1, open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
     
2. Run CHKDSK:
   
   • Execute the following command:
     
     
   • Explanation of parameters:
     
     • /f: Fixes errors on the disk.
       
     • /r: Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.
       
     • /x: Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary.
       

Step 3: Modify the Registry to Display the Security Tab

1. Open Registry Editor:
   
   • Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
     
2. Navigate to the Explorer Key:
   
   • Go to:
     
     
3. Check or Create NoSecurityTab:
   
   • Look for a DWORD entry named NoSecurityTab.
     
   • If it exists and is set to 1, right-click on it, select "Modify", and change the value to 0.
     
   • If it does not exist, create it:
     
     • Right-click on the Explorer key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, name it NoSecurityTab, and set its value to 0.
       

Step 4: Check Disk Management

1. Open Disk Management:
   
   • Press Windows + X and select "Disk Management".
     
2. Check the D: Drive Status:
   
   • Locate the D: drive and check its status.
     
   • Look for any errors or unusual statuses (like RAW). If the drive shows as RAW, it may need to be formatted, but only consider this as a last resort due to data loss risks.
     

Additional Tips

• Update Windows 11:
  
  • Ensure your system is up to date by going to Settings > Windows Update and checking for updates.
    
• Use Third-Party Tools:
  
  • Consider using third-party disk management tools like EaseUS Partition Master or similar to diagnose and repair disk errors.
    

Important: Backup Data

Before proceeding with any major changes or repairs, ensure you back up any important data from the D: drive if possible. Data recovery services should be considered if you suspect severe disk corruption or hardware failure.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, the problem might be more complex, potentially involving hardware failure or severe file system corruption. In such cases, professional data recovery services may be necessary.

Please do let me know if the method I suggested works for you or if you need further assistance.

 

Access denied when opening USB memory on my computer

Interesting, looks like you have inadvertently set something on this PC that's denying access to this particular usb. There is of course no security tab for a Fat32 usb stick, but you can check permissions from a command prompt. Type the command ICACLS D:

When I do that for a Fat32 usb I get 'No permissions are set. All users have full control'. For an ntfs internal partition I get a list of permissions. Here the E: drive is my usb stick and D: is an internal drive.





If you see anything at all for your D: usb, then try the command icacls D: /reset /T /C



Warning make sure that D: really is your usb stick before using this, you don't want to reset permissions for one of your other drives by mistake.

 

D drive is showing, but access denied.

Hello,

So suddenly after restarting my PC, the D: drive won't open, and apps installed there cannot be accessed.

It appears in the drives list, and in my computer folder, but when I try to open it, it shows me "access denied".

Tried every solution I found:
- Tried going to properties to change the security settings, but there is no tab for security.

- Tried error checking in properties, it fails to run.

- Tried chkdsk /r, chkdsk f/.. and it shows me "the type of the file system is ntfs" and then does nothing.

PLEASE HELP, how can I fix this?

BTW, it's 870 EVO SATA 2.5" SSD 2TB.

Windows 11.