Trying to open one out of many folders on a 'slave drive' triggers "A device which does not exist was specified." Obviously the device - a slave drive - exists and can be accessed. The discrepancy is interesting, but a method to get around it would be even better.
1) Drive visible in Control Panel > Computer Mangement > Disk Management ?
(or Start menu > type diskmgmnt.msc > Enter)
2) Check (swap) cables/connections
3) Boot from Linux distro and try.
You seem to miss the point that the device is in fact detected and accessed - but a folder on it triggers that strange comment.
Slave drive is a drive also connected through SATA ports.
A slave drive does not contain the system - I suppose that means it contains 'data'.
The inaccessible folder is \Pictures\.
I am aware that over the years, images have been a popular target for ransomware and other malware.
My immediate problem was solved by reconnecting the drive with the SATA leads that had previously prevented detection of the drive - but 'temperamentality' is something I have had to get used to. So the folder is intact, but SOMETIMES not accessible. In due course this connection will fail, and I will try again the ones that I have just replaced, and I expect everything will be fine for a while.
Sounds like you solved your problem by replacing the cables.
In the future If your external drive is not stable reliable and disconnects often you will want to change the location of the Pictures folder.
Right click the Pictures folder, and choose Properties/Location tab. To place it in it's default position on the C:\ drive press Restore Default button. You can always press the Find Target button if you can't find it in it's current location. Or if you want to Move it to a different more stable Drive location press the Move button and Browse it to the Target drive you want to move the Pictures folder to.
So the "Slave" drive is an internal SATA drive.
I suggest you do a check disk on it
Open a CMD window as administrator and type:
chkdsk X: /f (replace X with the partition letter you want to check)
It will say your disk is in use and ask if you want to unmount = yes
Spunk : Yes I replaced the connectors, but ironically with connectors that had previously prevented detection of the drive altogether. And right now, that drive is again not being detected - as I expected to happen. What intrigued me was the specificity of giving that bizarre comment about one out of many folders. Thanks for your advice, but I do NOT want to move that folder anywhere else. I want no data on the system drive if I can avoid it. There is some strange intermittent loss of contact between parts of connectors and driver 'pins'.
Megahertz - will do the check you recommend.
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