Updated to 1703 and now can't access hard drives.


  1. Posts : 89
    Windows 10 Home 64bit
       #1

    Updated to 1703 and now can't access hard drives.


    I just upgraded to the new Windows Creator's Edition. I previously tried the upgrade on my laptop and everything went smoothly. So I decided to upgrade my desktop (both are a little over a year old and configured similarly).
    I have a second physical internal drive (my D drive) and a partition of the main C: drive (my W drive) that I am unable to access now. Both say "Local Disk" instead of the names I gave them and appear to still have their assigned drive letters but clicking on either gives me an "access denied" error.
    Updated to 1703 and now can't access hard drives.-pg1.jpgUpdated to 1703 and now can't access hard drives.-pg1b.jpg
    I opened Disk Manager, which took an abnormally long time to load. I can see what I believe are the D and W drives but they have no drive letters assigned.
    Updated to 1703 and now can't access hard drives.-pg2.jpg
    When I try to assign them each a letter, or even try to open their properties, I get:
    Updated to 1703 and now can't access hard drives.-pg2b.jpg
    I should mention that I have shortcuts on my desktop and start menu to several files/folders on the drives in question that will actually open when I click on them and I can work with them normally. I can also open them by typing their drive letters in the Windows search bar. I just can't seem to access the drives directly.
    Can anyone please help me out?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 42,963
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #2

    Hi, suggest you have a look at this:
    Ways to Fix "Disk Management Console View Is not up-to-date" Error

    If you download Kyhi's boot DVD/disk from the top of the Software and Apps section here, that has a copy of Minitool Partition Wizard on it I believe, so you could have access without Windows running.

    Solution 3 looks interesting, 1 is what you're seeing, 2 is a possible next step.

    Other reports suggest issues with drivers.

    Example where diskpart was used to fix a similar problem:
    Unable to assign drive letters after Win10 Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums
    It won't be enough to help you solve yours, so regard as for info only.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 89
    Windows 10 Home 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for your response dalchina! I figured out what the problem was, and thank god it was something simple.

    I have a program on both PCs called Universal Shield. It provides protection for certain files/folders that contain sensitive docs by preventing them from being opened. Protection can be toggled on and off with a keystroke that brings up a password box.

    I only had 2 folders protected: one on my D drive containing financial info and one on my W drive containing an archive of work docs. Somehow the Windows upgrade confused Universal Shield into thinking the drives containing these protected folders were protected themselves. Thus, I was able to see the drives but not open them.

    I figured out what was going on when I started becoming worried that the drives got corrupted by the upgrade and those important docs were toasted as a result. I entered the Universal Shield password in the hopes that I could at least access those sensitive folders if nothing else. To my surprise (and relief!!) my D and W drives suddenly returned to normal behavior. I then knew the problem was related to Universal Shield. I uninstalled the app which got everything working again then reinstalled it and protected the same 2 folders as before. Everything seems okay now.

    Funny thing is I have this app on both my desktop and laptop but didn’t experience this issue when I upgraded my laptop.

    Thanks again for your help, at any rate the links you provided do have some interesting info.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 42,963
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #4

    Good thing you figured it out.
      My Computers


 

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