Can't run excutables from my external HDD or flash USB

Hello,

I am facing this strange issue that started since I updated to the latest build ( creators update) as I am now unable to run any exe file from any removable storage... I can save, copy, past, rename, and open all kind of files, I just can't execute the .exe

this is driving me crazy! I tried all the registry and group policy settings related to removable storage... and also checked NTFS permissions still I could not solve this...

Try disabling antivirus, install programs then turn antivirus back on.

HTH

I have only the windows defender installed, disabling the real time protection did not help...

Do the applications run if you copy them to the desktop and run from there?
Have you tried running as Administrator from the external device?

- yes I am able to run them if I copy to the local drive
- won't run from external HDD even if I run as administrator
- I gave my self full permissions on the files, even then I can't run them from external hdd

Have you reviewed the following?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...rogram-or-file

Thank you for your reply, no I have not seen that particular article, but I have tried and checked everything in it... all of the points mentioned are generic points and were the first things that jumped to my mind when I first faced the issue...

I am working on servers, security, and client support since 25 years... but I was not face with this situation... it is as if I lost the "execute" permission only to my whole external storage... even though windows is showing I have "full permissions"

only executing... I can do whatever i like with the files... just not execute.

If I have an exe on the C drive, which I can run it in there, if I copy and paste it to the external drive or flash storage, then I cannot run it from there! the same file!

and get this: even if the external drive is formatted as FAT32! so even if the NTFS permission thing is taken out of the picture, I still get the message that I don't have access or permission to the file when I run it!

Really does point to permissions for the external devices and not so much the applications on them.
I understand you have what appears to be full rights, but you know permissions and their peculiarities as well as the next guy.
Try setting the external device(s) to only have "everyone" assigned with full permissions.

Are the external drives connected to Servers or Workstations?
Is your PC on a Domain?
I assume there is sufficient space on the external device to run !

Does this happen to all exe files no matter of the location or device?
Do they run if you plug the external device into another PC or laptop?

If it is all EXE files, regardless of the location of the external device, then your reg entry for exefile maybe corrupt.
to try and resolve... Backup registry first... then,
If you have access to another PC where you have no issues and is the same version and build, then export the registry entry [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile] from the working system and run as a reg file on the issue system.

HTH