Windows 10: D drive inaccessible

Every time I use my PC, my D disk can become inaccessible at any time. If I'm playing a game installed on D, it can suddenly freeze/crash. When it occurs, if I try to click on D drive or any folders inside, it would say "D:\ is not accessible. A device which does not exist was specified." I can temporarily fix it by sleep/hibernating/shutting down the pc, but eventually it happens again. Another thing, if I try to restart the pc, it gets stuck on the boot screen while rebooting and I'm forced to shut it down by holding the power button. I've already tried system restore and rescanning disks,

:)

 

D drive

Hi,

Based on the details you have provided us, it appears that there might be some corrupted contents on the said partition. We can also consider that this is caused by a virus.

For us to check if a certain virus is hiding your files, kindly follow the steps below:

• Type Command prompt in the search bar.
• Type-in the following command:
  
  attrib -h -r -s /s /d D:\*.*
• Press Enter to execute the command.

If you think that there is nothing important stored in it, then we suggest that you reformat your D drive so that you can use the free space for important files.

You can follow the steps below to start with the process:

• Click on the File Explorer.
• Select This PC.
• Right-click on your D drive, then click on Format.
• Follow the on-screen process to finish formatting the partition.

Let us know how it goes so that we can further assist you.

 

"D" drive is full on HP B&O with Win 10

Hello,

Based on the information you've provided, we understand that you're unable to access D: drive on your computer and would like to delete some files. For us to assist you better with this concern, kindly answer the following questions:

• Which D: drive are you referring to, internal or external drive?
• What happens when you try to open D: drive, do you get any error message/error code?
• If yes, would you please mention the error message/error code in the response post?
• By the way, when did you start noticing this issue?

Meanwhile, we suggest checking if you are able to open the drive through Disk management by following the steps below:

• 
  Press Windows logo + X keys on the keyboard and select Disk management option.
  
• 
  Right click on the drive which is inaccessible and select Open option.
  
• 
  Check if the changes are effective.
  

We're looking forward to your response.

 

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.