Windows 10: System locked external hard drive

Hello,

I locked the Pictures folder on my external hard drive using Windows (drive X for this purpose). I believe I used the Security tab on the folder and SYSTEM locked it...basically making it so that if that drive X was not connected to my PC, that folder was inaccessible. It worked.


Fast-forward a year; I forgot I did this, and upgraded my OS hard drive (drive B for this purpose). I still have the original hard drive (drive A for this purpose), but I wiped it for re-use as a storage drive (as A is inferior to B but not obsolete).


I can no longer access that folder on drive X. I would just format it (assuming that would clear it, but irrelevant for this topic), but the Pictures folder holds the last 10 years or so of family photos. I've tried changing permissions, but "Claiming an Object" on that drive X is above my pay grade.


First image is what I get and second image is after i click "Yes."

Please help me recover access to drive X Pictures.






:)

 

External Hard Drive

Hi John,

We suggest that you try the troubleshooting steps below:

• Open your External Hard Drive file in File Explorer.
• Type the name of the file you want to search on the search box and click Enter.

The file will show up in Search Results and you will be able to move it to the correct folder.

Let us know if you need further help.

 

External Hard Drive

To address your concern, here are the troubleshooting steps that you can try. Follow the steps below:

Uninstall and reinstall the external hard drive program.

• In the Settings app, go to System.
• Go to Apps & features and locate the external hard drive program.
• Uninstall the program and go to the manufacturer's website to reinstall the updated version.

Uninstall and reinstall the Paragon driver software.

• Following the same steps mentioned above, locate the software in Apps & features
  and uninstall it.
• After uninstalling the software, go to the manufacturer's website to reinstall it.
  

To further isolate your concern, we'd also like to verify if the OneDrive app is enabled on your PC.

You can hit us back for additional help.

Kind regards.

 

Seagate External Hard Drive

Hi Barbara,

Hardware failure or corruption within your system files are some of the possible reasons why you are experiencing an issue with accessing your external hard drive. For us to provide an accurate solution, we would need you to answer the following questions:

• Which build, version and edition of Windows 10?
• Are you experiencing the same issue when you are trying to access the external hard drive using another PC?
• What troubleshooting steps have you done so far?

In the meantime, we suggest running the automated troubleshooter for hardware. Follow these steps to do so:

• Open the Control Panel.
• Using the search box at the upper right corner of the window, type troubleshooting.
  
• From the search results, click on Troubleshooting.
• Click on Hardware and Sound and then choose Hardware and Devices.
• Once done, restart your computer and then check if the same issue persists.

We are looking forward to your response.