Windows 10: The Phantom D: Drive

It appears that on occasion I will have access to my D: drive, and other times I will not. I cannot seem to control when this occurrence takes place. I've consulted with the forums, and scanning from this drive does not work. Some sessions my laptop will only recognize C: and other times the computer will recognize both C: and D:.What is a person supposed to do at this point?

:)

 

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.

 

Phantom USB Drive

Both my Win 10 Pro (production system) and Win 10 Pro Preview versions*list a USB drive (each install is on a separate SSD). There is no USB drive connected and the status code, from what I find, says it is a*"NET" device. I don't have any network connected USB devices. If I uninstall it, in the Device Manger, it will come back either on a reboot or just scan for new hardware.

I posted this before, not on this forum, and never got anything resolved. I had this listed with an old motherboard. I recently upgraded my system to new hardware but the USB device is still listed.

Here are some screenshots from the Device Manger of the Preview system. *My production system shows the same thing.









**

 

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.