Windows 10: Windows cannot access the specified device,path or file,even though I have administrator...

Some apps such as Musixmatch,Skype and Spotify,when I install them from Microsoft Store,seemingly become inaccessible for the Windows System.I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling them multiple times with and without the latest Windows Update was on 1809,am on 1909 now.When the error first popped up,I did indeed not have access to the said folder due to some reason,but I changed that and now I do have access,but the error message is persistently popping up.


Only some apps are showing this error,while others in the same folder work well.Skype even launches along with the error when I try to launch it.I can also launch the apps from within their installation subfolders within the folder,but the system still has no access when I try to launch them from outside,which is why the apps that require authentication and use a web browser for the purpose are not able to relaunch once the authentication process is completed.


The name of the folder is WindowsApps,which is a subfolder of Program Files.I have administrative access on this system and am using the latest version of Windows 10.

:)

 

'Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.' Error.

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that you receive an error, ‘'Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item’ when trying to access one particular file. I’ll certainly assist you with the issue.



However, please let us know:

• Are you trying to access the shortcut of the file?
  
• Which anti-virus are you using on the computer?
  

I would suggest you try running the application as an administrator and see if that helps. To do this, right click on the file and select
Run as administrator.



You may also want to refer the troubleshooting steps mentioned in the article
"Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or
file" error when you try to install, update or start a program or file



Note: The above mentioned article is for Windows 7, however, holds good for Windows 10.




Alternatively, you can also try enabling hidden admin account and check if you are able to access the file in hidden admin account.



Refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Type command prompt in the search bar on the
   Taskbar.
   
2. Right click on the command prompt icon and select
   Run as administrator.
   
3. Type in the following commands one by one and hit
   Enter:
   
   net user administrator /active:yes
   
4. After enabling the hidden admin, try accessing the file.
   

Note: Make sure to disable hidden admin by using the command
net user administrator /active:no after performing the troubleshooting steps.



Let us know how it goes.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

Microsoft Photos can't access specified device, path or file

Hello Suraj,

One of the possible reason why you are getting an error message "Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item",
may be due to the corrupted shortcut, if the file needs a permission or
error if the shortcut or installation is attempting to access a location that is not currently available such as a networked or a removable drive. In order for us to assist you better, we'd like to ask the following:

• Did you make any changes to your computer before experiencing this issue? If yes, tell us more about it.
• What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far?
• Have you checked if you are using the administrator access? If yes, do you have any guess or standard profile on your computer?
• Which application are you using to access photos? Is it an application that you download from the Microsoft Store?

Meanwhile, we recommend checking the article about "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file" error when you try to install, update or start a program or file
on this link. It's applicable to Windows 7, this is to guide us to
isolate the main issue why you are unable to access the photos on your device.

We are looking forward to your reply.

 

cannot access the specified device path or file error

Hello Henry, my name is Alexander. I'm an Independent Advisor and I'm happy to assist you!

Henry, I suggest you refer to the following article and check if that works for you.

"Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file" error when you try to install, update or start a program or file’

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/266924...

Best regards,

Alexander B.