Windows 10: Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file.

Discus and support Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. in Windows 10 BSOD Crashes and Debugging to solve the problem; Whenever I attempt to open an application I downloaded, I get the same "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the... Discussion in 'Windows 10 BSOD Crashes and Debugging' started by DovahGirl, Feb 18, 2020.

  1. DovahGirl Win User

    Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file.


    Whenever I attempt to open an application I downloaded, I get the same "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item." I'm getting this same error withevery new application I download. It's not a permission issue, I checked permissions and they were all correct, I tried pretty much every solution on the internet, uninstalling anti-virus, etc. Are there any other solutions that could help me?

    :)
     
    DovahGirl, Feb 18, 2020
    #1
  2. Ernie San Win User

    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.
     
    Ernie San, Feb 18, 2020
    #2
  3. Nikhar_K Win User
    '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
     
    Nikhar_K, Feb 18, 2020
    #3
  4. Dan Banks Win User

    Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file.

    Windows cannot access specified device, path or file....

    The file is an executable (iLikeFV.exe) located in c: program files (x86). The error message is: Windows cannot access the specified device path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item."
     
    Dan Banks, Feb 18, 2020
    #4
Thema:

Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file.

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