This page covers useful fixes to solve location is not available, access is denied error on Windows 10/8/7. To avoid data loss, use EaseUS data recovery software to recover data before fixing. Read for an in-depth guide.
How to fix location is not available on Windows 10? Here is a quick overview of the effective methods.
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Important. Restore data from inaccessible hard drive first | When the hard drive is inaccessible, restore data from the hard drive at first to avoid any data loss...Full steps |
| Fix 1. Add authenticated users | You can fix the inaccessible drive by adding an authenticated user. Locate the drive or folder...Full steps |
| Fix 2. Take the ownership of the drive | Right-click on the inaccessible hard drive, and choose "Properties". Click "Security" > "Advanced"...Full steps |
| Fix 3. Run CHKDSK command | If your file system goes wrong, you can use CHKDSK commands to fixing file system errors...Full steps |
| Fix 4. Decrypt the file or folder | If the encrypting file system goes wrong, you can't access it. You should decrypt the file or folder...Full steps |
When you access a hard drive or an external hard drive in Windows 10/8/7, you may encounter "the location is not available" problem, which means that your hard drive is inaccessible. You can't read or change a file or folder in it. But don't panic. You will learn several ways to fix Windows 10 location is not available, access is denied error in this how-to article.
When the location is not available and the hard drive goes wrong, you are advised to use data recovery software to restore data from the hard drive before starting to solve the problem.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best hard drive data recovery software to restore data from RAW hard drive, external USB drive, SD card, and other storage drives caused by the location is not available error. With this data recovery tool, you can:
It's an essential tool for everyone who meets unexpected data loss and demands an instant data recovery with ease. You can export the data from the inaccessible drive to another location for data safe.
Free download EaseUS data recovery software and follow the details below to restore inaccessible data.
Step 1. Select the hard drive which becomes inaccessible on your PC. Click "Scan" to let EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan and find your hard drive data.
Step 2. After the scan is completed, all available files in the inaccessible hard drive will be displayed. View these files and find the files you want to recover. You can sort the scanned data by file format or search directly in the "Search files or folders" box.
Step 3. Finally, select the items you want to restore and click "Recover". Choose a secure location (a healthy physical drive on your PC or another external storage device) and click "OK" to start recovering all lost data from your inaccessible hard drive.
If this error happens when the user tries to access a file/folder or try to modify its contents, a number of fixes can be performed to fix the issue. Keep reading and go through the solutions one by one.
After you have retrieved data, you can fix the inaccessible drive by adding an authenticated user. Locate the drive or folder which you can't access.
Step 1. Right-click on it and choose the "Properties" option
Step 2. Select the "Security" tab, and click on "Edit".
Step 3. Click on the "Add" button, and then, add "Authenticated User".
Step 4. Under the Permission section, check "Full control". Then, click on "OK".
If you don't have permission of accessing the hard drive, Windows denies your access. You may also receive the not available error. To access the drive, you should take ownership of the drive.
Step 1. Right-click on the inaccessible hard drive, and choose "Properties".
Step 2. Click "Security" > "Advanced", and then click the "Owner" tab.
Step 3. Click "Change". on the popped up screen, in the "Enter the object name to select" field, enter Administrators, or enter your user name. Then, click the "Check Names". If all goes well, the input will change. Click "OK" to save changes.
Step 4. The owner section will now change. Check "Replace owner on sub containers and objects" and click "Apply" and "OK" to save changes. Or you can check the "Replace all child object permission entries" option.
If your file system goes wrong, you can follow this method. The CHKDSK marks the bad sectors and prevents data corruption by fixing file system errors.
Step 1. Press the "Windows" key and type cmd.
Step 2. Right-click "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator".
Step 3. Enter the following command: chkdsk e: /f /r /x. ("e" means the drive letter of the partition you want to repair)
Step 4. After the process, shut down the window. Try to access the hard drive or external hard drive again.
You may also receive the message if your file or folder with the file is encrypted. You can only open this folder with an encryption certificate. If the encrypting file system goes wrong, you can't access it. You should decrypt the file or folder on Windows 10/8/7:
Step 1. Go to the Command Prompt.
Step 2. Enter Cipher.exe /d, and then, press "Enter" to decrypt the file.
Step 3. After the process, copy the decrypted file on your computer’s hard disk.
Step 4. Enter Cipher.exe /r to back up EFS certificates and keys.
Step 5. Try to open the inaccessible file to see if it works.
After trying all the solutions above, you may have solved your problem. If you have a better method to fix the location is not available, access is denied error, you can share with us. Remember to recover data in advance to avoid data loss by using EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
If you also have any of the following frequently asked questions about location is not available, find solutions here.
Why does my computer say the location is not available? Why do you fail to access the location? Various factors can cause this issue, such as:
How do you fix desktop refers to a location that is unavailable error? You can:
When you encounter the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable issue, try the ways below:
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