Share via

How Do I Access Files on My Z Drive?

Anonymous
2015-06-08T20:25:45+00:00

I run Windows 7 Pro and have a secure partitioned drive called Z-drive.  When I try to access this drive, the computer tells me I do not have permission to view the files on this drive.  This doesn't make any sense because I am signed in as the administrator.

This partition takes up 186 GB of space on my hard drive....that is over 1/4 of the hard space of my entire computer.  I should have access to this. 

I called Microsoft support and they told me that I have to pay to have them access my computer remotely because Microsoft 7 is no longer supported.  I hope I can get help here so that Microsoft does not force me to pay for the disk space that I bought when I purchased this machine.

Please help me access this drive. 

Thank you!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

LemP 74,940 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2015-06-09T21:56:06+00:00

This is not on your hard drive.  It's not taking up any of your hard drive space.

According to Disk Management, your main hard drive is  a "500 GB" drive.  The size is in quotes because to the drive manufacturer, 500 GB = 500,000,000,000 bytes.  Windows, on the other hand, uses "kilobyte" to mean 1024 bytes; "megabyte" to mean 1024 KB; and "terabyte" to mean 1024 GB.

Thus,

500,000,000,000 bytes / 1024 = 488,281,250 KB

488,281,250 KB /1024 = 476,837.16 MB

476,837.16 MB / 1024 = 465.66 GB

Thus, when Disk Management shows 465.76 GB, that translates into an approximately 500 GB drive in  drive manufacturer measurement.

The three partitions shown on your hard drive total 465 GB, including 186 GB for your system drive and 254 GB for your data (which is almost unused; you probably haven't relocated your User data files yet. see http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-move-windows-7-personal-folders-my-documents-another-drive.htm).

It looks like you also have a 2 TB WD My Passport Ultra and a 500 GB WD My Book attached as external drives.

My guess is that the "Z Drive" has something to do with Western Digital's SmartWare automatic online backup, especially given that you have the SmartWare CD in your CD drive.  As an experiment, disconnect your computer from the Internet and then reboot.  Is the Z drive still there?

Was this answer helpful?

2 people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

5 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2015-06-08T20:56:54+00:00

    I did not create the partition, actually.  The hard drive was partitioned out-of-the-box.  Three partitions: C-Drive, D(data)-Drive, and Z-Drive.  I checked the permissions and the computer says that the system and the administrator have full permissions for all the drives.  However, when I try to access the Z-Drive, the computer tells me "You Currently Don't have Permission to Access This Drive."

    Very strange, very irritating.

    Correction:

    All permissions except "special permissions."  And the hardware attached to this drive appear to be the WD external drive, oddly enough.  Don't know If that means anything.

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2015-06-09T18:51:35+00:00

    Provided are several screen shots.

    Honestly, I don't know what's going on. I assume that the computer came this way when I bought it because I don't know how to partition a hard drive and have never tried. All I know is that that one day, a new drive appeared on my computer, called the Z drive and that drive is attached to my hard drive.  It's not a network drive, and its got a quarter of my disk space allocated to it and I can't access it no matter what I do.  I do not know the purpose of this drive because I did not create it and I do not put files into it (I don't have access to it.)  It looks like a virtual drive, maybe?  But then why is attached directly to my hard drive?  And why does it have exactly the same amount of used space as my C drive?  Basically, I have a drive on my computer that's taking up a whole bunch of space that tells me I have full access to but denies me access every time I try to get into it.  Is this maybe the backup drive that the computer uses for restore points? That's the only thing I can come up with.  It looks like a vault, and it does ask me for a password when I right click on it and press "vault login" but I never set up a vault password, to my knowledge.

    And to reiterate, I am the administrator and I am logged on as an administrator while taking these screen shots.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. LemP 74,940 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-06-08T21:48:56+00:00

    What do you mean "partitioned out of the box"?

    Out of what box?  Do you mean that you purchased a computer and its hard drive was partitioned in this manner when you bought it?  If so, what is the make and model of the computer?

    What is the supposed purpose of the Z drive?

    Please run Disk Management (Start, type Disk Management, press Enter)

    Adjust the window size so everything is visible

    Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool (Start, type Snipping Tool, press Enter)

    Upload the screenshot using the picture icon in the Reply box toolbar.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. @CmdrKeene 90,626 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-06-08T20:39:00+00:00

    How did you make the secure partitioned drive? 

    Have you tried just changing the permissions?

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments