Drive Properties > Access Denied || BitLocker > Access Denied || Properties & BitLocker Dialog Box Error || Windows 11 Update Bug

Question

BitLocker > Access Denied

Drive Properties > Access Denied

Properties & BitLocker Dialog Box Error

Windows 11 Update Bug

Hiii... I have been facing errors since I last updated my Windows 11.
The Latest update that I made was on 15th Aug 2024.

ERRORS :

• Error 1: BitLocker > Access Denied
• I have 2 Drive partitions C & D !!
• D Drive is BitLocker Encrypted and when I click on it to unlock then it gives the error "D:\ is not Accessible, Access is Denied" without even asking me for the Password to enter.
• So I tried unlocking it using "Control Panel > BitLocker Management" and then it got unlocked without giving me any error.
• Error 2: Drive Properties > Access Denied
• When I Right Click on the Drives and select "Properties" then it gives me the Error : "The Properties for this item are not available" as shown in the Image that I have attached.
• I was not experiencing these Errors before the Windows Update.
  I have tried all the possible solutions to sort this out but failed to solve it and finally, I am writing here to seek help.

Possible Solutions Tried :

• I had manually cleared all the Registry Entries of Software (Overwolf & Valorant Tracker) that I had installed in the past 3 days.
• I ran the Following Commands in the Command Prompt in Administrator Mode :

    chkdsk D: /f
    chkdsk D: /f /r /x
    icacls D:\ /reset /t /c /q
    sfc /scannow
  

• I have run the following command in CMD "sfc /scannow" and received the following result message :

    Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
  

• I have tried everything.
• I had run that command sfc /scannow, and it shows it has fixed the files but still, this problem is there....and even the Bitlocker problem is also there.
• I had connected an external hard drive and it is Bitlocker encrypted. When I opened it then also said "Access Denied" without even prompting me for the Password to enter.
• I also took the help of "Chat GPT" to resolve it and I have tried all the possible solutions that it mentioned.

---

• It took me a very Long Time to resolve this issue and I am fed up with it now.
• It also took me a Long Time to Write this Post in such an effective way and explain each and every single point in Detail.

Please HELP ME !!!
I have attached all the images with the Errors that I am getting!

*** Moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Windows update ***

Answer 1

Hello  Anand Purushottam，

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

 I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing these issues. Let's try to troubleshoot your problems step-by-step.

BitLocker Access Denied

1. BitLocker Drive Unlock via Control Panel:
   • Since you can unlock the D drive via Control Panel > BitLocker Management, this suggests BitLocker encryption is working correctly, but there might be an issue with how Windows Explorer is handling the drive access.
2. Group Policy Editor:
   • Open the Group Policy Editor by pressing Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
   • Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> BitLocker Drive Encryption.
   • Verify that settings here haven't changed.
3. Reset BitLocker:
   • If possible, decrypt the drive and then re-encrypt it to see if it resolves any underlying issues.
   • Open Control Panel > BitLocker Drive Encryption > Turn Off BitLocker for the D drive.
   • Once decrypted, restart the system.
   • Turn BitLocker back on and encrypt the drive again.

Drive Properties > Access Denied

1. Permissions Check:
   • Right-click on the drive D:, select "Properties", go to the "Security" tab.
   • Check if your user account has full control.
   • If not, click "Edit" and add your user account with full control permissions.
2. Ownership:
   • Sometimes, Windows updates can change the ownership of files and folders.
   • Right-click the drive, select "Properties", go to the "Security" tab, click "Advanced".
   • Check the owner at the top. If the owner is not your user account or Administrators, click "Change" and set it to your user account.
   • Make sure to check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects".
3. Check System Files:
   • You already ran sfc /scannow, but let's also try the Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool (DISM).
   • Open Command Prompt as an Administrator and run:

     
          DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth 
     
     

   • After it completes, restart your computer and see if the issue persists.

Potential Windows Update Issue

1. Rollback the Update:
   • If the issue started after the Windows 11 update, you might want to roll back to the previous version temporarily to see if the update is the culprit.
   • Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Go back to the previous version of Windows 11.
2. Check for Additional Updates:
   • Sometimes, bugs in updates are fixed quickly by Microsoft.
   • Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for any new updates.

If All Else Fails

1. System Restore:
   • If you have System Restore enabled, try reverting to a point before the update.
   • Go to Control Panel > System and Security > System > System Protection > System Restore.
2. In-Place Upgrade/Repair:
   • As a last resort, you can perform an in-place upgrade to repair your Windows installation without losing data.
   • Download the Windows 11 Installation Media from Microsoft, run the installer, and choose the "Upgrade this PC now" option. Be sure to select the option to keep your files and apps.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Haijian Shan

Answer 2

Thank you very much for your efforts and suggestions @Haijan Shan !!

For "Drive Properties > Access Denied", I cannot perform the "Security Tab" instructions because every time I click on Properties tab then I see this ERROR : "The Properties for this item are not available"

I also tried the following command : DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
but it didn't helped me out !!

So at last "I had RESET my Complete Windows with the help of my Laptop's ASUS @asus Recovery Tool using Boot Manager" !!! and now, everything working fine.

It had increased my task to Reinstall every important Softwares that I had before, But I was left with no any other choice :)