C drive not working showing Access denied

Question

In morning system has taken an update and then in teh evening when I am trying to open the apps it is showing path not found. When I clicked on Drive C is is showing Access denied

<Moved from Office/Access>

Answer 1

My PC is dead, asked SAMSUNG to visit and repair

Answer 2

checked all of these they are not evenn rebooting, not even repairing, not even system restore is happening so is there any other option to solve this?

Answer 3

You do not indicate what version of Windows you have installed, is that Windows 11 and is it the March KB5079473 update that was installed and causing the problems?

If so, on the update website, Microsoft indicate there are no widespread reports of any problems with that new March update, however, I am seeing some reports of people experiencing the same problem you are reporting after installing that update.

Start your PC, just as Windows attempts to load (spinning dots), press and hold Power Button for 5 - 10 seconds to perform a Hard Shut Down

Do this twice

On the third start Windows will boot into the Recovery Environment and from there you can access System Repair, Safe Mode, Command Prompt . . . etc.

Please try each option one at a time, then see of Windows will boot to a stable system.

1

If there is an option to unisntall the update in there, that may be the best option.

2

Go to Troubleshoot - Advanced Option - Startup Repair

See if Windows startup can repair itself

3

Go to Troubleshoot - Advanced Option - System Restore

Check to see if you have a restore point you can go back to

Answer 4

The symptoms match known Windows 7 Release Candidate issues where access control lists (ACLs) or HomeGroup changes cause “Access is denied” on the root of the system drive (C:) and on folders created under it.

Based on the context, there are two relevant fixes, depending on the exact scenario:

1. If this is Windows 7 Release Candidate and the issue started after leaving a HomeGroup
   • Install update KB972407 for Windows 7 Release Candidate.
   • Use the appropriate package for x86 or x64:
     • “Update for Windows 7 Release Candidate (KB972407)” for 32-bit.
     • “Update for Windows 7 Release Candidate for x64-based Systems (KB972407)” for 64-bit.
   • Restart the computer after applying the update.
   • This update replaces the affected Listsvc.dll with a corrected version so that access to the root of the drive works again after leaving a HomeGroup.
2. If this is the English Windows 7 Release Candidate 32-bit Ultimate and standard users cannot access or work with folders directly under C:\
   • The problem is caused by incorrect ACLs on the root of the system drive.
   • Install the fix provided through Windows Update on that system:
     • Go to Windows Update and install the available update that corrects the security descriptor entries on the root of %SystemDrive%.
   • After the fix, folders created under C:\ should inherit correct permissions and standard users should again be able to access and manage them without “Access is denied.”

If the system is one of these affected Windows 7 Release Candidate builds, apply the corresponding update via Windows Update or the KB972407 download, then restart and test access to C:\ again.

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References:

• Error message when you try to access the root of a drive after you leave HomeGroup in Windows 7 Release Candidate: "Access is denied."
• A folder that is created under the root of the system drive is missing entries in its security descriptor, which may cause some application failures on the English version of Windows 7 Release Candidate 32-bit Ultimate