How to Resolve "Location is Not Available, Access is Denied" Error in Windows 10/8/7

How to resolve the "Location is not available" issue on Windows 10? Here's a summary of effective solutions.

Could you please provide the text that needs to be translated into English?

1. "Location is not available. X:\ is not accessible. The volume does not contain a recognized file system. Please make sure that all required file system drivers are loaded and that the volume is not corrupted."
2. "Location is not available.  X:\ is not accessible. Access is denied."

When accessing a hard drive or an external hard drive on Windows 10/8/7, you might encounter the "location is not available" issue, indicating that your hard drive is inaccessible. This prevents you from reading or modifying files or folders within it. However, there's no need to panic. In this guide, you will learn several methods to resolve the "Windows 10 location is not available" and "access is denied" error.

First Thing to Do: Recover Data from Inaccessible Hard Drive

When the location is unavailable and the hard drive encounters issues, it is recommended to utilize data recovery software to retrieve data from the hard drive before attempting to address the problem.

Data Recovery Wizard Pro is the best hard drive data recovery software to restore data from RAW hard drive, external USB drive, SD card, and other storage devices affected by the "location is not available" error. Using this data recovery tool, you can:

• Recover deleted files in Windows 10 in various data loss scenarios.
• Retrieve lost documents, photos, audio, music, and emails securely from any storage device.
• Repair corrupted files during data recovery on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.
• Restore data from an emptied Recycle Bin, formatted/corrupted hard drive, lost partitions, and more.

It's an indispensable tool for anyone encountering unexpected data loss and requiring immediate data recovery with ease. You can transfer the data from the inaccessible drive to another location for secure data storage.

Download the free Data Recovery software and follow the steps below to retrieve inaccessible data.

Step 1. Select the hard drive that has become inaccessible on your PC. Click "Scan" to let the Data Recovery Wizard tool scan and locate your hard drive data.

Step 2. Following the scan, you can preview and examine the recovered files on the scanning results screen. The "Deleted Files" and "Other Lost Files" folders hold all your missing items. You can also click "Filter" to swiftly locate a specific file type. Next, preview the files and decide which ones you wish to retrieve.

Step 3. Lastly, choose the items you wish to restore and click "Recover". Select a secure location (a healthy physical drive on your PC or another external storage device) and click "OK" to initiate the recovery of all lost data from your inaccessible hard drive.

4 Effective Fixes for "Location Is Not Available" in Windows 10

If this error occurs when the user attempts to access a file/folder or attempt to modify its contents, several fixes can be employed to resolve the issue. Continue reading and try each solution sequentially.

Fix 1. Enable User and Administrator Permissions (Authenticated Users)

Once you've retrieved the data, you can fix the inaccessible drive by adding an authorized user. Locate the drive or folder that you're unable to access.

Step 1. Right-click on it and select the "Properties" option.

Step 2. Select the "Security" tab, and then click on "Edit".

Step 3. Click on the "Add" button, and then, add "Authenticated User".

Step 4. Under the Permissions section, check the box for "Full control." Then, click on "OK".

Fix 2: Take Ownership of the Inaccessible Drive

If you lack the necessary permissions to access the hard drive, Windows will deny your entry. You might also encounter an "not available" error. To gain access to the drive, you need to take ownership of it.

Step 1. Right-click on the inaccessible hard drive and select "Properties."

Step 2. Click "Security" > "Advanced", and then click the "Owner" tab.

Step 3. Click "Change." In the pop-up screen, under "Enter the object name to select," type "Administrators" or your username. Then, click "Check Names." If successful, the input will adjust. Click "OK" to save the changes.

Step 4. The owner section will now change. Check "Replace owner on sub containers and objects" and click "Apply" and "OK" to save the changes. Alternatively, you can select the "Replace all child object permission entries" option.

Fix 3: Run the CHKDSK Command to Repair a Corrupted Hard Drive

If your file system encounters issues, you can follow this method. The CHKDSK utility identifies bad sectors and prevents data corruption by rectifying file system errors.

Step 1. Press the "Windows" key and type "cmd".

Step 2. Right-click "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator".

Step 3. Type in the following command: chkdsk e: /f /r /x. (Replace "e" with the drive letter of the partition you want to repair)

Step 4. Once the process is complete, close the window. Attempt to access the hard drive or external hard drive again.

Fix 4: Decrypt the Encrypted File or Folder

You might also encounter this message if your file or the containing folder is encrypted. Access to this folder requires an encryption certificate. If the Encrypting File System (EFS) encounters an issue, you won't be able to access it. To resolve this, you should decrypt the file or folder on Windows 10/8/7 as follows:

Step 1. Go to the Command Prompt.

Step 2. Type Cipher.exe /d, and then press "Enter" to decrypt the file.

Step 3. After the process, copy the decrypted file to your computer's hard drive.

Step 4. Type Cipher.exe /r to back up EFS certificates and keys.

Step 5. Attempt to open the inaccessible file to see if it works.

Conclusion

Upon attempting all the solutions provided above, you might have resolved your issue. If you have a more effective method to fix the "Location is not available, Access is denied" error, please feel free to share it with us. Don't forget to use a tool like Data Recovery Wizard to recover data beforehand to prevent data loss.

Related Topics You Need to Check Out About "Location Is Not Available"

If you also have any of the following common questions regarding "location not available," find the solutions here.

Why Does the "Windows 10 Location Not Available" Issue Occur?

Why does my computer display "Location is not available"? Why am I unable to access the location? This issue can stem from several factors, including:

Translate into English

• Improperly disconnecting a removable drive
• File system corruption (NTFS, FAT)
• Hard disk drive power failure
• Bad sectors on the HDD
• Encrypted file or folder

如何解决Windows 10中"C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop"不可用的问题？

如何解决"桌面是指一个不可用的位置"错误？你可以： 1. **检查文件路径**：确保你尝试访问的文件或文件夹的路径是正确的。有时候，错误可能是由于输入了错误的地址。 2. **重新连接网络驱动器**：如果桌面指向的是网络位置，尝试断开并重新连接网络驱动器。这可能有助于刷新连接。 3. **修复损坏的快捷方式**：有时候，这个问题可能是由于快捷方式指向的原始文件已移动、删除或损坏。右键点击桌面图标，选择“属性”，然后在“目标”字段中确认路径是否正确。如果需要，可以删除快捷方式并从源位置创建新的。 4. **重启电脑**：有时候，简单的重启计算机可以解决临时的系统问题。 5. **运行故障排除工具**：在Windows中，你可以使用内置的文件夹和搜索选项故障排除工具来查找和修复问题。 6. **检查权限设置**：确保你有足够的权限访问该位置。右键点击文件或文件夹，选择“属性”，然后转到“安全”标签进行检查。 7. **使用命令提示符**：在命令提示符中，尝试运行`chkdsk`命令来检查硬盘错误并修复它们。 8. **恢复系统**：如果上述方法都无效，考虑将系统恢复到出问题之前的一个还原点，但请注意这可能会丢失一些最近的数据。 9. **联系技术支持**：如果问题持续存在，最好咨询专业的技术支持人员以获取进一步的帮助。 请根据你的具体情况选择合适的解决方案。

Translate into English
• Repair corrupted system files on the hard drive
• Reset the desktop's location
• Move the profile's content back to its original location
• Create a new user profile

How to resolve the issue: "Location is not available. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable"?

When encountering the issue "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable", try the following methods:

1. Repair disk errors using a partition manager tool
2. Fix corrupted file system using the CHKDSK utility
3. Format the disk to resolve the issue of a corrupted and unreadable file or directory