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We create a lot of files on Windows and save them to keep them safe. Also, we back up our files from smartphones to keep them secured. We believe that all our data is safe on internal or external storage drives and suddenly we encounter the ‘Drive not accessible’ error.
Well, hold your breath! If your drive is not accessible, we have a couple of tips and tricks to access the drive or recover data from such drives. Let’s try steps to access the drive before we explore how to recover data from inaccessible drives manually or with the Best Data Recovery Software for Windows.
Run CHKDSK Command
The easiest method to Fix Drive Not Accessible error on Windows is to run the check disk command. You will need to enter the command prompt to run this command and it should fix the bad sectors and make the drive accessible. If it is a partition on the internal storage, you need to select the drive letter or connect the external drive and use its letter.
Step 1. Connect the external storage drive before you get into the command prompt.
Step 2. Press the Window key, type CMD and click on the Run as Administrator option from the results.
Step 3. Type chkdsk E: /f /r in the command prompt and hit the Enter key. Chkdsk is the command to check the disk, E: is the drive partition, /F is to fix errors on the disk, and /R is to recover readable information from the drive.
Step 4. Let the command run and come back to the blinking cursor. Exit the command prompt and restart the computer to check if the drive is accessible now.
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Fix Drive Permissions
If your drive is not accessible, there is a possibility that the drive permissions are not configured properly. You will receive the ‘Drive is not accessible, access is denied’ error on Windows 10 or 11. The below steps can fix the permission issue and make it accessible.
Step 1. Press the Win + E key to access Windows Explorer.
Step 2. Right-click on the inaccessible hard drive partition or external storage drive and click on the Properties option at the bottom of the dropdown menu.
Step 3. Go to the Security tab and click on the Advanced button at the bottom.
Step 4. The Advanced Security Setting window will open. Click on the Change link in front of the Owner information. On the next window, type to select the name of the owner and click on the Check Names button.
Step 5. Click on the Okay button and apply changes. Follow steps 3 and 4 again to come back to the Security tab on drive properties. Select the group or user name from the listed users and click on the Edit button.
Step 6. Put a check under the Allow checkbox in front of the Full Control option. Let it apply changes and when prompted, click on the Continue button. You now have access to the drive. Restart the computer if needed and check if the ‘hard drive is not accessible’ issue is resolved.
Use Data Recovery Software
If both the above options are not working for you, you can recover data with the help of the best data recovery software for Windows. Data recovery software can ensure that you can recover data even if the drive is not accessible. Once you recover the data, you can format the drive partition and give it a new start. The manual process to recover data can only recover files if the drive is accessible.
Advanced Disk Recovery
Advanced Disk Recovery is one of the best data recovery software to recover data from any storage device. You can quickly recover data from crashed, corrupt, formatted, or damaged storage devices. It can recover all types of data file formats from any internal or external storage device. It is compatible with all the latest versions of Windows 11 and earlier versions.
Advanced Disk Recovery can recover unlimited data and rescue your data from all types of data loss situations. Its effective scan modes can perform a quick scan for recently deleted data or a deep scan for permanently deleted data. You can review the recoverable data before performing the data recovery. You can recover documents, photos, videos, music, and all types of media files of different file formats.
Final Words
This article on how to fix drive not accessible and recover data has the best fixes to resolve the ‘drive is not accessible, access is denied’ error on Windows 10, 11, or earlier versions. You can try the above methods to access your drive and if it doesn’t work, recover your data with the best data recovery software and format your storage drive. These fixes will save your precious data.
