Access Denied Fix For C Partition In Windows
Peace Innovators!
This one sucked so bad I couldn’t even use my screenshot tools to snap a picture! Why, you ask? Because the screenshot tool is on the C: drive, along with EVERYTHING else. The C: drive that I am DENIED ACCESS to! Oh hell no…. What just happened?!….. We gotta fix this and fix it quick! But first, let’s talk about this a bit to clear some things up. If you don’t wanna talk, jump straight to the solution.
If for some reason you get denied access to a folder, partition or file, this can be managed fairly easily in a typical scenario. As long as you can still access your system files, which is located on your system partition (usually C:) along with all other core critical Windows apps and services. But what happens if a piece of software, a script, a virus or even a questionable human screws up the permissions on the entire C drive!? Don’t worry, we won’t say any names 😉 You can be denied access to pretty much EVERYTHING on the machine! This happens every now and then, usually from, but not limited to, user error. Removing some user or group from the permissions list or setting DENY permissions to the Everyone group are just two ways to screw things up royally if you don’t know what you’re doing. Even if you do know what you’re doing, if you accidentally tick the wrong box and hit apply when modifying permissions, Windows just might quarantine itself from you. And rightfully so. LOL!
Of course Windows is definitely not THAT reckless. Before you change critical permissions, Windows will warn you of your impending doom with one of several not-so-doomy, but clear enough prompts.
But who reads prompts right? Your bad Windows. And who’s the REAL owner of your C: partition anyway, right? Probably one of these guys and not you.
After screwing up, Windows will still probably log you in with the systems elevated privileges. Be grateful. Outside of that, it’s like locking yourself out of your house or car with no spare key! All you’ll be able to do is stare at the desktop in amazement. Hope you picked an ultra cool wallpaper!
Some suggestions floating around online tell the user to fix permissions the traditional way in properties. News flash Einsteins! If you have been denied permissions you can’t edit the permissions, right? Catch 22 anyone? Duh, SMH.
Here’s what it generally looks like…
Here’s what you’ll be getting…
If it was that easy, there’d be no need in this guide. I’m kidding, I’m kidding… Kinda. This may work in a few cases but it strongly depends on which permissions have been blocked or denied amongst other things. For many users, this method will be useless. Clicking Advanced won’t do you any good either. The computer may temporarily freeze when trying to access permissions. The owner under Advanced Security Settings may even be blocked from your view, kind of like this…
You’ve just waived all your rights man. Let it go.
In many cases, since you are denied all rights, Windows won’t even show you any property info about the drive.
Here’s what it generally looks like…
Here’s what you’ll be getting…
Other suggestions encourage jumping into the Group Policy or correcting things with the Command Prompt, PowerShell, Account settings or other admin system tools and control panel options. Well if ALL of these tools reside on the C drive, you’ll likely be denied access to every single one. Like this…
Total bummer dude.
You may be able to access the command prompt and powershell, but not as an administrator. Oh what nice scratch pads you have there!
Even portable apps may hang and be unable to launch. Some even suggest that you are totally S-O-L and all you can do is re-install your OS. And a clean install at that!
Oh. Hell. To. The. F*@# Naw…
If you have nothing valuable or irreplaceable on the system then go right ahead and do that. This IS an option that WILL work, apparently. If you feel this guide is daunting or too much, a simple reinstall will solve your problem. For the rest of us, that simply will NOT be an option. PERIOD!
In recreating this scenario, We have noticed in some cases, access will be denied when attempting to use ICACLS or TAKEOWN commmands on the partition from the command prompt. No matter if its done via WindowsRE or from a Windows installation medium. Enabling the admin account can also be denied or will do nothing. Both of which can be seen in the command prompt and powershell windows above. Your user account may even be labeled as a guest!
The list goes on and on! Oh, the agony! So how do we fix this? What do we suggest?
We suggest using a third party tool with a custom Windows installation. A Root level installation that could care less about your permission settings. Hiren’s Boot CD to be exact! Da, da da duuun! This tool will act as your locksmith today my friend.
In this example we will be using Hiren’s BootCD 15.2 but other versions will work, like Hiren’s BootCD PE x64. If you choose to, or need to use a different version, you can still follow this guide but things may look and be labeled a bit differently. You will have to make the adjustments. NO matter though. This is a universal solution and it will work in all scenarios. Better than trying 30 possible fixes that each apply to specific cases just for them to keep sending you back to the drawing board. So you Ready? Let’s go….
Fixing Access Denied To C: Partition Using Hiren's
1: Now’s the perfect time to recall any identifying information about the drive. Like the name of the partition or the amount of used, free and total space on the partition.
It helps to know this stuff later in the guide. If you don’t have this, we’ll try to identify it later. Just be careful.
2: Create a Hiren’s Boot disc.
Keep in mind that you need to use a version of Hiren’s that is compatible with your system’s motherboard boot configuration. BIOS or UEFI. The version we are using in this guide and all earlier versions are compatible with BIOS configurations only. If you have a UEFI configuration, you’ll need to use Hiren’s PE x64 version, which is compatible with BIOS and UEFI configurations. You can install it on a USB drive, CD or DVD. Whichever is most convenient for your setup. Decide, then choose the appropriate option below.
Install the ISO to a USB drive.
If you need to know how to do this, Use the guide “Installing Hiren’s Boot CD on a USB Drive” for instructions.
:When you’re done, come back here and go straight to step 3.
Burn the ISO to a CD/DVD with BurnCDCC.
If you know how to do this using your own method, go for it. Just remember, you must make it bootable, otherwise it’s a no go.
If you need to know how to do this, Use the guide “Burning a Bootable ISO to CD or DVD with BurnCDCC” for instructions.
:When you’re done, come back here and go straight to step 3.
3: After installing Hiren’s, insert the media into your computer and boot from your USB or CD/DVD.
There are so many ways to accomplish this. It varies depending on your computer make and model. You will have to look up how it’s done for your particular system. If you don’t know how to do this, it would probably be best to get help. Seek a technician…… I said probably. 🙂
You will be presented with a simple screen when Hiren’s Boot CD starts.
4: Arrow down to the ‘Mini Windows XP’ option and hit ENTER.
(You may have different options like “LIVE” if using the PE x64 version)
When the booting is complete, you will get a blast from the past of the oh so lovely WindowsXP. (Or Windows 10 for PE x64 versions)
5: Click the Windows Explorer icon on the desktop or hit the icon on the taskbar to open ‘My Computer’ (This PC).
6: YOU MUST CORRECTLY locate the partition that has the screwed up permissions.
If you got this far, you should know which one is which. If not, right-click the drive, select ‘Properties” and have a look at the ‘General’ tab. There you can confirm the identifying info mentioned in step 1. You can also search through the partition for files and folders that are familiar to you. For example, installed programs, user account folders, etc.
If you’re not sure, don’t even bother, get some help! Haven’t you done enough damage already?…….. If not, continue…
7: Here is an important step. You have 3 options and they matter. Choose the appropriate options that applies to your case.
If you only want to undo exactly what you screwed up and keep all other permissions intact. If you are familiar with permissions and you KNOW what permissions you need to fix, follow these steps.
: Right-click the correct partition and select ‘Properties’.
: Go to the ‘Security’ Tab and do your thing. Make the appropriate corrections.
: When finished, close the Properties window then jump to step 12.
If you’d like to gain full access without removing or modifying any other permissions, follow these steps.
: Click the Command Prompt in the task bar. (Or hit the Start Menu and type ‘cmd’ or ‘command prompt’ and find it there.)
: Type the following command, replacing the letter D with the letter that matches your jacked up partition.
For 15.2 and earlier Windows XP versions: CACLS D:\ /C /E /G Everyone:F
For PE x64 Windows 10 versions: ICACLS D:\ /C /E /G Everyone:F)
**Note where the spaces are in this command. The red dots represent a space. CACLS*D:\*/C*/E*/G*Everyone:F
This command tells Windows to:
CACLS – Run the windows cacls utility to modify Access Control Lists (or ACL). ACL’s are security permissions for partitions, files and folders in Windows.
D:\ – Run the following commands on D: Drive. You must change this to whatever drive letter your need to edit.
/C – Continue the process even if an access denied error occurs.
/E – Only edit the permissions. Do not completely erase and replace the current permissions.
/G – Grant the specified rights/access to the specified user.
EVERYONE:F – In this case the user or group is ‘Everyone’. The access level is F, which represents ‘Full Control’. (Optionally, you could change this to YOUR username if you know it.)
: Press ENTER.
If done correctly you will be rewarded with the “processed dir” confirmation.
: Type ‘exit’ to close the command prompt.
:When finished, jump to step 12!
If you are not sure which permissions need to be fixed…
If you don’t know what you are doing well enough to make security and permission modifications…
And/or…
If you don’t care about permissions and only need access to the drive…
: Continue to the step 8.
THESE NEXT STEPS WILL DELETE ALL PERMISSIONS FOR THE SYSTEM DRIVE (C: PARTITION) AND REPLACE THEM WITH THE EVERYONE GROUP! Everyone will be granted FULL access. Including you! 🙂 Yay, I guess?…….
8: Right-click the correct partition and select ‘Reset NTFS Permissions’.
A command prompt window will open. It will run the CACLS command from 7b without the /E command. You can do this manually if you want.
9: Press the letter Y for Yes when asked “Are you sure”.
10: Press ENTER. You should see the “processed dir” confirmation.
11: Press ENTER again to close the command window.
12: Right-Click the partition in Explorer, select Properties and go to the Security tab to confirm the changes.
The ‘Everyone’ group should be available in the list with Full Control privileges. If you modified your permissions manually or modified the CACLS commmand, this doesn’t have to be the case. Just as long as the problematic permissions are corrected and you have granted yourself Full Control access.
13: Power the system down then remove the Hiren’s Boot CD/DVD/USB.
That’s it! Start your computer and everything will be back to normal! Kinda…
Note. If you used step 7b or 7c, everyone will have full control over the Windows partition. This is NOT ideal for security.
It may be a good idea to have the permissions for your C: drive re-configured back to its default settings after completing this guide. We’re currently looking into the best and most surefire way to accomplish this. When we find it, I’ll post the solution on our site and place the link on this page. In the meantime…..
Good Luck!!!
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