Windows 7 location is not available

How to fix location is not available on Windows 10? Here is a quick overview of the effective methods. 

• «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.»
• «Location is not available.  X:\ is not accessible. Access is denied.»

Картинка с сайта: www.easeus.com

When you access a hard drive or an external hard drive in Windows 10/8/7, you may encounter «the location is not available» problem, which means that your hard drive is inaccessible. You can’t read or change a file or folder in it. But don’t panic. You will learn several ways to fix Windows 10 location is not available, access is denied error in this how-to article.

First Thing to Do: Restore Data from Inaccessible Hard Drive 

When the location is not available and the hard drive goes wrong, you are advised to use data recovery software to restore data from the hard drive before starting to solve the problem.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best hard drive data recovery software to restore data from RAW hard drive, external USB drive, SD card, and other storage drives caused by the location is not available error. With this data recovery tool, you can:

• Undelete files Windows 10 in different data loss situations.
• Recover lost documents, photos, audio, music, and emails from any storage safely.
• Repair corrupted files during data recovery on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP. 
• Restore data from emptied Recycle bin, formatted/corrupted hard drive, lost partitions, and more.

It’s an essential tool for everyone who meets unexpected data loss and demands an instant data recovery with ease. You can export the data from the inaccessible drive to another location for data safe.

Free download EaseUS data recovery software and follow the details below to restore inaccessible data.

Step 1. Select the hard drive which becomes inaccessible on your PC. Click «Scan» to let EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan and find your hard drive data.

Картинка с сайта: www.easeus.com

Step 2. After the scan is completed, all available files in the inaccessible hard drive will be displayed. View these files and find the files you want to recover. You can sort the scanned data by file format or search directly in the «Search files or folders» box. 

Картинка с сайта: www.easeus.com

Step 3. Finally, select the items you want to restore and click «Recover». Choose a secure location (a healthy physical drive on your PC or another external storage device) and click «OK» to start recovering all lost data from your inaccessible hard drive.

Картинка с сайта: www.easeus.com

4 Effective Fixes for Location Is Not Available Windows 10 

If this error happens when the user tries to access a file/folder or try to modify its contents, a number of fixes can be performed to fix the issue. Keep reading and go through the solutions one by one.

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

After you have retrieved data, you can fix the inaccessible drive by adding an authenticated user. Locate the drive or folder which you can’t access. 

Step 1. Right-click on it and choose the «Properties» option

Step 2. Select the «Security» tab, and click on «Edit».

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

Step 4. Under the Permission section, check «Full control». Then, click on «OK».

Fix 2. Take the Ownership of the Inaccessible Drive

If you don’t have permission of accessing the hard drive, Windows denies your access. You may also receive the not available error. To access the drive, you should take ownership of the drive.

Step 1. Right-click on the inaccessible hard drive, and choose «Properties».

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

Step 3. Click «Change». on the popped up screen, in the «Enter the object name to select» field, enter Administrators, or enter your user name. Then, click the «Check Names». If all goes well, the input will change. Click «OK» to save changes.

Step 4. The owner section will now change. Check «Replace owner on sub containers and objects» and click «Apply» and «OK» to save changes. Or you can check the «Replace all child object permission entries» option. 

Картинка с сайта: www.easeus.com

Fix 3. Run CHKDSK Command to Fix Corrupted Hard Drive

If your file system goes wrong, you can follow this method. The CHKDSK marks the bad sectors and prevents data corruption by fixing file system errors. 

Step 1. Press the «Windows» key and type cmd.

Step 2. Right-click «Command Prompt» and choose «Run as administrator».

Step 3. Enter the following command: chkdsk e: /f /r /x. («e» means the drive letter of the partition you want to repair)

Step 4. After the process, shut down the window. Try to access the hard drive or external hard drive again.

Картинка с сайта: www.easeus.com

Fix 4. Decrypt the File or Folder

You may also receive the message if your file or folder with the file is encrypted. You can only open this folder with an encryption certificate. If the encrypting file system goes wrong, you can’t access it. You should decrypt the file or folder on Windows 10/8/7:

Step  1. Go to the Command Prompt.

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

Step  3. After the process, copy the decrypted file on your computer’s hard disk.

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

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

Conclusion

After trying all the solutions above, you may have solved your problem. If you have a better method to fix the location is not available, access is denied error, you can share with us. Remember to recover data in advance to avoid data loss by using EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

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

If you also have any of the following frequently asked questions about location is not available, find solutions here.

Why Windows 10 Location Is Not Available Occurs

Why does my computer say the location is not available? Why do you fail to access the location? Various factors can cause this issue, such as:

• Unplug removable drive improperly
• File system (NTFS, FAT) goes wrong
• HDD power failure 
• Bad sectors
• Encrypted file or folder

How do you fix C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\desktop is unavailable Windows 10?

How do you fix desktop refers to a location that is unavailable error? You can:

• Repair corrupt system files on the hard drive
• Reset desktop’s location
• Move profile’s content back to its location
•  Create a new user profile

How to fix Location is not available. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable?

When you encounter the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable issue, try the ways below:

• Repair disk errors with a partition manager tool
• Fix corrupted file system using CHKDSK utility
• Format disk to solve the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable issue

Location Is Not Available in Windows 10/8/7 FIX [Tutorial]

Have you ever encountered the error message «Location is not available» while trying to access a file or folder on your Windows 10/8/7 computer? This error can be frustrating and confusing for many users, as it prevents them from accessing important files and folders on their computer. However, there are several methods you can try to fix this issue and regain access to your files. In this tutorial, we will discuss some of the most effective solutions for solving the «Location is not available» error on Windows 10/8/7.

Method 1: Check the file or folder path

The first thing you should do when you encounter the «Location is not available» error is to check the file or folder path. Sometimes, the error message may be caused by an incorrect file path or a missing file or folder. To check the file or folder path, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the file or folder that is showing the error message.
2. Select «Properties» from the context menu.
3. In the Properties window, check the Location field to ensure that the file or folder path is correct.
4. If the file or folder path is incorrect, you can manually correct it by typing the correct path in the Location field.

Method 2: Run the Windows Troubleshooter

Another effective method for fixing the «Location is not available» error is to run the Windows Troubleshooter. The Windows Troubleshooter is a built-in tool that can automatically diagnose and fix common issues with your computer. To run the Windows Troubleshooter, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Troubleshoot in the left pane.
4. Scroll down and click on Windows Update Troubleshooter.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to run the Troubleshooter and fix any issues that it finds.

Method 3: Check for Windows Updates

Another common cause of the «Location is not available» error is outdated Windows updates. To ensure that your computer is up to date and running the latest Windows updates, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Windows Update in the left pane.
4. Click on Check for updates to download and install any available updates for your computer.

Method 4: Check for Disk Errors

Disk errors can also cause the «Location is not available» error on Windows 10/8/7. To check for disk errors and fix them, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type «cmd» and press Enter to open the Command Prompt.
3. In the Command Prompt, type «chkdsk /f /r C:» (replace C: with the drive letter of the disk where the error is occurring) and press Enter.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to scan and fix any disk errors on your computer.

Method 5: Check for Malware

Malware infections can also cause the «Location is not available» error on Windows 10/8/7. To check for malware and remove any infections, follow these steps:

1. Download and install a reputable antivirus program on your computer.
2. Run a full system scan to detect and remove any malware infections.
3. Restart your computer and check if the error message has been resolved.

Method 6: Reset File Associations

Incorrect file associations can also cause the «Location is not available» error on Windows 10/8/7. To reset file associations and fix the error, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
2. Click on Apps.
3. Click on Default apps in the left pane.
4. Scroll down and click on Choose default apps by file type.
5. Scroll down and find the file type that is causing the error.
6. Click on the current default app and choose a different app from the list.

Method 7: Check for Corrupted System Files

Corrupted system files can also cause the «Location is not available» error on Windows 10/8/7. To check for corrupted system files and repair them, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.
2. In the Command Prompt, type «sfc /scannow» and press Enter to run the System File Checker tool.
3. Wait for the scan to complete and follow the on-screen instructions to repair any corrupted system files.

Method 8: Check for Hardware Issues

Hardware issues such as a faulty hard drive or RAM can also cause the «Location is not available» error on Windows 10/8/7. To check for hardware issues and fix them, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + X and select Device Manager from the menu.
2. Expand the Disk drives and Memory technology devices sections to check for any hardware issues.
3. Right-click on the device that is showing the error and select Properties.
4. Check the device status and follow the on-screen instructions to troubleshoot and fix any hardware issues.

Method 9: Perform a System Restore

If none of the above methods work, you can try performing a System Restore to revert your computer to a previous state before the error occurred. To perform a System Restore, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type «rstrui» and press Enter to open the System Restore wizard.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to choose a restore point and complete the System Restore process.

Conclusion

The «Location is not available» error can be frustrating and confusing for many Windows 10/8/7 users. However, with the methods mentioned in this tutorial, you can effectively troubleshoot and fix this error on your computer. By following these steps, you can regain access to your files and folders and ensure that your computer is running smoothly and efficiently. If you continue to encounter the error message after trying these solutions, it may be a sign of a more serious issue with your computer, and you may need to seek professional help to diagnose and fix the problem.