'C:\ is not accessible – Access denied': Windows 11 users locked out of own boot drive on Samsung PCs due to major issue

Microsoft Windows 11
(Image credit: Microsoft)

There's a lot of spinning plates any operating system needs to manage—but when things go wrong, smashed crockery is often the least of an end user's concerns. For instance, some Windows 11 users were left considering going full 'bull in a china shop' when the OS seemingly locked them out of their own C: drive.

Those affected are greeted by the blood-pressure raising message “C:\ is not accessible – Access denied," when simply trying to access their own files from the drive. They may also encounter the message by trying to launch Office apps and web browsers, or even just by checking system utilities. It's a major issue, but currently only affecting a very specific population of PC users.

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Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge laptop

(Image credit: Future)

Those who are currently affected by the issue don't yet have many options as the two massive corporations work on fixes. Microsoft writes, "Recovery options for devices already impacted remain limited, and Samsung continues to evaluate remediation approaches with Microsoft’s support."

Though the issue is limited to Samsung machines, it's still pretty major. Following Windows 10 being put out to pasture last year, Microsoft recently reported that Windows 11 now has one billion users, a figure that's 'up 45% year-over-year.' One billion is far from small potatoes, though we don't yet know exactly how big a chunk of that pie is affected by this issue.

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Jess Kinghorn
Hardware Writer

Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending a significant chunk of that time working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not investigating all things hardware here, she's either constructing a passionate defence of a 7/10 game, daydreaming about her debut novel, or feeling wistful about the last time she chased some nerds around a field with an oversized foam sword. 

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