Windows Cannot Access The Specified Device Path Or File: Technical Troubleshooting Guidelines

While you try to install or update a file or a program, it shows an unexpected error message “Error: Windows cannot access the specified device path or file. You may not have the appropriate permission to access the item”. It may happen due to file corruption or somehow those files are blocked. Besides this, if the file is deleted from your system accidentally, it causes this Windows file error. Sometimes, a high-security system software prevents the file and external driver in accessing the Windows programs.

Fix Windows File Error Easily With A Few Steps

There are various solutions to fix the Windows file corruption issue. Here, we have analyzed the easy and possible solutions to avoid this annoying issue. So, you may try the following steps to resolve the Windows cannot access the specified device path or file issue immediately.

Verify The Permission To Access The Specified File

Right-click on the file or folder which you want to open and choose the option Properties. Select the tab Security from the Properties window and go to the Group or User Names. Choose the file or folder and click on Edit button. Under the Permission tab, go to the Allow column and put the tick mark on the checkbox by selecting it. You will get it will give the permission of full control such as read, modify, execute after writing and also special permissions. If you want to access multiple files or folders, choose them one by one and take permission to open.

Disable Security Software

Open the antivirus software window by tapping the antivirus icon from your installed software list. Click on Settings and choose Virus & Threat Protection tab. Now, tap on the Virus & Threat protection settings option and turn off the real-time protection switch by sliding the bar to the extreme right. Then, either disable the Firewall protection or move the security bar to low. Next, close the antivirus window and reboot the system. Check whether the security software is disabled or not.

Verify The Location Of The Specific File Or Folder

If you find any short-cut of that specific file or folder, then locate it. Now, right-click on it and choose Properties. In this window, you will get the details about that file or folder. Tap on the Shortcut tab and check whether the target location is available or not.

The alternate way to locate any specific file is easy for the non-tech-savvy person. So, you may try with the steps below.

Click on the Start button and open the Start menu. Type “<File Name>” in the search box. It will show you that file or folder in the menu list. Choose that specific folder which you want to access and right-click on it. Choose Properties and tap the Shortcut tab. In the target text box, you will find the path with the root drive. So, you can copy if necessary and close the window.

Unblock The File/Folder

Choose the file which you want to access and right-click on it. Choose the Properties and go to the General tab from it. Here, you can check the status of the file and if you find the message “This file came from another computer and might be blocked”, then make sure that the data is blocked. Finally, click on Unblock to remove the file blocking issue.

Re-create Shortcut

At first, right-click on the shortcut of the file or folder and choose Delete to remove it. Now, go to the location of the resource of the file and right-click on the program you want to create a shortcut. Finally, choose the option Send To and Desktop respectively to create a shortcut on the desktop. It will help to locate any file easily.

Otherwise, you can create the shortcut inside any drive or any specific folder. Then, click on Browse to choose the file and tap on Next respectively before choosing the Send To option. However, type the file name and select the path where you want to copy that program. Finally, click on the Create button. When done, close all the tabs and go to the path where you create the shortcut of the file to check it.

Enable Hidden Admin Account

Restart your system and press F8 key from the keyboard while the PC manufacturer’s logo appears on the screen. Now, choose Safe Mode option by navigating the up/down arrow keys and tap the Enter key. It will take several minutes to reboot and open the system in Safe mode.

Then, type “cmd” in the search box and hit the Enter key to launch the Command Prompt window. In this window, type the command “net user administrator /active: yes” and press the Enter to execute it. This command will enable the hidden administrator account. Again, restart your PC in safe mode and choose the option hidden administrator account to complete the verification process before start working in a Windows environment.

Next, open the Control Panel window by typing the “Control” in the search box and press Enter. Now, set the View by a small icon by choosing the option from the drop-down menu. You will find the sub-program User Accounts and tap on it.

Choose the Manage Account and select Your Account respectively. Then, go to the Administrator section by selecting Change Account Type. Then, reboot the computer and enter a correct username along with the suitable password to login to the account. This method will help you to open the specific file and run the program successfully.

Conclusion

In this context, we have discussed how to overcome the issue of Windows cannot access the specified device path or file error technically. Moreover, this article is beneficial for a non-tech-savvy person to handle the Windows file corruption issue easily without any problem. Furthermore, it will help to keep your account secure by opening the system in admin mode effectively. Additionally, you can easily access the file or folder by creating a short-cut copy in the desktop.

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Nathaniel Villa
Nathaniel Villa
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