W8.1 cannot access folders on external USB drive

Upgraded from 8 to 8.1. Connected a previously used external hard drive. When I try to access certain folders with Explorer, .. I get some access denied problems.

Pictures tell it all:

First error window:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yukxnlbk59kl8yw/Capture1.PNG?dl=0

Second error window:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h19noc7zpt1ruyb/Capture2.PNG?dl=0

Third:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4h6ek5hqrigbd6e/Capture3.PNG?dl=0

Fourth:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/efy1okhirmo8z9w/Capture4.PNG?dl=0

Fifth:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/buanrkthelzbx3w/Capture5.PNG?dl=0

and last .. where I go totally dumb:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3mo19au8s0xpoun/Capture6.PNG?dl=0

An expert probably only needs to view screenshot 6. I linked every step .. 6 shots.

Help accessing these folders, as I could before, is appreciated in advance.

 

Have you tried with access as the Administrator? Neil.

 

I believe so. My user account has Administrative privilages. In fact, 5th screenshot clearly states "You do not have permission to view this object's security properties, even as an administrator ".

Thanks anyway.

 

Start Menu type cmd. Find and right click on Command prompt select run as administrator while in command prompt type net user administrator /active:yes press enter. To hide the account again net user administrator /active:no press enter. Hope this helps.

 

I ran the command with the 'yes' ... but still could not access those folders.

What exactly does the command do?? I ran it again with the 'no'. Thank you for your response.

 

My apologies after you finish with the command prompt you should exit and restart your machine. When you get to the start screen there should be your account and then the hidden Administrators account. You will need to sign into the Administrator's account.

 

Freak out!! I did as you said. Signed in as ADMINISTRATOR. Still could not access those folders ... same 'errors' (screenshots). Even worse, soon as I signed in, W8.1 began installing apps etc ... said there were Windows UPDATES ... and proceeded to gobble up disk space with all of it. Great to have an Admin account if needed (didn't I always??), but not at the expense of all that disk space (at least UNTIL needed). Now what?? This folder access problem apparently has nothing to do with Administrative privilages .. and if we look at my screenshots . it states that clearly. Now, I would really know how to undo all that ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT disk space ... if I am making any sense. Certainly it would not be as simple as deleting the Admin account. Would system restore do it????????????

 

Did you have Windows Updates from last week that you may not have downloaded and installed? What Apps. were installed? In Win 8.1 I sign in and out of my hidden administrator account constantly and yet to have anything download and install.

 

Possible from last week.There was only 1 and I didn't get it. Apps, several. I didn't look. I went to explorer to see if I could access those folders.

EDIT: .. For the benefit of others, I THINK I undid the Administrator stuff. Not sure. Followed this tutorial:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/38799-built-administrator-account-reset-default.html

If anyone knows how to address my original problem, .. please do chime in.

 

Anything important on this external hard drive?

 

What was your reason to Update to W8.1? Do you want to Upgrade to W10 and thought you better get ALL the MS updates to qualify for the FREE W10.
My 250GB SSD has 154GB free after the Upgrade from W8.1 to W10 to give you an idea of space. I have not deleted the Windows.old (probably about 5GB's). Neil.

 

Yes . 3rd party backups of several different computers. I MIGHT be fixing the problem now ... don't know yet. Opened an elevated command prompt and am copying that entire drive to another drive ... hoping to eliminate the permissions on the target drive ... and thereby access those folders there. Using xcopy to do so. So far, the inaccessible folders ARE copying ... I just hope I can access 'em when done. I can then format the drive with the restricted folders.

Thanks for all the replies. If anyone knows a better way to do this (as in the screen shots), I am certainly open to it. I am not out of the woods yet.

 

Because it is better than 8.0. W10 has little to do with anything at this point.

 

Please keep us updated. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

The reason you started getting Updates en masse was because you stayed on W8.
MS warned that if you did not accept W8.1 Update you would not receive any further updates.
Like the notification that W10 is FREE to users of legitimate W7/W8.1 provided they had installed ALL current updates otherwise the Upgrade would not work.
Yes it is/was better than W8 - W10 in my opinion is much better. Neil.
P.S. I meant to add that your original problem may have been related to the lack of the MS updates.

 

Elevated command prompt ... allowed me to copy SOME of the inaccessible folders ... the most important ones. Got them and the accessible folders off the problem drive. Quick formatted the problem drive, and am now copying everything back. The copy to and from removed the restrictive permissions.

I have no idea how those folders got restricted .. but all is well that ends well.

As for Windows Updates ... the ONLY update that was offered to that Administrator's account was a Defender update. This problem has nothing to do with updates.

Thank EVERYONE for their valuable time and courtesy. I do appreciate your attention.

 

Thanks for the update and I'm glad everything is accessible again.