External Hard Drive Not Accessible Access Denied

Chkdsk might delete corrupted security descriptors, granting you access by defaulting to "Everyone: Read." This is a feature, not a bug.

Type the following command (replace E: with your actual drive letter): chkdsk E: /f external hard drive not accessible access denied

If taking ownership fails instantly or you see "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable" alongside "Access Denied," you are likely dealing with encryption. Chkdsk might delete corrupted security descriptors