A critical Windows 11 bug has locked some users out of the C: drive,
Microsoft admits here's what you can do if you're affected

Date:
Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Description:
We've got another significant Windows 11 bug to report, which seems to be mostly impacting Samsung laptops.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter A critical Windows 11 bug is affecting C: drive access It seems to be tied to Samsung laptops specifically Microsoft is investigating and working on a fix for the problem There has been more woe for selected Windows 11 users over
the last few days, with a nasty software bug locking a substantial number of people out of their main C: drive. Microsoft has acknowledged the problem,
and is working on a fix.

As reported by Neowin and others, the bug triggers the message "C:\ is not accessible Access denied". It appears to have been introduced in the
February 2026 security update (KB5077181), and is predominantly affecting laptops manufactured by Samsung . In its official support note , Microsoft suggests the problem might be related to the Samsung Share app, but that's
not confirmed at this stage. What is clear is that it's crippling hard drive access and many applications for affected users. Article continues below You may like Microsoft admits latest Windows 11 update is nuking some system drives Windows 11 bug breaks entire desktop for some users luckily there's a fix Windows 11's new year goes from bad to worse as two bugs are crashing
apps

Office apps and web browsers are among the programs that this major bug
causes problems for, Microsoft reports. It says it's "presently
investigating" the bug, together with Samsung, and will issue updates "when more information is available". Files, apps, and admin tasks Samsung Galaxy Book laptops screwd over a Windows update? from r/sysadmin Neowin notes that only the latest Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 appear to be impacted by
the bug, while according to Microsoft multiple regions are affected,
including Brazil, Portugal, Korea, and India.

If you've been hit by this bug, you'll know about it: Microsoft says "accessing files, launching applications, or performing administrative tasks" can trigger the error message, and for many users it's making their systems pretty much unusable.

There is the standard safety net of an update rollback, which you can find
via the Settings > Windows Update menu Microsoft has full instructions here
. Alternatively if you haven't installed the February 2026 update yet, hit pause for now. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me
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The enterprising folk posting on Reddit have some suggestions about workarounds that involve changing ownership of the C: drive, and while this seems to have worked for some users, it's not without risks so proceed with caution if you do try those fixes. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. The best laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best laptops 1. Best overall: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 2. Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14 3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch 4. Best gaming: Razer Blade 16 5. Best for pros MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/a-critical-windows-11-bug-has-lock ed-some-users-out-of-the-c-drive-microsoft-admits-heres-what-you-can-do-if-you re-affected


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