Win10 2004 suddenly removed access to multiple external hard drives. In desperate need of help [ cannot find a solution :( ]

It doesn't make sense though. I never had any issues using these under Windows 7. Ever. Plus the fact that im so OCD with my stuff, that im always running my own checks weekly, checking on fragmentation, keeping them healthy and following every guideline to making sure I disconnect them properly and shut them down properly as well. While I get even doing this, drives can still go bad, this just doesn't make sense. I brought them over to Win10 and then all of a sudden after installing 2004, something happens to them both at the same time? Not a coincidence. I finally get (almost) both of them back to normal, I restart my computer with them on for the first time since, and this happens again? Permissions removed and corrupting a drive? I just finished running another long check on V and everything is perfect, yet again. So at this point, these 2 drives, once complete are no longer going to be used under Windows 10 since apparently they have a compatibility issue somehow or Windows 10 truly is junk (and that's what I feel).

I've done chkdsk's and scanned for bad sectors, used multiple disk check utilities and they all report no issues with the drives, no bad sectors, no nothing, Perfectly healthy drives.

Windows IS the culprit, in my opinion. The evidence to me shows it. I did some searching and others have experienced windows 10 checking disks at bootup when nothing was ever wrong with them. They've done their scans and checks as well and their drives were fine.

Regarding fast start up - it's been disabled so it's not the culprit here either. Defrag/optimizations are all turned off from any and all programs offering the feature. I'm the kind of user that prefers to do everything myself so at least I know what's always being done and going on.

A happy update, my G-Speed Studio is back up and none of the files went corrupt. All 4 3TB drives inside, remain intact and I have full access to them. Something else that I will no longer give Windows 10 access to.

I'm noticing a trend though - Internal drives in the computer don't have any issues, but all external drives get messed up by Windows10 - I'm seeing the pattern and I'm going to not use anymore external drives with 10. Windows 7 is close by and while I'll have to sacrifice some slower speeds to backup/transfer - it'll be better than watching windows 10 **** them up even more.

I know how some of this sounds, but if you were here in front of my PC experiencing all of this over the past week, you'd see and feel the same way - the hard drives are perfectly fine and normal - windows 10 isn't. With all the problems that 10 causes since the very day 1 of it's release, and every thing you know and have seen/been through/read etc.., I'm sure you know Windows is very capable of doing things like this.

Regarding the backup image you loaded. I did read how every release of Windows is not going to be properly compatible with every computer. I'm sure that's also the case here. This is an HP Z820 Workstation. Perhaps these updates, or even thos OS, just doesn't play well with these workstations?

I'm just thrilled im on the way back to recovery - it's going to be a long recovery but it's a recovery nonetheless :)

Hi,

I doubt that ChkDsk is the culprit, although I am at a loss to explain what might be the actual issue..

ChkDsk only responds to problems detected by Windows.. It does not launch out of the clear blue sky..

At least not that I've ever encountered..

As mentioned previously.. Removing a drive with Fast Startup enabled can cause this..

Removing a drive improperly will cause this...

Sometimes switching the drive between different machines can cause this due to differing permissions..

Defragging\Optimizing the drive can cause this if interrupted while running..

A failing drive will also cause this, but I doubt all of your drives are failing at the same time..

Do you have any type of program that automatically access the drives for any reason ?

The fact that this happened while\after tinkering with your 12Tb G-Speed Studio raises my eyebrows for some reason..

EDIT... I loaded a backup image of build 2004 19041.388 and have been playing with a USB 3.0 HDD to see if I can duplicate any of this... So far no issues...

Hey Greg,

So I have something new today that may shed light on the issues of Windows removing access/corrupting my drives.

Yesterday I played around more with Recuva and I was able to get it to start a full recovery of my files (and it was actually working!) I left it overnight and unfortunately it frooze at some point, but at least 60 files were recovered during that time without issue. So that's the good news that I think I can recover all my files :). It looks like it will take days and possibly a week or 2 to fully complete everything I need, which isn't ideal, but grateful that I have a solid chance here.

But the main thing I wanted to report was, after a reboot moments ago, Windows wanted to do a disk check upon reboot. I skipped it. I went ahead and logged in, and I was starting the process of reinstalling software and drivers for my 12Tb G-Speed Studio. I had to reboot right after an installation and I stepped away from the PC, I came back and saw it complete a quick scan of my recent drives that I had been working on. (For reference from DM, it's Drive V & Q at the bottom of the list)

These drives were (1) a 1TB WD that I lost access to, but reformatted and re transferred the backup I had previously and the drive was working fine, and the WD 4TB that we were working throughout most of this thread. The same drive I eventually gained back access to.

Well it seems as though the disk checks are removing permissions from these drives and messing them up somehow. Because both those drives are now inaccessible again. Back to beginning of this mess. So it looks to me, that Windows Disk check is actually phucking up the hard drives. Doing the exact opposite of what it's supposed to.

Does this make sense? Seems like it's broken to me. Now I have to reformat that drive again and add back my music backup and hope I can gain access to the WD 4TB again to I can attempt that full recovery again. Going to mess with the permissions one more time in the hopes it works, but it feels like this is where the issues are coming from. I'm wondering if anyone else experienced the same exact issue I have.

**EDIT - It actually fully corrupted drive V: requiring a format. Drive Q: still has a chance. So Disk Check is corrupting my drives.

Do you know how the System Reserved partition that boots Windows 10 got put on Disk1? Was it there before the Repair, since you said E stayed the same before and after Repair Install, which means Windows 10 had not been there?

Antonio, I understand the frustration which I deal with here every day and gets to me, too.

I'm just curious about what you mean by Disk0 being created by the Version upgrade being run from .exe. Was that one of the data drives that you're missing?

Did you previously have Windows 10 on Disk1 next to the EFI System Partition which is where it should be? Or is E a data partition with 1.2 gb of data on it? Did it ever have Windows on it to explain why it's next to an EFI System partition?

As to the two external drives the disk listings at top of the Disk Manager seem to think they have quite a bit of data on them. I just don't know what happened to them. I do see threads here regularly with people saying they lost data off of unrelated drives when Updates were run, I also try everything possible to try to find it or explain what happened, but at this point I cannot say for sure or even guess.

I'm sorry. The best I can advise at this point is to double up on your backups to avoid it happening again, but I know that doesn't help much now. I am going to bring it up in our MVP channel and at a Product Group meeting we're having later this month, to ask if others are seeing this, too. If so we'll start pressing it, and I won't forget this.

Hey Greg,

I downloaded an ISO version, mounted the image and ran the setup. It took a few minutes while it gathered info before going ahead with the installation. Upon successful installation, i went to DM and saw Disk 0/1 with a 2nd partition. Figured it was created or left behind from 2004. Perhaps the reserved for system was saved from 2004 and a new one created with 1909

E drive is an additional HDD I installed for data storage, so nothing to do with Win10 - thankfully that drive didn't get damaged. And yes, Disk 0 is Windows 10 initial installation from day 1 in May and still current.

It's confusing I know. The Drive we were working on, when it finally showed back up, still shows the data full, but nothing is there. Like all my files are invisible. Going to try some more recovery programs to give it another shot or 2. after that, im going to accept my losses on this drive, reformat and move onto my 12TB G-Speed Studio with the hopes I can possibly salvage it.

Thank you for your efforts Greg. If there's anything significant from your upcoming discussion that you feel I would benefit from knowing, please let me know in this thread if it's still around. I tried to get here earlier but kept receiving long loading times followed by errors as if this thread never happened.