Microsoft publishes a workaround for Samsung's C:\ drive woes

Friends and family support techs: get ready for permission changing and batch file creating

Microsoft has published a handy guide for regaining access to a C:\ drive borked by a Samsung application, but it isn't for the faint of heart.

Earlier this week, Microsoft blamed Samsung for problems some users experienced when accessing the C:\ drive on their devices. After doing the IT equivalent of shrugging its shoulders and directing users to Samsung's support for resolution, the Windows giant has published some instructions. But goodness, they're not for the faint-hearted.

First, a user must sign in with administrator rights. Then, after uninstalling the offending Samsung applications, the ownership of every file on drive C:\ must be changed to Everyone (effectively, any user account on the system, including guests). Then the user must create a batch file containing commands to restore the correct permissions and run it. After a restart, everything should be back to normal.

It could be worse. It could be a Registry hack, where one typo could cause disaster. That said, the idea of changing the ownership of every file to Everyone is also fraught with danger, even though Microsoft insisted, "This process restores Windows default, secure permissions on the system drive and does not access or modify personal files."

As far as Microsoft is concerned, the steps mitigate the issue, and the company wrote, "Microsoft and Samsung collaborated to validate these steps, which restore standard Windows permissions."

Microsoft also directed users struggling with the procedure to Samsung's support channels.

The issue, in which some Samsung devices lost access to the C:\ drive after installing a Windows security update, was traced to a problem in the Samsung Galaxy Connect app rather than Microsoft's update. The app was temporarily removed from the Microsoft store, and a previous version without the problem was published, but for many affected users, the damage was done.

Microsoft's latest workaround is a step up from the "recovery options for devices already impacted remain limited" it originally noted for the issue. It is not for the nervous or technically inept, however. Flagging the issue as "Resolved" indicates that users should not hold their breath waiting for a Microsoft patch to spare Samsung's blushes. ®