Microsoft shares fix for Windows C: drive access issues on Samsung PCs

Microsoft has shared guidance to fix C:\ drive access issues and app failures on some Samsung laptops running Windows 11, versions 25H2 and 24H2.

This comes after a joint investigation with Samsung that pinned these issues on the Samsung Galaxy Connect app, used for screen mirroring, file sharing, and data transfer between Samsung Galaxy devices and Windows PCs.

On affected devices, users experience problems accessing files, launching apps, or performing administrative tasks, and, in some cases, issues elevating privileges, uninstalling updates, or collecting logs due to permission failures.

​Microsoft temporarily removed the Samsung app from the Microsoft Store after discovering it was causing issues on Samsung Galaxy Book 4 and Samsung desktop models running Windows 11. Samsung then published a new version of the application to address the bug.

Today, Microsoft and Samsung also published recovery guidance for affected systems, which requires users to follow a 29-step procedure to restore standard Windows permissions and can take up to 15 minutes.

Users must first sign in with the Administrator account, start the affected computer, uninstall the Samsung Galaxy Connect (or Samsung Continuity Service) app, temporarily allow Windows to repair drive permissions, add a temporary permission, and then restore Windows default permissions using a .bat (batch) repair file.

After completing the full procedure, Windows system behavior should return to normal, with drive ownership restored to Windows (TrustedInstaller) and the Local Disk (C:\) opening normally.

"This process restores Windows default, secure permissions on the system drive and does not access or modify personal files," Microsoft said.

"If you still cannot access the C: drive after completing all steps, contact Samsung Support and reference: 'C: drive access issue caused by Galaxy Connect app permissions.'"

Microsoft also advised affected Windows 11 users to contact Samsung for device-specific assistance.

In recent days, Microsoft also released two emergency out-of-band (OOB) updates for hotpatch-enabled Windows 11 Enterprise devices to fix a Bluetooth device visibility issue and security vulnerabilities in the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) management tool.

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