The system cannot find the file specified

Unicorn

Member
My dell inspiron laptop died recently (we were unable to get it to start) but it was alright because I had the entire computer backed up on my seagate FreeAgent Goflex 500 GB external hard drive. I never had a problem connecting it to my home computer before, a vista home premium. But now all of a sudden I can't find any of the files on it. I try to view them but all I get are empty folders. It says that I have 423 out of 465 GB free of space, but its contents are empty, which makes no sense.

I tried opening the security tab and claiming ownership but all I got was an error stating that "the system cannot find the file specified." It was like Vista couldn't find any of the files on that external hard drive. I tried opening it to view the files, but again everything was empty.

I tested the external on a different computer and it worked just fine. All the files are in place and perfectly fine. It's only when I plug it into my vista desktop that I'm getting this problem. I don't know what's going on.
 

My Computer

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Two things to try
Download and try to recover with recuva
Download and try shadow explorer, first, thats the best way to go.
ShadowExplorer.com - About
Recuva - Undelete, Unerase, File and Disk Recovery - Free Download

Oh, let me clarify: I'm not having any issues with my laptop. I'm done with that piece of crap. It's my desktop that's suddenly giving me problems. And if I can avoid downloading random programs off the internet, that would be great. I don't want to harm my computer with unnecessary stuff.
 

My Computer

This is what you do then.
I would keep both, they are very good software, but if you dont want them just uninstall after you are done.
Run an antivirus scan.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
This is what you do then.
I would keep both, they are very good software, but if you dont want them just uninstall after you are done.
Run an antivirus scan.

...how does that help? Running an antivirus scan isn't going to make my computer start to recognize my external hard drive. What I want to know is how can change ownership when I keep getting this error? And why does it appear empty when I know for a fact that it's not? :sarc:
 

My Computer

This might be worth trying:

In Device Manager, right-click Universal Serial Bus Controllers > Scan for hardware changes
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq/SR5130NX
    CPU
    AMD AthlonTM 64x2 3800+
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
This might be worth trying:

In Device Manager, right-click Universal Serial Bus Controllers > Scan for hardware changes

Tried that already. There's nothing wrong with device itself. DX



If it appears empty, it may have been caused by a virus. Just check to be sure.
For both Seven and Vista
Permissions - Allow or Deny Users and Groups - Windows 7 Forums

Oh, I see what you're saying. No, I did a virus scan and there's nothing detected.
 

My Computer

Try with malwarebytes you may be surprised. Save malwarebytes for a once a week scan, too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Try with malwarebytes you may be surprised. Save malwarebytes for a once a week scan, too.

I have McAffee Antivirus Plus and that's worked fine. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the rest of my computer. It's just this one little problem of not being able to access/read this USB. It's rather annoying.
 

My Computer

Malwarebytes specializies in Malware, I have MSE for the AV and use Malwarebytes, too. If you feel that it is not necessary that would be your choice.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
guys it sounds like his hard drive isn't compatible. check the file system perhaps.


I.E. Start>computer (right click the drive and hit properties, check that the usb or serial connection you use is compatible with the hard drive.)
 

My Computer

My dell inspiron laptop died recently (we were unable to get it to start) but it was alright because I had the entire computer backed up on my seagate FreeAgent Goflex 500 GB external hard drive. I never had a problem connecting it to my home computer before, a vista home premium. But now all of a sudden I can't find any of the files on it. I try to view them but all I get are empty folders. It says that I have 423 out of 465 GB free of space, but its contents are empty, which makes no sense.

I tried opening the security tab and claiming ownership but all I got was an error stating that "the system cannot find the file specified." It was like Vista couldn't find any of the files on that external hard drive. I tried opening it to view the files, but again everything was empty.

I tested the external on a different computer and it worked just fine. All the files are in place and perfectly fine. It's only when I plug it into my vista desktop that I'm getting this problem. I don't know what's going on.

Is your drive USB or a NAS?
I have tried on of these drives the 2T version and had to take it back to the shop I bought it from. Compatability with vista is very bad with this drive.

If it is a NAS drive can you access the web interface on the drive and have you installed the programs to access the drive?
The problem that you may be having is permissions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    I5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77-DS3H
    Memory
    4 x 4GB corsair ballistix sport DDR3 1600 Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Geforce GTX 660 TI
    Sound Card
    creative x-fi
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Primary CiBox 22" Widescreen LCD ,Secondary Dell 22" Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    Both 1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    2 x 500G HD (SATA) 1 x 2TB USB
    PSU
    Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Complient PSU
    Case
    Antec 900 Ultimate Gaming Case
    Cooling
    3 x 80mm tri led front, 120mm side 120mm back, 200mm top
    Keyboard
    Logik
    Mouse
    Technika TKOPTM2
    Internet Speed
    288 / 4000
    Other Info
    Creative Inspire 7.1 T7900 Speakers
    Trust Graphics Tablet
You could check the permissions by going to the drive, right click,properties,security.
give yourself full control
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
Ok, the thing that doesn't make sense to me is that I've never had this problem before. The external hard drive was always recognized and I had full permission to use it/change it whatever etc. But now all of a sudden my computer can't access it and the files don't show up when I explore it. I've already given myself full control. That's the issue I'm having now. I get this error when I try to do that. I've already checked under the security tab and tried to fix that, but that's where the problem lies. I can't do anything with it because my computer doesn't seem to know what to do with it. It's frustrating me beyond belief, especially since it has worked just fine in the past. Why now all of a sudden it doesn't work? It works fine on every other computer I plug it into, but not my vista home desktop. -_-
 

My Computer

I think it's the USB port. Your hard drive is most likely one that spins around. To spin around, it needs power. And maybe your USB port isn't giving it enough power. It could be a problem where you need a USB 2.0 port. Since it's a desktop, you can easily do it yourself (I think). If you don't know how, just go to a Computer Tech Store that can help you. Like Geek Squad.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway NV52
    CPU
    2100 MHz
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    4.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics (259 MB)
    Sound Card
    HD Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1366 by 768
    Hard Drives
    Hitachi HTS545032B9A3 SCSI Disk Device
    Cooling
    Multiple Fans
    Keyboard
    Gateway Laptop Keyboard
    Mouse
    Synaptics Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    Broadband
Try updating your USB drivers but don't go to device manager and use the update driver section there go to the site and get the driver directly from them.
If all else fails you could put the drive into a computer where it works and transfer the files by USB stick back to your computer. Then we could try other things to get your drive recognized without fear of dumping data.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
ok.. i have a couple questions, did you determine the computer was disabled by virus or bad hard drive? it seems it could also be that your antivirus(i assume you use one) detected a virus, or thought it did, and perhaps somehow removed the files. could you tell us what anti virus you use ( if you do)
 

My Computer

Is it a USB or NAS drive?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    I5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77-DS3H
    Memory
    4 x 4GB corsair ballistix sport DDR3 1600 Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Geforce GTX 660 TI
    Sound Card
    creative x-fi
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Primary CiBox 22" Widescreen LCD ,Secondary Dell 22" Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    Both 1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    2 x 500G HD (SATA) 1 x 2TB USB
    PSU
    Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Complient PSU
    Case
    Antec 900 Ultimate Gaming Case
    Cooling
    3 x 80mm tri led front, 120mm side 120mm back, 200mm top
    Keyboard
    Logik
    Mouse
    Technika TKOPTM2
    Internet Speed
    288 / 4000
    Other Info
    Creative Inspire 7.1 T7900 Speakers
    Trust Graphics Tablet
Is it a USB or NAS drive?

This question is important, I have just been assuming it was a USB and could be way wrong. :o
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Thinkpad T400
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz
    Motherboard
    LENOVO 64734VM
    Memory
    2.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    Conexant 20561 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 800
    Hard Drives
    1x 180GB Intel 530 series SSD
    1 x 120GB Hitachi 5400rmp
    1 x 650GB Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    1x 1Tb Western Digital Elements 5400rpm
    Internet Speed
    Medium for New Zealand
    Other Info
    Weakest part of my computer is the graphics chipset.
    Only ever used a laptop.
    Also use USB Freeview TV Card
    Lenovo Docking Station
    External Speakers
    Other bits a pieces as needed
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