Solved SanDisk SecureAccess system file possibly damaged

Hello all,

I have a SanDisk thumb drive that I use on my Win11 machine at work, which has tight security and very limited access to system settings. The SecureAccess software that came with the drive is not accepting my password. It's not telling me that the password is wrong, I just keep getting this error message "Failure reading filesystems file (err=3)" when I enter the password. Also, the "Forgot password" hint option is missing.

Some searching turned up a method that basically has you delete the profile folders which will reset the app, prompting you to create a new profile. From there, you have the option of using the existing secure folder which requires the password it was created with. As long as you have the password, you should be good to go.

I tried that method and it did not work. So, I experimented with renaming the original vault folder so that the app couldn't see it and created a new profile, which created a new vault folder. I then deleted the filesystems.dat file from that new profile and created another new profile. The second new profile asked me if I wanted to use the new vault folder that I just created and allowed me to access it with its password. After closing the app and reopening it, the "Forgot password" option was present. I clicked that and it showed me the password hint that I entered for the new profile.

The result of that experiment seems to suggest that the filesystems.dat file for the old profile is either damaged or being blocked somehow. If that's the case, I'm hoping to find options on how to fix the file or recover the data.

Thank you.

glasskuter said:

Data Recovery: Accidentally Deleted SanDisk Secure Access

How to restore files from accidentally deleted SanDisk Secure Access? Here in this post, we offer you detailed steps to have the files recovered.

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Hello @glasskuter. Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, this doesn't address my issue. In my case, the vault is intact and nothing has been deleted. The files are there but one or more of the system files critical to SecureAccess appears to be damaged.

Only suggestion I have is to contact Western Digital support. They make Sandisk and Sandisk makes the best flash drives in the world IMO. However, I wouldn't hold my breath that WD will help. Just as with this forum, this is a case where we do not know if you are the original owner of the drive or someone trying to crack the drive for nefarious purposes. Therefore any information given will be only what can readily be found on the web.
A word to the wise, if your files are important to you, don't rely on having them only on a flash drive. Back them up elsewhere or put your files in the cloud.

If your problem with the drive only occurs at work, it's likely that it's due to your work's security policies and encryption policies. At work you operate under their rules.

glasskuter said:

Only suggestion I have is to contact Western Digital support. They make Sandisk and Sandisk makes the best flash drives in the world IMO. However, I wouldn't hold my breath that WD will help. Just as with this forum, this is a case where we do not know if you are the original owner of the drive or someone trying to crack the drive for nefarious purposes. Therefore any information given will be only what can readily be found on the web.
A word to the wise, if your files are important to you, don't rely on having them only on a flash drive. Back them up elsewhere or put your files in the cloud.

Click to expand...

I did send a request to WD on Friday. No reply yet. I agree that the likelihood that they will be able or willing to offer much help is not strong.

I'm wondering if it's possible to repair this kind of file without losing properties like the password.

TraderGary said:

If your problem with the drive only occurs at work, it's likely that it's due to your work's security policies and encryption policies. At work you operate under their rules.

Click to expand...

I’d agree with Gary, the possibility of it working in another computer could be worth a try.

Got it resolved.

IT at work looked at it and as it turns out, the necessary system file among others were encrypted by our network security software. The company discontinued using that software a couple months ago, which was soon after the last time that I accessed the drive. Without that security software on my PC, the files were not being automatically decrypted and therefore, SecureAccess couldn't read them to unlock the secure folder.

So, I'm good now. Thank you all for your assistance.