System 5 error, access denied

I have a new laptop, running Windows 11 and I keep getting a system 5 error, access denied, no matter what I do. My user name is part of the administrator group so I believe I should have full access. I've tried to access the built-in administrator account by using the elevated cmd prompt, and I've tried to add a new user also using the elevated cmd prompt but no matter what I do I keep getting the system 5 error. Even if I login to the laptop as Administrator rather than my user name I have the same issue. I have no idea how to get past this system 5 error. Thankful for any assistance.

Hi, welcome


I did see various fixes around the net but they seemed a little generic and unhelpful (from the responses)

Perhaps you could rule out if your user (admin) account is possibly corrupted?

Add a temporary user account, make it admin. You can remove it easily.

If you can't use cmd prompt either in your user account or the hidden administrator account, it would indicate to me that your system is corrupted.
You can do a repair install, which should fix any corruption in Windows. However, know it will not fix any corruption in your user account, but that would be the first thing I would try. Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade Tutorial

If that doesn't work, since the system is new, go into recovery, do a system reset and remove everything, and start over. It will recover to the state it was when you took it out of the box.

antspants said:

Hi, welcome


I did see various fixes around the net but they seemed a little generic and unhelpful (from the responses)

Perhaps you could rule out if your user (admin) account is possibly corrupted?

Add a temporary user account, make it admin. You can remove it easily.

Add Local User Account in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to create and add a local account as a user on the PC in Windows 11. Having different accounts on a shared PC lets multiple people use the same device, all while giving everyone their own sign-in info, plus access to their own files, browser favorites, and...

www.elevenforum.com

Check Account is Administrator or Standard User in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to quickly determine if user accounts on the PC are an administrator or standard user account type in Windows 11. Having different accounts on a shared PC lets multiple people use the same device, all while giving everyone their own sign-in info, plus access to...

www.elevenforum.com

Delete User Account in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to delete a user account to remove it from your Windows 11 PC. Having different accounts on a shared PC lets multiple people use the same device, all while giving everyone their own sign-in info, plus access to their own files, browser favorites, and desktop...

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

Thanks. I did see those suggestions on the net as well and did try them but they didn't work which is how I landed here on this site.

glasskuter said:

If you can't use cmd prompt either in your user account or the hidden administrator account, it would indicate to me that your system is corrupted.
You can do a repair install, which should fix any corruption in Windows. However, know it will not fix any corruption in your user account, but that would be the first thing I would try. Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade Tutorial

If that doesn't work, since the system is new, go into recovery, do a system reset and remove everything, and start over. It will recover to the state it was when you took it out of the box.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I will try the repair first. I was hesitant to do that as I assumed since it was brand new it should just work fine out of the box.

flipper26 said:

Thanks. I will try the repair first. I was hesitant to do that as I assumed since it was brand new it should just work fine out of the box.

Click to expand...

Yes it surely should. If the return window is still open for replace or refund, I would consider that a good option.