Administrator getting "access denied" - unable to create directory

Question

As far as I can tell, I am in the Administrators group on Windows 7 Service Pack 1.

With CMD prompt pinned to my Start menu, I rightmouse and select Run as Admin and get this error on xcopy:

C:\>xcopy "C:\Users\TRA\My Documents" J:\MyDocuments1-TRA /E /I /Y /M
Access denied
Unable to create directory - J:\MyDocuments1-TRA
0 File(s) copied

Using Windows Explorer, I can navigate to both the C drive and the J drive (an external HD) and create New Folders and within them create new files and save content inside the file. I think the syntax on XCOPY is correct.

I am a little uncertain about wrapping the first parameter in double quotes (think that is correct). The main mystery is why access denied. Thanks.

EDIT - UPDATE: More info about external drive, etc.

There is no domain - just Windows 7 - connection to "J" drive is USB. I can dig out more info on SATA or whatever if needed. Home network only. No domain controller. I did this:

C:\>net use
New connections will be remembered.
There are no entries in the list.
C:\>

C:\>dir /al
 Volume in drive C is OS
 Volume Serial Number is 366C-7FCC
 Directory of C:\
 07/14/2009  01:08 AM    <JUNCTION>     Documents and Settings [C:\Users]
           0 File(s)              0 bytes
           1 Dir(s)  622,991,994,880 bytes free
C:\>j:
J:\>dir /al
 Volume in drive J is SignatureMini
 Volume Serial Number is 18E1-4B50
 Directory of J:\
 File Not Found

UPDATE: "the Big Picture" - my objective here:

I'm just trying to get a "backup" command to run once per day and copy new and/or modified files. I got this XCOPY command in a scheduled task on another Windows 7 PC working nicely. I have had mysterious problems using Windows 7 Backup facility (I guess because this is Home Premium edition and my research suggests this is not supported). Thanks for your time folks. I will press on and appreciate your suggestions/ideas.

Solution

When you're in an admin prompt, you have to remap the drive. You can see that you don't have a J: in your admin prompt by typing net use (it'll say unavailable in the first column of output).

Compare that to the net use output from a standard prompt, where you'll have "OK" in the first column.

I haven't tried this, but this technet article suggest you can have the map work by modifying the registry:

1. Click Start, type regedit in the Start programs and files box, and then press ENTER.

2. Locate and then right-click the registry subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.

3. Point to New, and then click DWORD Value.

4. Type EnableLinkedConnections, and then press ENTER.

5. Right-click EnableLinkedConnections, and then click Modify.

6. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.

7. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

Comments

[Adam]

Wrapping in quotes is correct since My Documents has a space in it. You could also wrap J:\MyDocuments1-TRA in quotes, but since there is no space, it wouldn't make a difference.

[Ramhound]

Domain or local account?

[Nullpointer42]

How is J: connected? You mention it's an external drive - is it mapped via the network? USB? eSata? Something else?

[Debra]

What file system is on J:? That is, is it one that supports long names? Otherwise, your command syntax looks correct, assuming that the directory doesn't already exist on J:. Also try creating a foldername that doesn't use "MyDocuments", i.e. perhaps "DOCS-TRA".

[Debra]

BTW, you don't need to do that "run as admin", unless you set ownership on J: to just that account (which seems unlikely since you said you can create files/folders on it in Explorer.) Try to just run CMD.EXE, then type J: to go to the drive, then MD "testlongdirname" and see if you can create that from the cmd prompt.

[Sopalajo de Arrierez]

the poster said J: was an external drive, not a network mapped drive. That seems to me like a USB hard disk, pendrive or similar. Maybe he could give us further explanations.

[Nullpointer42]

@SopalajodeArrierez Ack, missed that detail . . . good catch . . . maybe I'll get lucky and it's a NAS that he/she's referring to as an external drive ;)

[John Adams]

@SopalajodeArrierez...thank you..please see update above.