Local Disk Z

[Shempstir]

 Local Disk (Z: ) showed up out of no where.  When I try to open the drive I get the following:

I close the window in fear of Malware.

When I scan the drive with my Anti-Malware software,what I find is Z:\EFI\Microsoft\ and Z:\EFI\HP\ folders, which I think are boot\system files. One of the file I was able to catch was: Z:\EFI\HP\SystemDiags\SystemDiags.s12.

I notice that drive Z:  showed up around the time I was trying to install a new HP Envy 5540 printer. 

With this more information can you tell me  what this is? 

I do not what to hit Continue until I know what it is!!

It not a very big Disk either

Could it be deleted?

[WAWood]

Shempstir

Hello;

Allow me to welcome you to the HP forums!

I read your post about your drive questions and wanted to help.

MS makes this all confusing with their misuse of terminology.  When you or I say "drive", we think of a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or a Solid State Drive (SSD).  This is a physical piece of hardware.

But when MS says "drive", what they actually mean is a partition -- a formatted block of space on an existing physical drive.

In your case, the "Z" partition is most likely the EFI System Partition (ESP) which holds the boot information for the OS.

Don't worry about this, and don't mess with this -- this partition is vital to your PC booting and should be left alone.

Good Luck

I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor do I represent, HP.
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[Shempstir]

WAWood,

Thanks for your reply so quickly.

You mention:

In your case, the "Z" partition is most likely the EFI System Partition (ESP) which holds the boot information for the OS.

This sound like you are not sure what is going on?

I am looking for an answer not a guess.

You explained all the abbreviations Except EFI ?

Don't worry about this, and don't mess with this -- this partition is vital to your PC booting and should be left alone.

I have owned this computer for two years and never seen this partition before I tried installing the printer.

When I click on the partition and it tells me "I don't have permission to access this folder" on my computer, I will worry until I know what it is for sure.

The partition was on my computer for almost a week until I asked about it on this forum.

Now it has mysteriously disappeared just like it showed up.

So I may never know what it was?

[doughjohn]

---

@Shempstir wrote:

WAWood,

Thanks for your reply so quickly.

You mention:

In your case, the "Z" partition is most likely the EFI System Partition (ESP) which holds the boot information for the OS.

This sound like you are not sure what is going on?

I am looking for an answer not a guess.

###################################

I guess you wont accept my answer then.

It is most likely your efi boot area, and if it breaks, your machine becomes unbootable from the Hard Disk Drive.

######################################

You explained all the abbreviations Except EFI ?

Don't worry about this, and don't mess with this -- this partition is vital to your PC booting and should be left alone.

I have owned this computer for two years and never seen this partition before I tried installing the printer.

When I click on the partition and it tells me "I don't have permission to access this folder" on my computer, I will worry until I know what it is for sure.

The partition was on my computer for almost a week until I asked about it on this forum.

Now it has mysteriously disappeared just like it showed up.

So I may never know what it was?

---

It was, and still is, a partition on your hard drive that  has 2 possibilities the efi boot area or the microsoft reserved area for booting.  Both are vital to the continued running of your system.

128 MB Microsoft

• Device: /dev/sda2
• Size: 128.00 MiB
• Encrypted: No
• Device Path: pci-0000:00:11.0-ata-1.0-part2
• Device ID 1: ata-ST1000LM024_HN-M101MBB_S31LJ9CG909137-part2
  Device ID 2: scsi-0ATA_ST1000LM024_HN-M_S31LJ9CG909137-part2
  Device ID 3: scsi-1ATA_ST1000LM024_HN-M101MBB_S31LJ9CG909137-part2
  Device ID 4: scsi-350004cf210ca72a9-part2
  Device ID 5: scsi-SATA_ST1000LM024_HN-MS31LJ9CG909137-part2
  Device ID 6: scsi-SATA_ST1000LM024_HN-M_S31LJ9CG909137-part2
  Device ID 7: scsi-SATA_ST1000LM024_HN-S31LJ9CG909137-part2
  Device ID 8: wwn-0x50004cf210ca72a9-part2
• FS ID: 0x105 Microsoft reserve

The above is my microsoft reserved area.

Below my EFI

260 MB is Extensible Firmware Interface partition.

• Device: /dev/sda1
• Size: 260.00 MiB
• Encrypted: No
• Device Path: pci-0000:00:11.0-ata-1.0-part1
• Device ID 1: ata-ST1000LM024_HN-M101MBB_S31LJ9CG909137-part1
  Device ID 2: scsi-0ATA_ST1000LM024_HN-M_S31LJ9CG909137-part1
  Device ID 3: scsi-1ATA_ST1000LM024_HN-M101MBB_S31LJ9CG909137-part1
  Device ID 4: scsi-350004cf210ca72a9-part1
  Device ID 5: scsi-SATA_ST1000LM024_HN-MS31LJ9CG909137-part1
  Device ID 6: scsi-SATA_ST1000LM024_HN-M_S31LJ9CG909137-part1
  Device ID 7: scsi-SATA_ST1000LM024_HN-S31LJ9CG909137-part1
  Device ID 8: wwn-0x50004cf210ca72a9-part1
• FS ID: 0x103 EFI boot

#######################

WAWood is perfectly correct with his answer. 

We are unpaid, but if I paid an expensive doctor all I would get is an opinion, a lawyer likewise.

[anishraheja]

I updated my system and defragmented drice C. Next thing I know is that drive Z appers on my computer screen.

So if I were to remove the letter Z assigned to the partition using diskpart would it affect the working of my computer ?

[M1SS-D3V10US]

I have a HP Pavilion G7 laptop, with 8gb ram, 500Gb SSD, running 8.1, and it's currently 4 years old and my work horse, running strong and stable.  I keep close tabs on my laptop.  Today is the first time since I've owned my laptop that it has ever shown me a drive/partition I didn't setup.  Here's my question....

If this new drive/partition, "Z" is an EFI System partition, and is needed, then can you please explain to me WHY is this  only now showing up?  Why isn't this drive/paritition hidden?  Why have it show up and cause such concern if it's just a EFI System patition?  

I'm seeing reports, All Over The Web about this mystery appearance of "Lock Disk (Z)" on Win 7, Win 8, Win 8.1, Win 8.11, & Win 10.  If it's harmless then why would Microsoft draw attention it, causing concern?  Especially after the whole Windows 10 issues?!?  

Please, I'm honestly looking for answers.

Help me undertstand.

Thank you. 

[Sudheer_Acharya]

I had the same problem... And I had a online chat with HP Support technician... He took access of my PC online and resolved the problem... Do the same....  Dont do trial and errors... It may affect your PC..

[8D1]

I was downloading iTunes, & taking pic.'s off a friends iPod to a flash drive. I got it done, lots of mazes.

I read that it the (Z) drive was important, it shows it has info on it, but will not let me see it.  Says I do not have the permission to open. So was it the iTunes, & iPod that put it on my computer? I need to see what is on that drive.

[8D1]

Wow I hit submit & get a response.

Same one given to lots I had seen.

Was no help at all, so I am not running all over the place to get a human responce, or better than had gotten.

[dubducky]

Sudheer_Acharya

so what was the problem because i am having the same issue with this "local disk Z" just came up out of the blue a day or so and i cant access it. when you had it resolved, did you find out if it was some type of virus?