

Using Microsoft’s PsExec.exe utility or other third-party tools, you can start a Command Prompt session under the SYSTEM account. However, you can gain access to the System Volume Information folder using two methods: Option 1: Run Command Prompt under the SYSTEM account

No other user or group can view the contents of this directory. Only the SYSTEM account has full access to the SVI folder by default. How to gain access to System Volume Information If you need to get into the folder to check its contents, see the next paragraph. System Volume Information is not accessible.

By default, only the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account (“LocalSystem”) has access (Full control) to the folder and its subfolders.Įven if you’re logged in as an administrator, you’ll see the following error message when accessing the folder: Location is not available The System Volume Information folder is restricted using NTFS permissions. Why is System Volume Information not accessible? In addition, SVI stores metadata and information used by Windows Backup, System Image Backup, Volume Shadow Copy service, and Windows Search indexing. It’s also used by Windows Information Protection (WIP), formerly known as enterprise data protection (EDP), to store the encryption keys. However, it’s not only used by the System Restore feature. System Volume Information (SVI) is the datastore folder used by the System Restore feature.
