Unable to open the physical file “xxx.mdf”

ERROR MESAGGE:

“Unable to open the physical file “xxx.mdf”. Operating system error 5: “5(failed to retrieve text for this error. Reason: 15105)”. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 5120)”

EXPLANATION:

You may encounter an error message when you want to attach a database by using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

SOLUTION:

You may receive this error on operating systems with UAC (User Access Control) enabled.

You must open SSMS with Run As Administrator to attach your database with SSMS without receiving this error message.

Or, if you disable the UAC feature, you can also get rid of this error message without running SSMS as an administrator.