How to fix "Windows cannot access \\Server\personal\name\desktop

Greeting, so what’s actually happening that the error message means your laptop is trying to access a shared folder on your home server, specifically:

\\STIC\Personal\john\desktop

=> and it’s being denied. This usually happens when:

• Your laptop can't reach the home server over the network (likely, since you're in a different city).
• Your login credentials no longer have access.
• Or, your laptop is trying to load files or a desktop profile stored on the server, but can't reach it.

So the reason why this may suddenly happen

• You may have been offline all these years but still had cached credentials.
• The VPN (if you had one) may not be connected anymore.
• The server name or IP address changed back home.
• The server itself may have been turned off, rebooted, or reconfigured.

Now You should try some recommend bellow and let see if it work or not

- Check Internet Connection

Make sure your laptop is connected to the internet.

• Check if You Have a VPN

If you used a VPN to connect to your home server remotely, make sure the VPN is turned on. If you're not sure, look in your taskbar for any icon that mentions "VPN" or ask someone who set it up for you.

• Try to Browse the Server Manually
• Open File Explorer
• In the address bar at the top, type:

\\STIC

• Press Enter

=> If you get an error like “Windows cannot access \STIC”, that means your laptop can’t reach the server — most likely because you're no longer on the same network or VPN.

- Use Local Desktop Instead

If your desktop and files are stored remotely on the server (called a "Roaming Profile"), and the server isn't reachable, Windows can't load your files.

In that case, you’ll need to:

• Switch to using local files
• Or copy needed files from a backup (if any were saved locally)