Windows 10 does not allow create and / or write access to the root of the C drive by default. Thus if you try to open a database in the root as a normal user, it will appear to succeed (because SQLite doesn't actually open the file right away, deferring that until a subsequent access of the file). Only once you try to do something that accesses the database will it open the file and the journal, and since you don't have create access in the root by default, open fails.