This is a permissions issue Please make sure the permissions are set properly for your user account. You can also use the 'Save BG Launcher' feature to save the launcher file somewhere you know you definitely have permissions like the Desktop.
I'm admin on my account with full access to all of the drives I am connected to. I get this error even when trying to render to the desktop. has anyone found another solution?
Have you tried the 'Save BG Launcher' option? Can you try in another computer? Sometimes there are issues when AE was installed under a different user. If this is the case try it from the user under which AE was installed.