What to do if files have disappeared from the flash drive, but the place is occupied - consider the causes of this phenomenon, methods of correction and tips for preventing the situation.

Sometimes in the properties of the explorer it is clearly seen that the volume occupied by data on the disk is measured in hundreds of megabytes, and when opened, the computer does not see them.

One of the characteristic features of operating systems is that they allow you to endow files with attributes that make them invisible.

The reasons why such a “reward” occurs (files from a flash drive cannot be seen) may be application failures, erroneous (or special) user actions with the media, and the influence of malicious viruses.

It happens that you see a completely empty flash drive, and sometimes incomprehensible shortcuts are found, clicking on which causes errors.

Virus - antivirus

Most often, the reason for hiding data that simply should (!) be present and take up space on a flash drive is a virus.

The virus, in addition to assigning invisible attributes to our directories, also creates its own, under the guise of the same ones - accessing them launches the infection process further and further.

Antivirus, on the other hand, detecting and removing malware, leaves the folders created by the virus and does not change the attributes.

Therefore, further actions after the cure are carried out with the help of additional actions.

Hidden files are easy to return to the light of day from the "dark" side - we will deal with this below.

First we treat

There are many programs available to detect and neutralize malware. Let's look at a few common ones:

Dr. Web

You can treat the system with the Dr.Web utility. To do this, it is downloaded (you can follow the link https://free.drweb.ru/cureit/):

Next, the application needs to be launched and scanned:

After scanning and neutralization, you can proceed to the next steps.

Kaspersky

If your PC has Kaspersky Lab software, use it. After opening "my computer" and right-clicking on the flash drive, click "Check for viruses" in the menu that appears.

Turn on the display of hidden files

If, after the course of treatment, the files on the flash drive are still not reflected, we start working with their attributes.

For this, both standard operating system tools and various special applications can serve.

In Windows XP

By double-clicking the right mouse button on the label "my computer" we find the flash drive, open it. At the top left, open "Service". In the "Folder Options" on the "View" tab, uncheck the box next to "Hide protected ... files" and turn it on opposite "Show hidden ...". Save by clicking "OK". Operating systems Windows 7 and more suggest the same actions (if "files are missing").

If the call to the top menu (where we were looking for "Service") is not available - then keep in mind that by pressing the "Alt" key it can be called up and disappear (the cursor must be placed on the device image).

In Total Commander

If the files on the USB drive have managed to disappear - a convenient program to reflect them is "Total Commander".

After launching it and opening a double window, you need to find an icon in the toolbar menu that depicts a sheet with an exclamation mark (sometimes an asterisk). If you activate it - all hidden files (occupying disk space) will become half transparent.

Since the action of the malware was expressed in changing the attributes, now they have to be corrected.

The top menu of the program contains the "Configuration" section - you need to activate "Settings" in it

In the settings window, in the "Panel content" item, check the checkboxes as shown below:

IMPORTANT. After the above actions, directories with the extension . Link - they are removed. Leave only what is marked with an exclamation mark.

If all the steps are completed without errors, then by going to the explorer and opening the USB flash drive, you can make sure that the space on the device is still occupied by files.

executable file

An easily created file will help in changing the attributes.

In a regular text dock, you need to paste the text:

After that, all hidden files of the flash drive will become visible!

Other situations

Here are examples of other, similar (but not quite) situations:

Disappearance of information after antivirus work

Many antiviruses, after processing the memory, place suspicious data carriers in a quarantine zone (for the purpose of analysis and further processing).

They are restored after searching using the antivirus menu. They are found as "Quaranteed", then restored or deleted.

Then the restored ones will appear on the media.

IMPORTANT. If the antivirus perceives the data as malicious, then it can autonomously delete it without the possibility of recovery.

Then such a file and the reason for its deletion will be indicated in the list of performed operations.

Access problem

This is manifested in the notification rebuffed by the system when trying to open the device after placing it in the slot.

There are two main reasons for this.

First, - the failure of the flash drive. The only way out is a service center.

Second, write error due to unsafe extraction. When there is an interruption in the process of communication between the PC and the device through the connector.

Then the media is checked for errors.

For this:

In "my computer" find the device. If it's not there, it's probably out of order.

If there is, then right-click "Properties". In it, select "Service" / "Check volume for errors."

In such an action, the probability of a solution is high. If not, it's most likely a breakdown.

Shortcut files

One of two reasons leads to this phenomenon:

• The first is an incorrect (sloppy) entry. This is when, instead of a file, a shortcut-pointer is written to the disk instead of it. It is recommended to check permission and avoid *.lnk extension.
• The second reason is again the consequences of virus software. Then the data becomes invisible, and labels are placed instead. Exit - treatment, information recovery, formatting.

In order to avoid the disappearance of files from the visibility list, it is enough to follow simple tips.

• Remove drives only in a special software safe way. This prevents crash errors from occurring.
• Set the antivirus settings in such a way that threats are automatically identified as "Quarantine". This prevents files from being deleted.
• Do not use media on unverified PCs. This prevents infection with dangerous viruses.

After reading this publication, you know where the legs of the problem grow from when the flash drive is full, but the files are not visible and you will be able to deal with it yourself.

What to do if the files on the flash drive are not visible

The owners of flash drives have situations when, having inserted their media once again into the computer, its contents are no longer available. Everything looks as usual, but it seems that there is nothing on the drive at all, but you know for sure that there was some information there. In this case, you should not panic, there is no reason to lose information yet.

We will look at several ways to solve this problem.

Reason #1: Virus Infection

By default, most antivirus programs automatically check the flash drive when it is connected. But if the antivirus program is not configured, you can do it manually. To do this, follow a few simple steps:

1. Open This PC.
2. Right-click on the flash drive icon.
3. In the drop-down menu there is an item from the antivirus program that you need to complete. For example, if Avast antivirus is installed , then select the item"Scan F:\". ,Click on it.

Thus, you will not only check, but also, if possible, cure your flash drive of viruses.

Reason #2: Errors

An issue that makes information invisible may indicate a virus on the drive.

1. Go to "This PC" (or "My Computer" if you have an older version of Windows).
2. Click the mouse cursor on the flash drive label and right-click on it.
3. In the menu that appears, select "Properties".

1. Next, go to the "Service" tab. In the upper section "Check disk" click on the item "Perform check".
2. A dialog box appears in which enable all the check disk options:
   • "Automatically fix system errors";
   • "Check and repair bad sectors."

   Click on Launch.

Upon completion, a message will appear stating that the device has been verified successfully. If errors were found on the flash drive, then an additional folder appears on it with files like"file0000.chk"

Reason #3: Hidden Files

Most often due to a virus that changes the file attribute to hidden.

If your USB drive does not show files and folders, then first of all, turn on the display of hidden files in the properties of the explorer. This is done as follows:

1. Go to the "Control Panel" on your computer.
2. Select the Appearance and Personalization theme.
3. Next, go to the "Folder Options" section, the item "Show hidden files and folders".

1. The Folder Options window opens. Go to the "View" tab and check the box next to "Show hidden folders and files".
2. Click on the "Apply" button. The process does not always happen quickly, you need to wait.
3. Log into your flash drive. If the files were hidden, they should show up.
4. Now you need to remove the "Hidden" attribute from them. Right-click on a file or folder.
5. Select "Properties" from the drop-down menu.
6. In the newly appeared window of this item, in the "Attributes" section, uncheck the box next to the "Hidden" field.

Now all hidden files will become visible on any operating system.

But there are times when only formatting will help bring the flash drive back to life. Our instruction will help you to perform this procedure at a low level.

Important! Formatting erases all data that was written to the USB flash drive! Therefore, before running it, be sure to transfer all important files to another location (for example, to a hard drive).

How to quickly format a flash drive

This can be done using standard system tools. They are in any version of Windows (XP, 7, 8, 10).

1 . Insert the flash drive into your computer.

Most likely, after a second or two, the autorun window will open. We close it.

2 . Open Start - Computer.

3 . We right-click on the flash drive icon and select "Format ...".

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When working with USB media, situations often arise when some of the files (or even all information on the media) become invisible.

There can be many reasons behind this problem.

Common causes of "invisibility" of files

• Files on the flash drive are not visible, what should I do in such a situation? Operating systems allow you to limit the visibility of files.
  At the same time, such information does not disappear from the media, but the user cannot see it.
  The reason for this can be either a failure in the operation of the application, the deliberate actions of another user with this media, or the result of a virus that hides files on the drive. We will describe ways to restore hidden files on your flash drive below.
• The files were written to the media with an error. This situation can occur when the USB flash drive is unsafely removed from the computer. In this case, some of the files may not be completely recorded. In this case, such a security risk will either be read erroneously or not displayed at all.
• The files were deleted by the user, an antivirus program, or as a result of a crash. Information recovery methods will be described below.

What to do?

What to do if files are not visible on the flash drive? First, if the files on your flash drive have become hidden, you need to determine the reasons for the invisibility.

Only the correct definition will allow you to choose the right course of action and open these hidden files on the USB flash drive.

Secondly, it is worth trying to open the USB flash drive on another computer or through another operating system. Some reading errors may be fixed by a newer version of Windows.

Ways to show hidden files

To solve this problem, you can use both the standard tools of your operating system, and using various third-party programs.

Instructions for Windows XP

Instructions for the program Total Commander

Show hidden files on your flash drive will also help Total Commander. For this you need:

1. Open the folder in the program.
2. On the toolbar, find the icon in the form of a sheet with an exclamation mark (in some versions of the program - an asterisk) with the inscription "Hidden items".

   When activated, all hidden files will appear translucent.

Information from the media disappeared after being scanned by an antivirus program

This situation may occur if the files contain potentially dangerous information. In this case, most antiviruses will place the file in a quarantine zone for further processing.

To restore them, you need to find “Quaranteed files” in the antivirus menu and restore (or delete infected) files in the menu that appears. After that, the information will appear on the media.

It is worth saying that if the information is recognized as malicious, then the antivirus can remove it offline from the media without the possibility of subsequent recovery.

In this case, the list of performed anti-virus operations will contain information about the infected file and the reasons for deletion.

Problems with access to the flash drive

A more common problem than the visibility of the file is the denial of access to the flash drive. It manifests itself as follows.

You insert a flash drive into the slot, try to open it and get an "Access Denied" message. There are two main reasons for this problem.

Firstly, this is the failure of the carrier. In this case, it is almost impossible to restore the functionality of your device on your own and you need to contact service centers.

Secondly, a media write error may occur due to unsafe ejection and aborting the write process.

In this case, to restore full access, it is necessary to check the media for errors. For this:

• Open the "My Computer" window and find your removable media. If it is not in this window, then most likely the flash drive is out of order.
• Right-click on the flash drive shortcut and select "Properties" - "Tools" - "Check volume for errors" in the menu. This check will most likely solve the problem. If this does not happen, then a breakdown is likely.

Question from user

Hello.

I had different documents and folders on the flash drive. After reinstalling the system, I do not find any files on the flash drive, they are now invisible (although they take up space on it, I see it in the disk properties).

How to restore them, why could they become invisible...?

Hello.

Hmm, one of the main reasons for such a problem: a virus infection of a flash drive (or your PC), a failure in the file system of the flash drive (although, usually, Windows suggests checking the drive for errors), for some reason the attributes of files and folders were changed to "hidden" (and Explorer doesn't show them by default).

Actually, in the article I will consider how you can solve this problem ...

What to do with the "invisibility" of files

1) Turn on the display of hidden files

How to do it:

By the way, you can also open Explorer settings using the Windows Control Panel: switch the display to "small icons", and select "Explorer Options". See example below.

2) Choosing an alternative to the conductor (Far Manager)

In general, I would recommend that the explorer have some other file commander (manager). There are quite a few of them, but I personally like two: Total Commander and Far Manager. The second, in my opinion, is the best suited when all sorts of problems arise, for example:

• if there are a lot of files in the directory, and the explorer freezes - Far will easily enter it and help you find or delete unnecessary files;
• you can easily and quickly change the attributes of any files (Far sees everything);
• when running old programs that need to pass certain parameters through the command line...

FAR Manager

Many users are frightened off by the appearance of this file manager (but I repeat, in terms of capabilities it will not yield to the same Total Commander!). You quickly get used to the "blue" speakers, and they become like "native" ones (I could be wrong, but now it can easily change its appearance).

Now about what to do in Far in order to make hidden files visible:

Note: I gave all the button combinations for Far v.3, used by default.

3) Checking the flash drive for errors

Even if Far did not "see" the data on the flash drive, it might be worth checking it for errors (for example, if you incorrectly disconnected the flash drive from the USB port, this could well happen. Or the PC turned off while copying information to it...). You can check using standard Windows tools.

To do this, you need to open "This PC" ("My Computer") and right-click on your flash drive: select "Properties" in the menu that appears.

Then agree to check the disk (by the way, Windows can immediately report that it found errors on it, as in my case).

Upon completion of the check, the file system of the flash drive will be restored. Among the new folders on the drive, "FOUND.000" may appear - it will contain recovered files (to read them, use the unCHKfree utility, for example). But as a rule, in most cases, after checking - the flash drive starts working in normal mode, and there is not much point in digging with "FOUND.000" ...

4) Checking the flash drive with an antivirus product

If you have a regular classic antivirus in your system, check it out.

Personally, I am impressed by ESET Scaner (the light weight of the program, coupled with powerful scanning filters, leaves no chance for most viruses).

I will show below how the check is carried out in ESET Scanner. After downloading and launching the anti-virus module (and it weighs only a few megabytes), I recommend enabling the detection of potentially dangerous software and setting the scan settings (number 2 on the screen below).

Next, it is desirable to select RAM, boot sector, system disk with Windows (usually it is "C:\". If so, such a drive is marked with a Windows icon), and the flash drive itself. Then you can start scanning.

Scanning time depends on the disks selected in the previous step, on the size of your flash drive and the number of files on it. I recommend waiting until the final completion of the process.

If viruses are found, it will not be superfluous to run the system with several more antivirus products. Would recommend this stuff:

5) If the information from the drive has been deleted

If the data on the flash drive was accidentally deleted by you (either a virus did it, or the drive was formatted by mistake), do not rush to despair. Most likely, most of the information will succeed restore . The main thing is to disconnect the USB flash drive from the PC, and do not copy anything to it!

1. recovery of deleted files (photos, pictures, texts, etc.) from USB flash drives and SD cards -
2. recovery of deleted files from disks, flash drives, etc. -

Additions are welcome...

Today, many do not know what to do when we look at the contents of a flash drive, and there are no files there. This situation usually occurs due to connecting the flash drive to public computers, or not safely removing the media. In the first case, the virus complicates our life, in the second, the device is not used correctly. The simplest option is that the virus made folders and files invisible. To solve this problem you need:

• Click Start - Control Panel - Folder Options
• After, go to the tab View, and at the very bottom of the list, find the line Hide protected system files
• Need to tick off

Now you will see the files on the flash drive, but they need to be made not hidden. To do this, select all the files on the flash drive, right-click (right-click) and click properties. And uncheck hidden.

Picture 1

A number of ways to identify files on a flash drive

1. you need to start the Windows console (Start - Run - cmd). Do two things in the console:

• dir A: /x, where the letter A is the letter of the flash device (flash drives). Then a file similar in name to 3497~1 .
• ren A:/3497~1 newdirectory , where newdirecroty is the name of the new folder.

Drawing - 2

2. If only labels are visible on the flash drive instead of the contents, then you need to do the following:

• create file with extension .bat and add content there - attrib -s -h -r -a *.* /s /d
• Then copy this file to the root of the flash drive (G:, F: ...), and run.

It is also worth checking the flash drive for errors in the standard way. It is possible that errors have been accumulated during incorrect use of the device.