The files on the flash drive have disappeared but the memory is full. Did the virus hide folders on the flash drive? Solving the problem

Owners of flash drives have situations when, after inserting their media into the computer again, its contents cease to be accessible. Everything looks as usual, but it feels like 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. You can be 100% sure that it will disappear.

The reasons for this problem can be very different:

operating system failure;
virus infection;
misuse;
files were written with an error.

Let's consider ways to eliminate such causes.

Reason 1: Virus infection

A fairly popular problem, due to which files on a flash drive are not visible, may be infection with viruses. Therefore, you only need to connect the USB drive to computers with installed antivirus program. Otherwise, the virus will be transmitted from the flash drive to the computer or vice versa.

Having an antivirus is the key to success in treating your flash drive if information is not displayed on it. There are paid and free antivirus programs for home use. Therefore, it is important that this program is installed.

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

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

Reason 2: There are errors

An issue where information has become invisible may indicate the presence of viruses on the drive.

If, after checking for the contents of hidden files, the contents from the flash drive are still not displayed, then you need to check for the presence possible errors. This is why I exist special utilities, but you can use in the usual way, which is provided by Windows OS.

When completed, a message will appear indicating that the device has been successfully verified. If errors were detected on the flash drive, then additional folder with files like "file0000.chk"

A compact USB drive, known to most users as a flash drive, is today considered the most common device for storing and exchanging various data. A frequently occurring problem: “No files are visible on the flash drive” can have quite disastrous consequences. After all, often transferred to Flash USB Drive device important documents confidential, unique photographs and other types of valuable information may be in a single copy. If this is your first time encountering a similar problem, do not panic. There is a high probability that the missing data is still there - on the flash drive. You just don't see them because they are hidden. To solve the problem of “invisibility”, let’s turn to the practical experience of experienced ones and consider the main aspects of digital restoration.

Two main reasons: why did the information disappear?

So, when you inserted a USB drive into your computer, you discovered that there are no files visible on the flash drive. In the vast majority of cases, it is the user who is the culprit of this kind of trouble. And most often, it is as a result of improper operation that the Flash device begins to work in “magician” mode. Of course, one cannot discount manufacturing defects in the production of a product and unfavorable accidents of a metaphysical nature. However, the harsh reality shows that the cause of the malfunction can be either hardware or software.

Files are not visible on the flash drive: ways to fix the problem

The first thing to do is to carry out visual inspection the subject of our attention. It is possible that the data transfer device is purely mechanically damaged. A once-spilled cup of coffee can also have a direct connection with the disappearance of files. Make sure that the contacts of the Flash drive are not oxidized. If the device is equipped with a signal LED, operability should be confirmed by the indicator lighting. However, if the computer detects a connected device, then, most likely, the “hero of the occasion” has software roots that could well be undermined by a malicious one. However, such “tricks” can be exposed as a result of using special software, but first...

Standard methods of combating “invisibility”

If you don't see any files on the flash drive, try the following:

Connect the USB device to your computer.
Use the key combination “Win+R” to open the “Run” window.
Next, enter “cmd” in the checkbox.

In the “Command Editor” write “Attrib -h -r -s / c /d k:\*.*”, where the Latin k should have the literal value of your removable storage device.
Press "Enter" and hidden files will become apparent again.

Second Windows solution: Changing system settings

It is quite possible that the folders and files located on the flash drive have been assigned the “hide” attribute. In this case, the Flash drive connected to the PC will appear empty.

Go to the “Control Panel” menu.
Now go to the “Design and Personalization” section.
In the “Folder Options” block, activate the “Show hidden files” link.
The last item in the list must be activated. That is, the item “Show hidden files, folders...” must be marked with a marker.

If this method did not have the desired effect, and everything is also not visible, try the method described below.

Option three: checking the parameters of one of the registry branches

As a result viral infection malicious code can change records in system log Windows OS. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the integrity of the parameters involved. It is worth noting that when working with the registry, extreme caution should be taken, since incorrect actions and changes made can critically affect the full functionality of the Windows system as a whole.

Using the "Run" menu, you need to open
Enter the command "regedit".
After the utility utility opens, follow the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Hidden\SHOWALL.
The “CheckedValue” key entry (right area of the editor working window) must correspond to the value “1”.
There should be nothing in the “Type” column except “REG_DWORD”.

If the entry did not match the specified pattern, your PC is probably infected computer virus, which means it is necessary to check the system for the presence of “destructive code”.

An obvious question: “How to open invisible files?” and an effective answer to it

Algorithm of actions:

Download to PC antivirus utility Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free.
Launch the installed software.
Scan everything sections of hard PC disk and USB flash drive.
If a “digital infection” is detected, remove the source of infection.

It is worth noting that in some cases, even after treating the hard drive and storage area of the flash drive with antivirus software, the problem will not disappear. Because as a result of the destructive activity of unfavorable code, OS service files and even the disk structure could be changed. In such cases, the recovery process, and in the case of the system - complete reinstallation Windows simply cannot be avoided.

How to recover lost data

As a rule, as a result of incorrect manipulations with removable media Beginners have a question: “Why doesn’t the flash drive see the files?” To resolve this kind of problem, you need to download and install it on your PC. special program. Among the huge amount of similar software, the most attractive is free utility to recover Recuva information, which you will learn about in the section below, and also learn the basic techniques for working with it.

Recuva is a free data “reincarnator”

So what needs to be done?

Download this software product from the official website.
After installation, run the utility.
Select the type of information you are looking for. The most acceptable option is all files.
In the next window, select “On the memory card”.
Once you have confirmed your choice, the scanning process will begin.
If the result turns out to be ineffective, go to the “Advanced Mode” tab in a special program window.
Check all inactive items and repeat the startup process again.
The files found in this way need to be restored. Click the button of the same name in the lower right corner of the program.
Check the checkboxes next to the found files.
After activating the “Recover” button, your data will be saved to the directory you specified.

As you understand, this program will also effectively cope with the possible difficulty when the memory card does not see files. However, with using Recuva can be restored deleted information from almost any type of media.

Instead of an afterword

So, you have learned what to do if the flash card does not see files. Nevertheless, do not forget about basic operating rules, the observance of which guarantees long-term operation of the storage device:

Do not save information to a flash drive that has not previously been scanned by antivirus software.
Remember that you need to disconnect the USB drive correctly, deactivating it using the Windows tool: “ Safe removal devices."
You should not use the same flash drive in various systems. This warning is especially relevant for mobile storage devices (for example, SD memory cards).
Don't forget to make a copy of the data from the USB drive to the hard drive of your PC.
In some cases, to recover lost files from a specific modification of a storage device, you may need specific specialized software.

All the best to you and your flawless Flash devices!

Description of the problem

When opening a flash drive, folders, files and other elements are not displayed.

Cause

Job malicious application, which changed the elements' attributes to hidden mode display.

Options for solving the problem

Select "Folder Options" (for Windows versions 7 and higher - “Folder Options”).

Go to the “View” tab. Here you need to uncheck “Hide protected system files" and put it next to "Show hidden files, folders, drives". Then click “OK”.

Open “My Computer”. Right-click on the flash drive icon and select “Properties”.

A window will appear in which you need to uncheck the “Hide” command.

2. You can also access hidden files on a flash drive using the program Total Commander.

Let's launch the software. Select “Configuration” on the toolbar. Here click “Settings”.

Go to the “Panel Contents” tab, which is located on the left side of the working window and check the “Show hidden/system files” checkbox.

Content disk drive will be displayed.

3. The third method can be called “Medicine for a flash drive.”

Opening removable disk. Right-click and select “Create”, “ Text document"(Notepad type).

We give the document a name. For example, “Doctor for a flash drive.”

We write in the text the following command “attrib -s -h -r -a *.* /s /d”

Save the file.

Go to the “View” tab and uncheck “Hide extension for known file types”.

Let's return to the flash drive. Click “Rename” and place the format “txt”, enter “.bat”. The result is a program file.

We run the file and all the elements on the flash drive are displayed.

There are no files or folders visible on the flash drive and the memory has disappeared somewhere. What to do, how to open them, where to go? There are a lot of questions, and it is very difficult to find answers to them, even now. But it’s good that you met me and my site in life :).

Actually the reason is when files and folders are not visible on the flash drive, only one - malware. But the funny thing is that when you insert a flash drive into another computer and treat it for viruses, the files and folders do not begin to appear after treatment.

Surely there will be smart people who will say - they say, you make sure that hidden files and folders are hidden, and then in the properties you uncheck the “Hidden” item and click “OK”. Gentlemen “experts” - this does not help in the overwhelming majority of cases.

Many people begin to do one very capacious procedure, I once did it myself, they take all the hidden files, make them displayed, copy them to the computer, then delete them from the flash drive, after which they are made not hidden on the computer itself, and then they are transferred to the computer again. flash drive. And that's good if the files were few and a bit fun, but what if that wasn't the case. For me, this procedure took a couple of hours.

What to do if there are no files visible on the flash drive? Solution.

In order to make files and folders visible, we must first download and install the Total Commander program, you can find out more about this in.

Now we insert our flash drive into the flash drive and open Total Commander. Especially for the sake of this article, I went and infected my flash drive - successfully :).

To get started, select Total program Commander your flash drive, you can see the name of the flash drive drive in “Computer” or “My Computer”, circled in green. Now we need to see all the hidden files on our flash drive. To do this, simply click on the button circled in red, which with exclamation mark in a yellow triangle. By the way, if you have a slightly different panel displayed, and this button is not there, then click successively on the buttons on the edge, circled in black, and the one you need will definitely appear in one of these buttons.

Hidden folders will be displayed faintly, you will immediately see them, blue arrows point to them.

Well, now, actually, let’s do it so that files and folders were displayed.
Click once with the left (EXACTLY LEFT) mouse button on the hidden file. Next, click File -> Change Attributes.

After which the window shown in the figure below will open in front of you.

Remove the boxes or checkmarks, depending on what you have, from all the items circled in red in the picture above. After that click OK

All. Let's look at our folder - it has become visible.

If it doesn’t work the first time, repeat the procedure, I’ve used this technique many times and it always worked.

That's all. Good luck!

May 22nd, 2014 , 10:26 am

Summer, heat, sea. sand. Travel abroad, excursions to famous sights, in expensive cafes, the sun in the palm of your hand, Egyptian pyramids, emirates, seaside evenings, romantic love, exotic dishes, waterfalls and endless forests. The list could go on forever. But what is it?

These are the photographs that every vacationer brings with them from vacation. Yes, only sometimes disappointment awaits us. Instead of enjoying gorgeous views and memories of a wonderful summer vacation, we discover that the flash drive is empty! And the strangest thing is that the flash drive is empty, but the memory is full! Where do our memories in the form of photographs disappear and what happens to them?

Don't rush to get upset! Trouble is not a problem when you know what to do!

First of all, you should check the flash drive for virus life on it. It is enough to use a good antivirus program. I prefer Kaspersky antivirus. After all, it is viruses that like to hide from us such important and useful information from us!

After checking, go to the “properties” of the flash drive and enable “Show hidden files, folders and drives”. This way the photos will become visible. Most often, this method is effective and helps in most cases!

If the photographs remain invisible. You can use the Recuva program. It will help restore damaged files on a flash drive. After all, a virus can not only hide, but also damage photos!

Another way is in the console! Start - Run - cmd write: "cmd.exe /C attrib -S -H X:\* /D /S" - without quotes! X in in this case letter of the mounted removable disk. Hope this helps!