How to open a folder if the flash drive is not detected. No files are visible on the flash drive, but the space is occupied

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Today we will talk about an interesting virus, the name of which I certainly don’t know or don’t remember.

He lived in one wonderful budgetary organization, which we are all required to buy paid famous antivirus, or they decided so themselves. Don't know.

Actually this is good and correct. But, either it (the antivirus) does not cope with its task, or the admin is lazy, but one way or another, the virus has been living on the computers of this organization for a long time.

And so I managed to connect a flash drive to one of the computers of the above-mentioned office of the organization.

The peculiarity of the virus is this: it does not copy itself onto your device (or rather, it copies, but very rarely, and apparently only some kind of it), but it manages to cause mischief.

The virus has hidden folders and files on the flash drive

All of the following symptoms may appear either all at the same time or some separately:

The flash drive is supposedly empty - you don’t see anything in the explorer.
There is not a single file visible on the flash disk, but if you look at the properties of the disk, it becomes clear that it is not empty.
There is something on the disk that looks like your folders, and even looks like them, but in fact, these are EXE files that open Windows Explorer. Sometimes in the “My Documents” folder.
Instead of your files, shortcuts that still open your files. Well, or they don’t open...

How to cure a flash drive from a file-hiding virus

What to do if such a nuisance happens to you and your flash drive?

Tip #1. Do not format the flash drive under any circumstances.

Your data is there, it is not corrupted, and we will return it now:

Run command line on behalf of the Administrator. Enter the command

attrib -h -r -s /d /s h:\*.*— where “h:\” is the letter of your flash drive.

and press

This command, will make your files and folders visible.

Let's look at what the command we entered does:

attrib— actually launches the attrib program

key -h— clears the “hidden file” attribute.

key -r- clears the file's read-only attribute.

key -s— clears the “system file” attribute.

key /s— applies only to files.

key /d— extends the effect to directories (folders) and files. Doesn't work without /s

After these steps, your files and folders will become visible. All you have to do is delete (using a search) all files with the extension *.lnk (shortcuts) and name.exe that look like your folders (where name is the names of your folders). If there are files that are not similar to yours, delete them too.

Neoshibka.Ru is not responsible for your actions and possible loss of information. You perform all actions at your own peril and risk. You must understand what you are doing and where it will lead.

For many users computer equipment, there are cases that after copying data to a USB flash drive, when reuseThe flash drive does not see files. If we look at the volume occupied on it, we will see that the flash drive is full.

Folders are missing on the flash drive???

And so in this article we will talk about what to do when the flash drive does not see the files? And so, if you tear off a flash drive, and there are no your files there or instead there are shortcuts with the same names as the files, then this article is just for you. This means that there is a virus on the flash drive, after removing which you need to follow the steps below.

Note: The method will be described below as in manual mode do visible files to flash drives, without loss of information. If you don’t have time or can’t do this manually, write on the forum. And we will send a body file to solve this problem.

The first step to solve the problem “Flash drive does not see files” Open the flash drive, which should have files, but there are none. Go to the Tools tab - Folder Options.

Note: if you have an installed operating system Windows system 7, you need to press the key on ALT keyboard, a panel will appear where you can select Tools – Folder Options. In Windows XP it is displayed by default.

A window will open in which you need to select the “View” tab.

In this tab, scroll the slider down, uncheck the boxes next to the items shown below. And uncheck the “Show hidden files and folders” checkbox. Click apply.

We go to the flash drive, we see the disappeared files that we copied before. But they are shown as hidden. To display them in a standard form, you need to create new folders and transfer data from hidden folders in them, and remove the hidden ones. If you have a lot of hidden folders, doing this manually will take a long time. Write on the forum and we will email you a batch file for automatic solution Problems.

Today, many do not know what to do when we look at the contents of a flash drive, but there are no files there. This situation usually occurs due to connecting a 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 has made folders and files invisible. To solve this problem you need:

Click Start - Control Panel - Folder Options
Afterwards, go to the tab View, and at the very bottom of the list find the line Hide protected system files
Need to pick up a tick

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 mouse button) and click properties. And uncheck hidden.

Picture 1

A number of ways to identify files on a flash drive

1. need to run 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 drive). Then a file similar in name to 3497~1 .
ren A:/3497~1 newdirectory , where newdirecroty is the name of the new folder.

Figure - 2

2. If you see only shortcuts on the flash drive instead of the contents, then you need to do the following:

create a file with the 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.

Also worth checking in a standard way flash drive for errors. It is possible that errors have accumulated over time correct use device.

In this manual I will describe all the ways I know to solve this problem. The simplest ones will go first and, at the same time, the most effective ways in most situations, when the computer does not see the flash drive, it reports that the disk is not formatted or produces other errors. There are also separate instructions on how to.

There are many reasons why you may encounter the fact that your computer does not see the flash drive. The problem can appear in any version of the Microsoft operating system - Windows 10, 8, Windows 7 or XP. If the computer does not recognize the connected flash drive, this can manifest itself in several variations.

The computer says “insert disk” even when the flash drive has just been connected
The icon of the connected flash drive and the connection sound just appear, but the drive is not visible in Explorer.
It says that it needs to be formatted because the disk is not formatted
A message appears indicating that a data error has occurred
When you insert a flash drive, the computer freezes
The computer sees the flash drive in the system, but...
If your computer says that the device is not recognized, you should start with these instructions:
Separate instructions: .

If the methods described at the beginning do not help to “cure” the problem, move on to the next ones - until the problem with the flash drive is resolved (unless it is serious physical damage- then there is a possibility that nothing will help).

Perhaps, if the description below does not help, you will find another article useful (provided that your flash drive is not visible on any computer): (Kingston, Sandisk, Silicon Power and others).

Windows USB Troubleshooter

I recommend starting with this, the safest and simple way: Recently, Microsoft’s official website appeared with its own utility for fixing problems with USB connection drives, compatible with Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7.

After running the utility, all you need to do is click Next and see if the problems have been fixed. During the troubleshooting process, the following items are checked (descriptions taken from the troubleshooter itself):

A USB device may not be recognized when connected via a USB port due to the use of upper and lower filters in the registry.
A USB device may not be recognized when connected via a USB port due to the use of corrupted high and low filters in the registry.
The USB printer does not print. This is probably caused by a failure when trying to print or other problems. In this case, you may not be able to turn off the USB printer.
The USB storage device cannot be ejected using the safe removal equipment. You may receive the following error message: "Windows cannot stop the Generic Volume device because it is being used by programs. Quit any programs that may be using this device, and then try again."
Windows Update is configured to never update drivers. When driver updates are detected, Windows Update does not perform them automatic installation. Because of this, the USB device drivers may be out of date.

If something has been fixed, you will see a message about it. It's also a good idea to try reconnecting your USB drive after using the USB troubleshooter. You can download the utility from the official Microsoft website.

Check if the computer sees the connected flash drive in Disk Management

Start Disk Management using one of the following methods:

Start - Run (Win + R), enter the command diskmgmt.msc, press Enter
Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Disk Management

In the disk management window, pay attention to whether the flash drive appears and disappears when you connect and disconnect it from the computer.

The ideal option is if the computer sees the connected flash drive and all partitions on it (usually one) are in the “Good” state. In this case, just click on it right click mouse, select in context menu“Make the partition active”, and perhaps assign a letter to the flash drive - this will be enough for the computer to “see” USB disk. If the partition is faulty or deleted, then you will see “Not distributed” in the status. Try right-clicking on it and, if such an item appears in the menu, select “Create a simple volume” to create a partition and format the flash drive (the data will be deleted).

Further simple steps

Try going to Device Manager and see if your device is listed as unknown, or in the “Other devices” section (as in the screenshot) - the drive may be called there by its real name or as a USB mass storage device.

Right-click on the device, select Delete, and after deleting it, in the Device Manager menu, select Action - Update hardware configuration.

Perhaps this action will be enough for your flash drive to appear in Windows Explorer and was available.

Among other things, the following options are possible. If you connect the flash drive to the computer via an extension cable or USB hub, try connecting directly. Try connecting to all available USB ports. Try turning off the computer, disconnecting all foreign devices from USB (Web cameras, external hard disks, card readers, printer), leave only the keyboard, mouse and flash drive, then turn on the computer. If after this the flash drive works, then the problem is in the power supply. USB ports computer - the PC power supply may not have enough power. Possible Solution- replace the power supply or purchase a USB hub with its own power supply.

Windows 10 does not see the flash drive after updating or installation (suitable for Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10)

Many users have encountered the problem of USB drives not being displayed after upgrading to Windows 10 from previous operating systems, or after simply installing updates on an already installed Windows 10. It often happens that flash drives only via USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 are not visible - i.e. It can be assumed that USB drivers are required. However, in fact, this behavior is often caused not by drivers, but by incorrect registry entries about previously connected USB drives.

In this case it may help free utility USBOblivion removing from Windows registry all information about previously connected flash drives and external hard disks. Before using the program, I recommend.

Disconnect all flash drives and other storage devices USB devices and from the computer, run the program, check the boxes Perform real cleaning and Save reg file undo, then click the “Cleaning” button.

After cleaning is completed, restart your computer and connect the flash drive - most likely, it will be detected and become accessible. If not, then try also going to the device manager (by right-clicking on the Start button) and follow the steps USB removal drive from the Other devices section and subsequent updating of the hardware configuration (described above). You can download the USBOblivion program from official page developer: www.cherubicsoft.com/projects/usboblivion

But, in relation to Windows 10, another option is possible - actual incompatibility USB drivers 2.0 or 3.0 (usually then they are displayed with exclamation mark in Device Manager). In this case, the recommendation is to check the availability necessary drivers USB and chipset on the official website of the laptop or PC motherboard manufacturer. At the same time, I recommend using the official websites of the device manufacturers themselves, and not the Intel or AMD websites to search for such drivers, especially if we're talking about about laptops. Also, sometimes updating the motherboard BIOS helps solve the problem.

If the flash drive is not seen by Windows XP

The most common situation I encountered when calling to set up and repair computers was when the computer with operating system Windows XP did not see the flash drive (even if it sees other flash drives), was caused by the fact that it was not installed necessary updates for working with USB drives. The fact is that many organizations use Windows XP, often in the SP2 version. Updates due to internet restrictions or poor performance system administrator, were not installed.

So, if you have Windows XP and the computer does not see the flash drive:

If SP2 is installed, update to version SP3 (when performing the update, if you have Internet Explorer 8, remove it).
Install all Windows XP updates, regardless of which Service Pack you are using.

Here are some of the fixes for working with USB flash drives that were released in Windows updates XP:

KB925196 - fixed errors that appear in the fact that the computer does not detect the connected flash drive or iPod.
KB968132 - fixed errors where when connecting multiple USB devices in Windows XP they stopped functioning normally
KB817900 - The USB port stopped working after removing and reinserting the flash drive
KB895962 - USB flash drive stops working when the printer is turned off
KB314634 - the computer sees only old flash drives that were connected before and does not see new ones
KB88740 - Rundll32.exe error when inserting or removing a USB flash drive
KB871233 - the computer does not see the flash drive if it has just been in sleep or hibernation mode
KB312370 (2007) - USB 2.0 support in Windows XP

By the way, despite the fact that Windows Vista almost never used, it should be noted that installing all updates should also be the first step if a similar problem occurs.

Completely remove old USB drivers

This option is suitable if the computer says “Insert disk” when you insert a USB flash drive. Old USB drivers available in Windows can cause this problem, as well as errors associated with assigning a letter to the flash drive. In addition, this may also be the reason why the computer restarts or freezes when you insert a flash drive into a USB port.

The point is that according to Windows default installs drivers for USB drives the moment you connect them to the corresponding port on your computer for the first time. At the same time, when the flash drive is disconnected from the port, the driver does not go anywhere and remains in the system. When connecting a new flash drive, conflicts may arise due to the fact that Windows will try to use the previous one. installed driver, corresponding to this USB port, but to another USB drive. I will not go into details, but will simply describe the steps necessary to remove these drivers (in the manager Windows devices You won't see them).

How to remove drivers for all USB devices

Turn off the computer and disconnect all USB storage devices (flash drives, external hard disks, card readers, web cameras and others. You can keep the mouse and keyboard provided they do not have a built-in card reader.
Turn on your computer again.
Download the DriveCleanup utility http://uwe-sieber.de/files/drivecleanup.zip (compatible with Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8)
Copy the 32-bit or 64-bit version of drivecleanup.exe (depending on your Windows versions) to the folder C:\Windows\System32.
Launch Command Prompt as Administrator and enter drivecleanup.exe
You will see the process of removing all drivers and their entries in the Windows registry.

When the program finishes running, restart your computer. Now, when you insert the USB flash drive, Windows will install new drivers for it.

Update 2016: It is easier to perform the operation to remove the mount points of USB drives using free program USBOblivion, as described above in the section about non-working flash drives in Windows 10 (the program will work for other versions of Windows).

Reinstalling USB devices in Windows Device Manager

If none of the above has helped so far, and the computer does not see any flash drives at all, and not just one specific one, you can try the following method:

Go to Device Manager by pressing Win+R and typing devmgmt.msc
In Device Manager, open USB Controllers
Delete (via right click) all devices called USB Root Hub, USB Host Controller or Generic USB Hub.
In Device Manager, select Actions - Update hardware configuration.

After reinstallation USB devices, check if they are working USB drives on your computer or laptop.

Additional actions

Check your computer for viruses - they may cause inappropriate behavior of USB devices
Check the Windows registry, namely the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer. If you see an option named NoDrives in this section, remove it and restart your computer.
Go to the Windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ System\ CurrentControlSet\ Control. If the StorageDevicePolicies parameter is there, remove it.
In some cases it helps complete blackout computer. You can do this this way: unplug the flash drives, turn off the computer or laptop, unplug it (or remove the battery if it’s a laptop), and then, with the computer turned off, press and hold the power button for a few seconds. After that, release it, reconnect the power supply and turn it on. Oddly enough, this can sometimes help.

Recovering data from a flash drive that the computer cannot see

In case the management Windows disks the computer displays the flash drive, but in the state “Not recognized”, “Not initialized”, and the partition on the flash drive is “Not distributed”, then most likely the data on the flash drive is damaged and you will need to use data recovery.

There are a few things to keep in mind that will increase the likelihood of successful data recovery:

Do not write anything to the flash drive you want to recover.
Do not try to save recovered files to the same media from which they are recovered

If nothing helps, and your computer still does not see the flash drive, and the files and data stored on it are very important, then latest recommendation will contact a company professionally engaged in file and data recovery.

And allows you to quickly save important files And text documents. However, sometimes users are faced with the fact that the flash drive does not appear on the computer. What to do in this situation? What could cause problems of this kind?

It is worth considering that sometimes the computer stops seeing removable media, even if there were no problems with it before. In some situations, the PC does not display the contents of folders, and sometimes it does not even “see” that the device is connected. Finding yourself in such a situation, every user asks himself a completely logical question: “Why is the flash drive not displayed on my computer?” Some begin to panic, worrying that all saved data will now be lost. But don't despair prematurely. First you need to calmly deal with the causes of the problem. There may be several of these.

Lack of power or socket problems

Typically, stationary system units have several ports for connecting USB storage devices. Some of them are located on the front part of the system unit, and they quite often stop working correctly.

In this case, you need to try inserting the flash drive into the slot located on the back of the computer. If there are no corresponding ports there, then you need to check the headphone output hole, which is usually also located on the front of the system unit. If soundtrack does not play, then the problem is related to mechanical failure connectors. Another possible explanation is that they were not originally connected to motherboard PC. Developers very often make this mistake when producing systems systems.

In addition, if the computer is via USB, this may indicate that too little power is being supplied to the connector, which is why the media is constantly turning on and off. This happens due to errors by developers who do not always fit the cables as tightly as possible into the required grooves.

If the flash drive is not displayed in the “My Computer” folder for these reasons, then it will be difficult to deal with the problem on your own. It's much easier to contact service center or return the faulty one system unit to the seller.

If the problem is not related to a lack of power or improper operation of the connectors, then it is worth considering other reasons for the non-functioning removable media.

Drivers

Each flash drive has software installed by default, which should be automatically activated when the device is connected to the PC. However, Windows 7 does not always install the driver correctly. This is where the most common reason why a flash drive is not displayed in “My Computer” appears.

To fix this problem, you need to go to Device Manager. You can do this in two ways:

Right-click on “My Computer” and select “Properties”. On the left in the window that opens there will be a list of available directories. From it you need to select “Device Manager”.
Left-click on “Start” and enter the name of the required directory in the search.

If everything is done correctly, a new window will open with a list of all connected devices and a report on their operation. In this list you need to find “USB controllers”. There will be a “+” icon next to the inscription. You need to click on it and see if there is an exclamation mark next to any of the devices.

If one of the drivers does not work correctly, then you need to right-click on it and select “Update”. After this, the system will try to independently find the required software.

If this does not happen and the computer then necessary drivers can be installed manually. To do this, you need to go to the website of the manufacturer of the removable drive and download current version BY. After this, you can either run the file directly from the downloads folder, or go to the “Device Manager” again and specify the path to the folder where the necessary drivers are located.

If the computer no longer sees the flash drive, you can use other ways to solve this problem.

Windows Troubleshooters

This method is not suitable in cases where the device is not detected by the system at all. If the computer sees the flash drive, but does not open the files stored on it, then in this case Windows itself will help solve the problem.

To use standard troubleshooting tools, you need to unplug the flash drive and reinsert it. After this, the system usually notifies you that it was not possible to install the software for the device and offers to try to solve the problem.

If such a function is not available on your computer, do not despair. To do this, go to the official Microsoft website and download the necessary utility. After that, launch it and click the “Next” button. The program will automatically begin diagnosing and correcting possible malfunctions. As a result, the utility will report a verdict and offer several options to choose from to solve the problem. The user only needs to follow the program's recommendations.

In some cases standard means Troubleshooters produce a report indicating that no problems were found. This means that the functionality of the utility was not enough to work. This may also be a sign that the problem lies in the removable drive itself.

Sometimes the flash drive is not displayed in the “My Computer” folder for a number of other reasons.

Viruses

Viruses and spyware can also affect correct operation systems. In this case, errors like “Access Denied” most often appear on the screen. This means that viruses and Trojans have damaged the original device driver and replaced several files on it.

To solve this problem, you need to go to “Computer” and address bar enter the name of the flash drive (usually this is some latin letter), followed by the characters “:\”. Next you need to press Enter. At the next stage, it will most likely open empty folder. To make its files visible, just go to the startup directory. To do this, select “Tools” and go to “Properties”, after which a new window will open.

In it you need to find the “View” tab and scroll the slider to the very bottom. Having found “Hide files”, you need to uncheck that option and activate visibility hidden files. After this, it is enough to confirm the operation, and that’s it. necessary files should appear in the flash drive folder. However, that's not all. The fact is that after these manipulations the flash drive still does not appear in the “My Computer” folder, this is due to the fact that the file affected by the virus has not yet been deleted.

To get rid of it, you need to find a document called autorun.inf and delete it. After this, all that remains is to scan the system for possible malware. It is possible that your computer may have residual files viruses.

If nothing helps and the flash drive is not visible to the phone and computer, then you can try more complex manipulations.

You can also try disconnecting all devices from the computer and restarting the PC. After this, you need to scan it for viruses, turn the device off and on again, and only then connect the flash drive. The fact is that the virus may not be on the PC itself, but on some additional device connected to it, so they need to be disabled.

Formatting media

If the device is not visible not only on the PC, but also on the smartphone, then the problems may be more serious. As a rule, in this case, a message appears on the monitor stating that the installed disk needs to be formatted. When starting to fulfill the requirements of the system, you need to understand that this operation will destroy absolutely all data from removable media. But along with the necessary documents Malicious or incorrect software will also be removed.

To activate this process Just click on “Format” and wait until the system cleans the flash drive.

To start the formatting process manually, just perform the following manipulations:

Go to “Properties” by right-clicking on “My Computer”.
In the drop-down menu, activate the formatting function.
Choose file system, which will fully correspond to the PC.
Check the box next to “Quick”. In this case, the files may be saved, but the “broken” folders will not disappear along with them.
Click "Start".

There are other reasons why the flash drive does not appear in the My Computer folder.

Partition conflict

This happens when for some reason the system cannot recognize the name of the flash drive. The fact is that several disks can be installed on a computer. If the user assigned the name “K” to one of them, and at the same time removable media If the default index is the same, it will fail. Solving this problem is very simple.

To do this, you need to go to the “Control Panel” and make a selection by category (this will be more convenient). After this, you need to find the administration panel and select “Computer Management”. In this case, all manipulations must be carried out exclusively on behalf of the administrator. Otherwise, all operations will be in vain, since the system will not accept the changes made.

There are 3 categories in the administration panel. From them you need to select “Storage devices”. After opening a new window, a list of all disks registered in the system will be displayed on the right. This list will also include an unnamed device - this is a flash drive whose name “does not please” the OS.

To correct this small oversight, just assign a new index to the drive. To do this, you need to right-click on the nameless flash drive and select “Change letter”.

After that on the monitor laptop computer A new window will appear and the system will offer to change the letter. It is not recommended to use the letter “A” for a flash drive, as it only applies to floppy disks. For the same reason, you should not use the symbol "B". Index "C" is usually assigned to the main system partition hard drive. The letter "D" is responsible for the second logical partition, so it is also not suitable.

All other symbols can be safely used for the drive.

Continuing to understand why the flash drive is not visible on the computer and how to solve this problem, it is worth considering several more options.

Replacing an extension cord

All kinds of splitters are often used for USB ports. Such wires very often fail. The same thing happens to them that constantly happens to headphones - the contacts come off or break, making it impossible to use the accessory correctly.

This can happen if too many devices are connected to the PC at the same time. In this case, it is recommended to try connecting the flash drive directly to the computer. If it works correctly, then it's all about the extension cord. It's also worth trying to use the splitter with another device to check its functionality.

However, sometimes it happens that even after all these manipulations the computer does not see USB flash drive. What to do in this situation? Don't despair. It is possible that the connectors for removable drives are simply disabled.

How to enable USB ports

Sometimes sellers for unknown reasons disconnect connectors using “fine” system settings. Perhaps this is done so that buyers turn to them for paid services. However, you can handle everything on your own.

To do this you will need to go into the BIOS. After this, you need to go to the section responsible for controllers and activate the connectors if they are actually disabled. Usually, required settings are in the Advanced section. To enable controllers, just use the arrows on your keyboard to select Enable next to the USB Controllers line. Next, just press F10 to save changes made. After this, all that remains is to boot the computer in normal mode.

There is also a simpler explanation why Windows computer Doesn't see the USB flash drive.

Mechanical damage

The miniature device could fall on the floor or into the water. Its fragile parts are very easily damaged by impact.

To check the functionality of the flash drive, just insert it into the appropriate slot on your PC. If the indicator light on the drive does not light up and the computer does not make the characteristic “duck-duck” sound, then the accessory may be damaged.

In this case, it will be very difficult to “reanimate” the flash drive yourself. Of course, you can try to take it to a service center, where a specialist can restore the data. That is why it is better not to store information on only one miniature media. Experts also recommend saving important data not on flash drives, but on removable ones. hard drives. They break much less often and last longer.

Specialized programs

If the user purchased a flash drive from popular manufacturers Kingston, Verbatium and others, then it is worth familiarizing yourself with software that these companies offer. If you look at their official websites, you can find there specialized utilities, which will help you quickly restore the operation of the device. You can also search the Internet for something else from other manufacturers.

However, download similar programs from sites that are not related to the company that manufactures flash drives is not worth it. In this case, you can get dangerous malware on your computer.

Knowing why the computer does not see the flash drive, what to do and how to solve this problem, you can try to deal with it yourself. However, in the future you should make it a rule to use several drives at once. This is the only way to be sure that important data and files will not be lost at the most unexpected moment. It is also recommended to promptly clean your PC registry and check it for viruses. Some of them may be in system files. Therefore, do not forget about OS security.