After ruling out that you’ve tried the universal solution for (almost) everything in life, which is Restart the computer, let’s see what other possible solutions we have at our disposal to recover the files and folders that we do not see on our USB drive. On many occasions, if we look at the storage space used, we will see that it is correct, yes, it coincides with the weight of the data that we previously saw. These types of problems also have different solutions depending on the source of the failure.
Causes of the error
In the latter case, the file hiding error may be of unknown origin, but it is usually due to malicious elements or errors in the system.
Malware or virus
If your hard drive, or the USB drive itself has been infected For any type of malware or virus, one of the consequences is that all or part of the information on the drive disappears. In the case of USB sticks, it may be that the files and folders have been hidden and not permanently deleted.
It is true that there are even USB drives capable of physically destroy a computer, but the most normal and usual thing is that it simply hides the files and folders from us.
USB port error
When we format the unit, the correct thing is that the information disappears. It is true that, if we have done a quick format, some of the tools shown below will help you recover the lost information, but it is not the case. Errors in your computer’s own USB port can be caused by the sudden extraction from the drive without ejecting it properly can cause data access problems.
The Physical damages or manufacturing defects in the pendrive are other causes that can cause this type of error, likewise some of the solutions shown may help us to recover hidden files and folders.
Recover files from Windows
Before using external programs we must look at the windows settings and some of the native tools that can be very useful.
Either because we have configured it this way intentionally and we do not remember it, or because the way of displaying the files has been changed by mistake, the USB data may be marked as hidden and that’s why Windows doesn’t show them. We have two ways to show hidden files in Microsoft operating system.
In Windows settings
To show hidden files and folders in Windows 10 we have to do the following:
- In the Search box we will write File and then we will click on Show hidden files and folders.
- We are going to Advanced configuration.
- We select Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
- We press on To accept to save the changes.
We just have to find out our USB drive to see if all the content is displayed.
At the Command Prompt
We wrote CMD in the Search box to open the command prompt and we will use the attrib command. This command defines the attributes of the elements contained in a storage unit.
In our case we will have to enter this command attrib -h -r -s / s / d X: *. * where X is the letter of the USB drive that is giving us problems. We press the Enter key and wait for the process to finish to check if the problem has been solved.
Windows Defender
It is important that we ensure that the antivirus that we use is working properly. If you have installed your own, you must run its configuration menu and check that it does not present any errors. It is also advisable to do a scan of the storage unit.
If you use Windows Defender as an antivirus you can check its status as follows:
- Select Start and type Security.
- Click on Antivirus and threat protection.
- Inside section Antivirus and Threat Protection Settings we will click on Manage settings.
This way we can make sure that we are protecting adequately.
With external tools
Once we have ruled out that it is not a problem with hidden files or viruses we will have to use third party apps that have been expressly designed to solve these types of problems.
Ease Us Data Recovery Wizard
This program recovers all kinds of files and folders (images, videos, documents, etc.) on formatted drives, with operating system failures, damaged by viruses or any other cause of data loss. Causes include drive formatting or tampering errors, improper removal, and many more. Although the application is paid with subscriptions starting at € 66.69 per year, you can try the application for free and you have 30 days to make the return. It’s compatible with Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10 / Server (2019, 2016, 2012, 2008 and 2003).
Once installed Ease Us Data Recovery Wizard you only have to select unit you want to scan, make sure you choose the correct drive because if you start to analyze the hard drive the process will be much longer. You will receive a preview of the data that can be extracted so that selections what do you want to recover, if all the information or only part of it.
Disk Drill
This application is free and available for Windows and macOS. Recovers all kinds of data that have been previously deleted. The truth is that the operation is very simple, similar to that of the Ease Us Data Recovery Wizard.
Once installed Disk Drill we will have to choose the Location that we want to analyze, in this case it would be the USB pendrive that we have connected to recover the data. Once we click on the button Search for lost data we just have to wait for the magic to be done. Maybe you have too much information stored that can be recovered, if you want to save time you can to select in the preview only the files and folder that you are interested in recovering.
Disk Drill is available for Windows and macOS and it is compatible with most devices with storage units including tablets and smartphones. The free version allows you to recover up to 500 MB of data, if you need an unlimited version you can purchase the Pro package for € 93.44.
Ontrack EasyRecovery
Ontrack’s data recovery program can recover data even in unrecognized drives by the operating system. It can recover all types of files that are hidden regardless of the reason why we do not have access to them. It is available for Windows and for macOS. The free version is limited to 1GB of recovered data for items up to 25MB in weight. The paid version of the Home package costs € 81 for Windows and € 87 for macOS.
To perform the recovery you just have to run Ontrack EasyRecovery and connect the USB drive. We choose the unit correct and we start the data search. In the preview of analyzed data we will see what we can recover and those that are overwritten and unrecoverable. Among the first we will select the ones that interest us.
Wondershare’s dedicated application to recover lost or hidden data on USB, recovers files and folders that were intentionally deleted or mistakenly deleted. Recoverit can recover images, videos, documents, emails, audios, etc. Besides the mentioned drives, it can also analyze hard drives, memory cards and internal memories of external devices. Recoverit’s basic plan for Windows is priced at € 59.95 per year, the edition for Mac it costs € 79.95 per year. You can use the trial version for 7 days with a money-back guarantee.
Once the program is installed and opened, what we have to do is connect USB drive to the computer. We select it in the program and click on the button Start to activate scanning. We will make a preview of the data that can be recovered in order to select only what interests us, click on Recover and we choose the destination location.
Remo recover software
Remo Recover is another of the most interesting applications to recover draft, formatted or corrupted data on a storage unit. Although this program is also useful for internal and external hard drives, SSD drives, memory cards, etc. The version for Windows It is priced at $ 39.97 in its basic edition and the edition for Mac it costs $ 59.97.
To recover the hidden files from our pendrive we have to execute Remo Recover and connect the unit to our computer. We will click on the upper menu section Recover Partitions. There we will select the unit and then press the button Scan and wait. We will only have to choose the material to recover and click on Save to choose your destination location.
Recuva
This free application is one of the most popular, developed by Piriform Software (CCleaner) allows you to perform a advanced recovery of hidden or deleted files as a result of formatting or virus infection. It can be used on all types of storage drives besides USB (hard drives, memory cards, etc.), even on damaged storage drives.
Once you have installed and opened Recuva you just have to choose the Unit what are you going to analyze and click on the button Scan. The list of results will mark all the detected files and which of them can be recovered, you will only have to choose those that interest you and click on Recover …
Although there are paid versions Professional (19.95 euros) and Professional Bundle for 3 PCs (34.95 euros) it will be enough to install the free version, which is compatible with Windows and macOS.