Show Hidden Files Using attrib Command

My flash drive displays as empty, yet when I view the properties I can see the flash has data. How can I see this data?

My flash drive displays as empty, yet when I view the properties I can see the flash has data. How can I see this data?

Many things including viruses can cause this issue. However, it's possible that your files are just hidden, and you can access them simply by un-hiding them.

Follow the steps below to un-hide the data on your USB flash drive:

1. 1
   On your desktop, click on the Start menu.

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2. 2
   Open the Control panel.

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3. 3
   Click on the 'Appearance and Personalization' section.

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4. 4
   Select 'Folder Options'.

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5. 5
   Click on the 'View' tab.

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6. 6
   Select 'Show hidden files, folders, or drives', under the Hidden files and folders' section.

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7. 7
   Click on the 'OK' button.

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8. 8
   Now you should have access to your files.

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9. 9
   Remember to run an Antivirus program to scan your USB flash drive.

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If you're still unable to access your files, this is because a virus is causing this issue. Read the main article and follow the instructions to unhide your data. You can access the main article by clicking on the title of this Q&A page or the link below the article summary.

If you need any extra help, let us know in the Q&A section below.

See more questions like this: My word document is hidden by an antivirus

See more questions like this: I have a Fat32 formatted USB drive that appears empty on my PC?

I can see my files, it's showing empty, but there are files there?

I see the space used and free space showing there are files there.

This problem is usually caused by a virus. However, there are times where it might not be a virus.

Follow the steps below to make your files visible again:

1. 1
   Click on the Start menu.

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2. 2
   Go to your Control Panel.

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3. 3
   Double click on the 'Appearance and Personalization'.

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4. 4
   Open 'Folder Option'.

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5. 5
   Select the 'View' tab.

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6. 6
   Under the 'Hidden files and folders' section, Check 'Show hidden files, folders, or drives'

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7. 7
   Click on the 'OK' or 'Apply' button.

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Now all of your data on your Flash drive should be visible. Remember to scan your drive with an antivirus program like Avast, Norton, McAfee. If you still can't access your files, follow the instructions in the main article by clicking on the title of this page or by clicking on the link below the article summary. If you have any problems with the process of un-hiding your files, let us know by leaving a question in the section below.

How to delete this malicious file, and how to remove Autorun.inf when it is copyright protected?

There are a lot of shortcuts, I know it is a system32 virus, then I've tried the command attrib -h -r -s /s /d g:\*.* and also the command you listed here in the blog, it says ("Unrecoverable error in folder /Audio") not just in audio but also in other folders, then I've tried chkdsk command but it does not finish, then a pop up says 'There is no drive. Please insert a disk into drive g:'.

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Hard Drive WD 1TB is not accessible?

My HDD of Western Digital 1TB is not responding when I connect it with PC. Initially, the unlocker works fine, but then a message came that you need to format the drive before you can use it.

1. 1
   Press the Windows key and type "Disk Management"

   .

   Press "Enter".

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2. 2
   Connect your HDD if it has not been connected and find the letter associated with it.

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3. 3
   Right-click its white rectangle at the bottom and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths..."

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4. 4
   Assign a different letter to the drive

   .

   Try an "X", for example.

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5. 5
   You can also right-click the white rectangle and select "Format..." if it is necessary to format the drive.

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Other troubleshooting methods include

• using the original USB wire;
• plugging the disk drive into another PC with Windows XP or Vista (you can try Windows 10 too) and right-clicking "My Computer". Click "Properties", "Security", "Add a new permission". Type "Everyone" and give "Everyone" full permissions. Then, click "Apply" and wait until the changes have been applied;
• disabling USB 3.0 or 2.0 in BIOS;
• applying a Microsoft fix.

I can not find "Appearance and Nationalization" in Windows 7?

I am following the instruction to unhide the folder in USB stick, but in control panel of Windows 7, I can not find Appearance and Nationalization. I can not find Appearance and Nationalization in control panel

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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