Show Hidden Files Using attrib Command

• After you "unhide" your files, remember to scan your computer/Laptop for viruses if you don't know how these files were hidden in the first place.
• Make it a habit to check for hidden files. If you keep on seeing hidden files on your computer without you really doing it, it is highly possible that there is a virus. You would need then to run a strong anti-virus and do a complete computer scan in order to get rid of this.
• Check which types of files are usually being hidden. The pattern may be able to tell you what type of virus you have in your computer.

How to unhide my files in flash drive?

My flash drive got a virus and now all files have become hidden. What can I do to restore my hidden files?

There are many ways to unhide files from a flash drive and one of them is by simply using the command prompt as stated in this article which you can easily follow following the steps provided.

Another option is through the use of "Folder Options". These are the steps to properly unhide your hidden files mostly caused by virus infection using Windows 7 operating system:

1. 1
   Click Start.

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2. 2
   Then click your flash drive to open (usually, the default is F:).

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3. 3
   Inside your flash drive, click "Organize" at the top left part of the window.

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4. 4
   Click "Folder and Search Options".

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5. 5
   Click the "View" tab.

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6. 6
   Tick the "Show hidden files" under the "Hidden files and folders".

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7. 7
   Then click "Apply" and "OK".

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Your hidden files will now become visible.

Here are the steps to make the hidden files to become permanently visible:

1. 1
   Follow the above steps.

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2. 2
   Right-click the hidden file.

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3. 3
   Click "Properties".

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4. 4
   Then untick or uncheck the option "Hidden".

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5. 5
   Then click "Apply" and "OK".

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Take note that after making your hidden files visible, thoroughly scan your flash drive for viruses using your preferred antivirus program in order to prevent the files from becoming hidden again.

How to open my hidden files and folder?

I don't remember the directory and folder name in files, pictures, or videos?

Different operating systems have distinct methods of displaying hidden files and folders. If in case you forgot the directories or even the file names, that won't be a problem because you can enable display of folders you have set hidden by performing these set of actions:

If you are using Windows XP:

1. 1
   Click on the "Start" button that can be found right at the left lower part of the screen.

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2. 2
   Choose "Control Panel" from the Start menu.

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3. 3
   Click on "Appearance and Themes" from the Control Panel menu.

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4. 4
   Go to "Tools" and click on "Folder Options".

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5. 5
   Click the "View" tab.

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6. 6
   Click to enable the "Show Hidden Files and Folders" option.

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7. 7
   Click "Apply" and "OK".

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For Windows Vista, take these steps:

1. 1
   Go to "Start" button that can be found on the bottom left part of the screen.

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2. 2
   Click on "Control Panel".

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3. 3
   Choose "Classic View".

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4. 4
   Click on "Folder Options".

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5. 5
   Go to "View" tab.

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6. 6
   Select and check on the "Show hidden files and folders" option.

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7. 7
   Click "Apply" and "OK".

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If you are using Windows 7, perform the following actions:

1. 1
   Click on the "Start" button located at the lower left portion of the screen.

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2. 2
   Go to "Control Panel".

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3. 3
   Click on the "Category" button found on the right upper corner of the menu.

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4. 4
   In the drop-down menu bar, choose "Small Icons".

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5. 5
   Click on "Folder Options" from the "All Control Panel Items".

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6. 6
   Select "View" tab and enable the "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" option.

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7. 7
   Click on "Apply" and "OK" buttons.===My d

   :

   drive is almost full, but I can't see any file on it. I've already used the tool menu to show hidden files, but nothing happened?===

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I can't seem to show hidden files on my drive, but the drive is almost full. What can I do?

You may want to try defragmenting your drive. Sometimes, when it's too fragmented, you'll find that there's a lot of wasted space on the drive. Just keep in mind that it will take some time to do this, but it will be worth it, as you'll free up space and have a more organized drive.

Also, check whether you have applications under drive D. In this case, even when there are no files, it will appear full because you're running applications from the drive.

Lastly, make sure you clear out any temporary files, downloaded files, or system cache files and folders. Sometimes these can be quite large, and take up much more space than you need to run your system.===How to view my hidden file that I hid?=== I just clicked on one of my folders and accidentally hid it. Now, when I'm trying to find my file, I can't see it in search results anymore.

You can choose to view hidden files and folders on your PC by taking the following steps:

1. 1
   Open any folder.

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2. 2
   Click on "Organize" button

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3. 3
   Choose "Folder and Search Options"

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4. 4
   Hit the "View" tab

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5. 5
   Select "Show hidden files and folders" option

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6. 6
   Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files"

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7. 7
   Click "Apply" and "OK" button

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How to show hidden files from memory card and flash drive?

In my flash drive some files in Microsoft Office Word are shown, but the others in the form of folders are hidden. How can I show these files with the command prompt?

Just take the following steps to unhide the hidden files on your memory card and flash drive using the command prompt.

1. 1
   Connect your flash drive or memory card to your PC.

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2. 2
   Click Start then Type CMD into the search field and then hit enter.

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3. 3
   On your Computer/My Computer, look for the drive letter allocated for your removable disk, i.e

   .

   Removable disk (F:).

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4. 4
   Type F

   :

   on the Command Prompt, then hit enter.

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5. 5
   Type in attrib -s -h -r /s /d then hit enter.

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6. 6
   That's it

   .

   You have now successfully unhidden the hidden files on your Removable Disk (F:) using the command prompt.

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See more questions like this: 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

How can I revive my hidden file from my USB?

What can I do to retrieve hidden files from my USB drive?

Please take the following actions to unhide the hidden files on your USB flash drive.

1. 1
   Connect your flash drive to your PC.

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2. 2
   Click the "Start" button, then on the search field, type in CMD and then hit enter.

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3. 3
   On your Computer, look for the drive letter allocated for your USB flash drive

   .

   For example, your USB flash drive is detected as Removable Disk (F:), so it is "F".

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4. 4
   Go back to the Command prompt and then type "F:" without the quotes, then hit enter.

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5. 5
   Now, type-in "attrib -s -h -r /s /d" without the quotes and then enter.

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6. 6
   That's it

   .

   You can now view the hidden files on your USB flash drive.

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You can properly retrieve or recover your hidden files from your USB by simply making your hidden files visible by following the steps provided in this wiki using the command prompt.

Another way to recover your hidden files without using the command prompt (which is much easier) is to simply unhide your hidden files using the Folder Options.

Here's how to unhide hidden files using a computer that has Windows 7 OS installed:

1. 1
   Open any folder or click start then click computer.

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2. 2
   On the top left part of the window, click Organize then Folder and search options.

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3. 3
   A new small window will open then click the view tab.

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4. 4
   In the view tab, tick or mark the "show hidden files" option then click Apply and OK.

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5. 5
   Your USB will now show you all the hidden files stored which you can now retrieve easily.

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For your reference, please watch this video on how to unhide hidden files using the Folder Options:

http://screencast.com/t/4ByU0nuVt

See more questions like this: About my USB. It is so crazy

Can you explain the attrib -s -h -r /s /d line. Exactly what are these attributes doing?

Hi, please explain why these files will be hidden all the time. What exactly is the problem? Is it related to the pen drive or I have a problem with my laptop. I know that attrib line is doing something related to the attributes of the files. Can you explain to me what exactly it is doing? Also, these files will open in Linux, why not on Windows? All the Windows file format I can open in Fedora, but Fedora files I can't open in Windows, why? I think I have asked many questions at once hope you will have the patience to explain each. Thank You.

Hi sure I can explain what each attribute switch does:

1. 1
   -s 

   :

   Remove System File Attribute. The operating system will no longer hide this file as a system file. Be careful not to delete system files. They are there for a reason. You can omit this flag if the file is not hidden as a system file.

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2. 2
   -h 

   :

   Remove Hidden File Attribute. After removing the hidden attribute the file will become visible in most cases (unless it is marked as system for example.)

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3. 3
   -r 

   :

   Remove Read Only Flag. If the files this command runs on were read only, they will now become writable. This may or may not be desirable depending on what you are trying to do. Typically your data files will not be read only so that is why it is included in the above command.

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4. 4
   /s 

   :

   Apply the above attribute modifications to all files in this folder and all subfolders.

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5. 5
   /d 

   :

   Apply the above attribute modifications to the folders themselves too. Sometimes people will hide a folder and then any files inside will not be visible. This will make all the folders and subfolders visible.

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See more questions like this: Thank you very much Aien 20... E:\>attrib -s -h -r /s /d has done it for me :)?

How to unhide folders on a USB stick after a virus infection turning them into screensaver extension?

What a surprise to see the chat. Yesterday, I had a virus infection on USB. I managed to remove using Malwarebytes, Avast, and Norton, on USB (D: drive). Today, I would like to recover the lost files and folders unhiding them on Windows 7.

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See more questions like this: How can I get my files back after reinstalling the OS Win 7?

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How do I view files inexplicably hidden on an external hard drive in Windows 8.1?

One antivirus hid the content of my external hard drive. Now, I would be obliged if you can help me with this issue, thanks. I'm looking for an idea. I do not know what to do to solve this issue

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How can I remove a virus from my laptop?

I have a virus on my laptop. What can I do about it?

To remove a virus on your laptop, you'll need to have some form of antivirus program installed. The top five paid choices for 2014, according to PC Mag, are:

• Webroot AntiVirus
• Norton AntiVirus
• Kaspersky AntiVirus
• Bitdefender AntiVirus
• F-Secure AntiVirus

If you don't have an antivirus program installed, you'll need to try and figure out which virus you have by writing down any of the messages it displays and then searching the internet to figure out what it is, and how you can remove it. This is best done by completely disconnecting the infected computer from the internet, switching off any wireless and Bluetooth connections, and then using another system to search for removal techniques.

Once you figure out the virus you have, and how to remove it, you'll want to start in Safe Mode (Windows) and begin the removal process from there. However, it's important to note that some malicious programs, virus applications, and malware can be deeply embedded, and prevent you from easily locating them. Often in such cases, it's easier just to back up your data and reinstall your operating system.

If you're on a budget, you can use free antivirus and malware programs, that do not require you to pay for them when used for personal use. Two of the best are:

• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
• AVG AntiVirus Free

They aren't aways as good as paid versions, but they are solid enough that you won't be completely exposed to malware and computer viruses. In fact, many people only use free antivirus programs, with some experts even claiming that they are close enough to have no significant differences when used for personal use.

I cannot see any item on my desktop?

My desktop is hidden, I cannot see anything on it except if I open a folder then click desktop

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Hi, I am using an Android mobile. The 8GB SD card on mobile is almost occupied with almost 7.5GB. However, I don't see all the folders which make it up to 7.5GB?

This SD card when inserted to my mobile via USB card reader does not show all the files which comprise of nearly 7.5 GB. I feel that there are hidden files and folders on this card and I want to find out what these files are, whether important to me or not, so that I can manage the space on my SD card. Any help would be much appreciated. I have even tried the organize folder option > Show hidden files option. Still no go.

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Hello sir, I just bought a laptop last two weeks, and every time I open my laptop, it always shows activate your Windows license it will expire soon. What does this mean? What is this all about?

About Windows OS system license expiry date? How do I know if the Windows OS I used is original or not? I check the activation in setting, and it is activated, I wonder why the computer shows a message like such, please help me understand thank you.

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Hi aien20. I tried the tips on how to recover hidden files using cmd, but it does not work on my files. Hope you can help me asap.

Below I pasted the result of my cmd:. . . Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]. Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.. . C:\Users\User>ATTRIB *.* -H -R -S /S /D. Access denied - C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Recovery. \High\Active. Access denied - C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Recovery. \High\Last Active. Access denied - C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp\CR_AF100.tmp. The target of the symbolic link C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp\etilqs_f731jzUG. XV7CViu does not exist. Access denied - C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp\sp2675.tmp. Access denied - C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\ElevatedDiagnostics. The hidden files still has not being recovered successfully.

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MY SD card IS UNABLE TO OPEN BUT NO WARNING OF CORRUPTED. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

HOW CAN I OPEN MY FILES AGAIN? I HAVE A LOTS OF IMPORTANT FILES THERE AND ALSO THE PICTURES. HOW CAN I RESOLVE IT?

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What is the best alternative for encountering consistent issues that USB flash drives have and also how do we identify that these USB flash drives are infected?

Whenever, for instance I plugging my USB all the files that's stored in there are either wiped out or hidden it doesn't automatically pop up on the window as it normally should've, I used the command prompt to cut out the shortcuts but it didn't show all my hidden files that I requested either posting this question to you what is the best possible approach in tackling such an issue like mine that commonly arises within infected USB flash drives and also would you distribute your ideas with along with everyone else so that we all can benefit from it lastly just provide us with the easiest and perhaps the fastest technique.

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To contain my username and password which when I entered it will detect and allow me to use the software I paid for. once a while the data on this key corrupts and it no longer recognize my user name and password. I send it back to the company and in a few seconds after they connect to a computer and do some magic, its corrected and I have to pay huge money for the repair. I've tried many times to view the content of this drive but it seems the drive itself is hidden from my operating system, can you please provide me with a solution to this?

System, . windows Xp service pack 3. system, . windows Xp service pack 3. In my case I cannot see the drive at all although the system recognizes the connection. I have tried: I have tried showing hidden files in windows but nothing I have also tried checking windows manager to find the drive but nothing shows up. I think it was caused by: I think that is how the drive have been designed I have tried showing hidden files in windows but nothing I have also tried checking windows manager to find the drive but nothing shows up

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About USB viruses I want to clean it . do you know how to clean it?

$RECYCLE.BIN. System Volume Information. Drive.bat. that's the only thing that I can see in my USB sir . I really need some help

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See more questions like this: My USB got attacked by a virus and now I can't access it?

How can I show my hidden files; how can I change my documents in short cut back to normal?

All my documents on my USB memory stick has turned into a short cut when I plucked it in my computer. and there are some of my files hidden I can't find.

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Am trying to write the command attrib-s-h-r/s/d the result is not recognizes?

F:\>attrib-s-h-r/s/d. 'attrib-s-h-r' is not recognized as an internal or external command,. operable program or batch file. I can find what am looking for. since I would like to un hide my files in my USB

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My 16 GB USB hide all data and show shortcut only. And USB space is 10Gb full?

My 16 GB USB hide all data. Only show a shortcut. . full space 10 GB show. And 5 GB are free space. How to show hide data which are show a shortcut in USB.

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My USB has files in it which is music, documents and videos, and now its no longer showing this files. Can you please help me un-hide those files and be able to view them?

I have a USB which has documents inside but now the documents are no longer showing. so following the guides you showed me the the first try said 'parameter format not correct. The second time I tried on cmd it said 'file not found. The coding in the cmd is different from the coding shown in the images you showed

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How to locate 50+ 'lost" files on a thumb drive? This is the second occurance on this thumb drive?

Step 3 states: "When inside your flash drive, click "Organize" at the top left part of the window". On my Dell running Foxfire, there is nothing to click on other that "Delete". All other options in the "Organize'" section are muted. I can not get to the "organize" screen.. . Is there some kind of admin setup that needs to be changed? Where/How is that done? I cannot get past step 2 of your instructions and I see no troubleshooting section. I have tried: Already explained above. Please see above. I have provided all the details that I can see. I think it was caused by: Perhaps it has to do with admin rights? I don't know how to proceed. That is why I am filling this section with words so that this message gets sent to you.

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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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