I can imagine your bewilderment when you click on a folder or file and it doesn’t open on your Windows 10 PC. Instead, you display a popup informing you that the file or folder is corrupt. Most users are getting some version of the ‘The file or directory is corrupt or unreadable’ message. Strange and relevant. So, we will help you fix this and open corrupted Files and Folders on your Windows 10 PC.
In the case of external hard drives or USB drives, you will see the error ‘X:\ is not accessible’ (where X is the corresponding drive letter) followed by the same corrupt file message. Then the system will open another pop-up window asking you to format the drive and ‘You must format the disk in drive X: before using the disk.’ You don’t want to format it as you will lose all files and folders on the drive.
Here are a few ways to fix corrupted folders and files in Windows 10. Follow them and make sure this never happens again.
Let’s start.
How Did the Corrupted File or Folder Happen?
You must understand the main reasons for this unfortunate event. It will help you better troubleshoot the problem.
- The MFT or FAT partition containing the file or folder is corrupt
- Virus or malware problem
- Pen drive or other external drive is physically damaged
- Removed external drive without safely removing it first
The solutions should work for both internal and external drives. I will share more details as needed.
Note: External drives damaged by water, fire, or physical fall cannot be recovered. You will need to take the drive to a data recovery professional and data recovery will depend on the condition of the drive.
1. Scan for Viruses and Other Threats
You can run your favorite antivirus app or use the built-in Windows Defender (now Microsoft Defender) that comes pre-installed on all Windows 10 computers. Windows Defender has come a long way and is now among the most effective antivirus applications in the world.
Download, install and run Malwarebytes now. Malware is not the same thing as a virus. You need both on your computer to prevent your files and folders from getting corrupted. Finally, you should download and run the Safety Scanner app from Microsoft. Always download the latest version before running. The portable app is not updated automatically.
2. Check for System Errors
Open File Explorer (press the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut) and right-click on the corrupted drive to select Properties.
Under the Tools tab, click the Check for Error checkbox.
Windows 10 will now check and fix common driver related problems in the background.
3. Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Microsoft staff recommend that you run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to make sure this isn’t a memory leak or similar issue with your computer. Search for and open Control Panel in Windows search. Next, go to System and Security > Administrative Tools. This will open a new window where you will double-click the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.
Click on ‘Restart now and check for problems (recommended)’ from the popup below. After that your PC will reboot automatically so make sure you save your work before clicking that option.
4. Run the Check Disk Command
One of the most common solutions for the corrupted files and folders error is the Check Disk command. Search for Command Prompt in Windows search and open it with administrator rights by selecting Run as administrator from the left pane. Close all other programs.
Type the check disk command in Command Prompt as shown below. Replace the letter ‘x’ with the bad drive letter. It works for both internal and external drives.
chkdsk /f x:
The process will take some time. Once done, check if you can access the corrupted file/folder. Are you still getting the ‘The file or directory is corrupt or unreadable’ message?
Do you see a message that the volume is being used by another process and is planning to scan? If you do, type Y and press Enter to confirm the scan schedule and restart your computer. Therefore, your computer will start the scan while it is in the boot process.
5. Format and Recover Data
This solution is for people who use external hard drives or flash drives and get ‘The file or directory is corrupt or unreadable’ error with no formatting option. As stated earlier, formatting the drive deletes all data on the drive.
The first thing you should do is make a backup of the data on a different drive. There are many data recovery apps available in the market. We’ve covered two of the most popular, Recuva and EaseUS.
Check if that works and can you open the file/folder? If not, go ahead and format the drive. You will also find the format option when you right click on the drive letter. However, do your best to recover files before formatting your drive.
6. How to Avoid Data Loss
No matter where your data is, internal drive or external, there is always the potential for loss for a variety of reasons. One of the best ways to protect your data is to take automatic backups locally or in cloud storage. You can use OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox. You can always use an external drive to take a backup, but even that will be prone to errors and physical damage. Still, some backup options are always better than nothing.
Prevention is better than cure
The best way is to take a cloud backup so you don’t run into this issue again. If you are already facing this issue, you can try troubleshooting or use file recovery software like EaseUS or Recuva to recover lost data. However, recovery depends on several factors, such as whether the data is overwritten, whether the files are damaged beyond repair. For now, learn from this mistake so you don’t find yourself in a similar mess again.
Next: Restoring your computer to a previous point in time may or may not work. It can also help with a few Windows errors. Click on the link below to learn the difference between restore and reset functions and how to perform them.
