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

Question

Yesterday I traded some files with a friend by hooking up an external hard drive to his computer. I had created a folder with some files in it for him and likewise created another folder for him to copy miscellaneous audio and video files into. Everything seemed to work normally.

When I got back home and plugged the drive back into my laptop, my virus protection picked up something strange, but was able to remedy it immediately. The drive is working normally, and everything else on it is as it should be, but the folder that my friend copied files into is completely empty. Also, the folder I had created with stuff for him is missing entirely, including the folder itself. However, I can see from the amount of memory being used that all the files in both folders are still there somewhere. To make matters even weirder, a separate .rar file he had copied onto the drive containing some picture files is there and working completely normally, so not everything we copied was affected. And, as I said, everything else on the drive appears as it should be.

I've tried making hidden files visible in my "View Folder" configuration, and also tried to do so through the Command Prompt, but neither had any effect. Has anyone encountered something like this before and, if so, how did they fix it?

Solution

You may need to "take ownership" of these folders. If you are using NTFS it has a security feature which can lock you out of folders.

My computer select the affected drive. Right click and click on properties. Goto the security tab and click "Advanced" Click on Owner edit Select either your username,Administrator, or Everyone check the box "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" Click OK

Wait patiently for the operation to complete. Then check and see if that helps.

Comments

[climenole]

You make hidden files and folders visible: don't forget the system hidden files. You can do it easily with this: bleepingcomputer.com/download/show-hidden instead of Windows GUI or command line.

[John Morgan]

Thanks for answering, but as I wrote, I already tried making hidden files visible, and the files are still not there.

[Admin]

The newer version of this virus regenerates itself as soon as the antivirus deletes it. Update your antivirus and run a full system scan. To access the folder, try remembering the folder name and access it by directly writing its path in the path bar.

[John Morgan]

I have Kaspersky and it hasn't detected anything with quick scan. A full scan will take a while. In the meantime, the files still are not visible even if I enter its path.

[Admin]

Use command prompt and see if the folder exists. Use dir command.

[John Morgan]

One of them is there. The other is still not.

[Admin]

If you can't see it in command prompt, then the folder does not exist.

[Zano]

Have you tried DIR /AH in the command prompt? That will list hidden files (and only those).

[Zano]

@AntoOswin, please don't assume it's a virus if you don't have good reasons. Do you have the name of this "VERY common virus" that "regenerates itself as soon as the antivirus deletes it".

[Admin]

@Zano I dont have the name but I have been attacked by this virus quite a few times.

[Zano]

You can't be sure that that is what has happened to the OP.

[Cliff Armstrong]

It would be unusual for external media to use NTFS, Fat32 or exFat are much more common in external storage devices for cross-platform compatibility reasons.