When you insert an SD card, external hard drive, USB, or any other storage devices in your Windows 11/10/8/7 PC, you may receive the error message, 'the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable Windows 8'. There are many symptoms you may encounter when you see this error message. First, if you look at the device's file system, you may discover that it is a RAW file system. Second, you would not be able to access your device when you receive this error code. Third, when you want to open a storage device on your Windows PC, you will get the "H:\ is not accessible" pop up error message. If you cannot resolve the issue of Windows 7 the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable on time, it may lead to major data loss. To avoid such a system disaster, you should use any of the methods highlighted in this post to fix the issue.
Before looking at the methods to fix 'the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable Windows 11/10 desktop' issue, let's look at the possible causes why you may experience the problem in the first place.
Virus can disrupt the normal functioning of a computer system. When a PC, memory card, or USB drive is infected with a virus, the file system is likely to get corrupted and you may receive the error message.
Master File Table (MFT) is part of the NTFS file system and it contains the details, including the file size, access permissions, and creation time. Like File Allocation Table (FAT), which is part of the FAT file system; MFT indicates the storage location for a file. Therefore, when the FAT or MFT file is corrupted, the error will prevent the system from accessing data from the FAT or NTFS partitions.
When you remove an external disk from your PC while the drive is reading or transferring data or without using the 'Safely Remove' option, you are the risk of losing important file system information. This may be the reason you are getting the 'is not accessible the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable Windows 11' error message.
Flash drive, memory card, hard drive, or USB drive can get corrupted as a result of permanent damage or bad sector. Usually, partition data like file system is saved in a particular location. If the location has bad sectors, the operating system may fail to access data and you will get the error message.
The above entails the possible causes why you may get 'the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable please run the chkdsk utility Windows 11' error message. Now, let us explore the two methods that you can use to fix it.
Repairing a corrupted file system can resolve the issue of a file or directory being corrupted and unreadable. If the error is caused by bad sectors, file system corruption, or a virus infection, using the CHDKDSK command line in CMD can be an effective solution. Here's how to do it:
These steps should resolve the issue immediately. If you are still experiencing the problem, you should move to the second method.
If you have tried the first method and it does not work, you may have to consider the last resort, which is to format the hard drive. This is a radical method as it can wipe out data from your hard drive. It is why you should recover data from the unreadable disk first before you format the drive. We recommend the Deep Data Recovery software to recover your files from an unreadable hard disk. This is the best data recovery software that you can find in the market.
The Deep Data Recovery software is a powerful tool that can help you recover files from various types of storage devices, including hard disk and partition, RAW drive, external hard drive, USB, and more. It is designed to be highly effective, secure, and 100% safe, making it a reliable solution for recovering lost data.
To see how the Deep Data Recovery software can help you recover files from the external hard drive on your Mac or Windows PC, you can download the free trial version. This will give you a chance to experience the software's capabilities firsthand and see how it can help you recover your lost files.
If you encounter an error message stating that a file or directory is corrupted and unreadable, there are several steps you can take to try and recover the data:
: Before attempting to resolve the 'the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable Windows 10 desktop' error message, it's essential to recover any trapped data on your PC. This can be done using a data recovery tool, such as Deep Data Recovery software. This software is designed to scan your PC for any corrupted files and recover them, giving you a chance to save any important data that might be at risk of being lost.