How to Fix ‘The file or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable’ – Guide
When using a USB drive, you must have encountered the error that says the drive is not accessible. The file or directory is corrupt and unreadable with Windows PC error. This error occurs when a file, folder, FAT (File Allocation Table), MFT (Master File Table) or USB drive is corrupted for some reason. When this error occurs on your system, you cannot access the data and files that are on the drive resulting in data loss. The RAW file system creates an illusion by showing that the drive has just been manufactured and has not been formatted. This file or directory is corrupt and Windows unreadable error can also be caused by physical or logical damage, where logical damage includes devices found with bad sectors damaged due to improper handling or virus attacks. And physical damage means damage that cannot be repaired. Well, physical damage leads to a lot of problems and if you have physically damaged your computer, you must be prepared to face the consequences. The Windows file or directory is corrupt and unreadable error can also be caused by physical damage such as fire or water. In that case, you need to take your PC to a professional repair center.
Change the location of inaccessible files
This is definitely the easiest method to try if you have the “The file or directory is corrupt and unreadable” issue. By changing the location of these inaccessible files, you get a chance to open it normally.
Disable or uninstall antivirus software
Sometimes antivirus software interferes with the external hard drive and thus prevents the PC from reading the device normally. To eliminate the error, you can disable or uninstall firewall and antivirus software. After that, restart your PC and reconnect the external storage device to check if it works.
Scan drive from disk properties
In fact, this is another way to check your hard drive for errors. It can fix file system errors and look for bad sectors. Compared to the first method, this one is much easier. Let’s check how it works.
Run Disk Boot Repair
To avoid various errors that can appear on Windows, developers have created an integrated tool to solve most common PC problems. And if the problem “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” annoys you, you can try Startup Repair. And at first, you need to boot your PC from the Advanced Boot Options menu. How to do this on Windows 11/10:
Run a disk check through CMD on Windows 11/10/8/7
The next thing you need to do when encountering the “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” error is to run a disk check to see if there are any fixable issues with your hard drive. For that you need to use the command called chkdsk. This command scans the drive and fixes various issues like lost clusters, bad sectors, cross-linked files, directory errors, etc.
Follow these instructions:
Final note
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