Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Folder on external hard drive not accessible

Feb 1, 2012 12:38PM PST

Hi,
i have a 2TB external hard drive connected to my desktop.A few days ago when i was trying to open a folder on the drive in says "XYZ not accessible.The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable".
Is there a way i can fix the problem with this problem.I'm using windows 7 home premium.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
My first idea is to boot...
Feb 3, 2012 2:41AM PST
- Collapse -
Answer
Re: folder not accessible
Feb 3, 2012 2:56AM PST

After you tried the Ubunty trick to copy the files in folder out (maybe better copy ALL files to your backup 2 TB drive) you can try a chkdsk on the drive to do the necessary repairs. A full chkdisk (including surface check) after that won't harm at all.

If it happens repeatedly, this might point to a hardware issue or to you handling this drive incorrectly. Let's hope it was a one time glitch that won't happen again the next 5 years.

Kees