Imagine the situation. You are given a flash drive that contains some materials that you must copy to your computer. And so you connect the flash drive, open it and... But there’s nothing on it! How can this be, you ask? Go to the properties of the flash drive and see that it is half occupied. What to do?

Most likely, the files on the flash drive are hidden. I'll show you how to make them visible.

Making files and folders visible

This is what an empty directory on a flash drive looks like. There is even an inscription: “This folder is empty.”

On the left side of the window there is an “Arrange” button (we are talking about Windows 7; on Windows 10 the button is called “Options”). Click on it, after which a menu will appear in which you need to select “Folder and Search Options”.

The “Folder Options” window will open in front of you. Select the View tab. Here you need to check the box next to “Show hidden files, folders and disks." You can also uncheck the “Hide protected system files"if the files are still not visible (don't forget to check this box back later). Click OK.

Now we open our flash drive and see a folder that is hidden. We go into it and copy all the necessary materials.

Please note that a virus or malware may be to blame for this problem. I strongly recommend using an antivirus to scan the flash drive and a utility like Dr.Web Cureit, which does an excellent job of removing malware.

How to hide a folder on a flash drive?

There is nothing complicated here. Create a folder and go to its properties (RMB - “Properties”). On the “General” tab, check the box next to the “Hidden” attribute and click OK.

We open the flash drive and see that the folder and files in it have become hidden. You can make them visible using the method described above.

If the user has ever used a USB drive not only on his computer, then he was faced with the fact that it needed to be cleaned of malware. This could happen anywhere and when turned on, messages will appear that the flash drive is infected. However, it happens that even after deleting them, files cannot be found. It is quite possible that the virus simply hid the documents or that it was done by someone you know.

The simplest and quick way- use Windows Explorer.

1. Open “My Computer” through the “Start” menu, insert the USB flash drive into the port and double-click on it. IN top menu There is a “Service” section, by clicking on which you need to select from the “Folder Options” list.

   

2. A window will appear where you also need to find “View” in the top menu. There are two thematic blocks in this tab; we will need “Advanced parameters”. There you will need to find the “Show hidden files” column and check the box next to it. Then the user needs to save the changes by clicking “Ok”.

   

3. After these steps, the user will see a list of files, but their peculiarity is that they will not be able to work with them. Select all folders with the mouse and press RMB (right mouse button). In the list that appears, click “Properties”.

   

4. The user will immediately see the “General” tab, where he needs the “Attributes” block, where there will be a checkbox next to the “Hidden” indicator. You need to remove it and save the changes.

   

5. The system will confirm the attribute change. You must check the box next to the second option, agreeing to change all selected folders. Click the “Ok” button, then “Ok” again, but in the same “Properties” window.

   

After these simple steps, all hidden files will be visible again.

Actions through Explorer for Windows 10 users

Actions for users look different:

After completing these steps, it is important to go back to the “Folder Options” section, and in the additional settings, check the box next to “Do not show hidden files.”

Using "Total Commander"

Application of the above method is most relevant, but if the user has this program, then its use will also be useful.

1. Open the window and click on the letter on the left side that corresponds to this drive. Now you need to find the “Configuration” section in the top menu, and then click “Settings” in the list that appears.

   

2. Here you will need the “Panel Contents” section, which the user will find in the left column. In the “File Display” tab, you need to check the box next to the first item. If this parameter is divided into 2 points, then you need to check the boxes next to “Show hidden”, as well as next to “Show system ones”. The user then needs to save the changes.

   

3. Now you need to make the documents that appear visible. Select their mice, click on “File” at the very top, then select “Change Attributes”.

   

4. There will be markers next to the “Hidden” and “System” indicators that you need to remove and press “Enter”.

   

Note! Advantage this method is that it allows you to see how hidden documents, and systemic.

Recovery via command line

This recovery method is also relevant.

1. Insert the flash drive into the port, go to “My Computer”, pay attention to the “Devices with removable media” block. There you can see the letter that corresponds to your drive.

   

2. Then open the Start menu and type “cmd” in the search bar. The system will give you a hint; you need to click on the program that appears in the window. This is relevant for Windows 7 users.

   

3. Windows 10 users can click on “Start” RMB (right mouse button), then find “Command Prompt” in the list and click on it.

   

4. In the black window that appears, write “m:” (without quotes) and press the “Enter” key (or another letter that corresponds to the name of the drive).

   

5. The next step is to enter “attrib –h –s /d /s” (also without quotes), after which the user needs to press “Enter” again.

   

Now all files and folders will become

Video - How to open hidden files on a flash drive

Some users, while working on the Internet, encounter special virus programs that modify files on removable media, making them invisible. In some cases they are replaced various scripts or shortcuts with similar names and shortcuts that infect your computer. This article describes in detail how you can open hidden files and folders on your flash drive and return them to their original attributes.

First of all, it is worth noting that under no circumstances should you open or run duplicate files created by a virus, as this will lead to infection of your personal computer, even with the antivirus program turned on. Scan your entire PC and removable device using an antivirus, after which you can begin troubleshooting.

Setting up Windows Explorer

In order for users to be able to view hidden files located on a flash drive, it is necessary to correctly configure the parameters for displaying objects in Explorer (a program for working with files and folders). To do this you will need to do the following:

Now you will see all files that have the “Hide” attribute. You can open the root directory of the flash drive and continue working with the necessary information.

Changing Attributes

So that hidden files can be seen by other users on other computers, you need to change their properties. To do this, you need to right-click on the desired object to bring up the context menu and select “Properties”.

In the window that opens, you need to uncheck the boxes next to the “System” and “Hidden” parameters. Click "Apply" to save the changes and "Ok" to close the window and display the files. This way you can edit the parameters of all the data you need.

However, if there are a lot of objects on the flash drive, changing all the files one by one will be inconvenient and time-consuming.

Creating a bat file

You can create a simple script with your own hands that will independently “repair” all the data on the removable media. Follow a few simple steps indicated in the instructions.

All operating systems allow you to enable or disable the display of hidden files. If you are using operating system Windows, virus or others malware may cause the disappearance of your personal data. We will tell you how to recover hidden files.

Enabling showing hidden files

Files that have been assigned the "hidden" attribute are not displayed in the Windows Explorer. You must enable showing hidden files yourself in order to access them. You can do this using the control panel.

Step 1. Launch Control Panel, then find and open Folder Options. If you have a category view of your Control Panel, select Appearance and Personalization, and then open Folder Options.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, go to the “View” tab. A list will open additional settings for folders.

Step 3. Check the box next to “Show hidden files, folders and drives.” To find this item, scroll to the bottom of the list and find the “Hidden files and folders” subsection. Also uncheck the box next to “Hide protected system files.” After the manipulations have been completed, click the “Apply” button.

Step 4. Now open your flash drive. Your files should appear in the Explorer window. Folder icons will appear in semi-light colors, indicating the Hidden attribute.

Recovering hidden files due to a virus

Some viruses and malware can make changes to the Windows registry, which may cause the display of hidden files to not work as expected. In this case, changes made to the folder properties may be reset every time you close the settings window. You can fix this problem in the Registry Editor.

Step 1. Launch the editor console Windows registry. To do this, press the keyboard shortcut “Windows + R”, which will open the “Run” window. In the input field, type the command “regedit” and press “Enter”.

Step 2. Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\ Hidden\SHOWALL". Use the directory tree on the left to navigate between sections.

Step 3. Find the "CheckedValue" key. Its format should be "REG_DWORD". Change its value from 0 to 1.

Note: If this parameter does not exist, it must be created. To do this, right-click and create a new DWORD Value (32 bits). Give it the name "CheckedValue" and set the value to "1".

Step 4. If this happened to your system, then most likely your computer is infected with a virus and after a while this problem will arise again. We strongly recommend that you conduct a full system scan antivirus program with current virus databases.

Enabling Show Hidden Files Using the Windows Command Prompt

Step 1. Open a Windows command interpreter. To do this, press the keyboard shortcut “Win ​​+ R” and enter “cmd” in the “Run” window. After that, press "Enter".

Viruses cause all files and folders on it to become hidden. Due to this, users are facing problem. There are files on the flash drive, but I can’t open them. IN this material We will look at just such a problem. Now you will learn how to open hidden files on a flash drive.

Step #1: Find a computer with an antivirus.

If the files on the flash drive become hidden, it means the flash drive has been infected with a virus. It is quite possible that not even one. Therefore, you can’t just connect this flash drive to the first computer you come across. Otherwise, you will put your computer at risk and in some cases the computer may be infected with viruses located on the flash drive. Therefore, first of all, you need to find a computer with an antivirus. Also, before connecting an infected flash drive, you need to make sure that the antivirus is up and running.

Step No. 2. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer and check it for viruses.

Once you have found a computer with an antivirus, you can connect a flash drive to it. Immediately after connecting, open “My Computer” and right-click on the icon of the connected flash drive. In the menu that opens, select “ ” or “ Scan for viruses" if you have English version antivirus. After that, wait until your antivirus scans all the files on the flash drive.

Step #3: Turn on hidden folders.

In order to open hidden files on a flash drive we need. To do this, you need to open a settings window called “Folder Options”.

If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 10, then you need to open any folder and on the “View” tab click on the “Options” button.

If you are using Windows 7, then you need to open any folder and click on ALT key. After this, a series of drop-down menus will appear at the top of the window (File, Edit, View, Tools and Help). Here you need to open the “Tools” menu and select “Folder Options”.

After this, the “Folder Options” window will open in front of you. In this window, you need to go to the “View” tab and scroll to the end of the “Advanced options” list. There you need to uncheck the box next to the “Hide protected system files” function and check the box next to the “Show hidden files, folders and drives” function. After this, you need to save the changes by clicking on the “Ok” button.

After these simple manipulations, hidden files on your flash drive will become visible and you will be able to open them.

Step No. 4. Make hidden files and folders on the flash drive visible.

You can also make hidden files and folders visible again. To do this, select hidden files or folders on the flash drive and open their properties. After this, uncheck the “Hidden” attribute and save the changes by clicking on the “Ok” button.

It should be noted that sometimes after infection with viruses, the “Hidden” attribute is not removed. In such cases, the easiest way is to copy the files to your computer and delete the folder.

Additionally. You can also open hidden folders on a flash drive using . To do this, open the command line and go to your flash drive. To do this, simply enter the drive letter and a colon. This is done like this:

After that, enter the following command:

• attrib -s -h *.* /s /d

On the command line it will look something like this:

The execution time of the attrib command depends on the number of hidden files and folders on the flash drive. This usually only takes a couple of seconds. After the command line prompts you to enter the following command, you can check the flash drive. If everything was done correctly, then all hidden folders and files on the flash drive should become visible.