Files on the flash drive are hidden. How to open hidden files on a flash drive. Virus in hidden files. Using Total Commander
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 by 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 an antivirus program enabled. Scan your entire PC and removable device with an antivirus, and then you can start 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 an operating room Windows system, a virus or other malware may cause your personal data to disappear. We will tell you how to recover hidden files.
Enabling showing hidden files
Files that have been set to "hidden" are not visible in Windows Explorer by default. 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 Windows Registry Editor console. 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 with an antivirus program using the latest 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".
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At the beginning of 2012, unfortunately, a virus became relevant that hides folders and only creates their shortcuts. I think there is no need to go into the details of how this virus works - the main thing for users is to save previously recorded information and use it under any circumstances. Actually, this is what this article is intended for.
Naturally, the first thing after suspecting viruses, and this may be due to the absence of folders in the root of the flash drive, is to scan for the presence viruses. After we delete them, we disinfect the files... Next, go to Total Commander. Open hidden and system folders and files if they are not visible. How this is done was described earlier and is recommended. But usually, after opening the contents of the flash drive in Total Comander, the damaged folders are visible and can already be used. But this is not the elimination of the disease, but the elimination of its symptoms.
If you have one or two folders with a small amount of information and a small number of files, then you can simply copy the information from the folder to the computer’s hard drive, and then, after creating a new folder on a flash drive, upload all the files back.
But what if there are a lot of folders and there is no time for such operations? You can use special programs. I don’t recommend any particular one, my advice is to look on the Internet.
I’d rather describe a case where there is no Total Commander on the computer and it was not possible to find a healing program. In this case, you should not use obscene expressions and despair. In such a crisis, it’s time to remember the contents of this article, namely its second part.
So, let's treat the flash drive for viruses. Let's go to it. Create a notepad file there. Typically it can be created via the right-click menu:
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Then we write the following magic line:
attrib -s -h -r -a *.* /s /d
The next stage of rescue hidden folders is to close and save this file. Next, we need to change the extension of this file from .txt to .bat. How to do it? Let's look. I can only add that the file extension can be changed in Total Comander and Winrar (I’m not focusing too much on this, users will understand what has happened with this). After renaming the extension, an MS-DOS batch file will appear; you can also rename its name, for example, to “Hidden Folder Opener!”:
Actually, all that remains is to tell you how to use it. It's simple! We launch this file and wait a little until the window that appears closes on its own. And when this happens, you will be pleasantly surprised - the folders will again become visible on the flash drive! This method tested on Windows XP, on others operating systems should also work.
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 drives”. You can also uncheck the “Hide protected system files” option 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.
The situation is familiar to many. We open the flash card and instead of our files we see incomprehensible shortcuts, or worse, we see nothing. Hidden files definitely do not appear on the flash drive by themselves and the reason for this is a virus attack. In this article we will look in detail at how to open hidden files on a flash drive, and here you will also find clear recommendations to prevent a similar problem in the future.
Hidden files on a flash drive
The problem can manifest itself in several ways. First, we will look at the most common case, when a virus hiding files on a flash drive belongs to the Autorun virus family. In this case, all files and folders turn into shortcuts. Those. The virus assigns system and hidden attributes to all folders and files, and instead of our files, it places an exe shortcut with the same icon and folder name. If you open it, it will be empty.
Open hidden files on a Windows XP flash drive
In this situation, you need to open My Computer. On the menu bar, select "Folder Options" or "Folder Options" depending on the version, and in the window that opens, select the "View" tab. Here you need:
Next, you need to change the file attributes so that they open on any computer. To do this, we will use the Total Commander program. First you need to go to the "Configuration/Settings" menu. In the window that appears, go to the "Panel Contents" tab and check the box for the "Show hidden system files" function. Click "Apply".
In the window that opens, uncheck the “System” and “Hidden” attribute. Click the OK button.
Open hidden files on a Windows 7 flash drive
Here the sequence of actions is identical except for one point. To change folder settings, open the Start menu/Control Panel/Appearance and Personalization/Folder Options. In Windows xp we opened My Computer.
How to open hidden files on a flash drive
Now let's consider the second situation, when the virus hid folders on the flash drive by moving their contents to a folder with an invalid name. Those. The virus creates a folder on the flash drive with a name for example "..". Windows prohibits the use of such characters in the file name, so it is not displayed. Since it is not displayed, then what was placed in it is not displayed. To solve this problem we need to rename the folder with that name. To do this you need to use the command line. Go to the folder C:/Windows/System32, find the cmd.exe file and copy it to the flash card. Launch it and enter the command in the window that opens:
where dir is a command that displays the contents of a directory, ad displays folders, and x is the name of the directory. A window with contents will open.
Now you need to rename the folder named E2E2~1, to do this, enter the command:
Our directory will be renamed to the doc folder, which is what we will find on the flash drive with the missing files.
Currently, there are even more insidious viruses that simply delete files from a flash card. In this situation, special programs such as Recuva can help restore data. We will get acquainted with them in more detail and learn how to use them in the following publications, since the question is quite extensive.
And finally, a few tips to prevent hidden files from appearing on a flash drive in the future. First of all, check your computer for viruses that have infected the flash card, second, identify the USB drive itself, and third, install protection against Autorun viruses.