How to open files on a flash drive. How to hide a folder on a flash drive. How to open hidden files on a flash drive. Virus in hidden files. Using a Bat File against Hidden Files

05.05.2020

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 you turn it 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 it was done by someone you know.

The simplest and quick way- use Windows Explorer.

Open “My Computer” through the “Start” menu, insert the USB flash drive into the port and double-click on it. In the top menu there is a “Service” section, by clicking on which you need to select “Folder Options” from the list.
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 " Extra options" There you will need to find the column “Show hidden files" and check the box next to it. Then the user needs to save the changes by clicking “Ok”.
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”.
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.
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.

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

Recovery via command line

This recovery method is also relevant.

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

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"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.

Some users, while working on the Internet, encounter special virus programs, which 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 when turned on antivirus program. 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 call 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 it yourself simple script, which will independently “repair” all data located on removable media. Follow a few simple steps indicated in the instructions:

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.

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.”

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 box “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.

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 you use a flash drive not only on your home computer, then you have probably encountered a situation where the USB drive had to be cleaned of viruses. You could have brought it in at work, a friend’s computer, school, college, and so on. And when I connected it to a computer or laptop with an antivirus installed, alarming messages began to appear that the removable storage device was infected.

But what should you do if, after scanning with an antivirus program and removing viruses, there is nothing on your removable media? This situation It can be easily fixed if you caught a virus that hid all the files and folders on the flash drive.

Not only a virus could have hidden everything on the USB, but also, for example, your friend who knows a little about this and decided to play a joke on you.

In general, let's figure out how to display all hidden files and folders on a flash drive so that you can work with them again.

First of all, connect your device to a computer or laptop that has an antivirus program installed. Then scan it for viruses and, if necessary, cure it. This will prevent you from infecting your computer through a connected USB device.

How to return everything through Explorer

There are several ways to find and display all documents. The simplest is to use Windows Explorer.

If you have the Windows 7 operating system installed, then go to the “My Computer” or “Computer” folder and open the flash drive. Then go to the Tools tab and select Folder Options from the menu.

In the next window, open the “View” tab. In the “Advanced options” section, find the “Show hidden files, folders and drives” field and check the box next to it. Click "Apply" and "OK".

After this, all recorded files will be displayed, but they will be muted and you will not be able to work with them. Select them - press Ctrl+A. Next, right-click on any selection and select “Properties” from the context menu.

On the “General” tab, in the “Attributes” section, you need to uncheck the “Hidden” box. Then click "Apply".

A window like this will appear. In it, put a checkmark in the “To selected items and to all subfolders and files” field and click “OK”.
Then click “OK” in the “Properties” window.

After this, all files and folders will become visible.

If you have the Windows 10 operating system installed, then go to the “This PC” folder and go to the “View” tab. Next, click on the “Options” button – “Change folder and search settings.”

On the “View” tab, uncheck the “Hide protected system files” box and put a checkmark next to “Show hidden files, folders and drives”. Then click “Apply” and “OK”.

Right-click on the muted file and select "Properties". In the properties window, uncheck the “Hidden” box and click “Apply” and “OK”. This way, make all the necessary documents visible.

When everything is ready, go to “Folder Options” again and change everything back - select “Do not show hidden files, folders and drives.”

Using Total Commander

If you are used to using Total Commander instead of the standard one Windows Explorer, then he is also able to help us. Go into it and select the letter that corresponds to the flash drive. Then click on the “Configuration” tab and select “Settings” from the list.

Further in the list on the left, go to “Panel Contents” and check the “Show hidden/system files” box in the main window. If you have two different fields, then check the boxes in both: “show hidden” and “show system”. Click Apply and OK.

Once everything on the device is displayed, you need to make them visible. To do this, select everything, then click on the “Files” tab and select “Change Attributes” from the list.

In the next window, uncheck the “Hidden” and “System” boxes and click “OK.”

Now you can work with everything that you have recorded on USB. This method, unlike the first, will allow you to display not only hidden files, but also system ones.

Restoring a flash drive after a virus via the command line

To restore hidden files after a virus, you can also use the command line. To get started, insert the drive into your computer, go to the “My Computer” folder and see which letter corresponds to the removable device. In the example, this is M:

If you have Windows 10, then you can start the command line like this: right-click on the “Start” button and select “Command Prompt (Administrator)” from the menu.

In the Command Prompt window, enter the drive letter followed by a colon:
m:

and press "Enter".

Then press "Enter". When the process is completed, all documents on your device will become visible.

Choose one of the described methods to display all hidden files on the flash drive. I hope everything works out and you will be able to work with important and necessary documents again.

In the age of information technology, most documents and photographs are stored electronically. To transfer them from one computer to another, you can use a flash drive. Sometimes situations arise when you urgently need to use this information. Having inserted the storage medium into the computer, we are faced with a problem when files and folders are not visible. What to do to display hidden files on a flash drive? What caused their disappearance? The answer is simple: you need a little patience and basic PC knowledge.

The simplest option for gaining access to invisible files

Directories and files have disappeared due to malware and viruses. You can use an antivirus, but after the malware is destroyed, the files will remain hidden.

Of course, you can go to the control panel and select “show hidden directories and files” in the folder properties. After this procedure, you will be able to view hidden files on the flash drive. Once you open a folder, you can copy the files stored in it and move them to the newly created folder.

Unfortunately, this method does not always help, and is very labor-intensive. If there were a lot of files in the hidden folder, then copying may take from several minutes to several hours.

It is possible to see hidden files on a flash drive in another way, which is considered the best among other existing ones. Before you start this method, you need to check its capacity in the properties of the flash drive. This is necessary in order to be 100% sure that the storage medium is not empty.

How to access hidden files

To use this method, you need to download and install Total Commander- manager for working with files.

When the file manager has been installed, you can insert storage media into the system unit. Now we can answer the question of how to open hidden files on a flash drive.

Select your flash drive in the file manager. To find out the name of the removable storage device, you can go to “my computer” and look at its name. For hidden files to be displayed, you must click the “hidden items” button on the panel. The button looks like a leaf and a yellow triangle with a small exclamation mark. If there is no such button, then you need to look for it in one of the menus.

So, how to open hidden files on a flash drive? To do this, you need to select all documents and folders, but if there are several similar files, you need to select them all at once. To do this, hold down the ctrl key, and then select hidden folders and files. Now click on the control panel file - change attributes. After this, the following attributes will become available:

Only for reading.
Archival.
Systemic.
Hidden.

Uncheck each of these attributes and click the “OK” button. The folders are now visible and can be used.

Using a Bat File against Hidden Files

There is also another option that will help answer the question of how to open hidden files on a flash drive. This method is suitable for those who do not have a file manager and cannot download it.

You need to log into the removable media and create Text Document. The following code should be written in this document: attrib -s -h -r -a *.* /s /d.

When a file with the extension “*.bat” fulfills the specified condition, the files will again become visible to the human eye.

Complicated way to access hidden files

To access hidden files, you must enter the registry. To do this, just click the start button and enter regedit in the search bar. Now you need to perform the sequence of actions correctly.

We enter the section, and then follow the registry branch.
Delete " string parameter" with the name Hidden. Instead, create a “DWORD(32-bit)” parameter, calling it Hidden and assigning it the value 1.
Now we find the parameter “DWORD (32 bits)” with the name SuperHidden and assign the value 1.
Now we follow the branch - -.
We are looking for a “string parameter” named CheckedValue. If such a parameter exists, you need to get rid of it.
Now we create a parameter “DWORD (32 bits)” and call it CheckedValue. The parameter must have a value equal to 1. If the parameter existed previously, you simply need to change the value to 1.
Now let's go to the section.
Go to the “View” menu and select “Update”.
You can close the Registry Editor.

Getting rid of the virus

Don’t forget that you need to destroy the virus. Hidden files on a flash drive infected with a virus will infect other PCs. To get rid of this malware, you need to start the registry. To do this, open Start - Run - regedit. When the registry opens, open the following branch: and then find. Find the CheckedValue key and change its value from 0 to 1.

Having finished working in the registry, we launch the antivirus and scan the entire system to completely get rid of the virus. It is best to scan the flash drive with portable antiviruses, as they are most suitable for treating flash drives.

If none of the methods helped solve the problem, then you are doing something wrong, you need to read the information again about how to open hidden files on a flash drive.

Conclusion

Of course, there are other ways to recover hidden files, but their implementation will require additional software and network access.

To avoid future problems with lost files from removable media, you need to take care of protecting your computer and flash drive in advance. After a flash drive has been in someone else's personal computer, it must be scanned with anti-virus programs. To protect yourself 100%, you need to install programs on your PC as additional software that can detect and eliminate spyware.

Many users who neglect the services of antivirus programs may often wonder why files are not visible on the flash drive. This problem usually occurs as a result of virus attacks on your computer. This article describes how to see system and hidden files on a flash drive.

Malicious code can simply “harm” and assign “Hide” or “System” attributes to your data. Other programs are more dangerous - they hide the original objects and leave a shortcut instead. A user who does not notice the trick will launch the utility and quickly infect the computer.

Antivirus programs will help you get rid of dangerous code. If you don’t have it at hand, you can simply delete all the shortcuts manually. But antiviruses won't be able to help. If the files are not visible on the flash drive, you will need to independently remove the “Hide” and “System” attributes in their properties.

Windows Explorer Properties Settings

In order to work with affected data, you must first see it. By default, your computer does not show such objects, so you will need to change the Explorer configurations. There is nothing complicated about this, just follow all the steps in the presented step-by-step instructions:

Object Properties

Now your computer will display all hidden files not only on connected hard drives, but also on external devices. However, you will most likely want the information on your flash drive to be visible to other users on other devices. To do this, you need to change the configurations of the “affected” elements.

Most likely, you will not be able to change the settings using the My Computer utility. There are two easy ways to do this: using the popular Total Commander program or using command line.

Method one

Total Commander is powerful file manager for Windows, which has significantly more capabilities than Explorer.

As with the My Computer utility, you must first see the necessary elements.

Method two

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:

The script you created will change the attributes of all objects located in the current folder in just a few seconds. If you need to open the visibility of information on another medium, simply copy the script onto it and run it.