Fix Windows Error " The File or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable"

Some users complain that Windows prompts the error “the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” when they plugged the USB flash drive in the computer.

In fact, it is a common error in Windows. It is not difficult to fix the error at all. Next, we will tell you the possible causes and introduce the solutions. Finally, we will guide you to recover the data from the damaged USB flash drive.

Here are the possible causes of the error “the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable”.

1. FAT or MFT has been corrupted.

In Windows OS, NFTS and FAT are the common file systems. MFT is included in the NTFS file system while FAT is usually used for USB flash drives and SD cards. Both of them tell the operating system where files are stored. But the system cannot obtain data from the corrupted FAT or MFT partitions.

2. The external drive has been infected by virus.

Once the file system of the external drive is infected by virus, the data stored in the partitions will be inaccessible.

3. Physical issues happen on the external drive.

4. The external drive is improperly removed from the computer.

If you unplug the external drive while it is transferring or reading data, you will risk losing vital files system information.

5. The USB port is faulty.

According to these possible causes, we will introduce 2 solutions. It is believed that you can fix the error soon step by step.

Although you can format the drive to sovle the error “the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable”, you will lose all the inside data. If you save important files in the drive, you cannot format it directly. It is here Renee Undeleter to help you. This software can recover data from the target drive to another designated position.

How to use:

 ①After installing Renee Undeleter, select [Whole Partition Scan].

This mode can recover data from the damaged drive as much as possible.

② Select the target drive and click [Next].

③ Wait for scanning. The scan time depends on the capacity of the drive.

④ As it is over, select the folders at the left pane and click to preview. Finally, check the target files and click [Recover] to save them to another position.

When you get the data with Renee Undeleter, you continue to format the drive.

Steps:

① Connect the external drive to the computer and then open [This PC].

② Right-click at the target drive and select [Format].

③ Select a suitable file system and check [Quick format]. Finally, click [Start] to format.

When you meet with the error “the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable”, you can use the CHKDSK to check and fix the error. The command line CHKDSK functions in detecting the completeness of the drive and fixing the errors in file system. It can also scan and fix the drive.

① Right-click on the Windows icon > Search >Type [cmd]. Then, right-click on Command Prompt and select [Run as Administrator].

② Enter the below command [chkdsk f:/f]>press Enter. (Replace f: with the drive letter of your inaccessible disk or drive.)

Soon, Windows will scan the drive and automatically fix the error. The process is time consuming. Please wait for a while.