» Fixing “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” Error in Windows 10

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Fixing “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” Error in Windows 10

If you encounter an error message that says, “<Drive>: is not accessible, The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” when you try to connect your USB or external device, then the File System could have be corrupted or the external device might be infected with malware. On the other hand, it is also possible that the device might have some physical damage.

To fix the “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” error, you can try to run Check Disk or scan your computer for malware or you could also format the destination drive. For more details, refer to each one of the given options below.

Option 1 – Run the Check Disk utility

You can also run the Check Disk utility to fix the error when you connect your USB or external device.

In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results, right click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
After opening Command Prompt, type this command and tap Enter: chkdsk <Partition Letter>: /f /r /x /b
The command you entered will start to check for errors and fix them automatically. Else, it will throw an error message saying, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like the schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”.

Tap the Y key to schedule Disk Check the next time your computer restarts.

Option 2 – Try to format the destination drive

Formatting the drive can also help you resolve the error. To format it, follow these steps:

To get started formatting your drive, tap the Win + E keys and then go the access page of the drive.
Next, right click on the drive and select Format.
After that, uncheck the “Quick Format” option and then format your drive properly.
Now once the formatting process is finished, unplug the drive and plug it back in afterwards.
Check if the error is already fixed. If the drive is not initialized, tap the Win + R keys and hit Enter.
After opening the Run dialog box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Disk Management.
From there, right click on the drive volume and select initialize Disk.
Next, select the correct partition type and proceed.

Option 3 – Try scanning your computer for malware using Windows Defender

Your computer could be infected with malware which might have triggered the “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” error. To fix this, you need to scan your computer using a reliable program like Windows Defender.

Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.

In addition, aside from Windows Defender you might also want to run another reliable program like Restoro. This program helps in fixing not just a lot of system issues on Windows 10 but is also efficient in removing any malware in your computer. This program is a one-click solution that helps in fixing lots of system issues such as corrupted files, corrupted registries and it also helps in optimizing your PC’s overall performance as it cleans out any junk files in your computer and other system issues that causes your PC to slow down. To use this efficient tool, follow the instructions below.

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot

After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.