The File or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable? 7 Solutions

“The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” error is a pop-up message that we encounter when Windows is usually trying to access or connect to an external drive that’s corrupted. Luckily, this is not an extreme error in Windows OS. There are a few measures you can take to resolve it on your own. This page will walk you through all of these solutions, helping to fix the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable on Windows 11/10/8/7 without any interruptions.

Before fix: recover data from corrupted and unreadable drive

Obviously, during the fix process, many uncertain factors will likely lead to data loss on your drive. To avoid loss of any important files, in the first place, it’s strongly recommended to adopt a professional tool for extracting and recovering data from the drive that says with “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable”. Such tool can be Cisdem Data Recovery, which has the ability to easily restore files from drives with corruption errors.

More specifically, this data recovery tool supports file retrieval from internal or external disk that gets damaged, corrupted, or inaccessible due to improper device ejection, software malfunction, problematic file system, virus infection, etc. Better yet, it can even salvage data from a seemingly dead hard disk.

Key features of Cisdem Data Recovery:

• Recover 1000+ types of file
• Support PC, laptop, HDD, SSD, USB drive, digital camera, SD card, etc.
• Repair damaged photo, video and document
• Quick scan and deep scan both enable to find most files
• Preview recoverable items before recovering
• Restore data from NAS and Linux

Steps to recover data from corrupted and unreadable drive using Cisdem:

1. Make sure the corrupted drive has been connected to your Windows PC.
2. Download, install and launch this program on your computer.
   Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
3. Go to Hardware Disk, select the external drive where you need to recover files from, and click Search for Lost Data to start.
4. After scanning, look through the folders or use Filter tool to quickly find the files you want. You are allowed to double click on them for a preview.
5. Select the files and click Recover button for retrieval. In case you wish to get back all the recoverable files from your unreadable drive, just tick the “Select All” button before clicking Recover.

7 ways to fix "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable"

Now that your data has been properly extracted and backed up from the external hard drive, let’s feel free to deal with the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable error. Here we will gather 7 practical fixes for your information.

1# Open the problematic drive on another PC

The first solution would be to check if the external drive works on another system. In some cases, users might encounter the directory error due to a damaged USB port or conventional system errors. Therefore, try to open the drive into another system. If you are able to access it without difficulty, go ahead and check the USB port on your current computer. If error message still pops up, proceed to the following tips.

2# Check disk for errors

Disk errors or file system corruption may also result in the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable issue. So 2 options will be explored to scan and troubleshoot any errors with the drive.

Option 1: Run CHKDSK in CMD

1. Open up Command Prompt > run it as administrator.
2. Type chkdsk C: /f /r /x > hit Enter. Replace the letter C with the current drive letter of your external storage device that you want to fix.
3. Wait for chkdsk utility to automatically execute.
4. Once the process completes, exit CMD and check if you can access your hard drive without errors.

Option 2: Use Error-Checking tool in File Explorer

1. Navigate to This PC on your Windows desktop.
2. Locate the corrupted drive > right-click on it > select Properties.
3. Choose Tools tab > click Check button.
4. Continue to choose Scan and Repair drive option to start scanning.
5. After the repairing finishes, restart your PC to verify if the error is fixed.

3# Check for virus/malware and reboot PC

The presence of viruses and malware is also one of the major reasons behind the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable error in Windows. Go ahead and run an in-depth scan on your external storage device. To do this, you can use a dedicated antivirus software, like Windows Defender, to perform a comprehensive system scan and evaluate all of the virus infected files.

1. Press Windows+I to open Settings.
2. Enter Update & Security.
3. Go to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
4. Select Scan options > Microsoft Defender Offline scan > Scan now.
5. After the scanning is done, reboot your system and check if the drive error has been solved.

4# Change drive letter

“The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.” error is possibly to blame for a conflict between the drive letters of your external device and another drive, which tends to make Windows difficult to identify the external one. What we should do is assign a new letter to your external drive. This is how to achieve it.

1. Press Windows + R to initiate Run box.
2. Input diskmgmt.msc > click OK to open Disk Management.
3. Right-click on your unreadable drive > choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.
4. Select the drive letter > click Change button.
5. From the drop-down menu next to “Assign the following drive letter” option, select a new letter and click OK.
6. If this is your case, you should be able to open the external drive again.

5# Perform Windows Memory Diagnostic

Specific memory-related issues could also prevent you from accessing the data on your external drive properly. Try to run Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to troubleshoot this directory error.

1. Type Windows memory into the search bar > open Windows Memory Diagnostic.
2. Choose Restart now and check for problems option.
3. The PC will reboot and wait for the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool test to complete.
4. Follow up any instructions to see if your hard drive can be used as normal.

6# Do Start-up Repair

If things don’t work out in your favor with the above tools, try another built-in repair tool --- Start-up Repair. It’s a type of Advanced start-up on your Windows, with which you can repair any detected system issues if necessary.

1. Head to Windows Settings > Update & Security.
2. Choose Recovery tab > click Restart now from Advanced startup section.
3. Select Troubleshoot.
4. Go to Advanced options > Start-up Repair.
5. When the repair process ends, your computer will auto restart. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable error might be fixed.

7# Format external hard drive

Drive error hasn’t been resolved so far? The last resort is to format the external drive that is corrupted and unreadable. When you format the entire drive, the system will automatically restore the file system and erase all of the files. This potentially removes all the logic errors from the drive. Since the process can delete all your data and mark the hard drive as an empty space, it becomes more necessary to utilize Cisdem Data Recovery for data backup before formatting.

1. Press Windows + X to choose Disk Management.
2. Right-click on the external drive you need to format > select Format.
3. Choose a preferred file system > click OK to start formatting.
4. After that check if you can access the hard drive with no error.

Final thoughts

Since different factors can trigger the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable error, we’ll have to try different solutions to fix it. From this page, you can choose the right troubleshooting method and access the content from your corrupted hard drive easily. It’s important to note that, for the purpose of avoiding losing data, you’re obliged to recover useful data from the drive with Cisdem Data Recovery prior to fixing.