Files beginning with k to z have disappeared

[Guest]

Hi guys,

I have an external hard drive & suddenly all folders or files on it that
begin with k through z are not showing up in windows explorer. If i go into
DOS i can access the folders, but dir only returns a through j. Ive tried
setting up new folders with names beginning with y and they just disappear
when refreshed.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Dan

 

[Guest]

Hi guys,

I have an external hard drive & suddenly all folders or files on it that
begin with k through z are not showing up in windows explorer. If i go into
DOS i can access the folders, but dir only returns a through j. Ive tried
setting up new folders with names beginning with y and they just disappear
when refreshed.

Two possibilities: you have been slimed with crudware or your hard drive has
serious issues.

First, scan for crudware using an antivirus and antispyware program and
remove any crud you find. If this doesn't solve the problem, then run chkdsk
with the fix option and "scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors"
options enabled. If the hard drive is large, this may take awhile, but be
patient. When it is done, try again.

If your machine is free of crudware and your hard drive is apparently free
of errors, yet you still cannot find your files, then the most likely
explanation is that either your hard drive is sick and needs to be replaced
or your Windows XP is terminally ill and you may need to do a clean reinstall
of Windows (although get a second opinion before resorting to this last
drastic step).

Ken