Solved Missing files on external HDD

[ranhuc]

Got a bit of a dilemma. I moved (not copied) some files off my OS HDD onto my external HDD no problem. I also have another HDD containing Windows 10. Upon rebooting the computer to load Win10, leaving the external HDD plugged in, the files that were on the external drive didn't show the recent files that were added. So my question is where might have gone. I ran a thorough disk check, no corrupt files, all ok. There's more to this story but I don't want to get too bogged down with extra details until I might get an initial response.

 

[garycase]

First of all, a bit of advice => I ALWAYS recommend Copying, then Deleting files that you want to move to another location, as too many things can go wrong with a "Move" (unless you're using a utility like TeraCopy, in which case it's okay to do a "TeraMove", as what that actually does is exactly what I just suggested (copies the file, verifies it, and then deletes the original).

As for what might have happened to your files -- are you certain you know WHERE you copied the files to? It's not uncommon for a pointer to be oh-so-slightly off and actually result in moving files to a folder you didn't intend to use -- in which case they're likely buried in that folder. Assuming you know the names of at least some of the files, do a search for them on the entire drive, and see if it finds them.

 

[RolandJS]

I too have had missing files now and then, in the past, after a restart, suddenly they appear. However, previous poster's advice is golden, follow that also!

 

[Megahertz07]

The files are probably there.
Set Explorer options to show hidden files. They may have the h attribute.