Command Line Method for Accessing USB Files
Recovering Lost Files from USB Flash Drives with Command Prompt and WinfrGUI
Losing important files from a USB flash drive can be frustrating, but there are several methods to retrieve them using the Command Prompt (CMD) and third-party software like WinfrGUI.
Method 1: Fix USB Drive and Show Hidden Files Using CMD
- Open CMD as Administrator:
- Press , type , and press to open Command Prompt as administrator.
- Run :
- Type the command replacing with your USB drive letter:
- This scans and fixes errors on the USB drive's file system.
- Go to your USB drive:
- Remove hidden, read-only, and system attributes on all files:
- This command unhides files that may be hidden or marked as system files, potentially making lost files visible again.
Method 2: Recover Deleted Files Using the Windows File Recovery Tool ()
From Windows 10 version 2004 onward, Microsoft provides Windows File Recovery (command-line tool ) to recover deleted files.
- Install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store if you don't have it already.
- Open CMD as administrator.
- Use the following syntax to recover files (replace drive letters and file types as needed):
- Recover all recently deleted files from USB drive E: to folder D:\Recovery:
- Deep scan for photos :
- Recover videos by signature:
- When prompted, type to start the recovery process.
- Check the destination folder ( in examples) for recovered files.
Important Notes
- help if files are hidden or corrupted, but they don't recover permanently deleted files.
- is a powerful recovery tool that can recover deleted files depending on how the drive was used after deletion.
- Always avoid using the USB drive after files are lost to prevent overwriting.
- Running CMD commands requires administrative privileges.
Method 3: Using WinfrGUI for USB File Recovery
- To use WinfrGUI, download and install it from an official source.
- WinfrGUI has an easy-to-use graphical interface for USB file recovery.
- WinfrGUI supports various file formats and works with any flash drive file system.
- In WinfrGUI, you can call through the recovered file and select the file you want to recover.
- There's no need to specify file types or use complex commands; WinfrGUI handles the process automatically.
Summary Table
| Command/Tool | Purpose | Basic Usage Example | |----------------------|--------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | | Fix USB file system errors | | | | Unhide hidden, read-only, and system files | on USB drive | | (Windows File Recovery) | Recover deleted files from USB | | | WinfrGUI | User-friendly file recovery software | Download and install from an official source |
These CMD-based methods offer ways to recover lost or hidden files from your USB flash drive without third-party software. If you need more user-friendly options, reliable third-party recovery software like WinfrGUI may be an alternative.
References: [1][2][3][5]
Data-and-cloud-computing techniques can be applied to the process of recovering lost files from USB flash drives, such as using cloud-based storage for backup and recovery.
Employing technology like machine learning algorithms could potentially improve the success rate of file recovery, especially when dealing with corrupted or partially overwritten files.
