# [SOLVED] Puzzling event: copied files not showing up while still taking up disk space



## cmenem (Jul 9, 2010)

Hello. I'm having a very weird problem: I copied some very large files to a hard drive were they appear to be missing, even though the free space stated in "This PC" (aka My PC) indicates that the files indeed were transferred.

I just installed Windows 8.1 into a laptop, formatting the whole disk using the normal Windows 8.1 installer. I then removed the hard drive from the laptop and hooked it up to my desktop computer (running Win 8.0), where I had backed up my files prior to formatting.* I thus transferred the files from my desktop's HDD to the laptop's HDD, copying them to x:\Users\Public\Downloads (x being my laptop's hdd drive letter in my desktop computer).**

After that, I replaced the hdd back into the laptop and booted up. Here comes the problem: the files don't show up, c:\Users\Public\Downloads appears to be empty. The folder properties for c:\Users\Public\Downloads indicates that it is empty. However, in "This PC" (the current "My PC"), the used disk space indicates that the files were indeed copied. (The folder weights several hundred gigabytes, and it was a brand new install of Windows. The used disk space increased by the the missing folder's size, so I know they must have transferred somehow.)

I tried searching for a couple of specific files that are in the "phantom" folder, but they don't show up in Windows Search (win+f). I also tried showing hidden files in Windows Explorer, but they don't show up either. AFAIK the files didn't have any weird permission: they came from the laptop's previous installation of Windows XP.

I need either to make the phantom files appear, if they copied ok, or to delete them, freeing up disk space and being able to copy them all over, with a different method.

Any ideas?

Thanks!!!


*The laptop only has USB 2 and I was transferring several hundred gigabytes.
**I copied the files using the normal Windows Explorer way, but for whatever reason the transfer was interrupted. I then used FreeFileSync to finish copying the files of one specific subfolder.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

*Re: Puzzling event: copied files not showing up while still taking up disk space*

Run *Check Disk* on the drive. Go to Search and type *CMD* right click the *CMD* results and *Run As Administrator.* In the Elevated *Command Prompt *type *chkdsk /F *and press enter. Now type a *Y *for Yes and reboot the computer. *Check Disk* should find any orphaned files and remove them. 
If that doesn't work try Unhide.exe


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## cmenem (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: Puzzling event: copied files not showing up while still taking up disk space*

Checkdisk solved it and the disk space was released; although it ran 3 times in a row before booting to windows (???). Very weird.  Hope the disk is ok, no SMART warnings yet.

Thanks!


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