Solved: 0 Byte File Error on USB/Pen Drive/SD Card

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Summary:

When your USB drive displays 0 byte 0r 0 kb on a folder, you can neither access the data nor delete the files from the USB. If you are facing 0-byte file error on your computer, you are on the right page. In this article, you will be able to know the causes and solution to fix the 0-byte error and recover any lost data from USB drives or SD cards.

Fix 0 byte file error

Problem:

“I had 64 GB USB where I stored all my important work files in it. For a few days the USB was shared by my colleagues as well. Now when I tried to access my data, the drives showed 0 bytes and 0 kb files in it. I am unable to access or view any files saved on the drive. Please help me to figure out why it is showing 0 bytes? How am I supposed to restore my files back?”

Answer:

This might be one of the cases you might have experienced. Irrespective of files saved in the storage device, you encounter 0 kb file when you try to open the file. Be it .exe files, .docx, or any image/ video files such as jpg, png, mp4 or mp3 file.

Click on the quick navigation to meet the desired solutions:

  1. What is a 0-byte File Error?
  2. What causes the error 0-byte or 0 KB in the drive?
  3. Fix the issue 0-byte file error using 2 simple methods
  4. Restore the lost/deleted data from the drive due to 0-byte error

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What does 0 byte file error mean?

0 byte on your storage drive reflects that the drive is completely empty and no data found on the drive. Likewise, if you see your file size turned 0 KB it means the file has no content in it. The reason behind your files turning 0 KB or 0 byte is due to the virus called SYSWIN also known as 0 KB virus.

Reasons Behind File Turning 0 Byte or KB

  • As mentioned above, the main cause for the error is the Virus / Malware infection on the drive. Keep your storage device save 
  • Corruption in the file and any damage to the index table can lead to 0 KB error.  Index table specifies the detailed storage location of files and folders present on the drive. If the table is corrupted, the computer fails to read the location and shows 0 byte. In such cases, you need to fix file corruption in high priority.
  • You might have downloaded files from some non trusted sites. Received files might be incomplete due to some file transfer problem
  • Power 0utage, improper handling of storage drive, multiple usage of the same drive on various devices also turn your drive or file to 0 byte.

No matter what causes 0 byte error on your drive, by following a few fixing methods in the right way you can restore your files back in the drive without any complications.

How to Fix Zero Byte Files Problem? 

Using the below mentioned methods you can fix the problem of 0 byte files in your computer and restore your file back in the drive with its actual file size.

Run an Antivirus to Remove 0 KB/ 0-Byte Error

You can remove 0 kb virus from your computer using any safe and trusted antivirus software.

Make sure you use Zip tools such as WinZip, 7-Zip, WinRAR to compress files for secure transferring of large files from one device to another.

Fix 0 Byte file using CMD Prompt

CHKDSK is the command that verifies and fixes any logical error occurring on the system like formatting errors: no media found on device, cannot format the drive etc.  With the CHKDSK command, you can try resolving the 0 byte file error problem.

  1. Right click on the Start button and select command prompt in admin mode.
  2. Now, type chkdsk /f D: where D is the name of the drive or partition of the hard drive that holds the 0-byte file → Press EnterCHKDSK to fix 0 byte error
  3. The command starts scanning the file system. If there is no error found, it displays no problem found.
  4. If found errors, chkdsk checks for the system and file system errors and helps in fixing including 0-byte or 0-KB errors

    Also Read: How to Recover Deleted Files by CHKDSK?.

Once the CHKDSK scan is complete, 0-byte files are fixed and restored, you can be able to use them again.

Fix 0 Byte File Error using Error Checking Tool

  1. Connect your drive to computer if you are facing 0 byte files in USB, SD card or external drives.
  2. Right-click on the drive, select Properties option. Go to the Tools menu →  click Check now or  Check under Error-checkingError checking tool
  3.  A pop-up window appears, select Automatically fix file system errors →  Start button.
  4. Let the scanning process end, close the window.
  5. Now, open the storage device or partition of the hard drive. Type FOUND.000 in the address field →  Enter
  6. Save the file to a separate partition, change its name and file extension.

For example: Change FOUND.000 to Word.doc, Excel.xls, Image.jpg or png etc.

Now open and check the file content. Your 0-byte file error should be fixed and you can reuse it again.

If you still happened to encounter the same problem, it indicates that either your drive is severely corrupted. In such circumstances, you need to repair your corrupt drive ASAP. The best way to recover data is by making use of any third party recovery tool to recover data from the corrupted USB drive.

SFWare Data Recovery tool is a tool that you can easily rely on to recover data from the corrupt drive. Despite severe corruption, with an advanced scan algorithm, the tool bypasses the corruption on the drive and accesses each sector of the drive to recover data efficiently in less time.

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4 Simple Steps to Recover 0 byte Files

To recover data from 0 byte file problems, download the SFWare data recovery tool, install and launch the application.

Step 1: From the main screen, select Recover drive/ Partition. In the next screen select Drive/Partition Recovery

Recover files from the 0-byte error

Step 2: Select the storage Disk to scan. After the completion of the scanning process, Select the file type you want to recover by expanding and checking the box.

Select the drive displaying 0 byte error

Step 3: Now, recoverable data will be displayed in Data View and File Type View. You can have the preview of the files.

View recoverable files in Either Data View or File Type View

If you are satisfied by the result you can activate the tool to save the files on your desired location on the computer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 0 byte error?

The virus names SYSWIN also known as 0 kb virus, is the reason behind your files turning 0 KB or 0 byte. When the folder turns 0 byte, you will not be able to access the data on the USB. Before fixing the error, it is recommended to recover data from the USB and fix the error using the methods explained in the article. 

How to Fix 0 byte Error?

You can initially try to fix the error using simple methods such as

    1. Connecting the removable media with another computer
    2. Install anti-virus on your computer.
    3. If the problem is found in SD card, you can change the card reader to verify.

If these simple tricks doesn’t work for you, you can try CHKDSK and Error checking tool method as explained in the article.

 

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