FIX: Location is not available – File or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable (Solved)

This tutorial contains instructions to resolve the following error, when you try to access a drive or a folder in Windows 10/8/7 OS: “Location is not available. Drive Not Accessible. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable (0x80070570)”.

The error 0x80070570 “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” usually happens if you have not previously disconnected the USB drive correctly (without using the “Safety Remove” option). In other cases the error appears, if the drive is damaged.

How to FIX: Drive Not accessible – The File or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable (0x80070570).

Method 1. Disconnect and Reconnect the Drive.

If you receive the error “Drive not accessible”, when you try to view the contents on a USB drive, first try to disconnect and reconnect the USB drive or try to connect it to another USB port or another computer.

Method 2. Use Check Disk to Repair the Corrupted Drive.

The second method to resolve the “Drive not accessible” or “Folder not Accessible” error, is to try to repair the damaged drive by using “CHKDSK” command.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. To do that:

• In Windows 7, Vista, Xp: Navigate to Start –> Programs –> Accessories. Then, right click at Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

• In Windows 10, 8: At the search box type: command prompt or cmd. Then right-click at Command Prompt result and select Run As Administrator.

2. In command prompt window type the following command and press Enter: *

• chkdsk D: /F /R

* Note: In this example the driver letter of the corrupted disk is the “D”. Replace the driver letter according to your case.

3. Type Y and press Enter to dismount the volume (if asked)

3. Wait until the Check Disk process fixes the corrupted drive.

5. When check disk is complete, try to explore the contents the drive.
6. If you can access the drive, then copy all its contents to your computer and then diagnose the drive for problems, by using the instructions from this tutorial: Best Hard Drive Test & Diagnostic Tools to Check Hard Disk’s Health.

Method 3. Use PhotoRec to recover your files.

If the above methods doesn’t work, then use the free PhotoRec Recovery utility, to recover the lost files from the corrupted drive. To do that:

Step 1. Download Photorec.

1. Navigate to: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download page and click the ‘TestDisk – Free Download’ button, or click here to direct download TestDisk.

2. Extract the “testdisk-7.0.win.zip” file.

Step 2. Recover the corrupted files with PhotoRec.

1. Explore the “testdisk-7.0” folder and open the qphotorec_win application.

2. Choose the disk from which to retrieve your data.

3. Then choose the whole disk or the partition to retrieve files. *

* Note: If you want to don’t miss anything, select “No partition”. The PhotoRec will scan the entire drive. (The scan takes more time)

4. Select: Whole: Extract files from whole partition, if you want to recover corrupted data *

* Note: If you want to recover deleted files, then select: “Free: Scan for file from unallocated space only”.

5. Then choose a destination on your disk* to save the recovered files.

* Note: Never save the recovered files, on the corrupted disk.

6. (Optional) Click the File Formats button and choose which type of files you want to recover. (e.g.”jpg – JPG Picture”).

7. Finally press the Search button.

8. When the scan and recovery process is completed, navigate to the folder you selected (before) to view the recovered files.

That’s all! Did it work for you?
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