I've been experiencing a really frustrating issue with my external hard drive where files keep disappearing when I move it between my desktop PC and laptop. I've had a folder on my PC's desktop I wanted to work on using my laptop, so I cut and pasted it onto the external drive. After properly ejecting the drive and connecting it to my laptop, the folder wasn't there. I checked again on my PC, and the folder reappeared, leading me to think I had just missed it. But when I switched back to my laptop, the folder was still missing. Eventually, after multiple switches, the folder vanished altogether on my PC too.
I've run every diagnostic I could find—CHKDSK, sector tests, defragmentation—but everything checks out fine. Despite the drive being less than three years old and seeming healthy, I am genuinely worried about disappearing data. Even after recreating the project and moving the files again, I noticed today that they were gone from both the original project folder and the backup folder I created.
I'm considering if the issue might be related to file path lengths or if a specific program I've been using could be corrupting the files. Is there anyone out there who has experienced something similar? Any troubleshooting tips or suggestions would be immensely appreciated!
5 Answers
Have you tried checking if the files are hidden or if there’s any encryption accidentally applied to either machine? Sometimes files can get marked as hidden for no apparent reason, and that might explain why they seem to disappear.
Make sure to test your drive’s health with a tool like Hard Disk Sentinel. It’s more detailed than some of the other options and might show if there are underlying issues. Plus, check your filesystem—if it’s set to exFAT, some users report it can be a bit prone to data loss if not set up correctly.
Just to be sure, is your external drive actually genuine? Sometimes, if purchased cheaply, they can spoof their space. If your drive is showing as 2TB but is actually much smaller, that could explain the missing files as you might just be overwriting data repeatedly. Just be cautious with where you buy from!
I checked and confirmed it's a Samsung T7 Shield 2TB bought from Amazon and Best Buy, so it’s legit. There’s definitely enough space left. Thanks for the tip though!
Ha, definitely not from some sketchy site like Wish.com!
Have you checked if your BIOS settings or disk configurations might be affecting your data? It’s always a good idea to back up your data before making any major changes to your system. You don’t want to lose more files in the process!
Did you ensure the file copy process completed before ejecting your drive? If you eject it too early, even if it seems like it’s finished, you might lose files. Try searching your drive for the missing file names. Sometimes they can get saved somewhere unexpected, especially if a program defaults to a different directory.
I thought of that too and made sure to check that it was safe to eject. It’s weird because only files from a specific program are disappearing; others are fine. I’ll keep your advice in mind for any future transfers.
I’ll look into the hidden files option, thanks! I hadn’t thought of that yet.