Hard Drive Shows 0 Bytes With No Files/Folders (Updated 2023)

Is your hard drive unexpectedly showing 0 bytes with the RAW file system? Struggling hard to fix external hard drive shows used space 0 bytes and free space 0 bytes? Just Relax! In this post, we are going to share some effective solutions that will surely help you to fix the hard drive shows 0 bytes space issue without data loss.

You can fix the hard disk 0 bytes issue by running chkdsk utility, changing the drive letter, and using the Disk Management. Apart from that, if somehow your USB drive’s or Pendrive’s data gets deleted then you can easily retrieve them with the help of Hard Drive Data Recovery Tool.

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But before we dig into the solutions to fix HDD 0 bytes, let us have look at user real users’ experience:

Practical Scenario:

Hard Drive Shows 0 Bytes

I have an external hard drive, after defragmenting all the drives, it suddenly shows 0 bytes free of 931 GB. I can still access it, the files are all there and it still has unused space roughly around 100 GB left but I cannot copy files into it. What should I do? Your kind help is highly appreciated. TIA!

I’m running a windows 10 PC by the way…

– Original Post From Tom’s Hardware Forums

Similarly, there are various users out there encountering the same problem.

But what makes the hard drive throw a “0 bytes” error?

Well, find the answer by yourself below!

Causes: What Makes Hard Drive or Storage Devices To Show 0 Bytes?

  • Availability of bad sectors on hard drive.
  • Internal system issue or file system error.
  • The device driver is outdated.
  • An improper operation such as unplugging external HDD while file transfer is in progress.
  • Removing or ejecting hard drive without selecting the option “Safely Removal”.
  • Sudden system shut down while data is being written on disk.
  • Interruption while repartitions or reformatting hard drive.
  • Virus-infected the hard drive and hence file system is corrupted and display 0 bytes with a RAW file system.

Apart from the above-mentioned causes, there could be more reasons that can make your hard drive or storage devices to show 0-byte error.

But the question is that, is it possible to recover data from hard drive shows 0 bytes?

Well, find the answer by yourself below!

Is It Possible To Recover Data From Hard Drive That Show 0 Bytes?

Honestly speaking, even the hard drive or storage devices show 0 bytes, the data are still available within it. So, yes there is still a possibility to recover data from the hard drive that shows 0 bytes with no files and folders. With the help of the Hard Drive Data Recovery Tool, you can easily do so.

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Free Hard Drive Recovery Tool.
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Note: Do not format your hard drive; if you do then all data will be gone forever.

So, here are the solutions that you can follow to know how to fix 0 used space and 0 free space corrupted hard drives.

How To Fix Hard Drive Shows 0 Bytes Error Without Losing Data?

Below follow the effective solutions to fix hard drive 0 bytes issue and access its saved data.

Solution #1: Fix Hard 0 Byte Error With Disk Management

Disk Management is the Windows system utility which enables you to execute progressive storage tasks. However, sometimes it helps to solve the hard disks related issues including hard drive showing 0 bytes available effectively.

  • Click Start then right-click on This PC/My Computer and then click on Manage.
  • Click on Disk Management, right-click on the hard drive that shows 0 bytes, and select Properties.

  • Click the Owner and Security tab in order to check whether the list is empty or not.
  • Click edit and add Administrator that is name of your account on your computer.
  • If not, then type Authenticated Users to see if it can trigger.
  • Now go to Permission, click Change Permission and select each option that you have added at Owner tab.

Change Permission

  • Next checkmark everything on the type of permission listed.
  • Click OK and Apply.

After this, you might be able to access the data saved on your drive.

Solution #2: Fix Hard Drive 0 Byte Error With CHKDSK Command

CHKDSK is an advanced utility that can assist you in fixing File System which is corrupted or damaged due to the expansion of the bad sectors in a drive. So, here is how you can execute the CHKDSK utility steps:

  • Press Window + R key to open RUN
  • In the run box type CMD and press ENTER.

cmd

  • A new command window will get open, in that window type chkdsk F : /R and hit ENTER; (F shall be the drive letter name of the hard drive that show0 bytes.)

CHKDSK E: /r

After this, you have to just wait. CHKDSK command will fix 0 bytes hard drive problem and once the process completes, you will be able to access files of your hard drive again.

Solution #3: Change The Drive Letter Name To Fix Hard Disk Drive Showing 0 Bytes

  • Click Start then right-click on This PC/My Computer and then click on Manage.

  • Click on Disk Management, right-click on the hard drive that show 0 bytes.

  • Now click on “Change drive letter and paths”. Next, click on “change” and give new drive letter name that is not assigned to any drive on your PC.

  • Click on “Yes” and when prompted hit on “OK” button to confirm.

Now restart your system and you shall now be able to access your files stored within the hard drive.

Solution #4: Update The Hard Drive Driver

Another effective trick that you can attempt to tackle with external hard drive showing 0 bytes space or hard drive shows 0 bytes is to update the disk driver.

For this, follow the below steps:

  • Make right-tap on “This PC/My Computer
  • Choose Manage >> go to the Device Manager.
  • Then expand the Disk drivers, locate & right-click on hard drive says 0 bytes or no media >> choose the “Update driver“.

Update Your Device Driver

  • Tap on “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and wait until the process finishes.

Search automatically for updated driver software

Reboot your system if necessary then check if 0 bytes no media hard drive issue solved.

Solution #5: Take The 0 Bytes Hard Drive To The Repair Center

If none of the above DIY fixes helped you to fix hard drive shows 0 bytes then the last option left for you is to take your 0 bytes drive to manufacturer’s support center or repair center.

[Expert Recommended]: Recover Media Files From Hard Drive Showing 0 Bytes

If somehow your hard disk data gets deleted then you should try Hard Drive Data Recovery Tool software to recover media files from  hard drive showing 0 bytes. It will help you to extract photos, videos, and audio files.

This software also retrieves digital media files from pen drive, USB flash drives, SD card, memory sticks, etc that display 0 bytes used space and 0 bytes free space. This tool also helps you to:

  • Retrieve photos, videos and audio files from hard disk displaying “0 bytes”
  • Support recovery of several file format of images (such as jpg/jpeg, png, psd, gif, tif, bmp, etc), videos (such as mp4, avi, mov, mkv, wmv, divx, etc) and audio (such as MP3, M4A, AMR, WAV, WMA, etc)
  • Beside hard drive, the software also recovers media files from USB flash drive, pen drive, memory card that show 0 bytes
  • 100% read-only program. Safe, secure and easy to use

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* Free version of the program only scans and previews recoverable objects.

Below find out step by step guide on how to recover files from hard drive that show 0 bytes using photo recovery tool.

Steps To Recover Media Files From Hard Drive Showing 0 Bytes

Step 1: Select Desired Location

Firstly, select the drive, external media or volume from which you want to recover deleted media files. After selecting, click on 'Scan'.

photo-recovery-step-1

Step 2: Preview Recovered Media Files

Next, you can preview the recoverable media files after the scanning process is completed.

photo-recovery-step-2

Step 3: Recover Media Files

Lastly, you can select the images, audio, video files you want to restore and click on 'Recover' option to save them at the location you want.

photo-recovery-step-3

Tips To Prevent 0 Bytes Hard Drive or Storage Devices Error From Occurring

  • Run CMD command from time to time in order to fix internal errors and clear bad sector.
  • Always keep your device driver up-to-date.
  • Scan and remove virus from hard drive with the help of a reliable ant-virus program.
  • Use hard drive, external hard drive, and other data storage devices properly and carefully.
  • Always keep backup of your important files in two places.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Does 0 Bytes Mean?

0 bytes simply mean that file is damaged but doesn’t contain any written data. Additionally, the file isn’t readable & the length of a file becomes zero. Moreover, you cannot open that 0 bytes file anymore.

Why Does My Drive Say 0 Bytes?

Your hard drive might say 0 bytes due to connection issue, faulty BIOS settings, faulty or damaged USB port, drive contains some bad sectors, partition on a hard drive gets corrupted, etc.

How Do I Fix 0 Bytes On A Hard Drive?

In order to fix 0 bytes on a hard drive, you can try the below tricks:

  • Using chkdsk or disk management
  • Rename the drive letter
  • Update the hard disk driver
  • Contact repair center

Conclusion

So, I hope from the above solutions you might be able to fix hard drive show 0 bytes space issue and able to restore files back from hard drive with ease. But if you ask my opinion, then I would not take any risk and immediately apply Hard Drive Data Recovery Software to at least get back important pictures, videos and audio files from 0 bytes hard drive first.