How to Fix Windows Error 0x80070570 (File or Directory Is Corrupted)
chkdsk X: /f /r in an admin Terminal first (replace X with the problem drive's letter). If that fails, try a different USB port or computer, change the drive letter, rescue your files, and only reformat as a last resort.What error 0x80070570 means
Error 0x80070570 shows up with the message "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable." Windows throws it when it tries to open, copy, delete, or move a file and discovers that the data on disk does not match what the file system expects. It is like reaching for a book on a shelf and finding the pages torn out — Windows knows something should be there, but it cannot trust what it finds.
You will most often meet this error in three situations: copying files to or from a USB drive or external hard disk, deleting or moving a folder that has a damaged entry, or installing Windows when the installer media or the target drive has problems. The good news is that this error is usually about logical damage — broken bookkeeping on the drive — rather than the files themselves being gone. In most cases you can repair the damage without losing anything, and the steps below walk you through exactly how, from the quickest checks to the last-resort reformat.
Common causes
- Unsafe drive removal: yanking out a USB drive or SD card without ejecting it interrupts an ongoing write and leaves the file system half-updated — the single most common cause on removable drives.
- Bad sectors on the disk: aging hard drives develop physical spots that can no longer hold data reliably, and any file stored on one becomes unreadable.
- Sudden power loss: a power cut or a hard shutdown mid-write can corrupt files that were being saved or moved at that moment.
- Faulty cable or USB port: a damaged cable or failing port scrambles data on its way to the drive, and Windows sees the result as corruption.
- Malware or a damaged installer: infections that tamper with files, or a Windows installer copied from a scratched disc or bad download, trigger this error during setup.
How to fix error 0x80070570 — step by step
Work through these fixes in order. Most people clear this error by step 2 or 3.
- Check the drive on another computer or USB port If the error appears on a USB drive, external hard disk, or SD card, plug it into a different USB port first, then try a different cable, and finally another computer. A bad port, loose cable, or damaged card reader can make Windows report corruption that is really just a failed connection. If the error disappears on another PC, copy your files off immediately and treat the original machine or cable as the problem, not the drive.
- Run CHKDSK to repair the file system Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin). Type
chkdsk X: /f /r, replacing X with the drive letter that shows the error, and press Enter. The/fflag fixes logical file system errors and the/rflag locates bad sectors and recovers readable data. Windows may ask to schedule the scan on the next restart if the drive is in use — press Y, restart, and let it run. A full scan on a large drive can take an hour or more, so let it finish. - Assign a new drive letter in Disk Management Sometimes the corruption is in the drive's mount record rather than the data itself. Right-click Start, choose Disk Management, right-click the problem drive or partition, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Click Change, pick a new letter that is not in use, and confirm. Try accessing the files again — many users report the error vanishes after a letter change, especially on removable drives that used to mount as a letter now claimed by a network share.
- Rescue your files before deeper repairs If CHKDSK did not clear the error, stop writing to the drive. Every new write risks overwriting recoverable data. Copy whatever you can open onto a different drive. If whole folders are unreachable, use free recovery software such as Recuva or PhotoRec to scan the drive and extract readable files to a separate disk. Only proceed to reformatting once everything you care about is safely stored elsewhere.
- Run System File Checker if the system drive is affected When the error appears on your C: drive or while installing Windows, open Terminal (Admin) and run
sfc /scannow. This scans protected Windows system files and replaces corrupted ones from a cached copy. If SFC cannot finish because of corruption, runDISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealthfirst, then runsfc /scannowagain. Restart your PC afterward and retry whatever action triggered the error. - Reformat the drive as a last resort If nothing else works, a clean format rebuilds the file system from scratch and clears the corruption. Open Disk Management, right-click the drive or partition, choose Format, and select NTFS for internal drives or exFAT for USB drives and SD cards you move between computers. Uncheck Quick Format for a thorough wipe on drives with bad sectors. Once formatted, restore your files from the backup you made in step 4. If the error returns on a freshly formatted drive, the drive hardware itself is failing and should be replaced.
Did this fix it? Quick checklist
- You can open, copy, and delete files on the drive without the 0x80070570 error
- CHKDSK finished with no bad sectors reported (or the drive is on the replacement list)
- All important files were copied or recovered to a different drive before any reformat
- The drive still works after a full restart of your PC
If the error persists after all six steps, check the drive's health with a tool like CrystalDiskInfo — it reads the drive's own diagnostics and shows whether the hardware is failing. A drive reporting reallocated sectors or a "Caution" status is dying and no amount of software repair will save it. Replace it, and treat this as a reminder to keep backups of anything you cannot afford to lose on a second disk or in the cloud.
Frequently asked questions
What does error 0x80070570 mean?
Error 0x80070570 means Windows tried to read or modify a file or directory but found its data corrupted and unreadable. The full message usually reads "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable." It commonly appears when copying files to or from a USB drive, deleting a folder, or installing Windows from a damaged installer or failing disk.
Does error 0x80070570 mean my hard drive is dead?
Not necessarily. The most common causes are logical corruption — a damaged file system record from an unsafe drive removal, a power cut, or a bad cable — and these are fully repairable with CHKDSK or a reformat. But if the error keeps returning after a clean format, or the drive makes clicking or grinding sounds, the hardware is failing and you should replace the drive.
Can I fix 0x80070570 without formatting and losing my files?
Often, yes. Run chkdsk X: /f /r first — it repairs logical corruption while preserving your data. Also try a different USB port, cable, or computer, and changing the drive letter in Disk Management. Only reformat after you have copied everything important to another disk. Formatting is the last resort, not the first step.
Can CHKDSK delete my files?
CHKDSK is designed to preserve your files, and in most runs it deletes nothing. In rare cases it moves unrecoverable fragments of badly corrupted files into recovered folders like FOUND.000, and a severely damaged file can lose some data during repair. This is why step 4 — copying or recovering your important files before deeper repairs — matters. CHKDSK is safe to run, just make a backup first when you can.
How do I prevent error 0x80070570 in the future?
Always eject USB drives with the Safely Remove Hardware icon before unplugging them, keep your PC on a surge protector to avoid power-cut corruption, and shut down properly instead of holding the power button. Run chkdsk periodically on older drives, keep backups of important files on a second disk or in the cloud, and replace drives that start showing bad sectors.