Have you ever encountered a scenario where you plugged your USB disk/Flash storage disk into a virus-infected PC/laptop and as a result of the viruses and malwares in the PC/laptop, all of your files/documents in your USB flash storage were hidden?

Hiding files is a favourite guile of virus code creators. Assuming that you have successfully cleaned or disinfected the USB storage device of any virus by using an updated antivirus  software; unhiding the hidden files is a piece of cake.

Here’s how to go about it:

STEP 1 – Plug in the USB storage disk and scan it with your anti-virus program to ensure that the drive in truly clean. If any malware is found, disinfect or remove it.

STEP 2 – Open the “Run” box by pressing the Windows+R key combination.

STEP 3 – At the command prompt, type the drive letter of your thumb drive followed by a colon, then press the Enter key. For example, if the thumb drive is drive F, you would type F: and then press the Enter key.

STEP 4 – Copy and paste the following after the command prompt:

attrib -s -h /s /d *.*

STEP 5 – Press the Enter key.

STEP 6 – Exit the “Run” box and open the ‘Computer” dialog box. Double-click on your USB storage disk and you should see all of your files now listed in plain view.