Windows 10: Whole directory dssappeared on external ssd.

My windows crashed so before reinstalling windows I used robocopy to copy the important files over to an external ssd. Now when i start up windows again the copied files dont exsist anymore not even when i search through cmd. Can they still exsist somewhere and what can be the cause for their disappearance? What is weird is that there is still only 0.3TB free space of 1TB but the files i can see only take up 0.2TB~

:)

 

SSD external drive

My external ssd device connected to my hp laptop. Device Manager shows ssd in Disk Device but not on system directory....no external drive label

 

External SSD

I have recently bought external SSD, I want to know what are the things i need to take care of before using my external SSD? Any tips and suggestions are welcome. Thank you for your support.

 

Why Is There Two Different Directories at Different Times and this External Directory in the CBS.Log?

Hello vickyl71

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

The images you've uploaded appear to show file directory listings, with some parts redacted for privacy. You've also mentioned an excerpt from a CBS.log file, which is typically associated with the Component Based Servicing (CBS) component of Windows.

To address your concerns:

1. Two Different Directories at Different Times: Windows can display directories in different ways based on user actions, view settings, or system updates. If the screenshots are from different times, it's possible that changes were made to the directory structure or content between those times.
   
2. External Directory in the CBS.Log: The CBS.log file records Component Based Servicing transactions on Windows. When you see references to an "external staging directory" or "external registry directory" with (null) next to them, it usually means that no external directories are being used for that particular operation.
   
3. Overlapping Directories: If you're seeing directories that seem to overlap or you suspect that someone else may be accessing your system, it could be due to several reasons, such as synced folders from a cloud service, network shared folders, or even malware.
   
4. Checking Unauthorized Access: To check for unauthorized access, you can:
   
   • Review the Security logs in the Event Viewer for any login attempts.
     
   • Check the Recent Files section or Quick Access in File Explorer to see if any unknown files were accessed recently.
     
   • Use a third-party application to monitor file access in real-time.
     
5. Understanding CBS.log Entry: The log entry you've provided seems standard for CBS operations. The (null) values suggest that no external directories were specified for the session by the client named Arbiter. This doesn't necessarily indicate anything malicious or unusual.
   
6. File Size Changes: When sending files over some platforms, the file size might appear different due to compression or metadata that the platform attaches to the file. The actual content size may not be affected.
   

To investigate further, you may want to consider the following actions:

• If you have administrative access, look into the system logs and see if there are any entries that you do not recognize, especially around the times you have noticed changes.
  
• Consider running a full system scan with an up-to-date antivirus program.
  
• Ensure that your system is up-to-date with the latest security patches.
  

If there is anything not clear or I can't understand your problem, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Best Regards

| Microsoft Community Support Specialist