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0 Bytes Drive? How to Fix it Without Losing Data?
Is your hard drive or USB flash drive suddenly showing 0 bytes of capacity? This article explains common causes and provides step-by-step solutions to recover your data and restore the 0 bytes drive to working condition.
By Emma / Updated on September 4, 2025
User Case
As you can see my flash drive says 0 BYTES available, and NTFS? This is my work computer and there are important documents inside. Is there any way to recover files from the o bytes drive and fix it? Any help will be appreciated!
What Do Zero Bytes on Disk Mean?
When your drive shows 0 bytes, it means the Windows operating system can detect the physical drive but cannot read its file system or partition information. The space isn't truly "zero"; instead, the system is failing to understand how the drive's capacity is allocated.
Why is My Hard drive Showing 0 Bytes?
So, why your USB flash drive or other internal / external drive shows 0 bytes? Common reasons include:
1. File System Corruption
The data index (e.g., NTFS/FAT32) is damaged, preventing the system from recognizing drive contents. Commonly caused by improper ejection, power failures, or forced interruptions.
2. Partition Table Damage
The drive's "table of contents" (MBR/GPT) is corrupted, making it impossible for the system to locate partitions or calculate storage space.
3. Virus or Malware
Malicious programs may corrupt the file system or hide data, resulting in incorrect capacity display.
4. Physical Damage or Bad Sectors
Hardware failure—especially bad sectors in critical areas like the partition table—can prevent the drive from being read properly.
5. Connection Issues (Common for USB Drives)
Loose cables, faulty ports, or insufficient power supply cause communication errors, leading to incomplete data retrieval.
6. Unformatted (RAW State)
The drive lacks a recognizable file system, often due to incomplete formatting or severe corruption, leaving it in a raw, unreadable state.
How to Fix 0 Bytes Hard Drive[Without Data Loss]?
Before you try to repair the 0 bytes drive, remember this: repair operations may overwrite data and make recovery more difficult. If your flash drive contains important work documents, always recover your files first before attempting any fixes.
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File system repairs (like formatting, CHKDSK, or partition rebuilds) may permanently overwrite your original data.
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Even a simple "Quick Format" can erase the file index, making recovery much harder.
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Running multiple repairs without backing up increases the chance of data corruption.
Step 1. Recover Files from 0 Bytes Drive
To recover important data from drives that show 0 bytes, the most convenient way is to apply a trusted file recovery tool like MyRecover.
MyRecover- Support 1,000+ devices, including HDD, SSD, USB, SD cards, cameras, drones, and more.
- Recover 1,000+ file types, such as images, videos, music files, emails, and office documents.
- Cover 500+ data loss scenarios like accidental deletion, formatting, virus attacks, device corruption, and more.
100% Secure- Install it on a different, healthy disk (never on the faulty drive).
- Select the 0 bytes flash drive and click "Scan".
- It will automatically perform a "Quick Scan" or "Deep Scan".
- Preview recoverable files and save them to another storage device.
Step 2. Repair the 0 Bytes Drive
Once your important files are secured, you can safely move on to the following 0 bytes drive repair attempts.
Option A. Run CHKDSK (if the drive has a letter)
- Open Command Prompt (Admin): press Win+X at the same time, select "Command Prompt as admin".
- Type: chkdsk X: /f /r (replace X with your drive letter).
- Press Enter and let Windows repair bad sectors and file system errors.
Option B. Repair Partition Table
If your drive is showing 0 bytes due to a corrupted or missing partition table, TestDisk is a powerful free utility that can help you rebuild it.
- Download TestDisk (Windows/Linux/Mac). Run testdisk_win.exe (as administrator).
- Select "Create -> choose the affected drive".
- Pick [Analyse] and it will search for lost partitions.
- If partitions are found, select [Write] to repair the partition table.
- Restart and check if the drive shows properly.
Option C. Reformat the Drive (Last Resort)
If you’ve already recovered your important files and neither CHKDSK nor partition table repairs can fix the 0 bytes issue, the final solution is to reformat the drive. Reformatting will erase the existing file system and create a fresh one, allowing the operating system to recognize and use the disk functional for future storage.
- Open Disk Management (press Win+X at the same time, select "Disk Management") and locate the drive.
- Right-click it and select "Format".
- Select NTFS/exFAT/FAT32 for the drive.
If Windows can’t format, use diskpart command to clean and re-initialize.
- list disk: all disks on your computer will be listed along with a number.
- select disk #: # is the disk number of the USB drive
- clean: all data on the selected disk will be cleaned.
- create partition primary
- select partition 1
- format fs=ntfs quick: replace ntfs with fat32 or exfat if necessary.
- assign letter f
Summary
The above methods are proven to fix 0 bytes drive effectively. You can try them one by one until it is resolved. If the drive still shows 0 bytes, you can test with another cable/USB port/PC. If the device makes unusual noises, overheats, or disconnects randomly, it may have physical damage. In this case, seek help from a professional data recovery lab.
If your C drive shows 0 bytes and you cannot boot into Windows successfully, or the Windows are stuck, you can also use MyRecover to create a bootable media on another working computer, boot the problematic PC from it and recover data in WinRE mode.
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