USBShow Tutorial: Restore Lost Files in Minutes

How USBShow Reveals Hidden Data on Your USB DriveUSB drives are indispensable: small, portable, and convenient for moving files between devices. But they can also hide surprises — files and folders that suddenly vanish from view, either because of accidental settings, malware, or file attribute changes. USBShow is a lightweight tool designed to reveal those hidden items quickly and safely. This article explains how USBShow works, common causes of hidden data, step-by-step usage, safety considerations, and alternatives for recovering files.

What causes files to become hidden on a USB drive?

Files on USB drives can become invisible for several reasons:

• Hidden attributes changed: In Windows, files and folders can be marked as “hidden” or “system” so they don’t show in File Explorer by default.
• Malware: Certain viruses (notably shortcut-creating or file-hiding malware) hide user files and replace them with shortcuts to spread.
• User error: Accidental use of commands like attrib or changing folder options can hide content.
• Corruption: File system corruption may make directories inaccessible or invisible.
• Permissions: Incorrect file permissions can prevent files from being listed.

What is USBShow and what does it do?

USBShow is a small utility that scans removable storage devices and reveals files and folders that are hidden by attributes or some kinds of malware. It focuses on making hidden data visible without attempting complex recovery or modifying file contents beyond resetting visibility attributes.

Key functions:

• Scans selected removable drives for hidden files and folders.
• Lists items marked with hidden/system attributes.
• Provides options to unhide files by clearing these attributes.
• Often used as a quick diagnostic step before deeper recovery.

USBShow does not perform deep data recovery for deleted files or fix severe file system corruption. For those tasks, more advanced recovery tools are needed.

How USBShow works (technical overview)

At a basic level, USBShow:

1. Enumerates connected removable drives using the operating system’s APIs.
2. Traverses directories on the selected drive, checking file attributes for the Hidden and System flags.
3. Detects anomalies such as files replaced by shortcuts or files with suspicious names.
4. Displays results to the user and offers a one-click or batch option to remove Hidden/System attributes (using calls equivalent to changing file attributes via the filesystem).

This approach works because Windows stores visibility information as file attribute flags in the file system’s metadata (for example, NTFS and FAT). Clearing these flags doesn’t alter the file data — it only changes how the OS displays the files.

Step-by-step: Using USBShow to reveal hidden data

1. Download USBShow from a trusted source. Verify the file’s integrity and scan it with an up-to-date antivirus program.
2. Insert the USB drive into your computer.
3. Run USBShow (preferably with administrator privileges to ensure it can access system-attributed files).
4. Select the USB drive from the list of detected removable media.
5. Start the scan. The program will list files and folders with Hidden or System attributes and might flag suspicious items.
6. Review the list carefully. If items look legitimate, choose the option to unhide or remove the hidden/system attributes.
7. After unhiding, open File Explorer to confirm files are visible.
8. If malware is suspected, do not open recovered files immediately; scan them with antivirus software first and consider isolating the drive.

Safety and security considerations

• Always scan both the USB drive and the USBShow executable with a reputable antivirus program before running anything.
• If files were hidden by malware, simply unhiding them may expose malicious executables. Quarantine suspicious files and run full malware removal procedures.
• Back up the drive (make an image) before modifying attributes or performing recovery, especially if the data is critical.
• Prefer running tools on a secure, offline system when dealing with potentially infected media.

Limitations of USBShow

• Cannot recover truly deleted files (those removed from the file system).
• Ineffective against nuanced malware that encrypts or relocates files.
• May not handle heavily corrupted file systems; in such cases, dedicated recovery software (like TestDisk, PhotoRec, or commercial tools) is required.
• Depending on the version, it may lack ongoing updates; compatibility with newer OS changes can be limited.

Alternatives and complementary tools

• Built-in methods: In Windows, use File Explorer’s Folder Options to show hidden files, or run attrib in Command Prompt:

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

  (replace X: with your drive letter)

• TestDisk / PhotoRec: for deeper recovery of deleted files and partition issues.
• Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery, R-Studio: user-friendly commercial recovery tools.
• Antivirus and anti-malware tools (Malwarebytes, Windows Defender) to remove infections.

Practical tips and troubleshooting

• If files still don’t appear after unhiding, check for shortcut files (.lnk) that may point to hidden originals—do not run unknown shortcuts.
• Try accessing the drive from another operating system (e.g., Linux) which may show files differently.
• If the drive is physically failing (strange noises, unmounting), stop using it and consult a data recovery specialist.

Example scenario

A user plugs in a USB drive and sees only a few shortcut files; folder sizes indicate data is still present. Running USBShow reveals many folders marked with Hidden and System attributes—likely from malware. The user unhides the folders, scans them with antivirus, removes malicious executables, and safely copies the recovered data to a new drive.

Conclusion

USBShow is a useful quick tool for revealing files hidden by attributes or simple malware on USB drives. It’s best used as a first step: scan with antivirus, unhide legitimate files, and if deeper recovery or infection removal is needed, move to specialized recovery and security tools. With caution and backups, most “missing” files can be safely exposed and retrieved.