What Is Error 0x80070570 and How to Fix It

Quickly navigate to four useful solutions to solve error 0x80070570: The file or directory is corrupted or unreadable:

User Query: Windows 10 Error 0x80070570 on External Hard Drive

"I am trying to delete a file that was not finished copying onto my Western Digital external hard drive. I keep getting the error message: An unexpected error is keeping your from deleting the file. Error 0x80070570: The file or directory is corrupted or unreadable.

I have done the error checking and it says errors have been found but can't be fixed. I have gone into safe mode and tried doing it that way but I can't even find the file when I'm in safe mode.  Any one have some answers for error 0x80070570?" - A user problem from https://answers.microsoft.com/

Usually, we organize the disk file data and delete the unused files or folders to reduce the disk space capacity. But some difficult problems may be encountered when deleting some files, such as an error in deleting a folder, error 0x80070570: The file or directory is corrupt and unreadable.

What Are the Causes of Error 0x80070570  

Error 0x80070570 often appears when you are trying to copy or move files from USB flash drive, pen drive, or external hard drive. This error is due to disk file directory (FAT, MFT) problems.

It mainly occurs on USB flash drive, MP3, portable hard disk and other mobile devices, among which the external portable hard disk with large capacity (over 160G) NTFS partition format has the highest incidence. There are many reasons, generally the following reasons:

• The USB flash drive is not properly inserted or removed.
• There are bad sectors on the hard drive.
• The file system of your disk is corrupted.
• Virus or malware infections.

To troubleshooting error 0x80070570, you can restart your computer, unplug and plug your USB device at the very beginning. If the error is still there, go for the following workarounds.

Fix 1. Perform Disk Error Checking to Fix Error 0x80070570 

Hard disk corruptions and errors can interfere with Windows and causes error 0x80070570. Use Windows disk error checking tool to check and fix your device to solve the problem.

Step 1. Press Windows + E keys to open File Explorer on your computer. Then, open This PC, right-click the problematic disk, and choose"Properties".  

Step 2. In the drive properties window, go to "Tools" tab and then click "Check" under the Error checking.

Step 3. If Windows found errors on the drive, click "Repair drive". Once the repair process has completed, click on "Close" to exist.

Fix 2. Run CHKDSK Command in CMD to Solve Error 0x80070570 

Hard drive corruption caused by broken file system can also be repaired by using CHSKDSK command in Command Prompt.

Step 1. Press Win + X and select "Command Prompt (Admin)".

Step 2. Type CHKDSK F: /f /r /x in the Command Prompt window and hit the Enter. Replace F with your drive letter.

Step 3. CHKDSK will start and scan the selected hard drive for errors.

Fix 3. Scan and Remove Virus

When you hard disk or USB drive get infected with a virus or malware, you may encounter error 0x80070570 when deleting or moving files.

Install and run antivirus software for a full scan on your computer. You can use Windows default antivirus software or a good third-party antivirus program.  

Fix 4. Format Corrupted Hard Disk or USB Drive Without Data Loss

If your storage drive is corrupted and you can't troubleshoot the Error 0x80070570 problem with the methods above, the final option is formatting your hard disk or USB drive. As formatting will delete all your files, we recommend you restore data at first with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

Recover Data from Corrupted Hard Disk or USB Drive

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a well-known file recovery program that can restore lost and permanently deleted files stored on HDD, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, pen drive, and many more devices without hassle.

Besides, it's also good at corrupted file recovery. You can repair corrupted MOV/MP4/GIF, photos in JPEG/JPG/BMP/PNG format, and DOC, DOCX, XLS, or XLSX documents effortlessly. Now, free download this reliable data recovery tool to restore any kinds of files on your storage device. m

Step 1. Choose the exact file location and then click the "Scan" button to continue.

Step 2. After the process, select the "Deleted Files" and "Other Lost Files" folders in the left panel. Then, you can apply the "Filter" feature or click the "Search files or folders" button to find the deleted files.

Step 3. Click the "Recover" button and save the restored files – ideally, it should be different from the original one.

Format Hard Drive or USB Drive Without Data Loss

Afer data recovery, follow the two simple ways below to format your hard drive easily. 

Format Hard Drive in Disk Management

Step 1. Press Win + X keys and choose "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click the target drive and choose "Format".

Step 3. Set the volume label and file system. Then, click "OK" to start formatting the drive.

Format Hard Drive in File Explorer

Step 1. Press "Windows key + E" to open Windows File Explorer.

Step 2. Right-click on the hard drive or connected USB drive and select "Format".

Step 3. On the Format window, select the file system.

Step 4. Check "Quick Format" and click "Start" to format the device.

Read More: How to Force Folders/Files in Windows 10/11

Here are four quick ways to force delete a folder or file that can not be deleted on Windows 10 or Windows 11. For step-by-step guides, go to the topic page. 

• Force delete folder Windows 10 using del command in CMD
• Use a file shredder tool to force delete a folder or file
• Force delete folders windows 10 by changing file ownership
• Force delete a folder or file in Safe Mode