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What to do with a FOUND.000 folder and FILE0000.CHK files located on a drive
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When viewing hidden files and system documents mode is enabled you can find a FOUND.000 folder on various volumes (both internal HDD and portable). This folder stores so-called .CHK files. Many users wonder why do they need the FOUND.000 directory and what does the .CHK file extension means. We're going to talk about it further.
Table of Contents
What is stored in the FOUND.000 folder
Fragments of corrupted files are saved in the FOUND.000 folder when a program crashes while being launched or operating, a sudden loss of power supply happens or power is cut off while a file is copied from one media storage device to another.
FOUND.000 directory can appear on the hard disk drive of a desktop computer, as well as on any other connected storage devices such as: USB sticks or SD cards.
Why do you need .CHK files
Chk is the format for all corrupted files, pieces of which are sent by the system to the hidden FOUND.000 folder. to be stored in it.
Usually .CHK files fragments no longer carry useful data. Often, you can delete them without trying to figure out what computer malfunctions triggered their creation. The best way to do it is by deleting the entire FOUND.000 directory at once instead of removing each file one by one.
However, some users hope for the recovery via .CHK files and we can easily understand them if after the crash of Windows or a program valuable information was lost.
Is it possible to recover .CHK files
With the help of some software and apps you can give a try to recovering the contents of defective .CHK files fragments in the FOUND.000 folder. In some cases persistent attempts to do so can lead to successful results.
In order to recover the contents of hidden .CHK files, you can use the following programs: UnCHK, FileCHK, Recuva, DiskDigger, Chkparser32 or Chkrepair.
Let's talk about the operation principles of some of these programs.
UnCHK utility (Russian language only!)
The program for Windows operating system – UnCHK – has the Russian language available in its interface and is very Russian speaking users friendly.
Due to the fact that the program is unable to recognize and read folders with hidden contents, you'll have to create a new directory and move there all the needed files from the FOUND.000 folder.
Now select the required files and click on "Start". The file recovery process can take from several minutes to several hours. It depends on a specific object being recovered and a file format you are trying to recover. Files are automatically distributed among new folders, depending on the format of the data you lost.
FileCHK software
FileCHK is UnCHK counterpart and its main task is to recover .CHK files. The program can be downloaded for free. The interface of the utility is pretty simple and intuitive.
Recuva is another program for recovering deleted files
Once Recuva is installed, you need to select the type and location of the files you want to recover (it's impossible to specify the .CHK format, but you can choose "All types" instead). By enabling the "Deep scan" option in the settings you can boost the efficiency of recovery.
After scanning is completed, the program displays all the files it managed to detect. The red color indicates that those files are no longer recoverable. The yellow color shows that those files can only be partially recovered. And the files marked with the green color are available for full recovery.
Before clicking the recover button, select the destination folder to which the program will send the results.
Vlad Brown, USA, Buffalo, WY
Vlad is a professional writer. He has expert knowledge in data recovery with 15 years of experience. He started his career as a journalist by reviewing PC and mobile apps. His current responsibilities are to keep track of users' questions and answer them.
His current responsibilities are to keep track of users' questions and provide answers to them, write proven manuals, be the website technical support and also run a Youtube channel.