How do I prevent system volume information files from showing up in my usb flash drive?

Anonymous
2013-10-28T16:13:30+00:00

I recently upgraded to Windows 8.1 once it was made available to me via the app store. I noticed the other day when I had transfered some music to my game console that I had a folder titled "System Volume Information" on the root of my flash drive. I didn't know what it was so I deleted it and went about my business. I did the same thing today and there it was. So I deleted it and plugged it back into my laptop this time only to remove it again and return to the game console to reproduce the issue. Same as before. So I'd like to know step by step how to prevent these folders from being stored in my flash drive. I know these are not harmful files but it is irritating to have them stored on the flash drive. I don't want to have to constantly delete it all the time either. Especially when I know this used to never be an issue before.

I saw this and was able to make the files visable but I was confused about what to do in the command prompt.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2014-01-08T02:25:00+00:00

There is a group policy option to turn off this feature. Enable Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Search \ Do not allow locations on removable drives to be added to libraries.

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Anonymous
2014-01-08T11:18:49+00:00

There is a group policy option to turn off this feature. Enable Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Search \ Do not allow locations on removable drives to be added to libraries.

Thanks for taking the time to investigate this Eliyas. That fix has worked for me. Just a heads up to anyone else reading this post, AFAIK this will only work in Win 8.1 Pro or Enterprise as other Win 8.1 versions do not have GPEDIT

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-08-23T18:43:15+00:00

    Could you try explaining this to somebody with little to zero experience? For example, I first try looking up HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE..., but my computer believes it does not have one and searches it online. Then I look up what the registry is, go to the place it says (%System32%/Config), but I can't find a file named HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE... Even if I did, how does one add DWORD value DisableRemovalDriveIndexing = 1? What is either of those?

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-08-20T16:36:14+00:00

    Clicking SUBMIT after editing my post does nothing; cancel does work??/

    Problem following the instructions...after creating the new key "Windows Search", when starting to create the new DWORD value, there are options for

    DWORD (32 bit) value

    and

    DWORD (64 bit) value.

    The instructions above do not say which one to use.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-08-20T16:23:22+00:00

    I absolutely agree with the previous poster.  This utterly stupid implementation also caused my ResMed S9 CPAP machine to erase all past data on the SD card and re-write to it only what it held in internal memory.  AWFUL!!

    Here is how to erase the info MS writes without asking onto your card...

    Navigate to the ROOT of the SD card (for me this was 'E:')

    E: <enter>

    Type attrib -S -H -R "System Volume Information" <enter>

    You will then need to delete any files in the directory...

    type cd "System Volume Information" <enter>

    type del *.* <enter>

    You can then remove the directory...

    type cd\

    type rd "System Volume Information"

    Remove the SD card (DO NOT click "EJECT"..it will rewrite the data).

    Switch write lock ON if you want to put the SD back in the Win 8.1 computer.

    Don't EVER stick the ResMed SD card into a Win 8 computer with write protect off

    or you will be back in the same fix.

    Has anybody confirmed that the regedit posted above works?

    "Try adding DWORD value DisableRemovableDriveIndexing = 1 in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Policies/Microsoft/Windows/Windows Search" in the registry and restarting the PC"

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