Cannot monitor directory; Corrupt data returned. [ReadDirectoryChangesW]

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Posts: 1
Joined: 13 Aug 2025

whinyaan

Good meowning! I want to run RealTimeSync from my local directory (D:/) to my SMB share (Z:/Family PC Backup). But I am met with the following error:

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Cannot monitor directory "D:\".

Corrupt data returned. [ReadDirectoryChangesW]

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To be honest, I have only met this error after forcibly removing the old D:/Windows in that disk using a live Linux USB installer. Which I now obviously regret doing, 'cuz before that, I had no problems with RealTimeSync.

FreeFileSync still works. Any suggestions on how to fix this? I am afraid to run any "disk fixers" program on this disk as I might brick this any further, so any tips will be appreciated.

Thank you and have a great day every-nyan~
Posts: 4933
Joined: 11 Jun 2019

xCSxXenon

Run a chkdsk on the volume
Posts: 1239
Joined: 8 May 2006

therube

So RTS fails, yet FFS itself is still working?

Prior to /windows/ removal, were you syncing the entire D: drive (& set /windows/ as an exclude) or did you have individual directory pairs set up?

So were your pairs:
D:\ [+exclude /windows/] -> Z:/Family PC Backup/D/

or something like:
D:/musc/ -> Z:/Family PC Backup/music/
D:/video/ -> Z:/Family PC Backup/video/
D:/doc/ -> Z:/Family PC Backup/doc/

If the former, then maybe the deletion of /windows/ (somewhat) screwed up something, in the root, D: (that maybe chkdsk will fix)?
FreeFileSync still works
Similarly, are you using directly pairs like above, D:\ -> Z:/ or D:/music/ -> Z:/.../music/ ?
If the latter, if you were to attempt the former, in FFS, would that then also give you the same error message?

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Explain D:/windows/?

It is a separate drive, that at one point was a C: drive (& now used as a "data" drive)?
Or you installed Windows both onto C: & also onto D:?

(As it is, I install Windows onto E:, though I also have a copy on C: - that never gets used.)

(I'm thinking that using Linux to remove /windows/ was probably a good thing, all in all.
As in Windows can be weird, like if you were in d:/users/joe/appdata/... you might find yourself [unwantedly] staring at the c:/user/joe/... equivalent. [Some distant memory points me to oddities in that regard.])