Hi Esdras Yaloula ,
Thank you for your patience, and apologies for the delayed response.
Based on the described behavior, this issue is consistent with NTFS file system metadata corruption, not Active Directory permissions or normal user file deletion.
The external NTFS disk was actively used as a production file share on Windows Server 2012 R2 and was disconnected unexpectedly, which interrupted active I/O. NTFS uses a transactional logging model to maintain file system consistency. When metadata updates are not fully committed (for example, due to sudden removal, power loss, or storage interruption), NTFS will roll back to the last known consistent metadata state. This explains why older data (e.g. 2023) remains visible while newer data (2024–2026) disappears or temporarily reappears — the data may exist physically on disk but is no longer referenced by valid NTFS metadata (MFT / directory index).
On Windows Server 2012 and later, NTFS implements a Self‑Healing Health Model:
- Minor inconsistencies are repaired online automatically.
- More serious corruption is logged (for example Event IDs 55, 50, 140) and may require manual repair.
- NTFS prioritizes file system integrity over preserving incomplete transactions.
Microsoft cannot provide a definitive root cause analysis (RCA) for file system corruption, as causes typically occur below the OS layer. Common contributing factors include:
- Unsafe removal or unexpected disconnection of storage
- Power loss or forced reboot
- Storage hardware or controller issues
- Outdated firmware or drivers
- Third‑party filter drivers (antivirus, backup software)
- Incorrect multipathing or disks accessed by multiple systems
Recommendations:
- Stop writing to the affected volume to avoid overwriting recoverable metadata.
- Review Event Viewer for NTFS and disk‑related errors.
- Perform volume checks only after data recovery actions are considered.
- Validate storage hardware, firmware, and driver versions.
- Avoid using removable USB disks for production file shares.
- Use internal RAID / SAN / NAS storage and maintain regular backups (VSS / file‑level backups).
If you believe this information adds some value, please accept the answer so that your experience with the issue would help contribute to the whole community.
Best wishes!
Titus Bui.