After power outage error messages

[Lostinspacebar]

We had a power outage and when I went to turn on my computer an error box showed up saying that F:\ This directory is invalid. It keeps flashing and adding boxes behind it.  Nothing seems to work.

[mdklassen]

This could either be:

A. Software problem:

Each drive-letter, such as 'F:', has a "table of contents" type of "directory" file.

Unfortunately for you, Windows crashed at the worst-possible time, namely when updating that specific file.

So, you have neither the "old" version of the file, nor a complete "new" version of the file.

B: Hardware problem: the disk-drive is electronically or physically damaged, such that attempts to read that "directory" file are failing.

Turn off your computer.

Turn on your computer, and look for "press <BLAH> to run HP Diagnostics" very soon after power-on.

Press that key, and use the built-in diagnostics to test your disk-drive.

[Lostinspacebar]

Thanks for your help but after further research someone suggested unpluging the printer and any other USB peripheal that I had connected to the computer and restart and that did the trick.