"when I use my Windows 10 laptop, every 5-10 minutes I receive the following message: "The recycle bin on C: is corrupted. Do you want to empty the recycle bin?" Whether I press Yes or No, the message appears again."
In Microsoft community, many users complained that the recycle bin is corrupted in Windows 10/8/7 for no reason. If you meet this situation, you will not be able to completely empty the Recycle Bin or remove a file in Recycle Bin. What's more, a pop-up message will show up to alert you that recycle bin is corrupted. Fortunately, this troubleshooting post is created to help you to fix a corrupted recycle bin in Windows 10/8/7.
CONTENTS:
• 1. Fix Corrupted Recycle Bin in Windows 10/8/7
• 2. Delete & Reinstall Recycle Bin
• 3. How to Restore Deleted Data After Repairing Corrupted Recycle Bin in Windows 10/8/7
1. Fix Corrupted Recycle Bin in Windows 10/8/7
Since Windows XP, each drive has it separate Recycle Bin folder named as "$Recycle.bin", which is related to the corrupted Recycle Bin problem. Therefore, if your Recycle Bin is corrupted, you are able to delete "$Recycle.bin" folder to reset the Recycle Bin so as to fix the problem. If the recycle bin on c:\ is corrupted, you can:
Step 1. Open "Command Prompt" from Windows menu.
Step 2. Enter command "rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin".
Step 3. Hit "Enter" key.
Step 4. Restart your PC, and then Recycle Bin will be fixed.
Note: To reset Recycle Bin on another drive, for example, Recycle Bin on D drive, E drive, you should replace C with another drive letter in the command.
2. Delete & Reinstall Recycle Bin
Likewise, if your Recycle Bin is corrupted on Windows 10/8/7, you are able to delete it, and then, reinstall it back. Reinstalling Recycle Bin can also achieve the same result and get the Recycle Bin working again on Windows.
Step 1. Delete Recycle Bin on Windows 10/8/7
• Navigate to "Control Panel".
• Choose "File Explore", and then, "View" tab.
• Unhide system protected operating files.
• Next, go to each drive to delete permissions and "$Recycle.bin" folders.
• Restart your Windows.
Step 2. Reinstall Recycle Bin on Windows 10/8/7
• Go to "Personalize" by right-clicking on Desktop.
• Select "Themes">"Desktop Icon settings".
• Check Recycle Bin. And then, choose "Apply".
After that, a new Recycle Bin will be created on the Desktop without any problems.