I have a problem with a secondary NTFS partition (D:) after a Windows update.

Before the update, the drive contained about 35 GB of data. After the update, the drive appears empty in Windows Explorer, but disk usage still shows that space is occupied.

What I have already checked:

- The drive is visible and accessible (D:)

- File system is NTFS

- Hidden files and system files are enabled in Explorer

- chkdsk reports no errors

- Only system folders like "$RECYCLE.BIN" and "System Volume Information" are visible

I tried using TestDisk:

- The partition was found correctly

- However, listing files (pressing 'P') only shows system folders, not my actual data

Then I used PhotoRec:

- It starts recovering files, but without original filenames or folder structure

System information:

- Windows version: Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (Build 26200.8328)

- File system: NTFS

- Drive type: SSD (1 TB)

- Issue started after: Windows update

My questions:

1. Why are the files no longer visible in the file system even though space is still used?

2. Is there a way to recover the original folder structure?

3. Is PhotoRec the only option in this situation?

Any help or explanation would be appreciated.