We choose the best programs for recovering flash drives. We tell you how to restore a usb flash drive, reanimate it using free utilities.
Flash drive- a small device for storing information (documents, music, videos, files), convenient for carrying and connecting to a usb port, extracting from a computer, laptop. It contains a controller and special chips that store information inside the chips.
Sometimes we copy files and forget about them, and when we remember, we find that valuable files are either erased or deleted forever. Either the device is broken, you formatted the partitions. What to do, often a digital flash drive (most often, the controller in it) breaks down, generates errors, the flash drive does not open on the PC - not even a month will pass. One day, the flash drive may need to be restored. The reason that may be:
- incorrect, inaccurate operation of the flash drive
- incorrect media formatting
- low-quality flash drive bought on the market or cheaply from a Chinese (probably by mistake)
- physical or software failure of the flash drive (most likely cause)
- also, an incorrectly removed flash drive from a computer or laptop can serve as a reason for inoperability. This happens when an impatient user literally rips the flash drive out of the usb socket in the process of copying or transferring files.
There are many reasons when it is necessary to restore a flash drive that does not open on a computer or is recognized with reading errors. Fortunately, today specialists from service centers will help you return valuable files and restore device performance without any problems or errors. Recovery programs will return files safe and sound, or at least partially reanimate data on a usb flash drive. The flash recovery procedure costs not so little money, which makes you think about self-recovery of a usb flash drive. Alas, free utilities are not always useful.
For a flash drive, sd memory cards, all the symptoms and consequences of deleting digital information are equally characteristic. This can be accidental deletion, unconscious or deliberate deletion of files from a USB drive, structural damage, physical or mechanical damage to the controller or memory chips... One way or another, but restoring a flash drive and sd card is a more than relevant task for PC owners. Therefore, first of all, read the contents of this section.
The flash drive does not open: we study the symptoms of damage
In the recovery section, we will talk about the main problems associated with recovering information on a flash and secure digital drive. As a rule, this is due to hardware or software damage to the flash drive - if it does not come off or is not recognized correctly. Sometimes the memory wears out, sometimes the controller fails. And the usb controller drivers have nothing to do with it. In some cases, you can solve the problem yourself and as a result save files on a flash card or repair a chip, device, ignoring reading errors on the computer. We list only some of the symptoms that indicate a drive failure:
- The PC does not see the flash drive in the list of readable devices
- the flash drive is not displayed when connected to a laptop or computer (OS does not matter)
- flash drive is not readable: although files can be seen on the usb drive
Help with Flash Recovery content
- A small guide related to the question of how to find the reasons why the card does not work or the PC does not see the flash drive on a par with other disks (the device is not recognized, it reads with problems, it needs to be formatted, it freezes, it gives an error when copying to the card, etc.) flash -storage device. Troubleshooting is important in such situations, because without identifying the disease, it is impossible to cure the patient, or even easily ruin his life, using the wrong tools, using the wrong methods and programs that can revive the drive. In this article, we analyze the causes of damage and possible symptoms that lead to the need to restore a flash drive, secure digital, controller, memory chip and flash card.
- We try (with the help of instructions and utilities posted on the site) and at the same time qualitatively - how to solve problems with our own hands - fix the breakdown on the sd card, reanimate the controller, format it correctly, solder a loose contact or memory chip, scan information and process bad sectors on flash "Ke, sections with reading errors. True, the methods described require a certain skill and experience in using these tools.
- if it does not open on the computer or does not display correctly. What is "VID & PID", how this abbreviation stands for and what to do when the device is not recognized or opened. Explanation of terminology, without which it is difficult to imagine flash drive recovery, data and digital information on it.
- - testing of 5 high-quality programs, each of which has remarkable features when working with memory or a drive chip.
Recovery of usb flash drive and memory card. Formatting utilities
One of the best ways to revive a Jetflash flash drive is to reformat it again, at a low level. As a rule, such measures are taken when the flash drive is not readable. If possible, you should ask the memory manufacturer (say A Data, Seagate, Transcend SD, Datatraveler, etc.) if they have proprietary utilities or fresh drivers for reconstruction. Scroll through the contents of this section for help and you will see several articles on the topic of low-level formatting a drive. Fortunately, Windows 7 and higher operating systems have tools to format a flash device without using third-party computer applications. One such flash drive program is HP USB Disk Storege Format Tool.
Diagnostic formatting of a flash card in the HP USB Disk Storege Format recovery program
Utility for recovering a flash drive HDD Low Level Format Tool
Many people know that the HDD Regenerator program is used to help revive hard drives (HDDs), but not many people know that it is also suitable for a device such as a flash drive. The essence of the program is the detection of broken bad sectors on the device with subsequent processing of the information received, depending on the controller and memory model, at a low usb access level. As a result, you get a working device that can copy files without read and write errors. This greatly contributes to the recovery of flash drives if the computer does not see them. The HDD Regenerator program is provided with recovery instructions, in addition, on the recovery website you can find a guide on using the utility and correct formatting (see through the search). You can download the flash drive recovery program directly from the link posted on the HDD Regenerator overview page.
We open and diagnose a problematic flash drive in the HDD Low Level Format program By the way, in other sections on the Softdroid website you will find other programs for recovering flash drives (for example, Flash Recovery or JetFlash Recovery Tool), but we advise you to first study all the information collected in this section. We hope that after the measures taken, the computer will see the flash drive.
Why don't you indicate the cost of the product before downloading the flash drive recovery program and installing it?
Answer. You can download all the mentioned programs for flash drive recovery on the official website. Only reviews are published on Softdroid - we do not have the physical ability to update information about the cost of the products presented. When you download the trial version of the program, it is free. Next, see the information about the cost from the developer or at the end of the trial period you will receive a notification.
Ask us a question about flash drive recovery
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How to restore a flash drive with your own hands: instructions for owners of flash drives
In this article, I want to tell you how to restore a flash drive: about all the available methods for recovering damaged, non-working, failed, faulty usb drives. I offer the most complete instruction, which includes all available methods, as well as programs that optimize flash drive recovery.
Do-it-yourself usb flash drive repair: fix hardware and software problems
What to do if the computer does not see the flash drive? Let's agree: the question is painful and often asked. Another of the popular questions that flash drive owners face is repair as a result of a breakdown. The USB drive has its own characteristics of repairing the controller, memory, failed: in some cases, the storage device is not detected by the PC. What to do if the flash drive is not detected on any computer? This guide describes the operation to resuscitate an "invisible" flash drive for correct recognition on a computer.
Overview of programs for restoring the usb flash drive
Errors in the operation of USB flash drives are not common. Almost all of them boil down to the inability to read or write the necessary information to the device's memory due to software damage.
Specialized programs provided by device manufacturers will help to fix the problem and restore the memory card.
To restore the operation of noname flash drives and those that do not have their own recovery software, the Chkdsk built into Windows and the formatting system are suitable.
Choosing the best program to recover deleted files from a usb flash drive
Damaged portable USB flash drive or memory card? These best-of-breed programs will help you save and retrieve information, and here you will find out what is in a flash drive. Applications include Undelete 360, CardRecovery, PhotoRec, Recuva Professional and other candidates. You will also learn how to reanimate the flash drive of each of the programs.
How to recover deleted files from usb flash drive: step by step guide
One of the burning problems associated with deleting files relates to the flash drive. Let's talk about how to recover deleted files from a flash drive using Unformat. What free software to install on a computer, what program, in addition to Unformat, is effective when working with a flash drive. The methods described below will be relevant for usb drives, memory cards, sd cards of digital cameras in the Windows OS environment. We will try to help you, even if the situation is difficult.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free 11 - free data recovery software
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard supports many SSD data deletion scenarios. We will launch the Recovery Wizard and explain in a step-by-step manner how the recovery is performed. There are limitations in the free version of Easeus Data Recovery Wizard Free, let's talk about them in more detail. Using the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard program, you can recover files, deleted information from a formatted disk, laptop or removable devices like a USB flash drive or SD card for free.
Where to download PhotoRec for free (for Windows)
The free PhotoRec program is designed to recover multimedia data on HDD, USB flash drives, sd cards and other storage devices. Overview of PhotoRec recovery functions, scanning options. Where to download PhotoRec for Windows and other OS.
What to do if the computer does not see the USB flash drive? We solve problems and fix errors
If the file system of the memory card / usb flash drive is not compatible with the computer OS, the contents of this memory card will not be displayed when connected to a PC. Accordingly, you will not be able to work with the device until you correct the format. In addition, there are a number of other reasons why the computer does not display the usb flash drive (sd card) as a separate drive in Explorer.
How to recover a flash drive with Unformat
I offer you an effective method for restoring a usb flash drive. To use it, you need a specialized utility - Unformat. The program has long established itself in the field of specialized software. In the instructions, I described in detail the entire process of returning files - from scanning a disk to saving files on a USB flash drive.
Unformat supports the recovery of flash drives from almost all manufacturers on the market today.
Flash Memory Toolkit - check flash drive for errors and speed test. Program for the treatment of a flash drive
Flash Memory Toolkit is a free program for a flash drive. It combines a wide range of functions that allow you to restore a usb flash drive or sd memory card to a working state. If you cannot determine why the computer does not see the flash drive, it is not necessary to think about repair. The Flash Memory Toolkit toolkit will help you fix a breakdown and diagnose a flash drive.
See also other programs for flash drive recovery under Windows.
Disk Drill for Mac - recovery software for recovering SSD disks and Mac OS X partitions
Disk Drill is a relatively new data recovery program designed for two platforms - Windows and Mac OS X. Like any other recovery program of this class, it affects a wide range of devices from which the user can perform recovery: computer and laptop, Windows and Mac, phone and tablet, HDD (SSD) disk or flash drive, etc.
With a situation where the flash drive is not displayed correctly (here, for a start, you can try formatting) or the information on it suddenly disappeared, sooner or later most users meet. But do not despair - it is likely that you yourself will be able to revive the device and successfully restore the photos and documents stored on it or "bring to life" the file system.
Thanks to our recommendations, you can save not only on the services of a wizard, but also on special programs - we will consider only free software for repairing flash drives. However, you should also keep in mind that different utilities are designed for devices from different manufacturers.
If you don't know the model of your USB drive
do the following:
Go to the Start menu and in the "Run" line write mmc devmgmt.msc, then press Enter. Under Universal Serial Bus Controllers, find your USB Mass Storage Device, select it, and right-click. Open Properties, then go to the Details tab and in the dropdown select the Device Instance Code (or Hardware Codes) item. Write down or remember PID and VID.
Then go to the FlashBoot.ru website and enter the VID and PID data in the special field. After that, you will get information about your device and the utilities that are best for repairing it.
Transcend flash drive recovery
To restore devices of this brand, the official Transcend RecoveRx utility is best suited. With its help, you can conduct an in-depth search for already deleted files, which you can later also recover: photos, documents, audio and video files.
By the way, RecoveRx supports all types of storage devices, including memory cards, MP3 players and external hard drives. This program works extremely simply - you just need to specify the type of files or select all.
The second way is the online recovery of flash drives from the JetFlash Transcend series. To use it, you need to download JetFlash Online Recovery (with an active Internet connection). Once launched, the tool will automatically restore all your data.
Silicon Power flash drive recovery
If you have a Silicon Power flash drive, you are in luck - the manufacturer cooperates with Recuva. The File Recovery tool provides an intuitive interface that allows you to quickly scan the device and mark those that are subject to reincarnation. You can read more about the features of this program.
Recovery flash drive Kingston
In case you have lost files on the media of this company, the flash drive recovery utility can also help you. If you have problems with the operation of the device, then most likely you will have to format it, and this should be done not with a Windows tool, but with the official Kingston Format Utility. Just run it, select your device and click "Format".
SanDisk flash drive recovery
SanDisk USB sticks come with a five-year warranty, so if you ever run into problems, feel free to go to the store or contact the manufacturer (e-mail.
Transcend's removable drives are used by a very large number of users around the world. No wonder, because these flash drives are quite inexpensive, and serve for a long time. But sometimes some kind of misfortune happens to them - the information disappears due to damage to the drive.
This can happen for various reasons. Some flash drives fail due to the fact that someone dropped them, others simply because they are already old. In any case, every user who has a removable media from Transcend should know how to recover data on it if they are lost.
There are proprietary utilities that allow you to very quickly recover data from Transcend USB drives. But there are programs that are designed for all flash drives, but they work especially well with Transcend products. In addition, the standard Windows data recovery method often helps with flash drives from this company.
Method 1: RecoveRx
This utility allows you to recover data from flash drives and protect them with a password. It also allows you to format drives from Transcend. Suitable for absolutely all removable media from Transcend and is proprietary software for this product. To use RecoveRx for data recovery, follow these steps:
Method 2: JetFlash Online Recovery
This is another proprietary utility from Transcend. Its use looks very simple.
Method 3: JetDrive Toolbox
Interestingly, the developers position this tool as software for Apple computers, but it also works very well on Windows. To restore using JetDrive Toolbox, follow these steps:
JetDrive Toolbox actually works exactly the same as RecoveRx. The difference is that there are a lot more tools here.
Method 4: Transcend Autoformat
If none of the above standard recovery utilities help, you can use Transcend Autoformat. True, in this case, the flash drive will be formatted immediately, that is, there will be no chance to extract any data from it. But it will be restored and ready to go.
Using Transcend Autoformat is extremely simple.
- and run it.
- At the top, select the letter of your storage medium. Below, indicate its type - SD, MMC or CF (just check the box next to the desired type).
- Click on the button " Format" to start the formatting process.
Method 5: D-Soft Flash Doctor
This program is famous for the fact that it works at a low level. Judging by user reviews, it is very effective for Transcend flash drives. Removable media repair using is performed as follows:
If repair using all the above methods does not help restore the media, you can use the standard Windows recovery tool.
Method 6: Windows Recovery Tool
Judging by the reviews, these 6 methods are the most optimal in the case of a damaged Transcend flash drive. Less efficient in this case is the EzRecover program. How to use it, read on our website. You can also use the programs and. If none of these methods help, it's best to just buy a new removable media and use it.
There is probably no one left in our modern society who would not use USB drives, MP3 players and other devices that use flash memory. And for sure everyone has encountered various problems regarding these media: “Device not recognized”, “No access”, “The system cannot finish formatting”, and so on, etc.
In this article, we will try to answer the main questions that owners of damaged USB drives face - flash drive repair and resuscitation. We will describe the most common user errors, along with real advice and a sequence of actions in certain cases.
But first, it is worth clarifying some of the nuances. Restoring and repairing media are two different things, which means that the approach and result will be different from each other. Do-it-yourself flash drive repair is fraught with data loss, but in the end you can get a fully functional device that will last you for a long time (if used correctly), and the recovery process includes only returning information without "surgical" intervention.
Symptoms of a Damaged USB Drive
- Not determined by the operating system.
- A message like: "The drive is copy protected."
- The flash drive is "not visible" on more than 3 computers.
- The LED is off or blinking.
- Windows Explorer cannot display content.
- The file system recognizes the device as a virtual drive or does not see it at all.
- The structure of directories and files is damaged (noted when trying to format).
- Every second or third attempt to install the drive ends with the message: "unrecognized USB device."
The list of problems when repairing a flash drive is required is very impressive, but the basic approach is quite universal and can generally be reduced to just two main actions.
If you manage to read similar drives on the same computer on which you are trying to work with a problematic flash drive, then the problem rests only on the media. There may be problems with the USB connector, a damaged port (this is the reason Kingston flash drives are always repaired for this reason), or a faulty memory chip.
First of all, it is worth trying to read your drive on another computer. Some types of flash drives are sensitive to usb connectors; they need a special receiver to work correctly. If the media is readable on other computers, then some "upgrade" of your USB port may be required.
If none of the options gave results, then you can try to read the device on the most "clean" operating system without installed drivers, software and other programs that may conflict with the flash drive. To do this, it is enough to start the system in safe mode, where all devices work in a basic state. If in this case the flash drive is visible and the information is readable, then the problem should be looked for in third-party software, and not in the drive.
Even if this method could not bring any results, then the problem is in the software part of the drive. Also, before repairing a USB flash drive, you need to understand that there are often cases of factory defects and the end of the service life, i.e. rewrite cycles are exhausted (for a standard drive, this cycle is limited to approximately 100 thousand writes). In these cases, you need to contact the manufacturer or simply change the flash drive.
Do-it-yourself flash drive repair
In principle, all drives are created in the same way and are similar to each other. When resuscitating a flash drive, a complete flashing of the device and subsequent formatting may be required.
Determine VID&PID
The key to unraveling the USB drive is the controller, a rather tricky and complicated thing, but without this part, the repair will become much more difficult. The main catch is that all manufacturers of flash drives use different models and types of controllers when releasing, and not only their own, but also other people's developments, along with some know-how, can be intertwined there. Therefore, it is not always possible to accurately and the first time determine which controller is in front of you.
You can go the barbaric way and gut the keychain, then you will know exactly what and “how” is in front of you, but this method is probably not to everyone's liking. Therefore, it is better to resort to third-party software, since the program for repairing flash drives is not so rare. Let's consider several useful utilities that determine the flash drive controller (VID & PID).
ChipEasy
A simple, useful and intuitive program for resuscitation of flash drives. The interface is extremely user-friendly and translated into Russian.
The utility is able to recognize the manufacturer along with the model of the USB drive. Great for Transcend and Kingston brands. If you need to repair a flash drive with your own hands, then the first step is to master this product.
FDIE (Flash Drive Information Extractor)
The utility is “sharpened” mainly for Silicon Power media. It will give all the necessary information about VID & PID, controller, model and type of USB drive. One of the main advantages of the program is the detail of the information: the utility for repairing a flash drive will put together all the data, if desired, summarize and give the result in a convenient list.
There is also a non-professional version of the translation into Russian in the public domain, although you can do without it - the program has a poor and understandable interface.
CheckUDisk
The program is characterized by a high speed of scanning information from the media for the subsequent determination of VID & PID. Data detailing to determine the controller and media type is performed at the level of a similar FDIE.
The program for repairing flash drives is simple, understandable and has a friendly interface similar to ChipEasy. If you wish, you can download an amateur version of the Russified product if there are any problems with the translation.
Flashing
After one of the above utilities can point you to the VID & PID, you need to find the right program for flashing and subsequent formatting on the manufacturers' official websites. But even here it is not so simple. Flash drive repair consists of two parts: firmware and format, but some types of devices are simply not designed for flashing, in which case you can simply hang the keychain with a flash drive on the wall and go to the store for a new one.
Rare types of flash drives
Little-known or high-capacity USB drives are more difficult to recover than their standard counterparts. Repairing a flash drive of this type is very often accompanied by hardware problems like bad sectors. In such cases, the media is connected as a second HDD through a special recovery adapter, then the data recovery procedure is carried out using the methods described above.
Summarizing
High-quality and at the same time free repair of a flash drive is a very transparent procedure, which may not help you in all cases. If your device has valuable information or is expensive in itself, it makes sense to contact a specialized service center where smart specialists will help you not only save information, but also give a second life to your flash drive. Otherwise, no one can guarantee you positive results, and you will act only at your own peril and risk.
Always remember the simple rules for storing information: copies and more copies. Buy two flash drives, reserve space on the hard drive for copies. The time spent on the backup procedure is incommensurable with the time spent on restoring and repairing any media.
In the previous article, we talked about what to do if the computer does not see the flash drive and analyzed several effective ways. Here, by the way. This time we will touch on programs that can also solve some of the problems. Therefore, if you have messages that, or the computer does not see the USB drive at all, and other similar problems that you could not solve, then you can try using free flash drive repair programs.
So, you carried out various manipulations with flash drives in order to make them workable, but neither the command line nor work with the utility "Disk Management" did not lead to a positive outcome. Then, as I said, we will use special utilities that will help us. They are provided by well-known manufacturers Kingston, Transcend and others.
It is worth noting that sometimes such programs can only aggravate the situation and the USB drive will be out of order, therefore, if you decide to use such programs, you take full responsibility. But I don't want to scare you in any way.
To begin with, we will consider programs from popular manufacturers, and only then we will find out which memory controller is on your flash drive and find a suitable utility for it.
Flash Drive Repair with Transcend's Utility
If you have a USB drive from Transcend, then you should use the utility to restore it. JetFlash Online Recovery. The usage is very simple. Connect the USB drive to the computer, run the program and follow the instructions. Moreover, there are only two functions: erase data and restore them. If the flash drive does not act up again, then try cleaning. You can download from here.
Repair a flash drive using a utility from Silicon Power
Go to the official website of the manufacturer, go to the section "Support" and look for a utility there called USB Flash Drive Recovery. Download from here. It is just as easy to use as the first one.
Flash drive repair using Adata utility
If you have a flash drive from Adata, then this company also has its own repair utility. It will help you correct some mistakes. You can download it by following this link. By the way, it's called USB Flash Drive Online Recovery.
Kingston Flash Drive Repair
Popular company Kingston, I think at least one user who visited this page has a USB drive Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0, then you can bring it into working condition using the DTHX30 utility, which can be downloaded from here.
Fixing Issues with D-Soft Flash Doctor
Utility D-Soft Flash Doctor is freeware and does not belong to any well-known manufacturer of USB sticks. According to reviews, this program is known to fix problems using low-level formatting.
In addition, using the program, you can create an image of the flash drive itself, in order to avoid malfunctions later. Download from here.
Program for repairing your flash drive
Let's say that all the programs that are described above did not suit you, then we will use the following method.
If you download the Chip Genius utility, you can find out the memory controller of your flash drive, and already using the data PID And VID find the right program for us.
Now let's go to the iFlash website and enter the desired values that we received from Chip Genius in the appropriate search fields.
Look at the column chip model, which drives the same controller uses there, and in the column utilities look at the proposed utilities.
That's all, I hope this article helped you fix problems with a USB drive.
