USB drives have long taken the position of a faithful companion in the life of every modern person. Movies, music, photographs, business documents - all this roams from computer to computer using a small key fob. Flash drives have successfully replaced unreliable floppy disks in the world of storage media and are gradually taking away "bread" from optical disks and even hard drives.
However, despite the fact that a flash drive is much more convenient and reliable than the media described above, few people are safe from problems with it today. USB sticks fail just the same. In this article, we will describe the main reasons for the failure of flash drives, as well as consider the most effective and simple methods for recovering them.
The main types of USB drive failures
- Mechanical damage - the occurrence of cracks and other visible defects that violate the integrity of the microcircuits and, accordingly, lead to a complete loss of drive performance. Mechanical damage can also include deformation of the connector itself. This type of malfunction can be called the most unpleasant, since as a result, hopes for the restoration of the flash drive tend to zero. However, trying to bring it back to life is still worth it - some defects may be non-critical. It's just that the built-in firmware, one way or another, blocks the media in order to prevent data loss from it.
- Firmware failure - did you know that there is a safe way to remove a removable drive? But many regularly ignore this procedure, simply pulling the flash drive out of the connector. The full-fledged operation of the drive is carried out by the firmware (firmware) built into it. And if, in most cases, she is ready to forgive the user’s disrespectful attitude towards herself, then at some point, if she is not ejected correctly, she can fail, blocking the work of the entire removable disk. In this case, the recovery procedure is more than possible - physically the flash drive remains healthy. It is only necessary to restore the normal functioning of the firmware, for which the utilities developed by the manufacturer of USB drives are usually used.
- Drive resource exhaustion - the flash drive has a certain resource for the number of file write/delete cycles. And this is fraught with the fact that over time the drive will simply be unable to store the information written to it. Resource exhaustion is a problem, as a result of which it will probably be impossible to restore a flash drive. Unless, having given it for repair, but in this situation it is much easier to buy a new keychain.
- Electrical damage - as a result of an unstable power supply or due to moisture getting inside the flash drive, internal electrical circuits may short out or individual microcircuits may fail. In this case, you can try to restore, but no one will give you a 100% guarantee for the successful completion of the procedure.
In general, it is worth trying to restore in any of the above cases. You won’t spend much time, but you can more than save money on purchasing a new flash drive. It is worth clarifying one more thing - never store your data on only one drive (this applies not only to flash drives). Try to create an additional backup on a computer or cloud storage. This will greatly facilitate the procedure for their recovery in case the main drive fails.
Drive recovery with JetFlash OnLine Recovery
If you are a happy owner of drives manufactured by the well-known company Transcend, then you are incredibly lucky! You can safely skip all the steps described above - your attention is provided with a convenient and simple tool for restoring the performance of your flash drive. All you need for this purpose is a stable and fairly fast Internet connection throughout your work with the program.
The utility is called JetFlash Online Recovery. You can try to apply it not only to Transcend products. But whether she wants to work is another question. Again, it doesn't hurt to try. The beauty of Online Recovery is that the user does not need to find out the VID, PID, brand of the controller and memory chip, set the optimal settings, etc. All this is done automatically. Drive data and handling methods are verified and installed over the Internet. That's why having a stable connection is so important.
The algorithm of actions does not cause any difficulties. First of all, you need 
download and install OnlineRecovery on your computer. After that, connect the USB flash drive to the computer and run the utility. In the main window of the application, set the amount of memory that your drive has. The next step should be to set the recovery options for the flash drive - with saving data ("Repair drive & keep existing data" option - another advantage lies precisely in this possibility) or without it ("Repair drive & Erase all data"). It is worth paying attention to the fact that even if you select the first item, there is no guarantee that absolutely all data will be saved.
After setting the necessary settings, click the Start button and wait for the flash drive to finish formatting. When finished, press the Exit button, remove the drive from the USB port and reinsert it. If the flash drive is still being restored, its work will be resumed.
In the event that JetFlash Online Recovery was unable to return your flash drive to working capacity, you can try to do it manually using a drive specially designed for a particular model. This process is more laborious and can even cause a state of some stupor in a beginner. But there are few options, so knowledge of how this is done also does not hurt.
Defining a flash drive recovery utility
The problem of data recovery is that USB drives are produced by different manufacturers. Accordingly, each of them can use slightly different technologies and adapt certain software to serve flash drives. There is no single application that would allow you to restore damaged removable media (some unification exists for Transcend products, but we will consider this issue later as a separate item) - it will have to be selected individually.
The Flashboot.ru resource, popular on the Web, allows you to determine the program suitable for a specific flash drive. In order for the site's search engine to find the right utility for you, you need to know the basic parameters of the drive - the manufacturer's name, flash drive model name, VID and PID. With this information in hand, you can easily choose an effective means of media recovery.
The name of the manufacturer can be easily determined by reading the logo on the body of the flash drive. To determine the remaining parameters, you can use additional software.
Programs such as ChipGenius and ChekUDisk are convenient means of obtaining the necessary technical information about drives. In principle, you do not need any supernatural abilities from such programs, so you can use any of them.
To determine the VID and PID using the first utility, run the ChipGenius program (no installation required) and plug in your flash drive. In the list of USB devices, find the item "+USB HID-compliant device" and click on it with the left mouse button. Detailed information about the drive will be displayed at the bottom of the window, where the PnP Device HD line will contain information regarding VID and PID.
ChekUDisk works on the same principle. In this case, the information will be displayed in the VID&PID line in the format "Vid_0000&Pid_0000". You should be interested in what comes after the underscore character.
After that, go to the Flashboot.ru website and open the iFlash tab. In the VID and PID fields, enter the relevant data determined by you using the programs described above, and click the "Find" button. A list of drives will open, among which you will need to find the model of your flash drive. The last column of the table will display the name of the utility for working with your USB drive.
Now you need to download and install the program recommended for use. Everything is very simple here. On the main page of the same Flashboot.ru service, there is a “Files” tab. Go into it and copy the name of the utility you are looking for into the search query field. Click on the found link, download and install the utility for working with a flash drive.
The further procedure depends on the specific program. In general, they all have a very intuitive interface (which usually comes down to pressing a single button), so understanding how to work with them will not be any particular problem.
Utilities for working with a flash drive, as a rule, carry out low-level formatting, or flashing, of the drive. This step allows you to bring the built-in firmware to life and bring the flash drive back to life. In the event that it does not have serious damage in its structure. In addition, formatting is fraught with the fact that all the data that was stored on the drive will be lost. And even the means of data recovery after formatting, for the most part, will be powerless here.
Before you start working with a particular utility, also pay attention to not all the recommendations that are usually included on the download page on Flashboot.ru and in the search results on iFlash. This will greatly facilitate your further communication with the utility.
This method is mostly universal and is suitable for restoring almost any available USB drive models. There is only one drawback here - a motley patchwork of models, names of controllers and memory chips can confuse an inexperienced user. There can be only one recommendation here - carefully read all the attached information.
After recovery...
The low-level formatting procedure, designed to return the flash drive to a “healthy look”, as a rule, leads to the loss of all files and data stored on it. We have already mentioned this, but it will not be superfluous to draw your attention to this fact again.
Upon completion of the recovery procedure, you can try to extract the data, as after a normal format. We described this in a separate article on our website. It also does not give any guarantees about whether it will be possible to recover the memory of the flash drive (more precisely, what occupies this memory). Usually, low-level formatting results in complete erasure of data. But there are still good chances.
Recovery of damaged files
Problems in the operation of flash drives are not uncommon. Some media only fail, which is easily fixed, others do not work and need to be restored. In the article we will tell you how to restore a flash drive and resume working.
Formatting the Drive
The disc does not open, it is impossible to read information or write? If the partition table is damaged, then formatting is enough to restore the media. The table will be overwritten, which will solve the health problem. Sometimes formatting fails due to a virus or third-party software. In this case, scan with an antivirus and / or perform a low-level format.
Flash drive recovery using proprietary utilities
Some well-known and reputable drive manufacturers have proprietary media recovery applications. For example, Transcend has a JetFlash Online Recovery utility, where recovery requires only 3 steps:
- Connect media to PC
- Run utility
- Wait for the recovery to finish.
Check the availability of programs for recovering drives from other manufacturers directly with the manufacturer of the media through the feedback form on the official website.
Proprietary utilities for flash drive recovery from Transcend
Controller Firmware
Unsafe removal of a flash drive, without first shutting down the drive, often causes the controller to malfunction. The firmware flies, which does not allow formatting the media, reading or writing data. In this case, re-flashing the controller helps.
Important! Flashing the controller leads to the complete deletion of all data on the drive. If you need to save information, first use the appropriate utilities, such as R-Studio.
The firmware is performed in three stages:
- Define the controller model.
- Search for firmware.
- Direct controller firmware.
Let's consider all three stages in more detail so that you can flash the controller yourself.
Stage 1: Determining the controller model
Windows Control Panel
Device Manager in Windows
In the new window, expand the "USB Controllers" list. Highlight "USB mass storage device", then open properties.
In Device Manager, expand "USB Controllers"
Right-click to call up the properties of the item “USB Mass Storage Device”
On the Details tab, select "Hardware ID" from the drop-down list. In your case, the desired item may be called differently. It is important to identify the values of VID and PID.
In this case, the values are as follows: VID_AAAA, PID_8816, chip model - 1308. In your case, the information will be different.
With the obtained values, we proceed to the second stage.
Stage 2: Finding a firmware program
The flashboot database will help you find a firmware utility. The site contains information on various drives, as well as the preferred software for flashing the controller.
Enter the VID and PID details, and then press the search button.
In the table, match the data, including the chip model, media volume, and manufacturer.
In this case, the card is from an unknown manufacturer, so it was not possible to find suitable firmware for the firmware. In your case, the outcome may be much more favorable. In the Utils column there will be a description of the program and a download link.
If you have a program, you can start flashing the controller.
Stage 3: Controller Firmware
Usually a detailed description of the firmware installation is attached to the software. An approximate algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Remove the drive from the computer.
- Run the program, confirm the driver installation.
- Plug in your drive. The system will detect a new device and offer to install drivers.
- After identifying the media, confirm the flashing process.
- At the end of the firmware and formatting the drive, remove the program from the PC.
- Remove and reinstall the drive.
- Carry out the formatting in the standard way.
Recovering a flash drive with third-party applications
Some third-party programs have tools for recovering removable media, as well as fixing various errors. For a list of such programs, see In a separate article, you can get acquainted with programs for recovering a flash drive
Step by step instructions for USB flash drive recovery in which I will try to answer the question in an accessible language How to recover a flash drive independently and without much effort.
It happens that you help a person, and then he will tell everyone that you are so good and there are already crowds of people who are thirsty for help. Something like this happened when I restored several flash drives colleagues.
Now the people carry not only their flash drives, but also flash drives their friends, acquaintances and relatives. Well, at least someone else dragged a bottle of beer or a cookie - figurines.
It's not difficult for me to help, but when I suggest that you learn how to do all this yourself, you refuse. I'll just make those next time. If you don't want to learn, move on.
With the lyrics, I end here and go directly to the topic of the post ..
If your flash drive stopped determined like a drive, doesn't want to be formatted, does not allow you to write down information or something else happened to it, BUT it does not have mechanical damage, then you know - not everything is lost. Most likely glitched controller and it will take a little fiddling with it. In time, this procedure takes approximately 5 minutes.
I must say right away that there is no universal programs for recovery all varieties flash drives. You will need to find exactly the one that can work with the controller of your flash drives.
First, we need to define VID and PID non-working flash drives.
Determine VID and PID for flash drive recovery
Plug in flash drive to the computer and run Device Manager. Start – Run - mmc devmgmt.msc.
Then go to section USB Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
Find yours in the list flash drive. Usually, everything flash drives have a name USB mass storage device.
Press the right key on the device and open Properties.
Go to tab Intelligence.
In the drop-down list, select the item Instance code device or Equipment codes (ID).
In this window we see PID and VID.
Finding a flash drive recovery program
We go to the FlashBoot.ru website and enter the received VID and PID.
Click on the button Search.
In the results, we are looking for our manufacturer and model of the flash drive. I have this Kingston DataTraveler 2.0.
In the right column there will be the name of the program we need or a link to it.
All. Now search Google for the program by name or download from the link provided. Launch and follow the instructions. Usually, in such programs for recovery there is only one button, so you should not have any questions.
That's all!
Any questions - ask in the comments.
Which lead to the fact that the USB drive is not recognized. From corrupted USB ports to USB formatting issues, the list of possible scenarios is very varied. It should also be noted that before applying any of the following methods, the user must ensure that the cause is analyzed and the problem is correctly identified.
The list of reasons that lead to the fact that the flash drive is not readable and that users encounter most often includes the following 5 scenarios:
- USB ports are not working.
- USB drivers need to be updated.
- The operating system (OS) is not updated.
- The USB stick is defective.
- The USB firmware is corrupted.
You can find more than one USB recognition program on the Internet that guarantees that the data will be extracted, but these programs are best not to use, as they can threaten security, possibly compromising data.
The following are some of the factors that can lead to flash drive recognition problems. It should be noted that these problems need to be addressed as soon as possible:
- Problem with USB formatting. This is the most common type of issue where the user is unable to format the drive before first use. The error message states that the formatting could not be completed.
- Problem with drivers. USB drivers are not available or need to be updated.
- Hard drive problems. If the hard drive of the OS and its associated system is not working properly, it is most likely a problem with the hard drive.
- OS Related Problems: The OS, if it is not updated in a timely manner, also leads to these problems. The only solution is to update the components.
- Port related issues. It can be either hardware or software. If the ports do not recognize USB, professional help is recommended.
USB formatting problem - the most common type of problem
4 Ways to Fix a Flash Drive Not Recognized by Windows
Method 1: Scan for USB issues
Step 1. Insert the flash drive into the USB port.
Step 2 Make sure the flash drive appears in the "My Computer" section. Then, by right-clicking, open the "Properties" section.
Step 3 Enter the "Service" section.
Step 4 Then you need to click on the "Check Now" button for a new menu to appear. Both options should be selected here, and the start button should be pressed to scan the device and fix the problem (in some it may be just "Check", then you need to click "Check" and then "Check and repair disk").
Method 2: USB Reformatting
Follow this process:
Step 1. Right-click on the flash drive under "My Computer" to select the format option.
Step 2 Now, in order to solve the problem, you need to format the flash drive using NTFS instead of FAT32 or vice versa:
On a note! All information from the flash drive will be deleted!
Method 3: Update drivers
The process looks like this:
Step 1. You need to open the Run window (Win + R), and then enter devmgmt.msc as in the screenshot below:
Step 2 This will take you to the Device Manager (it can also be opened through the built-in Windows search, you just need to type "Device Manager" in the search field, and Windows will return the desired result).
Step 3 You need to find "Universal Serial Bus controllers" as in the picture below:
Step 4 When you have found the controllers you need, you need to right-click on them and select the option to update drivers, then "Automatically search for updated drivers."
Method 4. OS update
To update the OS, follow these steps:
Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security.
Step 2 Now you need to make sure that the "Check for Updates" option is selected.
The OS will be updated.
You then need to restart your system to make sure the problem is fixed.
Hard Drive Lost Data Recovery Software
Once the USB recognition issue has been resolved, it is recommended that you back up any important data to ensure that the issue never reoccurs. You also need to check that all folders are saved and that nothing is missing. Wondershare Data Recovery Tool is the most advanced and modern tool specially designed to solve the problem of file loss. It is better to download it from the official site.
Note! Only 100 megabytes of lost data is free.
File recovery with Wondershare Data Recovery is done in 3 steps:
Step 1. First you need to choose what types of files you want to recover.
Step 2 Then you need to select the device from which you want to recover these same files.
Step 3. You also need to select the location where these files will be restored.
It will not be difficult, and an intuitive and simple interface will only help with this.
Video - Flash drive not detected - problem solving
How to restore an SD card or USB flash drive if the computer does not see them, does not read or write data? Problems with flash drives are rarely caused by normal wear and tear. More often, the causes of problems with them are ignoring the rules of safe removal of the device by users, experimenting with various software in which these flash drives are involved, as well as their initially lousy quality. Below we consider a list of possible actions carried out in the Windows environment that can solve the problem, unless, of course, the cause lies in a mechanical failure. And we, friends, will go from simple to complex.
Recovery of SD cards and USB flash drives in Windows environment
- Note: below we will only talk about restoring the performance of flash drives, but not about saving the data stored on them. This is a separate topic, and on this account the site has, you can still use this program for. Most of the methods for recovering SD cards and flash drives suggested below will result in the loss of their data.
1. Hardware lock
SD cards, MicroSD adapters and flash drives can be hardware-protected from writing data or completely blocked even for reading. These devices have a lock switch, which must be set to the "Unlocked" position accordingly.
2. Problems not related to the drives themselves
The cause of problems with SD cards and flash drives can be the Windows security policy. You need to find out if access to removable drives (in full or in part of writing data to them) is blocked by the computer administrator. You also need to check the card reader or USB ports of the computer. If everything is in order with the latter - the card reader reads other SD cards, but there are still problems with the flash drive, no matter how you connect it to other USB ports, let's move on.
3. Windows Explorer
Standard formatting using Windows Explorer can help in simple cases such as unsuccessful data writing to a USB flash drive. Or when for some reason a smartphone, tablet, camera or other device cannot handle this operation with respect to SD cards. In any of the current versions of Windows, in the Explorer window on the drive, we call the context menu, click "Format".
We leave the original file system and first try a quick format.
If it fails, we repeat the operation, but with full formatting (uncheck the quick one).
4. Windows Disk Management
You can try to format the format in disk management. To launch this tool, in the system search field, enter:
diskmgmt.msc
In the disk management window, focusing on the size of the drive, we are looking for it among the drives connected to the computer. And in the context menu called on it, we start formatting.
You can immediately choose full formatting.
If your flash drive has a partition structure like a hard drive, you need to delete each of those partitions. This is done using the option in the context menu "Delete volume".
And then, in place of the resulting unallocated space, you need to create a single partition. To do this, in the context menu on this very unallocated space, we launch the “Create a new volume” operation and follow the instructions of the step-by-step wizard.
5. Programs for low-level formatting
Regular formatting tools may not help in difficult cases, for example, when flash drives are displayed (in the same Explorer or Disk Management) as unrecognized devices with the RAW file system. The latter means that either the Windows environment does not understand the file system of the drive, or there is no file system as such in principle. Actually, this is what causes problems with a flash drive or SD card when it works on other devices, with other operating systems. In such cases, third-party Windows programs designed for the so-called low-level formatting will help restore the USB flash drive.
In fact, low-level formatting is a procedure that is carried out either in the production environment of flash device manufacturers, or in serious narrow-profile services. Various Windows software that claims this kind of operation actually performs the usual full format, but by mechanisms different from those used by the operating system. Such programs are good at dealing with flash drive problems if these problems occur at the file system level. Let's look at two of these programs.
HDD Low Level Format Tool
http://hddguru.com/software/HDD-LLF-Low-Level-Format-Tool/
The shareware portable program HDD Low Level Format Tool can format various types of storage media, in particular, SD cards and USB flash drives. After unpacking the archive with the program, run it, agree to the license terms.
Choose free use.
Directly in the program window, specify the problematic drive and click "Continue".
We confirm the decision.
We are waiting for the operation to complete and check the operation of the media.
SDFormatter
http://flashboot.ru/files/file/355
The completely free little program SDFormatter is another tool for so-called low-level formatting. Works with both SD cards and USB sticks. We install SDFormatter into the system, launch it, in the "Drive" column we indicate the problematic flash drive. Click "Format".
The program wants to make sure the seriousness of our intentions, click "OK.
Asks not to touch the drive while the operation is being carried out.
Upon completion, we test a USB flash drive or SD card. If it doesn’t help, repeat the operation with the settings for a complete rewriting of sectors (nothing more than a full format). Press "Option", select "Full (OverWrite)". And also click on "Format" at the bottom.
If using the above methods it was not possible to reanimate the flash drive, and it is still under warranty, you need to stop at this stage. And take no further action, except to contact the seller with a request to replace the device. All the actions that are described below should be resorted to only when, in fact, there is nothing to lose. The instructions below apply to USB sticks, SD cards, and MicroSD cards. However, in the case of the latter, the probability of recovery is extremely small.
6. D-Soft Flash Doctor
D-Soft Flash Doctor performs the so-called low-level formatting, and along the way it also detects bad sectors (cells). Well, and, accordingly, knows how to block them and replace them with backup ones. The program can help when flash drives or SD cards have difficulty reading individual files that have fallen on bad sectors. The program is free and portable. I did not find the official site, but it can be freely downloaded on the Internet.
In the D-Soft Flash Doctor window, the first thing to do is run a scan for errors.
In my case, there were no damaged (broken) sectors.
But if in your case, friends, the scan results are different, and bad sectors are found, we start the recovery process.
The window for this operation promises that the process will not last longer than 10 minutes, but in fact, remapping bad sectors on a drive with a capacity of more than 4 GB can take quite a long time. So it is better to run the recovery operation at night.
7. Flashing the memory controller
Programs for the so-called low-level formatting or their analogues, in any other form declaring the function of resuscitation of all types of SD cards and / or USB flash drives, turn out to be powerless in the event of a software failure of the controller when it needs to be flashed. This problem may have different symptoms, but more often it is either the computer does not completely see the drive, or it sees, it can even read data, but cannot format it by any means. In particular, due to write protection, despite the fact that the drive is not blocked by hardware.
