Pendrives or also called flash memories, are very useful tools to carry all the information we need from one place to another effortlesslyin a small place and with enough capacity to store large amounts of data.
The problem with these units is that they are quite fickle. Something that has happened to many users is the fact of taking a USB flash drive, because they need certain data to read them on another computer, verifying that it is impossible to access them because it does not connect or because the data is corrupted for some reason.
Although they are devices that can suffer from errors, the truth is that recovering data from a flash drive can be somewhat easier than it seems at first.
In most cases, there are solutions to the problems that flash memory has, causing the data that is needed to be recovered.
To know how to recover data from a broken flash drive, you just have to keep reading:
Why can a USB flash drive get damaged?
On many occasions, the main reason why there is a problem with a flash drive that you have is that a unsafe removalsomething that happens more or less often in type of device, suffering a lot.
With this action it may be that the data that we have transferred from being corrupted or at least part of them, as long as the own Drive file system may be broken and stop working.
Failures can also occur due to malware, some kind of error in formatting a drive, excessive use, a failure of some internal component, the hardware itself being damaged, and even a power surge.
Recover data from a pen drive with hardware problems
When recovering data from a flash drive, it should be checked in the first instance, whether the drive is able to work on the computerthat is, to know if when placing it in a USB port the device is detected by the operating system.
If your computer is not capable of detecting the unit, there is little that can be done, except some other check in case the problem comes from very specific situations.
Check if the USB drive is correctly connected to the port of the computer
If our computer does not detect a USB flash drive, the first thing, since it is the most affordable, is to verify that it fits correctly in the port of your computer.
It may be the case that the USB port, for whatever reason, is damaged and there is loosenessbeing unable to hold the flash drive correctly.
This type of problem can also lead to the fact that it is able to connect to the computer, but, even so, it suffers from random disconnections, slow transfer speeds, and random missing files.
You can try to fix the problem moving gently the USB drive to make sure you get it to fit correctly and not move around. You may even have to hold the flash drive in some way to make it stay in the proper position.
Make sure the flash drive is in good condition
It may be that the problem does not come from the USB port, but from the flash drive itself. You must check that USB drive and external case pins are intact. If these pins are worn or the case is bent, that may be the source of the problems you are experiencing.
It is also convenient to check if the unit has dust or debris insideto remove them if it is affirmative.
Check USB ports
You should also check the USB port of your computer in the same way as the flash drive.
You have to take a look to see if there is dust or dirt inside the USB port of the computer, in addition to observing if any of the pins is bent or faulty.
What to do when the problem is software
If we have checked the hardware and everything is correct, then it is time to recover data from a broken flash drive that has a software problem, which prevents it from working properly.
You will have different options to be able to recover photos from a flash drive, for example, when everything is caused by the software.
error analysis
You will be able to use the different error correction services of a unit of the different operating systems that currently dominate the computer market.
You have this type of possibility both in Windows and in MacOS, as well as in Linux.
windows
- Select the USB drive in the File Browser Windows, right-click on it by clicking on Properties.
- Then you will see the button Find out (eyelash Tools), which you must press to perform an error-checking analysis.
Mac OS
- Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- You should now see a list of drives on the left side of the window. Find and select the USB drive from the list.
- then click First aid (top of the Disk Utility window).
- A dialog box will appear asking if you want to run First Aid on the selected drive.
- Click on Execute to find and repair any errors on your USB drive.
linux
- Having the USB flash drive open the Terminal.
- Writes lsblko sudo fdisk -ly press Enter. This will display a list of all drives connected to the computer.
- You must identify your USB drive by its size, name, or partition. It should look something like “/dev/sdb1”.
- Before beginning the repair process, the drive must be unmounted. Writes sudo umount /dev/sdb1 (replace “/dev/sdb1” with your drive identifier) and press Get in.
To check and repair the USB drive, type sudo fsck /dev/sdb1 (replace “/dev/sdb1” with the identifier of your disk) and press Get in.
Change drive letter
There are times when you can recover data from a flash drive with seemingly very simple changes. It can happen that just by changing the drive letter, Windows ends up recognizing a drive that it couldn’t before.
For change the drive letter on a flash drive we must do the following:
- Press the keys Windows+R and it opens Execute.
- So you must write diskmgmt.msc and give to Enter.
- Find the USB drive, right-click, and then tap Change drive letter and path.
- Click the button Change.
- Select the drive letter you want and click Accept.
usb drivers
As with any piece of computer hardware, USB requires drivers. If these fail, they are sure to cause problems, just like if they are out of date.
To solve it you must perform these steps:
- Right-click the Start menu button on the taskbar, and then click Device administrator.
- In disk drivesyou must right click on your USB drive and then click update driver.
- Click on Find drivers automatically and Windows will automatically search for and install any relevant drivers.
Run the Windows Hardware Troubleshooter
The Windows Hardware Troubleshooter is a part of Windows that is really very useful for troubleshooting.
For run the windows troubleshooter do the following:
- press the keys Windows+R and open Execute.
- Writes cmd and press Enter.
- Now write msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic and press Enter. You need to let the troubleshooter run.
With everything you just read you have a good chance of getting your usb flash drive working again and thus not lose the data that you had inside.
In general, recovering data from a flash drive is relatively easy, but complicated if none of the solutions you have read have worked for you.
