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how to repair usb thumb drive

by Miss Courtney Pagac IV Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How to Fix USB Drive Logical Issues in Windows

  • The first step is to insert your USB thumb drive into the computer's USB drive.
  • Click on ' My Computer ' and choose the USB drive that appears.
  • Right-click on the drive and go to ' Properties '.
  • Then choose the ' Tools ' tab.
  • Click on the ' Check Now ' button.
  • You should be now presented with two repair options, i.e. " Scan for and attempt to recover bad sectors " and " Automatically fix file system errors ".
  • Check both the boxes and click ' start ' to commence the scanning process.
  • Once the scan is complete click 'close.'

Part of a video titled How to Fix Corrupted USB Flash Drive and Recover Data?
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The easiest way to fix any corrupted storage device is to use the windows built in check errorMoreThe easiest way to fix any corrupted storage device is to use the windows built in check error utility.

How to fix a corrupted USB drive on Windows 10?

To update the driver of your USB drive, you need to:

  • Right click Start icon and find Device Manager. Open it.
  • Find your corrupted USB drive and right click on it. Choose Uninstall device.
  • Plug out your drive and plug it in again. Your computer will automatically update the driver itself.

How to repair a corrupted USB flash drive?

How to repair the USB flash drive on Windows 10

  1. Click on the “My Computer- Removable Disk” icon. Then right-click the “Properties” tab to the Removable Disk icon.
  2. Scan; let the computer do the task of scanning and restoring previously corrupt files.
  3. Finally, right-click the USB pen drive and click on eject to safely disconnect the drive from the computer system.

How to scan and fix USB?

To check and repair the file system the drive:

  1. Right-click the USB drive or SD card and select Properties from its context menu.
  2. Click the Tools tab and check the option under the Error-checking section.
  3. Click Scan and repair drive option to fix the issue.

How to uncorrupt a flash drive?

Other Ways to Recover Files from a Corrupted Flash Drive

  1. Recover from a Backup. Have you recently created a backup of your USB flash drive? ...
  2. Use the ATTRIB Command. Flash drive corruption can have many different forms. ...
  3. Use the File History Feature. The Windows operating system comes with a local backup tool called File History. ...
  4. Try Windows File Recovery. ...
  5. Pay for Professional Data Recovery. ...

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Can a USB flash drive be repaired?

For software or driver issues, you can scan and repair your flash drive using your computer's built-in repair utility. If your drive isn't working because of an improper formatting or corrupted data, you can reformat your drive—but keep in mind that reformatting your USB flash drive will erase all files on it.

How do you fix a corrupted flash drive?

how to fix a corrupted flash drive without formattingStop using the USB drive.Do not add new items to USB stick.Do not reformat the USB flash drive.Open CMD. ... Check if your drive has bad sectors. ... chkdsk H: /f (H is the drive letter of USB drive. ... Type Y if the drive is in use and hit Enter key to proceed.More items...•

How does a USB get corrupted?

A USB drive can get corrupted due to varied reasons, from sudden power failure, improper operation, unplugged directly without ejecting to USB failures like file catalog corruption, etc. Usually, you will be told to re-format that USB drive in order to make it usable again.

How do I fix a corrupted flash drive without formatting?

Part 1: Fix a Corrupted Flash Drive Without FormattingCheck Utility. For a pen drive not physically broken, able to be recognized and assigned a letter by your computer, this is the easiest method to fix it. ... Enable, Updated and Uninstall USB Drive. ... Use CMD Commands. ... Change the Drive Letter of the USB Drive.

How do you fix gibberish characters on a flash drive?

Before attempting to fix it, copy the files to another drive as backup.To fix, simply run CHKDSK on your flash drive. If you cannot recover your data through CHKDSK then I suggest you to use a recovery software.

How to Fix Corrupted USB Flash/Pen Drive Using Cmd

CMD is your first choice for damaged USB flash drive, and pen drive recovery. Requiring no formatting, it allows you to fix a corrupted USB drive w...

How to Repair Corrupted USB Pen Drive/Flash Drive Without Formatting

If the above method is not workable, just carry out the following steps to repair the damaged USB flash drive without formatting and rescue your da...

Fix Corrupted USB Pen Drive Or Flash Drive Using EaseUS USB Repair Tool

If all the above solutions are failing to help, you can try this last way to repair corrupted USB flash drive without losing data using EaseUS file...

How to fix a flash drive that is not working?

If your drive isn't working because of an improper formatting or corrupted data, you can reformat your drive—but keep in mind that reformatting your USB flash drive will erase all files on it. Finally, if the flash drive won't work because of physical damage, you should take it into a tech department or data recovery professional; if that's not possible, you may be able to fix it yourself by soldering the broken USB drive's circuitry to a working USB cable. However, attempting repairs yourself is not recommended as there is a high risk of destroying the flash drive.

How to connect a USB flash drive to a Mac?

Connect the USB flash drive to your computer. Plug it into one of your Mac's USB ports.

How to format a hard drive?

Click Format. It's in the menu that appears when you right-click the drive. Doing so opens the Format window.

Why won't my flash drive work?

Finally, if the flash drive won't work because of physical damage, you should take it into a tech department or data recovery professional; if that's not possible, you may be able to fix it yourself by soldering the broken USB drive's circuitry to a working USB cable.

What to do if you choose to seek the services of a professional data recovery company?

If you choose to seek the services of a professional data recovery company, be sure to describe your problems to the best of your abilities to ensure they have the tools and experience for the job.

How to get to the menu on a flash drive?

Right-click your flash drive's icon. This displays a menu to the right of the drive.

Where is the Properties button on a drive?

Click Properties. It's at the bottom of the menu that appears when you right-click a drive.

How to repair a corrupted USB drive?

Step 1 To start, connect your corrupted USB Flash Drive that you want to repair with your Computer. Now, get to the “Start” button and “Right Click” on it , you will see a menu list appearing , look for “ Device Manager” and click on it , you will be directed to the “ Device Manager” window. Step 2 In the window, you will see various options listed, ...

What is the best tool to recover a corrupted USB drive?

We recommend that you use the Recoverit (IS) tool to recover all of your important data from your corrupted USB Flash Drive. The tool is one of the best recovery tools in the market. It’s powerful, it’s easy, it’s efficient, and it’s featureful.

Why isn't my USB flash drive working?

If your USB Flash Drive is not working on your PC, specifically, if it is going undetected while you connect it to your PC, it’s possible that your USB Flash Drive is not in the need of repair , it might be your USB port that needs the repairing.

How to protect USB flash drive from water damage?

Keep your usb flash drive protected from Dust or any kind of water spillage, always keep it in a case or cover to protect it from physical damage. As any kind of physical damage can hurt its circuits and the drive can get corrupted.

What happens if you take too much work from a USB flash drive?

If you take too much work from your usb flash drive and keep it connected with your PC, there are very high chances of it getting in contact with malware and bugs through your system. So always keep in mind to keep your system clean and protected while using usb flash drive.

What is recovery tool?

Recoverit (IS) Tool is very flexible. It lets you recover data from all kinds of OS and devices such as Windows, iOS, Android , USB Flash Drive, Hard Drive, Digital Cameras, etc.

Do USB flash drives need to be updated?

Always make sure that the Drivers of your usb flash drive are up to date and are not corrupted. If the drivers are outdated, do update them.

What happens if a thumb drive is broken?

Broken USB Connector: First, the thumb drive is inspected under a microscope. If the connector is in one piece, it is tested for continuity. If the pins are broken or it fails the continuity check, the connector is removed. This test is important because it’s not uncommon for the pins to break inside the connector.

How to replace a torn PCB?

Lifted or Torn Pads: If the pads are torn or lifted on the PCB then we have to replace them. Note the path/trace in case the new connector is going to cover or hide the path from view. At our recovery lab, we typically replace missing pads with a micro-thin copper tape that we cut to the correct width under a microscope. We can also use small magnet wire (or similar) to remake the connection path. Sometimes we see failed do-it-yourself cases where the pads are lifted with the connector and the traces have been torn from the PCB. In these cases we have to determine if it’s more practical to use wire or copper tape to restore the connection (s).

Does a 3.0 flash drive have a pinout?

Note: There are some less common 3.0 flash devices that use a non-standard pinout, so beware. We have seen this on some PNY flash drives with Phison controllers.

Can a broken thumb drive be repaired?

Can a USB flash drive be repaired or recovered? In most cases, YES! How do we repair a broken USB thumb drive? Take note, the data recovery method can be quite different if the flash media has just stopped working. In some cases, the metal USB connector might come loose or break off. Assuming no pads are torn, this could be an easy case for a do-it-yourself project, but many times this just isn’t the case. There is also the chance that someone with the wrong tools or experience can make the job more difficult or even unrecoverable. If your data is important, you should seek a professional data recovery company. If you can’t find a reliable recovery lab near you then send it to us, we are always ready to provide fast and friendly service.

Where to connect USB drive to PC?

Connect your USB drive to the rear ports on your desktop PC, which often provide more stable power supplies compared to the front ones

Why is my USB drive not detected?

Another reason that could cause the ‘drive not detected’ issue is if the drive letter assigned to the USB drive is already occupied by another drive on the computer (or the letter on the USB is missing).

Why is my USB flash drive not showing up?

If a driver is missing, outdated, or corrupted, your computer won't be able to load your USB drive. USB driver issue, drive letter conflicts, and file system errors, etc. may all cause your USB flash drive not showing up on Windows PC.

Why is my USB drive showing unallocated space?

If your USB drive is showing as 'unallocated space' in the Disk Management utility, then it could be that the driver is out of date or corrupted. To fix this you'll need to install a new driver. Step 1. Connect the USB flash drive to the PC. Step 2.

What does it mean when a USB drive is RAW?

File system errors can render a USB drive RAW, meaning that it can't be read by a computer. In this situation, you'll need to recover the files from the drive first, then convert RAW to NTFS or FAT32 format so you can use it once more.

How to determine which fault has occurred and the current state of the drive?

To determine which fault has occurred and the current state of the drive, you'll need to use the Disk Management utility in Windows. This can examine the drive and give you further details of the solution required

Can a USB drive be unusable?

As you can see, there are a variety of ways that a USB drive can be rendered unusable. Hopefully, you've been able to recover your files by following the steps in this guide. But we also recommend that you make regular backups of your data and be sure to eject drives properly from your PC each time you're finished with them.

How do USB sticks get damaged?

One of the most common paths to an unreadable card is when it’s been removed from a computer or laptop, without first safely ejecting the device. Do this once or twice, and you might be lucky.

What to do if USB isn't showing up?

If your USB device isn’t showing up, you can fix this by inserting the USB device and creating a new volume on the device. Do by following these steps:

How to recover data from a broken flash drive?

To recover data from a RAW USB device, you have options. One of the best options for broken flash drive data recovery is to make use of third-party software. One such tool is Disk Drill. Let’s find out how to get files off a broken flash drive with this tool.

Why is my USB drive unreadable?

Your USB drive might be unreadable, because of the assigned letter drive. To remedy this, insert the SD/USB device and change the drive letter by following these steps: Press the Windows key + X key combination. Click Disk Management.

Why is my USB stick not working?

Your USB stick might not be working because of a damaged file system, missing device drivers, malware or virus, or a broken circuit board.

What is a data recovery specialist?

Data recovery specialists are remarkably adept at salvaging data, even from disks and devices that might seem too far gone for recovery. If you don’t have anyone in your city who specializes in data recovery, you can also take the task to an online service. There are quite a few such services, such as the CleverFiles Data Recovery Center, that can help you recover data from a seemingly impossible situation.

What happens if your USB port is bent?

If your USB port is bent or broken and you cannot manually repair it, you’ll probably have to buy a new PC (if it’s the PC port) or USB device (if it’s the USB device that’s bent or broken).

What Are USB Repair Tools?

Multiple solutions fall under the somewhat vague term “USB repair tools”. The term covers:

How to scan a USB drive for lost files?

Select your USB flash drive from Disk Drill’s device list. Ensure “All recovery methods” is selected from the pulldown menu on the right. Click on “Search for lost data” to scan your device for files.

How to check for errors on USB flash drive?

Use chkdsk DRIVE LETTER /r /f , where DRIVELETTER is the one of your USB flash drive, to check for and try to repair any errors on it.

What is disk drill?

Disk Drill is a powerful but straightforward file recovery application worth adding to your USB stick repair utilities collection. We’ll zip through it and use it solely for recovering files from a non-accessible USB stick. Still, you can find out more about Disk Drill in our comprehensive review of this fantastic app.

How to protect a USB flash drive?

To ensure the safety of the data in your USB flash drive, you should first take a complete backup of its contents, even if it’s unusable in its current state. That’s because if the problem’s source is your USB flash drive’s hardware (for example, its memory chips), more use translates to more wear and intensifies the problem. Having a backup will ensure that even if the situation gets any worse, you will still have options to recover your precious data.

Why is my USB stick write protected?

Is your USB stick the official media where software like Microsoft’s Windows 10 came on? Then, it might be write-protected on purpose to avoid accidental deletion of the operating system’s installation files.

Where is my USB drive in Ubuntu?

If your USB flash drive is accessible under Ubuntu, you’ll see it listed on the left, under a list of popular locations. Click on it to “Mount and open” it.

How to check if USB flash drive is working?

Click the "Finish" button to close the window and map the USB flash drive to your computer. Restart the computer and then return to the "My Computer" menu and check to see if the USB flash device is usable. Navigate to the Start menu if the device still isn't working properly, and open Control Panel.

How to format a USB flash drive?

Double-click the "Computer Management" link at the top of the menu. Click the "Disk Management" button at the left side of the window to bring up a list of drives on the computer. Right-click the USB flash drive and choose the "Format" option. Click "Start" and wait for the formatting process to finish. Restart the computer and then attempt ...

What happens if you format a USB drive?

Formatting the drive will completely erase any data that was stored on it.

Why is my flash drive not detectable?

If the flash drive remains undetectable by any computer after mapping and formatting, the problem is a mechanical defect and the unit will need to be replaced.

How to map a network drive?

Open the Start menu and click on "My Computer" to bring up a new window that lists all of the drives connected to your computer. Take note of the letters assigned to the drives connected to your computer. Click on the blue button at the top left end of the window labeled "Map a Network Drive.". Click "Continue" if a second window pops up asking ...

Can you troubleshoot an undetectable USB flash drive?

You can troubleshoot an undetectable USB flash drive.

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