A program for formatting usb flash drives. Programs for formatting hard drives

Many people have USB flash drives. This is an indispensable attribute of a modern person who exchanges information and has his own computer or useful gadgets. Flash drives help us in everyday life; they come in handy when we need to transfer data, make a multiboot flash drive to revive the operating system and restore the functionality of the computer.

Why format a flash drive?

USB flash drives, like any complex electronic devices, tend to break down or have performance problems. It happens that when you connect a flash drive, the computer does not detect it or does not see its contents, cannot format it, or an attempt to write data to the flash drive causes an error.

In addition, formatting a USB flash drive is necessary when you need to upload a file larger than 4GB onto it. All removable media are in the FAT32 file system format by default.

This allows you to connect a flash drive to various devices and equipment, since this file system is recognized by most electronic devices that work with removable storage media. FAT32 does not allow files larger than 4GB to be written to the drive. In this case, you need to change the file system of the flash drive to NTFS.

How to format a flash drive in Winows using standard means?

Nothing could be simpler. To format a flash drive and change its file system, you need to open “My Computer”, right-click to bring up the context menu, select “Format”, select the necessary parameters - file system and formatting method (I choose “Quick Format”) and click "Start" button.

If everything is in order with the flash drive, then Windows will successfully complete formatting of the USB drive and you will receive a message about the successful completion of formatting.

What to do if the flash drive is not formatted?

If there is a problem with the flash drive and Windows cannot format it, you will either receive an error message, or for a long time the format window will not respond to user requests, and when you try to click on it with the mouse, it will turn gray and Windows will issue a warning that that the process is not responding.

Nobody wants to lose a working drive, so the issue of resuscitating a flash drive and formatting it using third-party tools will be relevant. You will have to look for alternative options to format the USB drive.

Formatting a flash drive via the command line

The first alternative way to format a USB drive is to use the system command line. Everything is simple here. Open the command line by pressing the combination Windows + R.

In the window that appears, enter the cmd command to open the command line and click OK.

In the command line window, type the convert command (the letter of which is marked on the flash drive): /fs:ntfs, for example, convert h:/fs:ntfs and press “Enter”.

If the process is successful, you will receive a message that the formatting was completed successfully.

If Windows cannot format, you will receive an error message; third-party specialized programs for working with memory cards and USB drives will come to the rescue.

Programs for formatting USB flash drives

There are enough third-party utilities on the network to work with memory cards and USB drives. The programs vary in functionality, but allow you to perform basic operations with removable media. For the most part, all third-party software is free, but there are also paid programs.

SwissKnife is a utility designed to create and format hard drive partitions and removable media. Specially designed for people who want to make their external hard drive visible on different operating systems.

JetFlash Recovery Tool is another popular program for working with removable disks and USB drives. A program for restoring USB flash drives. If your flash drive is unreadable or unformatted, then the jetflash recovery tool, in most cases, will help solve this problem.

The program does not require activation and runs on any version of Windows. Using the transcend jetflash recovery tool, you can restore the functionality of failed media; it corrects an error in the OS working with a flash drive if the USB flash drive is not detected or is not visible by the system.

Hard Disk Low Level Format Tool— another utility for low-level formatting of flash drives and other disks. In some cases, it helps to fix errors in the operation of a USB drive.

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool- a special utility from Hewlett-Packard for formatting memory cards and USB flash drives. The program has a simple interface and is similar to the built-in Windows disk formatting feature.

SDFormatter- a program for formatting memory cards, especially SD cards.

If the flash drive takes a long time to load, reset, or open files, this is a clear sign that its sectors and tracks are damaged. This problem can be solved quite simply - low-level formatting of the flash drive is carried out.

This formatting provides for new markings into sectors and tracks with recording of service information for the operation of the device. Operating principle: deleting all files that were or are on the media, the sector values become “zero”, and as a result, the data cannot be recovered later, which is very important if you need to avoid leaking confidential information when transferring the device to other people.

Why is the flash drive buggy and how can low-level formatting fix it?

The fact is that when writing files through a computer or any other device, recording can be done to damaged sectors. As a rule, modern flash drives allow this, but older manufacturers do not.

How it works?

Marks damaged sectors, blocks them and optimizes the operation of the flash drive. It is worth noting that full formatting cannot be done at home - this must happen at the manufacturer. But the low-level flash drive formatting utility simulates this process, which is quite enough if you need to block sectors and delete information free of charge for its confidentiality.

Low-level formatting of a flash drive: program suitable for this process

The simplest and most common solution is to use the HDD Low Level Format program. First you need to download it. After downloading, install in free mode (you can safely refuse the offer to purchase a paid version), the only difference is that there will be no updates. For those who do not know English, we clarify: you need to click “Continue for free” (from English “Continue for free”).

After installation, a list will be displayed with all flash drive models that the program supports. You can select the one you need by setting the parameters in the “Capacity” and “Model” columns. Having selected the required model and volume, click on the “Continue” button. How to determine the model is below in the material.

A new window will display information on the selected storage device. From all the parameters, select “Device details”, general and detailed information on the flash drive will be displayed, and among these parameters you need to select the tab: “Low-level format” (Low-level formatting of the flash drive). The formatting process will begin, and the main screen of the program will display all the processes that the HDD Low Level Format program performs, and the percentage of formatting completed.

Remarque

For high-level formatting, you need to select “Perform quick wipe” (check the box there). After selecting an action, a window will appear indicating that all data will be deleted without the possibility of recovery. You need to click “OK”.

After formatting the flash drive begins, the screen will show the percentage of sectors completed; at this time, you should not try to open the flash drive, write or read files from it, and you should not remove the device from the slot. At the end of the operation, the installation bar will turn yellow: low-level formatting of the flash drive is completed. Now you need to perform high-level formatting - this will write the file table, otherwise the flash drive will not work.

How to determine the device model

In order for the program to format the drive, you need to specify its size and model. The computer itself can indicate the volume, but the situation with determining the model is somewhat more complicated. In this case, only a special utility can help the user.

A popular program is ChipGenius. It does not require installation, just download it and open it, but before that you need to insert the device into the USB port. In the program window, select the desired drive. The utility will provide a lot of unnecessary information, so you need to skip everything and pay attention to two fields:

Controller Part-Number - device model;
. Flash ID code - will show the memory capacity of the flash drive, the type and model of flash memory.
That's all, if you know these parameters, low-level formatting of a flash drive is not a problem.

The standard method did not help: other ways to format a flash drive

Having carried out all the above procedures and come to a dead end, do not be upset. Sometimes a device needs a special utility from the manufacturer or simply created for it. For example, low-level Kingston can be done only after high-level through the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. In the Device field, select the desired drive, then click the “Start” button at the bottom of the field. Carry out the formatting discussed at the beginning of the material.

Note: do not forget to repeat the high-level formatting at the very end, otherwise the device will not work.

This method can also produce low-level Transcend or any other if the first method did not help.

Special use of low-level formatting: multiple partitions on one flash drive

Firstly, why is this necessary?

1. Availability of several operating systems on one drive.
2. Actions and manipulations with one section do not affect the other.
3. You can create several independent file systems.
4. Based on point “3”, fragmentation can be carried out within only one partition, thereby reducing time consumption, because a file can only be located in one file system, and it is easier for the program to “sort everything out”.
5. Regardless of the type of file systems, information can be stored in partitions with different clusters. It is very convenient, for example, to store large video files separately from small ones. accordingly, there will be more and less - this allows you to read files, upload and download them faster.

Which program should I choose?

BOOTICE is a universal utility that can both perform low-level formatting of a flash drive, and split it into several partitions, as well as manipulate them.

So, for example, we split the Kingston flash drive into 7.5 GB. Let's divide it into two partitions with a file system (File System) FAT 32 with Vol Label (1st: BOOT, 2nd: DATA) and a volume of 4000 and 3500 MB, respectively.

1. Open the program.
2. Find the line “Destination Disk” and select the desired drive in it.
3. Click the Parts Manage window.
4. An empty tab will appear, and at the bottom there will be a “Parts Manage” button - select and click.
5. Select “ReFormat USB disk”.
6. In the window that appears, select USB-HDD Mode (Multi Partitions) and below indicate Align to 1 MB.
7. Click Next and in a new window set the previously mentioned data: Size: 4000 and 3500, FileSystem: FAT 32 for both, Vol Label: BOOT and DATA.
8. Press “Okey” and wait for the procedure to complete.

Kingston Technology

In conclusion, let’s say a few words about one of the industry leaders, Kingston Technology. We are talking about an American private international corporation that develops, supports, markets and manufactures flash memory, as well as other computer devices that are related to memory. The company's headquarters are located in California, USA. Interestingly, Kingston employs over 4,700 people worldwide. The company has manufacturing facilities and offices in the United States, China, Taiwan, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Currently, it is the Kingston company that has managed to become the second largest supplier of flash memory, as well as the first distributor of USB drives and the third distributor of flash cards. Kingston Technology Corporation is one of the leading memory developers in the world, so if it weren’t for this digging, we might not have asked the question posed at the beginning of the article. What is the manufacturer of the flash drive you decided to format?

One of the most popular storage devices nowadays is a flash drive. It is convenient because it can not only store the necessary information and transfer it to another computer, but also because this reliable device can be used repeatedly. But, like all other equipment, a USB flash drive can wear out, causing errors in reading and writing information. Low-level formatting will help restore the device.

First of all, low-level formatting is used when it is impossible to carry out the procedure by other known methods or in the case when the device is write-protected. Before using this method, be sure to make sure that other known methods will not help you solve problems with your drive.

What is low level formatting

This is the distribution of a flash drive into sectors for recording information. This process erases absolutely all files and leaves no way to restore them. In this regard, you should make sure that the deleted data is not very important to you.

Low-level formatting is also carried out if it is necessary to clean a flash drive from virus files or when it is necessary to delete secret information to prevent it from reaching third parties, as well as if it is necessary to restore the boot sector.

This procedure is performed using special formatting utilities. Some of the applications are only suitable for a certain brand of device, while the use of others is universal for all types of flash drives. The article will discuss the most easy-to-use utilities.

Method 1: HDDGURU HDD Low Level Format Tool

This utility is completely free to use and has all the necessary functionality for formatting. In addition to working with a flash drive, it can also perform a similar procedure with a computer hard drive. The free version has a storage capacity limitation, but the limit is high enough that most users should not have any difficulties.

Once the download is complete, the flash drive is formatted and you can use it again as before. However, it is worth considering that upon completion of the procedure, the flash drive may need to be further formatted using Windows functions.

Method 2: Low Level Formatter

This program specializes in working with Silicon brand flash drives, but its functionality also extends to devices from other manufacturers. After connecting the media, the application will automatically determine if it is supported. Working with the program is quite simple and takes just a few steps.

Method 3: D-Soft Flash Doctor

The advantage of this program is that it does not require additional computer resources to operate, and it is entirely in Russian. You don't have to install it, since the utility works in portable mode. Follow these steps:

Method 4: JetFlash Online Recovery

The program in question works with devices of the following brands: JetFlash, Transcend, A-Data. Its advantage is that it is completely portable, contains only a couple of buttons and puts minimal load on the PC due to interaction with the cloud.

To get started you only need to do two steps:

As you can see, this is a very easy to use utility and even a novice user can handle it.

Regardless of what software is used in the work, the information on the media will be deleted permanently. Because of this, it is extremely important to back up all existing data before formatting. Sometimes, after completing the procedure, the flash drive starts to work slower, in which case it will be enough to safely remove it and reinsert the device into the PC.

Nowadays, many modern PC users have no idea how often any program for formatting a hard drive has helped in the past. .

After all, hard drives had to be formatted regularly.

This is all due to the imperfection of software products - both those that were used for basic user purposes and those that were used to perform maintenance operations on installed systems.

Background

Another aspect of the need for the once frequent use of programs to format hard drives is problems with the hardware. Small media volume, frequent hardware errors and the like.

But oddly enough, over time, the need to format disks still remained, even with the advent of modern solid-state drives. At the same time, the formatting operation has ceased to be an everyday norm, and if it is necessary to format a hard drive, many users are at a loss as to how and in what way it can be done.

Fortunately, over time, both the quality of software products designed for formatting hard drives and their number have increased noticeably. And now the user is not limited to built-in system utilities, but has access not just to third-party software products, but to entire sets of software tools that allow you to perform not only formatting, but also several other useful operations, in particular, improving the condition of the hard drive and the lifespan its operation.

Some of these tools are classified as shareware, some come with a free license, and the rest are only available upon purchase. Each of them has its own advantages and we propose to consider several of the most commonly used and popular tools with sufficient functionality.

Paragon Partition Manager Free Edition

A program for formatting a hard drive called Paragon Partition Manager Free Edition stands out from other similar software products in its ability to perform operations on virtual storage media. In addition, for those who still cannot give up using Windows XP, it will provide the ability to support high-capacity disks of the order of 2 TB or more. But it also works on modern Windows 7 and 8 operating systems.

An additional advantage of this complex is its support for multi-boot management functions. This option will be useful for those who use several operating systems in test mode or simply require their parallel use.

The program interface is quite simple and understandable, and in some cases it is simply irreplaceable. An example of this is the function of merging partitions without losing data, which is especially important when formatting partitions. In this case, the user is given the opportunity to even convert partitions.

As for file systems, the number of them supported is quite large. They can be converted from one to another using this program, in particular, NTFS to HFS.

Among other functionality, there is copying and restoring disks, merging them, moving them and resizing them. And all this with a Russified shell.

Some may find the defragmentation function superfluous, but absolutely everyone will like protection against system failures and detection of bad sectors.

Rice. 1 – Paragon Partition Manager window fragment

EASEUS Partition Master

This program for formatting a hard drive has the advantage of having several versions with different functionality. Some of them are free, but the Home Edition and Master Free versions deserve special attention from ordinary users.

The program has excellent functionality, accessible through the Russian-language software shell. It can run under the Windows operating system family, in particular, versions 7, 8 and 10, both 32-bit and 64-bit, and some versions allow you to work through Linux.

The software product provides work with a wide range of heterogeneous drives, the most important of which are:

HDDs;
SSD solid state drives;
USB flash drives;
memory cards in various designs.

You can not only format them, but also create or change sections, for example, merging, deleting, copying and resizing.

The program has access to work with RAID arrays and provides user interaction with MBR and GPT. Some operations can be performed using built-in wizards, which greatly facilitates the user’s work.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that each version of the product has its own restrictions, in particular, on the maximum storage size. For example, in the Home Edition it is 8 TB, and in Master Free it is only 4 TB. The user is also recommended to pay attention to the installation process, since unnecessary utilities can be installed along the way.

Rice. 2 – EASEUS Partition Master window fragment

Aomei Partition Assistant

A program for formatting a hard drive called Aomei Partition Assistant is a product that is distributed free of charge, but has decent functionality. It provides a number of functions that are not available in other free products and therefore belongs to a completely different class.

This software package, like the previous product, has a Russian-language shell and supports modern operating systems of the Windows and Linux families and, accordingly, file systems running under their control: FAT 12/16/32, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, exFAT/ReFS.

In parallel with work on physical media, the program also performs operations on virtual disks.

As for the special functionality, it is implemented in the form of access to disks invisible to other software. The program allows you to check them, test them and a number of other useful operations. All this against the backdrop of minimum system requirements, ranging from the processor version to the amount of available disk memory.

This software product is able to work even under such conditions when the device has 128 disks installed and the volume size is 16 TB. It is also one of the few products that can work with SSHD, flash drives and flash cards. Is it worth mentioning that it supports UEFI Boot, and all operations performed are performed without damaging user information, according to the creators?

Rice. 3 – Aomei Partition Assistant Window

MiniTool Partition Wizard

This program for formatting a hard drive is more modest, but much more popular, not only in the domestic space, but throughout the world. It is free and provides interaction under operating systems of the Windows family, including the latest versions of various bits, while also processing EXT disk partitions, as well as Linux Swap.

The software interface has a Russified shell and provides work with partitions with a capacity of more than 2 TB. It is quite simple and will be understandable even for a novice user. The functionality of the interface is quite wide and even includes the new-fangled migration from HDD to SSD.

The software product also performs a number of basic operations with disks and their partitions, including their cloning, creation and modification. An additional operation can be considered the conversion of FAT/FAT32 file systems to NTFS while maintaining the integrity of user data, which is complemented by the functionality of backing up stored information and a data recovery utility after failures. If desired, the user can test their disks by testing their performance.

Like some of the programs described above, this one can convert disks from MBR to GPT, and this is important when a frequently used system partition is worn out. In parallel with this, it is possible to assign active sections and interact with them.

Rice. 4 – MiniTool Partition Wizard Window

HDD Low Level Format Tool

This hard drive formatting program falls into a different category than the software tools discussed above. Therefore, it deserves special attention. This is not a large software package with wide functionality, but a small program that only has the ability to low-level formatting in its set of functions.

This option provides, with the given settings, the ability to restore the functionality of storage media. Moreover, this functionality applies to both hard drives and flash drives. The only problem for the user in this case is the complete destruction of the data on the media without the possibility of further recovery.

Unfortunately, there are no other operations that this product can perform with media.

Rice. 5 – HDD Low Level Format Tool window

Acronis Disk Director

This program for formatting a hard drive is also quite interesting. Its peculiarity is that it can be launched from any media. So, you can install it on a boot disk or flash drive and even without a full-fledged operating system be able to work with disk partitions.

This functionality is especially important in emergency situations, when it is more important for the user to restore the system’s functionality, and not just create an additional partition for more convenient storage of data or installation of a game. The program's functionality is suitable for working with disks running both Windows and Linux. However, this product has one significant drawback, which is noticeable when compared with the above programs - its cost.

In fact, this application belongs to the category of shareware products. After the specified trial period has expired, the user is offered two options - purchase a license or remove the software product. Therefore, it can be safely used and compared with other programs on a free basis, but for a limited period.

Otherwise, this is a full-fledged tool for working with disks and their partitions with wide functionality. It includes all the basic operations for working with partitions, including formatting, and also allows the PC owner to view the information stored on these partitions in a general way.

Rice. 6 – Acronis Disk Director window

Standard Windows OS Tools

When describing programs for formatting disks, one cannot fail to mention standard operating system tools that are available to users without downloading third-party software products. This can be done using the example of operating systems of the Windows family. A special feature of these systems is that they have several tools for working with hard drives and their partitions.

The first tool is quite simple and this utility is available to the user from the Explorer program. In order to use it, you can call up the context menu for the logical partition of the hard drive, and in it select the “Format” item. After this, a form will become available in which you can specify the desired parameters of the formatting operation.

This functionality will be available for all logical disk partitions, with the exception of the active system disk. In this case, you need to use a slightly different tool, accessible exclusively from the command line. Working with it requires special skills that are only available to experienced users.

Important! To have access to them, you need to have a boot disk, as well as settings in the BIOS that force the PC to boot from removable media, and not from the hard drive, in order to provide the functionality the system needs. This is provided by a small utility called diskpart. But its main problem is that the user does not receive high-quality visualization of the actions being performed, and any error in their execution can cost the functionality of the system.

This state of affairs forces users to resort to using third-party software products.

Rice. 7 – Formatting utility window

Formatting your hard drive before installing Windows

In the video I will show you how to format a hard drive. This may come in handy when you reinstall the Windows operating system.

Good time!

It’s not uncommon for all sorts of troubles to happen with SD cards and USB flash drives: sometimes they can’t be read, sometimes copying takes too long, sometimes various kinds of errors appear (what, what formatting is required, etc.). Moreover, this sometimes happens out of the blue...

In this article, I want to recommend a dozen utilities that have helped me out more than once or twice. With their help, you can work with flash drives and drives from different manufacturers (Silicon Power, Kingston, Transcend, etc.), i.e. This is a universal software. I think the material will be very helpful to everyone who periodically faces similar problems.

For testing and diagnostics

CrystalDiskMark

A very useful little utility. Allows you to quickly obtain read/write speed data. It supports not only USB flash drives, but also classic HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives and other drives (which Windows sees).

Note: in most cases, they are guided by the first line “Sec” (sequential read record speed). Read - reading, Write - writing.

USB Flash Benchmark

Another utility for testing the speed of flash drives. Allows you to get not only some numbers, but also compare them with other drives (i.e. evaluate your flash drive with other device models). This can be done due to the fact that the test results are saved on the website of the same name (along with flash drive models).

By the way! If you are thinking of buying a fast flash drive, just go to the website http://usbflashspeed.com/ and look at the top 10. This way you can acquire what other people have already experienced in practice!

H2testw

A small utility from German programmers. Designed to scan USB drives for their actual capacity (approx. : some flash drives, for example, from Chinese manufacturers, come with a “fake” inflated volume) . In these cases, it is enough to run the flash drive using H2testw, and then format it correctly.

How to find out the real capacity of a flash drive and restore its functionality (using H2testw) -

Flash Memory Toolkit

Flash Memory Toolkit is a good package for servicing USB devices. Allows you to perform a whole range of the most necessary actions:

testing drives for errors when reading and writing;
data recovery from flash drives;
viewing properties and characteristics;
the ability to create a backup flash drive;
low-level drive speed test.

Flashnul

Developer's website: http://shounen.ru/

This program can diagnose and correct many software errors (especially when it is unclear what is happening with the flash drive: that is, no errors are displayed). In addition, it supports almost all flash memory media: USB flash drives, CompactFlash, SD, MMC, MS, XD, etc.

Possibilities:

reading and writing testing: the availability of each sector of the media will be checked;
checking the integrity of files located on a USB drive;
the ability to make an image of the contents on a flash drive (may be useful for data recovery);
possibility of sector-by-sector recording of an image to a USB device;
Some operations can be performed for other types of media: HDD, CD, Floppy disk, etc.

ChipEasy

A free and very simple utility for obtaining complete information about a flash drive. It is very useful in cases where the markings on the flash drive itself have been erased (or there were none at all).

What data does ChipEasy provide:

VID
manufacturer;
controller model;
serial number;
firmware information;
memory model;
Max. current consumption, etc.

Flash Drive Information

The utility is similar to the previous one. Allows you to find out all the information about the drive (flash drive, memory card) in 2 clicks: model, controller, memory, etc.

For formatting and repair

HDD Low Level Format Tool

A program for low-level* formatting of hard drives, SD cards, flash drives and other drives. I would note its “unpretentiousness”: even if other utilities freeze when trying to access a flash drive (or don’t see it), the HDD Low Level Format Tool can help in most cases...

Peculiarities:

Most manufacturers (Hitachi, Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, etc.) and interfaces (SATA, IDE, USB, SCSI, Firewire) are supported;
formatting clears absolutely all information from the disk (partition table, MBR);
Recovering information from a disk after formatting using HDD Low Level Format Tool is almost impossible!

MyDiskFix

A free small utility designed for low-level formatting of failed flash drives. It is useful in cases where your flash drive cannot be formatted using standard Windows tools, when the flash drive shows the wrong volume, or a recording error occurs.

Note: before formatting in MyDiskFix, you need to find out how many actual working sectors are on your flash drive. This can be done, for example, using the H2Test utility (which I cited above).

USB Disk Storage Format Tool

A small utility for formatting HDD/USB Flash drive (file systems supported: NTFS, FAT, FAT32). By the way, the USB Disk Storage Format Tool does not require installation, and does not freeze if it works with faulty flash drives, from which you need to wait minutes for a response (like, for example, the standard formatting utility in Windows).

Peculiarities:

fast and safe formatting of the drive;
when fully formatted through the utility, all data from the flash drive is deleted (later, not a single file from it will be recoverable);
scanning the drive for errors;
creating partitions with the FAT 32 file system larger than 32 GB;
tested with 1000 different flash drives (Compact Flash, CF Card II, Memory Stick Duo Pro, SDHC, SDXC, Thumb Drive, etc.), and various manufacturers (HP, Sony, Lexar, Imation, Toshiba, PNY, ADATA, etc. ).

Format USB Or Flash Drive Software

A specialized utility for working with failed USB drives. Allows you to format and restore the flash drive. I would also note its very simple interface (see screenshot above), and the ability to work without installation.

Peculiarities:

file system support: FAT, FAT32, eXFAT, NTFS;
simple and convenient interface;
possibility of full and quick formatting;
the ability to “see” drives that the explorer refuses to “show”;
possibility of integration into the Windows menu;
Compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10.

Transcend RecoveRx

Multifunctional program: allows you to recover files from flash drives, format them, and protect them with a password. In general, this program is intended for flash drives from the manufacturer Transcend, but I can’t help but note that the formatting option also works for flash drives from other manufacturers.

RecoveRx is a fairly “omnivorous” program: it supports USB flash drives, memory cards, MP3 players, external hard drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD).

JetFlash Recovery Tool

This utility will help in cases where standard Windows tools simply do not see the flash drive. Officially supported USB flash drives are only from Transcend, JetFlash and A-DATA (unofficially - much more).

Important! Keep in mind that during the process of repairing (restoring) a flash drive, the program completely deletes all data from it! If you have the opportunity to save something from a faulty flash drive, do it.

Peculiarities:

simple and free utility (only 2 buttons!);
compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10 (also works with older OS Windows XP, 2000 (other OS - operation is not guaranteed));
Only 3 manufacturers are officially supported: Transcend, A-DATA and JetFlash;
automatic recovery of the drive (the user only needs to press 1 button);
low system requirements;
no utility installation required.

SD Formatter

Formatting a Canon SD card in SD Formatter

This utility is designed to repair and restore memory cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC, microSD. The developers specifically targeted their product to the needs of photographers, videographers, and service specialists for such equipment.

The drive is restored in auto mode. Suitable for a variety of cases: software errors, virus infections, failures, due to improper use, etc.

Note: while working with a flash drive, SD Formatter will delete all data from it!

D-Soft Flash Doctor

A small portable program for diagnosing and repairing broken flash drives (low-level formatting, soft reset). In addition, it can create images from flash drives/memory cards and write them to other storage media.

The program supports the Russian language (since the developer is from Kazakhstan), and is compatible with all modern Windows 7, 8, 10 operating systems.

To recover files from a flash drive

R.Saver

An easy-to-use program for recovering deleted files from various types of media: hard drives, memory cards, flash drives, etc. Can be used for various errors, file system failures, after formatting, virus infection, etc.

Supports NTFS, FAT and ExFAT file systems. For residents of Russia (when used for non-commercial purposes) the program is free.

Important!

You can learn more about working with R.Saver in the article on how to recover photos from a MicroSD memory card or USB flash drive -

Recuva

File recovery program from the developers of CCleaner (the famous utility for cleaning Windows from junk files).

Recuva allows you to work not only with HDDs, but also with USB flash drives, external drives, SSDs, and memory cards. The program is aimed at the novice user, so its use is very simple.

Peculiarities:

all actions in the program are performed step by step;
2 modes for scanning drives;
sorting files by their name, size, status, etc.;
The utility is free;
Russian is supported;
Compatible with Windows XP, 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

MiniTool Power Data Recovery

A very powerful program (with unique scanning algorithms) that will allow you to recover data from damaged flash drives, memory cards, external drives, CDs and other drives. Popular file systems are supported: FAT 12/16/32, NTFS.

I would like to note on my own that, in my humble opinion, the program’s algorithms are actually different from other programs of a similar kind, because several times with its help it was possible to recover information when other software simply did not find anything...

Note: in the free version of MiniTool Power Data Recovery, you can only recover 1 GB of information.

Addition!

In general, there are quite a lot of similar programs ( approx. : which can scan the drive and recover some of the deleted files). In one of my previous articles, I already cited a dozen of the most successful free products (most of them work not only with classic HDDs, but also with flash drives). I am posting a link to the article below.

10 free programs for recovering deleted data: files, documents, photos -

That's all for now. Additions to useful and interesting utilities are always welcome.