Restoring a flash drive after. How to recover any damaged USB flash drive. How to Fix a Damaged USB Drive Using EaseUS USB Repair Tool

It has happened to many users that you insert a flash drive into the computer, but it identifies it as an unrecognized device and does not open it. This, of course, is very unpleasant and frightening, especially if the media contains very important and necessary data. And the question arises: is it possible to restore a flash drive?

In principle, it is possible if the media stopped working not due to any physical intervention.

I’ll say right away that there is no universal program that could restore a damaged flash drive. Each device has its own utilities. The probability of success is sufficient to try it.

Flash drive identification

So, before you restore a flash drive that the computer does not see, you need to identify it. We need VIP data, PID and memory chip information. If you know them, then good. If not, then you will need a program that is very easy to manage.

By connecting the flash drive to the computer and running the CheckUDisk program, we get the necessary data.

Flash drive recovery utility

To restore a flash drive, we are primarily interested in the VID&PID line. In my case, it has the value Vid_0951&Pid_1665. Therefore, on the flash drive the VID is 0951, and the PID is 1665. With this data we go to the site, which is free and mostly in Russian.

Here we will see where the received data should be written: in the VID and PID lines, respectively. We write and click “Search”. The site will find all flash drives that have such identifiers, and most likely there will be a lot of them.

Therefore, you may need other data from CheckUDisk in order to find your flash drive in this list. For example VendorID or ProductID.

To make it clearer, I will give a translation of the columns of the table in which you will look for your flash drive:

Flash vendor – flash drive manufacturer;
Flash model – flash drive model;
Vid and Pid are the identifiers that we obtained at the very beginning;
Chip vendor – chip manufacturer;
Chip model – chip model;
Memory chip – chip memory;
Size (gb) – size in GB;
Utils – A utility that can solve your flash drive recovery problem.

As I already said, if it is difficult to find a flash drive in the list by VID and PID, then use other CheckUDisk data, for example, information about the manufacturer or chip, or capacity (you should know this if this is your flash drive).

You can now get increased views of Telegram channels with large wholesale discounts. To do this, you just need to follow the provided link. Here you will find reliable service, quality resources, and very inexpensive prices for services. In addition, on the same site you can get other resources for developing a channel or group.

And, as has already become clear, to restore a flash drive you need a utility, which can be downloaded from the link in the Utils column of the list table. These programs are usually simple, and the whole thing comes down to pressing one button.

Problems with flash drives are not uncommon. Some media only malfunction, which is easily fixed, while others do not work and need to be restored. In this article we will tell you how to restore a flash drive and restore functionality.

Formatting the drive

The disc does not open, it is impossible to read or write information? If the partition table is damaged, then formatting is enough to restore the media. The table will be overwritten, which will solve the performance problem. Sometimes formatting fails due to a virus or third-party software. In this case, scan with an antivirus and/or perform low-level formatting.

Recovering a flash drive using proprietary utilities

Some well-known and reputable drive manufacturers have proprietary applications for media recovery. For example, Transcend has a JetFlash Online Recovery utility, where recovery requires only 3 steps:

Connect the media to the PC
Run the utility
Wait for the recovery to complete.

Please check the availability of programs for restoring drives from other manufacturers directly with the media manufacturer via the feedback form on the official website.

Branded flash drive recovery utilities from Transcend

Controller firmware

Unsafe removal of the flash drive, without first shutting down the drive, often causes the controller to malfunction. The firmware crashes, which does not allow you to format the media, read or write data. In this case, re-flashing the controller helps.

Important! Reflashing the controller leads to the complete deletion of all data on the drive. If you need to save information, first use the appropriate utilities, for example R-Studio.

The firmware is performed in three stages:

Definition of the controller model.
Search for a program for firmware.
Direct firmware of the controller.

Let's look at all three stages in more detail so that you can flash the controller yourself.

Step 1: Determine 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 open the properties of the item “USB storage device”

On the details tab, select “Hardware ID” from the drop-down list. In your case, the required item may be called differently. It is important to identify the VID and PID values.

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: Search for a program for firmware

The flashboot database will help you find the firmware utility. The site contains information on various drives, as well as the preferred software for flashing the controller firmware.

Enter the VID and PID details and then click the search button.

In the table, compare 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 software for the firmware. In your case, the outcome may be much more favorable. The Utils column will contain a description of the program and a download link.

If you have the program, you can start flashing the controller firmware.

Stage 3: Controller firmware

Usually a detailed description of the firmware installation is included with the software. An approximate algorithm of actions is as follows:

Remove the drive from the computer.
Run the program and confirm driver installation.
Connect the drive. The system will detect the new device and offer to install drivers.
After identifying the media, confirm the firmware process.
Upon completion of flashing and formatting the drive, remove the program from the PC.
Remove and reinsert the drive.
Perform formatting in the standard way.

Recovering a flash drive using third-party applications

Some third-party programs have tools for recovering removable media, as well as correcting various errors. For a list of such programs, see In a separate material you can get acquainted with programs for flash drive recovery

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.

Programs and utilities for repairing flash drives and SD cards

For testing and diagnostics

CrystalDiskMark

A very useful little utility. Allows you to quickly obtain read/write speed data. 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

Developer's website: http://usbflashspeed.com/

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.

👉 Help!

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 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.

👉 Help!

You can learn more about working with R.Saver in the article about memory 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. useful and interesting utilities are always welcome.

Many users are familiar with the situation when a flash drive is no longer detected by the operating system. This could happen for many reasons - from unsuccessful formatting to a sudden power outage. In this article we will look at ways to recover flash drives using special programs.

On the Internet you can find many software products designed to bring non-working flash drives back to life. There are both universal programs and proprietary utilities from drive manufacturers. Let's look at several methods using different software.

Method 1: HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

First in line will be HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. This program is able to “see” drives that are undetectable by the system and perform recovery operations.

Installation

After the download is complete, run the file "USBFormatToolSetup.exe". The following window will appear:

Click "Next".
Next, select a location for installation, preferably on the system drive. If we install the program for the first time, we leave everything as is.
In the next window we will be asked to specify the program folder in the menu "Start". It is recommended to leave it as default.
Here we create a program icon on the desktop, that is, leave the checkbox.
Check the installation parameters and click "Install".
The program is installed, click "Finish".

Recovery process

First, let's try to scan and correct errors.

In order to recover a flash drive after unsuccessful formatting, it must be formatted again.

Select a file system.

If the drive is 4GB or less, it makes sense to choose a file system FAT or FAT32.
We give a new name ( Volume Label) disk.
Select the formatting type. There are two options: fast And multi-pass.
If you need to restore (try) information recorded on a flash drive, select quick formatting, if the data is not needed, multi-pass.

Multipass:
Click "Format Disk". We agree to the deletion of data.

The process has begun.

You can monitor the progress of the operation in the program log.

Once the process is complete, the drive should appear in the folder "Computer" and in "Explorer".

This method allows you to quickly and reliably restore a USB flash drive after unsuccessful formatting, software or hardware failures, as well as the crooked hands of some users.

Method 2: EzRecover

EzRecover is positioned by its developers exclusively as a tool for restoring “dead” drives. The program can bring a flash drive back to life if Windows "sees" like her "Security Device", does not define at all or shows the volume equal to zero in the properties. The condition for using the utility is that the storage capacity is limited to no more than 4 GB.

Installation

Recovery process