Accidentally losing important information from the USB flash drive can happen to anybody. Read this article and find out how to fix a corrupt flash drive by using some simple methods.
Most of us use the USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drive for storing necessary data that has to be transferred from one system to another. A USB flash drive is an external data storage device that allows the user to store data temporarily. This data can be transferred from one system to another by connecting the flash drive to a particular system’s external hard drive port, i.e. the USB port. A USB flash drive is popularly known as a pen drive. It is a very convenient and handy device but sometimes the USB flash drive fails to operate due to some unknown reasons. Given below are some remedies for USB flash drive recovery.
Repairing USB Flash Drive
Many times your USB flash drive does not open when you click on the icon that appears in the Windows browser after you connect the USB flash drive to the USB port of the CPU. This may happen if the USB drive is corrupt or if some computer virus has entered the drive. In such cases, the first thing to try is to do a right click and select Open/Explore.
If neither of the two options work, then try scanning the drive with an antivirus software. If the pen drive is not working due to virus, scanning the pen drive with an effective antivirus is a good option for USB flash drive recovery and can restore the USB.
If scanning also does not help, the only option left is to format the drive. Formatting will erase all the files from the drive, therefore, before formatting, create a backup of all your important files. To format the drive, right click on the drive icon, select format, then go to quick format option on the format window, follow the ‘prompt’ messages (something like a warning message saying that ‘if you format your drive, all the data stored in it will be lost’), select OK or Cancel (this will stop the format process). The quick format takes few minutes, depending on the size of the data to be erased. Once the formatting is done, your USB will become as good as new and you can use it as before.
Well, I hope you know how to format your computer because sometimes even this option fails and you have to format the flash drive in a more tedious way. For this method, you will need a bootable CD (compact disc) of your operating system. Restart your desktop computer after you have inserted the bootable operating system CD in the CD drive and let the USB flash drive be connected to the USB port. When the computer is restarting, press F8/F2/Del key (depending on your configuration) immediately. Browse to the booting configuration options and change the first bootable device to your CD drive. Now, save the changes and restart your computer. Your PC will start booting from the CD and the installation process will begin. Follow the ‘prompt’ messages till the point where the window will display the names and sizes of all the existing drives. Here you have to select the drive indicating your USB drive and select format option. The USB will get formatted. Now, if you want to continue with the installation process, go ahead, else repair the existing operating system or you can quit. Be assured your flash drive will be formatted and will work fine sans the data stored in it.
If the matter is more serious than this, search for the warranty card (hope you can find it and hope the warranty period is not expired) and take the USB flash drive straight to the dealer.
That was a brief about the methods of USB flash drive recovery. However, to avoid any of the above situations, treat your USB flash drive well. Do not remove the drive without stopping it. Always go to the lower right side of your screen on the taskbar where a green arrow appears after you have connected the USB, click on it and click on your USB flash drive name. Only after the message ‘Remove Drive Safely’ appears, physically remove your USB drive, else go to the icon of the USB drive, right click on it and select ‘Eject’. Also, never remove the USB while some data transfer is going on from a computer to USB or vice-versa. Doing so may corrupt your data. Never leave any file or folder of the USB open when you want to disconnect or remove the USB flash drive. This can also cause some serious problems to the data as well as to the drive.
Software for Recovering Lost Data from USB Flash Drive
If all your efforts to recover some really important files that you accidentally deleted have not given you desirable results, then your only option is to pay for a data recovery software. There are also numerous free software available in the Internet, however their reliability cannot be vouched for. The following are a few of the data recovery software that are good for accessing lost files from a USB stick.
- BadCopy Pro – You can get the trial version of this software free of cost. All you have to do is to download the software from the net and install it in your computer drives. Then run it on your computer. If it’s working properly, then insert the USB flash drive into your computer or laptop. Make sure that the drive letter of the USB appears in ‘my computer’. Then, select the drive letter of your flash drive and go to the recovery mode that’s in the right side. Choose mode 1 for recovering lost files and mode 2 for accessing corrupt ones.
- Removable Media Data Recovery Software – This is a multipurpose software that works on different devices like MP3 player, PDA, video game console and of course, flash drives. This software employs a search technique for retrieving lost data from your device. This software is compatible with all major file types and also provides a friendly interface for both tech-savvy and tech-shy users.
- Data Doctor’s Data Recovery Software – This software works with Windows and also in memory cards and other data storage devices. Whether you have lost image, music, picture, video or any other kind of file, you can depend on this software for a quick recovery. You can also retrieve lost files with its help even if the data loss is due to a virus in your pen drive. You can understand all the features of this software more clearly by downloading its demo version into your computer.
I hope the above mentioned quick remedies of USB flash drive problems will help you in your attempts at repairing your USB! And if you have any experience or know any other method of repairing the USB or recovering the corrupt data in it, please feel free to share them here.
