How to Recover Files from Corrupted Flash Drive [Practical Steps]
This small metal device called a flash drive can double as a safe place to back up valuable data and important files if they are lost or damaged. But it is not a steel or invincible device, nor is it perfect in practice and often encounters many problems and error messages.
There are two types of problems that flash drives may encounter. The first type of problems is physical problems. When the flash drive breaks, the electronic circuit inside it burns, or the internal flash memory is eroded due to time, frequent use, and continuous high temperatures, it becomes difficult or impossible to repair it again or rescue the data we keep on it.
Of course, if you delete files or format the flash drive by mistake, all you have to do is use one of the deleted file recovery programs to retrieve your files again, such as Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard , or Disk Drill. You can learn about more programs and how to download them and use each program by entering this link.
This means that in general we have two main types of problems that flash drives are exposed to all the time: hardware problems and software problems. If you are lucky, your problem may depend on performing some scans and diagnostics to repair the flash drive and return it to its original condition as it was. However, if the flash drive has been exposed to some rough use or has fallen to the ground from a high distance or even someone has walked or sat on it, resulting in broken power connectors or bent connection ports, it is almost difficult to repair the flash drive again, but it is not impossible.
In any case, you can buy a new flash drive and keep it so that it does not end up like the previous one. But it depends on how important the data you were keeping on the old flash drive is.
If this data is very important to you, then whether the flash drive is suffering from physical damage or just a simple software malfunction, you should give it more time for maintenance and repair.
In this guide, we will show you how you can recover files from a broken or damaged flash drive or how you can repair a flash drive that suffers from a simple software error. Let's start with the physical damage.
1- Try changing the flash drive installation position a little.
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| Try changing the flash drive installation position a little bit. |
We don't guarantee that this method will work in all cases. But if your flash drive port is slightly bent, you can try to insert the flash drive in more than one position. By more than one position, I don't mean that you will insert the flash drive upside down, but I mean that you should try to make it slightly bent when you insert it into the USB port on your computer.
Try to give it more tilt to the right or left but be careful not to damage the USB port on the computer case or motherboard. Just a little tilt left or right or up and down. If the computer can recognize the flash drive quickly access it from the file explorer and start extracting your data as soon as possible. You may need someone to help you transfer the files so that you can keep the flash drive in its current position until you finish the transfer and extraction process.
2- Open the flash drive and remove the plastic or metal cover completely.
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| Open the flash drive and remove the plastic or metal cover completely. |
If the flash drive is completely broken and its USB port is no longer suitable for fitting into the USB port of your laptop or computer case, try removing its plastic or metal cover using pliers. But be careful not to cause further damage to the flash drive. Note that the most important thing in this process is that the flash drive is in good condition.
If the NAND Flash memory is completely intact, you may eventually resort to any specialized technician and ask you to recover files from the flash drive as long as you do not have the appropriate tools and devices to disassemble the flash drive. But be sure that as long as the flash drive is in good condition, the chances of recovering your data from it are very high, but it only requires proper treatment by an expert who has the appropriate devices to recover data from it.
3- Check the laptop USB port or motherboard.
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| Check your laptop USB port or motherboard. |
The flash drive may be in perfect condition, but the culprit here is the USB port you are trying to rely on on your laptop or motherboard. Therefore, it is best to try the flash drive in more than one port. However, if you do not have any additional USB ports on your laptop or computer case, try to make sure that this port is cleaned well and that there is no accumulated dust that is causing the copper power connectors to be blocked.
Use a cleaning brush or a cotton swab and start cleaning the port thoroughly. But if that doesn't work, the port may be broken for some reason and your only solution is to buy a USB hub, although you will need a main USB port for this hub as well. But the gist of the matter here is not to blame the flash drive until you try it in more than one USB port that you are sure is working properly.
4- It may require soldering to repair the electronic circuit.
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| Soldering may be required to repair the circuit. |
Assuming that the power connectors are still intact and the NAND flash memory is in good condition but the whole problem is that there is a break in the metal casing or the electronic circuit that may be blocking the power, you may need some proper equipment to start the soldering process. It is definitely a difficult and dangerous step at the same time if you do not have full experience with soldering tools or repairing electronic circuits. But with the help of a professional, you may be lucky and be able to recover your data again.
5- Check and repair the flash drive via Windows File Explorer
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| Check and repair flash drive using Windows File Explorer |
Now let's move on to the software fixes. If the flash drive is only suffering from minor software issues then you can perform a quick scan from within the file explorer. Just right-click on the flash drive and select Properties then click on the Tools tab from the top, from this window click on the Check option and you will get a pop-up window with two options which are Automatically fix file system errors and Scan and attempt recovery for bad sectors. Enable both options then click on Start and after the scan and repair process is complete click on Close to close the repair procedure.
6- Change the letter of the flash drive.
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| Change the letter of the flash drive |
Sometimes when you insert a flash drive into your computer, you are unable to see its storage space or access it. The problem may be all related to its letter, which was automatically assigned by Windows in the wrong way. All you need to do is change the flash drive letter to any other available letter.
To do this, right-click on the Windows logo icon from the taskbar and choose Disk Management. Then, from the Storage Manager window, right-click on the flash drive partition and choose Change drive letter and paths. Then click Change. In front of Assign the following drive letter, choose a different letter from the available letters, then click Ok.
7- Reinstall storage solution definitions
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| Reinstall storage solution drivers |
Not being able to access or open the flash drive and access the files inside it does not necessarily mean that the problem comes from the flash drive itself. There is likely a problem with Windows itself or the drivers responsible for managing and operating external storage drives. Therefore, it makes sense to try to make sure that the Windows drivers are updated, or even remove them to reinstall them again, in case there is a problem with one of the basic driver files.
Open Device Manager by right-clicking on the Windows logo icon and selecting Device Manager, then expand Disk drives, then right-click on the flash drive and select Uninstall Device. Now remove the flash drive from the computer and after a few moments, install it again. Wait a few moments for Windows to identify the flash drive again.
8- Use CHKDSK tool to fix the error
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| Use CHKDSK to fix the error |
We don't have much left to try, but don't give up too soon. Finally, we have a tool that is rarely used, although it is effective in fixing most system file corruption problems. Open the command prompt with administrator privileges by searching for CMD in the start menu, then open it Run As Administrator, then type the following command: chkdsk drive letter: /r, but replace the word " drive letter " with the letter of the flash drive. For example, if the flash drive appears in the file explorer with the letter G, then the command line should be as follows: chkdsk G: /r , then click the Enter key to start the scan and repair process.
9- Reliance on external tools
If you are unable to access your data by any means, you can try some third-party tools that specialize in recovering and rescuing data from storage drives. The good news is that there are many, many tools, both free and paid. You can try as many of these tools as you want, although the chances of recovering data with any of them are very good. You can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery, Disk Drill, EaseUS Data Recovery Tool, TestDisk and PhotoRec, or any other tool.