Restoring a dead flash drive. SmartBuy flash drive data recovery. Reanimation of a USB flash drive, or Methods for restoring it

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:

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

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

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:

1. Definition of the controller model.
2. Search for a program for firmware.
3. 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 detailed description firmware installation, included with the software. An approximate algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Remove the drive from the computer.
2. Run the program and confirm driver installation.
3. Connect the drive. The system will detect the new device and offer to install drivers.
4. After identifying the media, confirm the firmware process.
5. Upon completion of flashing and formatting the drive, remove the program from the PC.
6. Remove and reinsert the drive.
7. 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 day everyone!

You can argue, but flash drives have become one of the most (if not the most) popular storage media. It is not surprising that there are quite a lot of questions regarding them: especially important among them are the issues of recovery, formatting and testing.

In this article I will present the best (in my opinion) utilities for working with drives - that is, those tools that I have used myself many times. The information in the article will be updated and expanded from time to time.

The best programs for working with a flash drive

Important! First of all, if you have problems with a flash drive, I recommend visiting the official website of its manufacturer. The fact is that the official website may have specialized utilities for data recovery (and not only!), which will cope with the task much better.

For testing

Let's start with testing drives. Let's look at programs that will help determine some of the parameters of a USB drive.

H2testw

A very useful utility for determining the actual volume of any media. In addition to the storage capacity, it can test the actual speed of its operation (which some manufacturers like to overestimate for marketing purposes).

Check Flash

A free utility that can quickly check your flash drive for functionality, measure its real read and write speed, complete removal all the information from it (so that no utility can recover a single file from it!).

In addition, it is possible to edit information about partitions (if they are on it), make a backup copy and reanimate the image of an entire media partition!

The speed of the utility is quite high and it is unlikely that at least one competing program will do this job faster!

HD Speed

This is a very simple, but very convenient program for testing flash drives for read/write speed (information transfer). In addition to USB drives, the utility supports hard disks, optical drives.

The program does not require installation. Information is presented in a clear graphical representation. Supports Russian language. Works in all Windows versions: XP, 7, 8, 10.

CrystalDiskMark

One of best utilities to test the speed of information transfer. Supports various media: HDD (hard drives), SSD (newfangled solid state drives), USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.

The program supports the Russian language, although running a test in it is as easy as shelling pears - just select a carrier and press the start button (you can figure it out without knowledge of the great and mighty).

An example of the results can be seen in the screenshot above.

Flash Memory Toolkit

Flash Memory Toolkit - this program is a whole set of utilities for servicing flash drives.

Full set of functions:

• a detailed list of properties and information about the drive and USB devices;
• test to find errors when reading and writing information to the media;
• quick data clearing from the drive;
• search and recovery of information;
• backup of all files to media and the ability to restore from a backup copy;
• low-level testing of information transfer speed;
• measuring performance when working with small/large files.

FC-Test

Website: xbitlabs.com/articles/storage/display/fc-test.html

Benchmark for measurement real speed read/write hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, CD/DVD devices, etc. Its main feature and difference from all utilities of this kind is that it uses real data samples to work.

Of the minuses: the utility has not been updated for quite some time (problems with newfangled media types are possible).

Flashnul

This utility allows you to perform diagnostics and testing USB Flash drives. By the way, during this operation, errors and bugs will be corrected. Supported media: US and Flash drives, SD, MMC, MS, XD, MD, CompactFlash, etc.

List of operations performed:

• reading test - an operation will be carried out to determine the availability of each sector on the media;
• recording test - similar to the first function;
• information integrity test - the utility checks the integrity of all data on the media;
• saving a media image - saving everything that is on the media into a separate image file;
• Loading the image into the device is similar to the previous operation.

For formatting

HDD Low Level Format Tool

A program that has only one task - to format the media (by the way, HDD hard drives, SSDs, and USB flash drives are supported).

Despite such a “meager” set of capabilities, it is not for nothing that this utility is in first place in this article. The fact is that it allows you to “bring back” to life even those media that are no longer visible in any other program. If this utility sees your drive, try low-level formatting it (attention! all data will be deleted!) - there is a good chance that after this format, your flash drive will work as before: without failures and errors.

USB Disk Storage Format Tool

A program for formatting and creating bootable flash drives. Supported file systems: FAT, FAT32, NTFS. The utility does not require installation, supports USB port 2.0 (USB 3.0 - does not see. Note: this port is marked in blue).

Its main difference from the standard tool in Windows for formatting drives is the ability to “see” even those media that are not visible regular means OS. Otherwise, the program is quite simple and concise, I recommend using it to format all “problem” flash drives.

Format USB Or Flash Drive Software

The utility will help in cases where staff program formatting in Windows will refuse to “see” the media (or, for example, it will generate errors during operation). Format USB Or Flash Drive Software can format media into the following file systems: NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT. There is a quick formatting option.

I would also like to note the simple interface: it is designed in a minimalist style, it’s easy to understand (the screenshot is shown above). In general, I recommend it!

SD Formatter

A simple utility for formatting various flash cards: SD/SDHC/SDXC.

The main difference from standard program, built into Windows - is that this utility formats the media in accordance with the type of flash card: SD/SDHC/SDXC. It is also worth noting the presence of the Russian language, a simple and understandable interface (the main program window is shown in the screenshot above).

Aomei Partition Assistant

Aomei Partition Assistant is a large free (for home use) “combine”, which provides a huge number of functions and capabilities for working with hard drives and USB media.

The program supports the Russian language (but is still set to English by default), works in all popular Windows operating systems: XP, 7, 8, 10. The program, by the way, works according to its own unique algorithms (at least according to the developers of this software ), which allows it to “see” even “very problematic” media, be it a flash drive or HDD.

In general, a whole article would not be enough to describe all its properties! I recommend you try it, especially since Aomei Partition Assistant will save you not only from problems with USB drives, but also with other media.

Recovery programs

Important! If the programs presented below are not enough, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with a large collection of programs for data recovery from various types media (hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, etc.): .

If, when connecting the drive, it reports an error and asks you to format it, do not do it (it is possible that after this operation, it will be much more difficult to return the data)! In this case, I recommend reading this article:.

Recuva

One of the best free file recovery programs. Moreover, it supports not only USB drives, but also hard drives. Distinctive features: fast scanning of media, a fairly high degree of search for “remains” of files (i.e., the chances of returning a deleted file are quite high), simple interface, step by step wizard recovery (even complete beginners can handle it).

For those who will be scanning their flash drive for the first time, I recommend that you read the mini-instructions for recovering files in Recuva:

R Saver

Free* (for non-commercial use in the USSR) program for recovering information from hard drives, flash drives, memory cards and other media. The program supports all the most popular file systems: NTFS, FAT and exFAT.

The program sets the media scanning parameters independently (which is also another plus for beginners).

Program features:

• recovery is accidental deleted files;
• the ability to reconstruct damaged file systems;
• recovering files after formatting the media;
• data recovery using signatures.

EasyRecovery

One of the best data recovery programs, supports a wide variety of media types. The program works in all versions new Windows: 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits), supports Russian language.

One cannot fail to note one of the most important advantages of the program - the high degree of detection of deleted files. Everything that can be “pulled out” from a disk or flash drive will be presented to you and offered to be restored.

Perhaps the only negative is that it is paid...

Important! You can find out how to return deleted files in this program in this article (see part 2):

R-STUDIO

One of the most popular programs for data recovery, both in our country and abroad. A large number of different media are supported: hard drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), memory cards, flash drives, etc. The list of supported file systems is also amazing: NTFS, NTFS5, ReFS, FAT12/16/32, exFAT, etc.

The program will help in the following cases:

• accidentally deleting a file from the trash (this happens sometimes...);
• formatting the hard drive;
• virus attack;
• in the event of a computer power failure (especially important in Russia with its “reliable” power grids);
• in case of errors on the hard drive, if there are a large number of bad sectors;
• if the structure of the hard drive is damaged (or changed).

In general, a universal harvester for all kinds of cases. The only negative is that the program is paid.

Remark! Step-by-step recovery data in the R-Studio program:

Popular USB flash drive manufacturers

It is, of course, unrealistic to collect all manufacturers in one table. But all the most popular ones are definitely present here :). On the manufacturer’s website you can often find not only service utilities for resuscitating or formatting a USB drive, but also utilities that greatly facilitate the work: for example, programs for archival copying, assistants for preparing bootable media, etc.

Note! If I have left anyone out, I suggest using the tips from the instructions for restoring the functionality of a USB drive: . The article describes in some detail how and what to do to “return” the flash drive to working condition.

This concludes the report. Good work and good luck everyone!

We choose the best programs for flash drive recovery. We tell you how to recover a USB flash drive and revive it using free utilities.

Flash drive – small device for storing information (documents, music, videos, files), convenient for carrying and connecting to a USB port, removing from a computer, laptop. It contains a controller and special chips that store information inside the microcircuits.

Sometimes we copy files and forget about them, and when we remember, we find that valuable files have either been erased or permanently deleted. Either the device is broken, you formatted the partitions. What can you do, often the digital flash drive (most often, the controller in it) breaks down, generates errors, the flash drive does not open on the PC - not even a month will pass. One day the flash drive may need to be restored. The reason for this may be:

• incorrect, careless operation of the flash drive
• incorrect formatting of the storage medium
• low-quality flash drive, bought on the market or cheaply from a Chinese (probably by mistake)
• physical or software failure of the flash drive (the most likely reason)
• Also, the reason for inoperability can be an incorrectly removed flash drive from a computer or laptop. This happens when an impatient user literally rips the flash drive out of the USB slot while copying or transferring files.

There are many reasons when it is necessary to restore a flash drive that does not open on the computer or is recognized with read errors. Fortunately, today specialists from service centers will help you return valuable files and restore the functionality of your device without any problems or errors. Recovery programs will return files safe and sound or at least partially restore data on a USB flash drive. The flash recovery procedure costs a lot of money, which makes you think about recovering a USB flash drive yourself. Alas, free utilities are not always useful.

Flash drives and SD memory cards are equally characterized by all the symptoms and consequences of removal digital information. This could be accidental erasure, unconscious or deliberate deletion of files from a USB drive, damage to the structure, physical or mechanical damage to the controller or memory chips... One way or another, restoring a flash drive and SD card is a more than relevant task for PC owners. Therefore, first of all, read the contents of this section.

The flash drive does not open: we study the symptoms of damage

In the recovery section, we will talk about the main problems associated with recovering information on flash and secure digital drives. As a rule, this is due to hardware or software damage to the flash drive - if it does not come off or is not recognized correctly. Sometimes the memory wears out, sometimes the controller fails. And the USB controller drivers have nothing to do with it. In some cases, you can solve the problem yourself and, as a result, save the files on a flash card or repair the chip or device, ignoring reading errors on the computer. Here are just a few of the symptoms that indicate a drive failure:

• The PC does not see the flash drive in the list of readable devices
• The flash drive does not appear when connected to a laptop or computer (OS does not matter)
• The flash drive is not readable: although the files can be seen on the USB drive

Help with the contents of the section "Recovering a flash drive" (Flash Recovery)

• A small guide related to the question of how to find the reasons why the card does not work or the PC does not see the flash drive along with other drives (the device is not recognized, has problems being read, requires formatting, freezes, gives an error when copying to the card, etc.) flash drive -storage device. Diagnostics of malfunctions is important in such situations, because without identifying the disease, it is impossible to cure the patient, or even easily ruin his life, using the wrong tools, using the wrong methods and programs that can revive the drive. In this article, we analyze the causes of damage and possible symptoms that lead to the need to restore a flash drive, secure digital, controller, memory chip and flash card.
• We try (with the help of instructions and utilities posted on the site) and at the same time qualitatively - how to solve problems with our own hands - fix a breakdown on the sd card, revive the controller, correctly format, solder the loose contact or memory chip, scan information and process bad sectors on flash "ke, sections with reading errors. However, the described methods require certain dexterity and experience in using the specified tools.
• , if it does not open on your computer or does not display correctly. What is “VID&PID”, what does this abbreviation stand for and what to do when the device is not recognized or cannot be opened. Explanation of terminology, without which it is difficult to imagine recovery for flash drive, data and digital information on it.
• - testing 5 good programs, each of which has remarkable features when working with memory or a drive chip.

Recovering USB flash drives and memory cards. Formatting utilities

One of the best ways resuscitation of the Jetflash flash card - reformat it again, at a low level. As a rule, such measures are taken when the flash drive is not readable. If possible, you should ask the memory manufacturer (say, A Data, Seagate, Transcend SD, Datatraveler, etc.) if they have proprietary utilities or fresh drivers for reconstruction. Scroll through the contents of this section for help and you will see several articles on the topic low level formatting drive. Fortunately, in the operating room Windows system 7 and higher there are tools for formatting a flash device without using third party applications computer. One such program for a flash drive is HP USB Disk Storege Format Tool.

Diagnostic formatting of a flash card in the program for recovering flash drives HP USB Disk Storege Format

Utility for recovering HDD flash drive Low Level Format Tool

Many people know that the program HDD Regenerator used to help revive hard drives (HDDs), but not many people know that it is also suitable for devices such as flash drives. The essence of the program is the detection of bad bad sectors on the device with subsequent processing of the received information, depending on the controller and memory model, at a low access level via USB. As a result, you get a working device that can copy files without read and write errors. This greatly facilitates the recovery of flash drives if the computer does not see them. The HDD Regenerator program is equipped with recovery instructions; in addition, on the recovery website you can find instructions on using the utility and correct formatting (see via search). You can download the flash drive recovery program directly from the link posted on the HDD Regenerator review page.

Open and diagnose the problematic flash drive in the HDD Low Level Format program

By the way, in other sections on the Softdroid website you will find other programs for recovering flash drives (for example, Flash Recovery or JetFlash Recovery Tool), but we advise you to first study all the information collected in this section. We hope that after the measures taken, the computer will see your flash drive.

Why don't you indicate the cost of the product before downloading the flash drive recovery program and installing it?

Answer. You can download all the mentioned flash drive recovery programs on the official website. Only reviews are published on Softdroid - we do not have the physical ability to update information about the cost of the products presented. When you download the trial version of the program, it is free. Next, see information about the cost from the developer, or at the end of the trial period you will receive a notification.

Ask us a question about flash drive recovery

The site's specialists will help you recover your data. You ask a question - we answer it for free (you will receive the answer by mail).

The issue may not be related to file recovery. The main requirement is to describe the problem in detail, formulate it in such a way that you don’t have to decipher your message.

Flash Drive Information Extractor – a program for obtaining information and diagnosing a USB flash drive

Information about the flash drive (model, manufacturer, firmware version) helps to better understand the device and its operating features. In turn, this allows you to diagnose, restore files or correct the operation of the device.

How to recover deleted files from a USB flash drive: step-by-step guide

One of the most pressing problems associated with deleting files relates to the flash drive. Let's talk about how to recover deleted files from a flash drive using the Unformat program. What free software to install on your computer, what program, besides Unformat, is effective when working with a flash drive. The methods described below will be relevant for usb drives, memory cards, SD cards of digital cameras in the Windows OS environment. We will try to help you, even if the situation is difficult.

What to do if the computer does not see the USB flash drive? We solve problems and fix errors

If the file system of the memory card / USB flash drive is incompatible with the computer OS, the contents of this memory card will not be displayed when connected to a PC. Accordingly, you will not be able to work with the device until you correct the format. In addition, there are a number of other reasons why the computer does not display a USB flash drive (SD card) as a separate drive in Explorer.

How to restore a flash drive with your own hands: instructions for owners of flash drives

In this article I want to tell you how to restore a flash drive: about all the available methods for restoring damaged, non-working, faulty, faulty USB drives. I offer the most complete instructions that include everything available methods, as well as programs that optimize flash drive recovery.

Do-it-yourself USB flash drive repair: troubleshooting hardware and software problems

What to do if the computer does not see the flash drive? We agree: this is a painful and frequently asked question. Another popular issue that flash drive owners face is repairs resulting from a breakdown. A USB drive has its own characteristics for repairing a controller, memory, or failed memory: in some cases, the storage device is not detected by the PC. What to do if the flash drive is not detected on any computer? This guide describes an operation to resuscitate an “invisible” flash drive for correct recognition on a computer.

Review of programs for restoring the functionality of a USB flash drive

Errors in the operation of USB flash drives are not common. Almost all of them boil down to the inability to read or write the necessary information into the device’s memory due to software damage.

Specialized programs provided by device manufacturers will help you fix the problem and restore the memory card.

To restore the operation of noname flash drives and those that do not have their own recovery software, the Chkdsk built into Windows and the formatting system are suitable.

Choosing the best program to recover deleted files from a USB flash drive

Damaged your portable USB flash drive or memory card? These best-in-class programs will help you save and recover information, and here you will learn what is involved in recovering data from a flash drive. Applications include Undelete 360, CardRecovery, PhotoRec, Recuva Professional and other candidates. You will also learn how to revive a flash drive for each program.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free 11 – free data recovery program

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard supports many SSD data deletion scenarios. We will launch the Recovery Wizard and explain in a step-by-step manner how the recovery is performed. IN free version Easeus Data Recovery Wizard Free has limitations, we will tell you more about them. Using the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard program, you can recover files and deleted information from a formatted disk, laptop, or removable devices such as a flash drive or SD card for free.

Where to download PhotoRec for free (for Windows OS)

The free PhotoRec program is designed to recover multimedia data on HDDs, USB flash drives, SD cards and other storage devices. Overview of PhotoRec recovery functions, scanning options. Where to download PhotoRec for Windows and other OS.

How to recover a flash drive using Unformat

I suggest you effective method recovery usb recovery flash drives. To use it you will need a specialized utility - Unformat. The program has long established itself in the field of specialized software. In the instructions, I described in detail the entire process of returning files - from scanning the disk to saving files on a flash drive.

Unformat supports recovery of flash drives from almost all manufacturers on the market today.

Many users are familiar with the situation when the flash drive is no longer detected 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, as well as 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 not detected by the system and perform recovery operations.

Installation

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.

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

Method 3: Branded utilities

Many flash drive manufacturers develop their own programs to restore their drives. If such software exists for your device, it is recommended to use it to achieve maximum efficiency. Below we provide links to instructions for using proprietary utilities from different manufacturers.

Hello everyone... Today we will talk about how you can recover a damaged flash drive. Due to their versatility, ease of handling and compact size, removable flash drives or otherwise flash drives have become widespread.

Unlike obsolete optical disks, flash drives allow you to store a larger amount of information. They have a higher data overwriting potential and retention period. And also better protection from external damage.

Alas, although flash drives are considered quite reliable devices, they are not ideal. There are many reasons why a flash drive can fail. Physical failure of components. Controller failure. Damage to the file system due to the device being removed while recording. Depletion of the potential of memory cells - all this can lead to the flash drive becoming unreadable or simply no longer recognized by the operating system.

When connecting such a flash drive, the user may receive various errors. For example, “USB device is not recognized”, “No access to disk”, etc... However, this does not mean that the drive itself and the data written to it are irrevocably damaged.

If the flash drive does not have severe physical damage, in most cases it can be recovered. Below we will describe the most common problems with flash drives. I will also try to restore the damaged flash drive different ways If one doesn't help, the other will. So, let's begin...

The flash drive is recognized by Windows, but its file system is designated as RAW

The prognosis in such cases is usually the most favorable. The reason for converting the file system of a flash drive to RAW is most often logical errors. In this case, the media is recognized by the OS. However, its contents are inaccessible, and when you try to open it, the system prompts you to format it.

Indeed, formatting can restore a damaged flash drive, but this method is unacceptable if it contains important files. Here you can go in two ways: restore the damaged file system or the data itself, using programs for recovering deleted files such as Transcend RecoveRx or.

After recovery, the flash drive can be formatted in any way convenient for you. To reconstruct the file system, we use the standard Chkdsk utility. Run command line as administrator and run a command like this: chkdsk T: /f

The letter T in this example has a flash drive, you will have your own letter. In most cases, this simple trick allows you to restore access to the media. But it may also happen that when you run the command you will receive the message “Chkdsk is not valid for RAW disks.” In this case, we perform data recovery using the first method, and then format the flash drive.

The flash drive is recognized by Windows, but there is no access to data

If the media is recognized, but shows the wrong capacity, when trying to view the contents, errors “No access to the disk”, “Insert disk”, etc. are displayed, the firmware (firmware) is most likely damaged.

Such breakdowns most often result from power failures or unsafe removal of the device from the USB port. Also, the errors described above can be caused by failures and damage to the flash memory itself. In such cases, when trying to format the drive, the message “The disk is write protected” is displayed.

The case is more complicated than with file system RAW. However, with the right approach, a non-working drive can be restored. For these purposes they are used special programs class MPTool, allowing you to perform so-called low-level formatting.

Since all these tools are strictly specialized, for each flash drive model and controller type you need to use its own “native” utility. And to do this, at a minimum, you need to know the device identifier (PID) and manufacturer identifier (VID).

Connect the flash drive to the computer, open Device Manager, in the category of storage or portable devices, find the connected drive in the “USB Controllers” category and open its properties.

In the list of properties you need to find the parameter: Device ID or Device Instance Code. In the “Details” field you will see a line containing the elements VID_XXX; PID_XXX, where XXX is the manufacturer ID and device ID, respectively.

If you do not have the specified parameters, use the utilities to obtain complete information about the removable media: Flash Drive Information Extractor.

Or CheckUDisk

After receiving the information, go to the specialized website Flashboot, enter the resulting VID and PID in the appropriate fields and perform a search. You will receive a list of utilities for disk recovery.

If there is no utility that exactly matches the VID and PID of your flash drive, refer to the manufacturer of the removable device. It is not possible to give consistent instructions for using each utility. Because they are all different from each other. The main thing when using them is to strictly follow the instructions of the master.

However, you can use universal software for recovering flash drives, for example, D-Soft Flash Doctor. This free program is not tied to a specific manufacturer or type of controller. And therefore can be used to treat flash drives of various types.

Additionally D-Soft Flash Doctor Supports creating disk images and scanning for logical errors. Using the utility is simple, you just need to select a non-working flash drive in the window and click the “Recover media” button.

The flash drive is not recognized by the system

In the cases discussed above, the flash drive, although unreadable, was still recognized by the system. But what to do if Windows cannot recognize the connected drive? It doesn't show up in Explorer, nor does it show up in Disk Manager. And the only indication of the connection is a window with the notification “USB device not recognized.”

And also an item marked with a yellow warning icon in the device manager.

The cause of the error in this example can be either software problems or physical damage to the components of the flash drive. It is important to exclude hardware failures here. Since this almost always means that the flash drive will either have to be sent in for repairs or simply replaced.

First of all, try connecting the problematic drive to another USB port, or even better, to another computer. If the error does not occur, you need to look for the reasons on your computer. Most often, such reasons are damaged or incorrectly working external drive drivers.

Go to device manager and find your flash drive among devices. Because it will be marked in yellow exclamation point, this will not be difficult to do. If the flash drive ends up in the “Unknown Devices” category (which is most likely), try updating its driver. Using the context menu.

If the driver update for an unknown device fails, you will have to use one of the programs to search for drivers on the Internet, for example DriverPack Solution. If a non-working flash drive shows up in the “USB Controllers” category, open its properties and, switching to the “Driver” tab, click the “Roll Back” button.

Did updating/reinstalling drivers fail? Try another option - manually clear the registry keys in which device entries are stored.

Using the method described above, find out the VID and PID of your flash drive, then open and expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEMCurrentControlSet/Enum/USB branch. In the last directory, find the subfolders. Which names will have specific VID and PID and delete all their contents.

Do the same with the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Enum/USBSTOR branch, and then restart the computer. What to do if none of the above methods helped? The most reasonable thing in this case would be to take the flash drive to a service center. Where experienced specialists will help you determine the causes of gadget malfunction...