How to fix a corrupted flash drive

One of the most frequent requests our data recovery experts get is to fix or repair USB devices, such as a corrupted flash drive, pen drive, USB stick, or a USB attached hard disk drive.

These handy portable storage devices are extremely popular but they are often very fragile and delicate. They cost very little to manufacture and can be found online for only a few dollars; however, with the cheaper models the quality control is not particularly great, and they can break easily. Because they are cheap, USB flash drive repair is not common. Not only are they easy to damage, but file system errors are common and data corruption is a frequent problem we encounter. Improper removal of the USB drive from the computer can be the start of a corrupted USB drive. Issues that require USB flash drive repair can be logical or physical.

Many people are often looking for a magic “cure” for USB corruption, and we know it’s frustrating when your operating system or command line cannot access the USB flash drive attached to your PC. Yes, there is USB data recovery software available, and sometimes a repair tool is free to use. However, proceed with caution, because sometimes a USB repair tool has hidden charges or a paywall to unlock the full application feature set, and continually attempting to use a corrupt or damaged device, even to recover data with a USB repair tool, can make the problem worse and harder to repair.

How much does it cost to repair a flash drive?

The cost to repair a corrupted USB flash drive is usually not very high, but as always, the costs will depend on the complexity of the issue. There are two common types of corruption issues found with USB drives: a USB drive with logical corruption, or a USB drive with corruption caused by physical damage.

Logical corruption is a problem that can sometimes be resolved with a home fix, and we will go into this in some detail later on and explore what USB flash drive repair tools are worth checking out. But before you start Googling for data recovery software, we recommend you consider how important the data is to you, as attempting a home fix or using USB repair tools rather than using a professional repair service is likely to result in permanently lost data. If the USB drive has nothing important on it, then a home flash drive repair is one way you might try to recover data.

Any data recovery attempt can put your data at risk, and there is no guarantee a home fix will work. If your data is too valuable, then you should get the USB drive shipped to Gillware’s data recovery experts. We frequently repair USB drives that contain critical appliance configuration data or precious family photographs that our clients are desperate to get back.

Gillware Data Recovery was founded on the principle that USB data recovery shouldn’t be prohibitively expensive, and our process to recover data reflects this idea, ensuring that quotes are fair and our clients do not have to pay if we are not successful. We perform over 15,000 data recoveries each year and we can even help get your lost files if your USB flash drive is encrypted.

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How can I repair my USB flash drive?

Knowledge of how to fix and repair a corrupted USB drive can save you a lot of work in redoing a project all over again. A USB pen drive works under the same memory principle as a computer hard drive. Before you try USB flash drive repair, you need to know what is causing the problem. This can mitigate future storage-related issues.

If your USB drive has physical damage, you need to get it sent to Gillware data recovery company repair service. Gillware is a data recovery company based in Madison, Wisconsin. Our data recovery experts have tens of thousands of hours of experience between them. We will rebuild and repair the USB flash drive in one of our cleanrooms.

If you are lucky enough to be suffering from a logically corrupted flash drive and are not worried about potentially rendering the data loss permanent, then grab a coffee and have a go at the following logical USB hard drive/flash drive repair steps. Below are some ways you might try to fix a corrupted USB drive logically on Windows 10.

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How to scan the drive for logical issues on Windows 10

Recovering data from a logical technicality: This can be done by scanning the USB drive using Windows 10, creating a solution to the corrupted USB drive, and getting back your lost files.

Step 1– Insert/connect the USB flash drive or hard drive into the computer system USB port.

Step 2 – Windows 10 should automatically detect the USB flash drive. Then, go to the removable disk icon under the “My Computer” icon list.

Step 3 – Access the pen drive via right-clicking the properties tab, then click on the Tools tab using the left-click mouse button to check the pen drive. The options given under this part are to automatically fix system errors or attempt to recover the bad file sectors.

Step 4 – Check on the option of your preference. After deciding on the option, click on the start button to initiate the scanning process. The interface will notify you once the scanning is complete and ask you to close the tab.

If any of the above steps fail, you will need to check the Windows Disk Management tool or run the chkdsk utility. This is useful if the USB drive’s file system is heavily corrupted and Windows does not display the USB drive ICON on My Computer.

Step 1 – Attach the USB drive to your computer and press on the Windows button at the bottom left of your screen (this used to be called the Windows Start button). As soon as you see a popup, type diskmgmt.msc and hit enter. This will start Disk Management, which is great for detecting any missing drive.

Step 2 – Locate the USB drive, it will normally be in the middle of the screen, look for the manufacturer name of your USB Drive, for example, Samsung 64GB.

Step 3 – Check the USB flash drive has been given a drive letter.

Step 4 – Check if the USB flash drive is online; if not right-click on the flash drive and press “bring online.”

Step 5 – Go back to the Windows Start Button and press it; now type cmd and open the command line prompt (right-click to open as administrator).

Step 6 – Select the drive letter identified in Step 2 and Step 3 by typing, for example, F: (substitute your drive letter).

Step 7 – Run chkdsk; type chkdsk /f /r – this will repair corrupted sectors and attempt to fix file system problems. If any corruption is found, chkdsk will write data loss files to the media to recover any bad sectors. Upon completion, you should have access to the lost data to recover files from the damaged USB.

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How to repair the USB flash drive on Windows 10

If you are not comfortable using chkdsk, insert the USB drive into the PC through the USB port.

Step 1 – Click on the “My Computer- Removable Disk” icon. Then right-click the “Properties” tab to the Removable Disk icon. Left-click the tools tab to select the button named “Rebuild” on it.

Step 2 – Scan; let the computer do the task of scanning and restoring previously corrupt files.

Step 3 – Finally, right-click the USB pen drive and click on eject to safely disconnect the drive from the computer system.

Although not all lost files can be recovered, restoring the USB drive to its normal function is achievable.

How to fix physical issues on a corrupted USB drive on Windows 10

Broken stems, connectors, and dead drives tend to not connect to the computer’s power system. This can bring about many error messages once the drive is connected to the system. The messages will communicate to you that you need to connect and insert the drive into the computer even if it is in the right computer port. Customary error messages include “Please insert disk into removable disk” or “USB not recognized or has malfunctioned.” In most cases where the drive is physically damaged, the device must be sent to a lab for electrical repair or chip-off recovery.

However, this error message can also occur with another type of USB drive issue. It manifests itself if the flash drive is virus corrupted or when the flash drive controller software is corrupt. It can also happen if there is a problem with the NAND memory chips. The corruption of the NAND memory chip renders the flash drive unreadable, and the disk capacity is normally 0MB. Consequently, Windows 10 also notifies you that the disk is corrupt as it displays a different disk name.

Losing a single file can be bad. But, losing an entire USB to corruption? That can be devastating. In what seems like the blink of an eye, countless hours of work can be lost in seconds.

What’s worse is that it strikes at random, and if you don’t have a backup of the files on your USB, you’ll find yourself scouring the internet for answers.

Luckily, there are solutions. To get you back up and running, let’s take a look at some proven solutions for both recovering files from a corrupted flash drive, and fixing it.

To give yourself the best chance at recovering the data from your corrupted flash drive, refrain from using the USB in question until you’ve finished reading this article.

There are many different reasons why a flash drive can become corrupted. While the exact reason why your drive is corrupted may be difficult to determine, here are a few of the most common reasons:

• 💥 Removing it before ejecting – When a USB is plugged into a computer, there are various processes happening in the background. If you remove the USB from the computer while there is a read/write action being performed, it can cause file corruption. Because of this, you always need to eject the USB from the computer before removing it.
• 🔌 Sudden power loss – If power is lost while the USB is in use, it can cause all active operations to halt, causing either the files or the USB itself to become corrupted.
• 💧 Exposure to harsh conditions – Exposure to water can cause the electronics to short, and environments with salty air can cause the contacts to erode. This is why it’s important to store flash drives appropriately, in a temperature-controlled environment.
• 📉 NAND memory wear – During its lifetime, your USB is going to go through thousands of read/write cycles. NAND flash memory, over time, begins to wear down as a single memory location can only be overwritten so many times. This can be considered the natural aging of a flash drive and means that it becomes more susceptible to corruption near the end of its life cycle.

Is It Possible to Recover Corrupted Files from a USB?

In most cases, yes. But, we first need to understand the difference between recovering corrupted USB files from a USB and recovering a USB that has been corrupted, as the two are not the same:

• 📁 Corrupted file or folder – A corrupted file or corrupted folder on a USB is singular, meaning corruption is isolated to that file or folder only. A corrupted file or folder would have sustained some form of damage that has caused it to become unreadable. Any attempt to open it will be met with an error message. These can still be recovered from a USB, but the actual file or folder will need to be fixed in order for you to view it again.
• ⚙️ Corrupted USB – When an entire USB becomes corrupted, the contents on the USB will no longer be accessible. This isn’t to say the files themselves have been corrupted, but instead, the USB itself has sustained some form of logical or physical damage that now prevents you from accessing your files.

While you can recover a corrupted file from a USB, you’re only retrieving the corrupted file, not fixing it. When recovering files from a corrupted USB, you’re recovering all of the intact files that are no longer accessible through traditional means.

If your USB is in the stages of becoming corrupted, you will notice strange and erratic performance. This includes:

• Files randomly disappearing from the flash drive.
• A “File is not recognized” prompt when opening files from the USB.
• Being prompted with a message that says “Please insert a disk into USB Drive (H:)”, even when the USB is connected to the computer.
• The USB is not showing in Windows as a storage device when it’s connected to the computer.
• Receiving a message stating that you need to format your USB.

If you start to notice any of these signs and you can still access your data, it’s highly recommended that you transfer all data to another storage device for safekeeping.

Logical damage is damage that’s not physical, and it presents itself in the form of the aforementioned errors when you try to use or store data to the flash drive.

Just as there are various ways a USB can become corrupted, there are various methods for recovering the files that seem to have been lost.

Method #1: Assign a Drive Letter

In some cases, you may not be able to access your USB as it has not been assigned a drive letter. You can fix this by assigning a drive letter yourself or changing the existing drive letter.

1. Right-click the Start icon and click on Disk Management.
   
2. Right-click on the disk number for your USB and click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
   
3. Click on the drive letter that’s already assigned, then Change.
   
4. Choose a new drive letter from the dropdown list.
   

Once a drive letter has been assigned, try accessing the USB using Windows Explorer.

Method #2: Reinstall/Update the Drivers

If the USB drivers are corrupted or out-of-date, reinstalling them or updating them can fix the issue.

1. Right-click the Start icon and click on Device Manager.
   
2. Expand the dropdown for Disk drives, right-click your USB, and click Uninstall device.
   
3. Unplug your USB then plug it back in. This will trigger the latest drivers to be downloaded and installed automatically.

Once the drivers have been downloaded and installed, Windows will recognize the USB again.

Method #3: Check Your Storage Device for Errors & Files Attributes Using CMD

Windows allows you to fix your corrupted flash drive using specific commands in CMD. The following steps will check your USB for bad sectors (and try to fix them) and make any hidden files visible.

1. Click on the Start menu and search for CMD. Right-click and click Run as administrator. If you’re prompted by a window to allow CMD to make changes, click Yes.
   
2. To check if your USB flash drive has bad sectors, enter chkdsk D: /r /f into the command line and press Enter (replace D: with the drive letter of your USB). Windows will begin to verify the files and folders on the USB.
   
   To unhide files, enter attrib -h -r -s /s /d D:*.* and press Enter (again, replace D: with the drive letter of your USB).
   

Method #4: Retrieve Files From a Corrupted USB Using Data Recovery Software

If none of the above have worked for you, your next best option when it comes to recovering files from a corrupted drive is by using USB recovery software. This is software that specialises in the recovery of files and data that would otherwise be unrecoverable using native tools.

Important note: Recovery software will be able to access your USB as long as it’s recognizable in Disk Management. Your USB doesn’t need to be accessible through File Explorer for recovery tools to work.

To do this, we’re going to use Disk Drill USB Recovery because of its proven reliability, user-friendly interface, and robust functionality. It is highly recommended as one of the best tools for recovering lost or deleted files from flash drives, even for those who aren’t technically-inclined.

1. Download and install Disk Drill.
   
2. Click on your flash drive, then click Scan for lost data.
   
3. When the scan is complete, Disk Drill will display a list of recoverable files. Click on the checkbox next to the files you’d like to recover, then click Recover.
   
4. Specify a location for the files to be recovered to. It would be best to specify a location that’s not on the same USB that the files are being recovered from. Click OK.
   
5. Disk Drill will present you with a confirmation screen stating that the files have been recovered.
   

The recovered files should now be accessible at the specified recovery location.

Physical damage can be caused by anything and involves the USB being damaged to the point where it either struggles to stay connected to a device or doesn’t connect at all.

Once a USB is physically damaged, it can be hard to recover data from it. However, there are a few solutions you can try.

Method #1: Adjust the USB

If your USB doesn’t connect to your computer when you plug it in, this could be caused by a loose connection. When the USB is plugged in, its internal connectors need to maintain contact with the connectors inside the USB port. If no connection is made, the computer cannot read the USB and its contents.

1. Plug the USB into a computer.
2. Gently wiggle the USB in different directions and listen out for the noise that Windows makes when a new device is connected.
3. When the sound triggers, hold that position and transfer all contents from the USB to another storage device.

This can take some trial and error, depending on the extent of the damage.

Method #2: Check for Any Debris Obstruction

If there are foreign objects in either the USB port or the connectors on the USB flash drive, this could prevent a proper connection from being established between the flash drive and the computer. This would also be a great opportunity to try the flash drive in another USB port to try and isolate the problem.

1. Using a cotton swab, gently brush out any debris that might be in either device.
2. Gently blow on the port and connector to remove any loose debris like dust or dirt.
3. Try to connect the USB again.

If the USB connects, it means that the problem was caused by something physically blocking the connection.

Method #3: Recover Corrupted USB by Contacting Professional Recovery Services

There’s only so much you can do by yourself to repair a flash drive to a point where you can recover your data. If the above solutions haven’t worked for you, your next best choice is to use a professional recovery service.

Professional recovery involves the use of specialized tools to recover the data on a USB that can no longer connect to devices normally.

FAQ

As much we hate it, corruption is something that can happen to any USB. Instead of worrying about if it will happen, we should plan for when it will happen.

Be proactive about making backups of your data. Having backups is a healthy way of making sure you can bounce back in the event that the USB that holds all of your invaluable files becomes corrupted.