USB sticks are among the many small and portable modern conveniences you can use to recover files.

Unlike a hard deejay drive, a USB stick doesn't have whatsoever moving parts, meaning it has fewer failure points than other storage devices. However, it'southward nonetheless very vulnerable to damage, then you could lose access to your irreplaceable data.

How a USB Stick Gets Damaged

There are two master ways your USB stick tin can get damaged: physically and logically.

Physical damage occurs when the plug is bent or snapped off if it'south bumped or jostled while plugged into your device. Information technology can also happen within the hardware. In this example, it may be tricky retrieving anything from it, especially if the connector, NAND memory chip or circuit board is broken.

Logical or non-physical damage occurs when you lot're not aware of it until you lot run into errors when trying to use the stick or the information saved in information technology. Its software can be corrupted or in that location could be issues with the NAND retentiveness attributable to subpar NAND retention chips.

Some of the common causes of data corruption include sudden power loss, USB driver bug, NAND memory wear, operating system, and programme crashes, or improper disconnection.

The good news is you can recover files from the damaged USB stick using a few tips.

How To Recover Files From a Physically Damaged USB Stick

Give the USB Stick a Gentle Wiggle

If some parts of the USB stick'southward head aren't making contact when plugged into your calculator, accept your speakers on and so give it a jerk. If you hear the detection sound, then the USB is continued to the PC.

Make sure information technology's a gentle and not excessive bend, as the latter could cause further impairment to the device.

Move the stick slowly in different directions while checking for its LED light (if any) or listening out for the detection sound.

If the stick makes contact with your computer, open up the folder location for your files and quickly transfer them across to your PC. Yous may accept to concur the stick in a strange position, so if it's possible, have someone transfer the files while you hold information technology.

Pry The Metal Connector Open up

If the stick'due south metal connector is smashed, such that it can't fit into a USB port, try prying it open using a pair of needle-nose pliers. This step requires actress caution as it's possible to crusade farther damage to the stick, or yourself.

Alternatively, y'all can get expert aid to repair the bulldoze and assistance y'all recover the files depending on the damage and the blazon of recovery required. The most important part is the NAND memory chip inside the drive; if it's still intact, the chances of salvaging your data are strong.

Cheque The USB Port For Whatsoever Debris Or Foreign Objects

The USB stick may not exist the trouble, especially where there's no apparent concrete damage. In this case, check the computer's USB port for any foreign objects or droppings by gently brushing a toothpick or cotton fiber q-tip inside the port's mouth to brush out such matter.

If this doesn't aid, it's possible that an interior component is broken, or the drive is corrupted.

Soldering & Circuit Repair

If the stick'south circuit board is damaged, or the connector is cleaved, information technology tin can cut off the ability supply to the USB. In this case, a excursion repair or soldering is needed.

Get a professional with specialized equipment to handle this for you and so that you lot don't permanently lose access to your data or the USB stick altogether.

Recover Files From a Logically Damaged USB Stick

For non-physical harm similar file abuse, you may go customary error messages such equally USB not recognized or has malfunctioned, Delight insert Disk into Removable disk, Access denied, or similar messages.

Corruption can happen if the NAND retention flake renders the flash drive unreadable, and displays the incorrect size, usually 0MB. It as well manifests if the drive controller software is corrupted, or the drive itself is virus-corrupted.

In this case, yous tin can employ several methods to fix the corruption, including formatting the USB drive, professional repair service to reverse the controller and retrieve your data, or a third-party data recovery solution.

Browse The Drive

If your USB stick is corrupted, you tin can scan it for any logical bug. To do this:

1. Insert the USB stick into the estimator's system port. Under This PC, check for the removable disk icon from the list.

2. Right-click Removable disk and select Properties.

three. Click the Tools tab and click Check.

four. You'll get two options: Automatically gear up file system errors or Browse for and try recovery of bad sectors. Bank check both boxes. If there are no errors, you lot'll get an alert letting you know you don't need to scan the drive. Click Commencement to initiate the scan and then click Close in one case the procedure is completed.

Change The Drive Letter

Sometimes you may not see the information on your USB stick when plugged into your computer. You may recollect it's corrupted, simply information technology could be that Windows hasn't assigned it a drive alphabetic character. Change the drive letter and bank check if you lot can admission your data.

1. In the search box, type Deejay Management, and select Create and format hard disk partitions.

2. Discover your USB stick from the list of drives and right-click on it. Select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

3. Click Change and pick a new letter for the drive. Each time y'all connect it to your figurer, it'll employ the newly assigned drive letter of the alphabet.

4. Y'all can now recollect your files from the drive.

Reinstall The Deejay Drivers

If you lot still tin can't access your data from the USB stick, don't dominion out abuse on the drive just yet. It could be that your computer's drivers are corrupted. To be sure, reinstall the disk drivers and check if your files tin can be accessed again.

1. Right-click Start and select Device Manager. Expand the Disk Drives category to see all the drives plugged into your computer.

ii. Right-click on the bulldoze you lot want to set, and select Uninstall device.

3. Remove the external bulldoze and restart your computer.

iv. Plug the USB stick back in and allow Windows to automatically find it and reinstall the drivers. Check if you tin can admission your files and save them on your reckoner.

Check & Repair The Disk

You lot tin can do this in 2 ways – using Windows Explorer or Control Prompt.

Using Windows Explorer to bank check and repair the disk

1. Plug the USB stick into your computer and open Windows Explorer. Click This PC and right-click on the drive you want to prepare, and then select Properties.

two. Click the Tools tab. Under Mistake Checking, click Check. Windows will browse the drive and requite you the browse results.  If there are any other issues with the drive, a popup window will appear to notify you lot of the result.

iii. Click Repair drive to prepare the problem and let the process continue until information technology's completed. You'll receive an on-screen confirmation once it's finished. If you want more data about the repairs, click Testify Details to open the Event Viewer and see the complete log.

Using Command Prompt to check and repair the disk

1. On the search box, type CMD and then click open up. In the Command Prompt window, blazon chkdsk [bulldoze letter]: /r and press Enter to commencement the browse.

Once the scan is completed, y'all tin run into the findings and a listing of the repairs (if any) on your drive.

Utilise Tertiary-Party Recovery Software

If you're non able to remember your data using the solutions we've covered so far, y'all can effort using third-party recovery software.

There are many such apps and tools that promise to recover the information for you, but non all of them live upward to their promises. Nonetheless, at that place are a few good ones that are known to help retrieve data such as EaseUS Data Recovery tool, TestDisk and PhotoRec, or Recuva, among others. All these can help recall data and partitions on disks, including deleted and corrupted files.

Visit a Specialist Shop

If nothing has worked and then far, information technology's time to accept your USB stick to a specialist. They have specialized and powerful tools that you may not have at home, which tin salvage most if non all of your data.

Conclusion

USB sticks are vulnerable to software corruption, and they tin can break very easily. Depending on the level of damage, it's possible to recover files from a damaged USB stick.

Yet, to prevent such problems going frontwards, make sure you keep backups of your data and precious files regularly, on other difficult drives or in cloud storage. Plus, e'er handle your device gently when plugging it into your computer or removing it, and consider replacing it every few years to reduce the likelihood of corruption.