Phoenix Network Forums

I once had an USB key... Well I still have it, but its not functional anymore... I was wondering is there a way to recover the data on the key? I dont have very important things on there, just some photos which i would like to have... The USB just stopped working... just like that, the computer doesnt recognize it anymore...

Could you please give us more details? What OS you're using, some basic system specs, etc.

From what you've said, the only thing I can think of is a problem with the USB security. I know many USB flash drives come with special security software you can install to make it harder for other people to access it... are you using anything like that? I've had problems in the past with that kind of software causing a similar problem.

I don't think you're getting what he's saying. He wants to know if there is a way to get the data that is currently on their off, becuase it suddenly stopped working on him.

Sorry, I can't be of much help to you, but I feel for you, I recently lost mine, and I've been e-mailing myself all my papers.

mini wrote:I don't think you're getting what he's saying. He wants to know if there is a way to get the data that is currently on their off, becuase it suddenly stopped working on him.

Yeah, I know, and I'm trying to figure out WHY it stopped working. The USB security software I mentioned will sometimes cause the computer to stop seeing the device.

Bugs42 wrote:

mini wrote:I don't think you're getting what he's saying. He wants to know if there is a way to get the data that is currently on their off, becuase it suddenly stopped working on him.

Yeah, I know, and I'm trying to figure out WHY it stopped working. The USB security software I mentioned will sometimes cause the computer to stop seeing the device.

the problem is with the USB... I tried it on Win98 with drivers and WinXP and no luck...

nene wrote:

Bugs42 wrote:

mini wrote:I don't think you're getting what he's saying. He wants to know if there is a way to get the data that is currently on their off, becuase it suddenly stopped working on him.

Yeah, I know, and I'm trying to figure out WHY it stopped working. The USB security software I mentioned will sometimes cause the computer to stop seeing the device.

the problem is with the USB... I tried it on Win98 with drivers and WinXP and no luck...

-Does the drive have a power LED?
-If so, does it light up?
-Any visible damage to connector or case?

Does the PC 'try' to recognize it, then fail, or does it not even try?

If it acts totally dead, then I would assume that it has some hardware fault, such as broken solder connection or a damaged USB connector, then it may be an easy fix.

I fix electronics for fun, so my first step would be to carefully take the device out of the case and look for signs of component failure or cracked solder connections.

If there is no obvious fault, and you REALLY need the data, there may be some recovery service on the WEB somewhere. ($$$)

I have not researched how these drives work, but ....IN THEORY....if your drive had some component fail (other than the main memory chip), then it may be possible to buy an identical USB drive, unsolder the chip from each and swap the good chip into the good circuit. (note that replacing surface-mount memory chips without destroying them is no simple job for a $5 soldering iron...there are special tools and procedures for this)

So to recap..the failure could be:

1) logical (FAT or partition table gone or corrupt, drive erased)...fixable thru software, forensics, and/or hex editing)
2) physical, yet easy fix repairable (burned out diode, cracked solder connection, etc)
3) physical, tricky 'hail-mary' fix by swapping memory chip into good drive.
3) Totally fatal (memory storage chip fried).