The vast majority of times, a USB flash drive will fail without any notice. It will have worked perfectly fine earlier today and then be completely undetectable, show zero bytes or ask to be formatted. At other times, a person may snap the end off their flash drive (usually near the plug) by knocking into it while it was still plugged in. Fortunately for users, many times the actual flash memory on which the user’s files were saved remains intact and can therefore be accessed directly. No matter what search terms you used, such as USB stick data recovery, flash drive recovery or pen drive recovery, the diagnostic service provided is always free and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
If you can’t see it or if it’s prompting you to format it, repeatedly plugging it in (and most importantly reformatting) will risk your data. Leave it alone and we’ll be able to read its memory directly.
Most of the time that a USB stick breaks down, there are three primary reasons why. The connector for the drive has snapped off or the solder joints have cracked (very commonly) when someone bumps into the computer with the drive inserted into a USB port; this leaves the memory itself intact but completely separated from the rest of the system. The controller for the drive has failed (or its firmware has corrupted), resulting in the system being unable to detect the drive at all, or incorrectly reporting the drive’s capacity. The third is wear and tear of the actual flash memory itself, most often due to frequent extensive usage. In the first two instances (the majority) the data remains on the chip and can be recovered; however, since the controller is no longer functioning, recovery of this data becomes challenging.
A broken or damaged connector on a USB stick is repaired using a microscope by reconnecting the joints and allowing for the stick to be read again. If the stick’s controller has died then more complex recovery is required to extract the raw NAND flash data and rebuild it as the original files, in addition to removing any wear levelling (a method used to prolong the life of a USB stick) and scrambling that was done by the controller. The process may take time due to the fact that USB sticks spread their data randomly throughout the chip; however, many times it is successful. As always, we work to recover the data intact rather than risk the drive with repeated retries.
We are able to retrieve data from USB drives from SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, Integral, PNY and generic (unbranded) brands. Regardless of type (USB 2.0 or 3.x), regardless of whether they have a Type A or Type C connector or have snapped off at the connector, send us the entire drive including the damaged portion; the broken connector is often the easiest part to repair, and the memory in that drive is what matters.
In most cases, no. When a stick disappears this is usually due to a faulty connector or controller, but the flash memory and your information are probably safe behind it. We either replace the connector or we will pull your data from the memory at the chip level in order to recover it.
Very often. It’s really just a little micro-soldering to fix the connections and then we can read the drive. Please send in both components if you have them, especially the one with the memory (the component on the stick that contains your data).
No. One of the very few things that will actually wipe your data is reformatting. Just leave it alone and let us recover from it. The “needs formatting” message is almost always a file system problem rather than a loss of files.
It’s completely up to you with our free diagnosis: we’ll give you all the details about what we can recover and the fixed price for doing so before you decide, and most jobs are no charge if there is nothing to recover.
The actual value of the stick is rarely high enough to justify repair; however, the data nearly always has an intrinsic value. A broken connector (a snapped one) or cracked PCB can be done as a basic repair job: the NAND chip will be read out and your files will be recreated from the raw dump. Save all pieces and do not attempt to solder, and once you get a price quote, send it all off for the complimentary diagnostic.
Always get a free diagnostic first, followed by a fixed written quote before we begin any repair, and there will be no charge at all for most of our jobs if we can’t get the data back. Most connector repairs will have a lower fixed cost than other types of repair, but when chip level NAND work is required because of a dead controller, a quote will follow after the initial free diagnosis. Once you receive a quote, simply take your device to our Leeds address at The Pinnacle (no appointment required) or post it fully insured from anywhere in Yorkshire, and we will handle everything in-house with our own engineers; we do not outsource.
When someone’s USB drive (stick) breaks or doesn’t work, they will often search for USB stick repair near me. What a broken USB stick really requires isn’t necessarily “repair” but rather “recovery”, that is recovering your files by reading the entire flash chip directly. This is exactly what we’re here for!
Once you receive a quote for your project, bring your device to the counter at The Pinnacle on Albion Street. You can visit us Monday to Friday between 9am and 5:30pm (no appointments necessary). Alternatively, send your device by insured post. Our data recovery UK services cover all areas of the United Kingdom under the same conditions: free diagnostic, fixed written quote and no charge on most projects unless we recover your data.
We offer free diagnoses with a fixed written price quote, and there are no fees charged on most of our services until your files come back. Please do leave the stick alone and, once we have quoted you, get it to us; usually the memory itself is still good.