USB flash drives can become corrupt or damaged for a variety of reasons. Luckily you can fix your USB for free. Windows chkdsk and Windows disk error checking are able to repair errors on your disk from the command line. Afterward, with EaseUS data recovery software, you can get your data back from a failed pen drive without losing files.
Important: You need a USB flash drive or a memory card with a free storage capacity of at least 500 MB and a high data transfer rate. Since you can permanently 'park' SD cards in the designated PC slot, the small disks for ReadyBoost are particularly well suited. Cards with a capacity of one or two GB are indeed quite enough for ReadyBoost. USB Flash Drives. Cables & Adapters. Mobile Accessories. Apple Accessories. Photo/Video Solutions; Flash Memory. PNY recommends connecting the USB reader directly to the USB port on the computer rather than daisy chained to another device or connecting to a hub. Why do I have issues to use my Flash card in my device?
- Corrupted USB Flash Drive Repair Overview
- Download Free USB Repair Tool
- How to Repair a USB Flash Drive
The Problem: Corrupted USB Flash Drive Repair Overview
USB flash drives, pen drives, thumb drives can easily get corrupted or result in device failure due to a virus attack, file system corruption, hardware malfunction, improper shutdown, and more.
When it happens, you have to repair the corrupted USB flash drive or pen drive to make the device work normally again. However, the method to repair a corrupted USB flash drive or pen drive is often a headache for users who don't want to lose data on their device. If the data is not of consequence, formatting the device will usually be a sufficient fix.
Fortunately, via the combination of a built-in Windows disk/USB repair tool and a third-party USB flash/pen drive data recovery software, you can repair a failed pen drive for free and recover all lost data.
The Tools: Download Free USB Repair Tool & Data Recovery Software
When you search 'USB flash repair software' or 'pen drive repair software' on Google, a massive number of hard drive repair tools advertise to repair pen drives and recover data. But few of them work as well as they advertise.
Most software can only scan or find some existing data on the corrupted device. To fully resolve the USB corrupt error, you'll need more than just third-party repair software.
Corrupted USB Repair Tools: No matter how your USB flash drive or pen drive became corrupted or failed, USB repair software combining with data recovery software will help.
# First: Use the Windows disk check tool to repair the device.
- CHKDSK command line and Windows disk error checking can work for repairing a corrupted storage device.
# Next: Download powerful data recovery software to get all of your data back.
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can restore all lost files from corrupted USB or pen drive in 3 steps.
- Damaged USB Repair Solution:
- If your USB flash drive or pen drive gets physically damaged or broken, take your USB to a local external device repair center or a manual data recovery service shop.
Download Usb Flash Driver
The Procedure: Repair a Corrupted/Failed USB without Data Loss
Before you start, check if your corrupted USB or pen drive can be detected by Windows PC:
- If yes, move on and repair it immediately.
- If not, you can refer to USB not showing up or USB not recognized to find more solutions.
The first step is to check the disk and repair its errors. Afterward, use data recovery software to recover any missing or inaccessible data.
1. Run USB Repair Tool - CHKDSK Utility to Fix Corrupted USB or Pen Drive
To repair the USB drive, we will use the CHKDSK utility within the Command Prompt. There is also an alternative that does not use the command line that is shown below.
Step 1. Insert the corrupted USB or pen drive to the USB port on your PC.
Step 2. Go to the search bar and type: cmd, hit Enter.
Step 3. Click cmd.exe and open Command Prompt as Administrator. (Sign in as Administrator with your account if the program asks for permission).
Step 4. Enter: chkdsk j: /f /x< /p>
- Replace j: with the drive letter of your USB drive.
- Syntax note
- j: -- The drive letter. Replace with the letter of your USB drive
- /f -- Will attempt to fix any errors on the disk
- /x -- Will force the USB drive to be dismounted before initiating the scan
- /r -- Will scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. It will take a longer time to scan the sectors and is optional, but it might be worth checking for bad sectors if your device is having issues
If you decide to use it, enter: chkdsk j: /f /r /x
CHKDSK Alternative - Repair Corrupted File System on USB Flash Drive
If you don't have any technical know-how and want to minimize data risks, using third-party software could be a better choice. The Command line is suitable for computer professionals since wrong commands can cause severe problems. Therefore, we strongly recommend you try an automatic command line alternative.
EaseUS Tools M is a practical computer fixing tool that is safe and light-weighted. It's a perfect alternative to CHKDSK command. Use this one-click tool to solve your computer issues.
To fix file system error or disk error:
Step 1: DOWNLOAD EaseUS Tools M for Free and install it.
Step 2: Open the software and select the 'File showing' option.
Step 3: Choose the drive and wait for repairing. After the operation completes, click the 'View' button to check the drive.
CHKDSK Alternative - Check Disk with USB Flash Drive Error Checking
You may also do this same task using the Error-checking in the device properties menu. It can be more intuitive if you are not very comfortable with the command-line syntax. For Windows 10:
Step 1. Insert the corrupted USB to your PC via the USB port.
- Go to File Explorer > This PC.
Step 2. Right-click on the USB device, select Properties.
Step 3. Go to Tools, click the Check button under Error checking.
Step 4. Select Scan and repair drive.
Step 5. Continue to follow the wizard interface, it will prompt you to automatically fix disk errors if any error is detected.
2. Recover Data After Repairing Corrupted USB Flash Drive/Pen Drive
EaseUS file recovery software - Data Recovery Wizard is 100% secure. With this software, you can get everything back with no limitation.
It supports USB pen drive, flash drive, or other removable storage devices of all major brands such as Sony, Transcend, SanDisk, Kingston, Apacer, Panasonic, PQI, Toshiba, Super Flash, and Ridata.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is incredibly simple to use. The steps to recover data from a USB drive are as follows:
Step 1. Run USB data recovery software.
Connect the USB flash drive to your computer and launch EaseUS USB data recovery software on your PC. Select your USB drive which marks as a removable disk, and click 'Scan' to start finding your lost files.
Step 2. Scan all lost files from USB.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will thoroughly scan your USB flash drive and find all your lost data on it. After the scanning process, use the Filter feature to filter a specific file type. You can check and preview found USB files in this program.
Step 3. Restore all lost files from USB.
A double-click will allow you to preview the file results. Choose the target files and click 'Recover' to save them to a secure location on your PC or other external storage devices.
- Notice:
- When restoring data from the USB or pen drive, save the files to a different location than where you originally lost them.
To thoroughly repair your USB and be sure that it is in perfect working condition after fixing it, you can back up the data to your computer, reform the device, and restore it.
Conclusion
For software or driver issues, you can scan and repair a flash drive using your computer's built-in repair utility. If you lost data after USB corruption, you could use EaseUS data recovery software. This data recovery software can easily retrieve lost files from corrupted flash drive, SD card, hard drive, and external hard drive. Download EaseUS USB data recovery software and get back data with ease.
USB Flash Drive Repair Frequently Asked Questions
You have learned about the best USB repair tool to fix a corrupted or damaged USB drive. And always keep your data safe before repairing the USB drive. However, not all of the USB repair tools and solutions are reliable. If you still have problems, read the following questions and answers.
Can you fix the corrupted USB drive?
Yes. You can fix a corrupted USB using CHKDSK. Here are the steps:
Step 1. Plugin your USB flash drive or pen drive to your computer.
Step 2. Go to the start menu, type in 'cmd' in the search bar, hit enter, and then see something named 'cmd. exe' in a list of programs.
Step 3. Right-click 'cmd. exe', run as administrator, and type 'chkdsk /X /f G:' or 'chkdsk G: /f' (replace G: with the drive letter corresponding to your USB drive). The chkdsk operation will then start to repair the damaged USB drive.
How do you fix an unrecognized USB flash drive?
There are several ways to fix an unrecognized USB drive. Here are the methods:
- 1. Recover files and format RAW USB
- 2. Update unallocated USB drivers and create a new volume
- 3. Change the USB drive letter
- 4. Check USB port, change the USB connection
- 5. If none of the above fixes work, take USB to a local device repair center for manual repair
Why is the USB drive corrupted?
The USB storage media is prone to be corrupted/damaged due to the following reasons:
- Virus attack
- Abrupt removal
- Sudden power outage and more
Why can't I see my USB drive in Windows 10?
If there is something wrong with your USB driver, the USB flash drive will not appear in Windows 10 File Explorer and may show up as unallocated space under Disk Management.
Dec 21, 2020 • Filed to: USB Recovery • Proven solutions
How Can I Fix my Flash Drive Not Recognized?
Question: 'My USB flash drive is not recognized when I plug it to the computer. What causes such a problem to happen? Is my USB drive got broken? How to fix the flash drive not recognized issue? Also, can I recover data from the USB flash drive not recognized?'
Solved: USB not recognized is the common problem reported many users, it could be broken or other reason caused the drive error. But don't worry, you can follow the next guide to fix the flash drive not recognized error on Windows and Mac, then recover files from flash drive with Recoverit Data Recovery program.
Sandisk Usb Flash Drivers Download
What Caused the Flash Drive Not Recognized on Computer?
Several root causes would result in the not recognized flash drive issue. They should be addressed so that you will not need to deal with the issue(s) for a long period.
Port Related Issues:: To determine if this is a port problem, test every USB port that you have with different flash drives. This could be either hardware or software issues or both. In this case, you would need a professional to help you correct this.
USB Formatting Issue: This is the most probable reason your computer could not detect your flash drive. The inability to format flash drive properly before the first use could cause problems later on.
Driver Issue: The drivers may not be available, corrupted, or outdated which would make the flash drive not Recognized.
Hard Drive Related Issues: A glitch in your machine's hard drive will not allow anything on it to work in a good and perfect way. This hardware issue should be addressed because it will affect more than your computer's ability to recognize a flash drive.
Operating System Related Issues: Sometimes, if your OS is not updated with the necessary updates as often as possible, it would cause the system to not recognize the flash drive. This could be simply rectified by updating the necessary components.
4 Ways to Fix the USB Flash Drive Not Recognized Problems on Windows
Depending on what is the root cause of the problem, you may only need to do one of these four steps or all of them. Follow these solutions step-by-step to resolve your problem.
Way 1: Scan Flash Drive to Find the Issue
- Plug the flash drive into your USB port.
- Go to My Computer and right-click on the flash drive. Open the Properties
- Open the Tools tab and click Check now'¦
Flash Card Usb Reader
- It may take some time to complete the scan. Once finished, it will tell you what the flash drive's problem is.
Way 2: Reformat the Flash Drive
- Right-click on the flash drive and click on Format'¦, the Format window will pop up.
- Under the File system toggle it between NTFS and FAT32. Click Start.
Way 3: Perform driver updates
- Open the Run command and type in msc in the field. Click OK.
- This will open the Device Manager. Find the Universal Serial Bus controllers.
- Expand the menu and right-click on the Generic USB Hub. Click on Update Driver Software'¦
Way 4: Operating System Updates
- Go to Control Panel, then System and security.
- Under the Windows Update section, click on Check for Updates.
- If it is not updated (the notification is not green in color), update it accordingly as indicated by the system.
- Follow the updating wizard and restart your computer accordingly.
Video Tutorial on How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized
3 Ways to Fix the Flash Drive Not Recognized Problem on Mac
Like in Windows, your resolution method will be determined by the root cause of the problem. These are the three ways that you can do to fix flash drive not Recognized issue.
Way 1: Manually Connect the Flash Drive
- Go to Application and click on Utilities.
- A pop-up window will appear and click on the highlighted commands as marked in the image below:
- Under Devices, click External Devices to manually connect the unrecognizable flash drive.
Way 2: Retune PRAM
- Shut down your Mac.
- Press the Power button and subsequently hold down the Command-Option-P-R This should be done before the grey screen appears.
- Your Mac should reboot itself. Let it go after the start-up chime.
Way 3: Format Mac's Drive
- Press the Command-Spacebar buttons simultaneously, plug in the flash drive and go to the Application Click on the Disk Utility option.
- You will be able to find the flash drives that need to be fixed in the left panel.
- Click on the Erase button to complete the process.
What's Next?
Now that the flash drive not Recognized problem is solved on your Windows or Mac computer, make sure you had back-up all important documents in the flash drive. This is to ensure that you will be able to access the files stored in the flash drive should it happens again.
You should also check if there is any accidental data loss from the drive. Should you find things missing, use a flash drive data recovery tool to help you recover loss documents do this immediately before it is overwritten by new data.
How to Recover Data from Flash Drive Not Recognized on Windows
When you fix the USB flash drive not recognized with format solution, all your data on the drive will be got formatted and lost. On this guide, we will show you how to recover data from flash drive not recognized on Windows. Recoverit Data Recovery software can easily help you recover lost files from flash drive, even the drive got damaged/corrupted, formatted, virus attack and the file system crashed.
Recoverit - The Best USB Flash Drive Recovery Software
- Undeleted files from flash drive which not recognized on Windows and Mac.
- Recover files from USB flash drive due to accidentally deleted, formatted and damaged/corrupted.
Steps to Recover Lost Data from Flash Drive
Download and install Recoverit Flash Drive Recovery on your computer, follow the next simple steps to perform flash drive data recovery on Windows computer.
Step 1. Launch Recoverit Data Recovery program, select the 'External Device Recovery' mode to get started.
Step 2. Make sure your flash drive detected on the computer, select it, and click 'Start' to proceed.
Step 3. The flash drive recovery software will start to scan the device to search and restore your data files.
Step 4. Finally, you can check all the recovered files. Select your data and recover back by clicking the 'Recover' button.
If you are a MAC user, you should download Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac or follow the guide to perform flash drive recovery on Mac.
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