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Usb Stick Bring Any Dead Computer Back to Life

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This wikiHow teaches you how to fix a malfunctioning flash drive. For software or driver issues, you can scan and repair your flash drive using your computer's built-in repair utility. If your drive isn't working because of an improper formatting or corrupted data, you can reformat your drive—but keep in mind that reformatting your USB flash drive will erase all files on it. Finally, if the flash drive won't work because of physical damage, you should take it into a tech department or data recovery professional; if that's not possible, you may be able to fix it yourself by soldering the broken USB drive's circuitry to a working USB cable. However, attempting repairs yourself is not recommended as there is a high risk of destroying the flash drive.

Windows

  1. 1

    Plug your flash drive into your computer. The flash drive should fit into one of the rectangular ports on your PC's housing. If you're encountering errors on your flash drive or it won't display its contents, you may need to update its drivers or software using your computer's repair feature.

  2. 2

    Press ⊞ Win+E to open File Explorer . This opens File Explorer on Windows. You can use File Explorer to navigate to your flash drive.

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  3. 3

    Right-click your flash drive's icon. This displays a menu to the right of the drive.

    • You may need to click > next to This PC first in order to view the flash drive.

  4. 4

    Click Properties . It's at the bottom of the menu that appears when you right-click a drive.

  5. 5

    Click the Tools tab. This option is at the top of the Properties window.

  6. 6

    Click Check . You'll see this button at the top of the Tools tab in the "Error checking" section.

  7. 7

    Wait for Windows to repair your drive. You may also need to follow some on-screen instructions during the repair process.

    • For example, you might need to confirm that you want to repair the drive by clicking Scan & Repair.

  8. 8

    Click Close when prompted. If your flash drive's problems were driver- or software-based, it should work now.

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Mac

  1. 1

    Plug your flash drive into your computer. The flash drive should fit into one of the rectangular ports on your Mac's housing. If you're encountering errors on your flash drive or it won't display its contents, you may need to update its drivers or software using your computer's repair feature.

  2. 2

    Open Finder. This resembles a blue face. You'll find it in the Dock.

  3. 3

    Click the Go menu item. It's in the upper-left side of the screen.

  4. 4

    Click Utilities . It's a folder near the bottom of the Go drop-down menu.

  5. 5

    Double-click Disk Utility . It resembles a stethoscope on top of a hard drive icon.

  6. 6

    Select your flash drive. This is the indented icon below the "External" heading.

  7. 7

    Click First Aid . It's at the top of the Disk Utility window.[1]

  8. 8

    Click Run when prompted. It's the blue button on the pop-up window.

  9. 9

    Wait for the scan to complete. Disk Utility will repair any software- or driver-related problems.

  10. 10

    Click Done when prompted. If your flash drive's problems were driver- or software-based, it should work now.

  11. 11

    Click . When you are finished using a flash drive on a Mac, always eject it before removing it. This prevents damage from being done to your flash drive. To eject it, click the eject icon next to the drive in the Finder, or click and drag it to the Eject icon in the Dock when on your desktop.

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Windows

  1. 1

    Connect the USB flash drive to your computer. Plug it into one of your PC's USB ports.

  2. 2

    Press ⊞ Win+E to open File Explorer . This opens File Explorer on Windows. You can use File Explorer to navigate to your flash drive.

  3. 3

    Right-click your flash drive's icon. This displays a menu to the right of the drive.

    • You may need to click > next to This PC first in order to view the flash drive.

  4. 4

    Click Format . It's in the menu that appears when you right-click the drive. Doing so opens the Format window.

  5. 5

    Select a file system. Use the drop-down menu below "File System" to select a file system to reformat the drive in. Your options are as follows::

    • NTFS - The default Windows operating system format. This format only works with Windows.
    • FAT32 - The most widely compatible format. Works on Windows and Mac, but has a storage limit of 32 gigabytes.
    • exFAT (Recommended) - Works on Windows and Mac, and has no storage limit.
    • If you've formatted your drive before and you're positive that it isn't broken, you can also check the Quick Format box.

  6. 6

    Click Start , then click OK . Doing this will cause Windows to begin formatting your flash drive for you.

  7. 7

    Click OK when prompted. Your flash drive has successfully been formatted.

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Mac

  1. 1

    Connect the USB flash drive to your computer. Plug it into one of your Mac's USB ports.

    • Some Macs don't have USB ports, so you'll need to purchase an adapter.

  2. 2

    Click Go . It's a menu item in the top-left side of the menu bar.

    • If you don't see Go, first click the Finder icon, which resembles a blue face in your Mac's dock.

  3. 3

    Click Utilities . This option is in the Go drop-down menu.

  4. 4

    Double-click Disk Utility . You'll likely find this option in the middle of the Utilities page.

  5. 5

    Click your flash drive's name. It's on the far-left side of the Disk Utility window.

  6. 6

    Click the Erase tab. This option is at the top of the Disk Utility window.

  7. 7

    Type a name for the drive. Use the space next to "Name" to type a name for the drive once it is done formatting.

  8. 8

    Select a file format. Use the drop-down menu next to "Format" to select a file format. This will bring up a drop-down menu with the following options:

    • Mac OS Extended (Journaled) - The default Mac format. Only works on Mac.
    • Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) - Encrypted version of the default Mac format.
    • Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) - Version of the default Mac format that treats files with the same name differently if there are case differences (e.g., "file.txt" and "File.txt").
    • Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted) - A combination of the three above formatting options for the Mac format.
    • MS-DOS (FAT) - Works on both Windows and Mac computers, but has file size limit of 4 gigabytes.
    • ExFAT (Recommended) - Works on both Windows and Mac computers. Has no storage limit.

  9. 9

    Click a format option. Click MS-DOS (FAT) or ExFat for optimal compatibility.

  10. 10

    Click Erase , then click Erase when prompted. This will begin the formatting process. Once the formatting is complete, you'll see an icon for your flash drive appear on your Mac's desktop.

  11. 11

    Click Done . When the reformat is finished, click Done to continue.

  12. 12

    Click . When you are finished using a flash drive on a Mac, always eject it before removing it. This prevents damage from being done to your flash drive. To eject it, click the eject icon next to the drive in the Finder, or click and drag it to the Eject icon in the Dock when on your desktop.

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  1. 1

    Understand that physically repairing a flash drive is unlikely to work. Unless you have professional experience in repairing physically damaged flash drives, do not try to open it.

    • If the flash drive's internal storage is damaged, your only viable option is to take the drive into a professional repair service.
    • The prices for data recovery can vary from $20 - $850 based on the severity of damage done to the drive, and the type of recovery required.

  2. 2

    Look for grit or foreign objects in the USB drive's mouth. It may not be able to connect to your computer because of an easily-removed blockage. If you see something inside of the USB drive's mouth, gently swab it out with a toothpick or a q-tip.

  3. 3

    Try testing the flash drive on another USB port or computer. It may be the USB port that isn't working rather than the USB drive itself.

  4. 4

    Get your repair tools for soldering a broken connector. If you decide you are comfortable risking your files, you will need:

    • A soldering iron with solder and flux
    • An old USB cable
    • Wire cutters/strippers
    • A small flathead screwdriver
    • A magnifying glass or jeweler's loop

  5. 5

    Remove the flash drive's casing. Do so with your flathead screwdriver.

  6. 6

    Use the magnifying glass to inspect the circuit board (PCB) and solder pads. If the PCB (the green circuit board) itself is damaged or the solder pads are lifted, you will probably need the help of a professional.

    • Solder pads are the 4 bits of solder that connect the prongs of the USB connector to the copper lines in the circuit board. If the connector has broken away without causing damage to the PCB or solder pads, continue to the next step.

  7. 7

    Set the flash drive on a hard surface. Place the connector end facing toward you and the solder pads facing up.

  8. 8

    Use wire cutters to cut one end off of the USB cable. Make sure you cut the USB end if the flash drive cable is an adapter.

  9. 9

    Strip away a section of the USB cable's wire. Try to expose about 0.25 inch (0.6 cm) of each of the four wires inside the cable that's attached to the USB cable.

  10. 10

    Solder each of the four wires to the four solder pads. Take your time while doing this, since failing to adequately secure the connection will most likely render your flash drive inoperable.

  11. 11

    Plug the other end of the USB cable into a computer. It should fit into one of the rectangular slots on your computer's housing.

  12. 12

    Open your flash drive if possible. If your flash drive is recognizable by the computer, open it and move your files over onto your computer as quickly as possible:

    • Windows - Open Start, click the File Explorer icon, and click your flash drive's icon.
    • Mac - Open Finder and click your flash drive's icon.
    • If the flash drive doesn't connect to your computer, you can try taking it to a tech department to see if they can still pull the files off of it.

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Add New Question

  • Question

    My pen drive is not showing my folders, but when I am scanning the pen drive, it is then showing the names of folders. What should I do?

    Community Answer

    The files could have been hidden as system files. To show the files, go to folder properties and to the display tab. There you will find the option Show System Files and Show Hidden Files. Check both of them and apply. Your files should be visible now.

  • Question

    When I try to format my pen drive, my PC shows the message "Windows was unable to format this drive". What is the solution?

    Community Answer

    It is most likely that your pen drive is dead (actually the pen drive's storage may be intact but the boot/power part inside the chip has failed).

  • Question

    I have just recently bought a USB storage device. When I plug it into my laptop it makes the sound that it's connected and starts to install, but the folder doesn't show up in My Computer. What can I do?

    Community Answer

    This is similar to a problem I have accessing my mp3 player. I have two cables. Both charge the device but one provides a data connection so that the device is recognized as a drive on the computer, and the other provides no data connection. You could have a cable problem.

  • Question

    My pen drive fell when it was attached to my laptop and it is half broken and not detectable. I want to recover my data. What should I do?

    Community Answer

    Is the flash memory chip(s) (it looks like the gray squares on un-shielded RAM or the flash memory inside SSDs) torn into two pieces? If so then your data is unrecoverable. If the plug on it is broken but the inside looks physically intact, take it to a data recovery center and see if they can fix it (this could be pretty pricey).

  • Question

    When I try to open my flash drive, my PC shows the message "please insert disk into the removable disk drive." What might be the problem?

    Community Answer

    Reformat it. Windows is probably thinking it's a CD or DVD drive because of an ISO on it.

  • Question

    My pen drive is recognized but after copying files onto it, they show up as being all there. But if I eject and then re-install the drive, the files vanish. What's wrong with my drive?

    Community Answer

    Your flash drive probably has a virus. Try to get a new one and if that doesn't work, then there may be something wrong with your laptop or desktop.

  • Question

    I know that a "Quick Format" takes just moments to run. How long does a "Regular Format" take?

    Community Answer

    It takes from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Don't unplug your USB drive while it's doing its work.

  • Question

    What is wrong if my flash drive is 8 GB, but the computer is detecting it as a 2.5 GB?

    Neon Boy

    Neon Boy

    Community Answer

    It's possible that there was already something on it, hidden away. A flash drive can never be 100% free, although seeing it as 2.5 from 8 is a bit odd. It's possible there is a driver error, depending on the device. Otherwise try plugging it in again, into another port or computer.

  • Question

    The end of my USB drive is bent and the computer isn't registering it. The light flashes quickly and then disappears. Can this be repaired?

    Community Answer

    I have had this problem 2-3 times. I have carefully bent the USB to (almost) the right position, and luckily the computer could read it again. This can go wrong if you use too much force. If it is really important data on your flash drive, go to a professional and let them do it.

  • Question

    When I save the files on my flash drive, the files are invisible and my music in my drive shows an error when I try to play it. What should I do?

    Community Answer

    Re-upload them. Remove the drive, delete the files, and reinsert. Or transfer them to another flash drive or upload them to Google or iCloud.

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  • If you choose to seek the services of a professional data recovery company, be sure to describe your problems to the best of your abilities to ensure they have the tools and experience for the job.

  • USB drives are cheap and widely available. If the data on the flash drive isn't important, consider just buying a new flash drive.

  • If your USB flash drive does contain important data you would like to retrieve, do not re-format the device.

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  • Always back up your important information.

  • Formatting will erase all data on a drive.

  • If the files are at all important, do not let someone who happens to own a soldering iron convince you that they can fix it. Take your drive into a professional repair service.

  • Always eject a flash drive before removing it to ensure there is no damage to your files or to the drive itself.

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Things You'll Need

  • Your operating system (restore) disk.
  • Your operating system serial key.
  • A USB flash drive that is working properly for testing/comparing purposes.

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Usb Stick Bring Any Dead Computer Back to Life

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Repair-a-USB-Flash-Drive

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