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Free Image Format ConversionHow to Fix a Damaged USB Flash Drive
Due to virus attacks, file system corruption, hardware failure, or improper shutdown, USB flash drives, Pen drives, and thumb drives can get damaged or lead to device malfunction.
At this point, you need to fix the corrupted USB flash drive or pen drive to get the device working normally. However, for users who do not wish to lose data on the device, fixing a corrupted USB flash drive or pen drive can be a headache. If the data is not important, formatting the device is usually enough to solve the problem.
Fortunately, you can fix a corrupted pen drive and retrieve all lost data for free with the built-in Windows Disk/USB repair utility and third-party USB flash/thumb drive data recovery software.
| USB Repair and Recovery Software | Use it to repair damaged or formatted USB drives. The software scans for errors on the drive and attempts to fix them. The effectiveness of this method depends on the extent of damage to the USB drive. |
| Manual Data Recovery Service | Suitable when the drive is severely damaged and there's a risk of losing critical data. The effectiveness of this method relies on the expertise of the data recovery specialist. |
| Run CHKDSK USB Repair Tool | This built-in Windows tool checks for errors on the USB drive and repairs the file system. It examines the file system and tries to fix any errors found. Its effectiveness depends on the severity of errors on the drive. |
| Use Windows Error Checking | This utility scans the file system and corrects any errors on the USB drive. It has slightly less functionality than CHKDSK and is suitable for lighter errors. |
| Repair a USB with a Failed File System | This method involves repairing the file system of a damaged USB drive. Formatting the drive and copying data back may be required. Its effectiveness depends on the severity of the file system corruption. |
| Data Recovery After Repair | This method involves recovering data from a USB drive after repair. It's applicable when there's a risk of data loss during the repair process. Its success depends on the extent of the repair. |
Tool: Download free USB repair tools and data recovery software
A search on Google for “USB flash drive repair software” or “pen drive repair software” yields many tools that claim to fix pen drives and recover data. But few of them work as advertised.
Most software can only scan or find some existing data on the device. To fully fix the USB corrupted error, you need more than a third-party repair tool.
A corrupted USB fix tool: Whatever is wrong or broken with your USB flash drive or thumb drive, a USB repair tool in conjunction with data recovery software can help.
First: Try fixing the device with the Windows Disk Check tool.
- The CHKDSK command line and the Windows Disk Error Checking tool can fix damaged storage devices.
Next: Download the powerful Data Recovery Wizard to get your data back.
- With the tool Data Recovery Wizard, you can recover all lost files from a damaged USB or flash drive in 3 simple steps. Furthermore, if you're unable to fix the USB with software, you can opt for the manual Data Recovery Service.
Consult with our Data Recovery Specialist for personalized, manual recovery services. After a free diagnosis, we offer the following:
- Repair HDD, SSD, external hard drives, and USB flash drive errors; recover data from all RAID levels
- Restore lost partitions that cannot be recovered by data recovery software
- Fix disks with bad sectors that are unreadable or inaccessible
- Recover disks transformed into GPT protected partitions
- Erase data, format hard drives, install/uninstall software or drivers, etc.
Method: Repair a damaged USB without losing data using a USB repair tool
Before you begin, make sure that the damaged USB flash drive or pen drive is detected by your Windows PC.
- • If yes, fix it immediately.
• If not, refer to USB Not Showing Up in Windows 10/8/7 or USB Device Not Recognized for solutions.
The first step is to scan the disk and fix any errors. Then, use data-recovery software to restore any lost or inaccessible data.
1. Run the CHKDSK USB Repair Tool to fix a corrupted USB or flash drive
We'll be using the CHKDSK tool from the Command Prompt to fix your USB drive. There's an alternative method below that doesn't use the command line, too.
Step 1: Insert the damaged USB drive or flash drive into an open USB port on your computer.
Step 2: Type cmd in the search bar and press Enter.
Step 3. Right-click “cmd.exe” and open Command Prompt as an administrator. (If prompted for permission, log in with your account's administrator credentials.)
Step 4. Type chkdsk j: /f /x in the Command Prompt window, and press Enter.
- • Replace j: with the drive letter of your USB drive.
Fix corrupted USB flash drive using CMD
- Explanation of the command
- j: —— Drive letter. Replace it with the letter of your USB drive.
- /f —— Attempts to fix any errors on the disk.
- /x —— Forces the USB drive to be dismounted before the scan begins.
- /r —— Scans for and attempts to recover bad sectors. This will take longer, but is optional. However, if you suspect issues with your device, it may be worth checking for bad sectors.
If you decide to use it, type: chkdsk j: /f /r /x
Use a USB Repair Tool to Fix a Corrupted USB Flash Drive File System
CleanGenius is a user-friendly PC repair tool that is both safe and lightweight, making it an ideal alternative to the CHKDSK command. With just one click, it easily fixes damaged file systems.
Step 1: Download and install CleanGenius on your computer.
Step 2: Run the program, click “Optimize,” and then choose “File Display.”
Step 3: Select the disk with the damaged file system. Check the box for “Check and repair file system errors,” then click Run.
Step 4: Wait for the tool to finish the repair process. When it's done, click the “Check drive” button here.
Run the Windows Error Checking for USB Repair or Pen Drive Repair
You can also accomplish this task through the Error Checking option in the Drive Properties menu, which might be more intuitive if you're not comfortable with command-line methods.
On Windows 10:
Plug the damaged USB into your computer's USB port.
- 1. Open File Explorer > This PC.
Step 2. Right-click on the USB device and select “Properties.”
Step 3: Click the “Tools” tab, then click the “Check” button under “Error Checking.”
Step 4: Choose “Scan and repair drive.”
Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions. If any errors are found, it will prompt you to automatically fix disk errors.
2. Recover Data after Fixing a Corrupted USB Flash Drive/Pen Drive
The renowned professional software, Data Recovery Wizard Pro, is safe and risk-free. With this top-rated data recovery software, you can retrieve all your content without any limitations.
It supports all major brands of USB flash drives and other removable storage devices, including Sony, Transcend, Sandisk, Kingston, Apacer, Panasonic, PQI, Toshiba, Super Flash, and Ridata.
Using Data Recovery Wizard to retrieve data is easy. The steps to recover data from a USB drive are as follows:
Step 1: Select the USB drive to scan
Run the data recovery wizard, select the USB drive where you lost your important files, and click “Scan” to start.
Step 2: Check and Preview USB Drive Data
After the scan is complete, you can use the “Filter” feature and the “Search” option to locate specific types of files quickly.
Step 3: Recover Data from Flash Drive
Once the scan is complete and the lost USB drive files are found, click “ Recover ” to restore them. You should save the recovered files to a secure location on your computer instead of back to the USB drive.
- Caution:
- When recovering data from a USB or flash drive, save the files to a location different from the original lost location.
To fix USB completely and ensure that it will work properly after the fix, back up your data to your computer, reformat the device, and then restore your data.
Conclusions
You can use built-in computer repair tools to scan and fix software or driver issues with the flash drive. If you lost data due to USB damage, you can use data recovery software. This kind of data recovery software can easily recover lost files from a damaged flash drive, SD card, hard disk, and external hard drive. Download USB data recovery software to recover your data with ease.
Frequently Asked Questions About USB Flash Drive Repair
You've now learned about the best USB repair tools to fix damaged or faulty USB drives. Always make sure to back up your data before attempting to repair a USB drive. Not all USB repair tools and solutions are reliable. If you're still having issues, check out the frequently asked questions below.
Can you fix a damaged USB drive?
Yes, you can use the CHKDSK utility to repair a damaged USB device. Here's how to do it: 1. **Connect the USB drive**: Plug the USB device into your computer's USB port. 2. **Open Command Prompt**: - For Windows 10/8/8.1, right-click on the Start button and select "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)" from the menu. - For Windows 7/Vista/XP, click the Start button, type "cmd" in the search box, then right-click on "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator." 3. **Identify the USB drive letter**: Type `diskpart` and press Enter. This will open the DiskPart utility. Then, type `list disk` and press Enter. It will show a list of available disks on your system. 4. **Select the USB drive**: Identify the USB drive from the list (usually Disk 1 or Disk 2, but make sure to verify the size). Type `select disk X`, replacing "X" with the disk number of your USB drive, and press Enter. 5. **Create a new partition (if needed)**: If the USB drive has no partitions or the existing one is damaged, you'll need to create a new one. Type `clean` and press Enter to erase all data on the drive. Then, create a new partition by typing `create partition primary` and pressing Enter. 6. **Format the partition**: Type `format fs=ntfs quick` (or `fs=fat32` if you prefer that file system) and press Enter. This will format the USB drive quickly using the NTFS (or FAT32) file system. 7. **Run CHKDSK**: After formatting, type `chkdsk /f /r X:` and press Enter, where "X:" is the drive letter of your USB drive. The `/f` switch tells CHKDSK to fix any errors, and the `/r` switch locates bad sectors and recovers readable information. 8. **Wait for the process to complete**: CHKDSK may take some time, depending on the size of the USB drive. Do not remove the USB drive during this process. 9. **Exit DiskPart and Command Prompt**: Once CHKDSK is finished, type `exit` twice to close both DiskPart and Command Prompt. After this, your USB drive should be repaired. However, note that all data on the drive will be lost due to formatting. Make sure to back up any important files before proceeding.
Step 1: Insert your USB flash drive or thumb drive into your computer.
2. Type "cmd" into the Start menu, then hit Enter on your keyboard. You'll see a program called "cmd.exe" in the list of programs.
Step 3. Right-click “cmd.exe,” and select “Run as administrator.” Type in “chkdsk /X /f G:” or “chkdsk G: /f” (replace G: with the letter assigned to your USB drive), then hit Enter. The chkdsk command will begin repairing your corrupted USB drive.
How do I fix an unrecognized USB flash drive?
There are several ways to address the issue of an unrecognized USB drive. Here are some methods you can try:
- 1. Recover files and format the RAW USB drive
2. Update the unallocated USB drive and create a new volume
3. Change the USB drive letter
4. Check USB ports and switch USB connections
5. If none of the above methods work, take the USB to a local device repair center for manual fixing
Why do USB drives fail?
USB storage media can be fragile. Here are some reasons why USB drives may become damaged:
- Virus attack
- Sudden power outage
- Power supply issues
Why can't I see my USB drive in Windows 10?
If your USB drive is having issues, the USB flash drive won't show up in the File Explorer on Windows 10, and it might appear as Unallocated space in Disk Management.