How to Recover Damaged Files from a USB Flash Drive

User Scenario: How to Recover Damaged Files from a USB Drive?

"Please assist me in recovering corrupted files from my external USB hard drive (Buffalo). It contains important documents and photos that I urgently need. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much."

Due to virus attacks, sudden removal, or power outages, USB storage media can get corrupted or damaged, leading to data corruption and loss of files. To recover corrupted files from USB and repair a damaged USB flash drive without formatting, try the methods outlined below.

How to Recover Damaged Files from a USB with Data Recovery Software When your USB drive is damaged or files become inaccessible, don't panic. With the help of data recovery software, you can attempt to retrieve lost files. Here's a step-by-step guide to guide you through the process: 1. **Select the Right Software**: First, download and install a reliable data recovery tool like Recuva, tools Data Recovery Wizard, or Stellar Data Recovery. Make sure the software is compatible with your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux). 2. **Connect the USB Device**: Plug the damaged USB drive into your computer's USB port. Ensure that your computer recognizes and properly installs the drive. 3. **Run the Data Recovery Software**: Launch the installed data recovery software. It should typically detect the connected USB device automatically. 4. **Choose the Recovery Option**: In the software interface, select the damaged USB drive as the scan target. Some tools may have options like "Deep Scan" or "Comprehensive Scan" for a more thorough search of lost files. 5. **Start the Scan**: Click on "Scan" or "Start" to initiate the search for lost or damaged files. This process may take some time depending on the size of the USB drive and the number of files. 6. **Preview and Select Files**: After the scan is complete, the software will display all recoverable files found. You can preview certain file types (like images, documents) to confirm their recoverability. 7. **Recover the Files**: Choose the files you wish to recover and click on "Recover" or "Save." The software will save the files to a location you specify; ideally, a different storage device to avoid overwriting other lost files. 8. **Verify Recovered Files**: Immediately after the recovery, check the recovered files to ensure they're intact and functioning properly. 9. **Backup Your Data**: Once the files have been successfully recovered, remember to back them up to a secure location to prevent future loss. Keep in mind that not all damaged files can be recovered, especially if the USB drive has significant physical damage. Before attempting data recovery, back up important data to minimize further loss.

Whether you want to recover corrupted files from USB or recover files from a corrupted USB flash drive, you can use the Data Recovery Wizard tool. This data recovery utility allows you to restore over 1000 types of files from damaged, corrupted, or formatted HDD, SSD, USB flash drives, external hard drives, USB sticks, SD cards, CF cards, and more. Plus, it can automatically repair corrupted files after the data recovery. You can fix corrupted videos, photos, Word, Excel, PDF, and other document files.

If your USB flash drive is damaged and you can't open or access the files on it, you can easily recover your files with this reliable third-party data recovery tool. As long as your device is still recognizable by your computer, you can download this file recovery utility to retrieve files from the corrupted USB.

Please follow these steps to recover files from a damaged USB flash drive:

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.

Select the USB drive and click “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 file types quickly.

Step 3: Recover Data from the Flash Drive

Once the scan is complete and the lost USB drive files are located, click “ Recover ” to restore them. You should save the recovered files in a secure location on your computer instead of back to the USB drive.

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How to Recover Corrupted Files from USB/Flash Drive by Fixing File System Errors

Use the Windows Disk Check utility to scan for file system errors on your USB drive. Once it's finished, you should be able to recover corrupted files from the USB.

Step One: Plug in the USB to your computer. Open “My Computer”/”This PC” and locate your USB drive.

Step 2. Right-click on the USB drive and select “Properties.”

Step 3: Click the “Tools” tab.

Step 4: Click the “Check” button under “Error Checking.”

Step 5: Windows will fix all the disk errors it finds. Once it's done, try opening your USB drive and recovering your files.

Use built-in tools to repair a damaged USB

How to Use CMD to Recover Corrupted Files from a USB When files on your USB device become corrupted, the Command Prompt (CMD) can be a useful tool to attempt their recovery. Here's how to use CMD to restore damaged files from a USB: 1. **Connect the USB Device**: Plug the USB drive into an available USB port on your computer. 2. **Open Command Prompt as Administrator**: - Press `Win + X` and choose "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin)". - Alternatively, in Windows 10, search for "cmd", right-click "Command Prompt," and select "Run as administrator." 3. **Identify the USB Drive Letter**: In the Command Prompt window, type `diskpart` and press `Enter`. Type `list disk`, then press `Enter`. This will display a list of all connected disks. Locate the number corresponding to your USB drive, typically "Disk 1" or similar. 4. **Select the USB Drive**: In the prompt, type `select disk x` (replace x with the number of your USB drive), then press `Enter`. 5. **Create a New Partition**: Type `clean`, then press `Enter`. This will erase all data from the USB drive, so make sure you've backed up important files. Next, enter `create partition primary`, then press `Enter`. 6. **Format the USB Drive**: Type `format fs=fat32 quick` (use `format fs=ntfs quick` if you prefer the NTFS file system), then press `Enter`. This will quickly format the USB drive. 7. **Assign a Drive Letter**: Input `assign`, then press `Enter`. This will automatically assign a new drive letter to the USB drive. 8. **Scan and Repair the USB**: Type `chkdsk G: /f /r` (replace G: with the new letter of your USB drive), then press `Enter`. This will scan the USB drive for errors and attempt to repair them. 9. **Wait for Completion**: This process may take some time depending on the size of the USB drive and the extent of the corruption. When finished, type `exit` twice to close the Command Prompt. 10. **Check the Files**: Now, try accessing the USB drive to see if files open and read correctly. If they remain corrupted, consider using professional data recovery software. Please note that this method doesn't guarantee a 100% recovery rate for all corrupted files. Before proceeding, ensure you back up important data, as some steps might result in data loss.

If your USB file system is corrupted, you won't be able to open and access the USB. Apart from using the Windows Disk Check tool to fix the corrupted file system, you can also use the CHKDSK command line in Command Prompt to repair the damaged USB drive and recover files.

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How to Use Free USB Repair Tools to Recover Damaged Files from a USB Flash Drive/Pen Drive

If you're not comfortable using the Command Prompt, you can use a alternative tool like CleanGenius, which has a graphical interface for running the disk check with a single click.

Step 1: Download CleanGenius for free on your computer.

Step 2: Run the software. Click on “Optimize” on the left, and then choose “File Display.”

Step 3. Go to "Select Disk" and choose the disk with the file system error. Check the option "Check and fix file system errors" and click "Execute".

Step 4. Wait for CleanGenius to finish the repair process. When it's done, click Here to view the results.

Additional Tip: How to Fix a Broken USB Flash Drive

You might have a damaged USB device if you see any of the following error messages:

• USB device not recognized
• USB drive not formatted
• USB drive not accessible

If you receive any of the above errors, you can try fixing the corrupted USB drive using any of the following USB repair methods.

Solution 1: Check and fix the corrupted USB drive

If your USB is still being detected or recognized by your computer, you can try the following methods to fix a corrupted USB flash drive.

• Repair a corrupted USB flash drive using CMD
• Fix file system errors with the Windows Disk Check tool
• Repair a damaged USB drive using USB repair tools

Fix 2: Reinstall the USB driver to repair the corrupted USB flash drive

If Windows fails to detect the corrupted USB drive, you can reinstall the USB driver to fix it.

Step 1: Press Win + X and click on 'Device Manager'.

Step 2: Expand “Disk Drives,” right-click on the name of your USB flash drive, and select “Eject.”

Step 3: Click “Eject.” Now you can safely remove the USB drive from your computer.

Step 4: Restart your computer. After about a minute, plug the USB drive back into your computer. Windows should automatically install the latest driver and recognize your flash drive.

If your USB flash drive still doesn't work, you can send it to experts for manual USB flash drive repair.

How to Recover Files from a Damaged USB: Frequently Asked Questions

If you want to learn more about fixing a corrupted USB flash drive or USB file, read the FAQ below.

1. Can damaged files be recovered?

A corrupted file refers to one that suddenly becomes unoperable or unusable. There can be various reasons for file corruption. You can use data recovery software to restore corrupted files. If the lost and damaged files are photos or videos, data recovery tools can also fix corrupted JPEGs and video files during the recovery process.

How do I fix a corrupted and unreadable flash drive?

Follow these steps to repair a damaged hard drive without formatting it and recover your data:

• Run an antivirus scan.
• Run a CHKDSK scan.
• Run an SFC scan.
• Use a data recovery tool.

How do I recover my USB device?

With the help of data recovery tools, you can recover files from USB flash drive in three steps.

• Run the USB Data Recovery software.
• Scan all lost files on the USB drive.
• Recover all lost files from the USB drive.

How do I recover files from a damaged flash drive?

Recovering Files from a Logically Damaged USB Flash Drive:

Insert the USB flash drive into your computer's system port. Launch the USB data recovery tool software on your computer. Click on the USB, and then hit "Scan." After the scan is complete, select the target files and click "Recover" to save them to a secure location on your computer.

How can I recover files from a damaged USB device for free?

You can use free drive recovery software to recover files from a corrupted USB for free. Tool like tools Data Recovery Wizard Free is a good option that can get your photos, videos, documents, and other files back from USB drive in simple steps.