How to Repair Damaged and Unreadable USB Flash Drive and Recover Data

USB flash drive corruption can lead to inaccessibility and readability issues. When your USB flash drive becomes unreadable, first, you need to understand the causes of the damage and take different actions to fix the corrupted and unreadable USB flash drive.

Why Is USB Corrupted and Unreadable?

You can attempt to assess the severity of the corruption on your storage device by observing symptoms and using disk checking tools to scan for errors. Typically, issues arise from corruption in the Master Boot Record (MBR), Partition Boot Record (PBR), or the directory structure, which is often accompanied by error messages. In such cases:

• Windows continuously reports that the disk is not formatted.
• The drive appears as RAW with an invalid RAW file system.
• The flash drive partition is missing, displaying as unallocated space.
• Windows states that the drive is not accessible and the file or directory is corrupted or unreadable.

Although some common physical damage issues include broken connectors or stems, dead drives, damaged circuits, or malfunctioning NAND gates, etc., in this scenario:

The flash drive's light begins blinking and makes noise or produces an unpleasant whirling sound.

如何修复无法读取的闪存驱动器 - 解决方案概述

One of the most frequent causes of USB corruption is improperly disconnecting the device from the computer. When you remove the device from your computer or laptop, it is often not safely ejected first. Therefore, it's essential to plug and unplug your device correctly every time. Additionally, there are several useful precautions listed in the table below.

Recover Data from Corrupted USB Flash Drive提前从损坏的USB闪存驱动器恢复数据

Before you begin repairing the corrupted, unreadable, or unresponsive USB flash drive, it's strongly advised that you back up all your existing data on the USB drive first. However, most people don't create regular backups until the drive becomes inaccessible.

Since you're not permitted to access an unreadable flash drive, the only solution to retrieve data is by utilizing professional USB file recovery software. The Data Recovery Wizard tool supports data recovery in various common situations. It includes features for RAW drive recovery, lost partition recovery, and formatted recovery.

Download it for free, install effortlessly, and run smoothly. Follow the guide below to recover data from USB when Windows fails to read it.

Step 1. Run USB Data Recovery Software

Connect your USB drive or pen drive to your computer and launch the USB Data Recovery software on your PC. Select the drive that is labeled as an 'External Drive' and click on "Scan" to commence the search for lost files.

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**Step 2. Scan and Search for Lost Files on the USB Drive**

The Data Recovery Wizard tool will comprehensively scan your USB flash drive/pen drive and locate all your lost data on it. Once the scanning process is finished, utilize the Filter feature to locate the desired files.

Step 3. Restore All Lost Files from USB

A double-click enables you to preview the files. Select the target files to restore and click "Recover" to save them to a secure location on your PC or other external storage devices.

Video Tutorial: Restoring Files from a Corrupted USB Flash Drive

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Repair Unreadable USB Flash Drive with Data Recovery Services

Occasionally, you may encounter scenarios where data recovery software is unable to retrieve your information. Don't panic; you can still seek assistance from professionals. Utilizing data recovery services can efficiently help you recover data from inaccessible USB drives and resolve RAW drive issues.

Disk Repair and Recovery Services Tools

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Consult with our data recovery specialists for personalized manual recovery assistance. Following a FREE diagnosis, we can provide the following services:

• Repair HDD, SSD, external hard drives, USB flash drive errors, and recover data from all RAID levels
• Retrieve lost partitions not recoverable by data recovery software
• Fix disks unreadable or inaccessible due to bad sectors
• Resolve disks converted to GPT-protected partitions
• Wipe data, unformat hard drives, install/remove software or drivers, etc.

Check USB Errors to Fix Corrupted USB or Pen Drive Translate: Inspect USB Errors to Repair a Damaged USB or Flash Drive

Windows comes with a built-in repair tool that can scan for common issues on a disk drive and hopefully fix any errors it finds.

Format Unreadable USB Drive in Disk Management

另一种使损坏或无法读取的USB驱动器恢复正常的方法是对其进行格式化：

Step 1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type: diskmgmt.msc and press Enter.

Step 2. In Disk Management, find the unreadable flash drive and examine its disk information. If it's displayed as a RAW file system, right-click on it and select "Format."

Step 3. Select a file system such as NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT and check the box for performing a quick format.

Delete and Create a New Partition on the Corrupted USB Drive

If the previous methods didn't work, don't worry. Try this method. The Disk Management tool can help you delete and create a new partition on the corrupted USB drive, getting it back to normal.

Step 1. In Disk Management, find the corrupted USB drive, right-click on it, and choose "Delete Volume".

Step 2. Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm deleting the volume on the USB drive.

Step 3. Once the USB drive turns into unallocated space, right-click on it and select "New Simple Volume".

Step 4. Next, rename the drive and set the file system to NTFS or FAT32 on the USB drive. Follow the on-screen instructions to create a new partition on the USB drive. Once done, you should be able to use the USB drive normally again.

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Fix a Malware-Infected USB Drive That's Unreadable

When a USB flash drive gets infected with a virus, its file system becomes corrupted and unreadable. Worse still, plugging in a virus-infected USB drive to your computer can infect it too, leading to more severe data security issues.

Therefore, make sure to install genuine antivirus software for your external disk and perform daily antivirus scans on your computer.

USB Corrupted and Unreadable FAQs 1. What does "USB corrupted and unreadable" mean? Answer: This error message indicates that the data on your USB drive is damaged or the drive itself has encountered a problem, making it unable to be accessed or read by your computer. 2. How do I know if my USB drive is corrupted? Answer: Symptoms include an inability to open the drive, showing up as "RAW" file system, displaying a format prompt, or appearing empty even though it contains files. 3. Can a virus cause USB corruption? Answer: Yes, viruses or malware can corrupt USB drives by altering or deleting files, making the drive unreadable. 4. How can I fix a corrupted USB drive without losing data? Answer: Try using built-in tools like Windows' Check Disk (chkdsk) or Disk Utility on macOS. Additionally, third-party software like Recuva or tools Data Recovery Wizard can help recover data before修复the drive. 5. Is it possible to recover deleted files from a corrupted USB drive? Answer: Yes, often you can recover deleted files with data recovery software, but it's crucial to act quickly before new data overwrites the deleted files. 6. Should I format the USB drive to fix corruption? Answer: Formatting should be a last resort as it will erase all data. Try other methods first, like running error-checking tools, and only format if necessary. 7. Can I prevent USB corruption in the future? Answer: Regularly back up important data, use antivirus software, avoid removing the USB drive while data is being transferred, and keep the drive away from physical damage. 8. What should I do if none of the solutions work? Answer: If all else fails, consider seeking professional assistance or contacting the USB drive manufacturer for warranty support.

Why is your USB suddenly unreadable and corrupted? Find additional assistance here.

**1. What causes a USB to become corrupted?**

• USB Flash Drives can be corrupted due to the following reasons:
• Improper ejection
• Physical damage
• Virus infections

< strong > 2. Can a Corrupted USB be Fixed?

Yes, you can repair a USB drive with simple solutions:

• Fix USB errors using a manual repair service
• Run CHKDSK to repair corrupted USB flash drives
• Utilize a third-party repair tool to address USB errors
• Reinstall USB drivers

3. How do I fix a corrupted USB drive?

You can recover corrupted files from USB by following these steps:

1. Launch the "Data Recovery Wizard" tool. 2. Select the USB drive where you lost important files. 3. Click "Scan" to begin the process. 4. Utilize the "Filter" feature to locate a specific file type. 5. Find the lost USB drive files and click "Recover" to restore them.

< strong > 4. How do I fix my corrupted USB?

Translate the following text into English: 1. Connect the USB to your computer. 2. Go to My Computer/This PC and then locate the USB drive. 3. Right-click on the USB drive and choose Properties. 4. Click on the Tools tab. 5. Click the Check button. 6. Allow the scan to finish, then close the window.