helpfullpac

Non-Physical damage to USB drive. With a non-physical flash drive failure like file corruption, a repair service can reverse the controller to get the data. One example of data retrieval for a device that was unharmed but stopped working is to remove some of the capacitors after taking off the outer casing. How to Recover Files From a Broken USB Flash Drive. Hold on, before I explain further, you need to determine how was the damage level of your USB flash drive. If just software damage, it should be easier to retrieve the files.

• How To Recover A Corrupted Flash Drive Using Cmd (command Prompt)
• How To Recover Data From A Broken Flash Drive
• How To Recover A Broken Flash Drive Recovery Near Me

We keep a lot of data on memory cards and USB drives. Often, you might even use a high-capacity USB drive as your primary way of creating backupsThe Best Backup Software for WindowsThe Best Backup Software for WindowsYour data is fragile – it only takes one small accident to lose everything. The more backups you make, the better. Here we present the best free backup software for Windows.Read More.

When something goes wrong with them, it’s hard not to feel a sense of dread. Is that photo of your dog falling in the swimming pool gone forever?

But alas, you shouldn’t panic. There’s a high chance you can recover your data – you just need to methodically work through few troubleshooting steps.

Follow along with this article, and you’ll be laughing at your dog again in no time.

1. Check the Basics

Okay, I know this sounds simple, but have you performed some elementary troubleshooting steps?

For example, have you tried your memory device in a different port or on a different computer? Have you given it a little wiggle to make sure all the connections are touching each other?

Sorry, but I had to ask… Now, let’s take a more technical look at the problem.

2. Change the Drive Letter

If you plug your USB stick into your computer and can see the drive in File Explorer but can’t access the data, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the data is corrupted.

But hold up. That might not be the case. Windows simply might not be able to assign a drive letter to the stick.

Thankfully, it’s easy to change the drive letter. Open the Start Menu and type Disk Management. On the results page, select Create and format hard disk partitions.

Locate your USB stick in the list of drives and right-click on it. Choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Finally, click Change and select a new letter from the drop-down menu. Every time you connect your drive, it will use the new letter.

If you still can’t access your files, keep reading.

3. Reinstall the Drivers

Your USB stick and your data might still not be at fault. Instead, it’s possible that the drivers on Windows have become corrupted.

To be certain your drivers are working and there aren’t any underlying issues, it makes sense to reinstall themHow to Easily Remove Old Drivers From WindowsHow to Easily Remove Old Drivers From WindowsNot only does Windows retain previous driver versions for current devices, it also stores drivers for devices you stopped using long ago. We'll show you how to clean up old drivers from your system.Read More.

Leave your USB stick or memory card plugged into your machine and open Device Manager. You can find it by right-clicking on the Start Menu.

Once Device Manager has fired up, click on Disk Drives to expand the menu. You’ll see a list of all the drives connected to your machine.

Right-click on the name of the memory device you’re trying to fix and select Uninstall device.

How To Recover A Corrupted Flash Drive Using Cmd (command Prompt)

Next, you need to remove your external driveDo You Really Need to Eject Your Flash Drive (or Device) Before Removing It?Do You Really Need to Eject Your Flash Drive (or Device) Before Removing It?It's well known that USB flash drives are supposed to be ejected before removing them. But do you really still need to do this? What happens if you don't?Read More from your machine and restart the operating system. When the start-up process is complete, plug the drive back in. Windows should automatically detect it and reinstall fresh drivers.

Can you access your data now? No? Let’s keep trying.

4. Check the Disk

At this stage, it’s starting to look like the files themselves are corrupted. But don’t lose hope, you still have options open to you.

There are two ways to check and repair the disk. You can use Windows Explorer, or you can use Command Prompt.

Using Windows Explorer

Firstly, let’s look at the process using Windows Explorer. It’s the more user-friendly of the two approaches.

Plug your memory device into your PC and open the Windows Explorer app. Head to This PC and right-click on the name of the drive you’re trying to fix. You need to select Properties from the context menu.

On the new window, select the Tools tab. In the Error Checking section, click on Check. Windows will scan the drive and report back with the results.

If it finds any problems, another window will pop up to alert you. Select Repairdrive to start the fixing process. It could take some time, depending on the size of the drive and the complexity of the corruption.

You will see an on-screen confirmation when the scan is complete. If you click Show Details, Event Viewer will provide you with a complete log of all the repairs undertaken.

Using Command Prompt

The other way to scan your disk and fix errors is to use Command Prompt.

To get started, open the Start Menu and type cmd. You do not need to open the app as an administratorThe Fastest Way to Open an Admin Command Prompt in Windows 10The Fastest Way to Open an Admin Command Prompt in Windows 10At times, everyone needs to open an Administrator Command Prompt. Don't waste time -- use this super-convenient method to get to it faster.Read More.

Type chkdsk e: /r and press Enter. If your memory device is not using the E: drive, replace e: with the appropriate letter.

Windows will give you basic information about the drive and start the scan. You can see the progress of the scan in the window.

Once finished, it will show you its findings and list any repairs it undertook. As you can see from the image below, in my case, the drive was error-free.

5. Third-Party Apps

If you still can’t retrieve your files, you could try using a third-party app. If you do a Google search, you’ll come across lots of fancy-sounding expensive apps. You don’t need them. Try one of these three free versions instead:

• TestDisk and PhotoRec: Technically, these are two separate programs. However, they’re bundled together because they heavily rely on each other. PhotoRec can recover files (including more than 200 file formats), TestDisk can recover partitions on disks.
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard: This app works with hard drives, SSDs, USBs, memory cards, and digital cameras. It can recover data in a number of scenarios, including corrupted drives, partition loss, accidental deletionHow to Recover Deleted Office FilesHow to Recover Deleted Office FilesLost a crucial file and need to get it back? These tips will help you recover your Office documents in no time at all.Read More, and drive failure.
• Recuva: Recuva works with USB drives and other external media, as well as your primary hard-drive. It specializes in deleted files, but can also help recover corrupted files.

6. Take It to a Specialist

If all else fails, take your drive to a specialist shop. They might be able to use more powerful equipment than you have access to at home and salvage some data, if not all of it.

Check on Google for a shop in your local area.

What Approaches Do You Take?

I’ve taken you on a step-by-step journey through the most common ways of recovering data off a corrupt memory card or USB stick.

Let’s recap:

1. check the basics
2. change the drive letter
3. reinstall the drivers
4. use Windows’ Check Disk tool
5. try third-party apps
6. take it to a specialist

How To Recover Data From A Broken Flash Drive

Now I want to know how you recover data from a memory deviceHow to Recover Deleted Images from an SD CardHow to Recover Deleted Images from an SD CardGood news: whether due to a corrupt card or accidental deletions, you can often recover lost photos.Read More? What tips can you pass on to someone in the same situation?

How To Recover A Broken Flash Drive Recovery Near Me

As always, you can leave your comments in the space below. And make sure you share this article on social media – you might save someone’s day!

Explore more about: Data Recovery, Drivers, Flash Memory, Memory Card, Restore Data, USB Drive.

1. Hi, I use the 5th method. I find it reassuring that I use a specialize tool for complicted matters like data recovery. Acethinker Disk recovery is the name of the tool that I use, and it definitely works whenever I need it to.

2. Helo

   Thanks you sir, this post is great,
   Among all other guides to fix this type of issues, your tutorial is great,
   When i read your post i can learn many thing from your post and very simply implement this technique in advance in my blog wayforsolution.com

   Again i thankful sir and i hope you will be us for future.
   Thanks.

3. If I may ask.. how are all of the comments on this article way (in some cases many many years) before the post date of the article?

   I also am not a fan of the fact that this post is only referring to windows, because there are many better ways to recover the data, but that's another story.

   • MUO recycles articles. That's the reason for the date weirdness. I don't mind this but it should be stated at the beginning of the article. I agree this article was Windows-centric. If the title had been 'How to Recover Data From a Corrupt Memory Card or USB Drive Using Windows', I wouldn't have bothered with it.

     • RePicvid Data Recovery supports Windows and Mac OS. You could give it a try.

4. Didn't work for me, when I tried to recover a corrupted USB:
   I typed in the command as suggested, but..

   C:WINDOWSsystem32>Chkdsk e: /r
   The type of the file system is RAW.
   CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives.

5. Wow,., it worked, Really it worked, Thanks for this website,. Thank you !!!! God Bless ! I change the C to D: in the Command Promt

6. My husband just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip overseas. On the second day home, he put the SD Card from his camera which contained all of his pictures, into his laptop only to receive the corrupt message you mentioned above. A stressful and panic situation! I googled for answers and found this article. We followed the instructions you provided and all was rescued!!! Thank you for saving the day!

7. Thank you, you wonderful person

8. I did the above but another box popped up 'Do you want to Scan and fix (F:) USB20FD?' I can scan and fix or continue without scanning. Neither works.the same message keeps popping up

9. I was repair my sd card by your trick
   But it could not complete
   It show_allocation units available on disk.
   Please tell me what can I do now.

10. Tried many tools but none of them work, then I found Jihosoft file recovery and it finally worked! So happy to get back my photos and videos. Anyway, learnt a lesson. Do remember to make regular backup!

11. Kindly email me what do I do next about my earlier reply

12. It stops and shows 65% Completed.
    Then it again comes to command mode for next command.
    What do I do next as it still shows corrupt and unreadable?

13. it says 'the type of the system is raw
    chkdsk is not avalible for raw drives'
    what should i do?

14. OMG..>!!!! Dude, I just want to give a big thanks to you.
    Somehow I don't know how my 128GB micro SD card got corrupted and unreadable.
    Then i followed your steps.. 'and then there was light'..
    IT WORKED..OMG!!! Thank you so much dude..!!!!!

15. Hello, I just tested the same and cmd prompt was displaying that all data was recovered. But the flash drive was displaying few files only that were recently added.

    Is there a need to repeat the same process?

16. There 3 free sd card recovery software for you to choose, it is useful for me. i was recommended from a forum, you can search the keyword from google: UFUShare 3 free sd card recovery.

17. thank you so much! it really helps!

18. Worked ! Thanks a lot

19. The only tool that actually worked for me (I tried 10 different products) was uFlysoft Data Recovery. The trial version lets you run it to see if actually works before you have to pay for it. I tried another 5 free packages, none of them found a damn thing. Two of them couldn't even recognize the SD card. Recognizes these file types:
    Picture Formats: JPG JPEG TIF
    Video Formats: AVI MPG MOV MPEG ASF MP4 3GP MTS
    Audio Formats: MP3 WAV
    RAW Image Formats: Nikon NEF, Canon CRW and CR2, Kodak DCR, Konica Minolta MRW, Fuji RAF, Sigma X3F, Sony SRF, Samsung DNG, Pentax PEF, Olympus ORF, Leica DNG, Panasonic RAW and more

20. Dear all

    when I going to to repair the card
    after 6 % card auto disconnect and if I going to format, copy and delete some data same auto disconnect ,

    so how to resolve this issue

21. its not working

22. This works wonderfully. Thank you and you saved me from crying buckets. Almost lost all files including pictures of my only son when he was still a baby

23. It says to Mount SD card, but when I mount it, it says, SD card is either blank or has unsupported filesystem.

24. Hi,
    I am getting any error saying Cannot open volume of direct access. Please help me, the data is important for me

25. My computer is not accepting karl.WHS command. What should I do. Please suggest me

26. Even though this was written along time ago, I managed to use it to fix my USB. I am hoping this would still work in the future and other people would be able to use this as well and that was so awesome, but I'm not sure how long it took but this must have been a while..but I am just so happy, thanks so much and for sharing this as well.

27. I am unable to get the data from the memory card , may be it is corrupted. And uanble to format also.

    Can u please help me out.

28. Thank you so much for sharing this tip Karl Gechlik.
    Geoff Teague

29. Hi there,
    I followed the steps however when I reopened my USB there are no files!? HELP ME PLEASE arghhh stressing

30. I am very happy that 7 years later this is still helping! Pass the info on, and let's keep on helping each other out there :)

    • I tried on my USB but after checking it does not repair it just finishes, and I get the report below. Please help me

      Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.10586]
      (c) 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

      C:UsersUser>Chkdsk Chkdsk i: /r
      Invalid parameter - i:

      C:UsersUser>Chkdsk I: /r
      The type of the file system is FAT32.
      Volume Serial Number is 40D5-914C
      Windows is verifying files and folders..
      File and folder verification is complete.
      Windows is verifying free space..
      Free space verification is complete.

      Windows has scanned the file system and found no problems.
      No further action is required.
      7,726,332 KB total disk space.
      196 KB in 2 hidden files.
      4,168,072 KB in 6,051 files.
      28 KB in bad sectors.
      3,558,020 KB are available.

      4,096 bytes in each allocation unit.
      1,931,583 total allocation units on disk.
      889,505 allocation units available on disk.

      C:UsersUser>Chkdsk I: /r
      The type of the file system is FAT32.
      Volume Serial Number is 40D5-914C
      Windows is verifying files and folders..
      File and folder verification is complete.
      Windows is verifying free space..
      Free space verification is complete.

      Windows has scanned the file system and found no problems.
      No further action is required.
      7,726,332 KB total disk space.
      196 KB in 2 hidden files.
      4,168,072 KB in 6,051 files.
      28 KB in bad sectors.
      3,558,020 KB are available.

      4,096 bytes in each allocation unit.
      1,931,583 total allocation units on disk.
      889,505 allocation units available on disk.

      C:UsersUser>

    • mine says there is no problem after checking but yet there is no file recovered and two hidden files one named 'found' with a lot of files that I don't recognize. please help

31. Even though this was written like 7 years ago, it still completely works. It recovered my phone's files from my sd card with no problem! Last time I don't backup my files though. For anybody else who comes across this, right after I typed in 'chkdsk {drive}: /r' I got this message:

    'Unrecoverable error in folder .android_secure.
    Convert folder to file (Y/N)?'

    Now I'm not a computer guru so I have no idea what to do and it scared me all over again, but it didn't sound good so I said 'N'. It only popped up with one random file address (having to do with the shazam app) and said said complete, much different than the screenshot in this article, so I thought for sure my files were beyond repair. However, when I opened up my card, every file except the .android_secure and the shazam app cache was back! Perhaps it was one of these files that the corruption was caused by to begin with?

    Anyways, end of story, it works even if it works slightly differently, try it, and thanks so much for being smarter than me and sharing it!

32. this article is a saviour! command prompt is still in the middle of recovering my files, but im sure it will work out just fine. this saved about 200+ gb of data in my usb hard drive, and i cant thank you enough for this. thank you!

33. Hello,
    i just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this info. my flash drive became unreadable and corrupted, it all my school work and passwords to everything. i brought to my IT department in school and they couldn't help but i research and found this site and for sure.. your info works. thanks again.

34. This worked! My Samsung Galaxy S5 was recharging and it got hot. After that, the phone gave me a message, 'the sd card needs to be formated.' I put the sd card in an adapter and put that in my Windows 7 & got the same message. I found your article & poof! My files are back! Thank you!

35. Wow this is amazing, repaired my sdcard, thank you !!!!!!

36. Wow! Glad this is still helping people after all this time :)

    • I got the 'chkdsk not available for RAW drives' messege

37. wow man.. thanks a ton, you just saved me

38. 'Cannot open volume for direct access'

    • HI i have the same problem. Any fixes on that..apart from..yeah, buy a new one?

39. Thank you so much :)

40. i did but got message 'file system is raw' chkdsk is not available for raw system. what to do now

41. this is just awesome. it was really a big help! i never thought i could recover my files again! my flash drive contains my reports, and researches and my comp. aided plates, and its all back to me! Good Lord!

42. Same question, how about for RAW?

43. Oh my goodness !!! IT worked !
    YES ! you just saved my photo's, video's and music..so happy!

    Thanks so much!
    It felt a bit scary though, when the start menu started doing something to the files..made me nervous because it took a while and I had no idea what it was doing. but all good :)

44. It worked! Thank you so much!

45. mine said 'windows found problems with the files that could not be corrected'
    omg what should i do

46. please no work, 'the wrong volume is in the drive, please insert volume into drive'
    my SD card can't read, can't write or delete and can't format, please help me, Sandisk Extream 32 GB

47. what about for raw drives???

48. How to recover data from flash memory device? uFlysoft USB Drive File Recovery Software is a quick and easy way to find and recover USB drive lost files from wrongly deletion, accidentally formatting. which allows you to recover deleted files from USB flash drive, including USB flash drive photo recovery, video recovery, music recovery, etc.

49. It worked perfectly! Even our IT department didn't solve it for me. You did. Thank you!

50. I love you!! Thank you so much!! I thought it was a lost cause. So glad I googled first!!

    • Are u using win8?

51. Windows 8 Users BEWARE! I was hoping that I was able to recover my precious pictures in my microSD card, but this method just formatted my card and everything is LOST!

    • I read this too late. I am also using Win 8 and it just deleted the corrupted files. But somehow something it is still occupying the memory of my SD card, I selected View Hidden Files and there's nothing.

52. what if it says unrecoverable? please help me dude thanks in advance

53. i experience the same, other folders of my sd card was okay except the folder of my shots from dslr? and its says in the box 'D: $%$^%^% is not accesible. The filename, directory name of volume label syntax is incorrect. please help me guys thanks

54. Thank You so much, i had tried all other software which recovers data, but everything is wasted as they ask for registration & fetch huge money. it worked wow. Great.

55. It worked !! Great one. But how did i get this problem? To quick getting USB out?

    • Please help me..

56. Thank you so much. It saved all my .NEF files. GBu!!

57. I have a problem which I can't solve by myself. My mini Sd card coming out of my samsung is not being detected by my phone. In my laptop I can only see it with the disk management tool which can't format it. How do I solve it? I don't specifically need my data back. Hope you can help me

58. You are absolutely amazing, thank you so much for this tutorial! I am so glad that all of my files are back with absolutely no problems!

59. You, my friend, are a legend!
    Chkdsk is the last thing that came to mind. Here I am breaking my head open trying Hirens disk!

60. I read an article recently about chkdsk and it says chkdsk may cause data loss when repairing file system errors like 'The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable'. thus file recovery or backup should be done in the first step. how to retrieve data from my flash drive which can't be opened now? what if chkdsk doesn't work? will files become unrecoverable?
    what do you think about solution in the article?
    http://www.eassos.com/how-to/The-file-or-directory-is-corrupted-and-unreadable.php

61. I tried this method, and it somewhat worked. Chkdsk detected the corrupt file on my usb, and I chose to save lost chains into files, but it turned the entire folder into a single file which none of my programs can open, without getting weird translated gibberish.
    Is there anyway to reverse Chkdsk? Please help me!

62. Thank you so much! Super easy and saved me from redoing two hours plus of work!

63. i guess i'm the only one. but still thank you for the help :)

64. mine was deleted :(

    • Same here..

65. Doesn't work for me, it says 'not available fo RAW files'. Help?

    • im having the same thing pop up. Please help! I have so much important stuff on this usb and no backup :'(

66. OH MY GOD
    I cried a little when this worked. I was so close to giving up.

67. Awesome! It works!

68. OMG !!!! You are the best !!! Had just recovered photo of a good friend's WEDDING !!!
    Can't thank you enough. You will be rewarded in your life. :-)

69. It worked! Thanks so much! You're a lifesaver! Mods de gta 3.

70. Notice: His file E: was corrupted and in the command prompt he wrote 'Chkdsk e: /r' so be sure you're using the correct drive on your own computer. It's not the same for everyone! Hope this helps.

71. I followed the steps. It has message: Cannot open volume for direct access. What should I do now? Please help. Thanks.

72. THANK YOU!!! This is exactly what happened to me and this worked completely! You are a legend!

73. My USB Flash drive (1 PQ1 USB3) suddenly is not being recognized by my laptop (and any other computer). I tried the above but nothing happens, is there any other way to recover the data in it. I just need the files badly and it is so unfortunate that I was not able to back-up the files for a few days. By the way, when I insert the USB into the pc, the pc can see that it is inserted but could not open it and could not see the files either. The light in the USB keeps on blinking and does not want to stop. Any help will really be appreciated.

74. My sd card was also corrupter when i will open any smartphone than it ask to formate but i can do this bcozther is very important data in my sd card. So how can i solve this problem .
    Pls anybuddy help me pls pls

75. Do you know how to do this on a Mac? Thanks

    • -Disk Utility ( in the Utility's folder )-click the Drive-First aid tab-repair if that doesn't work, borrow somebody's Windows system as it does a better job sometimes.

76. thank you! perfect!

77. I tried the same. Typed the chkdsk command, it read 0 percent completed n then it stopped. What do i do now? Its not verifying entirely nor showing my files

78. Thank you! You are a life saver!!!!

79. My sd card was also corrupt when i will open it in my android phone then it ask to formate but i cant do this because there is verey important data in my sd card.
    so, please do something how i recover my data

80. My SD card was also corrupted, can you help me to retrieve or to recover my files?

81. After following this trick, the cmd screen completes with saying that it has found no problem in my disk. There's definitely a problem! So this one doesn't resolve it for me :(
    FYI, my problem is that my phone and laptop do recognize the disk, can see the files in it (file name, file type, size), but when the file is opened then error message comes out (depending on the program which opens it) saying unsupported file type.
    Please help :( :( :(

82. hello i have a worst problem, my microsd card wont get detected first on my phone now on other devices and computer, so how can i use ckdsk if computer doesnt see or recognizes the sd card in first place? ive tried several things but still cant see my microsd card or access it by any means, pls adv.

    • did u got the solution
      i am having same problem

83. This command used to work for me ( Chkdsk e: /r).. However, I've encountered a new prompt saying 'cannot open volume for direct access' in CMD.. does this mean that my SD is now completely busted and inaccessible?

    Hoping for your response. Thank you, Karl.

84. Nothing happened to mine. It says that it doesn't have a problem but when I checked it, my files are still not there. What should I do? I really need the pictures.

    • have you tried this command ( Chkdsk e: /r) through cmd?

      e: - represents the drive you are trying to repair..

85. mr nadim
    (same problam in my memory card )

86. My mobile memory card has damaged .How can I get my documents from damaged memory ? plz tell me the way........................

    • have you tried this command ( Chkdsk e: /r) through cmd?

      e: - represents the drive you are trying to repair..

87. Got this message 'Cannot open volume for direct access' please advise.

88. Losing data from a damaged memory card or USB drive is very common nowadays. But you need to employ Remo Recover software to restore them without difficulty.

89. What if my card is scratched and is not recognized by my PC but recognized by my phone ( it recognizes that it is a corrupt card but cannot access it). I need to know if there is a way to access the card. I have a lot of pictures that hold special meaning to me that I cannot afford to lose.

90. thank you very much sir,..

91. thanks a lot sir,..

92. it is a brilliant thing i like it.

93. I have a pen drive which is recognised as drive 'e'. But following the system above I got the message drive cannot be locked will run the chkdsk when nexttime computer is run. I think my pen drive is trash.

    • If it was mine, I'd cancel the checkdisk and run either the demo of GetDataBack or the FreeUndelete program I mentioned earlier. I've had great success with them.

      Of course, if there is a fatal hardware issue (damaged memory chip, scratched platter, etc), then there's not a lot a person can do on their own to retrieve whatever was in that area of the data storage. You should be able to recover other areas of data, tho.

      GetDataBack: runtime.org/
      FreeUndelete: officerecovery.com/

      HTH!

94. I've never used CheckDisk, as it always seemed to be intent on just truncating damaged files. I've lost so much data due to that silly program..at least this was back in Windows 2000.

    Anyway, I used Runtime Software's GetDataBack just this last year on a trip to salvage a whole memory card worth of photos that someone accidentally formatted. CheckDisk would not help with that at all. There's also a decent program called FreeUndelete by a company called OfficeRecover, IIRC. GetDataBack costs $, but it is has been a super program for me. I definitely avoid CheckDisk like the plague, however..but maybe that's just me.

    As with allve never had any problem. I installed EjectUSB 1.6 (freeware) on each one. Here's the Author site: http://www.pocketappreview.com/main/item/17

95. Is this way can recover lost iPod data?

96. I had try on http://www.piriform.com/recuva. is a freeware and pretty good.

97. I just recently had corrupted paritions on my media hardrive, long story short, I lost most of my data. If it really does come to last resort file recovery, highly recommend Testdisk. It recovered an unbelievable amount of my pictures back (if not all), which was what I was after mostly.

    • Hello..
      I am tausif from india . I had same prblm can u help me.. How u do this..