Getting Files off a Dead USB

mectavba

Folks,

I have some files that I need to get off a dead USB key. I have tried it in a few machines and nothing happens. They are just some Microsoft Word files.

I have contacted datarecovery.ie who have said that there would be a €45 analysis fee, but couldn't give me any indication of what the price would be to retrieve the files.

I read one bad review of them on boards where they charged astronomical fees for getting files off a hard drive. I would have thought that getting files off a usb would be relatively straightforward, if it could be done.

Any advice or alternatives to datarecovery.ie??

yeppydeppy

Depends on how dead it is - have you tried booting a machine with ubuntu to see if you can read the data that way?

Torqay

mectavba wrote: »

I read one bad review of them on boards where they charged astronomical fees for getting files off a hard drive. I would have thought that getting files off a usb would be relatively straightforward, if it could be done.

While there's always the possibility of being ripped off, you seem to have no idea about the environment and equipment required for professional data recovery and forensics.

Gone Drinking

Haha, I read the thread title as "Getting flies off a dead USB"

mectavba

yeppydeppy - I am pretty clueless on this stuff. What is ubuntu?

Torqay - I don't see the point of your post or why you bothered.

Hank Scorpio

If the device is not recognised on multiple machines trying a different operating system isn't going to make any difference

You should open it up and see if there's any obvious points of breakage from the connecter to the board. Resoldering these may fix the key.

Don't forget to keep backups of the files in future!

Torqay

mectavba wrote: »

Torqay - I don't see the point of your post or why you bothered.

Well, you were giving out about "astronomical fees" for data recovery. Professional data recovery requires a clinically clean, dustfree evironment, highly specialised equipment and proper staff training... all of which does not come cheap.

Maybe you should have thought of this before trusting something notriously unreliable such as a removable flashdrive with your files without having a backup.

There are plenty tools to fix a corrupted file system or partition table or even retrieve data from damaged blocks but on if your computer recognise the drive (or the flash media). The easiest way to find out, open the Boot Menu and see if the USB drive is listed there. If not,you can fiddle around with various operating systems or programs all you want. You're wasting your time.

riclad

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/
this is a livecd,
download,file, burn it to a cdr, using imgburn.
http://www.imgburn.com/
IF gparted doesnt see usb drive partition ,its a dead drive.
OPEN the cover,see if there,s any broken connection.

see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q29BkyEVMqM

SEE http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Fix-a-USB-Flash-Drive/?ALLSTEPS
it could be a hardware problem,the connector is connected to usb memory chip by 2 solder points.

IT might need resoldering ,as in above link.

riclad

A USB key has no moving parts, its just a connector, a pcb, with say 1gig
ssd memory on it.Doesnt need a clean room to fix it.
Clean rooms are using when fixing hardrives ,which can only be opened up,
in a sterile room.
Connector is the part that plugs into the pc usb port.
Maybe get a technican to open it up, resolder it,make sure the pcb is not damaged.

ED E

riclad wrote: »

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/
this is a livecd,
download,file, burn it to a cdr, using imgburn.
http://www.imgburn.com/
IF gparted doesnt see usb drive partition ,its a dead drive.
OPEN the cover,see if there,s any broken connection.

see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q29BkyEVMqM

SEE http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Fix-a-USB-Flash-Drive/?ALLSTEPS
it could be a hardware problem,the connector is connected to usb memory chip by 2 solder points.

IT might need resoldering ,as in above link.

Pointless, you dont need a gparted disk to see it. If its capable of talking to the bus then Windows will detect a new device.

riclad wrote: »

A USB key has no moving parts, its just a connector, a pcb, with say 1gig
ssd memory on it.Doesnt need a clean room to fix it.
Clean rooms are using when fixing hardrives ,which can only be opened up,
in a sterile room.
Connector is the part that plugs into the pc usb port.
Maybe get a technican to open it up, resolder it,make sure the pcb is not damaged.

True in this case a cleanroom isn't required, but the machinery to work on memory modules is far from inexpensive.

Split the case open, check it visually for damage. If theres nothing visable then any recovery will probably need to be professionally done and it likely wont be worth it for the data thats on it(if its just a few docs).

riclad

UNLESS files are very important ,using a clean room is too expensive,
eg 400 euro plus.
even a tv repair man, could open, a usb key,look at pcb, resolder the 2 connectors.

maybe takes 15mins approx.
i have 2 drives, i plug em, in, they are not detected,
usb sata drives.I presume the pcbs, are dead.
YES ,if usb key is working ,any windows pc,should detect the device,
Even if it just shows up as a blank disk.
Theres only maybe 2 companys in ireland that have clean rooms,
that,ll look at a usb key,in regard to data recovery.