When a USB drive is logically damaged, it may not appear in the File Explorer when plugged into a computer, making it difficult to scan the drive and recover important files. In such cases, the article suggests assigning a new drive letter to the USB drive through the Disk Management page. This can be done by right-clicking on the USB flash drive's number and choosing the "Change Driver Letter" option. After changing the drive letter, users can go back to File Explorer and try to access the drive.
Fix corrupted USB
If assigning a new drive letter doesn't work, the article recommends reinstalling or updating disk drivers, which can be done by going to Windows Device Manager and updating all the disk drivers seen there. If that doesn't work, users can use CMD to check for device errors. By opening Windows Command Prompt as an administrator and running the CHKDSK command, users can check their USB drives for errors and fix them.
Repair a corrupted flash drive
In case allthe methods mentioned above fail to recover lost files, users can resort to data recovery software.
DiskInternals Partition Recovery - a professional data recovery solution that can help repair corrupt or damaged USB flash drives and recover files from them. The software offers a Fast Recovery (Uneraser) option for recently deleted data and a Full Recovery option for complete recovery. Users can preview the recovered files for free before saving or exporting them to a remote storage via FTP. However, users must note that while file preview is free, saving the recovered files requires a license.
If the USB drive is physically damaged, it may be difficult or impossible to recover lost files. In such cases, users can try adjusting the USB by gently wiggling it to see if the computer will recognize it or checking for any debris obstruction in the USB flash drive's pin or the connection port on the PC. If all else fails, users can contact a professional recovery service center that can try to retrieve files from the flash drive using specialized tools.
