Howto repair a broken USB flash drive
This is not the first time, I break a USB Drive. And I already heard some people complaining about the same stuff. But how is this possible ? Even if I use it a lot, memory and micro-controller are robust you know, no special reason for a failure (except of course some anormal write, but this is not the case here)
I decided to open this little key, to look closely. After a quick look, I didn’t find anything. So this little PCB stuff was laying on me desk, and people play with it. After a couple of weeks, I discover the memory chip is simply de-solder. My friend at work play so much with it, the failure is now apparent. Nice no ?

Hum, this little TQFN chip will be hard to solder, that’s right. But this is do-able no ? I tried this with a small soldering iron and here the result:

And yes, the key works fine right now ;) That’s fine no ? I definitively won’t trust this drive enought to store important document, but fine for a couple of mp3, or other..
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admin April 30th, 2008
- Electronics
- Comments(82)
Before someone ask, I checked the filesystem with badblock. And even recover the data stored in the usb key
Hi all of you.
I’ve USB flash disk 128 MB.. but if store data sized only 30 MB it doest work and when i view the capacity its full? Why?
Thank you.
Are you sure it’s a 128 MB ? (look like a 32MB) ..
Check the disk partition (yeah, we can partition a usb stick too), and reformat the key.
I plan to try this tomorrow on a supposedly dead usb flash drive…
#mount /dev/sdc /mnt/tmp
reports “no medium”, which I’m assuming (hoping!) to mean that the controller chip (alcor micro 9385) is dead… I really need to get some data off this chip…
What was the symptom of the dead drive you recovered like this?
Hum, the symptom was a cycling reset (disconnection …) of the device when I try to mount it. Not a “no medium found” ..
Hope you will fix that.
hi thanks i dont know what wrong my USB flse 1 GB sdenliy it dosent work it is not seen in the comp so what can i do
u just de-solder and solder it again?!
or you removed the chip?
Yeah, that’s it. Just de-solder / and solder it back :)
Bye
My brother snapped my USB drive in two, right down the middle. Is there somewhere I can send it where someone can repair it?
Thanks
Does he break the memory chip ? If so, just drop it to the trash
Bye
Hi,
I have Transcend USB Flash Drive. When it is installed in PC it shows CD ROM and does not open. Please I need assistance.
Tara
I would afraid that the chip would get too hot. also, can you move the chip to another one?
thanks
This kind of chips can handle around 300°C for about 2 minutes so..
I don’t think you can change for another chips (due to timings issues)
Bye
I ve a serious problem, when my friend plugin wrong my USB flash memory 128 MB it dosent work it is not seen in the comp so what can i do please reply
Thanks
I dropped my laptop with a flash drive plugged in. The flash drive broke the fall, so the laptop was undamaged. But the flash drive broke. When I opened it up, I saw that some of the connections to the usb plug had torn off. I tried to re-solder them, but it doesn’t work. When I plug it into a computer, the light blinks for a fraction of a second. Windows won’t detect any type of device.
Look closely at the controller and the memory pins. If it’s flash a second and then stop, this looks like the controller doesn’t achieve to read the memory chips, so broken traces should be here.
Bye
Hey, my PNY 2GB flash memory drive is no longer functional. There appears to be no broken parts… but I do NEED that data on there… it’s all of my work. Do you really think that desoldering and resoldering the “key”, as you call it, will fix my device? Please help…
Thanks
Look closely at the chip, if nothing wrong .. your data are lost ..
my usb sticks partitions are deleted by using portable linux and it beomes 3 and when i trying to make up it with windows xp bootable cd it says tht xp didnt support multiple partition so what can i do tell me plzz…….
its not formatting and the message is come tht unable to format so what should i do????????
reply soon…..
Great article, I wrote a similar article describing different types of failures that occur with USB flash drives which may help others having similar problems.
How Flash Drives Fail
i think is that good article and helpfull for me.
http://www.id3.info : repair flash drive
Hi there,
My Kingston 4GB suddenly stopped working. Is there any way to recover the data. As you have replied to Xaivior’s question, you have said that to look closely at the chip and if nothing wrong, data are lost. Please let me know how the chip should look in order to de-solder and re-solder it to work.
Thanks.
VJ, if you don’t know how it should look.. I’m wondering how you can de/re-solder it ..
Yo Chip headz is boy Baby-Boy My usb is not turning on when I plug it in my pc,and again it generates heat to much it get to hot……will the De/re-solder it work……….
I NEED YOUR HELP!!! My friend pulled my USB2.0 8GB flash drive out wrong and now the silver part won’t go all the way down even though the slider goes as far as it can. I have a Verbatim. I will pay you any amount if you can get me the information off that flash drive. Please email me ASAP. See my website, and see why I need that stuff. I will lose hundreds of pics and all my movies. HELP ME!!!
Kat
hey my flash drive quit working on me and i kinda need it for my computers class im currently failing because all my work is on it and i cannot retrieve it. the computer reconizes that there is a usb plugged in but it doesnt allow me to open it. also it says that it needs to be formated which i cannot do unless i get all my documents off of it. i was comparing it to another flash drive the exact same brand and storage and the little gold things inside of where it goes inside of the usb port are pushed down. the light doesnt come on when plugged in eather. thanks.
The metal part on my flashdrive broke again this is the second time this has happened but not to the same drive. Is there some way to fix it or some place I can send it to get fixed?
How do I fix a broken Flash drive? The whole metal piece broke off today (you know the piece that goes into the usb port) well it broke off is there a way to fix it or a place to send it off? because this keeps happening and it is getting really aggrevating. and if you can also please give me some advice on how to keep this from happening again.
To Noel, open the pen drive and solder an USB wire instead of the default plug .. that’s the only way I think.
my flash drive wont work is their someone that I can send it to to have it fixed I am willing to pay for it to be fixed I need the data off of it
There’s Ebay guy that fixed my broken drive in less than a day for $45. You can find him if you search for “broken flash drive” on ebay. I just send it to him and download my files when he is done. Now I tell you how great help this is.
J
hi,
please help me…
my flash drive is 2GB and when i look the capacity, it reveals 0MB, y?
and when i tried to format it, it doesn’t work at all….
please help me…what i am supposed to do …??
Hey, my USB can be detected when it is plugged in, but i can’t open it, it shows please enter a G disk when i try to open it.
The light for the USB normally flashes when it is connected, but now it is not flashing.
During these last few days, it’s been a bit weird, sometimes flashing and others times not flashing, but now, it has just sopped flashing.
Is there anything i can do?????
Hi, i have unfortunatly snapped the metal bit off my USB 4GB FLASH STICK, i am student with work to hand in which is saved on the USB how can i recover the information without having to pay ridiculous amounts of money such as £250 as i have been quoted from several companies? …
P.S i understand absolutly nothing about USB sticks and this whole solder and desolder makes no sense to me! PLEASE EXPLAIN IN EASY TERMS…
This is urgent please help. I need your help. Thank again x
Mal
Mallane, this is technical stuff … so ..
Please ask to a friend with solder knowledge to fix it, instead of asking here .
Hi,
I have been using A-DATA 16G flash drive since a year. I have lots of data in it and recently its not getting detected in any desktops. Last time when am trying to access it while booting the desktop and the desktop hung up. I removed the flash drive when the desktop is hung up. Does that cause any problem to the flash drive? Now that drive is not getting recognized in any desktop/laptop. Is there a solution to fix this?
TIA
Prasanna
I’m not trying to spam the board, but I do next day flash drive data recovery for $99 (or $69 for students). Just mail me your broken drive and I’ll have your files ready for download the next day. Please email me at 24hourdatarecovery@gmail.com or just go to my website. http://www.24hourdatarecovery.com
Here are a few comments from my Ebay customers…
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“Thanks. Was very prompt. Great to do business with.”
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hi
my friend bought a new computer, and the person who assembled the motherboard,and made connections of the USB ports at the front of pc casing, he MADE WRONG WIRE CONNECTIONS.
now three usb drives were connected to the FRONT USB PORTS of casing(which had wrong connections). And all three usb drives got damaged !!!!
Which part of USBs has the probability to get damaged due to this ?
Can these be repaired? ?
Also, cld there be a simple issue like some resistor damaged ?? HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLP
i am from iran so my English is too bad ….
but …
my falsh memory is broken ( I think … ) when i plug it the computer show an error that “USB Device not Recognized ” what should I do …
my usb driver is not broken because my other memory work …….
For Tauseef: hum, it’s look like the power regulator on the USB stick is dead, and perhaps the microcontroller too ..
Try to find a way to repair them only if you have important data on, this will cost a lot of money I think ..
Ehsan Hamzei: Perhaps try in another computer …
My problem was ::
>>hi
my friend bought a new computer, and the person who assembled the motherboard,and made connections of the USB ports at the front of pc casing, he MADE WRONG WIRE CONNECTIONS.
now three usb drives were connected to the FRONT USB PORTS of casing(which had wrong connections). And all three usb drives got damaged !!!!
Which part of USBs has the probability to get damaged due to this ?
Can these be repaired? ?
Also, cld there be a simple issue like some resistor damaged ?? HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLP
————
My solution is :
> i noted that as i connect usb drives to port, these dont heat up
>then, i connected the usb to usb port, an grabbed a piece of wire, and started “shorting” Resistances on usb device, randomly.
and at one resistor, the usb got detected, then i connect 10 ohm resistance(rather soldered) there,
>same i did with otheer usb device board. and its too working, coz as indicated by admin, it was a power issue !! so resistor got damaged !!
usbs are working coooooooll now , 24/7 !
regards, Tauseef.
see…… today by mistakly i droped my usb frm a height ……after some times when i plugged it into my computer there is no sign of working……..even the light doent come as before
i am very worried about it as it contain my secreat documents…………..
when i opened the flash drive a chip is broken ……….
will it be able to repair??????help meeeeeeeeee
broken flash drive
Hey, recentl7y broke my flashdrive in 2 pieces. Has any1 tried 24hourdatarecovery?
If u have give me feed back cos i have a lot ofinformation on that 1 flashdrive and i need to get all of them back as soon as possible. Thanks.
or if u know some1 else who can do it. Just recommend.
can you help me to fix my kingmax 4gb
my pc, on the internet cafe, and in the school.
cant read my king max can you help me…
you can txt me in my no. 09279811057
thnks GUys
=(
hi, can you tell me how to repair my kingmax 2G. the cause is it can’t be detected anymore
Hi All,
I am a computer tech, but I rarely get involved in soldering. Last year, I broke my Samsung USB MP3 player and I used a local company (New Millennium Techs). I dropped off the device and it was fixed and ready the next day. It only cost $69 for the repair and it help up for 6 months until I lost the player in the park.
I am not sure if they do mail-ins, but you can check. Here is their website: http://www.nmtechs.net
-Steve
I used 24 Hour Data Recovery ( http://www.24hourdatarecovery.com ) to get data from a broken flash drive. I sent it regular US postal mail on Thursday, and even with the weekend I had the files on Monday night! I think that is pretty good service, and there was no way I was getting files off of this drive after trying to get it to work on many different computers.
He was very easy to work with, too. I made a minor mistake on the info I gave him, and he didn’t give me a hassle about it and made the update within an hour.
If the USB stick is not recognized in the PC or it is impossible to access the data on it, the controller on the stick is damaged. There is only one way to get the data back, unsolder memory chips and directly access their raw data with a programable chip reader. Software can’t help, that is a physical damage! Have a look at:
http://card-recovery.biz/us/service.php
hai
i bought a kingston 32GB pendrive, unfortunately its not working, when i insert that it shows that removable disk(j):
but what my problem is when i see the properties it shows 0bytes, when i copy the files to that pendrive its shows that please insert a disk into j:
can you please tell me the solution for this…….
Hi,
when i came back from school my KINGSTON 8GB USB MEMORY STICK was in my pocket and i forgot to take it out and i accidently put in in the washing machine and then in the drying machine! then i suddenly realized that my USB was missing, then i found it, but i couldnt open it !! it stoped working!! all my SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS and ESSAYS are LOST I NEED HELP!!!
Hi,
I have 8GB Kingston USB with password protection. When I plug into computer it shows “Remove able disk” label, although I had put my own label on this. When I try to open it it shows “Please insert drive into x”. Also it show 0 bytes size now. I have very important data on it. Please help me.
flashbackrecovery.com created a video that you will definitely find helpful if your cruzer micro has stopped working!!
http://www.flashbackrecovery.com/_blog/USB_Flash_Drive_Data_Recovery_Blog/post/Flash_Drive_Data_Recovery_-_A_Look_Behind_the_Scenes/
hey bludude thats the same thing that happened to mine and i have to turn a project in on monday witch i am reallly f uped and i have pictures on there does the public libraries have power point on there computers
hi, i attached the front usb and then booted up,pluged in my 4gig kingstone, and then my 4gigs died, i removed the flash cover nothing looks damged,also it makes alot of heat when attached to the pc, it wont even light up,any help please i need the info on it,Thanks
here is some pictures please see them
http://img25.imageshack.us/i/dsc00313n.jpg
http://img28.imageshack.us/i/dsc00312w.jpg
guys i am using kingston data traveller 2.0. any time i plug the device,the icon will be flashing and will not staedy. what should i do. pls my email is townjuju@yahoo.co.uk
pleas help me
my usb got dragged across the floor and the silver bit has completely come off and i dont know what to do
it has a lot of important work on it
what shall i do???
please help meeee!
Use the force and wave your hand or use your heat ray vision to repair any broken solder joints. Come on people, you got to be kidding me. Flash drives are for transferring junk for fun, do not rely and these things to last as they are very fragile and break easy. Important files should be saved to e-mail or burned to DVD. If they break do not try to fix it, buy a new one. 8g drives go for $20… 4g for under $10… that’s to cheap!
my usb flash drive separated the medal prong n the memory card. Is there anyway 2 repair it? I have put them back 2gether but when I plug it into my computer nothing happens. I have a 2 or 3 gb flash drive full of music and I really don’t want 2 lose it. Please help!!!
my daughter walked by my computer and bent my usb drive the plastic cover came off and right were you stick the usb inthe computer it bent and was loose alsoat the end where you stick the stem in the computer on the green board has a crack in it i super glued it back and on the the top where it cracked at the stems came a loose so i solder it back together but it still doesent work. the chips were not damaged
If you can only access a small protion of the usb key and there remains a large portion which is not available for use, then if you open a command prompt in Windows an type the following it should restore the data stick to fully working condition.
diskpart
list volume
select volume n (where n is the number shown by list volume to be the one which is the small portion of the key which you can access)
extend
list volume
after this, you should see the full size of the data key is ready for use.
My classmate broke my flash drive when he plugged it in a broken usb port. Now it gets too hot for a second when I plug it in and Windows doesn’t recognize it either. Help anyone? I think it only has to do with the usb connector.
what luck i just hit my usb and it works hahaha
i have a micro SD chip. its memory 1GB but i cunt format the memory chip or can not delete any data.
please help me
the end part of my usb has came off from the usb that connects it to the computer and contains all important information. what can i do to fix it?
this is URGENT as it has all my coursework in it…help!!!!!!!!!
Hello,
Just today I knocked into my USB Flash Drive while it was plugged into the computer. The head was then broken all the way off from the stick part of the unit. All components aside from the head still appear intact, however I think the memory stick part when the data is stored may have one or two prongs missing. I have tried several external USB heads and hot glue for the wires, but couldn’t get it to power on. I then put the original head back on plugged it into the computer and wiggled it; when i did the the red light stayed on steady but it detected nothing in the computer. Is there anyway to get this data back?
Thanks.
I am trying to figure out how to repair a loose USB flash drive. It got stepped on once, and the plastic cracked. It still works, but every time I pull it out of the computer, the USB plug part comes out of the plastic case a bit. Is there a type of glue that is safe for this? I’m afraid one day it will come completely out.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
hi ,
i have a pendrive of kingston 8 gb. before some time it is not working. an dlight is also not blinking please help it is posible to run my pen drive successfully.
it is posible to repair pendrive in any service center?
bye
lokesh
hi ,
i have a pendrive of kingston 8 gb. before some time it is not working. an dlight is also not blinking please help it is posible to run my pen drive successfully.
it is posible to repair pendrive in any service center?
bye
lokesh
lokeshnow@yahoo.com
my friend put my flash drive in upside down and forced it in and now it dont work i took it apart to see the damage and there seems to be no damage what can be done?
Hey, My USB memory stick head (top metal part) has come off from the microchip. Both parts are in good condition. I have tried soldering them together but the computer does not recongnise it. Is there anything you can suggest, as i have all my coursework on there and my deadline is next week! Preferably can you send help to my email I have given or if not here. Thanks a lot.
Thanks. I found out that my flash drive was not making proper contact. I don’t really have the tools to fix it but I did recover the information.
Uff! :O
i have a toshiba 4 gb and when i plug it in to my computer it says usb device not recognized its not broken in half jus bent can i get my pictures back or jus give up ans buy another
Hi.. I have an 8GB USB that doesnt pick up on the PC.. when i shake it, it sounds like something is broken.. any suggestions??
Thank YOu
Oh help me too i lost all my data from my flash after avirus attacked it.I ther anything i can do to get back my data.I usually make backups online with safecopy backup but this time i took long to make my backups.
my 4GP Kingston usb does not work probably.when i transfer movies or video songs from my friend computer to my computer they does not play full time they play one third of actual length.please help me.
hello i found ur site..plz help…i have accidental broke my usb stick from my pc..
the part that broke is the silver like in your pictures above..not the chip just where it goes into the pc..can that be fixed and soldered ..plz it has many sentimental value pics of family.
thank you look forward to a reply…i willl go to bed and cry now till i hear back
thanks
Hi,
My Kingston 8 gb usb drive will not show up on my computer. I think the top part was jamed upward. How do I fix it?
hi, i attached the front usb and then booted up,pluged in my 4GB kingstone, and then my 4gb died, i removed the flash cover nothing looks damged,also it makes alot of heat when attached to the pc, it wont even light up,any help please i need the info on it,Thanks
plz plz plz plz try to sort out my problem i’ll be very thankful to u….
here is my id
basir.khan12@gmail.com
some wiring was wrong on my computer for the USB two usb drives are not working now i open the usb drive and solder on it is fine.. do i have to unsolder it and resolder it??? its not picking up the flash drive at all…
My 2 GB Cruizer flash drive broke, the USB jack has been completely removed from the actual memory device, along with all the little connectors. Is there a way to re attatch the USB jack or get some one to retrieve data from it?
hi
my pen drive is adata 4gb .
when i connect it with my pc then pc show the drive but give a command “please insert a disk”.
my flash drive it not working.i unflug it when it was scanning.after that it not recognize.what to do i fix it ?