How to Recover Data from Broken USB Stick?

Flash drives are one of the most commonly used portable storage devices. Most people own a flash drive as additional data storage. But what if the data is lost accidentally? That's right, data in flash drives isn't prone to damage because the USB devices can become corrupted.

Considering the popularity of compact and convenient USB flash drives, they're prone to a wide range of risks because of portability. Accidental or forceful removal of the flash drive from a PC or laptop can lead to software and hardware damage. These are most commonly used for their portability, which is also why they get damaged easily.

This does not mean that the data is forever lost. You can still recover data from broken USB drive using different methods. This blog highlights all the potential ways on how to recover data from a broken USB stick.

Part 1: Can You Retrieve Data From a Broken USB Stick?

Whether you can retrieve data from a broken USB stick depends on whether the USB device is being recognized. Sometimes, the device may not recognize the broken USB stick, which increases the risk.

Here are the two scenarios that determine if you can recover broken USB drive data or not:

Scenario 1: The USB Device is Recognized

The computer will make a sound (based on your customization) as soon as you insert the USB flash drive. This is an indication your system is recognizing the device. When your device recognizes the USB drive, broken USB stick recovery will be easier.

The PC might send you prompts to format the device but don't unless you've backed up your data. Since the flash drive is broken, you can't usually recover data from it. For this reason, you'll have to use data recovery software. You can check the steps of the software on how to retrieve data from a broken USB drive.

Scenario 2: The USB Device is Not Recognized

If the USB device is not recognized, it can be difficult to retrieve data from a broken USB stick. When you connect the USB flash drive to your PC, it will not make any sound. This means that the drive is not being recognized by the system, which complicates the data recovery process even further.

The software does not recognize the USB device, which signifies significant damage to the flash drive. It can primarily be internal systems malfunctioning, such as a damaged USB connector, flash memory chip, or a circuit board that is not correctly functioning.

Since the system isn't recognizing the USB drive, you can't go the usual route for recovering data. Therefore, using data recovery software for broken USB stick recovery might not be helpful either. You will need a much more advanced and professional data recovery service center to fix the USB drive and get the data recovered for you.

Part 2: Why do USB Flash Drives Stop Working?

If your USB flash drive dies, it will cease functioning smoothly. It won't function at all. Then you will have to recover broken USB drive. Here are some of the common reasons why the USB flash drives stop working:

• Physical damage: Flash drives aren't durable but very fragile, meaning they can easily break. Therefore, if you misplace or the USB flash drive falls off suddenly, the physical parts of the flash drive will be completely damaged. Splashes of water on the drive can also pose severe risks. It can spark the internal systems leading to hardware damage. Furthermore, if the mouth of the connector bends accidentally, it will pose more damage to the USB flash drives.

• Viruses and Malware: Viruses and malware are likely to affect USB drives easily. Almost all malware creators know that the USB flash drive will be shared between different systems. So, if they infect the USB flash drive, they can affect multiple systems. Most malware and viruses target flash drives, posing a significant data loss risk.
• Too many Read and Write cycles: Read and Write cycles are a common functionality of the USB flash drive. Every flash drive has a specific shelf-life. Over the years, floating gate transistors will stop working efficiently, thereby posing a significantly higher risk. As the transistors degrade, common problems like data corruption and read/write errors will also happen. This can pose significant risks to the functioning of the hard drive.

Part 3: How to Recover Data from Broken Flash Drive?

A broken flash drive, as mentioned earlier, will lead to two scenarios, either being read or not. Irrespective of the reasons, there are different ways through which you can recover data from a broken flash drive.

Below are some of the top ways through which you can learn how to recover data from a broken USB stick:

1. Use Wondershare Recoverit to Get Back Your Files

A good data recovery software can come in really handy, especially for data recovery from a broken flash drive. Wondershare Recoverit is one of the most reliable software for recovering data from the drive. Wondershare Recoverit can be important in recovering data from a flash drive in case of software damage.

The software can easily help recover different data types across various file formats. So, no matter how you have lost the data, you will be able to recover the data. However, the only condition is that the system must read the broken flash drive.

Wondershare Recoverit is available for free download for both Mac and Windows OS. Recoverit Data recovery software can play an essential role to recover files from broken USB through advanced algorithms if any files are removed from the USB files.

You must download and install Wondershare Recoverit in your system to initiate data recovery from the broken flash drives. Once done, you must connect the fractured flash drive to your system and determine that it is being read.

You can follow the steps given below to get data off a broken flash drive using Wondershare Recoverit:

Step 1: Launch Wondershare Recoverit in your system and select the respective flash drive from the SD Card Recovery option.

Step 2: Once you select the flash drive, Wondershare Recoverit will start scanning the drive to look for the missing files. A Quick Scan will be conducted, and it may take some time for the process to be completed. You can monitor the progress, which is available on the screen.

Step 3: All the deleted files will now be visible. Preview the lost files and check if they are the ones you're looking for. Once done, you can begin the data recovery process.

Related Video >>: How to Recover Lost/Deleted Files from USB?

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2. Use Data Recovery Services

If there's no software defect in the system, there will be a hardware defect in your hard drive. Therefore, if the drive is broken due to hardware damage, you must consider contacting data recovery services. You need to connect with data recovery services only if the hard drive is damaged and the system does not recognize it. They will adopt the potential steps for how to recover data from a broken flash drive.

You need to follow a comprehensive list of steps to connect with the data recovery services and get the job done:

• Initial contact: You can look for data recovery services around you and connect with them via phone, message, or email. Explain to them about all the problems you're suffering from with your flash drive. Also, explain the situations that led to the damage to the hard drive.
• Initial diagnosis: They will diagnose it on your behalf to estimate the extent of damage and how long it will take to recover the files. Several data recovery services offer the initial diagnosis for free or charge you for that. They will also explain the steps on how to fix broken USB.
• Ship it for recovery: You must send the flash drive to them for the initial diagnosis. Ship it to the data recovery services only if you agree to their terms and conditions, such as timeline and budget. Since it is an already damaged flash drive, some companies will provide proper guidelines on how to package and ship it.
• Recovery process: These data recovery services have specialized tools that they will use for broken USB recovery. These services conduct the process in a sterile environment to prevent damage to any of the components. Depending on the file size of the data to be recovered, the timeline will vary significantly. The duration can usually be between a few minutes to hours or even days, based on how complex the recovery function is.
• Return the data: Once the data has been recovered, the data recovery services will transfer the data to a new storage medium, preferably a new flash drive, and send it to you. You may also request cloud storage of the data.

You must discuss their charges with the data recovery services to retrieve data from a broken USB stick. While some services require you to pay upfront, others are okay with taking their service charges after the work is done. Some data recovery services promise that they won't take the price if the data is not successfully recovered.

Part 4: How to Prevent Future Data Loss?

Flash drives are one of the best forms for storing important information. However, it is important that you try to avoid future data loss. These devices are prone to a wide range of problems, such as hardware and software damage. You must use the USB drives properly to avoid the risk of data loss.

Below are some of the key practices you will have to adopt to prevent the risk of data loss from USB drives in the future:

• Regular backups: Regularly backing up your files is a good habit. It is one of the most essential ways to ensure that you always have an extra source where the data is stored. You can regularly back up the data in your Windows on another drive or any other external storage like a different SD card or USB drive. Apart from that, you can also back up the data on the cloud. It is a good practice and can always help you recover data if it is lost from one source.

• Proper handling and storage of USB drives: A major reason why data losses happen in USB drives is because the drive isn't handled properly. Proper handling of the storage USB drives is extremely crucial to ensure proper functioning. You must handle the drive very carefully, preventing the risk of falling, which is a major cause of hardware damage. You must also store it in a safe and cool environment to prevent hardware damage. While you're rejecting or connecting the drive to any device, do it carefully so as to avoid software damage.

Conclusion

USB flash drives are very compact and convenient to use. However, they are also prone to a lot of issues which is why you must be extra careful while handling these. Irrespective of the type of issues, these flash drives are likely to become infected, which can hamper their overall performance, making it difficult for you to work. However, this doesn't mean that data recovery isn't possible. You must learn how to recover data from broken USB flash drive and be able to get back data from the broken flash drive in no time.