How to Recover Files From a Washed USB Flash Drive?

Have you ever faced a problem where you accidentally left the USB in a wet condition? That can be pretty annoying. Now, a washed USB is capable of damaging your system. Therefore, you must dry out the USB as soon as possible. If you do not, the USB device will become corrupted, and you will lose all the files. Although there are data recovery methods, it is also advisable to adopt prevention methods. You must know how to recover files from a damaged USB. This blog explores all the potential ways you can recover data from washed USB in washing machine.

How to Deal with a Washed USB Flash Drive?

USB is a small device that can often stay in our pockets. This can often lead to accidental washing of the device, which puts the device at risk of damage. As a result, the lifespan of the USB damaged due to water will be significantly reduced.

If you have had a washed USB flash drive, here are some of the prominent methods through which you can deal with washed USB in washing machine:

• Immediately after removing the USB from the water, you must not shake it vigorously. It can lead to water seeping into your device and damaging it significantly.
• Try to dry the USB flash drive as soon as possible. Wipe off the water from it and wrap the USB using a tissue or paper towel for a couple of minutes.
• You must keep the USB under sunlight to facilitate the quick evaporation of water. This prevents the risk of the device getting corrupted easily.
• If you know how to handle USBs, try to dismantle the same and let it dry. Once dried, put the components back together.

Now that you know how to deal with a washed USB in washing machine, you must note a few tips on handling it well. These include:

• Once you have removed a completely soaked or drenched USB from the water, you must not immediately connect it to your PC. It risks your device as the USB port can become permanently damaged. In fact, under some circumstances, you may end up losing all the stored data, too.
• You must not use warmers or high-power dryers to dry up the washed USB flash drive. The high temperature will increase the risk of data loss.

Reasons for USB Data Loss

Once the USB gets in the washing machine, you must know that the risk of data loss increases. Therefore, you must identify how you can recover the data. However, some of the common reasons why you will experience USB data loss are as follows:

• Accidental file deletion: You may accidentally delete any file, which can lead to the files being lost. Therefore, you will experience files to be lost.
• Malware infection: If your system is infected by malware, it will also affect the files. Thus, the files in the USB will also get infected by malware.
• Formatted USB Drive: The files will get lost when you format the USB drive.
• Physically damaged: Physical damage to the files will have a negative impact on the files. When the USB file is physically damaged, you cannot use the files.

• Hardware failure: The USB can often experience hardware failure due to physical damage. This will eventually lead to data loss.
• Software bug: Any software issue with the USB file will prevent it from functioning efficiently. As a result, you will not be able to access the data, thereby leading to loss.
• Problems with the power supply to USB ports: If the USB ports are damaged, the device will not read the USB. This will make you unable to access the data. As a result, the files will be completely lost.

Ways to Recover Files From Washed USB Flash Drive

Recovering files from a washed USB flash drive will require you to follow a wide range of steps. It is extremely important that you follow the methods properly so that you do not face any problems. Some of the key methods to recover files from washed USB stick washing machine are as follows:

Method 1. Use Data Recovery Software Wondershare Recoverit

Data recovery software can be one of the best methods to recover data from a washed USB flash drive. You should use genuine data recovery software like Wondershare Recoverit. Wondershare Recoverit is a great tool that will allow you to recover data from water-affected USBs.

Wondershare Recoverit uses advanced algorithms to recover the data. Even in the most stressful scenarios, the software allows data recovery. Wondershare Recoverit has a high success rate for data recovery. Therefore, you will not have to be worried about the data recovery process. Wondershare Recoverit is available for free download on Mac OS and Windows OS. This software can also be useful to repair damaged flash drive.

Once Wondershare Recoverit has been installed in your system, you may follow the steps given below to initiate the data recovery process from the washed USB stick washing machine:

Step 1: Double-click the Wondershare Recoverit icon on your system and launch it. Connect the USB flash drive to the PC. The PC and software must detect the USB flash drive. The USB will not be visible on your device if it is not being read.

Step 2: Under the Select a location to start recovery option, choose the USB flash drive to be the target location. Now, click on the Start button.

Step 3: Wondershare Recoverit will scan the USB device. Depending on your requirements, you can either pause or stop the process. Then, you can go ahead and recognize the target files.

Step 4: As soon as the file scanning is complete, all the lost or deleted files will be visible on the interface. You can check each of these files and click on the Recover button when you want to recover the files. Select a new location where you want to save these recovered files.

Method 2. Manual Service Agent

When the USB becomes severely damaged due to the water, the computer will not even recognize the device. The external parts may dissolve and fall off. Water-damaged USB can prevent it from working properly. You should use a manual service agent in case of such severe damage.

The manual service agent will play an important role in recovering data from the damaged USB drive in no time. These manual service agents are trained professionals who are aware of how the USB drive functions. Therefore, they will dry it out and ensure that they can manually retrieve all the information. Once they derive the information, they will send the data to you.

Reaching out to a manual service agent for data recovery can be expensive. However, the only condition is that you must find the right individual to get it done. This is because if you hire the wrong person to do the data recovery, they might not be able to do it. On the other hand, you are exposing your data to a stranger, so they may misuse it when you’re not hiring professionals.

Method 3. Use the Restore Previous Versions Feature

One of the easiest ways to recover the data from a washed USB drive is to use the previous version feature. Windows Previous Versions feature is a safety net for the files, allowing a seamless and fast backup procedure. However, you must note that this feature has only a 50% success rate, so you must try this method very carefully.

In order to use this feature, you must enable the File History feature. This feature will play an important role in preventing the risk of data loss. Microsoft, through its Previous Versions feature, allows you to restore the data from the previous versions.

The steps that you need to follow to recover data from the Previous Versions feature of Windows and repair damaged flash drive are as follows:

Step 1: Dry and connect the USB drive to the computer.

Step 2: Launch This PC on your system and right-click on the USB drive. Navigate to Properties.

Step 3: Visit the Previous Versions tab and browse through the history of data. Select the version that you want to restore. Hit the Restore option. The files will be restored to the original location.

Method 4. Recover Deleted Files from a USB Drive Using CMD

The Command Prompt can be one of the easiest and most efficient ways to recover data from your USB drive. However, this method is only applicable for the Windows users. If you are well-versed in command prompts and what commands to provide, you will recover deleted or lost files from the USB drive in no time.

If you are using Command Prompt to recover the files, you will need to have a very hands-on approach to proceed with the data recovery. A major limitation of using Command Prompt is that it can be useful for unhiding the hidden files in the USB drive if the virus caused any such thing.

You must follow the steps given below on how to recover files from a damaged USB via Command Prompt:

Step 1: Firstly, you must connect the USB flash drive to your computer.

Step 2: On the search menu, type Command Prompt. Once the results pop in, right-click on Command Prompt and choose the Run as administrator option.

Step 3: In the Command Prompt window, type: attrib -h -r -s /s /d e\.. Press Enter

Note: Here is the indication of the driver letter of the USB flash drive or external hard drive. In this case, you can replace e with any letter assigned to the drive.

Method 5. Restore Deleted Files from USB Flash Drive with Windows Backups

Taking a backup of all the files is always a good sign to stay prepared for an emergency. Therefore, if you lose data accidentally, you will have an additional source from where you can back up the data. Backing up the files provides a 100% success rate in recovering them.

If you have deleted or lost the files, it is advisable to recover them using the backup. Usually, people back up their data from the USB flash drive on their computer. Now that you know the backup is available, you will have to follow the steps given below so that you can recover data from broken USB stick:

Step 1: Navigate through your PC or any external storage device to look for the backup of the files on the damaged USB.

Step 2: Select those files once you find the data from the backup.

Step 3: Copy and paste the data into a new location or the fixed USB device.

Extra Tips for Handling Water-Related Accidents

Although not common, water accidents can happen. So, you must know how to handle them. A washed USB can pose severe threats. So, as long as you're handling the situation properly, you will not face any problems with the device in the long run.

Here are some of the major tips on how to handle washed USB in washing machine:

• Once the USB drive has been patted to dry, storing it in a zip lock pouch with some silica gel sachets is advisable. The gels will absorb the moisture, making it easier for the device to dry.
• When you find your USB in the washing machine, it means that the device will be soaking wet. Therefore, you must understand how to dry USB port. You must remove it and use an air compressor to pull and push water from the internal components. It follows a vacuum mechanism that helps clear everything.

• Once the extra water has been dried off from the USB drive, you must store it in the uncooked rice for some time. You can either seal it with plastic or cover it with a lid. This will act as a natural element to absorb moisture.
• Alcohol can be equally helpful for wiping off the external parts, which is why it becomes easier to replace water. Alcohol also evaporates easily, making it easier to dry the USB drive. However, it is advisable that you do not soak the USB drive in the alcohol for long.
• While it is advisable to keep USB under sunlight, do not opt for this method if the sunlight is very harsh. In that case, you can just keep the USB drive in a container and then keep it under sunlight. This helps to avoid the risk of corrosion and device corruption.

Conclusion

A washed USB can be very risky, especially when some important data is stored in it. However, accidentally, you may leave it in the washing machine. Therefore, it is extremely important that you adopt the right ways to dry your washed USB in washing machine. Once the USB flash drive is dried, you will have to check whether the data is stored in it. If you still need to, you should adopt all the potential ways using which you can recover the data. Make sure to follow the steps properly to prevent any major damage.