Start by pressing Win + R, typing cmd, and pressing Ctrl + Shift + Enter. It can be helpful when you’re trying to fix a corrupt USB flash drive because it doesn’t require using any third-party tool and is fairly easy to use. Method 2: Check Disk Utility (CHKDSK)Ĭhkdsk is a built-in command-line utility in Windows that allows you to check file system integrity and fix logical file system errors and bad sectors on a volume.
You can fix both issues by inserting your pen drive into another PC or a different USB slot. If your USB port is damaged, your computer probably won’t detect the flash drive. For instance, if your USB is formatted as a file system that isn’t compatible with your PC, it won’t detect your flash drive. Sometimes, your computer won’t detect a USB flash drive because of reasons other than corruption. Method 1: Connect the Corrupt Flash Drive to Another Computer or USB Slot There are several fixes you can try based on what caused the flash drive to become corrupt as discussed below. Once you’ve recovered the files, you can start trying to fix the corrupt USB flash drive. Select a location other than your flash drive, and click OK. You’ll see a small window pop-up where you’ll need to select a location for recovering the file. Choose the ones you want to recover by checking the box next to the file name and clicking on the Recover button at the bottom. Once the scan completes, you’ll see a list of recoverable files. Select the mounted image from the Disk Drill home screen and click on the Search for lost data button. Once Disk Drill completes creating the backup file, go back to the home screen and select Attach disk image. Leave the format, from, and to fields to their default. Insert a name for the backup file, select file type, and a path where you want to save the file. Select the corrupt USB flash drive and click on the Byte-to-Byte Backup option at the top-right. Launch Disk Drill once you’ve installed it and switch to Data Backup from the left sidebar. Launch Disk Drill and Use Byte-to-Byte Backup
The free version allows you to recover files up to 500MB.
Download and Install Disk Drillĭownload Disk Drill and install it on your PC. You can create an image and scan it with a tool like Disk Drill like so: Step 1. Instead of scanning the USB flash drive directly, create an image of the flash drive so you don’t end up causing further damage. It’s best not to tinker with a corrupt USB flash drive until you’ve recovered all the important files from it.
How to Recover Data from a Corrupted Flash Drive? If it is, you’ll be able to scan the USB and recover files from it.
If you see the USB flash drive, verify if its size is listed correctly. Check if the USB flash drive appears in the console.Doing this will launch the Disk Management console. Press Win + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter.Before you hit the panic button and worry about potentially losing hours’ worth of work, you should do two things: stop using the flash drive right away and start trying to recover files from the corrupted USB flash drive.īefore we talk about how you can retrieve files from a corrupted USB flash drive, you should verify if you’ll be able to scan the drive. When your USB flash drive is corrupt, you’ll typically encounter issues like disappearing files or errors like “file not recognized” when you try to open the files. ⏏️ Removing the flash drive without ejecting it first.
A USB flash drive may become corrupt because of the following reasons: Your USB flash drive is considered corrupted when the computer fails to complete a requested process because of either a logical or physical issue with your flash drive’s memory chip. Method 5: Format the Corrupt USB Flash Drive.Method 3: Error Checking Tool on Windows.Method 1: Connect the Corrupt Flash Drive to Another Computer or USB Slot.How to Recover Data from a Corrupted Flash Drive?.