USB · flash stick
USB flash data recovery
The computer cannot see the stick, Windows wants to format, the folder is empty, or it went through a washing machine. Bring it to Mustamäe. If the files cannot be recovered, you do not pay.
If recovery is not possible, you pay nothing. After diagnostics we tell you what is still there and the scale of the work. +372 56 766 733 · info@taastaandmed.ee
The stick is cheap. The files on it rarely are.
A USB stick usually dies in three ways. The connector snaps, the body stays in the bag. The controller stops talking - the computer sees nothing or 0 MB. Or the NAND is alive but the filesystem is broken: empty folders, photos that will not open, Windows asking to format.
Washing machines, sea, rain and coffee are ordinary. Do not put the stick in an oven or in rice as if that were a lab. Dry the outside, do not apply power, bring it in. Liquid and a short do things to electronics that free software will not fix.
We take Kingston, SanDisk, Transcend, Samsung, Verbatim, PNY, Toshiba and no-name sticks. Capacity (8 GB or 1 TB) changes time, not the door policy. Encrypted stick: no password, no miracle.
Before you come
Try another USB port and another computer - once, not ten times. If the stick gets hot, vanishes or makes Windows crawl, unplug it. Do not install a recovery tool onto the stick itself. Do not use a vendor “repair” tool that formats.
Broken connector: do not bend the contacts back. Bag it, bring it. We look at whether the NAND is still readable.
USB stick - what happened
| Situation | Typical cause | Do not |
|---|---|---|
| Computer does not see it | Controller, connector, power | Do not format on another machine. |
| Seen, asks to format | Broken filesystem | Do not click OK. |
| Folders empty / 0 photos | Delete, malware, camera cut the write | Do not shoot more onto the same stick. |
| Washer / water | Corrosion, short | Do not power on “to try”. |
| Connector off | Mechanics | Do not solder it at home first. |
USB FAQ
Can a washed stick always be recovered?
Not always. If the NAND is alive and corrosion has not killed the chip, there is hope. If not, you do not pay.
Do you also do memory cards?
Yes, a separate service. Card and stick look similar; chip and controller are not.