I’m facing an issue with my USB drive ( SanDisk 512GB Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive), which seems to have become corrupted recently. I’ve tried plugging it into different USB ports and computers, but it’s not recognized or shows up as an unformatted drive. I had important files on it that I really need to recover.
The USB drive is not accessible on my PC (Windows 11). It doesn’t show up with a drive letter in File Explorer, and when I check it in Disk Management, it shows up as unallocated space.
Has anyone dealt with a similar issue and managed to recover files from a corrupted USB?
Don’t rush into recovery right away. Sometimes, a simple fix can save you a lot of time and hassle. If your USB isn’t recognized, try plugging it into a different computer or USB port first. You wouldn’t believe how many issues can be fixed with a simple restart or plugging it into another device. I learned this the hard way when I was convinced my drive was toast but found it worked on another laptop.
If you’re expecting to recover files from a corrupted USB, avoid using the USB drive for anything else in the meantime. I made the mistake of moving new files onto the same drive while trying to recover data. It just made things worse and reduced the chances of retrieving what I had lost. Always keep the drive untouched until you are done with recovery.
You can first try using CHKDSK to repair file system errors on the drive.
Step 1. Press Win + X, and then Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
Step 2. Type the chkdsk X: /f /r command and hit Enter. Replace X with the USB drive’s letter (if it appears in Disk Management).
Note that CHKDSK is an old disk repair utility. If your drive is severely damaged, running it could cause further harm. To minimize risk, consider cloning your drive or creating a disk image before using this built-in tool.
It sounds like your USB drive has become corrupted, but there are a few steps you can try to recover your files:
Try Data Recovery Software: Tools like Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery, or Disk Drill can help scan and recover files from unallocated or corrupted drives.
Check for Drive Errors: Run the built-in Windows Check Disk utility to scan and repair errors on the USB drive.
Use a Different OS: Sometimes, using a different operating system (like Linux) can help you access the drive, even if it’s not recognized in Windows.
Format the Drive: If file recovery isn’t successful, you may need to format the drive to restore its functionality. However, formatting will erase all data, so try to recover files first.
If these steps don’t work, you may need to consider professional data recovery services.
Try EaseUS recovery tool to regain the data on the corrupted SanDisk USB drive. Then you can try some DIY repair solutions like Windows Disk Error Checking tool, and CHKDSK command lines.
I’ve dealt with similar USB corruption issues before. Since it shows as unallocated space, that usually indicates corruption or accidental deletion of the partition. The data might still be recoverable, so avoid formatting or writing anything to the drive to prevent further data loss.
To recover files from a corrupted USB, you’ll need reliable data recovery software. If you can’t recover the files yourself, consider taking the USB to a data recovery service. They have specialized tools that might succeed where software can’t.
I can appreciate your worry because it seems like the files are permanently lost when a SanDisk Ultra flash drive or any USB gets corrupted. However, the data is frequently not lost; rather, it becomes inaccessible as a result of file system corruption or damaged drive sectors. Adding new data to the USB is the first thing to avoid since it could overwrite the files that are already there.
You can start with some manual checks to try recovery. To rule out hardware problems, connect the USB to a different computer or port. After that, you can fix minor corruption by using built-in tools like Disk Utility > First Aid on Macs or CHKDSK on Windows. The BLR USB recovery tool is the most secure choice if the drive is still inaccessible. Users can retrieve files like documents, images, videos, and more by scanning corrupted or formatted flash drives.
In addition to recovering lost data, the BLR Data Recovery Tool guarantees that the original file quality and folder structure are preserved. This technique offers you the best chance of recovering your priceless files from the SanDisk Ultra flash drive and is far more secure than attempting haphazard fixes.
Your USB flash drive can become unallocated space due to a sudden power failure, malware infection, a corrupted partition table, and bad sectors. If the partition gets deleted by someone else, or a problem happens during repartitioning, the flash drive is also likely to become unallocated space that is inaccessible.
I do not think there is any built-in tool in Windows to get back old files from that corrupted drive. You will need to utilize data recovery programs for that purpose.
(Related: Fix Disk Is Not Accessible in Windows 11/10/8/7)
Once you have recovered all files, it is safe to repair the USB flash drive with the CHKDSK command and create a new partition on it.
Hi! Your USB drive’s file system is corrupted, which is why it shows as unallocated. Don’t format it. Try using recovery tools like Recuva, EaseUS, or Disk Drill to scan and recover your files then share your files using a file sharing platform. If that fails, a professional recovery service may be needed.
