The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable? Plz help

[DSOD]

My 64GB SanDisk USB drive suddenly shows the error “The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable.”

Model number: SDCZ460-064G-G46.

What’s strange is that this drive is only about 6 months old, so I wasn’t expecting it to fail this soon. Trying to figure out whether there’s anything worth trying to fix it. Or if I should just accept my fate and spend another $16 on a new one.

[SBrown]

@DSOD

Have you checked our knowledge base articles?
( Get Support for Your SSDs and Flash Products | Sandisk )

Try these.

• Steps to Resolve Volume Does Not Contain a Recognized File System on Windows | Sandisk
• How to Check External, USB Flash Drive, and Memory Cards for Errors or Failure with Windows Diagnostic Programs | Sandisk

[fayewong]

Is your USB drive still under warranty? If it is, you should be able to get a replacement from SanDisk without spending any money.

[Ellinor_William]

That error means Windows can see the hardware, but the file system is badly damaged. If you need the files, stop using the drive and try recovery first with tools like Stellar Photo Recovery (free version). Avoid formatting until recovery is done. CHKDSK can sometimes fix it, but it may make recovery harder. If you don’t care about the data, delete the volume in Disk Management and reformat to exFAT.