windows can detect it but can NOT read it, looks the firmware is gone

USB Flash Drives Dual Drives
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If Windows detects your drive but can’t read it, start by checking Disk Management to see if it appears and try assigning a new drive letter. You can also use repair tools like CHKDSK or third-party software to fix partition issues.
For file recovery, you can use data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery, Recoverit, or Recuva. If none of this works, you might need to format the drive, though this will erase all data.

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You should know that, if Windows can detect the drive but can’t read it, the issue is most likely related to a corrupted partition or file system, not missing firmware.
As suggested by John, assign or change the drive letter, try chkdsk, or format the drive to fix it.
Firmware issues are rare. If your computer is detecting the device, the firmware is fine. The problem is always file system corruption.

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You can use the SanDisk Firmware Restoration Tool to reflash the firmware, or contact the official data recovery service.

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The steps below should be helpful:

Fix 1. Update the hard drive driver

  • Click Start, type Device Manager in the search box, and press Enter.
  • Expand Disk drives, right-click the hard drive showing the incorrect capacity, and select Update driver.
  • Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.

Fix 2. Update the drive’s firmware
(If you do not know how to do it, follow the steps here: Hard Drive Not Showing Full Capacity? Try These Solutions

Fix 3. Reformat the USB drive
Initializing or formatting an external USB drive on Windows will erase all data. Make sure you have a backup before performing this step.

Fix 4. Run the built-in CHKDSK tool to scan for bad sectors and file system errors

  • Enter cmd in the Start menu, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

  • Type chkdsk D: /f /r and press Enter.