USB Stick Data Recovery

At Hull Data Recovery we specialise in retrieving lost files from all types of USB flash drives and memory sticks. With 25 years’ experience (in line with industry experts, our friendly, professional team has seen every data-loss scenario. We serve both personal and business clients, offering no-fix, no-fee USB recovery from any major brand or model. Whether your drive failed due to a logical error or a physical fault, we have the cleanroom facilities and advanced tools to recover your data safely and securely.

We recover drives from all top manufacturers – for example SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston, Lexar, PNY, Transcend, Corsair, Patriot, Integral, Verbatim, as well as Toshiba/Kioxia, ADATA, Silicon Power, LaCie, HP, iStorage, Western Digital (SanDisk), Vava and more. From high-speed USB 3.0 sticks to compact USB-C flash drives, we handle devices of every size and capacity. No matter how your USB stick failed, Hull Data Recovery has the expertise to help.

Common USB Flash Drive Problems and Our Solutions

We see dozens of USB faults. The list below covers the top 40 issues we handle, with an explanation of how our engineers resolve them:

• Accidental File Deletion: We scan the drive with specialised recovery software and deep-dive into leftover data areas to retrieve files deleted in error. Our tools can often undelete photos, documents and other files as long as they haven’t been overwritten.

• Accidental Formatting: Even if a drive has been quickly formatted, most data usually remains on the chip. We rebuild the file table and recover file fragments, restoring your data so long as new files haven’t overwritten the original ones.

• Corrupted File System: If the drive’s file system is damaged (for example by a sudden removal or power cut), we repair it at a low level. Our lab can rebuild the Master Boot Record and FAT/NTFS/exFAT structures using specialised tools. This restores access to files on USB drives that the computer shows as RAW or unreadable.

• Device Not Recognised: When a computer fails to see the USB drive at all, we diagnose and fix connector or controller faults. Sometimes simply replacing a bent USB plug or repairing the circuit restores visibility. Other times we use alternative interfaces (e.g. a SATA or PCB reader) to image the drive. In every case, we work until the drive is detected and all data can be read.

• Physical Damage (Broken USB Connector): A very common issue is a snapped or bent USB plug. Our engineers microsolder replacement pins or connectors onto the PCB. If the plug was sheared off, we carefully rebuild the broken leads. Once the connector is restored, we can safely read the drive and recover your files.

• Physical Impact (Casing or PCB Cracks): Dropping or crushing a stick can crack its circuit board. If the board is cracked or traces are broken, we sometimes need to transfer the memory chip(s) to a donor board. In other cases we resolder cracked components. After repairing the hardware, we image the chip to retrieve the data.

• Water / Liquid Damage: Drinks or moisture on a USB stick can corrode circuits. We immediately clean and dry the drive, often in a specialised oven, and repair corroded traces or components. As Oxford Data Recovery notes, experienced labs handle water-exposed drives by replacing damaged parts and restoring circuitry. Once cleaned, we access the memory and recover data that way.

• Electrical Surge Damage: Power surges or static can burn out controllers and chips. If the controller is fried, we often perform chip-off recovery: removing the flash memory chip and reading it directly. Our cleanroom technicians can replace burnt resistors, capacitors or controllers with identical parts from stock. These repairs allow us to extract your data despite severe electrical faults.

• Virus or Malware Infection: Malicious software may hide, encrypt or delete files on your USB drive. We disable the malware and then run data-recovery routines to restore hidden or deleted files. Our lab software can often reconstruct corrupted directories after a virus attack. After cleanup, we return your files virus-free.

• Wear and Tear / Bad Sectors: USB flash memory cells wear out over time. Drives with bad sectors often produce read/write errors. In these cases, we image the drive sector-by-sector, skipping bad blocks and piecing together intact data. This technique is similar to recovering data from a failing hard drive. By combining the good pieces, we maximise the amount of recoverable files.

• Interrupted File Transfer: Removing a drive in the middle of a copy or power loss can corrupt files. We check for partial files and rebuild them if possible. Our tools compare file headers and footers to reconstruct incomplete documents or videos. In all cases we verify the recovered files for integrity before returning them to you.

• Partition Table Corruption: If the drive’s partition table is lost or damaged, it may show the wrong size or no partitions at all. We scan the media to locate the original partition and rebuild the table. This makes previously “missing” partitions visible again so all data becomes accessible.

• Unsupported File System: Occasionally a USB stick is formatted with an uncommon file system (e.g. Linux EXT4 or an obscure camera format) that Windows can’t read. We connect the drive to a compatible system or use cross-platform recovery tools to translate the file system. The data is then retrieved and delivered in a usable format.

• Overwritten Data: Data that has been overwritten by new files is usually unrecoverable. However, we do attempt deep analysis of the raw flash memory to find any remaining data fragments. In most cases once a sector is overwritten, it’s gone – but our technicians exhaust every possibility before concluding loss.

• Controller Chip Failure: The controller chip on the PCB is the “brain” of the flash drive. If it fails or becomes corrupted, the drive won’t work at all. In these cases we remove the NAND memory chip and use a special reader to access its contents. As Gillware explains, this chip-off method lets us bypass the controller entirely. We then use custom software to emulate the controller logic and reconstruct your files from the raw memory dump.

• Microcontroller (MCU) Fault: Some USB sticks have a separate microcontroller chip. If this fails, it can often be replaced or reprogrammed. We keep spare controllers in stock and can reflash firmware, restoring the drive’s functionality so we can read it again.

• PCB Burnout or Short: If the circuit board is severely burned (e.g. from soldering or a short), we rebuild the affected traces or transplant working components onto a healthy board. In worst-case scenarios we transplant the flash chips to a verified-good PCB. Once the board is stable, we image the drive normally.

• Chip-Level Data Extraction (Monolithic Drives): Some flash drives use a monolithic design where all components are sealed in epoxy or chip-on-board. In extreme cases we carefully “spider-web” tiny wires directly onto the memory chip to read it.

• Engineers soldering fine wires to a USB drive’s memory chip to read its raw data (example of “spiderwebbing” in chip-level recovery). By connecting to hidden contact points on the chip as shown, we can extract the raw data even when no usable interface remains. After reading the chip, our software reconstructs the file system so you get back all your files.

• Encryption/Password Lock: Encrypted USB drives (e.g. IronKey, datAshur) require the correct password to unlock. If you provide the password or key, we can still recover data normally. In some cases we use forensic techniques to bypass firmware locks, but this depends on the specific hardware. Either way, we handle locked drives with care and maintain confidentiality throughout recovery.

• Unsupported Device Format: Formatting a USB stick in an unusual device (like a camera, phone or appliance) can use an incompatible scheme. We reformat the drive in our lab, then use specialized tools to recover your original data before returning the drive to a usable state.

• Bent or Broken Pins: Even slight bending of the tiny USB pins can cause read/write faults. Our technicians repair bent pins by precision soldering, or replace damaged plug assemblies. This restores the physical connection so the drive works again.

• Manufacturing Defects: Occasionally a new drive is faulty out of the box (bad NAND cells, loose solder joints, etc.). We diagnose which part failed and work around it. For example, bad cells in one area can be mapped out, allowing recovery of data from the rest of the drive. Even one-off flaws can often be overcome in the lab.

• Firmware Corruption: Some USB sticks have internal firmware chips. If the firmware code is corrupted, the drive may appear dead. We have programmers that can reflash the firmware chip from known-good images, bringing the drive back to life. Once reflashed, any data on the NAND can often be accessed normally.

• Head/Connector Shear-Off: If the metal USB head is sheared off, we rebuild the interface at the PCB. This often involves reattaching the remaining plug with epoxy or solder. Afterward, we treat the drive as if it had a connector fault (see above).

• Partial Overwrite Recovery: When only part of a file is overwritten (e.g. copying a new file of the same name), we attempt to salvage any intact segments. We reconstruct what we can from the remaining data and inform you if anything is irretrievably lost.

• Heat Damage: Excessive heat (from soldering irons, laptops, etc.) can scramble the flash memory cells. We cool the drive and image it immediately in controlled conditions to preserve data. In many cases data can be recovered even if the controller was overheated.

• Cold/Environmental Shock: Similarly, extreme cold or rapid temperature changes can cause failures. We acclimatize the drive to room temperature and then proceed with recovery. Sometimes freezing a drive helps, but it must be done carefully; our lab technicians handle this safely.

• Voltage Surges (Over/Under Voltage): Inconsistent power (e.g. a bad cable or port) can damage USB drives. We power the drive through regulated supplies and replace any fuse components or regulators on the PCB. Once stable power is restored, the drive can often be read.

• Long-Term Storage Decay: Data on a flash drive that hasn’t been powered in years can partially fade. We use high-sensitivity readers to capture any remaining charge on the cells. Even aged drives have salvageable data if handled properly.

• Operating System Glitches: Sometimes an OS bug or driver issue will freeze a USB device. We bypass this by connecting the drive to different machines or using a direct media reader. Once the drive is recognized, we image it normally.

• USB Port Issues: If your computer’s USB port is faulty, the drive might not be accessed. We test the stick on multiple computers and ports. If necessary, we remove the drive’s flash chip and read it via an alternate adapter or cleanroom bench to eliminate host-port problems.

• Broken Drive Housing: A cracked or broken plastic case is often cosmetic, but if it prevents a good connection, we replace it. Our lab can put the circuit board into a new case, ensuring the USB plug is secure. This protects the drive so it can be handled without damage during recovery.

• Dirty/Corroded Contacts: Dust, oxidation or corrosion on the USB contacts can interrupt data transfer. We clean the contacts with electronics-grade solvents, restoring a solid electrical connection so data can be read.

• Logical Corruption: Complex directory or allocation errors (for example, directory trees pointing to wrong places) are fixed with forensic software. We scan the entire drive sector-by-sector (as recommended by Oxford Data Recovery’s approach to file system repair) to re-link files correctly.

• Quick-Format Recovery: If the drive was reformatted without overwriting files, our tools rebuild the file index and restore file names. Most quick formats leave the data intact; we just reverse the format by detecting known file signatures.

• Secure-Erase (Datastore Commands): Even drives “securely erased” by some utilities can sometimes be partially recovered. We employ forensic techniques to retrieve residual data when possible, though these cases are often only partially successful.

• Monolithic USB Designs: On some drives, all components are epoxy-sealed with no removable board. We still recover these by carefully accessing the chip (see image above). By logging into the bare NAND chip, we recover files even from sealed devices.

• Bricked Controller Firmware: If a controller’s firmware has become unreadable (a “bricked” drive), we use hardware programmers to rewrite the firmware from scratch. Once the controller is functional again, the drive’s data can often be extracted as normal.

• OTG/Adapter Failures: USB drives used via OTG adapters or card readers that fail behave like any USB fault. We remove the drive and connect it directly for recovery. Internal card readers (e.g. SD/CF adapter boards) are disassembled so we can read the raw card inside.

• Memory Card (SD/CF) in USB Adapter: If a USB stick contains a built-in SD or CF card that’s failed, we open the casing and recover the card itself. We then use standard SD/CF recovery methods on that card (our memory card recovery lab has 25 years’ experience in these formats).

Each issue above is handled with the right technique. For example, to repair file system corruption we rebuild the boot record and FAT/NTFS tables; for controller failure we read the NAND chip with a chip reader and reassemble the data; and for broken USB plugs we microsolder a new connector. Our advanced lab equipment and decades of experience mean that most drives can be fixed no matter the fault.

Our 30+ years in business (across Hull and the UK) means clients trust us with their most important data. We operate cleanrooms and use professional-grade tools and software (as recommended by industry leaders). Every recovery begins with a free evaluation: we diagnose the cause of failure and give a clear plan and price. Only when you’re happy do we proceed – you owe nothing if we can’t recover your data.

If your USB flash drive or memory stick has failed, contact Hull Data Recovery today for a free consultation. We’ll explain the steps (and likely turnaround time) so you know exactly what to expect. With a friendly, professional approach and a “no data – no fee” promise, you can trust our team to recover your precious files.