USB key can't be accessed. Discoverable...but not really. Help

BestS

New Member
Hello

So here's the thing:

Computer with Windows 10 installed.

I put all my files onto this USB key in order to reset computer and send it back to HP for a refund. The moment between ejecting this USB key and plugging it into another...you know just seconds...something happened with it.

I already tried a bunch of things I can't remember but they mostly involved : Disk management, update drive, rename drive (E to U for example), uninstall and reinstall drive?, Device manager...

Recover programs seem a no no for now as they can't access the USB, claiming there is no USB there.

Symptoms: I enter the key, it will flash, computer will sometimes tell me the key is discovered but then it cannot be found in my PC. You can see a USB drive icon in "hidden" mode. Well at first...now I also see it in normal mode but it still acts as if nothing is there. My worse guess is it's physically damaged as when I move it a bit it can disappear completely.

So ...how do I recover the files from this messed up USB key I spent months working on? Thank you!

I am also trying recover programs on the computer itself but most files are corrupt so far. ...yes I deleted the files as soon as they were on the key...yes I emptied the recycling bin...yes I hate myself.

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beers

Moderator
Staff member
What specific USB drive is it? If it's a chinese knockoff or was the cheapest one possible it might be a fake, such as 4GB drives flashed to report 256GB or similar.

 

BestS

New Member
What specific USB drive is it? If it's a chinese knockoff or was the cheapest one possible it might be a fake, such as 4GB drives flashed to report 256GB or similar.



I bought it at a college campus. Although it is possible...I don't think it's a fake. It's physically busted I think. ...It's detected by my new better computer but still tells me there's nothing there and can't be accessed. I think I need to give up.
 

colin.p

New Member
This video seems to "fit the bill". I haven't tried this yet (first windows computer since Vista) but this fellow seems to know "his stuff".

edit: sorry I obviously missed the fact that you wanted to access files, and not to bring the drive back to usable state.
 
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