USB Flash Drive Problem

First step is to touch it as little as possible.

In the Linux distro of your choice, run 'ddrescue' on the device itself to grab the raw data into a file which you then work with other tools.

>>298846
What happens if you touch it?

>>298847
Mustard gas

>>298846
What if I don't have linux. Is there anything that can be done from within windows 7?

>>298850
Fuck if I knew, there are probably recovery tools out there, but limited by the constant interference of Windows itself. The thing with Linux is that you can easily get it to do absolutely nothing with the flash drive unless you tell it to. Not try to be "helpful" when you engage in babby's first open-heart surgery.

You can write a Linux live USB image to a flash drive and boot from that.

>>298843
testdisk is the best free program to use but youll need to read how to use its quite advanced

>size 0 reported
i sure hope this is just a partition/volume header problem
what does a partition software like windows
>diskmgr.msc
report as the drive size?
can recuva read anything of it?

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>>298896
Half the time when I go to my computer it doesn't even recognize that the drive is plugged in. I switched it to another usb port and part 1 of pic related popped up, then after a minute or two of windows not responding it went to part 2.

>>298910
>not responding
so i take you cant access the drive during that time, right? does that happen when you plug the drive on another computer as well?
how about trying to copy the data from the drive using a live linux distribution, like knoppix? might be worth the shot but it looks like the drive controller might be going bust
gl

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>>298948
>does that happen when you plug the drive on another computer as well?
Yeah. I tried it in my laptop and got the same response.

>how about trying to copy the data from the drive using a live linux distribution, like knoppix?
I have no idea how to do that.

Pic related popped up a little bit ago.

>>298980
>how to do that
burn a cd with an knoppix image, then boot from it
or any linux that provides a "live"/testing scenario besides the setup (even ubuntu does. you might have to mount the partition where you will store the copy of the data with write permission, at least on ubuntu)
gl

>>299057
I'm getting a lot of device not found errors.. I'm starting to think it's a mechanical issue with the drive itself.

>>299090
could be a physical issue yeah (and i dont know why i didnt think of it earlier, doh)
does the usb plug jiggle a bit? it could be the solder joints on the connector broke of the pcb and dont make proper contact after the drive is plugged (sag after some time, intermittent connection)
fixing it is not very hard but it does require opening up the drive and solder the broken connections onto the pcb again (assuming no traces are broken)
see if you can connect the drive in away where it doesnt move much after being plugged in (and working properly), like a vertical usb connection, or maybe have something underneath it while plugged in to make sure it stays inplace
gl

>>299127
>does the usb plug jiggle a bit?
A little, yeah. But I feel like it might have always done that? I'm not sure though.

> opening up the drive and solder the broken connections onto the pcb again
I was thinking about doing something like pic related, but I'm not sure that I have the skills required to perform something like that.

>like a vertical usb connection
It was originally in a vertical slot when it started malfunctioning. I've tried jiggling and wiggling it to help it connect, but no luck
Thanks for the help

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>>299127
>>299136
forgot pic

>>299136
>>299140
as a last resort it is a good idea, connecting the usb2 (its a usb3 drive right?) power and data lines should get you a slower but stable connection to retrieve the data. though resoldering/reflowing the connecting pins should be attempted first (even if the connection seems solid, minute/small stress crack might have developed and could be causing the intermittent issue)
if you do end up going the replace connector route, make sure to the pins connect to the right place, at least the power ones (p+ to p+ and gnd to gnd), if you end up flipping the data lines its no problem, just flip them after if they it doesnt work, but _never_ reverse the polarity on the power pins
in your shoes, i would open it up and reflow the solder joints on the connector pins (a thin tip soldering iron and some flux should be enough, dont add more solder to it)
gl

>>299152
thanks