Snapped. Dead. Not recognised. Wanting to format. We have recovered data from every brand of flash drive/USB stick (Integral, Kingston, SanDisk, Samsung etc.) using various methods including soldering together broken connections and reading the memory direct, even with the monolithic style.
If your USB stick is physically damaged (e.g. snapped), not recognised as a valid device by your computer, asks to be reformatted, or is overheating, do not plug it into another device. Bent, broken connectors can cause electrical shorts which will destroy the memory chip that contains your data. A failed controller will make things worse each time you connect your USB stick. Do not format the drive. Do not use repair programs. And please do not use superglue to reattach the connector. Simply protect the drive and ship it to us. The fewer steps taken prior to shipping, the higher likelihood we will successfully recover your data.
The most typical causes of loss of a USB and/or flash drive: physical damage (e.g. connector damage), controller failure, NAND loss, logical issues.
We recover all makes and models of USB sticks and flash drives (USB-A and USB-C) including standard, monolithic, chip-on-board, encrypted, new and old models. Brand is rarely relevant when recovering your data.
All USB-A and USB-C sticks · standard, monolithic and chip-on-board flash drives · TSOP and BGA NAND · SanDisk Cruzer and Ultra · Kingston DataTraveler · Samsung BAR and Fit · keyring, nano, secure and encryption-enabled sticks.
Our process typically begins with repairing the damaged connector or board. We will then access the memory and read it directly. Once we have accessed the memory where the controller has failed we will reconstruct your files from the flash.
Let us know what you’ve noticed about the problem, e.g. was it damaged by being dropped into water; is it suddenly asking to format; is it no longer recognised? Based on this information, we’ll assess the nature of the failure and provide a written quote outlining how we plan to repair it. Typically we will have a quote ready within 48 hours.
In our experience, most common faults with USB drives result from either a bad solder joint at the connector area (the part that attaches to your computer) or damage to one of the circuit boards. We fix both types of problems. We reattach the connector and repair the torn pads. Once repaired, the board should function properly once again and your USB drive should start functioning as before.
If the controller has failed or if there is something wrong with the firmware of your USB drive, we simply disable these parts and replace them with a method that allows your file system to be rebuilt so that your data can still be accessed.
Should we find that the board cannot be restored or that the USB drive is ‘monolithic’, then we need to access the data stored on the NAND flash which stores all the data on your drive. To do this, we connect directly to the chip or to test points on the chip. Please note that this service requires a 50% deposit prior to commencement.
After gaining access to the memory, we create a read-only copy of the entire memory space. The process of taking the image of the memory is done slowly so as to prevent further stress on the already weakened components.
We take that image and rebuild the file structure to extract your files and folders including data from the damaged or worn-out sections.
Your recovered files and data are returned to you in the form of a new drive(s), or you may choose to directly download your data at no cost for recoveries that do not exceed 75 GB.
Each brand of USB stick and flash drive, including but not limited to SanDisk, Kingston, and Integral, has been successfully recovered by fixing damaged connectors and reading their internal memory directly; this includes monolithic (single piece) drives.
Tell us what happened and we’ll get back to you, usually within a working day.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 0191 406 1051.
One fixed price to recover a single USB stick or flash drive with a complimentary diagnostic and written quote prior to starting work on your data recovery job.
A few examples of recent successful USB stick and flash drive recoveries were made through snapped connectors, dead controllers and corrupted files. Identifying details about each recovery have been removed for security reasons, however all results were verified.
The connector had come loose from the circuit board. We re-soldered the connector back onto the board, repaired the solder pads that held the connector onto the circuit board and successfully recovered all files.
The controller is non-functional; we bypassed it, directly accessed the NAND, and successfully recovered all of the data.
Firmware was damaged which hid the data. We rebuilt access at the controller level and created an image of the drive in its original state.
Although the board was rusted from corrosion the memory still survived. We removed the rust, repaired the board and retrieved almost all of the lost data.
The file system became corrupted but the hardware did not. We created an image of the drive (read only) and restored it back to its original state, allowing us to recover all of the lost files.
Since there are no removable components, we located the test points on the board and directly accessed the memory to rebuild the data.
When you send the unit in for its free diagnostic, let us know what happened with the unit. An engineer will review the unit and confirm your quote in writing prior to starting on your recovery.
Before you post or drop off your device, please get a quote from us by phone or with the form. Once we receive your device, our recovery process can start. Safely pack your device, include your name and contact information within the packaging and ship it to us. After performing your free diagnostic, we’ll send you a written confirmation of the exact price of our services prior to starting any work.
If you decide to post it, we would advise using a trackable and insured postal service. Or if you prefer to drop it off, we are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and you don’t need an appointment. Just pack the unit as described in step one before dropping it off.
Would you like a little more background information prior to sending it? Fill in the form to provide more details about your problem; an engineer will evaluate it and reply with a customised quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 0191 406 1051.
Commonly asked questions when you need to recover a lost file from a broken USB stick (flash drive).
Usually, yes, this is something we do most days. Typically when a USB stick breaks or the plug comes loose there will be an internal memory chip with your data that survives. We reattach the soldered part or connect to the memory chip directly and recover your files.
It simply indicates that your controller has crashed or that your firmware has been corrupted, and therefore your storage device cannot read or write. Your data is still stored on the chip. Once we have repaired access at the controller level then we will image the chip and restore your data.
More than likely. Most often the problem that prevents Windows or macOS from recognising a damaged USB thumb drive is related to either a bad controller board or the USB port connection, but the actual storage medium (NAND) where all of your files were saved remains intact. In many cases we can fix the damage so that we can recover your files.
Yes, surprisingly often. Flash drives survive water much better than people think; the memory chip usually survives although the board may corrode. We clean and dry the drive, repair the board and recover data. Do not try to dry it out by plugging it in.
The cost to recover one USB stick or flash drive will be a flat rate of £250 + VAT, which will include a complimentary diagnostic in addition to a detailed written quote. We will also require a 50% deposit on jobs that involve connector- or board-level repair; this way in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
On most jobs, yes. For connector, board or chip-level work we take a 50% deposit upfront and the rest is only due when we recover your data, so if we can’t, you’re not left with the full bill.
Often, yes. Unlike SSDs, USB memory sticks do not delete deleted files instantly (usually), therefore deleted and formatted files will typically remain on the device until they are overwritten by new files. Stop using the stick as soon as possible and call us; the quicker you get in touch with us, the greater the chances of successful recovery of the lost data.
All manufacturers (SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, Integral, Verbatim, PNY, Lexar, Corsair, Transcend and others), standard, monolithic, encrypted etc., USB-A and USB-C. It makes little difference to our ability to recover the lost data what type of USB stick or brand of memory stick it is.
No, to both questions. Recovery programs are not able to correct a bad connector, a faulty controller or damaged flash. Using such programs on a failing drive can make matters worse. Additionally, please do not super glue a snapped connector together. It is very hard to repair cleanly after you have glued something together. Protect the unit and ship it to us.
Many of today’s smaller modern sticks are monolithic which means they have their controllers and memory built together as one part, without removable chips. Monolithic sticks are very hard to crack, but most times we can still get data back from the stick simply by locating the test points on the board and using those to read the memory. The only time we will not be able to get data back is when you break the memory chip itself.
You may drop your stick off at our Newcastle location during business hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm) or post it to us insured. You should package the stick in a small box or padded envelope, then seal it. Finally write your name, address, phone number and email address on an enclosed note so we can schedule the free diagnostic. Once we complete the diagnostic, we will send a written quote before beginning any work.
A complimentary diagnosis, a fixed price of £250 + VAT per device, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. We have successfully recovered data from every manufacturer’s memory stick and flash drives, including those that have a damaged connector. Start your recovery now.