Technical help fixing USB device?

[uMMcQxCWELNzkt]

I am currently at UNI, hand in is this Friday so I guess a perfect time for my USB stick to stop working . I would really appreciate some help solving this issue otherwise my most recent work is gone forever. When I insert the stick no notifications or signs of life are apparent. I have tried on 2 different PC's and a Mac(at uni) all with the same results. The USB was full so I am hoping the device is simply not firing up due to much data rather than fully dead. The USB is a SandDisk Cruzer if that helps, I am also running Windows.

I only need to rescue the data so a wipe/reformat is the last option.

[Mike Christ]

Not sure what the issue is; did you get it wet?  Did you bend it?  In any case, this might be a good time to introduce Dropbox and Cubby

[myrkul]

Most likely is a broken or bridged connection. You may need to dismantle it. Also look for signs that the magic smoke (which holds the data) has escaped from the chip.

Good luck!

[uMMcQxCWELNzkt]

Not sure what the issue is; did you get it wet?  Did you bend it?  In any case, this might be a good time to introduce Dropbox and Cubby

I do use Google drive it is just these files are so recent that I have not even considered backing up, considering I only has two days left. The most frustrating thing is that I have lots of work to get done lol. 

The device is not wet, bent or anything it is totally random. Last night I added my essay to the drive(luckily saved backups in various other locations) however today I plug it into the Mac and nothing. Basically you plug it in and no notifications or presence in "My computer". Some good news is that I found a back up of some of my T-shirt illustrations, I bet I have lost some important work though.

[crumbcake]

Hi-

Before opening the stick, try tilting it up or down (try both)along dotted line (2) once it's inserted in the usb slot.  This might temporarily fix "cold solder joints" -- meaning solder connections which became intermittent from bending/vibration.
If that doesn't work (if it does, you'll need to keep the stick bent while retrieving files -- the conection is temporary), crack the case open with a pen knife & look at phisically bad solder connections near the USB plug. (on the reverse of (1) in pic below)

http://s20.postimg.org/63pnsjd4t/image.jpg

[crumbcake]

whoops.  pic size.  Anyhow, check for obvious stuff like lint/random dirt inside the USB plug.  Try another usb slot.  Odds are 70% it's a bad solder joint at the connector, especially if cheapy thumb drive.  Good luck
edit: looking at the pic again, it has a SM fuse knocked off (probably why the pic showed up on google)

[uMMcQxCWELNzkt]

Hi-

Before opening the stick, try tilting it up or down (try both) once it's inserted in the usb slot.  This might temporarily fix "cold solder joints" -- meaning solder connections which became intermittent from bending/vibration.
If that doesn't work (if it does, you'll need to keep the stick bent while retrieving files -- the conection is temporary), crack the case open with a pen knife & look at phisically bad solder connections near the USB plug. (on the reverse of (1) in pic below)

[image]

Before I try dismantling the drive I want to exhaust any possibilities of software reaching the drive first. To be honest I don't feel the connection will be the problem as the case is very solid as seen in the pic. Taking apart the case will be a pain in the ass and I don't even have the tools to fix any internal issues.



Thanks for all the suggestions by the way. I did try tilting the USB (up/down) but as you can see the connection is snug within the actual case itself.

[myrkul]

Before I try dismantling the drive I want to exhaust any possibilities of software reaching the drive first.

A dead USB stick is almost never software, especially if it doesn't work in multiple computers. It's either mechanical failure of the connections, electrical failure (burnt out) of the components, or wear and tear on the memory itself. Flash wears out, so if it's a heavily used and cheap drive, it may well be toast.

[crumbcake]

Hi again, probably moot at this point, but when i said open it with a pen knife, i meant just that == crack open the case along the glued/snapped edge, most likely destroying the case in the process, but making sure not to touch the pc board.  I thought you were desperate to get at the files right there & then, and thumbdries are dirt cheap...

[uMMcQxCWELNzkt]

Hi again, probably moot at this point, but when i said open it with a pen knife, i meant just that == crack open the case along the glued/snapped edge, most likely destroying the case in the process, but making sure not to touch the pc board.  I thought you were desperate to get at the files right there & then, and thumbdries are dirt cheap...

 I will do a quick search on Windows cmd/softwares first . If I have other important files on the device and I remember at a later date it might be more practical to send off to a professional service to see what they can do. I have broken lenses and all sorts that I still need to fix, this would likely end up on the heap too.

[crumbcake]

(sorry -- didn't realize this was still open)
If computers are not recognizing the device (as in "no signs of life," no new drives, no new usb devices, no system notifications on *nix/win boxen (and i know very little about macs), **no software will help since your hardware isn't recognizing your thumbdrive** -- it simply looks like there's nothing there to your 'puter. But hey, can't hurt to try (though can;t help, either )  Oh, i'm not sure if there are data recovery places who do more than possibly desolder the chip & stick it on a donor board, and keep in mind that real-life data recovery on plain old platter HDs is *frighteningly expensive*
Good luck.