my flash drive was in my computer and was working and then all of sudden it disapeared from the screen. the computer said it had to be reformatted but doing so would delete all of the info. i've tried it in three different computers and they all say the same thing. i have like 200 hours of labor in that flash drive. is there any way i can retrieve the info? please help me, even if it's bad news.
2007-11-05 12:58:04 · 3 answers · asked by mudd 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Other - Hardware
No good. This is a bad situation.
First, do not format or try to write anything to the stick. You've tried it on several computers? That's ominous. Maybe that's why the steps for safe removal are there. Removing during write operations can blow out the directory structure :(
If the little fella shows up at all, check disk for errors. From My Computer, Right Click | Properties | Tools.
Still no go? Download and burn the ISO from http://getpclinuxos.com. Boot from the CD into Linux. Insert the stick and wait for the system to respond.
If any of the above work, it is the drivers or the one port that is bad. If all of above fail, you have big problems. If Linux reports SOMETHING, add it to your question here - verbatim.
You also might grab one of those undelete utilities for use in a last-ditch next step, but the chances are very slim. First be sure it isn't external to your stick - by doing all of the above.
It is possible to make a literal image of the remaining data on the stick to a regular file, then to cut & paste from that into appropriate data files from that image, but it is onerous and takes knowledge, patience and lots of time plus money if you go to someone with that skill set. I'd do it from Linux as the tools are there for free.
Good luck!
2007-11-05 13:02:14 · answer #1 · answered by widowmate 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
OUCH ! But there's a ray of hope. Put the flash drive back into your USB port. Assuming that the drive appears on your computer, go to "My Computer", and the right click on the drive letter which represents your flash drive. Select "Properties", and then select "Tools" on the screen which appears. You will see an option for "Error Checking" on that drive. Give it a shot.
It may be able to diagnose your problem for you.
(I am assuming that you are running WinXP here. If you're running Linux, I'm lost....:)
2007-11-05 13:09:31 · answer #2 · answered by acermill 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There isnt really anything that you can do to save it. Have you dropped it rescently or something like that? That can cause the format to be corrupted. Sorry, I cant help you recover your data :(
2007-11-05 13:04:20 · answer #3 · answered by J0nny_N@pa!m 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋