One of the more common errors we are seeing from our customers lately is the Flash Drive not recognized error. One of the funniest things about flash drive in general is that they tend to be very robust when it comes to a data storage solution. If you would’ve talked to us 10 years ago, and told us that there would be a form of storage that can be upwards of 128 GB that we could attach to our keychain, drop on the ground with abandon, and probably even drop into the toilet and still get our data back, we probably would have laughed our heads off.

Flash drive not recognized

Flash drives come in all shapes and sizes, and can take a serious licking!

Of course, flash drives are some of the most robust data storage devices you can find. And, even though we have almost hurt at all when it comes to hard drive experiences, we still get a little bit surprised when some people tell us about how their flash drive failed. We could tell you a lot of flash drive failure stories, let’s just say, that you wouldn’t believe.

Recover Flash Drive?

Although not a lot of people know it, a flash drive can be somewhat difficult to recover depending on the circumstances. These drives are fairly simplistic on a macro level, but you do have to remember that the flash drive circuits are extremely microscopic. On one hand, this is a good thing because it is almost impossible for a regular user to recover flash drive units that have failed.

You can go on YouTube all you like, but it is very unlikely you’re going to find a concrete solution to your flash drive failure issue. In fact, this technology is something that is always best recovered by a professional.

Symptoms Of Flash Drive Failure

One of the best ways to determine whether or not you have experienced flash drive failure is to simply plug your flash drive into your computer. Typically, a failed flash drive will not show up as a drive in most Windows or Mac operating systems. This can be the result of something visibly physical, or can simply be an internal problem. It sounds like an easy test, but sometimes easy just works.

Another key symptom that your flash hard drive is going to fail or has already failed is that your computer freezes up whenever it attempts to access the flash drive. Often, flash drives will get bad spots that make it impossible to store data on them. These are not easy to spot by an amateur, but if your computer is freezing every time your flash drive is accessed, it is probably a good idea to get a new one ASAP.

USB Drive Recovery Is Frequently Different

One of the important things to remember about flash drives versus USB connected hard drives is that they are frequently different. While most people assume that USB drive recovery is exactly the same as flash drive recovery, they are usually different because of the fact that a USB drive is far more related to a regular hard drive then it is a flash key. In fact, USB drives are typically just regular hard drives that access data via USB as opposed to SATA.

Cheap Flash Drive Recovery 

If there is a bright side to flash drive failure, it is typically that flash drive recovery is very affordable. This is simply one of the cheapest forms of data recovery out there, and if you have the proper equipment (which Hard Drive Recovery Group does), these recoveries can be performed very quickly.

Contact us here for more help.

Or, check out some of these resources:

From Sandisk, Flash Manufacturer
Tech Support Forum has a HUGE section on flash drive failure