Issues recovering images and videos from USB

Recuva
1

Hello, great forum and everybody seems so welcoming so thanks.

I have an Intenso 16 GB USB memory stick which is nearly full of videos and picture images. One evening I was viewing the images and some of them would not open and so I shut down my laptop and gave up. The next evening when I tried again I got the message 'You need to format the disc in drive F: before you can use it. Do you want to format it - FORMAT DISK/CANCEL'

Naturally I didn't format it but did a bit of research on the internet and found this is apparently quite a common problem and can occur when a USB has been corrupted or has a virus but simple software, such as recuva, should be able to recover the bulk (quoted 98%) of the files.

I downloaded Recuva and when I tried to scan I got the following message

Location is not available

F:\ is not accessible

the volume does not contain a recognised file system.

Please make sure that all required file system drivers are loaded and that the volume is not corrupted.

Does anybody know what the issue is or are all my holiday and family pictures lost for good?

All, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

2

Sorry for lack of patience, but does anybody have any idea? Please can somebody help me with some advice?

3

To get you started, and I'm no Recuva expert by any stretch of the imagination, but Recuva won't go anywhere if the drive is not accessible.

I've seen in past threads that an option is to quick format that drive so it at least becomes readable.

A quick format will not lose any data files.

But it does sound like your chances of getting those video and picture files back, not corrupted and not overwritten, may be very poor.

Perhaps other, more experienced, Recuva users can confirm my quick format option.

4

Someone knowing more than I will probably chime is soon.

But as far as I know, Recuva won't see the drive unless it has a letter assigned, that may be the obstacle.

I would try a Linux distro, just burn it to a CD or USB, boot it up and check will it see your files.

Puppy Linux is free, small to download, and runs in RAM.

Not sure it will work. I have used Puppy Linux often, but never for this purpose.

BE CAREFUL.

Linux operating systems do not recognize the safeguards built in to windows.

You can delete very important files with never a warning.

If it doesn't work, you still have a nifty little operating system to play with, for only the cost of a CD.

5

To get you started, and I'm no Recuva expert by any stretch of the imagination, but Recuva won't go anywhere if the drive is not accessible.

I've seen in past threads that an option is to quick format that drive so it at least becomes readable.

A quick format will not lose any data files.

But it does sound like your chances of getting those video and picture files back, not corrupted and not overwritten, may be very poor.

Perhaps other, more experienced, Recuva users can confirm my quick format option.

Thank you for helping. I am so technologically inept, I don't know how to do a 'quick format'...How do I go about that please?

6

Someone knowing more than I will probably chime is soon.

But as far as I know, Recuva won't see the drive unless it has a letter assigned, that may be the obstacle.

I would try a Linux distro, just burn it to a CD or USB, boot it up and check will it see your files.

Puppy Linux is free, small to download, and runs in RAM.

Not sure it will work. I have used Puppy Linux often, but never for this purpose.

BE CAREFUL.

Linux operating systems do not recognize the safeguards built in to windows.

You can delete very important files with never a warning.

If it doesn't work, you still have a nifty little operating system to play with, for only the cost of a CD.

Sorry for sounding stupid but I literally have no idea what a Linux distro is? How do I get one?

7

without knowing your Windows version, I'll generalise.

go into My Computer, keyboard shortcut is always, Windows key + E

down the left column, right click on your USB drive (F:\ I think it comes up as on your system), then go Format... make sure the Quick Format is ticked, leave all other settings as they are and click Start.

you'll get the usual 'are you sure' prompts, answer Yes.

it will only take 10 seconds or so as you are not formatting the whole drive.

here is some info on what a quick format does (or doesn't do as the case may be) taken from here; http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/difference-windows-full-format-quick-format-technology-explained/

What Happens In A Quick Format

A quick format is almost the complete opposite of a full format (it’s almost because it has to do something to even be called a quick format). Instead of treating your hard drive to a nice manicure, pedicure, and what else, a quick format will only delete the journalling part of the filesystem. In case you don’t know, NTFS, ext3 and ext4, as well as HFS+ are all journalling filesystems. This means that a “journal” is kept in order to keep track of what files even exist and where they can be located on the hard drive. A quick format simply wipes this journal, and lays a new, simple, and blank filesystem on top. That’s it.

It doesn’t really rebuild the filesystem, it doesn’t scan for bad sectors, and it doesn’t delete the data that’s on there. Therefore, assuming that no new data has been written back onto the hard drive to overwrite the “hidden” old data, one could use a file recovery program to find and re-save virtually every file that was on the hard drive before the quick format. As you may have guessed, this isn’t the best choice if you’re concerned about security.

and to give you some background on previous threads covering this topic, you can get started with this one; https://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=40926&p=248781

8

First off, do what mta said, sounds more promising than my idea.

As for your question, no it doesn't sound stupid at all. How can you know this stuff till someone tells you?

Hazelnut, moderator on this forum, first told me about Puppy Linux.

I love it, but not as my main OS. Am too lazy to learn the ins and outs of a different OS, so I stay with windows. .

A Linux distro is an operating system different than windows or apple, a Linux Distribution AKA distro. .

There are many of them, and almost all are free. Most will work from a CD, DVD, or USB stick, or can be installed.

They do pretty much the same things windows does . . . boot your computer, get you on to the 'net, etc.

Most have built in applications that make documents, pictures, presentation files, play music and videos, and a bunch of other stuff.

However . . .

If you have not used Linux before, I guess you shouldn't try it for recovering those files.

Simply because Linux will allow you to delete or modify just about anything without blinking an eye, so it might make a mess.

After you get your real problem fixed, if you have time and still want to, give Puppy Linux a try. Its fun.

There are a couple of others, called Zorin and Linux Lite, that look and act more like windows, but I don't think they run in RAM so I didn't mention them at first

9

Here is a link showing how to quick format a usb. There are pictures as well which always make it easier to understand :)

http://www.wikihow.com/Format-a-Flash-Drive

Read through it first and ask any questions first if you need to.

Selecting 'quick format' is important.

10

Here is a link showing how to quick format a usb. There are pictures as well which always make it easier to understand :)

http://www.wikihow.com/Format-a-Flash-Drive

Read through it first and ask any questions first if you need to.

Selecting 'quick format' is important.

Thank you everybody so far for your help.

Hazelnut, I tried the quick format and I get the message 'There is no disc in drive F:. Insert a disc and try again'

The USB is recognised by my computer but clearly there is something more sinister occurring here....what would you suggest to a complete novice? All help and guidance received most gratefully and with extreme thanks.

I've taken a screen cap but don't even know how to add that on here, that's how rubbish I am

11

Help anybody

12

it sounds like the PC is only recognising it on the level of it has detected a device newly connected.

since Recuva is saying F:\ is not accessible and quick format is saying there is no disk in drive F:\ then I don't think the USB stick is actually getting recognised.

it sounds truly stuffed - sorry.

just to state the obvious, until the USB stick is accessible then Recuva won't be any help and if the quick format won't even access that drive, there's little else I can suggest.

perhaps, try the stick in other PC (real long shot) and try a quick format from there.

I've never heard of your brand Intenso but have you checked their website (or forum if they have one) for a fix.

I suggest that because I had a Corsair Voyager stick years ago that had a known manufactures fault with the onboard controller chip that regularly corrupted the contents and they release a firmware update for the stick.