USB Drive wants to be formatted

Recuva
1

Hi,

I have searched all over google to find a way to recover my files from my USB and downloaded countless programmes but nothing seems to work. Can someone please help :(

It is a Duracell 32 GB USB stick and has lots of files on such as word documents, pdf, images etc.

I am on a HP laptop running Windows 7.

I have tried using 'iCare Data Recovery' but it has been 'scanning files' for hours and I have just seen that it can only recover 10 files for free so even if this works I can't recover just 10 files - I want them all if poss!

I tried downloading recuva but when I tried to find the disc drive it said 'unable to read boot sector'

I tried getting the command prompt and typing 'chkdsk.....(sorry can't remember the whole formula)' but it said something about the drive being RAW :S

Please help me! I know I could just go to a shop and pay ridiculous amounts but I'd like to learn myself in case this was to happen again.

Thanks!

2

from my experience, I regretfully would be suggesting that the stick 'has gone to God'.

sounds like you have tried the 'home solutions' without luck, so if that data on the stick is that important, looks like you are up to the professional stage.

(and yep, they are expensive)

but maybe other members may chime in with some opinions...

3

If you want to have a try, there are a couple of options using other 3rd party software. All free of course.

If the bootsector is screwed the drive will read as "RAW" although all your files will most likely still be there intact, therefore you could have a try with "TestDisk" to repair the boot sector, but there aren't any guarantees with that.

Both FAT32 and NTFS carry backup bootsectors stored very near the original, which TestDisk can restore.

TestDisk:

And there's a good example here of someone doing that in exactly your position ...

https://neosmart.net...35427#post35427

Scroll down that post to the "Addendum". (It's red in that post)

If you have the disk space on another drive, you may also be able to make an "Image" backup of that drive before you start messing with it. You would need the same amount of space as the drive size as it "Images" the entire thing.

USB Image Tool 1.62:

Then if one thing doesn't work, you can restore the Image and try something else.

Anyways, have a look at TestDisk and that other forum post and see how you get on. TestDisk can look quite daunting, but it does have a structured dialogue to follow, and there are very good guides ...

http://www.cgsecurit...sk_Step_By_Step

It can also by the way, search for a lost partition, (shown in that guide) which is what you more or less have.

And come back here of course if you get stuck and we'll do our best.

:)

EDIT: I've just found another good guide to TestDisk, found here ...

http://drehsen.com/compusectools/testdisk/testdisk/doc/testdisk.html

4

********** costs about $35 us, maybe more.

Saw no free trial.

Without paying it shows whats there but won't recover it.

That true, Herry? Or did I just miss it?

5

Sadly Herry's IP addr has too many hits on StopForumSpam, so he won't be giving us an answer.

6

In the event that brightside comes back, but also for the benefit of others who may find or have already found this thread, there are other freeware programs worth a try if attempts with Recuva have been exhausted.

MiniTool Partition Wizard Home Edition:

Partition Recovery: Scan disk to restore deleted or damaged partitions.

Lazesoft Recovery Suite Home Edition:

Lazesoft Recovery Suite Home brings you a set of tools for recovering data and partitions as well as creating Live CDs and USB disks for booting in case an operating system failure occurs.

It all depends of course on what the problem is exactly. Is it mistakenly deleted files, or a screwed up storage medium?

Whichever, there are options available, but if possible, if free drive space isn't a problem, make a backup "Image" of the problem media before trying to "fix" bootsectors and such.

7

Poor herry's post is gone, as is poor herry.

Alas, poor herry, we hardly knew ye.

You can delete mine too, and this one if you like.

8

login..delete you?.. never :angry:

You will remain here for posterity (let's hope we don't get a member with that name)