Flash recovery utility. The best flash drive treatment program: review, features and reviews

flash drive program with a USB interface allows even novice personal computer users to perform a real miracle. Today, thanks to the work of highly qualified programmers, we can special efforts regain access to lost electronic files.

D-Soft Flash Doctor - it's freeflash drive software , whose task is to perform data recovery operations from a usb flash drive.With the help of d soft flash doctor, you can not only regain control over lost information on a flash drive, but also perform a number of additional actions.

0.9MB

Recover My Files is an effective software package for data recovery. Support for file systems such as FAT 16, FAT 32, FAT 12 and NTFS allows the utility to recover files from various memory cards, hard drives and USB flash drives.

10.7MB

It's powerful enoughflash drive software , which is capable of performing data recovery from all disks with the FAT (12,16,32), NTFS5, NTFS file system. From this it follows that with the help of this utility you can restore anyhard drives, removable storage media and RAID arrays.

33MB

suitable for performing recovery operations from all disks and removable storage media using the FAT file technology.Software file recovery product works great withSD, micro SD, MS memory cards, USB flash drives, photo/video cameras, etc.

2.4MB

This is an excellent mobile program, whose vocation is a very high-quality recovery of deleted information. Here, the entire full cycle of file recovery takes place in a semi-automatic mode. P The user only needs to make a couple of settings, then the program will do everything itself.

1.5MB

. Free softwareRestoration 3.2.13 will allow you to recover deleted information from any type of data carrier. The main thing is that the file system of the reanimated disk is either FAT (32, 16, 12) or NTFS.

160KB

. File recovery software toolobjectrescuePro was developed by Essential Data Tools. It is able to work with many disk drives, ranging from hard drives to miniature flash memory cards.

5MB

. The free EZ Recover utility can be safely classified as one of those compact applications that recover not recorded information, but the storage medium itself.In just a couple of minutes, the utility will do its job and you will most likely be pleasantly surprised by this fact.

1.8MB

This is a reliable universal product that is able to recover previously lost files. It is intended for data recovery from disk drives with FAT 12/16/32 and NTFS file architectures.

11MB

This is a bright representative of professional, mobile utilities that can make high-quality resuscitation of deleted files. Despite its light weight, iCare Data Recovery is equipped with four powerful data recovery schemes.

3.5MB

It belongs to the group of utilities that are able to reanimate files not recorded on a USB drive, but the storage medium itself.Unlike service repair, the use of this software does not require any financial costs from the user.

2.2MB

. Formatting a flash drive is an integral part of operating a disk drive.The Repair v2.9 software tool allows the user to carry out the complete formatting of a USB flash drive.The easiest-to-use Repair utility is able to format the desired USB storage device in an instant.

136KB

This is a universal software tool that can perform a whole range of operations aimed at restoring access to lost files.The tools of this utility allow you to copy deleted and corrupted information from one storage medium to another without compromising the quality of the files.

15.3MB

was developed specifically for self-recovery of lost information by users. With this program, you can "bring back to life" any type of data on absolutely all disks connected to your personal computer.

5MB

This is another time-tested tool that allows ordinary personal computer users to reanimate deleted photos from various disk devices. Hegreat for recovering lost data from SD, micro SD, MS 2, mini SD memory cards, USB drives, hard drives, etc.

6.5MB

needs no special introduction, because in the segment of mobile software for resuscitation of lost files, he is one of the most significant figures. Its main task is to restore damaged or deleted information of personal computer users.

2.8MB

. This utility is able to create complete copies of all digital files deleted on hard / floppy disks, portable USB drives, flash memory cards, external HDDs, phones, photo / video cameras and many other electronic media.

1.7MB

15.08.2017 10.12.2018 -

A flash drive (USB Flash drive) has become an indispensable tool for transferring files from computer to computer. Many employees of organizations have a flash drive, even those who do not know how to work on a computer. But, there is no escape from progress! Every user
The computer must be able to handle a flash drive.

What flash drive to buy?

Flash drives vary in size. Standard flash memory capacity: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB. But, we know that the size of the DVD is 4.7 GB. This means that to copy the entire DVD to a flash drive, you need an 8 GB flash drive. I believe that less than 8 GB, in our time, is not worth buying. To work with documents, an 8 GB flash drive is enough, as they say, to the head.

But, if you are going to copy DVD movies often, then calculate for yourself which flash drive you need. However, the larger the volume of the flash drive, the more expensive it is.

In addition, flash drives differ in data reading speed. For example, the popular Transcend JetFlash 600 flash drive has a read speed of 32 Mb/s (megabits per second), while the Transcend JetFlash 300 only has 18 Mb/s. The higher the reading speed, the faster
you will copy the information from the flash drive to your computer.

This is not critical if you are copying only your working documents. But, high speed will not hurt if you transfer entire DVD discs from computer to computer every day. Then, copying 20 minutes, or 40 minutes is a decent difference.

Connecting a flash drive to a computer and properly disconnecting a flash drive

How to connect a flash drive to a computer

In order for the flash drive to work, it must be inserted into a USB port. All modern system units have 2 USB ports in the front (Fig. 1) and several USB ports in the back. In one of them and insert your flash drive.

Some flash drives, such as the Transcend JetFlash, have an indicator light that glows blue (Figure 1) when the flash drive is connected to the computer. If such a flash drive does not light up, remove it and insert it again into another port. Or, gently move it in the nest.

Rice. 2

If Windows recognized the flash drive, a window will appear on the monitor screen (Fig. 2). Now you can click the "Open folder to view files" button (circled in red pencil) and a window will open with the contents of your flash drive.

You will have to open a window with the contents of the local disk of your computer, to which you are going to "dump" information from a USB flash drive, or from which to copy information to a USB flash drive.

How to copy information to and from a flash drive

Copying files from a computer to a USB flash drive and from a USB flash drive to a computer is carried out in the same way as copying files from one local drive to another. This is the basics of working with files and folders. I think you can do it.

Thus, in order to work freely with a flash drive, you need to study two lessons, the above lesson on copying files and folders and this lesson on a flash drive.

How to properly disconnect a flash drive from a computer

A USB flash drive cannot, just like that, be pulled out of a USB port on a computer. Otherwise, it may turn out that when you come home from the guests where you copied a good film, you will find that the film does not open. Especially if you took important work documents home, but could not open them! Therefore, you need to turn off the flash drive, strictly according to science!

On the taskbar, in the notification area (next to the clock), when a flash drive is connected to the computer, a special icon is visible (circled in red pencil in Fig. 3, Fig. 3a).

Rice. 3 (Windows 7)

Figure 3a (Windows XP)

When hovering over this icon with the mouse cursor, a "Safely Remove Devices" tooltip appears. If you are going to remove the flash drive - click the cursor (left mouse button) on this icon.

A prompt will appear:

Rice. 4 (Windows 7)

Figure 4a (Windows XP)

Click the cursor (left mouse button) on this hint (Fig. 4, Fig. 4a).

Good day everyone!

It can be argued that flash drives have become one of the most (if not the most) popular storage media. It is not surprising that there are quite a lot of questions regarding them: the issues of recovery, formatting and testing are especially important among them.

In this article, I will present the best (in my opinion) utilities for working with drives - that is, those tools that I myself have repeatedly used. Information in the article, from time to time, will be updated and replenished.

The best programs for working with a flash drive

Important! First of all, in case of problems with a flash drive, I recommend visiting the official website of its manufacturer. The fact is that on the official website there may be specialized utilities for information recovery (and not only!), Which will cope with the task much better.

For testing

Let's start with testing drives. Consider programs that will help determine some of the parameters of a USB drive.

h2testw

A very useful utility for determining the real volume of any media. In addition to the volume of the drive, it can test the real speed of its operation (which some manufacturers like to overestimate for marketing purposes).

Check Flash

A free utility that can quickly check your flash drive for performance, measure its real read and write speed, completely delete all information from it (so that no utility can recover a single file from it!).

In addition, it is possible to edit information about partitions (if they are on it), make a backup copy and reanimate the image of an entire partition of the media!

The speed of the utility is quite high and it is unlikely that at least one competitor program will do this job faster!

HD Speed

This is a very simple, but very convenient program for testing flash drives for read / write speed (information transfer). In addition to USB drives, the utility supports hard drives, optical drives.

The program does not need to be installed. Information is presented in a visual graphical representation. Supports Russian. Works in all Windows versions: XP, 7, 8, 10.

CrystalDiskMark

One of the best utilities for testing the speed of information transfer. Supports various storage media: HDD (hard disk drives), SSD (newfangled solid state drives), USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.

The program supports the Russian language, although running a test in it is as easy as shelling pears - just select the carrier and press the start button (you can figure it out without knowledge of the great and mighty).

An example of the results - you can see on the screen above.

Flash Memory Toolkit

Flash Memory Toolkit - this program is a set of utilities for servicing flash drives.

Full Feature Set:

a detailed list of properties and information about the drive and USB devices;
a test for finding errors when reading and writing information to the media;
quick cleaning of data from the drive;
search and recovery of information;
backup of all files to media and the ability to restore from a backup;
low-level testing of information transfer rate;
performance measurement when working with small/large files.

FC Test

Benchmark for measuring the real read / write speed of hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, CD / DVD devices, etc. Its main feature and difference from all utilities of this kind is that it uses real data samples to work.

Of the minuses: the utility has not been updated for a long time (problems with newfangled media types are possible).

Flashnul

This utility allows you to diagnose and test USB Flash drives. During this operation, by the way, errors and bugs will be fixed. Supported media: US and Flash drives, SD, MMC, MS, XD, MD, CompactFlash, etc.

List of performed operations:

reading test - an operation will be performed to identify the availability of each sector on the media;
write test - similar to the first function;
information safety test - the utility checks the integrity of all data on the media;
saving the media image - saving everything that is on the media to a separate image file;
loading the image into the device is analogous to the previous operation.

For formatting

HDD Low Level Format Tool

A program that has only one task - to format the media (by the way, both HDD hard drives, and solid-state drives - SSD, and USB flash drives are supported).

Despite such a “meager” set of features, this utility is not in vain in the first place in this article. The fact is that it allows you to "bring back" to life even those media that are no longer visible in any other program. If this utility sees your media, try low-level formatting it (attention! all data will be deleted!) - there is a good chance that after such a format, your flash drive will work as before: without failures and errors.

USB Disk Storage Format Tool

Program for formatting and creating bootable flash drives. Supported file systems: FAT, FAT32, NTFS. The utility does not require installation, it supports a USB 2.0 port (USB 3.0 - does not see. Note: this port is marked in blue).

Its main difference from the standard tool in Windows for formatting drives is the ability to "see" even those media that are not visible with standard OS tools. Otherwise, the program is quite simple and concise, I recommend using it to format all "problem" flash drives.

Format USB Or Flash Drive Software

The utility will help in cases where the regular formatting program in Windows refuses to “see” the media (or, for example, will give errors during operation). Format USB Or Flash Drive Software can format media to the following file systems: NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT. There is a quick format option.

I also want to note the simple interface: it is made in the style of minimalism, it is easy to understand it (the screen above is presented). In general, I recommend!

SD Formatter

A simple utility for formatting various flash cards: SD/SDHC/SDXC.

The main difference from the standard program built into Windows is that this utility formats the media according to the type of flash card: SD / SDHC / SDXC. It is also worth noting the presence of the Russian language, a simple and intuitive interface (the main program window is shown on the screen above).

Aomei Partition Assistant

Aomei Partition Assistant - great free (for home use) "combine", which presents huge number features and capabilities for working with hard drives and USB drives.

The program supports the Russian language (but English is still set by default), works in all popular Windows OS: XP, 7, 8, 10. By the way, the program works according to its own unique algorithms (at least according to the statements of the developers of this software ), which allows her to "see" even "very problematic" media, whether it's a flash drive or HDD.

In general, to describe all its properties is not enough for a whole article! I recommend trying it, especially since Aomei Partition Assistant will save you not only from problems with USB drives, but also with other media.

Recovery programs

Important! If the programs below are not enough, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with a large collection of programs for recovering information from various types of media (hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, etc.):.
If, when connecting the drive, it reports an error and asks to format it, do not do this (perhaps, after this operation, it will be much more difficult to return the data)! In this case, I recommend that you read this article:.

Recuva

One of the best free file recovery software. Moreover, it supports not only USB drives, but also hard drives. Distinctive features: fast media scan, pretty high degree search for "remains" of files (i.e., the chances of returning a deleted file are quite high), a simple interface, step by step wizard recovery (even completely “beginners” can handle it).

For those who will scan their flash drive for the first time, I recommend that you read the mini-instruction for recovering files in Recuva:

R Saver

Free* (for non-commercial use on the territory of the USSR) program for recovering information from hard drives, flash drives, memory cards and other media. The program supports all the most popular file systems: NTFS, FAT and exFAT.

The program sets the media scanning parameters on its own (which is also another plus for beginners).

Program features:

recovery of accidentally deleted files;
the ability to reconstruct damaged file systems;
file recovery after media formatting;
data recovery by signatures.

EasyRecovery

One of the best data recovery software that supports a wide variety of media types. The program works in all versions of new Windows: 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits), supports Russian.

It should be noted one of the most important advantages of the program - a high degree of detection of deleted files. Everything that can be "pulled out" from a disk, flash drive - will be presented to you and offered to be restored.

Perhaps the only negative is that it is paid ...

Important! About how to return deleted files in this program can be found in this article (see part 2):

R-STUDIO

One of the most popular data recovery programs, both in our country and abroad. A wide variety of media is supported: hard drives (HDD), solid state drives (SSD), memory cards, flash drives, etc. The list of supported file systems is also amazing: NTFS, NTFS5, ReFS, FAT12/16/32, exFAT, etc.

The program will help in cases:

accidentally deleting a file from the trash (this happens sometimes ...);
formatting the hard drive;
virus attack;
in the event of a computer power failure (especially relevant in Russia with its “reliable” power grids);
in case of errors on the hard disk, if there are a large number bad sectors;
when the structure is damaged (or changed) on the hard disk.

In general, a universal combine for all kinds of cases. The same only minus - the program is paid.

Remarque! Step by step data recovery in R-Studio:

Popular manufacturers of USB drives

Collecting all manufacturers in one table, of course, is unrealistic. But all the most popular ones are definitely present here :). On the manufacturer's website, you can often find not only service utilities for resuscitating or formatting a USB drive, but also utilities that greatly facilitate work: for example, programs for archiving, assistants for preparing bootable media, etc.

Note! If I bypassed someone, I suggest using the tips from the instructions for restoring the USB drive:. The article describes in some detail how and what to do to "return" the flash drive to working condition.

This concludes the report. All good work and good luck!

We choose the best programs for recovering flash drives. We tell you how to restore a usb flash drive, reanimate it using free utilities.

Flash drive- a small device for storing information (documents, music, videos, files), convenient for carrying and connecting to a usb port, extracting from a computer, laptop. It contains a controller and special chips that store information inside the chips.

Sometimes we copy files and forget about them, and when we remember, we find that valuable files are either erased or deleted forever. Either the device is broken, you formatted the partitions. What to do, often a digital flash drive (most often, the controller in it) breaks down, generates errors, the flash drive does not open on the PC - not even a month will pass. One day, the flash drive may need to be restored. The reason that may be:

incorrect, inaccurate operation of the flash drive
incorrect media formatting
low-quality flash drive bought on the market or cheaply from a Chinese (probably by mistake)
physical or software failure of the flash drive (most likely cause)
also, an incorrectly removed flash drive from a computer or laptop can serve as a reason for inoperability. This happens when an impatient user literally rips the flash drive out of the usb socket in the process of copying or transferring files.

There are many reasons when it is necessary to restore a flash drive that does not open on a computer or is recognized with reading errors. Fortunately, today experts from service centers without problems and errors will help you return valuable files, restore device performance. Recovery programs will return files safe and sound, or at least partially reanimate data on a usb flash drive. The flash recovery procedure costs not so little money, which makes you think about self-recovery of a usb flash drive. Alas, free utilities are not always useful.

For a flash drive, sd memory cards, all the symptoms and consequences of deleting digital information are equally characteristic. This may be accidental deletion, unconscious or deliberate deletion of files from a USB drive, structural damage, physical or mechanical damage controller or memory chips... One way or another, but restoring a flash drive and sd card is a more than relevant task for PC owners. Therefore, first of all, read the contents of this section.

The flash drive does not open: we study the symptoms of damage

In the recovery section, we will talk about the main problems associated with recovering information on a flash and secure digital drive. As a rule, this is due to hardware or software damage to the flash drive - if it does not come off or is not recognized correctly. Sometimes the memory wears out, sometimes the controller fails. And the usb controller drivers have nothing to do with it. In some cases, you can solve the problem yourself and as a result save files on a flash card or repair a chip, device, ignoring reading errors on the computer. We list only some of the symptoms that indicate a drive failure:

The PC does not see the flash drive in the list of readable devices
the flash drive is not displayed when connected to a laptop or computer (OS does not matter)
flash drive is not readable: although files can be seen on the usb drive

Help with Flash Recovery content

A small guide related to the question of how to find the reasons why the card does not work or the PC does not see the flash drive on a par with other disks (the device is not recognized, it reads with problems, it needs to be formatted, it freezes, it gives an error when copying to the card, etc.) flash -storage device. Troubleshooting is important in such situations, because without identifying the disease, it is impossible to cure the patient, or even easily ruin his life, using the wrong tools, using the wrong methods and programs that can revive the drive. In this article, we analyze the causes of damage and possible symptoms, which lead to the need to restore the flash disk, secure digital, controller, memory chip and flash card.
We try (with the help of instructions and utilities posted on the site) and at the same time qualitatively - how to solve problems with our own hands - fix the breakdown on the sd card, reanimate the controller, format it correctly, solder a loose contact or memory chip, scan information and process bad sectors on flash "Ke, sections with reading errors. True, the methods described require a certain skill and experience in using these tools.
if it does not open on the computer or does not display correctly. What is "VID & PID", how this abbreviation stands for and what to do when the device is not recognized or opened. Explanation of terminology, without which it is difficult to imagine flash drive recovery, data and digital information on it.
- testing of 5 high-quality programs, each of which has remarkable features when working with memory or a drive chip.

Recovery of usb flash drive and memory card. Formatting utilities

One of best ways resuscitation of the Jetflash flash card - reformat it again, at a low level. As a rule, such measures are taken when the flash drive is not readable. If possible, you should ask the memory manufacturer (say A Data, Seagate, Transcend SD, Datatraveler, etc.) if they have proprietary utilities or fresh drivers for reconstruction. Scroll through the contents of this section for help and you will see several articles on the topic of low-level formatting a drive. Fortunately, in operating system Windows 7 and above have tools for formatting a flash device without using third-party computer applications. One such flash drive program is HP USB Disk Storege Format Tool.

Diagnostic formatting of a flash card in the HP USB Disk Storege Format recovery program

Utility for recovering a flash drive HDD Low Level Format Tool

Many people know that the HDD Regenerator program is used to help revive hard drives (HDDs), but not many people know that it is also suitable for a device such as a flash drive. The essence of the program is the detection of broken bad sectors on the device with subsequent processing of the information received, depending on the controller and memory model, at a low usb access level. As a result, you get a working device that can copy files without read and write errors. This greatly contributes to the recovery of flash drives if the computer does not see them. The HDD Regenerator program is provided with recovery instructions, in addition, on the recovery website you can find a guide on using the utility and correct formatting (see through the search). You can download the flash drive recovery program directly from the link posted on the HDD Regenerator overview page.

We open and diagnose a problematic flash drive in the HDD Low Level Format program

By the way, in other sections on the Softdroid website you will find other programs for recovering flash drives (for example, Flash Recovery or JetFlash Recovery Tool), but we advise you to first study all the information collected in this section. We hope that after the measures taken, the computer will see the flash drive.

Why don't you indicate the cost of the product before downloading the flash drive recovery program and installing it?

Answer. You can download all the mentioned programs for flash drive recovery on the official website. Only reviews are published on Softdroid - we do not have the physical ability to update information about the cost of the products presented. When you download the trial version of the program, it is free. Next, see the information about the cost from the developer or at the end of the trial period you will receive a notification.

Ask us a question about flash drive recovery

Site site specialists will help you recover data. You ask a question - we answer it for free (you will receive an answer by mail).

The question may not be related to file recovery. The main requirement is to describe the problem in detail, formulate it in such a way that you do not have to decipher your message.

How to restore a flash drive with your own hands: instructions for owners of flash drives

In this article, I want to tell you how to restore a flash drive: about all the available methods for recovering damaged, non-working, failed, faulty usb drives. I offer the most complete instructions, which includes all available methods, as well as programs that optimize flash drive recovery.

Do-it-yourself usb flash drive repair: fix hardware and software problems

What to do if the computer does not see the flash drive? Let's agree: the question is painful and often asked. Another of the popular questions that flash drive owners face is repair as a result of a breakdown. The USB drive has its own characteristics of repairing the controller, memory, failed: in some cases, the storage device is not detected by the PC. What to do if the flash drive is not detected on any computer? This guide describes the operation to resuscitate an "invisible" flash drive for correct recognition on a computer.

Overview of programs for restoring the usb flash drive

Errors in the operation of USB flash drives are not common. Almost all of them boil down to the inability to read or write the necessary information to the device's memory due to software damage.

Specialized programs provided by device manufacturers will help to fix the problem and restore the memory card.

To restore the operation of noname flash drives and those that do not have their own recovery software, the Chkdsk built into Windows and the formatting system are suitable.

Choosing the best program to recover deleted files from a usb flash drive

Damaged portable USB flash drive or memory card? These best-of-breed programs will help you save and retrieve information, and here you will find out what is in a flash drive. Applications include Undelete 360, CardRecovery, PhotoRec, Recuva Professional and other candidates. You will also learn how to reanimate the flash drive of each of the programs.

How to recover deleted files from usb flash drive: step by step guide

One of the burning problems associated with deleting files relates to the flash drive. Let's talk about how to recover deleted files from a flash drive using Unformat. What free software to install on a computer, what program, in addition to Unformat, is effective when working with a flash drive. The methods described below will apply to usb drives, memory cards, sd cards of digital cameras in the Windows OS environment. We will try to help you, even if the situation is difficult.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free 11 - free data recovery software

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard supports many SSD data deletion scenarios. We will run Recovery Wizard and in step by step form explain how the recovery is performed. There are limitations in the free version of Easeus Data Recovery Wizard Free, let's talk about them in more detail. Using the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard program, you can recover files, deleted information from a formatted disk, laptop or removable devices like a USB flash drive or SD card for free.

Where to download PhotoRec for free (for Windows)

The free PhotoRec program is designed to recover multimedia data on HDD, USB flash drives, sd cards and other storage devices. Overview of PhotoRec recovery functions, scanning options. Where to download PhotoRec for Windows and other OS.

What to do if the computer does not see the USB flash drive? We solve problems and fix errors

If the file system of the memory card / usb flash drive is incompatible with the computer OS, the contents of this memory card will not be displayed when connected to a PC. Accordingly, you will not be able to work with the device until you correct the format. In addition, there are a number of other reasons why the computer does not display the usb flash drive (sd card) as a separate drive in Explorer.

How to recover a flash drive with Unformat

I offer you an effective method for restoring a usb flash drive. To use it, you need a specialized utility - Unformat. The program has long established itself in the field of specialized software. In the instructions, I described in detail the entire process of returning files - from scanning a disk to saving files on a USB flash drive.

Unformat supports the recovery of flash drives from almost all manufacturers on the market today.

Flash Memory Toolkit - check flash drive for errors and speed test. Program for the treatment of a flash drive

Flash Memory Toolkit free program for a flash drive. It combines a wide range of functions that allow you to restore a usb flash drive or sd memory card to a working state. If you cannot determine why the computer does not see the flash drive, it is not necessary to think about repair. The Flash Memory Toolkit toolkit will help you fix a breakdown and diagnose a flash drive.

See also other programs for flash drive recovery under Windows.

Disk Drill for Mac - recovery software for recovering SSD disks and Mac OS X partitions

Disk Drill is a relatively new data recovery program designed for two platforms - Windows and Mac OS X. Like any other recovery program of this class, it affects a wide range of devices from which the user can perform recovery: computer and laptop, Windows and Mac, phone and tablet, HDD (SSD) disk or flash drive, etc.

A USB flash drive is not the most suitable device for permanent storage of files, but everything happens in life. And situations where valuable data that was only on it were accidentally erased happen regularly. However, in about half of the cases of grief, you can help - recover deleted files from a flash drive. Under what circumstances is this possible and how to do it, read on.

I won’t give hope in vain: the chances of successful data recovery from USB flash drives are lower than from stationary drives - hard drives of PCs and laptops and permanent memory mobile devices. The reason is that flash drives are usually used to transfer files from one device to another. And accidentally deleted data most often turns out to be simply overwritten, sometimes even more than once. And overwriting, unfortunately, destroys information irretrievably.

Full or partial file recovery on your own is possible in the following cases:

The user deleted them manually.
The drive has been formatted using the operating system.
The files became inaccessible after a virus attack.
Files disappeared after splitting the flash drive into sections.
There was a logical failure of the file system: it became defined as RAW - unknown, or Windows and programs consider the entire space of the device to be unallocated.

The chances of recovery are extremely low or zero if:

The flash drive is physically defective - it is not detected by the computer at all or is recognized as an unknown device, access to its memory is either completely absent, or the size of the latter is several KB instead of tens of GB. The exception is relatively simple breakdowns that do not affect the controller and device memory.
The files were deleted using a shredder program.
The flash drive was low-level formatted (in fact, it was repartitioned and overwritten) or flashed (it was overwritten by the controller microcode).
The files are encrypted, but there is no decryption key. It may be the result of an attack by an encryption virus or user actions (encrypted, but lost the key). In the first case, it is sometimes possible to recover files if there is a suitable decryptor.

With physical and complex logical malfunctions, data recovery from flash drives is sometimes possible, but it often costs the owner very much - up to several tens of thousands of rubles (not even the result, but an attempt to restore can cost so much). Therefore, in such situations, many prefer to say goodbye to files forever.

How to increase the likelihood of success

Even if your case is classified as simple, in order to increase the chances of a successful recovery, adhere to the following rules:

The fewer operations were performed with the file system of the drive, the better the result. Therefore, start restoring as soon as you notice the loss of files.
Save the recovered data only to other physical media (computer hard drive, second flash drive, etc.).
Try to restore everything in one session. Do not interrupt it unless absolutely necessary.
If one recovery program does not help, use others. Sometimes simple free utilities are more effective than expensive paid ones. What will help in your case is impossible to know in advance, so try everything that is available.
If the recovery program is able to create and save images of drive file systems, be sure to use this feature. In the event of an unexpected flash drive failure or accidental overwriting before the end of reading, you can restore data from the image.

7 best flash drive data recovery software

Some of the mass storage data recovery programs you may already be familiar with. Our site talked about them in an article about. Today, our collection will be replenished with seven more applications of the same purpose. Maybe just one of them will be saving for you.

R.saver

Wise Data Recovery

Wise Data Recovery is another worthy tool for recovering information from fixed and portable drives. Released in Windows version only. Like its predecessors, it works without installation on a hard drive. It has a high scanning speed and displays the possibility of recovering each found object.

If next to the file is:

Red circle - the data is completely overwritten, it will not be possible to restore it.
Yellow circle - partial overwrite, success is not guaranteed.
Green circle - the file is not overwritten and is recoverable.

When clicking on "green" files, if it is a picture or a document, the program shows their thumbnails (if saved). It also has a function to search for certain types of data by keywords: pictures (imagies), audio (audios), video (videos), documents (documents), archives (compressed files) and mail (emails).

Wise Data Recovery is a completely free application and, by the way, with Russian language support.

How to use Wise Data Recovery:

Unzip the archive with the program to any folder and run the executable file WiseDataRecovery.exe.
Select the desired media from the list and click Scan.
Select the files you want to recover from the list. Click the "Recover" button.
Specify where to save files on your hard drive.

Disk Drill

The Disk Drill utility, well known to many Mac OS X users, appeared in the Windows version some time ago. More precisely, in two: free - free, and paid - pro. Free allows you to recover up to 1 GB of information, paid - without restrictions.

Unlike the previous three applications, Disk Drill requires mandatory installation on a computer (for which it gets a minus, since this simple operation can lead to overwriting the data that the user was just about to recover). But it has a number of benefits that others do not have.

With constant use, Disk Drill keeps a record of deleted files, and also creates backup copies of them, which increases the chances of recovering them even after a while. In addition, it supports any type of storage device and almost all file systems (it knows more than 300 unique file signatures).

Disk Drill does not have Russian localization, but it is quite easy to use.

How to recover deleted files with Disk Drill:

Install the application on a PC and run it with administrator rights.
Select the USB flash drive with the deleted data from the list of media.
Open the drop-down list next to the Recover button, which is located opposite the flash drive, and click the desired scan type: "Run all recovery methods" (use all search and recovery methods), "Quick scan" (quick scan), "Deep scan" (deep scan ) or "Load last scanning session" (load the result of the last scan). Click the "Recover" button (or "Continue" if you have already started working with the media).
In the next window that opens after scanning, select the necessary files from the list, specify the location for saving them and click "Recover" again.

RS File Recovery

RS File Recovery is a paid Russian-language application. In addition to the main one - recovering information from physical drives, it is able to save and subsequently work with their images. After creating the image, the physical device with data can be turned off, since the program has already “remembered” all its contents. In addition, the application has a built-in HEX editor for manual byte-by-byte correction of files, as well as an FTP client for uploading recovered files to network resources.

After analyzing the storage device, RS File Recovery displays information about the data on it - when it was created, when it was changed, whether it can be restored. This information is displayed in the bottom pane of the window.

Unfortunately, in the free demo version of the utility, the restore function does not work, only viewing is available. The cost of a license starts from 999 rubles.

Like Disk Drill, RS File Recovery requires installation on a computer.

How to use RS File Recovery:

Launch the application. Select a flash drive from the list of media by simply clicking on it. All its contents, including deleted files, will be displayed in the middle part of the window.
Click on the item you want to restore. Information about it, including the forecast, will be shown in the panel below.
Drag the necessary files to the recovery list on the right side of the window and click the "Restore" button.
Select the save method: hard disk, CD/DVD, Internet via FTP, or conversion to a virtual ISO image.

Specify the destination folder on the hard drive. If you choose other save methods, follow the instructions of the assistant.

Ontrack EasyRecovery

Ontrack EasyRecovery is one of the most functional and efficient data recovery programs, the main competitor of the industry leader R-Studio. It successfully extracts data even from badly damaged media, supports all types of file systems and more than 250 file formats, creates virtual images of physical storage devices, can boot from DVD and USB flash drives, and also has a lot of other usefulness.

EasyRecovery is available in several paid editions with different feature sets. The most inexpensive - home, will cost the user $ 79 per year. Professional, enterprise and specialized (for servers) cost from $299 to $3000 for an annual license.

Despite the grandeur of the possibilities, even a novice user can use this program, since each stage of work is accompanied by a built-in assistant. It is also impossible to make a mistake because it is fully translated into Russian.

How to use Ontrack EasyRecovery:

Launch the application (it is available in installation, portable and, as already mentioned, bootable versions). Specify the media type on which the deleted data resides.
Select the volume to scan (if it is a flash drive, then it usually has only one volume).
Select a recovery scenario. Restore objects after deletion and formatting - different scenarios. First, try the first one - it works faster, and if it doesn't help, the second one.
If the data is affected by a logical failure, specify one or more types of file systems that may be on the media.

Check again that the conditions are correct and confirm your selection. After that, the program will start scanning the flash drive.
After scanning is complete, select the desired objects in the list (to select several, press and hold the Ctrl key). Click the "Save" button in the top bar of the main window and specify the destination folder on your hard drive.

To create an image of a storage device and work with it in the future, after starting the program, select the device in the list of media, open the "File" menu and click "Create Image File".

Active UNDELETE

Active UNDELETE is another paid utility that successfully copes with the recovery of individual deleted objects and entire disk partitions. Supports all types of media, all file systems and over 200 different file formats. In addition to the basic task, it allows you to solve related tasks - fix partition table and boot records errors, create, format and delete disk volumes, etc. Like most paid counterparts, Active UNDELETE supports creating virtual drive images.

The demo version of the program, available for free download, has a full range of functions, but does not allow you to recover files larger than 1 Mb.

The Active UNDELETE interface is exclusively in English, but the utility is easy to use, as each action is accompanied by a wizard.

Unfortunately, it does not have a portable version. Installer only.

How to work with Active UNDELETE:

Run the program. Click in the first window that opens "Recover deleted files" (restore deleted files). This will launch the recovery wizard.
The first window of the wizard is a brief summary of how the program works on English language. Click "Next" to move to the next step.
Next, select one or more devices that contain the files you need. Click "Next" and in the next window - "Scan".
After scanning, mark the items you want to restore and proceed to the next step.
Set save options - folder, filenames, rename in case of matches, etc. You can leave everything by default.

The last step is the restoration itself. To launch it, click the "Recover files and folders" button.

If you want to create a virtual image of a flash drive, open the "Disk image management" section in the main window and run the "Create disk image" wizard.