USB devices are widely used today. However, data loss problems often occur. Fortunately, some recovery tools can help you get back lost data. In this MiniTool article, we will introduce free USB data recovery methods to help you recover files successfully.
In the digital age, USB drives are widely used for storing and transferring data. However, data loss is also common. Whether due to accidental deletion, formatting, or file system corruption, important files can disappear. This article will discuss the causes of USB data loss, how to perform a free USB data recovery, and how to avoid data loss in the future.
Possible Causes of USB Data Loss
When USB data is lost, you may be very anxious. Don’t worry, I will guide you to do a free USB data recovery. Before that, let me take you to see the reasons for data loss. The causes can be divided into three categories: logical failure, physical damage, and human factors. The following is a detailed analysis of each situation:
Logical failure. These problems usually involve software, file system, or operating system corruption.
- File system corruption: Long-term use or being affected by virus attacks, power outages, etc. may damage the file system of the USB flash drive, making the data unreadable.
- Partition table corruption: The partition table (MBR or GPT) of the USB device is damaged, which can cause data to be inaccessible.
- Severe data fragmentation: After using the USB storage device for a long time, the data may become highly fragmented, affecting reading.
- Viruses or malware: Some viruses can hide, delete, or even encrypt data in the USB, making it inaccessible.
- Formatting or deletion: Deleting files by mistake or choosing the wrong disk format can lead to data loss.
Physical damage. These problems usually involve USB hardware failure.
- Damaged storage chip: Aging or damage to the flash memory chip can cause data to be unreadable or completely lost.
- Controller failure: Failure of the main control chip of the USB storage may cause the device to be unrecognizable.
- Poor contact or damaged interface: Loose USB ports or damaged interfaces can cause unstable or even lost data transmission.
- Surge or static damage: High voltage or static electricity may damage the circuit board inside the USB, making it impossible to read data.
Human factors. Human error or external environmental factors may affect USB data.
- Accidental unplugging: Forced unplugging of the USB device during data transfer may cause file damage or loss.
- Incompatible drivers: Using incompatible or damaged drivers may prevent the USB storage device from working properly.
- Storage life exhaustion: The life of USB flash memory chips is limited, and excessive use may cause data loss.
- Environmental impact: Long-term exposure to high temperature, humidity, or a strong magnetic field environment may affect the stability of USB storage devices.
Option 1: Check if the File Is Hidden
When you cannot see the data on your USB, the first thing to do is to confirm whether the file is hidden. This is mainly to determine whether the data loss is just a change in file attributes, rather than actual deletion or damage.
Some viruses or system anomalies may set the file to a “hidden” state, making it impossible to display it directly in the file manager, but the data still exists. If the file is just hidden, it can be retrieved by modifying the file attributes or using recovery tools without performing complex flash drive data recovery operations.
Via Windows File Explorer
Step 1: Press the Win + E keys to open the File Explorer.
Step 2: Switch to the View tab on the top toolbar.
Step 3: Check the Hidden Items option to show hidden files.
Via Command Prompt
Step 1: Type cmd in the Windows search box, right-click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.
Step 2: Input attrib -h -r -s /s /d F:\*.* and press Enter to execute the command and check if any files are visible. The letter F should be replaced by your USB drive letter.
Option 2: Check if the USB Is Damaged
There is another situation where if your USB is damaged, the data on it could be affected. If you are in this situation, using data recovery software directly may not work and may even further damage the storage chip.
Therefore, checking your USB for corruption is a crucial first step in data recovery. Here, I recommend using CHKDSK. It is a built-in disk checking tool in Windows that can detect and repair file system errors.
Step 1: Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog, input cmd, and click OK.
Step 2: Type chkdsk F: /f and press Enter to repair errors. Replace F: with your own USB drive letter. The f parameter means repair detected errors.
The system will start checking and listing error information, and will try to automatically repair if there is a problem. This may take several minutes, depending on the capacity of the USB drive and the degree of damage.
Option 3: Perform a Free USB Data Recovery
If you cannot access your data after trying the above two steps, it will most likely be lost. Don’t worry. The following methods can help you recover deleted files from a USB drive.
Way 1: Restore Data From Backup
It is a simple way to recover files from a USB with the help of a backup. The premise is that you have backed up the data before it was lost. Here, I use this backup tool, MiniTool ShadowMaker, as an example. If you have used MiniTool ShadowMaker to create a backup of important files, when files are lost, you can restore files from the backup image. If you don’t have a habit of backup, it is also possible to do a free USB data recovery. Try the following methods!
Way 2: Use MiniTool Power Data Recovery
Here, I want to suggest the best USB recovery software, MiniTool Power Data Recovery, to you. After understanding its advantages, you will understand why I recommend it to do a do a free USB data recovery.
- Powerful data recovery capabilities. Supports multiple file formats: As a robust recovery tool, it can recover different types of data, such as documents, pictures, videos, audio, etc. Supports multiple storage devices: It is not only suitable for USB, but also for data recovery of devices such as hard drives, SD cards, etc.
- Coping with various data loss scenarios. Accidental deletion: accidentally deleted files can still be scanned and retrieved. Formatting: Even if the USB device is formatted, the software can still recover most of the data. File system damage: If the USB file system is damaged or turned into RAW format, MiniTool can still try to recover the data. Virus infection: Some viruses will hide or delete data, and this tool can be used to recover lost files.
- Strong compatibility. Supports almost all Windows systems, such as Windows 11/10/8.1/8. Supports different file systems, such as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, RAW, etc.
The concise interface and a step-by-step wizard help you follow the process and reduce the difficulty of data recovery. This free data recovery software supports recovering 1 GB of files without a cent. Download and install this USB data recovery software on your computer by clicking the following button.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
After the installation completes, you can start performing a thumb drive recovery.
Here is a quick video guide:
Here is a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery software. When entering the main interface, you will see two data recovery modules: Logical Drives and Devices. Under the Logical Drives section, it shows all partitions on your computer’s hard disks, including lost partitions and unallocated spaces. Select the USB drive and click Scan. Under the Devices section, it lists all disks on the computer. This section is suitable for scanning the entire disk.
Step 2: Wait for the scanning process to be completed. When it is over, files will be displayed by their paths under the Path tab, generally divided into three lists: Deleted Files, Lost Files, and Existing Files. If you want to locate files by file structure, expand these folders to find them. Besides this, other features can help you find files more quickly.
- Type: This feature allows you to find files according to the file format, such as documents, pictures, videos, audio, etc.
- Filter: You can set the filter conditions you want at one time. It provides the following criteria: file type, file modified date, file size, and file category.
- Search: Type the full or partial name of the file in the search box and press Enter. All eligible files will show up.
Step 3: When finding the file, it is best to preview the file to check its content. How to do that? Select the file and click the Preview button, or simply double-click the file.
Step 4: After confirming these files, tick them all and click Save. There will be a window prompting you to choose a location to store the recovered files. You should select a new place to avoid data overwriting. After the path is confirmed, click OK to start the free USB data recovery.
Way 3: Use Windows File Recovery
Windows File Recovery is a command-line tool launched by Microsoft that can help you recover USB drive successfully.
Step 1: Open the Microsoft Store to download and install Windows File Recovery.
Step 2: After that, right-click the Start button and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin). When prompted by UAC, click Yes to continue.
Step 3: Type winfr F: E: /extensive and press Enter to recover all files on your USB.
Step 4: Wait for the recovery to complete. The recovered files will be stored in the Recovery_<date and time> folder on the target drive.
How to Avoid USB Data Loss in the Future
When the USB data has been recovered successfully, you may wonder how to protect it from being lost next time. To avoid that, you can take the following tactics.
- Eject USB devices safely: Always use the “Safely Remove Hardware” function before unplugging the USB storage devices to avoid data loss or corruption.
- Avoid power outages or sudden unplugging: Do not accidentally power off or unplug USB devices during data transfer to reduce the risk of data corruption.
- Keep the file system healthy: Use the Windows disk check tool (chkdsk) or other storage management tools to detect and repair file system errors regularly.
- Protect against viruses and malware: Install and update antivirus software to prevent USB devices from being infected or data from being maliciously deleted.
- Avoid repeated writing: Flash memory devices have a writing life, and minimize unnecessary data erasure to extend their service life.
- Set access permissions: Encrypt important files or set access permissions to prevent data loss due to misoperation or unauthorized access.
- Use high-quality USB storage devices: Choose reliable brands and high-quality flash memory devices to reduce the probability of hardware failure.
- Back up data regularly: Use File History, cloud storage, or some professional backup tools, such as MiniTool ShadowMaker, to make sure that important data has a copy.
MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Final Words
Although data loss is a headache, the right recovery method can effectively complete a free USB data recovery. Using this USB recovery tool, MiniTool Power Data Recovery, combined with good backup habits, can greatly reduce the risk of data loss. If your USB device encounters data problems, try the above methods, and I believe you will be able to successfully recover the lost files.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
When you have any confusion about our MiniTool products, please contact us via [email protected].
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Chelsea graduated from university with a major in English. She has a strong interest in English writing. It is this passion for writing that led her to become an English editor. Her articles mainly focus on data recovery and other computer industry news. As an energetic and outgoing girl, Chelsea enjoys listening to music, singing, riding bikes, and eating in her spare time.
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