Help - data recovery from USB flash drive/memory stick

[JayG]

I've been moving stuff that was saved on the laptop onto a USB flash drive/memory stick that already had stuff saved on it.

I had to cancel the last batch of stuff I was moving as it appeared to be stuck on 1 minute 15 seconds remaining.

Now I can't access anything on the USB at all, it's telling me - you need to format the disk in drive F: before you can use it.

Please can someone help me recover the data, i'm about to tear my hair out as it's a massive chunk of new & old photos, scans, certs & docs I can't get again

[TrevorFranklin]

Unfortunately you have corrupted the data on the stick.
With USB memory sticks, they use 'flash memory' where the data is stored on electric chips, so unlike using a computer's hard drive (Which uses magnetic storage), you cannot runs scans to find damaged disk sections and so repair them.

The only way out is to format the USB drive, so that it erases all the corrupted data which is causing the read problem, but this also means it will erase all the data on the drive.

USB Memory sticks should NOT be used as a method of longterm storage files, you need to use a computer hard drive or burn to CD/DVD for that.
They were originally designed to be used to transfer data from one PC to another, but with the larger and larger storage that they offer. users are mistakenly using them as a main storage device, which (and I see this so much in my college) opens many problems with lost/corrupted data.

My advice to students every year is that files should be opened and saved to the main hard drive of their computer (as corruption does often happen when the file is being saved to the USB stick) and that the stic only be used to COPY an transfer data between their college and home computers

[JayG]

Thanks Trevor, it's as I thought, lost.

I've learnt my lesson in that I will delete what I have copied to the USB only after i've moved it to the PC, not deleting from the laptop as I was moving to the USB.

[Guest]

oh Jay what a shame hope you manage to get copies ?

[Guy]

There are a number of programs that can/may recover data from corrupt usb flash drives as long as the drive is not physically damaged.
Try google-
"data recovery usb flash"
Cheers
Guy

[JayG]

Some stuff I can get again Val, like the hundreds of 1911 census images, a good chunk of which I downloaded when it was still PPV. Other stuff I can't like photos I took the other month when I took my mum to see her 88 year old cousin in Yorkshire, things I paid for & download from The National Archives etc.

Thanks Guy, I googled alsorts on Sunday, downloaded a few different things but nothing worked.

[WendyPusey]

Take it to a proffesional who may be able to get some of the data back for you. My son has done it for some of his customers. Not always succesful but at least you can give it a try.

[Guest]

dont you have an external drive Jay to back up your stuff to ? much safer .

[JayG]

Thanks Wendy, i'm trying to source a decent company.

No Val I don't, I was moving stuff off the laptop to the PC to then backup that.