Cannot access files within USB flash drive


  1. Posts : 53
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
       #1

    Cannot access files within USB flash drive


    When I place the device to the USB port, it is displayed under Devices with Removable Storage section of Computer window but I cannot access the files within the device.

    How can I recover the data within the device in such a case?
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cannot access files within USB flash drive-capture.png  
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 7,055
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
       #2

    One possible reason for this is a drive letter conflict. This will be the easiest to resolve and so it goes first :).

    Shut down your PC. Plug in your flash drive and then boot.

    You should now run this on the administrator account or your account should have administrator privileges.

    Right click on "Computer" > Manage > Disk Management.

    Right click on the Removable Drive Partition > Change Drive Letter and Paths > Change > assign any other free drive letter > OK

    In effect you will be changing the drive letter to any other free drive letter. Make sure you map a drive letter that is not in use, preferably x,y,z. If that works you can still change it to another drive letter easily.

    If that does not work check whether the manufacturer of your Flash drive has any recovery program available. Make sure that such a recovery program does not format your drive. Since you did not give details of your flash drive like manufacturer, Model etc., you have to find it out yourself. (" My Flash drive/ device" and I do not have clairvoyant power or extrasensory perception :))
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 2,774
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #3

    Does another computer treat this flash drive the same way?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 53
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #4

    RolandJS said:
    Does another computer treat this flash drive the same way?
    Yes, it does.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 53
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    jumanji said:
    One possible reason for this is a drive letter conflict. This will be the easiest to resolve and so it goes first :).

    Shut down your PC. Plug in your flash drive and then boot.

    You should now run this on the administrator account or your account should have administrator privileges.

    Right click on "Computer" > Manage > Disk Management.

    Right click on the Removable Drive Partition > Change Drive Letter and Paths > Change > assign any other free drive letter > OK

    In effect you will be changing the drive letter to any other free drive letter. Make sure you map a drive letter that is not in use, preferably x,y,z. If that works you can still change it to another drive letter easily.

    If that does not work check whether the manufacturer of your Flash drive has any recovery program available. Make sure that such a recovery program does not format your drive. Since you did not give details of your flash drive like manufacturer, Model etc., you have to find it out yourself. (" My Flash drive/ device" and I do not have clairvoyant power or extrasensory perception :))
    Trying to recover the data using the tools of the manufacturer did not work either.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 7,351
    Windows 7 HP 64
       #6

    Is it a SD card reader or a pendrive?
    Right click on "Computer" > Manage > Disk Management. Expand the columns and with sniping tool take a snapshot. Post it here as an attachment.
    Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 53
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Here is the snapshot of Disk Management window.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cannot access files within USB flash drive-capture.png  
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,774
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #8

    Was this flash drive ever accidentally removed without the benefit of Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media?
    I did that once, probably during a write operation, the flash drive was lost to me forever. Nothing worked to recover the contents. Didn't even read or register with Explorer.exe.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 7,351
    Windows 7 HP 64
       #9

    I would say that your drive is dead.
    You can try to use MiniTool Partition Wizard http://www.partitionwizard.com/download/pwfree91.exe
      My Computers


  10. Posts : 53
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #10

    RolandJS said:
    Was this flash drive ever accidentally removed without the benefit of Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media?
    I did that once, probably during a write operation, the flash drive was lost to me forever. Nothing worked to recover the contents. Didn't even read or register with Explorer.exe.
    I don't remember. It seems that the drive is dead.
      My Computer


 

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