I messed up my USB flash drive

TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
edited January 2007 in Hardware
I have a Sandisk Cruzer Mini 1 GB USB flash drive. It has always worked well for me.

Yesterday I wasn't thinking of what I was doing, and pulled it out of a computer I was working on without shutting it down first.:banghead: That "safe to remove hardware" thing by the clock.

Now it shows that it has nothing on it, with a raw file system. If I plug it into my main computer as the F drive and then click on the F drive icon, it says "please insert a disk into drive f".

There was nothing critical on the flash drive, it all can be easily downloaded again.

When I try to format it, the only option I can change is for a quick format or not, but either way it says it is unable to format it.

So how do I fix it and get it working again?

Comments

  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    it's borked if you ask me.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    Anyone else got any input on this problem?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    She's dead, Jim.
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    Try rebooting then reconnecting the drive. Also, have you tried it on another PC?
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    The computer I tried checking it on as the F: drive is a different computer from the one I inadvertently pulled it out of while powered on.

    The manufacturers don't have some sort of reformat / recovery tool for this situation? Surely it happens fairly often with peple who are average home computer users.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited December 2006
    These critters are pretty robust (when they're working properly). I never (bad girl!) bother w/ the "safely disconnect" thing w/ my Pen drive and I've never had a problem. I agree w/ the others. Sounds like it's died.

    F.Y.I.: The area in the lower right-hand corner of your desktop - at the far right of the "Task Bar" where the clock is - is called the "System Tray".
  • zero-counterzero-counter Linux Lubber San Antonio Member
    edited December 2006
    Open Disk Management Console and choose your F drive, then delete the partition and make a new one remembering to format.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited December 2006
    Tim wrote:
    ....When I try to format it, the only option I can change is for a quick format or not, but either way it says it is unable to format it...

    Sounds as though he's been unable to format it. Tim, have you tried to delete the partion, etc. as zero.counter had suggested?
  • zero-counterzero-counter Linux Lubber San Antonio Member
    edited December 2006
    Pterocarpous wrote:
    Sounds as though he's been unable to format it.
    Sure does, however the Sandisk Cruzer is notorious for having this problem, especially the mini. Disk Mgmt. would allow him to even see if the disk (drive) has a partition and if it does, delete it then reformat if possible. The other option for resolution is to use regedit to correct the usb driver issue... (more on that later)

    Othen than that, check the obvious, like that the lock (READ ONLY) option is enabled or exercise your warranty rights.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited December 2006
    zero.counter wrote:
    Sure does, however the Sandisk Cruzer is notorious for having this problem, especially the mini. Disk Mgmt. would allow him to even see if the disk (drive) has a partition and if it does, delete it then reformat if possible. The other option for resolution is to use regedit to correct the usb driver issue... (more on that later)

    Othen than that, check the obvious, like that the lock (READ ONLY) option is enabled or exercise your warranty rights.


    Good info zero.counter. I'm interested in seeing your regedit tweak for the driver. :thumbsup:
  • araman_amruaraman_amru
    edited January 2007
    If you wanted to recover your files, run Scandisk / Check disk (with autofix checked). The files are still there.. unless you already formatted the flash drive. When finishes Scandisk (with autofix), there will be a new folder with the contents with extension CHK (*.CHK). What happened was, it recovers your hidden files to another name with extension CHK. If you still remember your files, you can rename the extension to your previous files (eg: AAA.CHK -> AAA.MP3). If you are lucky most files can still be recovered.
    Happens to me few times, I either use Scandisk or Norton disk doctor.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    What is this "disk management console" and how do I get to it? The only one that comes to mind is when you click on "My Computer" and it shows the drives.

    The files that were on the USB drive were not important or critical, so I'm not concerned about recovering them, I'd just like to get it working again if possible.

    What can go wrong with them that makes them fail permanently?
  • zero-counterzero-counter Linux Lubber San Antonio Member
    edited January 2007
    Tim wrote:
    What is this "disk management console" and how do I get to it? The only one that comes to mind is when you click on "My Computer" and it shows the drives.

    The files that were on the USB drive were not important or critical, so I'm not concerned about recovering them, I'd just like to get it working again if possible.

    What can go wrong with them that makes them fail permanently?
    Good questions. To answer the "how do I get to it" question, click on the start button and right click on My Computer (from the desktop as well, and assuming that you are not using the classic start menu). From the option provided, click on manage. From there, select disk management. You could get there a number of other ways, but this way seems to be de facto for most.

    Do you see your F: drive anywhere? If you do, then right click on it (top pane) and select format, selecting FAT16. If windows has not already done so, right click on the F: drive EDIT: DO NOT PERFORM THE FOLLOWING and selct the "MARK PARTITION AS ACTIVE" option. Now try to see if you can access it.

    As far as USB drives failing, well ESD can cause them to malfunction, as well as excessive heat (although I had one make it through the wash and dry) and the obvious, like being crushed, or having something acidic spill on them. Other than that, they are pretty tough. Fortunately, they are not succeptible to the same negatives as magnetic media is to say the least.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    zero.counter wrote:
    ......and selct the "MARK PARTITION AS ACTIVE" option. Now try to see if you can access it...

    Nice instructions, zero.counter. I'm just wondering, though, why you'd set the partition as "Active"?
    :scratch:
  • zero-counterzero-counter Linux Lubber San Antonio Member
    edited January 2007
    Pterocarpous wrote:
    Nice instructions, zero.counter. I'm just wondering, though, why you'd set the partition as "Active"?
    :scratch:
    Thanks for pointing that out, as it suits you well. I apologize, I am so used to working with hard disks. The thought escaped me. Try everything else except for making the partition active Tim.
  • zero-counterzero-counter Linux Lubber San Antonio Member
    edited January 2007
    So anyways Tim, is it still under warranty?
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