Memory stick data recovery

rhik1984

Posts: 33   +0
Hi,

I have a TOSHIBA 8GB. I had much important project data on it and I did the most terrible mistake of my life not to back it up when all my other HDD datas are double if not triple backedup!

It was working fine till late night, till in the morning, when I plugged it on my computer it told me it sholud be formatted first. The drive letter doesn't show up on My computer nor in My devices! I tried using the EaseUS Data Recovery sample version but it too cant detect the drive.

I went through the flash drive data recovery procedure in this forum but I do not understand that if I format the drive the data will be gone, Again! I do not have a backup to copy it again. I dont want to recover using the drive but just the data! Please please please help someone, if such a thing is possible. Its almost 3 months of my hard work!

An update. Now its appearing as Removable disk on my computer and if I click on it, its saying insert disk into drive F ! If I try exploring it, the format option is appearing! Please please help. I need the data.
 
How about booting up from a live Linux disk, with the dodgy drive plugged in, see if it finds it? This has sometimes worked for me (at least long enough to get the data off it & onto the HDD).
Good luck :)
 
Can u please tell me more about how to use this live linux disk? My Os is Win Xp sp3. Ty for your advice.
 
First, you must be able to SEE the drive. if you're computer recognizes the drive, then you might be able to recover the data. Try a software recovery program like recuva. There are plenty of free data recovery programs.

NEVER save important data that you cannot afford to lose on a memory stick. That's asking for trouble.
 
Can u please tell me more about how to use this live linux disk? My Os is Win Xp sp3. Ty for your advice.
These disks are available as freebies on a lot of computer mags (e.g. Linux Format) or you can download an ".iso" file from one of the Linux distro websites (e.g. Ubuntu, Slackware, Debian etc. etc.), burn it to CD/DVD (make sure it's bootable, not just a data disk, see your CD burning software's manual for details), and use it as a boot disk - you can then use the Linux desktop to access your drives (hopefully including the dodgy one).
 
Try using GetDataBack for Fat (or GetDataBack for NTFS), they have a trial version that let's you see any recoverable data before you buy the program ($69.95). It has options to recover deleted data and data from an accidentally formatted drive, along with a few other options. It's worth a shot, and if you don't see your data, it doesn't cost you anything. I also remember a utility that will clear your removable drive history and allow Windows to recognize a drive again, I think it was this one;
http://www.downloadatlas.com/clear_...toration-tool-by-data-recovery-utilities.html
Again, it's worth a try if it'll save 3 months work!
 
Sorry for not updating this thread with the daya to day progress. Tedster told me to use Recuva. I did.
on trying Recuva, the following error is coming.​
F: Unable to read Boot Sector​
I was just preparing to make the Linux boot cd as Zoltan Head had advised me to, when a friend of mine just fiddling with the flash drive just pressed the quick format button. Now its showing 0 bytes used. 7.95 GB free, so I guess the data is gone for good now! Although I read that quick format only clears the filing system and not delete any date as that was what my friend argued with me too, but guess it didnt happen to be so for me!​
I still tried downloaded the trial ver as hood6558 advised and ran all the three scans they have and it found nothing. All these have made my laptop stay on for about 24 hrs for the last 4 days. Now I guess I shall lose my laptop for its really getting heated, in the persuit of saving my 2 GB data. I am at my wit's end now! The data, my hard work is gone. Lucky me!​
One piece of advice, always double backup your important stuff and NEVER EVER BUY A TOSHIBA MEMORY. It was just a one month old memory stick!​
I have experience using big external HDDs of WD, Seagate, Adata and flash drive of HP, sandisk and even my laptop internal drive of fujitsu or something which is working trouble free for almost a decade now! This is a first with a #### company TOSHIBA. So beware!​
Hope it helps somebody. Goodbye friends. Thanks for all your recommendations. I just wished I could have done something.​
 
Appreciate your concern, sir. No that was the only thing left to be done. Do you think there is still hope even after a quick format?
 
Im sorry again, I forgot to mention I did use the following tools too, as advised by Tedster after Recuva which all mostly told me no partition found and couldnt find any files. That was before the quickformat.

Testdisk
PhotoRec
 
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