flash drive broken - need to repair/recover

[DeluzioNFX]

so today the usb stem of my flashdrive broke, so now i can't connect it to my PC and i have alot of important files on there. So how would i repair this or get the data off the flashdrive

[Rootstonian]

By "stem" I assume you mean the part you put into the USB port?

You MAY be able to buy another same flashdrive and try to "engineer" one working one

I've never had one apart, so in your case, you may as well try what you can....good luck!

I use mine to xfer files or share pictures; never trust one as a storage device (i.e. make sure you have your data backed-up )

[pattyboy7]

Since there are four connecting points on a usb device of any sort, what I would say is just use four peices of wire and solder them to each of the connectors on the actual flash drive and then sloder the other end of the wires to the corresponding terminals on the part that plugs into the computer. The only problem with this is that you can "pop" a device that is on flashdrives that keeps the power flow to the flash drive consistent. If in the proccess you didn't "pop" the device than you should be able to get the data off of it.

[mya]

My brother stepped on my flashdrive and snapped it in two. Is there a way to fix it or a company I can send it to to be fixed?

Mya

[no1_vern]

It depends on where it was broken. Since most usb keys are a single pcb slab with a strip extending out into the USB connector, you can get someone who is handy to re-solder it together, and remove your data. While it can be reused, I would suggest that you do NOT trust it to anything valuable.

Here is a article with pics of a USB key and the repairs the writer did(his was a separate issue, the chip had come away from the PCB). To repair a broken USB flash drive - Tips & Tweaks

Sending it off to a company is feasible, but unless your willing to pay about $100 per key, it really isnt an option.

[midwestsurfguy]

A friend of mine had one sticking out of a computer and someone kicked it by accident. The usb plug was bend to the side quite a bit and t did not work. I took the cover off and found 2 of the solder pads for the usb port were torn from the circuit board and one of the bent solder pieces on the USB plug was broken off. I thought about trying to solder a USB cable on to the connections. But when I scraped off the coating to make the solder connections for the cable I realized that the gap from the missing pieces was close enough if I bent the connectors on the USB port a little I could just bridge the gap with a little solder. I soldered a short piece of cable to replace the broken connector. It worked and I got the data off.

I am getting old and needed a magnifying glass to work on the small stuff.

[stutzmanryan]

Search ebay for "broken flash drive" or just follow this link...

Files & Data Recovery for Broken USB Flash Thumb Drive - eBay (item 160319911030 end time Jun-03-09 20:46:28 PDT)

[cksboy15]

or you could buy another flashdrive.