Hi all! It’s not for nothing that I decided to write an article about how to flash a flash drive – I have experience. Yesterday I restored my flash drive Kingston DT Elite 3.0 16GB. Everything worked out, and I thought, why not write similar instructions, and tell me what to do and how to do it, in order to give the flash drive a new life :).
Nowadays, probably every house has a flash drive and very rarely just one. It’s convenient to transfer information onto them, they’re beautiful, and besides, they’re not expensive these days. But very often USB drives fail. If we talk about why this happens, then we ourselves are in first place. Do you always do a safe removal of your flash drive? So I rarely do. There may, of course, be other reasons why flash drives simply “die”.
One point needs to be clarified here. It happens that the flash drive really “dies”. In this case, it is impossible to restore it. At least at home. But if the USB drive shows at least some signs of life when connected to the computer, then you can try to restore its operation using the controller firmware.
What signs of life might there be for a USB drive?
If there is valuable information on the flash drive, then you can try to restore it before and after the firmware. This can be done using different programs. I advice Recuva, here is the article but there are many other good programs.
If the information is very valuable, then it is better not to do anything yourself so as not to make it worse. Contact special service centers that specialize in data recovery.
Let's now look at the entire process of flashing the controller using a real example, using my Kingston DataTraveler Elite 3.0 16GB flash drive as an example. My flash drive broke down. It’s interesting. I needed to upload files to it and delete those that had already been recorded. I connected it to the computer and started deleting the folder. But the folder was deleted very slowly. I unplugged and plugged this flash drive back in, a message appeared that the disk needs to be formatted “Before using the disk...”.
Since there were no Important files on the flash drive, I started formatting without hesitation.
But the process itself lasted a very long time and never ended, I forcibly stopped it. The message “Windows could not complete formatting” may also appear.
But still, I formatted it, the tenth time, and only in FAT 32. After which the USB drive was detected normally and I was even happy. But it was not there. I started copying files onto it, and the recording speed was approximately 100 kb/s. I decided to flash it, which I did.
First we need determine VID and PID. This is data about the model and manufacturer of the controller, which is located in our drive. Using this data, we will look for a utility for the firmware. There are many different programs that can be used to determine VID and PID. I recommend the utility Flash Drive Information Extractor You can download it from the link.
Connect the USB flash drive to your computer and run the Flash Drive Information Extractor program (extract the program folder from the archive and run the GetFlashInfo.exe file).
Click the button at the top of the program “Get data about the flash drive”.
The program will give us the result. We look at the information that is located opposite VID and PID.
You can copy these numbers, or leave the utility window open, we will now need the received data.
Based on the VID and PID data, we need to find the utility with which we will flash the controller. There is a good website flashboot.ru, which contains a database of flash drives and utilities for their recovery.
In the search results we look for a flash drive similar to ours. The list may include devices from other manufacturers. They just have the same controller, it was identified by VID and PID. You may have noticed that I have a 16 GB flash drive, but in the list I highlighted 32 GB. I think there's nothing wrong with that (just where the name of the utility is not indicated on 16 GB). You try to choose a more similar device from the list.
We are interested in the field UTILS(utility), copy its name in full.
Unfortunately, the utility that I need was not found on this site. Perhaps you will have better luck and you will see something in the search results. Download the utility to your computer.
But I didn’t stop there and started Googling. I just asked “SK6221 MPTool 2013-04-25” and found this utility on some other site. If you have the same flash drive, then this utility is . True, the name of the archive is different, but this did not stop me from successfully curing my flash drive.
Disconnect the flash drive. Extract the folder with the utility from the archive and run .exe file. In my case it is the MPTool.exe file. Also look at the text file readme.txt. Perhaps there are instructions there, or a link to a site with instructions. If the instructions are in English, then translate it using the same translate.google.ru.
I'll tell you how I did it (you just may have a different utility and everything may be different there, but it shouldn’t be very different).
The utility is running. We connect the flash drive. I have information about the flash drive in two lines in the program. Press the button Start. In my case, the yellow strip signaled the firmware process. We wait.
When the process ended, I saw a green color, everything seemed to be fine.
A Windows message should immediately appear asking you to format the disk. But most likely nothing will work out the first time. Unplug the flash drive and plug it back in. The driver should be installed and the removable drive should appear in Explorer. You can format it.
I checked the recording speed, everything is as it should be for USB 3.0, everything is fine!
You need to be prepared for the fact that the actions may differ from those I described. And not everything can work out the first time. The main thing is not to give up and everything will work out!
How to recover a Silicon Power flash drive
In our world, almost everything breaks and Silicon Power flash drives are no exception. The damage is very easy to notice. In some cases, some files begin to disappear from your storage device. Sometimes the drive simply ceases to be detected by the computer or any other device (it happens that it is detected by the computer, but not detected by the phone, or vice versa). Also, the memory card can be detected, but not opened, and so on.
In any case, it is necessary to restore the flash drive so that it can be used again. Unfortunately, in most cases you will not be able to recover any information and it will be permanently deleted. But after this, the USB drive can again be fully used and information can be written to it without fear that it will be lost somewhere. It is worth noting that removable media from Silicon Power very rarely last long after restoration; they still have to be replaced.
You can restore Silicon Power removable media using the programs that the company itself released. Apart from this, there are other software that help in this matter. We will analyze proven methods that have been tested by users from all over the world.
Method 1: Silicon Power Recover Tool
The first and most famous utility from Silicon Power. It has only one purpose - to fix damaged flash drives. Silicon Power Recover Tool works with removable media with Innostor IS903, IS902 and IS902E, IS916EN, and IS9162 series controllers. Its use is extremely simple and looks like this:
Download the utility, open the archive. Then open the folder AI Recovery V2.0.8.20 SP" and run the file RecoveryTool.exe from it.
Method 2: SP ToolBox
The second proprietary program, which includes as many as 7 instruments. We only need two of them. To use Silicon Power ToolBox to recover your media, do the following:
Download the latest version of the program. To do this, go to the official Silicon Power website and below, opposite the inscription “,” click on the download icon. Below are links to download instructions for using SP ToolBox in PDF format; we do not need them.
Next you will be asked to log in or register. It’s convenient that you can log in to the site using your Facebook account. Enter your email address in the appropriate field, check two boxes (“ I agree..." and "I read...") and click on the " Continue».
After this, the archive with the program we need will be downloaded. There is only one file in it, so open the archive and run it. Install SP ToolBox and launch it using the shortcut. Insert the flash drive and select it where it initially says “ No device" Do some diagnostics first. To do this, click on the button " Diagnostic Scan", and then " Full scan" to perform a full scan rather than a quick scan. Under the inscription " Scan result"The result of the check will be written. This simple procedure will allow you to find out whether your media is truly damaged. If there are no errors, most likely it is a virus. Then just scan your drive with an antivirus and remove all malware. If there are errors, it would be best to format the media.
Also, for fun, you can use the health check function (that’s what it’s called) of the flash drive. There is a button for this Health" Click on it and you will see the status of your media under the inscription “ Health».
Critical- means critical condition;
Warming- not very good;
Good- implies that everything is fine with the flash drive.
Under the inscription " Estimated Life Remaining» You will see the approximate service life of the storage media you are using. 50% means that the flash drive has already served half of its life.
Method 3: SP USB Flash Drive Recovery Software
The third program from the manufacturer, which recovers flash drives from Silicon Power with great success. In fact, it performs the same process that users usually do using the iFlash service. Read about what it is and how to use it in the lesson on restoring Kingston flash drives.
The point of using this service is to find the necessary program and use it to restore the flash drive. The search is carried out using parameters such as VID And PID. So, USB Flash Drive Recovery independently determines these parameters and finds the required program on Silicon Power servers. Its usage looks like this:
Download USB Flash Drive Recovery from the company's official website. This is done in exactly the same way as in the case of SP ToolBox. Only if the system requires authorization again, remember that after registration you should have received a password by email, which you must use to log into the system. After authorization, download the archive, open it, then open the only folder that you will see on the screen several times (one folder inside another). Finally, when you reach the final folder, run the file " SP Recovery Utility.exe».
Then everything happens completely automatically. First, the computer is scanned for a Silicon Power flash drive. If one is detected, USB Flash Drive Recovery determines its parameters (VID and PID). Then she searches the servers for a suitable recovery program, downloads it and runs it. All you have to do is press the desired button. Most likely, the downloaded program will look like the image below. If so, just click on the “Recover” button and wait for the recovery to complete.
If nothing happens and all the above processes fail, perform them manually. If scanning does not start, which is highly unlikely, check the box next to the inscription “ Scan Device Information" The field on the right will begin to display relevant information about the ongoing process. Then check the box next to “ Download Recovery Tool Kit" and wait until the program downloads. Then unzip the archive - it's marked " Tool Kit UnZip"and use it, that is, run it - " Execution Tool Kit" Then the recovery utility will launch.
Using this tool also does not make it possible to save the data contained in the drive’s memory.
Method 4: SMI MPTool
This program works with Silicon Motion controllers, which are installed in most Silicon Power flash drives. SMI MPTool differs in that it performs low-level recovery of damaged media. You can use it as follows:
Click on the button Scan USB" to start scanning your computer for a suitable flash drive. After this, your media should appear on one of the ports (column " Items"on the left). Click on it in this column to highlight it. Actually, if nothing happens, it means that the program is not suitable for your carrier.
Now click the button Start" and wait for the recovery to complete.
In some cases, it helps if you do the above steps several times. In any case, it's worth a try. But, again, don’t expect data to be saved.
Method 5: Recuva File Recovery
Finally, we have reached a method that allows us to restore at least part of the damaged information. Only then will it be possible to restore the functionality of the device itself using one of the utilities described above. Recuva File Recovery is not SP's own development, but for some reason it is located on the official website of this company. It is worth saying that this is not the same program that is familiar to all of us. All this only means that Recuva will be the most effective in working with flash drives from Silicon Power.
Only when you choose where you want to scan for deleted or damaged files, select the option " On my media card"(this is step 2). If the card is not detected or no files are found on it, start the whole process again. Only now select the option “ In a specific location" and specify your removable media according to its letter. By the way, you can find it out if you go to “ My computer”(or simply “Computer”, “This computer” - it all depends on the version of Windows).
Scan" at the bottom of the program window.
After the recovery of lost data has been completed, use one of the above utilities to restore the functionality of the entire drive. You can also use the standard Windows tool to check disks and fix errors.
Finally, you can format your removable media using other programs or the same standard Windows tool. As for the latter, you need to do the following:
In the window " Computer"("My Computer", "This Computer"), right-click on your flash drive. In the drop-down menu, select “ Format…».
When the formatting window opens, click on the " Begin" If it doesn’t help, start the process again, but uncheck the box next to “ Quick…».
Good luck to you!
Various problems with USB drives or flash drives are something that probably every owner faces. The computer does not see the flash drive, files are not deleted or written, Windows writes that the disk is write-protected, the amount of memory is displayed incorrectly - this is not a complete list of such problems. Perhaps, if the computer simply does not detect the drive, this guide will also help you: (3 ways to solve the problem). If the flash drive is detected and works, but you need to restore files from it, first I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the material.
If various ways to fix USB drive errors by manipulating drivers, actions in Windows Disk Management or using the command line (diskpart, format, etc.) did not lead to a positive result, you can try utilities and programs for repairing flash drives provided by both manufacturers , for example, Kingston, Silicon Power and Transcend, and third-party developers.
On the official website of Silicon Power, in the “Support” section, a program for repairing flash drives from this manufacturer is presented - USB Flash Drive Recovery. To download, you will need to enter your email address (not verified), then the UFD_Recover_Tool ZIP archive is downloaded, which contains the SP Recovery Utility (requires .NET Framework 3.5 components for operation, will download automatically if necessary).
Similar to the previous program, SP Flash Drive Recovery requires an Internet connection to work and restoration of work occurs in several stages - determining the parameters of the USB drive, downloading and unpacking a suitable utility for it, then automatically performing the necessary actions.
You can download the program for repairing flash drives Silicon Power SP Flash Drive Recovery Software for free from the official website http://www.silicon-power.com/web/download-USBrecovery
If you are the owner of a Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 drive, then on the official Kingston website you can find a utility for repairing this line of flash drives, which will help format the drive and bring it to the condition it had when purchased.
You can download Kingston Format Utility for free from https://www.kingston.com/ru/support/technical/downloads/111247
The manufacturer Adata also has its own utility that will help fix flash drive errors if you cannot read the contents of the flash drive, Windows reports that the disk is not formatted, or you see other errors related to the drive. To download the program, you will need to enter the serial number of the flash drive (so that exactly what is required is downloaded) as in the screenshot below.
After downloading, run the downloaded utility and follow a few simple steps to restore the operation of the USB device.
Official page where you can download ADATA USB Flash Drive Online Recovery and read about using the program - http://www.adata.com/ru/ss/usbdiy/
Several programs are available for Apacer flash drives - different versions of Apacer Repair Utility (which, however, cannot be found on the official website), as well as Apacer Flash Drive Repair Tool, available for download on the official pages of some of the Apacer flash drives (look specifically on the official website your USB drive model and look at the downloads section at the bottom of the page).
Apparently, the program performs one of two actions - simple formatting of the drive (Format item) or low-level formatting (Restore item).
Formatter Silicon Power is a free utility for low-level formatting of flash drives, which, according to reviews (including in the comments to the current article), works for many other drives (but use it at your own peril and risk), allowing you to restore their functionality when no other methods don't help.
The utility is no longer available on the official SP website, so you will have to use Google to download it (I do not provide links to unofficial locations within this site) and do not forget to check the downloaded file, for example, on VirusTotal before launching it.
The SD Memory Card Manufacturers Association offers its own universal utility for formatting the corresponding memory cards if problems arise with them. Moreover, judging by the available information, it is compatible with almost all such drives.
The program itself is available in versions for Windows (Windows 10 is also supported) and MacOS and is quite easy to use (but you will need a card reader).
You can download SD Memory Card Formatter from the official website https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/
The free D-Soft Flash Doctor program is not tied to any specific manufacturer and, judging by reviews, can help fix problems with a flash drive through low-level formatting.
In addition, the program allows you to create an image of a flash drive for subsequent work not on a physical drive (to avoid further malfunctions) - this can be useful if you need to get data from a Flash drive. Unfortunately, the official website of the utility could not be found, but it is available on many resources with free programs.
In fact, there are much more such free utilities for repairing flash drives than are listed here: I tried to take into account only relatively “universal” tools for USB drives from different manufacturers.
It is quite possible that none of the above utilities are suitable for restoring the functionality of your USB drive. In this case, you can use the following steps to find the program you need.
Additionally: if all the described methods for repairing a USB drive did not help, try.
Silicon Power was one of the initiators of the introduction of a lifetime warranty on flash drives and memory cards. However, SP drives are also susceptible to breakdowns: improper removal, viruses, accidental damage, and system errors can cause the removable drive to fail. You can restore MicroSD and flash drives yourself, without turning to specialists.
Signs of a broken flash drive (memory card):
The reasons for the appearance of problems of this kind can be of a software or hardware nature. In any case, recovery of an SP 8 Gb, 16 Gb or 32 Gb flash drive begins with the use of the utilities listed below.
Recovery follows the same algorithm, regardless of the size of the SP media (8 Gb, 16 Gb, 32 Gb, etc.). It should be understood that in most cases, information recorded on a flash drive or memory card will be deleted.
Of course, if you have 16 GB of important data on a removable drive, then it is better to immediately contact specialists, otherwise you will not be able to recover this information later. If your 16 Gb SP flash drive does not contain anything that cannot be deleted, then feel free to use programs to restore the functionality of the Silicon Power drive.
First, try restoring a memory card or flash drive using the USB Flash Drive Recovery utility developed by Silicon Power specialists. You can download the utility on the company’s official website, it is available in the “Support and Service” section.
The program does not require installation: connect a memory card or SP flash drive to your computer, run the utility and specify the drive letter. Click "Recover" to begin recovery. This method is suitable for Silicon Power drives with any capacity - 4 Gb, 16 Gb, etc.
If your flash drive runs on a controller developed by Innostor Technology Corporation, then you can restore it using another utility - Silicon Power UFD3.0 Recover Tool. The program works the same way as USB Flash Drive Recovery - you connect the SP drive, launch the utility, select a letter and press the “Start” button.
There are other utilities for working with controllers from Innostor Technology Corporation. For example, if you have a Silicon-Power Blaze B10 16Gb flash drive, then you can restore it using the Innostor 902 MP Tool program. You can find a suitable utility on the Flashboot.ru website, using the VID&PID of the drive as a filter. You can view the VID&PID of a flash drive through the device manager or in the USB Flash Drive Recovery window. 
The resulting values must be entered on the Flashboot.ru website in the iFlash section. After starting the search, a table report will appear with drives and utilities for their recovery. Paying attention to the model of the flash drive and its size (for example, Size 16 Gb), find the name of the program in the “UTILS” column. 
Download the found utility and use it to flash the controller firmware. If this method does not help return the drive to a working state, then contact flash drive recovery specialists.
In this article, you will learn about programs that can recover data on a flash drive, as well as configure settings so that there are no problems with flash drives in the future.
It is possible to correct various flash drive errors by setting up drivers, connecting the flash drive to different ports, and so on. But if this no longer helps, then you need to use more effective methods and use third-party programs.
I’ll say right away that using such programs to recover flash drives does not always solve, but rather aggravates the problem. Therefore, the choice is yours. This risk is yours and yours alone.
In the article on flash drive repair, we will talk about such popular flash drive manufacturers as Kingston, Adata, Silicon Power and Transcend.
Free programs for recovery and repair of flash drives
UtilityJetFlash Online Recovery forflash drivesTranscend
This utility was previously called JetFlash Recovery Tool, now JetFlash Online Recovery. This is the official utility.
Working with this utility is quite simple: connect the flash drive, run the program and then proceed as the flash drive recovery wizard tells us.
There are two options:
Depending on your luck, if the first option doesn’t help, then move on to the second.
Download the utility for free JetFlash Online Recovery
(downloads: 25494)
UtilityUSB Flash Drive Recovery forflash drivesSilicon Power
The utility is freely available on the manufacturer's official website. You can also download it from our website.
Silicon Power
(downloads: 21273)
Kingston flash drive and its repair
If you have a Kingston flash drive (quite common among users), then you can use the utility from the official website of the Kingston manufacturer.
Download free utility for flash drive Kingston
(downloads: 13663)
Now let's go through utilities and programs that are not a product of a specific manufacturer.
Program for data recovery from flash drive D-Soft Flash Doctor
The program is free. Reviews about it are very flattering, so it can help you recover data from a flash drive.
How can I determine which program is suitable for my flash drive?
It happens that a person does not know what kind of flash drive he has. Therefore, we suggest that you use a program that will determine the memory controller you are using - Chip Genius. The VID and PID parameters will be indicated there, they will be useful to you.
As a result, you will be given search results.
In the Chip Model column you will see which other flash drives, besides yours, use the same controller. The Utils column offers utilities for flash drive recovery. Next, look for the proposed program and use it.
