Flash Drive Data Recovery

Flash drives fall into two main categories: NAND Chip and Monolithic

Most flash drives contain two major components. The memory chip and the controller chip. The controller chip controls how and where the data is stored on the chip. We have the technology and training to remove the chip or chips to bypass any failed components in order to gain direct access to the RAW data on the chip. This is just the beginning. The controller uses special algorithms to write the data to the chip. This means the RAW data on the chip is scrambled Each controller and chip has to be reverse engineered to successfully gain access to the data. The process is extremely complicated and time-consuming. This process (called chip-off work) is necessary in many cases where the flash drive is no longer recognized by your computer or is recognizing as the incorrect size.

Monolithic flash drive technology is the newest flash technology on the market and is becoming more popular. Monolithic flash drives are basically a hunk of plastic with all of the microscopic electronics molded inside. Monolithic flash drives do contain a data area and a controller area. This new technology has created many problems for the data recovery industry because of the complicated microscopic structure of the device. We must carefully scrape away the plastic to reveal the electronic points that we use to gain direct access to the data of a failed monolithic flash drive. Once the plastic is removed, we have to figure out the specific parts we need to connect to in order to bypass the controller and gain direct access to the data. There are hundreds of different versions of these “pin-outs.” The pin-out is extremely complicated to figure out. We then have to connect to 16 very tiny points on the drive that connects to an adapter. Once we have completed this process, we are then able to read in the RAW data to our equipment. Finally, we have to reverse engineer the algorithms used to write the data to the device so we can unscramble it.

Flash Drive Failures

Logical Flash Drive Failure:

Flash drives are susceptible to logical failures because they often get put in and taken out of your computer. Sometimes, disconnecting a flash drive without properly ejecting it can cause damage to critical firmware components of the drive. If your flash drive is suddenly asking to be formatted and you're confident your drive is not physically damaged, you may be able to recover it yourself. Give us a call and we can recommend some good software.

Physical Flash Drive Failure:

Because of their size, flash drives are very susceptible to being bent, broken, smashed, chewed, or damaged by liquid. Sometimes they just fail due to use or age. If your flash drive is no longer recognized by your computer or it is recognizing as the wrong size, there is a high chance your flash drive is suffering from a physical failure. We highly recommend that you disconnect it and give us a call.

User Error (Deleted, Formatted):

It's very easy to accidentally make a mistake and delete files or format your flash drive. Deleted data or formatted flash drives can be recovered depending on what you have done since deletion or formatting. If you turned off your flash drive immediately, we can probably recover all of your files. However, if you have since saved any data to the drive, there is a good chance you have written over your desired data. Unlike what is seen on crime dramas on TV, once the deleted data is overwritten, it becomes impossible to recover.