How to Fix an Unreadable USB Flashdisk

 

Flash drives, also known as USB drives or thumb drives, are a popular and convenient way to store and transfer data. However, sometimes a flash drive may stop working or become unreadable. In this article, we will discuss some common reasons why this may happen, and provide step-by-step instructions on how to fix a flash drive that is not being read by a computer.

One of the most common reasons why a flash drive may stop working or become unreadable is because it is corrupted or damaged. This can happen if the flash drive was removed from a computer while it was still in use, or if it was exposed to physical damage or extreme temperatures.

To fix a corrupted or damaged flash drive, follow these steps:

1. On your computer, open the Start menu and type "disk management" in the search box.
2. In the search results, click on the "Create and format hard disk partitions" option.
3. In the Disk Management window, look for the flash drive in the list of disks. It should be listed as "Removable" and have a drive letter assigned to it.
4. Right-click on the flash drive and select the "Format" option.
5. In the Format dialog box, select the "FAT32" file system, and then click on the "OK" button.
6. Wait for the formatting process to complete, and then close the Disk Management window.

If the flash drive is still not being read by the computer after formatting, it may be because the drive is physically damaged. In this case, you may need to replace the flash drive.

Another common reason why a flash drive may stop working or become unreadable is because it is infected with a virus or malware. This can happen if the flash drive is used on a computer that is infected, or if the flash drive is plugged into a public computer that is not secure.

To fix a virus-infected flash drive, follow these steps:

1. On your computer, open the Start menu and type "command prompt" in the search box.
2. In the search results, right-click on the "Command Prompt" option and select the "Run as administrator" option.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:

attrib -h -r -s /s /d E:*.*

Note: In the above command, replace "E" with the drive letter of your flash drive.

4. This command will remove the hidden, read-only, and system attributes from all files on the flash drive. It will also remove any hidden or system folders on the flash drive.

5. Once the command has completed, type the following command and press Enter:

del /f /q /s E:*.lnk

Note: In the above command, replace "E" with the drive letter of your flash drive.

6. This command will delete all .LNK files on the flash drive. These files are commonly used by viruses to create shortcuts on the flash drive.

7. Once the command has completed, type the following command and press Enter:

del /f /q /s E:\autorun.*

Note: In the above command, replace "E" with the drive letter of your flash drive.

8. This command will delete all AUTORUN