home > Internet > Datatraveler 100 g2 is not detected. Flash drive recovery: controller detection, flash drive firmware

Datatraveler 100 g2 is not detected. Flash drive recovery: controller detection, flash drive firmware

Good day!

If your flash drive begins to constantly fail: it does not format, when connected to a computer it often freezes, when copying files to it errors occur, but it has not been subjected to mechanical impact- There is a CHANCE for restoring its functionality!

It would be nice if, when connecting a flash drive, it was at least somehow detected, for example: a connection sound is made, the flash drive is displayed in "my computer", the LED on it blinks, etc. If the computer does not see the flash drive at all, then first I recommend reading this article:

In general, give universal instructions, how and with what program what to do to restore a flash drive - impossible! But in this short article I will try to give an algorithm that will help even novice users to understand the problem and solve it.

Restoring a flash drive // step by step

Controller Model Definition

By the will of fate, it turned out that I had one flash drive, which Windows refused to format - an error occurred "Windows can't complete formatting". The flash drive, according to the owner, did not fall, no water got on it, and in general, it was handled quite carefully...

All that was clear after examining it was that it was 16 GB, and its brand was SmartBuy. When connected to a PC, the LED lit up, the flash drive was detected and visible in the explorer, but it did not work properly.

SmartBuy 16 GB - "experimental" non-working flash drive

To restore normal operation of the flash drive, you need to reflash the controller chip. This is done with special utilities, and for each type of controller there is its own utility! If the utility is chosen incorrectly, then with a high degree of probability you will completely ruin the flash drive... I’ll say even more, for one model range flash drives - there may be different controllers!

Each device have their own unique identification numbers - VID and PID , and the flash drive is no exception. To select the correct flashing utility, you need to determine these identification numbers (and the controller model based on them).

One of the most simple ways find out the VID, PID, and model of the flash drive controller - use this special utilities. One of the best of its kind is .

Flash Drive Information Extractor

Small free utility, to get maximum information about the flash drive. No need to install it!

The program will determine the model of the USB flash drive, model and type of memory (all modern flash drives are supported, at least from normal manufacturers)...

The program will work even in cases where it is not defined file system flash drives when the computer freezes when connecting the media.

Information received:

controller model;

possible options for memory chips installed in the flash drive;

type of installed memory;

maximum current consumption declared by the manufacturer;

USB version;

the full physical volume of the disk;

disk space reported by the operating system;

VID and PID;

Query Vendor ID;

Query Product ID;

Query Product Revision;

Controller Revision;

Flash ID (not for all configurations);

Chip F/W (for some controllers), etc.

Important! The program only works with USB flash drives. MP3 players, phones and other devices - it does not recognize. It is advisable, before starting the program, to leave only one flash drive connected to the USB ports, from which you want to get maximum information.

Working with Flash Drive Information Extractor

We disconnect everything that is connected from the USB ports (at least all drives: players, external hard disks etc.).
Insert the flash drive to be repaired into the USB port;
We launch the program;
Press the button "Get information about the flash drive" ;
After some time, we get maximum information about the drive (see screenshot below).
If the program freezes- don’t do anything and don’t close it. Remove the flash drive from the USB port after a couple of minutes, the program should “hang” and you will see all the information that it managed to pull out from the flash drive...

Now we know the information about the flash drive and we can start searching for the utility.

Information about the flash drive:

VID: 13FE; PID: 4200;

Controller model: Phison 2251-68 (second line in the screenshot above);

SmartBuy 16 GB.

Addition

You can reliably determine the controller model if you disassemble the flash drive. True, not every flash drive case is collapsible, and not every one can be put back together later.

Usually, to open the casing of a flash drive, you need a knife and a screwdriver. When opening the case, be careful not to damage the inside of the flash drive. An example of a controller is shown in the screenshot below.

Disassembled flash drive. Controller model: VLI VL751-Q8

Addendum 2

You can find out the VID and PID of a flash drive using the device manager (in this case, you don’t need to install anything). True, in this case we will not recognize the controller model, and there is some risk that VID and PID it will not be possible to accurately identify the controller. And yet, suddenly the above utility freezes and does not provide any information at all...

How to find a utility for flashing a flash drive

Important! After flashing the flash drive, all information on it will be deleted!

1) Knowing the controller model, you can simply use search engines (Google, Yandex for example) and find what you need.

The operating algorithm is as follows:

We go to the site:
Enter yours VID and PID into the search bar and look for it;
You'll likely find dozens of lines in the results list. Among them you need to find a line that matches: controller model, your manufacturer, VID and PID, flash drive size .
Further in the last column you will see the recommended utility. By the way, please note that the version of the utility also matters! All that remains is to download the necessary utility and apply it.

After you find and download the required utility, run it and format the media - in my case, you only had to press one button - Restore .

Formatter SiliconPower v3.13.0.0 // Format and Restore. An end-user utility designed for both low-level and high-level (FAT32) formatting of flash drives on Phison controllers of the PS2251-XX line.

After a couple of minutes of blinking the LED on the flash drive, it began to work normally, messages from Windows about the impossibility of formatting no longer appeared. Result: the flash drive was restored (became 100% working) and given to the owner.

That's all, actually. I would be grateful for any additions on the topic. Good Luck!

But before you do anything, think about how valuable the information is stored on it? If the data is important, then it would be better to try to recover it before and after the firmware. For this you can use Recuva program, or another similar one. And if extremely important data is stored there, which is very important and valuable, then in this case it is better not to do anything on your own. Take the flash drive to a specialized service center, where specialists will be able to restore it with a less high risk to your data.

Restoring a flash drive using the example of Kingston DT

In our example we will use a flash drive Kingston DataTraveler Elite 3.0 16GB. It worked fine for a while, but then strange things started to happen. When trying to delete or write data, the whole process is so slow that it can be said to not move at all. After reconnecting, the system displayed a message asking you to format the disk.

Considering the low importance of the data on the device, it was decided to format it. The formatting process took a long time and was not completed. Only a message appeared indicating that the formatting attempt was unsuccessful.

We connect our faulty flash drive and run the utility. At the top of the program window there will be a button to receive data, click on it. After this we will see all the information on the device. Pay attention to the values next to VID and PID.

Reflash a faulty Kingston flash drive

For now we disconnect the drive. We launch the utility for flashing (our program is called MPTool.exe). If the application comes with a file called readme.txt, then look into it. Most likely there are instructions there. Please note that there are different utilities and everything may look slightly different for you. But in general, the interface and operating principle should be similar.

After starting the flashing program, you need to connect the flash drive again. After this, the utility will detect the device. Now all that remains is to click on the start button for rewriting the firmware. Let's wait a little until the process is completed.

Upon completion, the program will let you know that everything was successful.

Then a system message will immediately appear that before working with the device it needs to be formatted. But it’s better to immediately disconnect the flash drive and then connect it again. And only after that begin the formatting process. After completing all these procedures, you can check the operation of the flash drive. Everything works as quickly as it should and files are adequately copied and read. Do not forget that some steps may be slightly different from those described in this article. But in general the whole process looks exactly like this.

That's all. Take care of your flash drives and remove the device safely.

This might come in handy.

Kingston flash drives are distinguished by their reliability and long service life, but they are also not protected from various failures. Sometimes the drive actually “dies” and it is not possible to restore it. More often there are situations when a flash drive can be brought back to life using a special firmware utility.

Most often, Kingston dt100g2 and datatraveler flash drives break.

Is it possible to recover a flash drive?

Signs that the drive can be restored:

When you connect a flash drive, a notification appears that a new device has been detected.
The system prompts you to format the removable disk.
The drive does not open, but is shown in Explorer.
Errors occur when reading and writing data.

These problems can be eliminated by flashing the controller or formatting the media, but if the flash drive has important information, then before performing any restoration procedures you need to try to “pull it out”. Use to extract a recovery program like Recuva or so as not to lose the necessary files.

Search for a program for flashing the controller

To restore, you will need a special utility for a Kingston flash drive. In order not to make a mistake and download the right program, you need to know the drive controller model.

Method 1

Look necessary information You can go to flashboot.ru in the iFlash section, using the VID and PID values of the flash drive as a filter.

Connect the drive to your computer.
Open the device manager (right-click on the “Computer” icon - Manage).
Find "USB Mass Storage Device".
Right click and open properties.
Go to the Details section and select the Hardware ID property.

Method 2

Another way to obtain the necessary information is to download the Flash Drive Information Extractor program and click the “Get Data” button. The report will contain the lines “VID” and “PID”; use their value to find a utility that can correctly restore the Kingston Datatraveler flash drive.

You can download the program in the “Files” section on the website flashboot.ru. If the utility is not here, try to find it on other web resources.

Recovery utilities

You can find the desired program without a controller model - just type in the search engine the query “utility recovery kingston" In the results you will see several utilities, among which there will certainly be programs such as Phison Preformat, AlcorMP AU698x RT, etc.

The problem is that Kingston flash drive recovery programs only work if they are compatible with the controller installed in the drive. Therefore, if you download the first repair utility you come across, it may not detect the connected media.

When the desired program is found, you can begin to restore it. Be sure to look at the instructions, which should be packaged in the archive along with the recovery utility - perhaps the program has a special operating procedure. The general recovery procedure looks like this:

You don’t need to do anything else: the program will automatically correct errors and return the flash drive to operational state. This completes the restoration of the Kingston flash drive; If the controller firmware did not help resolve the problem, then the cause of incorrect operation should be sought among hardware faults.

Restoring USB flash drives has its own characteristics. The good news is that these devices, unlike SD cards, are repairable. Therefore, if you cannot exchange a flash drive under warranty, why not take advantage of the 60-70% chance to have it repaired.

The article will discuss various cases, typical problems problems associated with the failure of flash drives, and solutions for them.

Recover data or repair a flash drive?

These are not the same thing, although the concepts are interrelated.

The main task that the repair solves is to restore the functionality of the flash drive so that it:

was defined as a storage device in Disk Management,
was correctly defined in Explorer,
read and wrote data.

As a result of repair usb flash drives It’s easy to lose all the data on it, but it will still be writable and readable.

File recovery is only possible on a working USB flash drive.

The main reasons for failure of a USB flash drive

How to understand that a USB flash drive needs repair:

When a flash drive is connected, the LED on its case does not light up;
The device is not recognized on another computer/laptop;
The flash drive is detected as an unidentified usb device.

Damaging a USB drive is as easy as shelling pears. Like any physical device, flash memory is susceptible external influences(impact, thermal impact, water ingress, etc.). In addition, there are a number of software errors due to which the flash drive does not work.

The contacts of the USB connector are damaged

Often, the problem lies in a damaged contact between the controller and the USB connector.

How to check. To check the flash drive for this problem, test it on another computer. Alternatively, insert another flash drive (if available) into the USB port of the same computer.

If other flash drives can be read on a PC without problems, the problem is probably in the current storage medium.

If you are unable to read data from a flash drive only on this computer, the problem may be in the USB sockets motherboard PC or laptop.

How to fix.

Here is a link to a third-party guide on how to repair a USB connector: DIY USB connector repair on a laptop.
If you don't want to fiddle with wires, it's better to give away a PC or flash drive with a broken usb port for repairs. The approximate cost of USB replacement is $20–50.

Hardware/mechanical problem: controller damaged

Most often, everything depends on the flash drive controller, which is the main link in the operation of the drive. The controller contains important microcircuits, and disconnecting a contact or burning out a leg will make data recovery on a flash drive very problematic.

How to fix a flash drive.

Replace the controller yourself (which is unrealistic at home).
Take the USB drive to a service center - but repairing the flash memory will cost a lot of money. You won't find a controller for a USB flash drive on sale. The laboratory can find a donor flash drive and “transplant” the faulty controller.
If the data stored on a flash drive is vital and you would like to recover it, the laboratory may use an expensive hardware and software system to retrieve the data bypassing the hardware controller.

You can find out the cost of services directly from specialists at a company that repairs flash drives in your city. It can start from $30 and go up to $500 - 1000.

Reflashing a damaged flash drive

The USB flash drive contains firmware - microcode with service data. If the USB firmware is damaged, the USB flash drive will inevitably stop working.

How to fix. Such a flash drive cannot be formatted using ordinary universal software like SDFormatter; it will require complete “trephination” - flashing. This will require proprietary utility from the manufacturer.

However, you can reflash the flash drive only by finding out the name of the controller. The difficulty is that manufacturers, as a rule, use different types and models of controllers and can implement not only their own, but also other people’s developments. Therefore, it is not always possible to immediately determine the type of flash memory controller.

Fortunately, there are special programs that allow you to determine the VID&PID* type for Transcend drives, Silicon Power and etc.; We will list them with a link to the installers.

(* VID – manufacturer identifier, PID – device identifier.)

After the warranty repair, all the photos on the smartphone and on the SD card disappeared.

Answer. A very vague question. Warranty repairs were carried out on what - mobile device or memory cards? All your claims against the performers are governed by your contract.

As for data recovery on an SD card, use specialized applications, which, in fact, are what this site is dedicated to.

A 2GB flash card from an old Nokia phone, the phone sees the flash drive perfectly, the tablet and other phones do not see it. My equipment sees other people's flash cards.

Answer. If other flash cards do not open on your, as you say, old Nokia, it is most likely because the phone simply does not support new technologies. Review the documentation and specifications for your device. Perhaps it's time to upgrade your hardware?

My 32GB micro flash drive broke in half. How can I recover information on this flash drive? Please tell me where and who can help me, how to fix the flash drive?

Answer. Alas, this flash drive cannot be repaired or at least somehow reanimated. If the firmware on your flash drive crashed, then you could give it some chance of recovery. As for physical damage, it all depends on the damage. If the flash memory chips are intact, you can read the data through a PC 3000 Flash reader, etc.

Only Possible Solution(if the files are not particularly important) – purchase a new microSD card.

The flash drive does not open, does not appear as a removable disk, and does not appear in the device manager. Physical impact is excluded, because There are three such flash drives, different people worked with them.

Answer. You haven't specified the type of memory you are working with. In any case, if a flash drive or SD card does not open, I would advise checking the operation of the flash card on other devices. Test it on other phones or devices that you can connect it to. If it is an SD card, try connecting it to your PC via a card reader.

Check if the connected device is detected in Device Manager. If yes, use any disk partitioning program or standard using Windows, or proprietary software available on the flash drive developer’s website to format the flash drive in NTFS or FAT.

While formatting the flash drive (transcend), the flash drive was pulled out from the PC. It was clear that it would no longer work, a check confirmed this. The computer does not detect the flash drive, the indicator blinks all the time, it is not in “my computer”, it is in the device manager, it says that it works fine, it is defined as a storage device. Help me restore the transcend flash drive!

Answer. The file table on your flash drive is probably damaged. You can still restore the operation of a flash drive if you create a partition on it and format it. You can revive a flash drive, as already mentioned, using specialized utilities like Acronis Disc Director, etc., but it is best to use the TestDisk application to partition and restore a transcend flash drive.

The flash drive was encrypted in TrueCrypt, I reinstalled the OS, mounted the flash drive, the files were displayed, but when I tried to open them, it gave me an error - access denied. Tell me, is it possible to save information if the flash drive is not detected after encryption?

Answer. You will need a client program to work with Truecrypt. Alas, on this moment The truecrypt.org website is unavailable and the project itself is closed. So try to find the application somewhere on the Internet. After this, when opening files, you will be required to enter a password to access your files.

The flash drive is reset and the system requires formatting the flash drive, but I need to save very important and expensive files. Help!

Answer. Under no circumstances agree to format your flash drive! Instead, use data recovery software and try to recover the missing partition on your storage device. You can safely copy all saved information to HDD and then search among these rubble for exactly what you need.

There is a JetFlash Transcend 8GB flash drive. No longer determined by the system. Formatted it with JetFlash Online Recovery and she deleted all data from the flash drive. Is it now possible to recover the Transcend flash drive, that is, the data on it?

Answer. The Unformat program is suitable for restoring a Transcend flash drive. The chances of recovery depend on the depth of formatting. Anyway, use the deep scan option. Alternatively, try Recuva with a similar scanning option.

Many users face problems when the USB drive(flash drive), and even such a reliable company as Kingston is no exception. Symptoms that the drive has failed, but it can still be saved are the following:

Problems when writing or reading data from a flash drive to a computer, freezing, crashes;

The flash drive appeared in Explorer, or any file manager, but it is impossible to open it, it produces various error messages;

When you connect a drive, the operating system always prompts you to format it (even after the formatting procedure has been completed);

When connecting to a PC, the system displays a message about finding a new device, but it doesn’t go any further;

To restore the flash drive, you need special utilities for Kingston. To make the right choice, you need to know the controller model; we need information about the VID and PID of the flash drive (unique identifiers). You can find them out by operating system, or by downloading and installing Flash Drive Information Extractor.

First way. We connect the USB drive, call context menu my computer and go to “Management”, select “Device Manager” in the list of “USB controllers”, find “Storage USB device", in which we also open the context menu and select "Properties". In the properties you need to select the “Details” tab and select “Equipment ID” from the drop-down list. This way we will get the information we need.

Another way is to get the data using Flash programs Drive Information Extractor, after installing it, connect the USB drive and click on the “Get data” button in the program.

Next, you need to use specialized sites to search for the necessary recovery programs (flashboot.ru is popular among them). In one of the sections, namely iFlash, by entering previously obtained data about the VID and PID of the drive, we will receive information that the utility should search for and download.

If you have a Kingston flash drive with a size of 8, 16 or 32 gigabytes, then the list of programs for their resuscitation will include the following utilities:
Phison Preformat;
AlcorMP AU698x RT;

After downloading the desired program, install it on your Personal Computer and launch. We connect the failed USB drive; if it appears in the program window, then it is selected correctly. All you have to do is select it and click on the “Start” button. The utility will correct all errors automatically. Disconnect the flash drive and check the result.