Do not open the USB flash drive - what to do? A flash drive is detected, but it does not open

If you have even the most remote relation to IT, you can not help but know that in recent years the most common data carriers are ordinary memory cards. Prices per gigabyte (yes, about megabytes already no one remembers) are constantly falling, and the reliability remains at the same level.

Today, no one is surprised by the situation when a flash drive for 4-8 GB can simply be presented with information, whose aggregate size does not exceed a couple of megabytes. Previously, no one could even think about this!

But this cheapness has its opposite side. We did not accidentally mention that "the reliability remained at the same level." And this reliability is directly proportional to the size of the flash drive. For example, if a 2 GB memory card under "natural conditions" is almost impossible to be rewritten as many times as it fails, then with a 64 GB card such a trouble can happen easily.

It is especially offensive that even completely new flash drives go out of order so easily, as if they were used for several years! Often they carry a lot of data with them ...

What is it connected with?

Have you noticed how big the flash drives were before, and what are they now? Today there are memory cards the size of a fingernail, which is placed already 32 GB of data. Unfortunately, physics can not be fooled.

For the huge density of data records have to pay. So, for the correction of errors (which in this case will be necessary), there are complex mathematical algorithms. Due to the same recording density, the number of its cycles is greatly reduced. In a word, everything is in the spirit of the modern economy: to release something that has externally attractive characteristics, but forget to say what it is fraught with.

However, enough lyrics. Suppose that you do not open the USB flash drive. What to do and how to be next? To answer this question, one has to deal with theoretical questions.

What are the most common problems with memory cards?

Immediately make a reservation that all the solutions we proposed are valid for Windows, since these operating systems are most common. Note that with regular use of the flash drive and when working with important files, you must constantly make backups of important information.

In this case, even if the flash drive is opened as a shortcut, at least you will not lose important files permanently.

Most often, problems begin after the user pulls out the flash drive without completing the work with it ("Stop the device" function). In this case, often the service information suffers, as a result of which the disk ceases to be defined and read.

What should I do first?

There are many reasons why the USB flash drive does not open. What should I do first? Make sure that you do not have any network drive connected . With Windows, it often happens that the system assigns the same letter to the flash drive as the network drive. In addition, if the memory card is formatted for the NTFS file system, then sometimes you have to assign a letter yourself.

Laptops

Most often, these problems are encountered with laptops, especially the old ones. See if other ports are busy: if each of them is stuck on a splitter, into which you connect a USB light, a fan, and something else, then with a high degree of probability it can be assumed that the motherboard simply can not cope with the load.

Disconnect unnecessary devices, and then try again to insert an unfortunate memory card.

If even after that you can not open it, connect it to another computer. And on it it is impossible to open it? Then almost certainly the problem is in the drive itself. Important! If you do not have a second computer to test the memory card on it, do not forget about the simple fact that the USB connector itself could well be out of order.

Whatever it was, but today it is very difficult to find a car equipped with only one such connector. Try to connect the memory card to all available. Perhaps, at least one of them will read it normally.

Computers

Attention! If we are talking about an ordinary computer with front USB-connectors, then remember about their unpleasant habit for any reason to fail. It is for this reason that a flash drive often does not open. What to do in this case? Go to the store and buy a PCI-card with a whole bunch of new USB.

And again attention! Note that the power of the old power supply and the capabilities of the ancient motherboard (if you have such a computer) can be trivial enough to power this device. So in advance specify its specification at purchase.

Card Readers

If you are wondering why a USB flash drive does not open, another question will be helpful. Until now, we have talked exclusively about their USB-versions, completely overlooked the existence of Micro SD and other memory cards.

So that's it. Cardreaders to work with them are very often far from perfect. Many collectors are guilty of the fact that even in expensive computers they install very questionable Chinese crafts, which literally fall apart after a couple of months.

The author of the article himself observed how a completely new flash drive is defined, but it does not open. And it was connected with the bad quality of the equipment. If possible, try connecting the memory card via another computer.

Pay attention also to the adapter. The fact is that Micro SD connects to the computer only through it. When the quality of Chinese consumer goods often come across faulty adapters. Just replace it, and in most cases all your problems will be solved.

What to do in other cases?

First click on the "Start" button, and then find the "Control Panel" item there. Click the left mouse button on the item "Administration", double click on "Computer Management".

A dialog box opens, on the right side of which you should click on "Storage devices". If you see your flash drive in the list that appeared, and its volume was determined correctly, then the whole thing is in the failure of the file system.

If there are no valuable files on the disk, then it can simply be formatted using standard system tools. In the case where you can not do this, you can use the proprietary utilities for their forced formatting.

With many problems, the program HS2.0_Utility_Repair_2 (suitable for almost all drives), or something with a difficult name CBM2090UMPTOOL, does an excellent job. However, the latter program is a wonderful format for bad Chinese flash drives, so you should not neglect it. If you do not open the USB flash drive (what we do in typical situations, we have already discussed), then it's better to look at the memory card more closely.

A little bit about the existing tricks

Keep in mind that on official websites of all self-respecting manufacturers of memory cards there are special utilities for compulsory formatting. If the USB flash drive does not open on the computer, use their help.

In the event that the volume of the disc is incorrectly determined, everything is much more serious. Most likely, the matter is in the failure of its controller or in serious damage to the internal structure.

If the flash drive is made by unknown Chinese experts, then the risk is high that you bought an old model, the true capacity of which equals 521 MB! Cunning Chinese just re-flashing the controller, and then sell the flash drive to trusting customers.

If you have such a flash drive (does not open, asks to format it), then it's useless to think about its recovery. It is better to immediately buy a new one, and not to spoil your nerves.