Author Topic: USB flash drive question  (Read 1035 times)

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Offline fohat.digs

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USB flash drive question
« on: Wed, 14 August 2024, 09:45:38 »
I have a couple of USB flash drives (in the 16GB to 32GB size range) that do not seem to work any more, although they look good on the outside.

They report as "Unable to mount USB drive .... " and something like "likely corrupted file system .... "

My guess is that they cannot be trusted for future use, but I would like to find out what is on them if I could. Linux Mint will go no further than telling me that it is unable to mount them.

Is there anything to do with them except drop them in the waste basket? Would leaving them on a strong magnet for a few hours allow me to reformat them?

Thanks!

How the hell or why did you become a DEMO-crat?” He asked.
“Long story, but it started with Nixon, then I was educated and know history as the Republicans are all about getting power to exploit it to their benefit, while Democratic politicians, for the most part, are for distributing things more equitably. I’ll finish with the overwhelming sociological and psychological evidence in studies that identify that conservatives see the world through inherent inequity where the elite or those who seek to be elite are superior to the commoners, and it is they who should lead. At the same time, liberals look at the world as inequality and seek to make the world more equitable, and that all should be represented. Ultimately, conservatives trust those in authority, while liberals inherently distrust those in authority to take advantage for themselves or their constituency.”
He looks up and says, “No one ever explained that to me, and then asks, “If **** Cheney thinks that Trump is that bad, then it's not about DEMO-crats vs Republicans, is it.”
I resume walking and then say, “Hey, you got it; it's the Democratic and old Republican parties versus Trumpism, which is American fascism aided by the Russians.”
- RWN 2024-09008

Offline Osidian

  • Posts: 31
Re: USB flash drive question
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 14 August 2024, 19:40:55 »
Hello!
I wouldn't recommend using a magnet on the USB flash drives. Flash memory is different from hard drives that have magnetic storage, it might cause further issues. There are some applications you can use that may help to recover data like TestDisk. Hope this helps!   

Offline Leslieann

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Re: USB flash drive question
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 15 August 2024, 04:16:59 »
Magnets shouldn't effect flash memory at al.

I've had drives go bad like this, sometimes you can format and use them, just don't trust them for anything important, most times though they either won't format but even if they do, the drive usually fails again soon after. My fix at that point is to drill a hole through the chip and toss it. Flash drives aren't built well, the number of writes is usually pretty low and the electronics inside are often cut rate even from decent brand names, this is why they aren't recommended for backup unless you have several copies.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: USB flash drive question
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 15 August 2024, 07:56:19 »
Thanks guys. The answer is: the garbage can.
How the hell or why did you become a DEMO-crat?” He asked.
“Long story, but it started with Nixon, then I was educated and know history as the Republicans are all about getting power to exploit it to their benefit, while Democratic politicians, for the most part, are for distributing things more equitably. I’ll finish with the overwhelming sociological and psychological evidence in studies that identify that conservatives see the world through inherent inequity where the elite or those who seek to be elite are superior to the commoners, and it is they who should lead. At the same time, liberals look at the world as inequality and seek to make the world more equitable, and that all should be represented. Ultimately, conservatives trust those in authority, while liberals inherently distrust those in authority to take advantage for themselves or their constituency.”
He looks up and says, “No one ever explained that to me, and then asks, “If **** Cheney thinks that Trump is that bad, then it's not about DEMO-crats vs Republicans, is it.”
I resume walking and then say, “Hey, you got it; it's the Democratic and old Republican parties versus Trumpism, which is American fascism aided by the Russians.”
- RWN 2024-09008