Can you recover deleted files off a flash drive​？

I. Recovering Deleted Files from a Flash Drive

Flash drives are convenient and portable storage devices that we use to store a wide variety of data, including documents, photos, videos, and more. However, it’s not uncommon for files to be accidentally deleted from these drives. The good news is that in many cases, it’s possible to recover those deleted files. 

II. How Data is Stored and Deleted on a Flash Drive

Flash drives use flash memory technology. Data is stored in a series of cells, and when a file is saved, it’s written to these memory cells. When a file is deleted, the operating system (such as Windows, Mac, or Linux) usually doesn’t immediately erase the data from the flash drive. Instead, it marks the space occupied by the file as available for new data to be written. This means that the actual data of the deleted file may still be on the flash drive until it’s overwritten by new data.

For example, if you have a 16GB flash drive and you delete a 1GB file, the 1GB of space is now considered free by the operating system. But the data of that 1GB file is still physically present on the drive until other files are written to that specific area.

III. Conditions for Successful File Recovery

Timing: The sooner you attempt to recover the deleted files, the better the chances of success. As mentioned earlier, the data on a flash drive is only marked as deleted and can be overwritten. If new data is written to the drive after the deletion, it may overwrite the deleted file’s data, making recovery more difficult or even impossible. For example, if you accidentally delete a file and then immediately start copying a large movie onto the flash drive, there’s a high chance that the movie will overwrite the deleted file’s data.

Drive Health: A healthy flash drive is more likely to have successful file recovery. If the flash drive is physically damaged, such as having a broken connector or internal circuitry issues, it can affect the ability to access and recover the data. For instance, if the flash drive has been dropped and no longer functions properly, the chances of recovering deleted files are reduced, but it’s still possible in some cases if the memory chips are intact.

IV. Methods of File Recovery

Using File Recovery Software

There are many commercial and free file recovery software available. Some popular ones include Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and Disk Drill. These software programs work by scanning the flash drive for traces of deleted files.

They search for file signatures and metadata. File signatures are unique patterns that identify different file types. For example, a JPEG image file has a specific header and footer that the recovery software can detect. Metadata includes information like file names, creation dates, and file sizes.

When you run a file recovery software, it usually presents you with a list of recoverable files. You can then select the files you want to recover and save them to another location (preferably not the same flash drive to avoid overwriting data). For example, if you’re using Recuva, it will show you a preview of the recoverable files such as text documents with a snippet of the content and image thumbnails.

Manual Recovery in Operating Systems

Windows: In Windows, you can try using the Previous Versions feature. If System Restore points have been created and the flash drive was included in the backup, you may be able to access previous versions of files. To do this, right – click on the flash drive in File Explorer, select Properties, and then go to the Previous Versions tab. However, this method has limitations as it depends on the availability of System Restore points and whether the flash drive was part of the backup.

Mac: Mac’s Time Machine can also be used in a similar way if the flash drive was backed up. By connecting the flash drive and accessing Time Machine, you can search for previous versions of files. But again, this requires the flash drive to have been included in the Time Machine backups.

V. Precautions During File Recovery

Avoid Writing New Data to the Flash Drive: As we’ve emphasized, writing new data to the flash drive can overwrite the deleted files. So, once you realize that files have been deleted and you want to recover them, refrain from using the flash drive for any other purpose such as saving new files or installing software onto it.

Use a Read – Only Adapter: If the flash drive’s connector is damaged or you suspect that it might cause further damage during the recovery process, you can use a read – only adapter. This ensures that no accidental writes occur to the flash drive while still allowing you to access the data for recovery purposes.

VI. Professional Data Recovery Services

In cases where the above methods don’t work or if the flash drive contains extremely important data, you may consider professional data recovery services. These services have specialized equipment and expertise to deal with complex data recovery scenarios.

Professional data recovery technicians can handle physically damaged flash drives, including those with water damage, broken chips, or other severe hardware issues. They use techniques such as chip – level data recovery, where they directly access and manipulate the memory chips inside the flash drive to retrieve data. However, these services can be quite expensive and may take several days or even weeks to complete, depending on the complexity of the recovery.