Data Recovery Tips: How to Maintain USB Flash Drives

USB flash drives (a.k.a., USB memory sticks or USB thumb drives) are inexpensive, common storage devices; They are handy yet relatively large in storage capacity. Besides that, USB flash drives are really easy to use: plug one into a computer's USB port and you can access the documents stored on the drive immediately. However, just like other forms of storage mediums, they are not immune to failure and degradation. Basic cares can prolong its life span, and it must be protected to avoid any potential risks of data loss.

1.Preserve in Safe Environment

USB flash drives contain several electronic parts in their cases. These include a tiny circuit board and a piece of NAND memory unit. Just like any other electronic parts,  being exposed to moisture, excessive heat or cold can shorten their working life and cause malfunctioning. 

Dust or lint that settles into the USB connector can compromise its ability to make a proper connection to the USB port of your computer. Even worse, dust that creeps into the circuit board will cause potential damage and finally lead to failure. So it is important to keep your USB flash drives in a dry, clean environment free from contaminations. 

If the device comes with a removable cap, keep it on until you need to use it. The metal wires in the connector might oxidize if being exposed to air for too long.

2.Avoid physical impact

USB flash drives have seemingly sturdy cases. However, even USB flash drives with metal cases, the electronic parts in them are fragile and delicate. Should any part fail, the USB flash drive might just cease working. It is not recommended to attach your USB flash drive to your keychains. The clanking and clashing may do damage to the USB drives, and the weight of keys may stress the solder joint between the connector and the circuit board.

3.Do not leave a flash drive plugged in all the time

When you have done using a USB flash drive, safely remove it from the host computer. Being plugged into a computer can potentially accelerate the wear-out process of a USB drive.

Here is some advice for you when using USB flash drives.

1. Make sure your host computer is virus-free

Normally, people have only one partition on a USB drive. If infected with virus, the chances of you losing all the data on the USB drive is high.

2.Don’t remove the USB flash drive during the read/write process

Removing a USB flash drive when it is reading or writing data can lead to logical file system damage, causing data corruption or data loss.The unsafe removal can also make USB flash drives unreadable or unrecognizable. It is very important to use the Safely Remove Hardware notification icon to remove the device from the system. Even if you have enabled the Quick Removal, it is not recommended to unplug a USB flash drive while it is reading or writing information. 

3.Unplug the USB flash drive when not using

The life span of a USB flash drive is determined by the read/write circle of the memory chip. The total number is finite which means the USB drives can eventually wear out. By leaving them plugged in, their life span may potentially be shortened.

4. How to recover data in the event that USB flash drives fail

A professional data recovery software would be sufficient to recover data from accidental deletion or formatting. It is important to choose a software that is capable of scanning and recovering data from USB flash drives, like Hdata Recovery. Its unique algorithm can deep scan the file structure and recover files free from corruption. If you should have any problem regarding this software, be sure to contact the 24/7 online support team for advice.