The benefit of using USB flash drives is that they are very cheap to purchase, versatile and often offer up a good amount of space to keep your files and documents. However, much like any other form of computer hardware, they aren’t exactly indestructible. As, these drives can become damaged or even corrupted, destroying any important files or documents you may have had saved up.

This is why Mac users are often encouraged to take extra care of their hardware and prevent such cases from happening before it’s too late. For instance, when trying to prevent water-spill accidents, we suggest purchasing a waterproof notebook case from Lention. These cases are each made up of sturdy fabrics eg. leather, neoprene etc. And also offer a comfortable fit and sufficient watertight protection for your Mac. Plus with a wide variety of options to choose from, you are bound to find a case that both protects your Mac and suits your style.

However, even if the worst was to happen to your external drive, it doesn’t have to be the end of the road. This is because there are a few ways to recover lost data and we are going to discuss how in this article.

Why Do Flash Drives Fail?

Depending on how often you use them, it’s safe to say that it’s only a matter of time before something unfortunate happens to USB drive. This is especially applicable to those users who often use them across various computers and devices regularly. And while spotting physical damage is actually pretty easy to identify, internal corruption is often the biggest and most unexpected problem that arises, in these situations. Some of the most common USB Flash problems that Mac users experience include;

• Unsafe Ejection
• Virus/Malware Infection
• Computer fails to recognise USB device
• Unable To Open Stored Files
• Accidental Data Deletion
• Damage

If you have experienced or are experiencing any of these problems, then don’t panic or consider throwing out that flash disk just yet. This is because there may still be a way that you can recover those lost files. For instance, any user may end up getting their devices infected by a virus or even experience a bad usb ejection, which could easily lead to file corruption. In such a situation, it’s easy to think that your data is completely gone forever. However, those files may still be in your drive, just not visible or accessible. Another case scenario is if you end up damaging your flash drive and it looks broken.

However, there are some recovery options that you can try before giving up. The first thing you can try to do is safely connect your USB drive through a usb-c hub. For those unfamiliar with this mac accessory, it essentially extends your Mac’s port functionalities and allows you to connect many external devices at once. It is recommended that you use this method to avoid any accidental ejections or slow file transfers that could lead to further file corruption. We also recommend purchasing Lention’s hubs, as they offer dual HDMI output, 100w charging, video and audio output, among many other extra features. They also offer a usb hub with long cable for those users, who prefer some extra distance between them and their external devices.

If you’ve plugged in your drive and still cannot see or access your files then you can perform First Aid using the Disk Utility program. This will diagnose your external drive and try to fix any existing issues. However, if the doesn’t work, you can then go ahead and download a disk recovery tool like Disk Drill. This program will essentially scan for any lost or corrupted data and all you have to do is install it and it will recover any lost files and data.

Conclusion

It is always recommended that you prevent these problems from happening by making regular backups of your files to an external hard drive or cloud storage service, eg, DropBox or iCloud. Moreover, you should try to take better care of your external storage devices to avoid any physical damage that could result in you losing access to your files permanently. You can always purchase a cable organizer from Lention. They all come made of a tough EVA material, which does well to absorb hard impacts. Also, they come with mesh pockets and elastic straps, which is guaranteed to give you a safe place to store multiple cables, external disk drives and accessories, even when on the move. However, as we said in the worst-case scenario, even if you do end up with a damaged flash drive, you can always either use the First Aid program or download the Disk Drill application, which should help you recover your files.