USB Stick Data Recovery

At Cardiff Data Recovery, we are proud to be Wales’s No.1 USB stick and flash drive data recovery specialists. With over 25 years of dedicated experience, we have helped thousands of home users, businesses, and institutions recover lost, damaged, or corrupted data from faulty or physically damaged USB drives and flash-based storage devices.

If your USB stick has suddenly stopped working, isn’t recognised, or has been physically damaged, contact our engineers today for a free diagnostics.

🔧 Services We Offer – USB & Flash Drive Recovery

We offer professional recovery for all types of USB flash drives and thumb drives, including:

• USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1, and USB-C flash drives
• Encrypted or password-protected USB drives
• NAND-based storage (controller and memory chip-based devices)
• Chip-on-board (COB) USBs
• USB drives from mobile phones or audio/video devices
• Flash drives used in CCTV, security, or point-of-sale systems

Our engineers work with state-of-the-art recovery tools and techniques, including chip-off recovery, monolith pinout access, and firmware controller emulation, to recover data even from completely dead or physically broken USB drives.

💽 Supported USB Brands & Top Models

We recover data from all major UK-sold USB stick and flash drive manufacturers. Here are the most popular brands and best-selling models:

⚠️ Top 30 USB Stick & Flash Drive Faults We Recover

Our lab recovers data from all types of flash drive and USB stick problems. Below is a list of the most common faults along with a brief technical explanation of how we recover data from them:

1. Accidental File Deletion – File metadata recovered via carving and MFT/ROOT table parsing.
2. Accidental Formatting – Recovered using partition reconstruction and signature-based file carving.
3. File System Corruption – Repaired through FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS structure analysis and rebuild.
4. Read/Write Errors – Caused by sector degradation; bypassed using controlled read retry tools.
5. Drive Not Recognised – Often due to controller failure or short circuits; chip-off method applied.
6. Controller Failure – NAND memory is dumped and interpreted via controller emulation.
7. Physical Damage – Broken casing or bent connectors repaired, or NAND chip removed and read directly.
8. Bent or Broken USB Pins – Pins repaired or board replaced, allowing stable read access.
9. NAND Flash Degradation – Data extracted using ECC (Error Correction Code) and remapping.
10. Water or Liquid Damage – Drying, ultrasonic cleaning, and re-soldering to regain access.
11. Overheating Damage – Burnt components replaced; NAND recovery performed.
12. Bad Sectors – Bypassed using advanced imaging tools and CRC-verified cloning.
13. Power Surge Damage – Power circuit protection blown; components replaced to allow data access.
14. Unsupported File System – RAW recovery performed, extracting data by header structure.
15. Partition Table Corruption – Partition rebuilt manually using sector boundary matching.
16. Data Overwritten – Partial recovery from non-overwritten sectors using signature recovery.
17. Virus or Malware Damage – Infected files isolated; others rebuilt from damaged indexes.
18. Manufacturing Defect – Often identified in low-cost drives; requires direct NAND access.
19. File Transfer Interrupted – Transaction logs analysed; partially written files rebuilt.
20. Write-Protected Error – Bypassed with firmware-level access tools.
21. Unresponsive USB Stick – Full disassembly and chip-off read with image reconstruction.
22. Corrupted Boot Sector – Boot records rebuilt to regain file system access.
23. Drive Shows Zero Capacity – Firmware bug corrected via controller mapping tools.
24. Unknown Device Error in OS – Controller remapped or bypassed through direct chip access.
25. Hidden Partitions – Located through sector analysis and restored manually.
26. Chip-on-Board (COB) USB Failures – Requires advanced soldering and pin-out mapping.
27. Monolith USB Failure – Pin-out identification and wire bonding to extract raw data.
28. Short Circuit on Board – Removed components replaced to restore power flow.
29. File Corruption Due to Improper Ejection – Index rebuilt, files restored using backup entries.
30. Looping Device Connection/Disconnection – Fault traced to USB interface, isolated, and repaired.

🧠 Why Choose Cardiff Data Recovery?

• 25 Years of Experience recovering USB sticks and flash-based storage
• Advanced Chip-Level Recovery from monolith and COB designs
• In-House Cleanroom and Recovery Labs
• Support for All USB Brands, Capacities, and Interfaces
• Free Diagnostics – Honest assessment before any recovery begins
• Secure and Confidential Handling of all personal or business data
• Custom Recovery Plans for personal users, businesses, and forensic clients

We understand how important your photos, documents, and work files are. We treat every case with the utmost care, precision, and confidentiality.

📞 Contact Us for a Free Diagnostics Today

If your USB stick or flash drive has failed or has become unreadable, avoid using it further — continued use may reduce the chance of successful recovery.

Contact Cardiff Data Recovery today and speak directly with a data recovery engineer. We’ll diagnose the issue, explain the recovery process, and offer the safest and most effective solution for your situation.