Snapped, dead, not recognised or asking to be formatted? We recover data from USB sticks and flash drives of every make — SanDisk, Kingston, Integral, Samsung and more. We re-solder broken connectors and read the memory directly, right down to monolithic drives.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/sdb → Device: SanDisk Ultra (64 GB, USB) → Status: SNAPPED — connector torn off, not detected → Client: Hayes, M. · Fishponds BS16 $ bdr engineer-working → Connector: re-soldered · pads rebuilt → NAND: read direct · controller bypassed → Imaging: 61 GB / 64 GB · 100% read $ bdr verify → ✓ documents — 8,400 files → ✓ photos — 12,600 files → ✓ drive recovered — data back
If your USB stick is snapped, not recognised, asking to be formatted or getting hot, stop plugging it in. A bent or broken connector can short and destroy the memory chip where your data lives, and a controller fault only gets worse with every attempt. Don't format it, don't run repair tools and never superglue the connector back on — just keep it safe and send it in. The less that is done to it, the more we can recover.
From a snapped connector to a stick that simply isn't recognised, these are the USB and flash drive failures we recover from most — physical, controller, NAND and logical.
We recover every make and model of USB stick and flash drive — USB-A and USB-C, standard, monolithic and encrypted, current and old. The brand rarely changes whether your data can be saved.
Including USB-A and USB-C sticks · standard, monolithic and chip-on-board drives · TSOP and BGA NAND · SanDisk Cruzer and Ultra · Kingston DataTraveler · Samsung BAR and Fit · keyring, nano and encrypted drives.
USB data recovery usually starts with the connector. We repair the broken connector or board, reach the memory, and read it directly where the controller has failed — then rebuild your files from the flash.
Tell us what happened — snapped, not recognised, asking to be formatted, dropped in water. We diagnose the fault and send a written quote, usually within 48 hours.
Most USB failures are a broken connector or board. We re-solder the connector, rebuild the torn pads and get the drive talking again.
Where the controller has failed or the firmware is corrupt, we bypass it and rebuild the way your files are mapped across the memory.
When the board cannot be revived, or the drive is monolithic, we read the NAND flash directly from the chip or its test points. This work needs 50% of the fee upfront.
Once we can reach the memory, we take a read-only image, reading weak flash gently so nothing is stressed further.
We rebuild the file system from the image and recover your files and folders, including data from worn or hard-to-read areas.
We return your data on a new drive, or you can download it free for recoveries up to 75 GB.
We recover every make of USB stick and flash drive — SanDisk, Kingston, Integral and the rest — repairing broken connectors and reading the memory directly, right down to monolithic drives.
Tell us what happened and we will get back to you, usually within one working day.
We will be in touch shortly. For anything urgent, call 0117 332 1137.
One fixed price to recover a single USB stick or flash drive — with a free diagnostic and a written quote before any work starts.
A snapshot of recent USB stick and flash drive recoveries across snapped connectors, dead controllers and corruption. Names redacted, results verified.
The connector had torn away from the board. We re-soldered it, rebuilt the pads and recovered every file.
The controller had failed. We bypassed it, read the NAND directly and recovered all of the data.
A firmware fault had hidden the data. We rebuilt access at the controller level and imaged the drive clean.
The board was corroded but the memory survived. We cleaned and repaired it, then recovered nearly everything.
The file system was corrupt, not the hardware. We imaged it read-only and rebuilt it, recovering all the files.
There were no chips to remove, so we found the test points and read the memory directly, rebuilding the data.
Reviews from real Bristol and South West clients whose USB sticks and flash drives we recovered.
I snapped my USB stick in the laptop and panicked — it had the only copy of my photos. They fixed the connector and recovered everything. I cannot recommend them enough.
My USB stick just came up as not recognised and I thought my kids’ photos were gone. They got every one of them back. Worth every penny and lovely people to deal with.
My flash drive went through the wash with all my work on it. They dried it out and recovered the lot. Fast, fair and completely honest.
The stick kept saying please insert a disk and two other places said it was dead. These got the data straight off it. Genuine experts.
Quoted a clear fixed price up front, no fix no fee, and kept me updated the whole way. Got my dissertation back off a snapped USB stick. Brilliant service.
My tiny USB stick was crushed and I assumed it was gone. They somehow read the memory chip and recovered all of it. Honest, skilled and reassuring.
Send us your device for a free diagnostic, and tell us a little about what happened — an engineer will review it and confirm your exact quote in writing before any work begins.
Recovering your data starts with getting the device to us. Pack it safely, add your contact details, and send it over — after we run a free diagnostic, we’ll confirm your exact price in writing before any work begins.
Posting it in? We recommend a tracked, insured service. Prefer to drop it off? You’re welcome Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm — please still package the device as above.
If you need more information on our data recovery service, fill out the form with more detail about your issue and an engineer will review it and give you a custom quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. For anything urgent, call 0117 332 1137.
The questions we are asked most about recovering a USB stick or flash drive.
Usually, yes — and it is one of the most common jobs we do. When a USB stick snaps or the connector breaks off, the memory chip inside almost always survives. We re-solder the connector, rebuild the torn pads or read the memory chip directly, and recover your files.
It means the controller or firmware has failed and the drive cannot mount, not that your data is gone. The files are still on the memory chip. We rebuild access at the controller level, image the drive and recover your data.
Often, yes. USB device not recognised usually means a failed controller or a damaged connector, while the NAND flash holding your data is intact. We repair or bypass the fault and recover your files.
Yes, surprisingly often. Flash drives survive water far better than people expect — the board may corrode but the memory chip usually lives. We clean and dry the drive, repair the board and recover the data. Don't try to dry it by plugging it in.
It is a fixed £250 + VAT to recover a single USB stick or flash drive, with a free diagnostic and a written quote first. If the drive needs connector or board-level work we take 50% of the fee upfront, so most jobs are no fix, no fee.
On most jobs, yes. For connector, board or chip-level work we take a 50% deposit upfront and the rest is only due if we recover your data — so if we can't, you are not left with the full bill.
Often, yes. Unlike SSDs, USB sticks don't usually wipe deleted data straight away, so deleted and formatted files are frequently still there until something overwrites them. Stop using the stick immediately and contact us — the sooner we see it, the better the chance.
Every make — SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, Integral, Verbatim, PNY, Lexar, Corsair, Transcend and the rest, USB-A and USB-C, standard, monolithic and encrypted. The brand rarely changes whether the data is recoverable.
No to both. Recovery software cannot fix a broken connector, a failed controller or damaged flash, and running it on a failing drive can make things worse. And please never superglue a snapped connector — it makes a clean repair much harder. Keep the drive safe and send it in.
Many small modern sticks are monolithic, meaning the controller and memory are fused into a single block with no separate chips to remove. They are harder, but we can usually recover them by finding the test points and reading the memory directly. Only a cracked memory chip itself is beyond recovery.
You can drop it off at our Bristol location Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, or post it to us fully insured. Package the stick in a small box or a padded envelope, seal it, and include your name, address, phone number and email inside the package so we can book it in. We will run the free diagnostic and send a written quote before any work begins.
Free diagnostic, a fixed £250 + VAT per drive, and no fix no fee on most jobs — every make of USB stick and flash drive recovered, broken connectors and all. Start your recovery today.