Kingston flash drives are very popular due to the fact that they are quite inexpensive and reliable. This is not to say that they are cheaper than others, but their cost can still be called low. But, since absolutely everything breaks in our world, it is not at all surprising that Kingston removable media can also fail.

This happens quite simply - you insert a flash drive into the computer, but it “does not want” to read data from it. The drive can be detected, but everything will look as if there is no data on it. Or simply not all data may be determined. In general, situations can be very different. In any case, we will look at several effective ways to restore the functionality of a Kingston drive.

Kingston has its own flash drive recovery tools. There is also universal method recovery of removable media, which is relevant for devices from any company. We will analyze all the most effective methods.

Method 1: MediaRECOVER

This is one of two proprietary programs from Kingston. To use it, you need to do the following:

The second option looks more " humane"for a flash drive. It just involves restoring the flash drive. In any case, if using MediaRECOVER does not help, move on to the next method.

Method 2: Kingston Format Utility

This is another Kingston proprietary program. It is suitable for all flash drives of this brand, from the DTX 30 series to USB Datatraveler HyperX devices. This utility also formats the flash drive without a chance to save any information. To use Kingston Format Utility, do the following:

Method 3: HDD Low Level Format Tool

Judging by user reviews, this program copes well with damaged Kingston flash drives. Low Level Format Tool works at a low level, so it is quite successful at what it does. And this applies not only to removable media from Kingston. But, again, the utility formats the flash drive and restores its functionality, but not the data from it. To use this program, you need to do very little, namely:

Method 4: Super Stick Recovery Tool

Another very simple program designed to recover Kingmax flash drives, but it is also suitable for Kingston (although for many this will seem quite unexpected). So, to use Super Stick Recovery Tool, do the following:

1. program, insert the USB flash drive and run the executable file.
2. If everything is fine and the program can work with your flash drive, information about it will appear in the main window. Click on the button Update" to start formatting. After that, just wait until the process finishes and try to work with the flash drive again.

Method 5: Search for other recovery utilities

Not all Kingston flash drive models will be suitable for the programs listed in methods 1-4. In fact, there are a lot of similar programs. In addition, there is a single database with information about programs intended for recovery. It is located on the site's iFlash service. The process for using this repository is as follows:

This method is suitable for all flash drives.

Method 6: Standard Windows Tools

If all the methods described above did not help, you can always use standard means Windows formatting.

You can also use standard Windows tool to format a flash drive. Try different combinations of the order of actions - first format, then check and correct errors, and then vice versa. It is quite possible that something will help and the flash drive will become operational again. To format removable media, right-click again on the selected drive in " Computer" In the drop-down menu, click " Format…" Then, in the next window, just click on the button “ Begin».


It is worth saying that all of the methods described above, except for checking the disk with a standard Windows tool, assume complete and irreversible loss of data from the media. Therefore, before performing all these methods, use one of the utilities for data recovery from damaged storage media.

Kingston flash drives are distinguished by their reliability and long service life, but they are also not protected from various failures. Sometimes the drive actually “dies” and it is not possible to restore it. More often there are situations when a flash drive can be brought back to life using a special firmware utility.

Most often, Kingston dt100g2 and datatraveler flash drives break.

Is it possible to recover a flash drive?

Signs that the drive can be restored:

• When you connect a flash drive, a notification appears that a new device has been detected.
• The system prompts you to format the removable disk.
• The drive does not open, but is shown in Explorer.
• Errors occur when reading and writing data.

These problems can be eliminated by flashing the controller or formatting the media, but if the flash drive has important information, then before performing any restoration procedures you need to try to “pull it out”. Use to extract a recovery program like Recuva or so as not to lose the necessary files.

Search for a program for flashing the controller

To restore, you will need a special utility for a Kingston flash drive. To avoid mistakes and download the correct program, you need to know the model of the drive controller.

Method 1

You can view the necessary information on the website flashboot.ru in the iFlash section, using the VID and PID values ​​of the flash drive as a filter.

1. Connect the drive to your computer.
2. Open the device manager (right-click on the “Computer” icon - Manage).
3. Find "USB Mass Storage Device".
4. Right click and open properties.
   
5. Go to the Details section and select the Hardware ID property.

Method 2

Another way to obtain the necessary information is to download the Flash Drive Information Extractor program and click the “Get Data” button. The report will contain the lines “VID” and “PID”; use their value to find a utility that can correctly restore the Kingston Datatraveler flash drive.

You can download the program in the “Files” section on the website flashboot.ru. If the utility is not here, try to find it on other web resources.

Recovery utilities

You can find the desired program without a controller model - just type in the search engine the query “utility recovery kingston" In the results you will see several utilities, among which there will certainly be programs such as Phison Preformat, AlcorMP AU698x RT, etc.

The problem is that Kingston flash drive recovery programs only work if they are compatible with the controller installed in the drive. Therefore, if you download the first repair utility you come across, it may not detect the connected media.

When the desired program is found, you can begin to restore it. Be sure to look at the instructions, which should be packaged in the archive along with the recovery utility - perhaps the program has a special operating procedure. The general recovery procedure looks like this:

You don’t need to do anything else: the program will automatically correct errors and return the flash drive to a working state. This completes the restoration of the Kingston flash drive; If the controller firmware did not help resolve the problem, then the cause of incorrect operation should be sought among hardware faults.

Many users face problems when the USB drive(flash drive), and even such a reliable company as Kingston is no exception. Symptoms that the drive has failed, but it can still be saved are the following:

Problems when writing or reading data from a flash drive to a computer, freezing, crashes;

The flash drive appears in Explorer, or any file manager, but it is impossible to open it, it gives various error messages;

When you connect a drive, the operating system always prompts you to format it (even after the formatting procedure has been completed);

When connecting to a PC, the system displays a message about finding a new device, but it doesn’t go any further;

For the recovery procedure, flash drives are needed special utilities for Kingston. To make the right choice, you need to know the controller model; we need information about the VID and PID of the flash drive (unique identifiers). You can find them out by operating system, or by downloading and installing Flash Drive Information Extractor.

First way. We connect the USB drive, call context menu my computer and go to “Management”, select “Device Manager” in the list of “USB controllers”, find “Storage USB device", in which we also open the context menu and select "Properties". In the properties you need to select the “Details” tab and select “Equipment ID” from the drop-down list. This way we will get the information we need.

Another way is to get the data using Flash programs Drive Information Extractor, after installing it, connect the USB drive and click on the “Get data” button in the program.

Next, you need to use specialized sites to search for the necessary recovery programs (flashboot.ru is popular among them). In one of the sections, namely iFlash, by entering previously obtained data about the VID and PID of the drive, we will receive information that the utility should search for and download.

If you have a Kingston flash drive of 8, 16 or 32 gigabytes in size, then the list of programs for their resuscitation will include the following utilities:
Phison Preformat;
AlcorMP AU698x RT;

After downloading the desired program, install it on your personal computer and launch. We connect the failed USB drive; if it appears in the program window, then it is selected correctly. All you have to do is select it and click on the “Start” button. The utility will correct all errors automatically. Disconnect the flash drive and check the result.

But before you do anything, think about how valuable information is stored on it? If the data is important, then it would be better to try to recover it before and after the firmware. To do this, you can use the Recuva program, or another similar one. And if extremely important data is stored there, which is very important and valuable, then in this case it is better not to do anything on your own. Take the flash drive to a specialized service center, where specialists can restore it without such a high risk to your data.

Restoring a flash drive using the example of Kingston DT

In our example we will use a flash drive Kingston Data Traveler Elite 3.0 16GB. It worked fine for a while, but then strange things started to happen. When trying to delete or write data, the whole process is so slow that it can be said to not move at all. After reconnecting, the system displayed a message asking you to format the disk.

Considering the low importance of the data on the device, it was decided to format it. The formatting process took a long time for a long time and was not completed. Only a message appeared indicating that the formatting attempt was unsuccessful.

We connect our faulty flash drive and run the utility. At the top of the program window there will be a button to receive data, click on it. After this we will see all the information on the device. Pay attention to the values ​​next to VID and PID.

Reflash a faulty Kingston flash drive

For now we disconnect the drive. We launch the utility for flashing (our program is called MPTool.exe). If the application comes with a file called readme.txt, then look into it. Most likely there are instructions there. Please note that there are different utilities and everything may look slightly different for you. But in general, the interface and operating principle should be similar.

After starting the flashing program, you need to connect the flash drive again. After this, the utility will detect the device. Now all that remains is to click on the start button for rewriting the firmware. Let's wait a little until the process is completed.

Upon completion, the program will let you know that everything was successful.

Then a system message will immediately appear that before working with the device it needs to be formatted. But it’s better to immediately disconnect the flash drive and then connect it again. And only after that begin the formatting process. After completing all these procedures, you can check the operation of the flash drive. Everything works as quickly as it should and files are adequately copied and read. Do not forget that some steps may be slightly different from those described in this article. But in general the whole process looks exactly like this.

That's all. Take care of your flash drives and remove the device safely.

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