Plymouth Data Recovery — No.1 USB Stick & USB Flash Drive Specialists (25+ years)

Plymouth Data Recovery provides professional recovery for all USB flash drives (USB-A, USB-C, micro-USB OTG, dual-interface) and all fault types—from bent connectors and controller failures to deep chip-off NAND reconstructions. We work forensically: stabilise → acquire read-only clones/dumps → rebuild on the copy (never on your original). Free diagnostics with clear options before any paid work begins.

Top 20 USB Flash Drive Brands in the UK & Popular Lines

1. SanDisk — Ultra / Ultra Fit / Extreme Pro / iXpand / Dual Drive USB-C

2. Samsung — BAR Plus / FIT Plus / DUO Plus (USB-C↔A)

3. Kingston — DataTraveler Exodia/Max, DT Kyson, DT MicroDuo (OTG), IronKey (encrypted)

4. Lexar — JumpDrive S47/S80/S75, F35 (fingerprint)

5. PNY — Elite-X / Turbo / Pro Elite, Duo-Link (dual)

6. Integral — Neon / Courier / Crypto (FIPS) / UltimaPro

7. Transcend — JetFlash 790/920/930C, 890 (Type-C)

8. Corsair — Flash Voyager / Survivor (rugged) / GTX

9. ADATA — UV128/UV150, SE9, UE700 Pro, AI series

10. Patriot — Supersonic Rage / Magnum / Boost

11. Verbatim — Store ‘n’ Go / PinStripe / Metal Executive

12. TeamGroup — C186/C212, M211 OTG, PD series

13. Toshiba / KIOXIA — TransMemory U365/U301/U303

14. Sabrent — Rocket Nano (USB-C) enclosures/thumb SSDs

15. Silicon Power — Blaze / Touch / Jewel / Mobile C-series

16. Kingston IronKey — S1000/D300/D400 (HW-encrypted)

17. iStorage — datAshur PRO/Personal (PIN keypad, FIPS)

18. LaCie — Key/ItsaKey (legacy), USB-C mini SSDs

19. OWC — Envoy/Express (mini SSD thumb enclosures)

20. Intenso — Alu Line / Speed Line / Ultra Line

Memory card types we also handle (for comparison/combos with USB readers)

SD/SDHC/SDXC/SDUC, microSD family, CF/CFast/CFexpress, XQD, xD-Picture, Memory Stick, UFS Card. Popular card lines: SanDisk Extreme/Pro, Samsung PRO/Endurance, Kingston Canvas React Plus, Lexar Professional (1667x/2000x), Integral UltimaPro, PNY Elite/Elite-X, Transcend 700S/300S, Sony TOUGH, ProGrade V60/V90, Angelbird AV PRO.

(If your brand/model isn’t listed, we still recover it.)

How We Work (Forensic, Safe, Repeatable)

1. Intake & Triage — Identify controller family (Phison/SMI/Maxio/Alcor/Realtek/ChipsBank/etc.), NAND type (ONFI/Toggle, TLC/QLC), bridge/encryption, symptoms.

2. Stabilise & Acquire — If the stick enumerates, we forensic-image via a stable reader (UASP/BOT tuned). If not, we go monolith/chip-off to dump raw NAND (per-die, per-plane). All images/dumps are hash-verified.

3. Reconstruct the FTL — Decode ECC (BCH/LDPC), discover/extract XOR/scrambler, recover interleave (die/plane/channel), rebuild the translator (LBA↔PBA) to generate a raw disk image.

4. Logical Recovery (on the clone/image) — Repair exFAT/FAT32/NTFS/APFS/ext/XFS/ReFS: journal replay, directory rebuild, carving for large media (MP4/MOV/PST/DB).

5. Verification & Delivery — SHA-256/MD5 per-file, sample opens; return via encrypted drive or secure transfer.

Limits: Truly overwritten data and hardware-encrypted media without valid keys are not recoverable. We maximise outcome via journals, caches, prior versions, and partial recon.

Top 100 USB Stick / USB Flash Drive Faults — With Technical Recovery Methods

Format: Fault → Why it happens → Lab diagnosis & resolution (always on clones/raw dumps).

A) Connector / Mechanics (1–12)

1. Snapped USB-A plug → Shear stress → Rebuild pads/traces under scope; if inner layers torn, wire to test points; image.

2. Bent plug (intermittent) → Fatigued solder joints → Reflow/reball connector; swap socket; stabilise for long read.

3. USB-C shell crushed → Shorted CC/VBUS → Replace port/ESD array; verify Rp/Rd; image.

4. Loose connector shield → Poor ground → Re-terminate shield/ground; reduce EMI resets; image.

5. Sliding-cap strain cracked PCB → Micro-fractures → Micro-jumpers across trace; image.

6. Detachable OTG cap lost → Mis-insert damage → Inspect pads; replace connector; image.

7. Keyring tug cracked crystal → Clock instability → Replace XO (12/24/26 MHz typical); image.

8. Broken write-protect switch (rare) → WP stuck → Bypass WP pull; force RW/RO as needed; image.

9. Casing short → Shield contacting 5V → Insulate/repair; bench supply with current limit; image.

10. Dual-interface (A↔C) selector fault → Mux failure → Hard-wire to one path; image.

11. Micro-USB OTG plug snapped → Replace/uplink via adapter board; image.

12. Connector pads ripped off → No bus → Micro-wire to controller pins/test pads; image or go chip-off.

B) Power / Protection (13–24)

13. VBUS-to-GND short → Blown TVS/ESD arrays → Replace arrays; current-limit power; image.

14. LDO failure (3.3 V/1.8 V) → No core power → Replace LDO; check rails ripple; image else chip-off.

15. Polyfuse tripped → Over-current → Substitute bench supply; diagnose downstream short; image.

16. Over-voltage from hub → Controller damage → Rail rework; if MCU dead → chip-off.

17. Brownouts on spin-up → Insufficient bulk cap ESR → Replace bulk caps; soft-start; image.

18. Ground bounce on high-speed → CRC storms → Improve grounding, shorter cable, BOT mode; image.

19. Reverse current feeding host → Faulty bridge → Isolate VBUS; image on isolated reader.

20. Stuck 1.2 V core rail → PMIC latchup → Replace PMIC; image or chip-off.

21. ESD pin arrays open-circuit → Under-protection → Replace; stabilise link.

22. Burned transient suppressor → Permanent clamp → Remove/replace; verify rails; image.

23. Inrush surge kills host port → Negotiation fail → Current-limit bench PSU; image.

24. Cold joints on power nets → Intermittent resets → Reflow/reball; long imaging passes.

C) Controller / Firmware / Identity (25–42)

25. No enumerate (dead MCU) → Silicon failure → Board-level repair; else chip-off/dump NAND.

26. 0 MB capacity → Translator lost / config corrupt → Vendor loader; export raw, or chip-off; rebuild FTL.

27. Vendor “safe-mode” only → Boot ROM fallback → Enter MPTool/loader; pull raw; treat as disk image.

28. Wrong VID/PID (mass-prod mode) → Misflashed → Use factory tool to dump; avoid re-initialise; rebuild off-box.

29. Controller lock to RO → Firmware flag → RO imaging; full logical rebuild on clone.

30. Write-protect after errors → Threshold crossed → Force imaging path; never attempt writes.

31. Security/password set → FW lock → If user knows password, unlock, immediate image; else chip-off (if no encryption).

32. AES self-encryption enabled → Ciphertext at rest → Keys required; without keys, chip-off yields noise.

33. Stuck in test mode → Toggle pins asserted → Pull-down/up correction; normal enumerate; image.

34. MPTool “repair” attempted → Mapping wiped → Ignore repaired state; chip-off; reconstruct from raw.

35. Bad boot block → Boot loop → Patch loader in-circuit to extract LUN; else chip-off.

36. FTL journal lost (power-loss) → LBA map gone → Infer via OOB/page metadata; rebuild translator.

37. Garbage/XOR unknown → Scrambler not known → Crib-dragging (FAT/NTFS/APFS signatures) to derive XOR; apply; assemble.

38. Interleave unknown (multi-die) → Mis-ordered pages → Topology probe; test permutations against FS; select coherent map.

39. ECC profile mismatch → Wrong BCH/LDPC params → Syndrome analysis to pick correct decoder; re-read target regions.

40. Wear-levelling metadata wrap → Counter rollover → Temporal ordering; version fields to unwind.

41. Controller throttling loop → Thermal resets → Directed cooling; staged reads; merge best passes.

42. Dual-bank firmware split → Half updated → Force bank select; dump; or chip-off.

D) NAND / Monolith (43–62)

43. Retention loss (heat/time) → Threshold drift → Cold dump, voltage stepping, multi-read voting; ECC margining.

44. Read-disturb → Repeated reads upset neighbours → Lower Vref, idle between passes; prioritise weak blocks.

45. Program disturb → Adjacent cell upset → Discard high-syndrome pages; reconstruct from duplicates.

46. Bad block growth → Exceeded spare → Map & mask; fill gaps using FS context.

47. Die failure (partial) → Stuck CE/plane → Single-plane reads; merge; carve.

48. ONFI/Toggle mis-detect → Wrong mode → Force timings in reader; re-acquire.

49. SLC cache boundary loss → Mixed cache/TLC layout → Identify cache region via timing/OOB; temporal merge.

50. OP/hidden ranges omitted → Incomplete dump → Include reserved blocks; rebuild logical space first.

51. Short under NAND BGA → Bridged balls → Microsurgery reball; if still unstable → chip-off on donor carrier.

52. Package crack → Temperature cycling → Resin stabilise; low-temp dump.

53. Monolith unknown pinout → No standard padout → IR/X-ray or resistance mapping; wire D0-D7, CLE/ALE/RE/WE/CE/WP/RB/VCC/VSS; dump.

54. Monolith pad corrosion → Open circuits → Micro-abrasion, gold-wire; dump.

55. NAND ID spoofed → Vendor obfuscation → Read raw ID via low-level; set manual parameters; dump.

56. Toggle-mode skew → Interconnect delay → Per-channel timing sets; re-dump.

57. Multi-vendor NAND mix → Different ECC/XOR → Partition by die ID; decode per-group; merge.

58. Scrambler per-block changes → Rolling XOR → Detect per-range; apply dynamically.

59. OOB trimmed by reader → Lost spare metadata → Use raw-raw mode; re-capture; or infer from redundancy.

60. Erratic R/B# timing → Asynch ready → Scope tune delays; single-step reads.

61. Charge loss in cold → Below spec temp → Controlled warm window then dump; avoid further drift.

62. Over-erased blocks → Negative Vth → Selective retry, ECC relax; accept partials.

E) Logical / Partition / File System (63–85)

63. Accidental deletion → Directory entries unlinked → Bitmap/journal analysis; journal-aware undelete; carve slack/unallocated.

64. Quick format (exFAT/FAT32/NTFS) → Boot areas overwritten → Rebuild partition/boot sectors from backups; deep carve large media (MP4/PST).

65. Full format → Broad overwrite → Signature carving + heuristics; set expectations (partial).

66. MBR/GPT wiped → Disk “uninitialised” → Synthetic GPT from FS headers; mount RO.

67. exFAT bitmap corrupt → Allocation map wrong → Rebuild chain sets; recover orphans.

68. exFAT upcase loss → Name case table gone → Regenerate; restore structure.

69. FAT root dir damage → LFN/8.3 mismatch → Rebuild long/short chains; checksum validate.

70. NTFS $MFT damage → Lost file records → Replay $LogFile; rebuild $MFT/$MFTMirr; relink orphans.

71. NTFS runlist corruption → Fragment map broken → Heuristic run reconstruction; validate by file signatures.

72. ReFS object table issues → CoW mismatch → Export integrity-valid objects only.

73. APFS on USB (ToGo) → Omap/checkpoint issues → Walk checkpoints; rebuild omap; mount Data RO.

74. HFS+ catalog/extent B-trees → Tree damage → Rebuild; allocator-pattern carving.

75. ext4 superblock/inode loss → Use backup superblocks; offline fsck-like repair on image.

76. XFS log corrupt → Manual log replay; directory rebuild.

77. Camera/DCIM index corrupt → Container repair (MP4/MOV/MXF); stitch by PTS/offset.

78. Large 4K/8K footage fragmented → Non-contiguous extents → Range-map reconstruction; GOP-aware stitching.

79. RAW photo header loss → Rebuild IFD/headers; tile/strip merge (CR3/NEF/ARW).

80. VeraCrypt/TrueCrypt container header corrupt → Use backup header; if none, entropy-guided search; password required.

81. BitLocker-To-Go → Encrypted volume → Full image; decrypt with recovery key; export RO.

82. macOS Spotlight/temp writes post-incident → Overwrites → Roll back to earliest clone; avoid mounting original.

83. Windows chkdsk ran after crash → Second-order damage → Use pre-chkdsk clone; journal-aware rebuild; ignore destructive fixes.

84. Cloud sync deletions → Local metadata changed → Restore from versioning; carve temp caches.

85. Malware/autorun tampering → Hidden/locked → Forensic image; neutralise; recover clean files.

F) Host / Transfer / Protocol (86–93)

86. UASP driver bug → Random resets → Force BOT; QD=1; small-block reads; image.

87. USB hub under-power → Brownouts → Direct host port / powered hub; image.

88. Cable EMI/shield issue → CRC errors → Certified cable; clamp speed; image.

89. Reader firmware bug → Timeouts → Known-good lab readers; stable capture.

90. Auto-format prompt accepted → New FS laid down → Recover previous FS via backups/headers; carve.

91. MTP/PTP transfer aborted → Partial copies → Reimage raw; repair containers.

92. OS write-caching → Incomplete flush → Journal replay; recover pre-flush versions.

93. Disk signature collision → Mount confusion → Assign new signature on clone; mount RO.

G) Environmental / Handling (94–100)

94. Fresh water ingress → Ionic residue → Rinse/neutralise; dry; do not power; board repair or chip-off.

95. Salt water ingress → Rapid corrosion → Immediate neutralisation; short imaging window; priority passes.

96. Thermal bake in car → Retention drift → Cold dump; voltage stepping; multi-pass merge.

97. Freeze/thaw cycle → Condensation → Desiccate; warm-window dump; avoid reads at dew point.

98. Physical crush → PCB cracked → Micro-jumpers; if silicon compromised → chip-off.

99. Static discharge (ESD) → ESD arrays/MCU blown → Replace arrays; if MCU dead → chip-off.

100. Counterfeit capacity (hacked firmware) → Wraparound writes overwrite old data → Recover true addressable space; carve; integrity warning.

Professional Notes & Integrity

• Chip-off/monolith tools: PC-3000 Flash, Rusolut VNR, Flash Extractor; custom readers with adjustable Vref, timings, and CE muxing.

• ECC: BCH/LDPC detection by syndrome analysis; per-die settings; XOR/scrambler discovery via cribbing (FAT/NTFS/APFS signatures).

• Validation: Image/dump hashing; per-file checksums; app-level opens for key artefacts (databases/video/photos).

Why Choose Plymouth Data Recovery

• 25 years in business with thousands of successful USB/NAND recoveries

• Monolith & chip-off specialists (consumer, industrial, encrypted)

• Advanced tooling & donor inventory to maximise success

• Free diagnostics with clear recovery options before work begins

Ready to start?

Contact Plymouth Data Recovery for your free diagnostic today. We’ll stabilise your USB stick, acquire it safely, and rebuild your data with forensic-grade care.