Leicester Data Recovery – Leicester’s No.1 USB Flash Drive & USB Stick Data Recovery Specialists (25+ Years)

For over 25 years, Leicester Data Recovery has provided professional USB flash drive and USB stick data recovery for home users, creatives and businesses across Leicester, Coventry and the wider Midlands. We handle everything from accidental deletion to complex controller/NAND failures across standard USB-A/C sticks, hardware-encrypted drives, OTG/mobile drives and USB SSD thumb-style devices.

Brands & Popular Series We Support (Top 30 we regularly see in the UK)

We work with all makes. Here are 30 widely used brands and representative best-sellers/popular series we commonly receive:

1. SanDisk – Ultra Flair, Ultra Fit, Extreme Pro, Cruzer Glide/Blade, iXpand

2. Samsung – BAR Plus, FIT Plus, Duo Plus (USB-C)

3. Kingston – DataTraveler (Exodia, Kyson), DT Max (USB-C), IronKey Locker+

4. Lexar – JumpDrive M45/S45, JumpDrive P30

5. Transcend – JetFlash 790/820/920

6. PNY – Attaché 4/PRO, Turbo, Elite-X Fit

7. KIOXIA (Toshiba) – TransMemory U301/U365

8. ADATA – UV128/UE700 Pro, S102 Pro

9. Integral (UK) – Neon, Fusion, Courier Secure

10. Verbatim – Store ’n’ Go, PinStripe, Secure Pro

11. Patriot – Supersonic Rage/Mach, Xpress

12. Corsair – Flash Voyager, Survivor, Padlock 3

13. TeamGroup – C211/C212, C175, M211 (USB-C)

14. Silicon Power – Blaze B10/B30, Jewel J80, Mobile C80

15. Apacer – AH360/AH357, AH553

16. Goodram / IRDM – UCL3, IRDM U3

17. Netac – U-series (U903/U905), ZX Pro

18. Emtec – SpeedIN, Power Pro, Click

19. HP (licensed) – x796w/x760w/x780w

20. Philips (licensed) – Snow, Vivid

21. Sony – USM-X/USM-M (USB-C/OTG)

22. Intenso – Alu Line, Speed Line

23. Mushkin – Ventura Ultra, Impact

24. Kingston IronKey (enterprise) – S1000, Keypad 200, D300S

25. Apricorn (enterprise) – Aegis Secure Key 3NX/3Z

26. iStorage (UK, enterprise) – datAshur Pro2, datAshur BT

27. Gigastone – Prime, 4K Camera (OTG)

28. Hama – Laeta / USB-C dual

29. Sandberg – USB-C/USB-A dual drives

30. Duracell (licensed) – USB 3.0 ranges

(If your device isn’t listed, we still support it.)

File Systems, Platforms & Interfaces

• File systems: exFAT, FAT32 (most common), FAT16 (legacy), NTFS (Windows To Go/portable workflows), HFS+/APFS (when used as portable media).

• Interfaces/standards: USB 2.0/3.0/3.1/3.2 Gen1/Gen2 (Type-A/C), dual-connector OTG (USB-C/Lightning/µ-B), UASP/ BOT.

• Controllers frequently seen: Phison, Silicon Motion (SMI), Alcor, Realtek, Innostor, SK hynix, Chip-On-Board (COB) monoliths.

• Encryption: Software vaults (SanDisk SecureAccess, LexarDataSafe) and hardware-encrypted (IronKey, Apricorn, iStorage). (Recovery from encrypted devices requires valid passwords/keys; there is no backdoor.)

Our Professional USB Recovery Workflow

1. Stabilise first – Write-block, identify controller/NAND, verify power rails and inrush current, choose safest access path.

2. Image before logical work – Hardware imagers with conservative timeouts, selective LBA ranges, and adaptive re-read strategies.

3. When controllers fail – Chip-off / monolith pad access: expose hidden pads; wire CLE/ALE/WE/RE/CE, IO0-7, R/B, Vcc/Vccq, GND; dump raw NAND with correct ONFI/Toggle timings and I/O width.

4. Reconstruct the translation – Remove vendor XOR/scramble; apply correct BCH/LDPC ECC; detect interleave/planes/dies; rebuild the FTL (L2P) to recover the logical block order.

5. Logical rebuild – Repair partitioning (MBR/GPT), restore exFAT/FAT32 structures, rebuild directories, and fix containers (JPEG/RAW/MP4/MOV/PST/ZIP).

6. Verification – Hash checks and sample-open validation of critical files (photos, docs, CAD, finance, etc.).

50 USB Flash-Drive / USB-Stick Faults & How Professionals Recover

Logical / File-System

1. Accidental deletion – Dir entries cleared but clusters intact. Fix: image → parse FS; recover via directory records and carve file signatures.

2. Quick format – New exFAT over old FAT32/exFAT. Fix: locate prior VBR/BPB; rebuild allocation bitmap/FAT chains; reconstruct directory tree.

3. Interrupted copy/eject – Unflushed FAT/bitmap. Fix: reconcile primary/backup FAT; salvage orphan chains; fix timestamps.

4. exFAT boot sector corruption – “Needs to format”. Fix: rebuild BPB from remnants; validate upcase table and bitmap; mount virtually.

5. FAT chain cross-linking – Overlapping files. Fix: choose longest coherent run; validate with JPEG/MP4 structure and checksums.

6. MBR/GPT loss – No partition appears. Fix: find FS signatures; reconstruct partition map in a virtual image.

7. Massive fragmentation (4K/8K video) – Non-contiguous clusters. Fix: walk allocation chains; re-index GOPs; reconstruct MP4/MOV ‘moov’ atom.

8. Damaged root directory – No listing but data present. Fix: enumerate clusters; rebuild directory from secondary entries.

9. Unexpected NTFS on removable – Dirty log after unsafe removal. Fix: image; journal replay; MFT/MFTMirr reconcile; export.

10. Hidden vendor/utility partition confusion – Vault software masks data. Fix: mount correct partition in a clone; decrypt with credentials.

Controller / Firmware / Translation (FTL)

11. Controller lock-up (safe mode) – Enumerates 0 MB/write-protected. Fix: force vendor test mode; dump raw via pads or chip-off.

12. FTL table corruption – L2P mapping lost; random garbage. Fix: derive mapping from spare bytes; rebuild interleave/planes; restore logical order.

13. Wrong ECC profile – BCH/LDPC mismatch; undecodable pages. Fix: detect ECC params in spare; re-decode with proper settings.

14. Unknown XOR/scramble – Data unreadable after ECC. Fix: recover XOR matrix per page/plane using pattern analysis.

15. Wear-levelling metadata loss – No valid block history. Fix: infer order from counters/serial markers; reconstruct best-effort map.

16. Trim/secure erase after deletion – Pages truly erased. Fix: confirm erase patterns; partial carve if remnants exist (often not recoverable).

17. Vendor password lock on stick – Controller denies access. Fix: authorised unlock or chip-off; decryption requires credentials.

18. SLC cache collapse (DRAM-less) – IO stalls/timeouts. Fix: safe-mode access; emulate cache flush; proceed with map rebuild.

19. Namespace/descriptor corruption (UASP) – Device seen, but no LUN. Fix: reset to BOT; rebuild descriptors; image raw.

20. Firmware update failure – Brick or erratic. Fix: vendor boot mode; re-flash where possible; else raw NAND extraction.

NAND / Signal Integrity

21. Read disturb – Repeated reads corrupt neighbours. Fix: alternate pass order; increase settle times; ECC-aided re-reads.

22. Retention loss – Charge leakage after shelf storage. Fix: temperature/voltage-tuned reads; multiple passes; soft decoding.

23. Program disturb – Adjacent cell upset. Fix: change read reference; use vendor read-retry tables; favour early captures.

24. P/E cycle wear (TLC/QLC) – Endurance exceeded. Fix: aggressive ECC; soft decoding; salvage best-quality copies.

25. Die/plane interleave mismatch – Blocks out of order. Fix: re-order by counters/tags in spare; verify with FS continuity.

26. Multi-bit error bursts – Localised URE storms. Fix: slow timings; wider sampling windows; adaptive retry profiles.

27. Mixed ONFI/Toggle timing drift – Marginal bus. Fix: fix mode; reduce drive strength; stabilise IO width.

Physical / Electrical / Connector

28. Snapped USB-A plug – Pads torn from PCB. Fix: micro-jumper data lines/power; or chip-off if tracks are gone.

29. Bent USB-C tongue/pins – Intermittent contact. Fix: replace connector; lock to USB 2.0 low-speed to stabilise, then image.

30. Cracked monolith (COB) – Hairline fracture; no detect. Fix: epoxy stabilise; expose pad map; wire bond to breakout; raw dump.

31. Corroded contacts (liquid ingress) – High resistance / shorts. Fix: controlled clean; re-tin; stabilise, then image.

32. Shorted TVS/ESD array – Dead/low resistance on 5 V. Fix: isolate/replace protectors; verify rails; proceed.

33. Blown 3.3 V LDO – No core voltage. Fix: replace regulator or power externally for dump (risk-managed).

34. Cold solder joints (CSP/µBGA) – Intermittent resets. Fix: reflow/reball under scope; then image.

35. USB repeater/bridge faults (dual-connector) – Glitchy enumeration. Fix: bypass to controller; reduce link speed; image.

36. PCB trace damage (flex/impact) – Broken D+/D-. Fix: micro-wire repairs; or chip-off.

Security / Encrypted Devices

37. IronKey/Apricorn/iStorage locked – PIN/password unknown. Fix: requires valid credentials; brute-force is not viable. With credentials: unlock, image decrypted.

38. Software vaults (SecureAccess, Locker+) – Vault file corrupt. Fix: salvage container; repair index; decrypt with user key; extract contents.

39. BitLocker-to-Go on USB – Key missing. Fix: with recovery key/password: decrypt image; rebuild FS.

Host / Workflow / Content Layer

40. Large MP4 with missing ‘moov’ atom – Won’t play. Fix: reconstruct moov from mdat; infer frame index (GOP) and timing.

41. Corrupt ZIP/7z backups – Central directory lost. Fix: rebuild archive map; partial extraction of intact members.

42. Damaged Office/PDF files – Truncated streams. Fix: structure-aware repair; salvage sub-streams; versioned partials.

43. Email PST/OST on USB – Index corruption. Fix: binary repair; re-index; export mail items.

44. Photo library (Lightroom/Photos) – Catalog broken. Fix: re-link originals; rebuild previews; integrity scan.

OS / Partitioning / Boot

45. Hybrid MBR/GPT mismatch – Disk appears blank. Fix: reconcile tables; create virtual map; mount content.

46. Sector size translation issues (4Kn/512e) – Wrong geometry. Fix: normalise sector size in a virtual clone; re-mount FS.

47. Hidden recovery partition first – Host assigns wrong letter. Fix: correct partition in clone; export user volume.

48. Write-protect flag stuck – Registry/controller flag. Fix: vendor clear where possible; else raw extraction.

Misc / Counterfeit / Compatibility

49. Counterfeit capacity (wrap-around writes) – Early files OK; later corrupt. Fix: detect true capacity; remap wrapped regions; salvage first-write data.

50. Host compatibility quirks (UASP vs BOT, hubs) – Random I/O errors. Fix: force BOT; direct-attach to native ports; stabilise for imaging.

Packaging & Intake (Post-In or Drop-Off)

Please package your USB stick in a padded envelope or small box, include your contact details inside, and either post it or drop it in during business hours. Avoid using or reformatting the device once data loss is noticed.

Why Leicester Data Recovery?

• 25+ years specialising in USB/NAND recoveries

• Full chip-off/monolith capabilities (pad mapping, raw NAND dumps, ECC/XOR/FTL reconstruction)

• Deep expertise with exFAT/FAT32 and content-level repairs (photos/video/documents)

• Clear communication and rapid turnaround options

Contact Us – Free Diagnostics

Leicester & Coventry Data Recovery – Send a brief description of the fault and device (brand/model/capacity/what happened), and we’ll advise the safest next step immediately.