Flash drives in the form of removable drives are often quite susceptible to negative physical and software impacts, as a result of which fatal errors (including those related to incorrect operation of microcontrollers) can occur on the storage media themselves. We will not consider mechanical damage, but will focus more on software errors that can be fixed quite simply. To do this, you can use either the means of the operating system, or programs for flashing flash drives. How appropriate is it and what results can the use of such applications give, let's try to figure it out.
Why are flash drive firmware programs required?
Apparently, it is no secret to anyone that sometimes when you insert a USB flash drive or removable memory card into the appropriate port or card reader, the system displays a message that the device is not recognized. A flash drive can be accessed at best, but sometimes it can only be accessed by viewing content without being editable. No less often you can meet problems related to incorrect formatting, which are especially often manifested when working with memory cards. In this situation, the system does not report that some device is write protected, but states that it is simply not connected.
Finally, such a problem can sometimes be observed: microcontrollers simply “fly off” on a removable drive. In this case, the situation may be aggravated by the fact that a lock is installed on the media themselves. What to do if access to removable media is open, but the operating system does not accept it? In this case, programs for flashing flash drives will help. Some of them are designed for models of only certain manufacturers, others imply multi-purpose use, regardless of the type of flash drive or removable memory card.
Overview of flash drive firmware: the most popular utilities
Thus, it becomes clear that choosing the software is necessary, as they say, wisely. But which application should I prefer? Programs for flashing flash drives now on the same Internet you can find a lot. First of all, you should visit though to be the site of the device manufacturer. It is possible that it is on such a resource that there is some suitable program, especially since almost all manufacturers post such applications in the public domain. Some utilities, as mentioned above, can be used not only for any one line of equipment, but also for other models. However, according to most experts and reputable online publications, the most popular applications are as follows:
- D-Soft Flash Doctor.
- JetFlash Recovery Tool (including the online version).
- Flash memory "Toolkit".
- Kingston Format Utility.
- Hertman Partition Recovery.
- Storage Format Tool.
- HDD LLFT (Low Level Format Tool).
Of course, it will not work to consider all their features, advantages and disadvantages, so we will dwell briefly on the most significant ones.
What to do before recovery?
But before taking any actions related to restoring the functionality of removable devices, we will consider what operations must be performed to achieve the most positive effect. In order not to search for flash drive programs that are suitable directly for your device model, it is recommended to use special tools to determine the types of microcontrollers. The best option is a small application called ChipGenius.
After its launch, you can get comprehensive information on the device, in which the identifiers of the PID and VID controllers will be presented. It is for them that you can set the search for the necessary utility. But by and large, for example, if you need a program for flashing a Transcend flash drive, you can immediately go to the manufacturer’s website and download the right tool from there, since absolutely all the laid out utilities work with all released models. But in this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that most utilities of this class are initially focused on restoring the controllers precisely by installing the firmware, which in a sense is akin to full or low-level formatting with the destruction of all data that was recorded on the drive.
Standard formatting
If you don’t have the right application at hand, and it’s not possible to download it from the Internet for any reason, you can also use Windows tools if the flash drive is recognized by the operating system. To do this, in most cases, standard formatting is used (fast or full).
Access to such a tool can be obtained directly through the PCM menu in the "Explorer". But very often this does not give an effect, and the operating systems themselves give a message that the device is unavailable or formatting is impossible (this situation is mostly observed with removable memory cards, although they are visible in the system as a removable device). What to do in this case?
Firmware recovery
And here it is just that you will have to apply exactly the download and reinstall the controller firmware itself. Suppose a user needs a program to flash a Generic flash drive. By previously identified identifiers, even in RuNet, you can find the desired firmware. On such sites, the desired values are entered in the search field, after which the results will be offered a choice of several software options. Now it remains only to download the desired utility and reflash the connected device.
Note: if for some reason the USB flash drive is not detected in the system, try inserting it into the corresponding USB port with the computer turned off, and only then load the operating system and start the program.
The practical use of highly targeted utilities
Finally, we proceed directly to the consideration of some of the programs presented in the list above. Trancsend devices are very popular, so let's start with the JetFlash Recovery Tool for Windows 10 and below. Immediately pay attention to the fact that this is only the general name of the application. In principle, you can use the online version of such software. Using the application is quite simple.
The Transcend flash drive firmware program contains only two options for restoring the device: with the removal of existing information or without it. Select what is required and activate the start of the formatting process. This applet, by the way, can also be used to work with ADATA media, for which it is quite difficult to find your own programs.
If you have a Silicon Power flash drive, you can also find recovery tools from the manufacturer (SP Recovery Tool Utility) for such devices. And here everything is simple. The advantage of this program is that it independently determines the parameters of the drive, and then downloads the most suitable firmware from the Internet and installs it without the explicit participation of the user.
As for the Kingston Format Utility flash drive firmware program, you just need to select the connected device and the type of file system that will be used for formatting. Alas, leaving the data recorded on the media will not work. But after putting the flash drive into working condition, you can use utilities like R-Studio and try to restore the files.
Universal applications
As for programs in this area, first use the D-Soft Flash Doctor application, which is suitable for all types of removable media. In it, you can set the device to check for errors, restore the firmware from the image (or pre-create it), format the media, etc.
One of the most interesting is also the Flash Memory Toolkit, which works on the same principles. Without a doubt, it can be attributed to the class of "all-in-one."
There are tool kits for identifying device identifiers, performing various types of formatting, diagnostic tools for malfunctions and errors, and much more. In addition, the Flash Memory Toolkit utility is also ideal for recovering files from damaged flash drives without the need for specialized programs. And it is this application that many call almost the best among all known.
What if nothing helps?
But suppose that for some reason it did not work to restore the flash drive. In this case, the most effective solution is the use of specialized utilities to perform low-level formatting. The most famous of all the programs are HDD LLFT and Storage FT. Their advantage is that they can easily identify damaged devices even when the operating systems do not see them. Accordingly, in 99 percent of cases out of 100, recovering a flash drive through the use of such applications can be easily and simply. But, again, it should be noted that all the information on the drive will be destroyed, therefore, if there is such an opportunity, it is better to create an image in advance.
conclusions
Summing up, it can be noted that initially, of course, it is better to give preference to the utilities produced by the manufacturers of removable drives themselves. But it’s advisable to use universal programs if you are the owner of some specific device for which there are no “native” programs. And there are two options: either use them together with applications for searching and restoring files in pairs, or give preference to integral software packages with advanced capabilities for recovering information after flashing or formatting.