We restore flash drives. Recovering SD cards and USB flash drives in the Windows M flash recovery environment

An advanced, very powerful tool for updating settings of Flash disk controllers. An update may be needed, for example, if you bought a Chinese Fake such as Kingston Data Traveler 256GB, the actual size of which is only 1.5-2Gb, instead of the declared 256Gb. Visually, the size seems to correspond to the declared one, and recording to disk is without restrictions, but there is one very big problem. When reading data and comparing it with the original standard, these data do not match and instead of the recorded information, only zeros are read. By the way, the remaining free disk size is calculated correctly, even when trying to write more than two gigabytes.

The program is very easy to use. Let's describe the process step by step.

  1. unpack the utility into the program directory (for example: C:\Program Files\FC_MpTool
  2. Before starting, be sure to remove all Flash disks from the computer
  3. run the main application file: FC MpTool.exe in the program installation directory
  4. insert the Flash disk into the USB connector
  5. If successful, something similar to the following window should appear on the screen, which should display the main Technical information about Flash disk. Memory chip type, total installed size, manufacturer identifiers.
- Supported languages ​​are only English and Chinese.
- as can be seen from the screenshot, the type of memory chip is TC58NVG4T2ETA00
- programmed capacity 256000 MB.

IMPORTANT! Before the correction operation, save all your data on another medium, because... After the fix, all data will be lost.

If you just need to correct incorrect information,
just click the "Start" button, it's a good idea to do this before
check the box in front of "Failure Analysis".

The basic settings will be corrected and the Flash disk will be reformatted.

If more is required fine tuning Click the Setup button.
In this case, a password entry window will first appear. This password is placed on the additional settings dialog. By default it is not specified i.e. empty line. Press enter and you will be taken to the settings dialog. Screenshots of all pages are shown below.

Flash memory type


Mode Flash works memory


Manufacturer information and serial number


Determining Bad blocks of file system type and presence of MBR


Other settings

Using the "Eject" button in the main menu of the program, you can safely remove the media.

PS:
The archive also contains a copy of the h2testw.exe program, which can be downloaded.
This is a useful utility for determining the actual size, by direct testing, data is written to the Flash drive, then the data is read and compared with the standard. As a result, the actual size of the drive is displayed, which is determined by the last byte written correctly.
I note that testing even a 256GB drive takes a lot of time, and near the end everything may freeze due to incorrect operation Flash, but this method is universal, and there is no need to figure out what type of microcircuit is installed there and look for documentation on this microcircuit in order to find out its real size.
This program can test any media, not just Flash.

Many users neglect to safely remove flash drives, as a result of which the drives stop working correctly: they are not recognized by the system, require formatting, do not read/write data, show the wrong size (for example, 14 Gb instead of 16 Gb). If you encounter similar problem, then the question of how to restore a flash drive will probably become relevant to you.

Is it possible to restore the functionality of a flash drive?

Some may think that restoring a flash drive is a pointless exercise. Drives from Transcend, Kingston, A-Data and other manufacturers have flooded the market, making flash memory cheap. Memory cards and flash drives with capacities from 8 Gb to 32 Gb are not so expensive that you can’t easily throw them away and buy new media. However, old flash drives and Micro SD memory cards are usually not thrown away at all: they lie on the table and wait to be restored.

Recovery is possible if the flash drive or memory card has not completely “died” (usually death occurs when the controller burns out).

But if the drive is simply not detected or shows the wrong volume, then the reason for this behavior is most often a controller firmware failure. We will discuss in detail below how to restore a flash drive after such a failure.

Saving information and searching for the necessary software

If it is stored on a flash drive or SD card important information, then before flashing the firmware and restoring the controller (and with it the operability of the drive), it is necessary to extract the data. This can be done using the Photorec utility, which can work with media for which it is not detected file system.

After extracting the necessary information from the SD card or flash drive, you can begin searching for a utility for flashing the controller firmware. But to flash a controller, you first need to determine its model. To do this, we use the CheckUDisk utility (distributed free of charge) and the website flashboot.ru:


After checking and receiving necessary information(VID PID of the drive) you need to download the utility to restore the functionality of the flash drive or SD drive. Go to flashboot.ru and open the “iFlash” tab. Here you need to enter the VID PID values ​​and find the desired manufacturer of the memory card or flash drive (HP, Generic Flash Disk, Protex, Oltramax, Smartbuy, etc.).

If your model of flash drive or SD memory card is in the database online service If not, then it’s okay: the main thing is that the VID PID and the manufacturer match. If the necessary data matches, then you need to obtain information about the exact model of the controller for flashing and restoring it, as well as the name of the appropriate utility.

The table has columns “Controller” and “Utility”. You also need to pay attention to the volume - controllers for flash drives and SD cards for 16 Gb and 32 Gb may differ. You need to copy the full name of the utility and download it through the “Files” section on the flashboot.ru website or from another source. Often, along with the recovery program, instructions for its use are downloaded, which it is advisable to read carefully.

Controller firmware

Let's say you have a Protec flash drive with a capacity of 16 Gb. You find it by VID PID through the iFlash online service and download the controller firmware utility for free. What to do next? Carry out measures to restore the flash drive (SD memory card).

Universal instructions for restoring all flash drives:

If the firmware is successfully installed, you should see a positive status of the flash drive - “OK” or “Good”. If problems arise during the operation, an error code will appear: its explanation can be found in the help of the utility found by VID PID, or on other online services.

Restoring any flash drives (SD cards) is carried out approximately according to the same scheme, however, the instructions may differ slightly for different utilities: you need to use the VID PID to find the program for flashing the controller and start restoring the USB drive.

To restore a flash drive, you must additionally format it. You can do it standard means Windows or using special programs. It is recommended to run a full format rather than a quick format. This will take a little more time (especially if the storage capacity exceeds 16 Gb), but you will be sure that the flash drive is now completely clean and functional.

Good day!

If your flash drive begins to constantly fail: it cannot be formatted, when connected to a computer it often freezes, when copying files to it errors occur, but it has not been subjected to mechanical stress - there is a CHANCE for restoring its functionality!

It would be nice if, when connecting a flash drive, it was at least somehow detected, for example: a connection sound is made, the flash drive is displayed in "my computer", the LED on it blinks, etc. If the computer does not see the flash drive at all, then first I recommend reading this article:

In general, give universal instructions, how and with what program what to do to restore a flash drive - impossible! But in this short article I will try to give an algorithm that will help even novice users to understand the problem and solve it.

Restoring a flash drive // ​​step by step

Controller Model Definition

By the will of fate, it turned out that I had one flash drive, which Windows refused to format - an error occurred "Windows can't complete formatting". The flash drive, according to the owner, did not fall, no water got on it, and in general, it was handled quite carefully...

All that was clear after examining it was that it was 16 GB, and its brand was SmartBuy. When connected to a PC, the LED lit up, the flash drive was detected and visible in the explorer, but it did not work properly.

SmartBuy 16 GB - "experimental" non-working flash drive

To restore normal operation of the flash drive, you need to reflash the controller chip. This is done with special utilities, and for each type of controller there is its own utility! If the utility is chosen incorrectly, then with a high degree of probability you will completely ruin the flash drive... I’ll say even more, for one model range flash drives - there may be different controllers!

Each device have their own unique identification numbers - VID and PID , and the flash drive is no exception. To select the correct flashing utility, you need to determine these identification numbers (and the controller model based on them).

One of the most simple ways find out the VID, PID, and model of the flash drive controller - use this special utilities. One of the best of its kind is .

Flash Drive Information Extractor

A small free utility for getting maximum information about a flash drive. No need to install it!

The program will determine the model of the USB flash drive, model and type of memory (all modern flash drives are supported, at least from normal manufacturers)...

The program will work even in cases where the file system of the flash drive is not detected, or when the computer freezes when connecting the media.

Information received:

  • controller model;
  • possible options for memory chips installed in the flash drive;
  • type of installed memory;
  • maximum current consumption declared by the manufacturer;
  • USB version;
  • the full physical volume of the disk;
  • disk space reported by the operating system;
  • VID and PID;
  • Query Vendor ID;
  • Query Product ID;
  • Query Product Revision;
  • Controller Revision;
  • Flash ID (not for all configurations);
  • Chip F/W (for some controllers), etc.

Important! The program only works with USB flash drives. MP3 players, phones and other devices - it does not recognize. It is advisable, before starting the program, to leave only one flash drive connected to the USB ports, from which you want to get maximum information.

Working with Flash Drive Information Extractor

  1. We disconnect everything that is connected from the USB ports (at least all drives: players, external hard disks etc.).
  2. Insert the flash drive to be repaired into the USB port;
  3. We launch the program;
  4. Press the button "Get information about the flash drive" ;
  5. After some time, we get maximum information about the drive (see screenshot below).
  6. If the program freezes- don't do anything and don't close it. Remove the flash drive from the USB port after a couple of minutes, the program should “hang” and you will see all the information that it managed to pull out from the flash drive...

Now we know the information about the flash drive and we can start searching for the utility.

Information about the flash drive:

  • VID: 13FE; PID: 4200;
  • Controller model: Phison 2251-68 (second line in the screenshot above);
  • SmartBuy 16 GB.

Addition

You can reliably determine the controller model if you disassemble the flash drive. True, not every flash drive case is collapsible, and not every one can be put back together later.

Usually, to open the casing of a flash drive, you need a knife and a screwdriver. When opening the case, be careful not to damage the inside of the flash drive. An example of a controller is shown in the screenshot below.

Disassembled flash drive. Controller model: VLI VL751-Q8

Addendum 2

You can find out the VID and PID of a flash drive using the device manager (in this case, you don’t need to install anything). True, in this case we will not recognize the controller model, and there is some risk that VID and PID it will not be possible to accurately identify the controller. And yet, suddenly the above utility freezes and does not provide any information at all...


How to find a utility for flashing a flash drive

Important! After flashing the flash drive, all information on it will be deleted!

1) Knowing the controller model, you can simply use search engines (Google, Yandex for example) and find what you need.

The operating algorithm is as follows:

  1. We go to the site:
  2. Enter yours VID and PID into the search bar and search;
  3. You'll likely find dozens of lines in the results list. Among them you need to find a line that matches: controller model, your manufacturer, VID and PID, flash drive size .
  4. Further in the last column you will see the recommended utility. By the way, please note that the version of the utility also matters! All that remains is to download the necessary utility and apply it.

After you find and download the required utility, run it and format the media - in my case, you only had to press one button - Restore .

Formatter SiliconPower v3.13.0.0 // Format and Restore. An end-user utility designed for both low-level and high-level (FAT32) formatting of flash drives on Phison controllers of the PS2251-XX line.

After a couple of minutes of blinking the LED on the flash drive, it began to work normally, messages from Windows about the impossibility of formatting no longer appeared. Result: the flash drive was restored (became 100% working) and given to the owner.

That's all, actually. I would be grateful for any additions on the topic. Good Luck!

In our world, almost everything breaks, including flash drives from the company. Silicon Power- not an exception. The damage is very easy to notice. In some cases, some files begin to disappear from your storage device. Sometimes the drive simply ceases to be detected by the computer or any other device (it happens that it is detected by the computer, but not detected by the phone, or vice versa). Also, the memory card can be detected, but not opened, and so on.

In any case, it is necessary to restore the flash drive so that it can be used again. Unfortunately, in most cases you will not be able to recover any information and it will be permanently deleted. But after this, the USB drive can again be fully used and information can be written to it without fear that it will be lost somewhere. It is worth noting that removable media from Silicon Power very rarely last long after restoration; they still have to be replaced.

You can restore Silicon Power removable media using the programs that the company itself released. Besides this, there is something else software, which helps in this matter. We will analyze proven methods that have been tested by users from all over the world.

Method 1: Silicon Power Recover Tool

The first and most famous utility from Silicon Power. It has only one purpose - to fix damaged flash drives. Silicon Power Recover Tool works with removable media with Innostor IS903, IS902 and IS902E, IS916EN, and IS9162 series controllers. Its use is extremely simple and looks like this:


Method 2: SP ToolBox

The second proprietary program, which includes as many as 7 instruments. We only need two of them. To use Silicon Power ToolBox to recover your media, do the following:



The program can now be closed.

Method 3: SP USB Flash Drive Recovery Software

The third program from the manufacturer, which with great success recovers flash drives from Silicon Power. In fact, it performs the same process that users usually do using the iFlash service. Read about what it is and how to use it in the lesson on restoring Kingston flash drives.

The point of using this service is to find the desired program and use it to restore the flash drive. The search is carried out using parameters such as VID and PID. So, USB Flash Drive Recovery independently determines these parameters and finds the desired program on Silicon Power servers. Its usage looks like this:


Using this tool also does not make it possible to save the data contained in the drive’s memory.

Method 4: SMI MPTool

This program works with Silicon Motion controllers, which are installed in most Silicon Power flash drives. SMI MPTool differs in that it performs low-level recovery of damaged media. You can use it as follows:

  1. program and run it from the archive.
  2. Click on the button Scan USB" to start scanning your computer for a suitable flash drive. After this, your media should appear on one of the ports (column " Items"on the left). Click on it in this column to highlight it. Actually, if nothing happens, it means that the program is not suitable for your carrier.
  3. Next, click the “ Debug" If a window appears asking you to enter a password, enter the number 320.
  4. Now click the button Start" and wait for the recovery to complete.


In some cases, it helps if you do the above steps several times. In any case, it's worth a try. But, again, don’t expect data to be saved.

Method 5: Recuva File Recovery

Finally, we have reached a method that allows us to restore at least part of the damaged information. Only then will it be possible to restore the functionality of the device itself using one of the utilities described above. Recuva File Recovery is not SP's own development, but for some reason it is owned by this company. It is worth saying that this is not the same program that is familiar to all of us. All this only means that Recuva will be the most effective in working with flash drives from Silicon Power.

To take advantage of its capabilities, read the lesson on our website.

Only when you choose where to scan for deleted or damaged files, select the option “ On my media card"(this is step 2). If the card is not detected or no files are found on it, start the whole process again. Only now select the option “ In a specific location" and specify your removable media according to its letter. By the way, you can find it out if you go to “ My computer"(or simply " Computer», « This computer" - it all depends on the version of Windows).

Method 6: Flash Drive Recovery

This is also a universal program that is suitable for most modern models removable storage media. Flash Drive Recovery is not developed by Silicon Power and is not listed among the recommended utilities on the manufacturer's website. But, judging by user reviews, it is extremely effective in working with flash drives of this manufacturer. Its usage looks like this:



In addition to Recuva File Recovery and Flash Drive Recovery, you can use TestDisk, R.saver and other utilities to recover data from damaged media. The most effective such programs are listed on our website.

After the recovery of lost data has been completed, use one of the above utilities to restore the functionality of the entire drive. You can also use the standard Windows tool to check disks and fix errors. How to do this is shown in the recovery lesson Transcend flash drives(method 6).

Finally, you can format your removable media using other programs or the same standard Windows tool. As for the latter, you need to do the following:

  1. In the window " Computer» (« My computer», « This computer") click on your flash drive right click mice. In the drop-down menu, select “ Format…».
  2. When the formatting window opens, click on the " Begin" If it doesn’t help, start the process again, but uncheck the box next to “ Quick…».


Also try using other disk formatting programs. The best of them are listed on our website. And if this doesn’t help, we won’t recommend anything other than buying a new media.

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USB flash drives have now firmly entered our lives as an inexpensive and at the same time quite reliable means of storing data. The cost of a gigabyte of storage capacity for flash drives is quite low, and the ease of working with it (combined with its small size, weight and resistance to vibration and temperature influences) makes flash drives so popular.

But, as with any technically complex device, various troubles also happen with a flash drive, ranging from file system failures or microprogram destruction to physical breakdowns (as a rule). Due to the low cost of the device itself, repairs may not be justified and the drive is sent to the trash heap. Or not even in the trash, but lying somewhere on a shelf or in a desk drawer. Meanwhile, you can try to solve many device malfunctions yourself with a fairly high probability of success.

If The flash drive suddenly stopped being detected as a storage volume or flash drive reading speed or recording to a flash drive Very fell hard, and also if File system errors keep appearing, you can try to reflash the flash drive. Chinese flash drives, popular at one time, with huge volumes, files on which are written but not read back, can also be cured!

The flashing procedure itself consists of updating the microcode USB controller, but you can perform a number of useful actions:

  1. Excluding “bad” blocks from memory. In this case, the flash drive will lose a little in volume (by the volume of excluded blocks), but its stable operation will return.
  2. Restoring the true storage capacity. This fixes the problem when the flash drive is flashed with a larger capacity than the memory chips installed on it. Then the data is simply overwritten cyclically, which makes it impossible to read large files written earlier.
  3. Dividing a flash drive into partitions (also creating virtual CD-ROM partitions), additional partitions mounted in read mode, etc.
  4. Changing identification data (VID, PID, Serial number). .

So, if you decide to flash the firmware, remember one simple thing:

Flashing is fatal for data stored on memory chips. No one can give any guarantee of data recovery (or that the flash drive will work after flashing).

Let's continue.

Determining the model of the controller chip

Most reliable way– open the flash drive case and read the model of the controller chip (a small chip, usually square in shape, surrounded by legs on all sides). Memory chips are most often rectangular, surrounded by legs on only two sides:

We rewrite all the information from the chip: Phison(brand) and PS2251-60-5(series). This data will be useful to us to find suitable firmware. Incorrectly selected firmware can permanently “kill” a flash drive, so you need to be careful.

If it is not possible to disassemble the flash drive (for example, without damaging the case), then you can use programs to determine the flash drive chip using the software method. This method is less reliable, but nevertheless quite popular. Personally, I use the ChipGenius 4.00 program, but any other program with similar functions will do:

Also, as shown in the screenshot, you can pull out the VID and PID of the flash drive. These are Vendor Identifier and Product Identifier, respectively.

Looking for firmware for a flash drive

Where are we looking? As usual, on the Internet. In particular, it is sufficient good resource– flashboot.ru, section “Files” to search by controller model or iFlash to search by VID/PID database:


Searching by VID/PID gives a lot of results; you need to select those options that most fully describe our flash drive (model, capacity, etc.).


A search by controller model finds no less firmware; you need to try different options, because the first time you may not even get the firmware that is intended for this chip.

Flash drive firmware

The general appearance of programs for flashing flash drives is approximately the same. We take out and insert the flash drive (first make sure that no other flash drives are plugged in - this will be easier and safer). When the flash drive appears in one of the program fields, press the Start button (to start flashing) or, if you want to delve into detailed settings(in particular, create an additional partition, etc.), then click the Setting button.


The firmware process can take quite a long time, since blocks are tested for read/write suitability, “bad” blocks are deleted, the entire memory space is reformatted, etc. But when the process is completed, you can check the flash drive in the system itself.


I usually do it like this: format with standard using Windows(by the way, more secure and reliable). Then I upload a large file to the flash drive and evaluate the writing speed. Then I copy this file to another directory on logical drive, again, assessing reading speed. If you are satisfied with the characteristics of the flash drive, you can safely use it.

At the same time, in order to immediately create a trap for them.

Congratulations! We just repaired the drive!

Friends! Join our

This article is intended to help with software recovery of USB Flash Drives based on the SK6211 microcontroller manufactured by Skymedi. This controller is found in flash drives various manufacturers, for example: Kingston, Kingmax, A-data, etc. The utility was chosen as an example. It, like many others, is designed to work in the OS environment - MS Win XP. The Kingston DT100/1GB flash drive was chosen as the “test subject”.

The utility kit includes:
1) SK6211_20090828.exe – the actual main module.
2) SK6211_User_Manual.pdf – instructions for the program in English
3) SK6211BA_Skymedi Flash Support List _20090828.xls – “Flashlist” - a list of memory modules that are supported by this version of the utility. (Useful for determining “CodeBankVer” by date)
4) SK6211BA R-W Performance_Capacity List_20090828.xls – Summary table of speed tests of various memory modules in single-channel and dual-channel modes in Win XP sp2 & Win 2k sp4 OS.
5) SK62XX_FAT_20090505.exe & SK62XX_FATool_UserGuideV1.pdf – auxiliary utility for flash testing.
6) ErrorCodes.txt – list of error codes.
7) DrvSwitch.exe – factory driver.
8) Driver_Using_manual.pdf – instructions for using the driver.

1. Preparation

We connect the flash drive and find out the VID/PID, for example using ChipGenius 3.0. The test subject has VID = 0951 PID = 1607.
Run the utility “SK6211_20090828.exe” and select default in “Configuration Selection”.

We see that in the first window (DUT1) the flash drive has been identified (SAMPLE – No Match), but it is not ready for firmware yet! SAMPLE = example, No Mach = No Match. This means that the current settings (default) do not correspond to the internals of the flash drive. The utility has already determined that the flash drive is built on a controller that responds to its requests and has already read information from its firmware.
This information can be viewed by double-clicking on SAMPLE.


Here we see the contents of the firmware:
1) SK6211 controller
2) Memory FID (AD D3 14 A5 34) and its name (HY27UT088G2A)
3) CodeBank version: C080512A_F080516A
4) Firmware version: CodeSwap-0512
5) The rest is not so important (date of manufacture / utility version / configuration name = “engraving on the USB connector” / VID&PID codes, etc.)
6) Channel: Byte Mode (Single channel mode. May be useful in settings!)

Everything is fine here! But what to do when the firmware crashes so that most of this information is missing!?

Controller Version: SK6211BA
Flash Part No.: No matched Flash Part No.
Flash ID 01: 0x89 0x95 0x94 0x1E 0x74
Flash ID 02: 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
Flash ID 03: 0x89 0x95 0x94 0x1E 0x74

Here the utility read the FID from the flash drive, but could not use it to select the memory from its list!
Conclusion: try another utility or check your contacts. Sometimes restoring contacts on the Data Bus between the controller and the memory changes the ID number and the utility, using the correct ID number, finds a match in its Database.

Controller Version: SK6211BA
Flash Part No.: I29F32G08AAMD1_S
Total Flash Size: 8192 MB
4K Page, MLC
Flash ID 01: 0x89 0xD7 0x94 0x3E 0x84
Flash ID 02: 0x89 0xD7 0x94 0x3E 0x84
Flash ID 03: 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
Flash ID 04: 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
Flash ID 05: 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
Flash ID 06: 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
Flash ID 07: 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
Flash ID 08: 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00

Here the utility found memory in its database. But the Code Bank version is unknown! We find it by searching for the date by the name of the flash chip in the file SK6211BA_Skymedi Flash Support List _20090828.xls


Now we are looking for suitable Code banks.
Open the file:
…\SK6211_PDT_20090828\CodeBank\2806\CBVer-1.2.2.44.ini

We find version 09.03.09 by date: C090309A_F090309A

2. Settings

Let's return to the experimental subject. Click the “Advaced” button to go to advanced settings. Password – 123456.
1) register VID & PID: 0951 & 1607
2) Vendor Name: Kingston
3) Product Name: DataTraveler 2.0
4) Revision: 8.2 (leave unchanged)
5) Disk Type: Removable (leave it unchanged)
6) S/N: 001478544881SK8703120829 (this is the test subject’s own serial number)
7) S/N Gen: (3) Don't Change SN
Below you can skip to
8) Fixed Flash Size = 1024 (set the original size of the flash drive)
9) When you set the checkbox to Erase All, the message appears: Warning Message: System information will be eliminated after erase all!!!
(Warning: system information will be destroyed after setting the “remove everything” mode!!!)
Go to the right window Flash Options
10) Select a controller: SK6211BA
11) Select Code Bank Ver: C080512A_F080516A (the one that the utility gave by double clicking on SAMPLE) Now I expect that in the Flash Selection section it should be possible to select the desired memory - HY27UT088G2A, but this does not happen. What is the reason? Perhaps in the utility version! After all, the firmware version indicates: PDT Version: SK6211_PDT_20080616_BA, and I use SK6211_20090828! We follow the path of choosing a flashlist. We find the date - 04/02/2008, but I don’t find names with such a date in the list and Code Bank versions with the closest date are not suitable either! The assumption of matching the date from the flashlist is not suitable for this flash drive. Only a complete search helped! When selecting C090828A_F090828A, the utility gave the opportunity to select the desired memory!
12) Next select Channel Mode: Single
We don't change anything else.


We receive the READY status


Now the utility is “ready” to flash the flash drive.
Click Auto-LLF

3. Work on mistakes

44 -
2 -
when changing read/write test error 37 -

The jackdaw on ERASE ALL helped

45 -
(Status READY, error in LLF process)

It helped: switching to test mode by shorting 31-32 legs to the memory m/s
and re-flashing

Need more latest version utilities supporting new memory
ps: in previous version 20090709_BA (34 -)
_______________________________

94 -
1 -
When trying to flash - (Access error)

We removed the USB extension cable that was causing the losses.
_______________________________

When working on bugs, we used the experience of forum users: Vitorrio, SeeJay, E1haZ and others.

Discussion of the article and problems with recovery are discussed in this forum thread.

The most difficult thing when selecting service utilities for SMI chips, this is to determine whether it is necessary to resort to the services of a flasher DYNA MPTool. And if necessary, then be able to defeat the flash drive in it, because working with it is not as comfortable as with SMI MPTool.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF UTILITIES

In addition to programs that fill the firmware, for SMI-flash drives and simple formats are available. But given the fact that they are all far from the first freshness and work with flash drives, which are already flashed without problems, there is no point in bothering with them.

If given method did not bear fruit, then try your luck with.

If you fail in the previous steps, you can proceed to manual selection of production utilities. And depending on the combination of controller plus flash memory, for a flash drive we take one of two utilities or SMI MPTool or DYNA MPTool.

To determine the parameters of the flash drive, use the program.

Volume: I:
Controller: Silicon Motion SM3257 ENAA
Possible Memory Chip(s):
Toshiba TC58NVG6D2GTA00
Memory Type: MLC
Flash ID: 98DE9482 7656
Flash CE: 1
Chip F/W: ISP 130430-AA-
MP: M0503V2
MPTOOL Ver.: 2.05.18
PTEST Date: 2013-04-24
VID: 090C
PID: 1000
Manufacturer: UFD 2.0
Product: Silicon Power
Query Vendor ID: UFD 2.0
Query Product ID: Silicon Power
Query Product Revision: 1100
Serial: AA00000000008407
Physical Disk Capacity: 8099201024 Bytes
Windows Disk Capacity: 8082395136 Bytes
Internal Tags: QU2R-TZ8J
File System: FAT32
Relative Offset: 28 KB
USB Version: 2.00
Declared Power: 500 mA
Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 x64 Build 7601
Program Version: 8.6.0.595

As in the Googling method, we are mainly interested in the controller model ( Controller) and flash ID ( Flash ID).

The first step is to download the latest version of the production utility for of this controller, in our case for SM3257ENAA. For now, let’s make the assumption that we know what specific utility we need ( SMI MPTool, always default). Next, before sewing, there will be a paragraph about monoliths And test mode, after which it will become clear to you which utility to use.


But for monolithic flash drives , which cannot be disassembled and translated into, this is an unjustified risk. In this case, read the next chapter about methods for calculating the need to change the utility to DYNA MPTool to minimize risks as much as possible.

Tricks: HOW TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOU NEED DYNAMPTOOL

In addition to the two methods discussed, there may be other situations when the flash drive needs attention DYNA MPTool. Depending on the flash drive and its condition, it can be anything, for example, endless Pretest.

Remember these three controller models, which are often sewn into DYNA MPTool: SM3257ENAA, SM3257ENBA, SM3259AA. And flash memory, most often in such situations, costs production Toshiba or Sandisk.

Tricks #1

If in the program report Flash Drive Information Extractor, there is a parameter MPTOOL Ver., then he can tell what exactly the flash was sewn with. Let me give two examples:

MPTOOL Ver.: 2.05.18– if the value is equal to the version number, then the flash drive was sewn in SMI MPTool.
MPTOOL Ver.: 07.14.18– and if there is a certain date, then the flash drive came out from under the wing DYNA MPTool and this date is its version number. Where, 14 - year 2014, 07 – month of July, 18 number.

And somewhere with probability 90% , flash drive flashed in DYNA MPTool, even if you try, you won’t be able to repair it in SMI MPTool.

Don't be alarmed if you don't see it in the report, this is quite normal. Firstly, in old flash drives the utility might not recognize it, and secondly, if the firmware crashed to a single hair dryer, then it can’t be there.

Tricks #2

A more universal method, to implement which you need to find a completely compatible version SMI MPTool. If errors like the following appear during firmware installation:

Bad Block over setting (11) (User-3725 (M) > FW-3581 (M))

This means that the utility did not have enough strength to cope with bad memory and you need to turn to Sorting-utilities (application DYNAMPTool). Further poking around in SMIMPTool, in this case there is no point!

ATTENTION: This error should not be confused with simply Bad Block over setting (11), which has nothing to do with the need to contact Dune. In the error in question, there must be references in parentheses to parameter values USER And FW.

CHECKING FLASH MEMORY SUPPORT IN THE FLASHER

It is impossible to verify the correct selection, unless, of course, you find a solved case on the Internet with the restoration of exactly the same flash drive.

Therefore, all that remains for us is to check whether the flasher knows our flash memory. For possible memory markings ( Possible Memory Chip(s):), I do not recommend paying any attention, because... this can be confusing, so we immediately look at FID (Flash ID:).

In this case, its value is: 98 DE 94 82 76 56.

As a rule, memory support, once added, continues with the utility. But, firstly, this is not always the case, and secondly, it is not a fact that the operation will end in success when working with a specific distribution. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account other parameters, and sometimes try several versions.

To presumably find out which version of the production firmware supports this memory, you can use a little different ways. But let’s not suffer with bullshit, let’s focus on the simplest, anyway, the performance of the others is no better.

Let's open the file flash_3257ENAA.dbf (Name required file depends on the controller model that we initially defined), which is located in the UFD_ALL_DBF folder of the program distribution package.

Enter in search Memory FID, which we defined at the very beginning ( 98 DE 94 82 76 56).


In this case, we have one match, although there may be several:

@ 98 DE 94 82 76 56 28 00 0B 01 82 06 00 3F 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 50 50 10 10 21 // Toshiba TC58NVG6D2GTA00 J1201 24nm MLC

Well once in a while DBF-file contains a record about our memory, then most likely the utility will work correctly with it!

But keep in mind that the presence of a flash entry in DBF, FFW or ForceFlash, does not in any way exclude the possible need to use tools DYNA MPTool.

HOW TO USE THE UTILITIES

On the USBDev portal, there are detailed instructions for software recovery flash drives, in popular software systems:

To work with RecoverTool-applications, just connect the USB flash drive and run the utility. Then she will do everything herself, unless, of course, the flash drive is within her capabilities.

NOTES

2) Depending on the version number of the utility SMI MPTool, she uses in her work or 4 bytes option Flash ID or 6 byte. Roughly, transition to 6 bytes happened in version SMI MPTool V2.03.42 v6 K0530. And that’s why the new shells meet the old ones with hostility USB-chips. Yes, and use it in the selection of utilities for younger chips SM3255AB, it is necessary 4 bytes!

3) During numerous restoration attempts, it may become cluttered system registry, which will prevent the flash drive from being detected in the service software. To fix the problem, try cleaning the registry using the program and rebooting the system.

4) Use service driver SMI Factory Driver, there is no point at home, except in cases of some driver conflicts at the level of your OS. Otherwise, install it again, and then you will complain that some of your devices do not work or the driver refuses to be removed.

If anyone has questions about repairing their flash drives, then you can only get a guaranteed answer on -.

So, you ordered a flash drive from Aliexpress and about a month later received the coveted package, then you returned the money for it, as described in our last article, and enjoy your free flash drive. But there is one BUT - the flash drive, although free, is not working. For further use it must be reflashed. In this article we will present to your attention detailed instructions How to reflash a fake flash drive from Aliexpress.

Stage 1. Determining the parameters of the flash drive controller

First of all, you need to define some parameters of your flash drive controller for this:

1. Download the free utility USBDeview .
Others can also be used for this purpose. free utilities: UsbIDCheck or ChipGenius, which can be easily found on the World Wide Web.

2. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer.

3. Unpack the downloaded archive and run the file USBDeview.exe.

4. In the window that appears, you will see a list of all kinds of devices on your computer. Find your flash drive in this list, click on the line with information about it so that it is highlighted in blue.


5. Double-click on the line with your flash drive until a new window appears with information about it:


6. To flash the flash drive, you will need information from the following fields:
A. Vendor (controller manufacturer) - Generic.
B. Model (controller model) - Mass Storage.
C. VID or VenderID (manufacturer ID) - 0011
D. PID or ProductID (product ID) - 7788 .

Stage 2. Search for a utility for flashing the flash drive controller

1. Go to the website http://flashboot.ru/iflash, enter the VID and PID of your flash drive in the appropriate fields, click the button SEARCH .


2. In the list that appears, find the flash drive that is most similar to yours. In this case, the flash drive has the following parameters:
A . Vendor (controller manufacturer) -Generic.
B . Model (controller model) -Mass Storage.
C . VID or VenderID (manufacturer ID) -0011.
 D . PID or ProductID (product ID) -7788 .
E . Chip vendor (chip manufacturer) -no data.
F . Chip model -no data.
G . Memory chip (chip memory) -no data.
H. Size - 32 GB.

Look at the column options A-H matched the parameters of your flash drive as much as possible. In our case, the parameters of the flash drive correspond most closely to line 4. Thus, in the column I You can see the name of the flashing utility.



3. Often the table of flash drives with given VID and PID is huge and it is not so easy to find anything in it. To find a suitable flashing utility, you can use the program MS Excel. To do this, perform the following manipulations:

3.1. Select the entire table of flash drives along with the header, right-click on the selection and select COPY.


3.2. Paste this data set into Excel.

3.3. Right-click on cell A1 and select FILTER and FILTER by selected cell value from the drop-down menu.

3.4. Click the icon in the lower right corner of cell A1. In the drop-down menu, uncheck all the checkboxes and place them only in front of the desired manufacturer of your flash drive (in this case Generic) and press the buttonOK.

Please note that this table was compiled ordinary people, therefore, different variations of the manufacturer’s name are possible, including spelling errors. Select all of these variations.

3.5. Click on the icon in the lower right corner of cell H1. In the drop-down menu, uncheck all the checkboxes and place them only in front of the desired size of your flash drive (in this case, 32 GB) and click the button OK.

3.6. Click on the icon in the lower right corner of cell I1. In the drop-down menu, uncheck the box next to the word Empty and click OK.

3.7. After filtering, the table will be significantly reduced to a few rows. In the last column of the filtered table you can easily find the name of the utility you need for flashing a fake flash drive.

4. Copy the utility name from the column I.

5. On the website http://flashboot.ru go to the page FILES.


6. Insert the name of your utility into the search bar and click the button Search.


7. Click on the link with the name of your utility under the search bar and go to the page where you can download it and read useful comments from your fellow sufferers who have already had experience flashing their fake flash drives with this utility.


Stage 3. Actually flashing the flash drive controller

1. Carefully study the experience of your fellow sufferers in the comments.

2. Search the Internet and read the instructions for using your utility. In this case, instructions for working with the utility ALCOR MP_v14.01.24.00 was found.

Remember that the thesis “Instructions for fools” in this case is absolutely inappropriate and can lead to incorrect flash drive firmware, after which it will die forever.

3. Install the utility on your computer in strict compliance with instructions.

4. Run the flashing utility.

5. Insert the flash drive into the USB2.0 port of the computer.

6. Reflash the flash drive according to the instructions.

7. Bury the utility or uninstall it.

8. Disconnect the flash drive from the USB2.0 port.

9. Reconnect the flash drive to the USB2.0 port.

10. Do the standard full formatting flash drive by right-clicking on it and selecting FORMAT.

Golden rules of flashing:

1 . Service utilities To flash flash drives, you must run them under Windows XP/Vista/Win7/Win8 x86 (32bit).

2. Due to the unpredictable consequences when flashing flash drives, it is highly undesirable to use:
- 64bit OS (especially Win8/8.1 x64);
- USB3.0 (blue ports);
- USB connectors on the front panel of the desktop;
- USB extension cables.

3. First, run the flashing utility and only then insert the flash drive into the USB2.0 port of the computer.

4 . After completing the firmware, close the utility and be sure to disconnect the flash drive from the USB2.0 port.

5 . Insert the flash drive only into the USB2.0 port of the computer.

6. If, after flashing, your computer still does not see the flash drive or incorrectly determines its volume, then the utility should give you an error code, to decrypt which you must refer to the instructions.

7. It is possible that after flashing the flash drive, the flash drive is still not detected. You need to be patient and follow these steps:
- try using other USB ports;
- try to configure the utility correctly;
- try to reflash a capricious flash drive several times, because it is possible that it will be reflashed only after 5-6 attempts;
- don’t despair, if something doesn’t work out, try to find a solution on the Internet.

Good luck and patience!
Read the instructions seven times and re-flash once... And then read it one more time and re-flash seven times.
There are no flash drives that cannot be flashed - there are few attempts and diligence.

Many factors lead to “diseases” of flash drives (when they refuse to work). In this publication, we will not be interested in them (the reasons), but in ways to return gadgets to full functioning - how to flash or reflash a flash drive.

It is not difficult to flash or reflash a flash drive.

The main purpose of using a flash drive is to record data. The data (together with flash) has a wide variety of purposes - from simple storage to loading the OS (even checking fingerprints).

Architecture and recording system

It is also important for the topic of our article to understand its components:

  • The physical connection to the PC is made using a USB interface (sometimes microUSB);
  • Controller;
  • Memory chip;
  • Signal oscillator for USB bus.

The FAT system (16, 32 or ex) is used for recording (depending on the size). For capacities over 64 GB - exFAT or NTFS. If using the gadget becomes problematic (read-write errors), it needs to be formatted or flashed.

Windows tools

Flashing a flash drive

If formatting the drive is not available (the OS program reports errors and special utilities do not produce results), then to bring it back to life you will need to flash the flash drive firmware, or rather, flash the flash drive controller firmware.

The correct name for what is usually called firmware is microprogram consisting of controller microcode and service data on microcircuits. The microcode is embedded in the device during manufacturing at the factory. But the service manual is often rewritten during operation.

Software repair(repeating factory actions) includes cleaning, testing memory, creating new translation tables and writing them to service fields - this is precisely “low-level formatting”.

Utilities for such work have a strict specialization based on controller models. Therefore, the repairman needs to find the one that corresponds to a specific instance (after all, microcircuit options can change from batch to batch!) - patiently going through more than a dozen.

Determining the brand (type)

Before flashing a flash drive, you need to determine the VID and PID values ​​for it. From them we will recognize the model, and from it we will find technological software for repairs. To determine the model, the easiest way would be to look at the markings after opening the case. It would be more gentle to use software methods.

To find the VID (manufacturer identification) and PID (product identification) codes that recognize any USB flash drive, special software is used. For one of the devices, we can use (for example) the Flash Drive Information Extractor program (there are many others).

After installing the application and running the GetFlashInfo.exe file, click “Get data”. Let's get a sample report:

Based on the obtained values ​​for VID and PID, entered into the database window, the controller and program (UTILS) for flashing the flash drive are determined:


There will be other devices with the same controller in the list. The more similar one is selected from them (intuitively). Now we find the utility - enter the found name in the search. If what you are looking for is not found on this site, you can Google it or turn to other sources. Even if the name is slightly different, it’s okay - it should work out.

Choosing an OS for techno-utilities

Technological utilities work better under Windows XP - production workers are more conservative and do not chase fashion. In addition, due to the fact that driver installation and other “dangerous” actions will be required, you must have administrator rights.

Reflash with the found program

We disconnect the drive, launch the executing exe file of the downloaded and unpacked utility (in this case MPTool.exe).

IMPORTANT. It's worth looking in the archives text file“read me” (readme.txt) - it may contain useful information. It may contain instructions or a hyperlink to a source with them. Translate the English text using Google Translator.

After launching the application, connect the USB flash drive to the PC - information about it appears in the program window. By pressing the “Start” key, flashing begins. The process is reflected by a yellow stripe.


Upon completion, an encouraging text will be reflected on the green background of one of the cells - OK.


The OS immediately prompts you to format the disk. If required driver you have it installed, then everything will work out. If not, then you need to disconnect/attach the gadget. Then the driver will be installed automatically and the flash drive will appear in Explorer - you can format it.

With another utility, the actions may be slightly different, but not so critical that you can’t handle it.

Manufacturers began to post in general access flash drive repair software. To download what you need in a particular case, the model (sometimes additionally the serial number) is indicated in the technical support section. In some cases, the serial number is requested by the software itself (checked via the Internet). It would not be superfluous to check the authenticity with the SerialCheck program, since counterfeits surround us everywhere.

Almost any model can be brought to life using proprietary programs. Plus the opportunity to find a similar case on the forums. The firmware of the Chinese flash drive controller is no different, except for their smaller capacity compared to the declared one. A flash drive with an unidentified controller brand may be unrepairable.

Complex cases include SanDisk flash drives. This is due to corporate policy. The company itself carries out the full production cycle - from the development of non-standard solutions to sales. There is no repair software for them. If you can’t find the utility, don’t worry and use a bucket.

Flash drive prevention

As we already understood, it is better not to let the flash drive need repair. Here are some recommendations to minimize unwanted effects:

  • Protection from temperature fluctuations, from the influence of water, aggressive environments, mechanical influences, X-rays, electromagnetic fields. Accuracy of insertion/removal;
  • When a flash drive is filled to capacity, its file system may be damaged. A dangerous symptom when recording is slowdown and freezing;
  • Check the flash drive using OS tools, defragment it;
  • Do not use a flash drive as the only copy of data (imagine that you only have one key to your apartment);
  • Follow the procedure for safely removing the flash drive;
  • To avoid static discharges, do not touch the contacts of the flash drive with your fingers, metal objects, and avoid contact with other synthetics;
  • At strange behavior flash drives don’t rush to treat her low-level programs. First, copy important files to another medium, and then start repairing.

Now you know how to flash a USB flash drive and you can figure out this issue yourself. May your flash drives live long.

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