Recovery of a Chinese flash drive 64 gb. Chinese flash drives: how to find out the real size, restore and return the real volume

Many factors lead to the “diseases” of flash drives (when they refuse to work). In this publication, we will not be interested in them (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 flash a flash drive.

The main purpose of using a flash drive is to write data. Data (together with a flash drive) has a wide variety of purposes - from simple storage to OS boot (even fingerprint verification).

Architecture and recording system

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

  • The physical connection to the PC is made using the USB interface (sometimes it is microUSB);
  • Controller;
  • Memory chip;
  • USB signal oscillator.

For recording, the FAT system (16, 32 or ex) is used (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 reflashed.

Windows Tools

Flashing a flash drive

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

The correct name for what is usually called firmware is firmware, which consists of controller microcode and service data on microcircuits. The microcode is embedded in the device during manufacture at the factory. But the service is often rewritten during operation.

Software repair (repeating factory actions) includes clearing, testing memory, compiling new translation tables and writing them into service fields - this is what “low-level formatting” is.

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

We define the brand (type)

Before flashing a USB flash drive, you need to determine the values ​​\u200b\u200bof VID, PID for it. From them we will recognize the model, and from it we will find technological software for repair. To determine the model, it would be easiest to look at the marking after opening the case. It will be more gentle to use software methods.

Special software is used to find the VID (identifying manufacturer) and PID (for product identification) codes that recognize any USB flash drive. For one of the devices, the Flash Drive Information Extractor program will help us (for example) (there are many others).

After installing the application and running the GetFlashInfo.exe file, click "Get Data". Let's get an example report:

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

With the same controller, there will be other devices in the list. Of these, the more similar one is selected (intuitively). Now we find the utility - in the search we drive in the found name. If what you are looking for is not found on this site, then you can google it or turn to other sources. Even if the name is slightly different - it's okay - it should work.

Choosing an OS for technoutilities

Technological utilities work better under Windows XP - production workers are more conservative and not chasing fashion. In addition, due to the fact that it will require the installation of drivers and other "dangerous" actions, you need to have administrator rights.

We reflash the found program

We turn off the drive, run the executable exe file of the downloaded and unpacked utility (in this case, MPTool.exe).

IMPORTANT. It is worth looking in the archive for a text file "read me" (readme.txt) - it may contain useful information. It may contain an instruction or a hyperlink to a source with it. English text translate with google translator.

After launching the application, we connect the USB flash drive to the PC - information about it appears in the program window. By pressing the "Start" key, the flashing starts. The process is indicated by a yellow bar.

At the end, an encouraging text will be displayed on the green background of one of the cells - OK.

The OS immediately prompts you to format the disk. If you have the right driver 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 the explorer - you can format it.

With another utility, the actions may be slightly different, but not so critical that it cannot be dealt with.

Manufacturers began to share software for repairing flash drives. To download what you need in a particular case - in the technical support section, the model (sometimes additionally the serial number) is indicated. In some cases, the serial number is requested by the software itself (with verification via the Internet). SerialCheck authentication will not be superfluous, since fakes surround us everywhere.

Almost any model can be revived with the help of proprietary programs. Plus the ability to find a similar case on the forums. The firmware of the controller of the Chinese flash drive is no different, except for their smaller capacity compared to the declared one. A flash drive with an unidentified controller brand can be non-repairable.

Difficult cases include SanDisk flash drives. It has to do with corporate policy. The company itself carries out a 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 the bucket.

Flash drive prevention

As we have already understood, it is better not to bring the flash drive to the point of need for 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/extraction;
  • Filling a flash drive "to the eyeballs" its file system may be damaged. A dangerous symptom when recording is slowing down and freezing;
  • Check the flash drive using OS tools, do defragmentation;
  • Do not use a flash drive as the only copy of data (imagine that you have only one apartment key);
  • 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, avoid contact with other synthetics;
  • If the flash drive behaves strangely, do not rush to treat it with low-level programs. First, copy important files to another media, and then start repairing.

Now you know how to flash a USB flash drive and you can figure it out on your own. May your flash drives live long.

Leave your comments.

First of all, it is necessary to mention in what cases it is required flash drive controller firmware. The list of such malfunctions is not very long, just below I made a list of the most common situations when such a technique can help in repairing a flash drive. But, you should not take the technique described here as a panacea for all "diseases". Each case is individual, but the general technique is similar, with the exception of some points that are associated with different controllers, memory chips and a different combination of faults. You can also read others on the blog.

When to apply the flash drive controller firmware technique:

  • Zero volume of the flash drive, not the correct volume (2\4\8\16 Kb\Mb) instead of the normal size;
  • The drive is not detected on different PCs;
  • When connecting a disk, an "insert disk" error appears;
  • Error "Disk not found in device";
  • Error "The disk is write-protected";
  • There are read / write errors, and there is no way to copy or write data to a USB flash drive. It may be that data is being written, but not opened from a flash drive;
  • When connected to a PC, the flash drive is detected for a long time with errors Error "Code 10", Error "Code 43" and the like.

Maybe I didn't mention everything here. If someone has additions - write your case in the comments, and I will try to promptly make adjustments to the materials.

We proceed to the preparatory work on the flash drive for its further flashing (the controller itself is being flashed). We will assume that we have decided that there are no other options, except for flash drive controller firmware we don’t have any left and this is the last chance to repair a precious flash drive (the road is like a memory, a large volume, a beautiful case, etc.)

Flash drive controller firmware (stages of work):

1) Determination of the flash drive controller

Here we have only 2 options for determining the manufacturer and model of the controller. The first option is the most banal - to open the case (if it is constructively possible). To do this, you need to open the case of the flash drive and get the drive board from there. For the most part, all USB flash drives are the same internally, with the exception of monolithic flash drives. For example, I took a photo of a general view of the board of a flash drive and a controller (for example, a photo of a flash drive from free sources).

The visual method is very simple and the most accurate, since programs for determining pid&vid devices are not always accurate. If it is not possible to visually look at the controller or there are difficulties in disassembling the case, then we have a direct path to programs to determine pid and vid flash drives.
Important: in cases where the flash drive is not detected on the PC, the controller can only be recognized by visual inspection.

Identification of the controller by PID and VID

2) Selecting a utility for the controller

The next step is to search for a specialized utility for flashing a flash drive controller. We already have the VID and PID values, so we can start looking for a utility for the controller. To find the right utility, I use the service http://flashboot.ru/iflash/.

After pressing the search button, it offers us far from one result. The thing is that such a controller, as in my case, is used in flash drives from different manufacturers and with different sizes. When searching, pay attention to the UTILS (utility) field, where you need to look for exactly the result where the name of the utility is displayed. You can ignore the volume of the flash drive - this is not a critical parameter. You can also search for a utility by the name of the controller, which to a greater extent can speed up the search for the desired utility.

P.S. practice shows that sometimes it is worth trying different versions of utilities for the same controllers.

The search result gave us one more or less suitable option (highlighted in red in the screenshot) - utility SMI SM3257AA.

To squeak the utility, you can use the same site http://flashboot.ru/files/. In the search bar, you need to enter the name of our utility - SMI SM3257AA. As a result, 2 results were found. You need to download both, since there is a chance that one of them will only help solve our problem.

But, there is one but. We know for sure that the exact name of our controller is slightly different from what we found. On the controller body and program USB Flash Info showed that the correct name of the controller SM3257ENAA, not SM3257AA. To clear our conscience, let's check the utility database for the presence of a utility for such a modification. Search dropped 2 utility options.

It is likely that the utilities I found while searching for both SM3257AA and ENAA have the same core. In practice, it may turn out that they are no different, but still there is a possibility that you will need to try all 4 specials found. utilities. I recommend downloading all 4 programs at once.

I downloaded all 4 pieces, but decided to start with the utility SMI SM3257ENAA MPTool V2.03.58 v8 K1129 (11/11/29 Build). I’ll get ahead of myself - I managed to reflash the flash drive controller with this utility, and I didn’t check the others.
And now I will briefly describe the procedure for how the process of flashing the SM3257ENAA controller took place.

- Unpacked the archive and launched the sm32Xtest_V58-8 shortcut

We launch the utility and see that our patient flash drive is not visible in it (see screenshot).

- To determine our flash drive in the program, press the button " Scan USB (F5)”, as a result of which the program “sees” the usb device.

To start the process of flashing the controller of the flash drive, you need to press the Start buttons in the utility menu (before pressing, you need to select the desired flash drive). After pressing the button, the firmware process will begin.

After the firmware operation is completed, in the upper right corner we will see the word OK on a green background (see screenshot).

This completes the firmware flash drive controller firmware process. Within 10-20 seconds, our USB flash drive will appear in My Computer clean and without any files, since during the firmware process a low-level formatting of the drive occurs.

For all questions regarding this article, write in the comments.

Sometimes a flash drive, after formatting or incorrectly ejecting, begins to incorrectly display the size of the memory - for example, instead of 16 GB, only 8 GB or even less is available. There is another situation in which the declared size is initially much larger than the actual volume. Let's look at both cases to figure out how to restore the correct drive size.

Step-by-step instructions for restoring volume

To restore the actual size of the flash drive, you need to perform a low-level format. As a result, all data will be deleted from the flash drive, so first transfer the information to another medium.

You have received a completely clean media, now you need to re-partition it. This procedure is performed through the task manager:


After formatting is complete, the drive will return to its original size. If you have a flash drive from Transcend, you can restore it to its actual size using the free Transcend Autoformat utility. This program independently determines the volume of the flash drive and returns its correct display.

The utility from Transcend will carry out low-level formatting, after which the actual available memory will be displayed in the properties of the flash drive.

Working with Chinese flash drives

Chinese flash drives bought on Aliexpress and other similar online sites for little money often have one hidden drawback - their real capacity is significantly lower than the declared volume. The flash drive says 16 GB, but you can read from it no more than 8 GB - the rest of the information is not actually written anywhere.

This effect is achieved by flashing the controller. If the recorded files do not exceed the actually available volume of the flash drive, then you will not understand that you have been deceived until you encounter the fact that some of the information has disappeared. But you can determine the size of the drive in advance, without bringing the matter to an unpleasant situation:


If the actual size of the drive corresponds to the declared parameter, then the test will end with the phrase "Test finished without errors". If the memory of the flash drive is actually not so voluminous, then you will see a report in which there will be two lines - “OK” and “LOST”.

“OK” is the real memory of the flash drive, the amount that you can fill with data. "LOST" is a fake value, an empty space known only to the flashed controller. In order not to get confused, you need to restore the real volume of the drive. This can be done through the free Chinese program MyDiskFix. The utility does not have a Russian-language interface, so you will have to navigate by the screenshot.

With the increase in the number of USB flash drives produced in China, the recovery of Chinese flash drives is becoming more and more relevant. Online platforms offer a huge range of these gadgets. You can order USB drives up to 512 Gb at competitive prices. But most owners of flash drives ordered from China face problems in their operation. The most common of them is file corruption in the memory of the flash drive.

The reason for the loss of data from the memory of drives from China

The main components of any USB drive are the NAND chip and the controller. The NAND chip is responsible for the maximum amount of data that can be written to the media. The controller provides communication between the chip cells and the computer. During the manufacture of a flash drive, all information about the characteristics and size of the memory is recorded on it. Mismatch of data in the controller with the real capacity of the flash drive causes device malfunctions. When the true volume is full, the information begins to be written in a circle, overwriting the previous data. As a result, the files become inaccessible. Often the file system of overcrowded media is recognized as RAW. In some cases, it is possible to format such a device using standard Windows utilities, but the solution to the problem will be temporary, because after the real amount of memory is filled, the drive will start to malfunction again.

The NAND chip of most Chinese flash drives is serviceable and usable. But to restore its correct operation, it is necessary to make changes to the drive controller, indicating the real capacity. After that, the flash drive can be used without fear for the information on it.

Flash drive memory analysis

Before you begin to restore the true value of the amount of memory, you need to find it out. The easiest way is to gradually fill the media with files, waiting for a critical capacity value, after which a failure will begin. But in this way it will not be possible to determine the exact value of the memory and the number of sectors of the microcircuit. It would be more correct to use the program for testing drives. The most convenient free program for this is H2testw. It has a simple and intuitive interface. With its help, it is possible to quickly and accurately determine the true size of the storage medium.

The algorithm for working with the program is as follows:

  • specify the desired device (select target);
  • select full data check (all available space);
  • run test writing and reading information (Write + Verify).

Depending on the declared volume of the flash drive, the analysis time may last more than 10 hours. But there is no need to wait for the end of testing. You should wait for a significant drop in the write speed. This is evidence that the drive is completely full and the process of surface overwriting has begun. You can stop the write test (Abort). Next, select the reading process (Verify) and wait for it to complete. A value of the following type will be received: "6.7 GByte OK (14162432 sectors)". The value in brackets is the actual number of memory sectors that will be needed to restore the Chinese flash drive. In most cases, the true capacity of the media is 5-10% of the specified, so the amount of usable memory for drives with the declared 32-64 GB will not exceed 6 GB.

Restoring the real size of the capacity of Chinese flash drives

Restoring the real size of fake flash drives requires special utilities. But before using such programs, you must remove other media so that you do not mistakenly format them. The most convenient program for this is Acronis Disk Director.

Recovery instructions:

  1. Select the media you want to restore, right-click and start the initialization process. If the flash drive is formatted, skip this step.
  2. Select "Create Volume" from the Operations menu. In the window that appears, designate the creation of a basic volume and select the required media.
  3. Set the volume size to no more than the one obtained during testing. The volume type is logical. Choose the file system according to your needs. Click on the "finish" button.
  4. On the main page, select the "apply pending operations" option. The formatting process will begin, after which you can use the media. If an error occurs, you must return to step 2 and set a smaller volume size.

In this way, information about the total amount of memory in the controller will not change, but only its actual size will be available to all readers. This method is fast and safe, so it should be preferred.

To reprogram the controller, you must use the MyDiskFix utility. This program was developed by the Chinese to change information about the amount of storage media. There is only an alpha version of this program, so failures are possible. It is more convenient to use its English version.

For the correct operation of the program, media recovery must be performed in safe mode. To do this, when the PC boots up, press F8 and select the item "Safe Mode with Network Driver Loading".

The algorithm for working with MyDiskFix:

  • select the required media;
  • mark low-level formatting (Low-Level);
  • leave the first field of sectors (Sectors) unchanged, in the second field indicate the number of sectors that does not exceed the one that was obtained during testing, for example, 14162000;
  • start formatting "START Format".

This method is longer in time, but allows you to permanently fix the problem by changing the information about the NAND chip in the flash drive controller.

Regardless of the chosen recovery method, after the formatting process is completed, you must re-test using the H2testw utility. After making sure that the USB media is working properly, you can safely use it.

class="eliadunit">

Chinese Internet sites, such as AliExpress, offer a huge selection of goods at affordable prices, and sometimes at unrealistically cheap prices. But very often there is a catch behind the cheapness. Today we will analyze how not to be deceived when buying Chinese flash drives on the Internet. The classic divorce scheme, that's what it can be called, consists in selling cheap flash drives with large sizes. Outwardly, everything looks good, when you insert such a flash drive into the computer, the size is displayed as on the site when selling. The buyer sees that the flash drive is working and gives the OK to transfer money to the seller. Don't trust Chinese flash drive sellers - never! Trust must always be tested.

Divorce scheme by Chinese sellers of flash drives. Now let's look at why you should not immediately confirm the receipt of the goods. In most cases, it will not work correctly, and this is fraught not only with lost money for a low-quality flash drive, but also with the loss of important information. The Chinese inflate a smaller flash drive to a larger one and sell it for the price of larger flash drives (for example, 8 GB, inflate to 64 GB and sell at a discount for the price of 64 GB - very profitable). But do not inflate, do not inflate, an 8 GB flash drive will not store 64 GB information in itself, and this flash drive will not work normally without certain operations.

Determination of the actual size of the flash drive. You cannot trust the inscriptions and stickers on the flash drive, as well as the display size on the computer. To do this, we need a small, but in this case extremely useful program for Windows. h2testw_1.4 . Download, run. We choose the language: German or English, there is no Russian, but the program is extremely simple, which does not require the Russian interface language. Next, insert the USB flash drive into the computer and select it Selecttarget(pre-formatted if it's not empty) . Next click Write+ Verify.

Now you can turn on the movie and watch it. this operation is quite long (depending on the flash drive write speed and its size).

How h2testw works. During this test, the size of the flash drive is completely filled with small files that are formed into 1 GB files until they are completely filled. After filling the entire size with a flash drive, a report will be displayed and verification will automatically begin. If the flash drive is “bloated”, then this will be visible after receiving the correct size and it is not advisable to wait for the end of the test of all memory (a waste of time).

Analysis of results h2testw. After the determination of the “good” size is completed (in the screenshot, the second line is “7.4 GByte OK ...”), the “lost” volume is determined. If there is no change in the second line with a “good” size, you can stop the test with the “Abort” button. Of all the results, the most important indicator for us is the second line, which indicates the actual size (number of sectors) of the flash drive.

class="eliadunit">

Restoring the real size of MyDiskFix. After auditing the size of the flash drive, we return the real size to it by the program MyDiskFix . Don't let the incomprehensible characters in this utility scare you, this is due to Chinese characters, apparently, this is the native language for the program. Next, set the settings (numbers in the screenshot):

1) select a flash drive;

2) set low-level formatting;

3) specify the actual number of sectors for the flash drive (we take from the h2testw report, the second line, for my flash drive the correct number of sectors was 15618999);

4) run, press yes / ok in the subsequent windows.

Error at work MyDiskFix. In my case, after launching and agreeing to restore the flash drive, an error popped up: « Can NOT open drive H: [ Mass Storage device]! Please close the program which is using the drive and try again". Its meaning is that the MyDiskFix program cannot complete its operation due to the use of a flash drive by another application.

I did not notice the use of this flash drive by another application, so I had to restart the computer and start the system in safe mode with network drivers loaded (you should press F8 when starting the computer). There MyDiskFix also "cursed", but did its job.

Final verdict. That's actually all. MyDiskFix will offer format already the “correct” flash drive, what needs to be done, and then for especially accurate people, I recommend auditing this flash drive again in the h2testw program . After no identified problems, you can use the flash drive for its intended purpose.

Read also