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Physical flash failures

	Flash memory types

	There are many types of solid state memory, which is based on electronics (no moving parts) as opposed to traditional hard disks (with moving parts). The widespread devices are based on the so called "flash" memory chips, and are collectively referred to as "flash memory". The most common variants include Various memory cards used with digital camera, digital voice recorders, digital media players, PDAs and so on. Variations are Compact flash, SD (Secure Digital), Memory Stick, and so on. USB "sticks", typically up to several gigabytes in size. These are just like a regular removable device attached via USB port.

	Physical flash memory failures

	Typical failure modes, listed in no particular order, are Bad spot on the card (this can be handled with ZAR, esp. if not too many bad spots. Download ZAR now). Bad spot causing the card to lock up. I.e. once you accessed that bad spot, all read attempts fail till a power cycle. Device firmware problem causing the device to report zero capacity. This essentially renders the device inaccessible to any software. Mechanical failure - broken or jammed connection (most common being USB connector bent or broken loose from the USB stick).

	How to confirm a flash memory failure

	The following symptoms are suggestive of a physical flash memory failure Broken connectors or other visible damage. USB stick is not assigned a drive letter in Windows upon insertion. Windows Disk Management indicates a zero size for the device. System locks up when accessing the flash memory unit, requiring a hard reboot (power cycle) to recover.

	Possible corrective actions

	Try complete power cycle - power down the computer, plug the problematic device off the mains, then power back on. Check connections. Remove the device from the slot, then reinsert it. Knowing full well that problematic connections are a widespread problem, check connections again. For a memory card (like Compact Flash or Memory Stick): if a card is inserted into the device (like digital camera), try removing the card from the device and using the card reader to read the data. If already using a card reader, you may want to try different card reader. For an USB stick, try different USB port. If practical, try with a different machine.

Data recovery in case of a physical failure

If a device develops physical problem, exercise extreme caution. If any of the above symptoms exist, consider
In case of a limited damage (one or two bad spots on the media)

Software recovery with ZAR takes longer than usual but still completes.

The recovery rate drop caused by limited physical damage is insignificant.

In case of a massive damage,

If the device is not accessible at all (circuitry failure), no software can even attempt the recovery. Physical intervention is required.

Even if the device seems accessible, software recovery run the will take excessive time to complete, making the attempt impractical. On top of that, the recovery run puts further stress on the device. This may be undesirable.

In case of the massive damage, there is no point in attempting the do-it-yourself type data recovery at home. There is little you can do to repair a physically damaged device without the special equipment. If you have a physically failed storage device, we have a discount available for a DriveSavers recovery service. DriveSavers are quite good with physically damaged devices and we recommend you contact them if need arises.

Here is the list of the differences between us (Zero Assumption Recovery) and them (DriveSavers).

	ZAR data recovery software.	DriveSavers data recovery service.
What?	Software utility designed to recover all types of the software data loss; limited physical damage handling	Service providing in-lab recovery of the physically damaged devices.
Who?	You perform the recovery, do-it-yourself software solution.	Performed by technicians, in-lab recovery.
Where?	At your location, do-it-yourself software solution.	You have to ship your device to the lab.
How much?	$(US)49.95 or less.	Pricing varies depending on the problem.
How long?	Typical recovery is completed within 12 hours start-to-end.	Typical turnaround time 1-2 business days
Warranty?	Unconditional money back, no questions asked.	"No data - no fee" principle applies in most cases.

So, if you have lost your data due to the physical failure of the device, you may want to call DriveSavers at 800-440-1904 or email them at recovery@drivesavers.com for a quote. Be sure you mention the code "DS18173" and get 10% off on your recovery.

Nightly discount
starts in 1 hour 5 min

ZA works! I downloaded and tried at least 16 other programs, but none recovered a single image. ZA saved 159 photos (all of the images on the card, as far as I can remember). My 512MB SD card was corrupted when I plugged it into a card reader to make a backup. [...] Every search turned up fewer "new" programs to try. Tonight I downloaded 4 "new" programs (3 of them didn't work....) ZA works! [...] won't recognize any drives -- unless I'm logged in as Administrator. An undocumented shortcoming.

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