Flash drive messed up...

[atrane21]

i have a 16gb flash drive and the other day i was trying to backup a few files to it off my laptop so i could re-load my laptop with windows 7. Well when i added the files/folders to it i tried to open them and they wouldn't work. When i opened the folders it would have all kind of random files with characters as names and if i would go back and then reopen the folder it would have different random files in there with different characters. None of these files will open or anything. The things that were already on the flash drive still work but if i add anything new it gets corrupt.

i ran an avast scan on it to make sure there were no viruses and avast didn't find anything and i also formatted it and reloaded the original things i had on there (not the stuff i was trying to back up) and they worked but then if i added anything else other than those original things they would get corrupt again.

Any ideas on what happened or what i could do to fix it. I'd hate to just trash a 16gb flash drive.

Thanks in advance!

 

[NickCat11]

Have you tried using it on another computer with the same results?

 

[Graystar]

What brand is it?
Sandisk offers a 2 year warranty, I got a Kingston with a 5 year warranty.
Look it up before you toss it.

 

[basic]

Just a hunch but try reformatting and then adding the other "stuff" first. Then try to add your old files back. Also what version of windows are you using?

 

[Doctor Micro]

If it's formatted FAT, are you sure you're not running into the limit on the number of files in the root directory? With FAT, you're limited to 512.

 

[atrane21]

I've used it on multiple computers/OS's with same result. I've tried it on windows 7, windows xp, and also ubuntu. same result with all 3.

 

[NYJimbo]

i also formatted it and reloaded the original things i had on there (not the stuff i was trying to back up) and they worked but then if i added anything else other than those original things they would get corrupt again.

This is the part I find perplexing. You need to play with some scenarios to really be sure what is making it fail. It makes no sense that copying the old files there works but anything else there makes it fail unless you are hitting some limit on the drive OR are using some kind of copy or backup that is corrupting it. As another member said, put the bad stuff on first or only some of the originals.

If its not too personal perhaps you can tell us what files or types of files are working and what are "corrupting". Maybe you can try different format types like FAT32, NTFS, etc ??

 

[atrane21]

i have a lot of repair tools that stay on there all the time so i have them handy and those are the files that still worked. but i just connected it to a vista workstation and it's not showing anything except a bunch of corrupt files that i have no idea what they are...

also i was able to remove and add files before with no problems. so i dont understand how all of the sudden it just doesn't work.

 

[Kenhelms]

If it's formatted FAT, are you sure you're not running into the limit on the number of files in the root directory? With FAT, you're limited to 512.

+1

Ive seen this on a lot of drives.

 

[Doctor Micro]

If it's formatted FAT, are you sure you're not running into the limit on the number of files in the root directory? With FAT, you're limited to 512.

+1

Ive seen this on a lot of drives.

There's also a limit on the max volume and file size. Approx 4GB (2^32) for file size and 2GB (2^16) files per volume.