Member Avatar for Bile

Hi,Happy new Year to all.
I have USB Flash disk which stoped working recently I hope the problem is due to the fact that I was doing Disc Fragmentation and Cleanup while it was plugged in,after wards it started to ask Me to format it and here is an interesting thing all the Defragmentation and Cleanup were done on windows and so in windows it asks Me to format but in linux it doesnt redy/detect at all! Is there a way I can do its 16 GB TOSHIBA.
Thank U in advance

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by andybe

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A concise expert summary and practical triage for 's Toshiba 16GB: Windows asking to format but failing while Linux shows nothing usually falls into two categories — a corrupted partition table/filesystem (device still enumerates, just shows RAW or needs rebuilding) or an internal controller / NAND failure that prevents the drive from enumerating at all. The suggestions from , and point to those possibilities; the steps below focus on safe diagnosis first, then on recovery attempts if the device does appear to the OS.

Basic non-destructive checks (diagnose whether the device enumerates)

  • On Linux, watch kernel logs and list USB/block devices:

    sudo dmesg -w
# or, after plugging in:
sudo dmesg | tail -n 50

lsusb
lsblk -o NAME,MODEL,SIZE,MOUNTPOINT
sudo fdisk -l

  • On Windows, open Device Manager and Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc). If Disk Management shows the stick as Unknown/RAW or unallocated, that indicates filesystem/partition corruption rather than total hardware silence.

If the device is visible but formatting fails (data not needed)

  • Wiping the partition table and creating a fresh table/partition can recover many corrupted devices (this destroys existing data). Examples on Linux:

    # WARNING: replace /dev/sdX with the correct device. This erases data.
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=512 count=1
sudo parted /dev/sdX mklabel msdos
sudo parted -a optimal /dev/sdX mkpart primary fat32 1MiB 100%
sudo mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/sdX1

  • On Windows the equivalent is Diskpart (select the correct disk before any destructive command).

If the device does not enumerate at all (no dmesg, no lsusb)

  • That pattern matches controller or NAND failure (some controllers also force read-only mode on wear). Trying different USB ports, another computer, or a powered hub is worth confirming, but persistent non-enumeration usually means hardware death. For critical data, professional NAND-recovery services are the only reliable option; otherwise replacement is the practical choice.

Notes and cautions

  • Any cleaning/writing commands will destroy data — avoid them if file recovery is required. Tools such as TestDisk/PhotoRec can be used only when the device appears as a block device. Always confirm the correct disk name before running destructive commands.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for rproffitt

When this happens I try that HP USB FORMATTER you can find on the web. Some USB Flash Drives fail and will never format again. But you will see clients ask you to try to save the drive. More at https://www.google.com/#q=linux+how+to+format+usb+drive

Member Avatar for rch1231

Hello,

The first question is are you doing a quick format or not. If the USB filesystem becomes corrupted a quick format, which basically just deletes the entries in the Master File Table, will not fix it. Uncheck the quick format option and try it again and if it works then you should be fine. If not then it is probably time to buy a new USB.

Member Avatar for andybe

May be your USB is broken.

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