Formatting a damaged flash drive
Formatting a damaged flash drive can help restore its operation, but keep in mind that this action will completely delete all data on the device. Before formatting, I recommend doing the following:
1. Connect the flash drive to the computer and check whether it is displayed in the explorer or device manager.
2. If your operating system provides a tool for scanning and correcting disk errors (such as chkdsk for Windows), run it with a command through the command line or the user interface.
3. Use third-party software to request data recovery from damaged media before formatting.
If all the above steps did not help restore the functionality of the flash drive, you can proceed to the formatting process:
For Windows users:
1. Open "My computer" or "This computer".
2. Find your USB storage under the "Devices" section.
3a) Right-click on the corresponding icon and select the "Format..." option. Then follow the instructions of the formatting wizard.
3b) Or right-click on the flash drive icon and select the "Properties" option. In the open window, go to the "General" tab and click the "Format" button. Again, follow the instructions of the wizard.
For Mac users:
1. Open Finder.
2. Find your USB drive in the Devices or Locations section on the left side of the Finder sidebar.
3a) Right-click (or hold the Control key), then select the “Clear” option.
3b) Use the Disk Utility application to perform the formatting operation.
After the formatting process is complete, your flash card can be used again as a new one.