Web User - UK (2020-02-05)

Workshop 2

54 5 - 18 February 2020

Fix a broken USB

memory stick

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Mostmemory-stickproblemsoccurbecauseWindows

failstoassigna driveletter.Tosolvethis,openFile

Explorer,thenThisPC.^1 ClickManagein theribbon

menualongthetop.^2 Onthefollowingscreen,gotoStorage,

DiskManagement.^3 If yourUSBstickworks,it’sdisplayed

here,^4 evenif it isn’tshowingin Explorer.

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If you’rehavingtroublewithyourUSBstick,firstcheck

whetherit’scorrupted.Withthestickinsertedintoyour

computer,openFileExplorer,thennavigatetothedrive.^1

Right-clicktheUSBfolder,selectProperties^2 and,in thenext

box,selecttheHardwaretab.^3 Youcanseeif theUSBstickis

workingproperlybycheckingits‘Devicestatus’.^4

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Right-clicktheUSBstickin thelowerhalfofthescreen,^1

select‘ChangeDriveLetterandPaths’^2 andclickAdd.

In thisbox,youcanassignanydriveletterthatisn’t

currentlyin use.^3 DoingsoforcestheUSBdrivetodisplayin

FileExplorer.Youshouldonlyhavetodothisoncebecausethe

computerremembersthisnewdriveletter.

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If yourUSBstickstillappearsunusable,it’stimetolaunch

Windows’CommandPrompt.Makesureyourunit asan

administrator,andthatyourUSBstickis alreadyinserted.

In CommandPrompt,typediskpart,^1 followedbylist

disk.^2 Allyourdrivesareshown.Makesureyouknowwhich

numbereddriveis theUSB(it’seasilyidentifiablebyitssize).^3

A

USB memory stick is such a versatile piece of

hardware that it lets you do everything from

storing files to running an entire operating system.

But if it becomes unusable, unformattable or corrupted,

don’t immediately throw it in the bin – help is at hand.

Windows offers a couple of ways to solve your

USB-drive woes, and it’s possible to bring your memory

stick back online, and even recover data you thought

you’d lost. You’ll also find the freemium MiniTool

Partition Wizard useful for scanning and wiping

USB sticks with ease.

On a general note, you should always back

up your data, relying on a combination of

external devices and the cloud.

MiniTool Partition Wizard: bit.ly/partition494 | 20 mins | XP,Vista,7, 8, 10

SteveClarksays

MiniTool’s Partition Wizard contains a range

of tools for managing partitions on your

PC, including resizing, formatting and

cloning. It’s worth exploring the various

options the software has to offer –

particularly if you’re looking for a more

user-friendly version than Windows’ built-in

Disk Management. The software also has a

data-recovery option, so if its built-in

wizard can’t claw back lost partitions, you

won’t lose your data.

EXPERT TIP

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