Dead USB memory stick

[witch]

I have searched for an answer but nothing emerged that might help and now I am clutching at straws

A teacher had her memory stick in her laptop and it got shoved, and now it doesn't register at all on any machine. It has all her reports on, no, it wasn't backed up and she knows it is her own fault, and I would really like to help her.

I've taken it to bits but can't see any obvious damage - I've re-soldered a few of the connections but I don't have a really fine-tipped soldering iron so there isn't a lot I can do.

Does anyone know of anything I could try?

I've tried it at all angles, pressed it, wiggled it (behave, you lot) and only once have I briefly got the 'there is a problem with your new hardware' message and nothing registered on the machine.

You lot are SO clever, can anyone help?

[amfony]

me clever? yeh ok ill run with that.

 

my usual recourse for USB issues is to wack the usb in to other operating systems. IE Mac, win 2k, heck even 98 if you gots it. I have no real techincal reason that i understand for this but it has definatley worked in the past. Have a try and see how you go.

[bizzel]

99% of the time I find that the drive has been bent and so the tiny solder connections on the memory chip have popped off on one side. It might be worth trying to lift the chip rather than press it, that could show you where a joint's a bit loose.

[Michael]

Does the LED on the memory stick light up at all when you try pressing it and wiggling it? *ahem* I agree with comments already made - it will most likely be tiny solder connections which have been broken. I'm not sure what else to suggest, sorry Witch.

[witch]

My thoughts were the solder connections which was why I tried re-soldering everything I could find (As an electronics engineer, I tend to think that solder is an answer to everything!). The chip doesn't lift at all as far as I can see (glued down with solder now!)

I will try the different op system thing - I have got a Linux machine at home (bless mrwITch) but I think that is all other than my servers. Maybe I can send it home with a Mac person.

Thanks for the thoughts