Thumb drive sent through the wash. Any hope?
Hi folks,
My wife sent a 16 gig thumb drive through the washing machine and dryer. Any hope to recover the data on it? Right now, nothing happens when inserted into a USB slot.
My wife sent a 16 gig thumb drive through the washing machine and dryer. Any hope to recover the data on it? Right now, nothing happens when inserted into a USB slot.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
basicinstinct
PS - the WORST thing you can EVER do is plug it in when it is still wet, even microscopically.
ASKER
>> PS - the WORST thing you can EVER do is plug it in when it is still wet, even microscopically.
Whoops.
>> About the only chance you have is letting it dry out.
Well, I just found it 5+ days after it went through still in the pants pocket it went through in.
Whoops.
>> About the only chance you have is letting it dry out.
Well, I just found it 5+ days after it went through still in the pants pocket it went through in.
when i said that i had put one thru the wash before i meant my wife put one thru the wash, of course ;)
We all knew that :) It was implied :)
ASKER
Fortunately, my wife does not read EE, so I can make certain claims with impunity.
:)
:)
ASKER
The other problem is that this is a rubberized drive:
http://corsairmemory.com/products/voyager.aspx
Should I cut off the rubber casing to promote drying?
http://corsairmemory.com/products/voyager.aspx
Should I cut off the rubber casing to promote drying?
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Meant to say -
'Some only charge if they get results.'
'Some only charge if they get results.'
Kode99,
Where did you read this "I have read that the hot air in a dryer is around 175 C"? with that kinda temp, I dont think clothes could stand it :o) ... 10 C more as 185 C (183 C is melting point of solder! for tin lead solder).
Are you sure it is C not F?
Where did you read this "I have read that the hot air in a dryer is around 175 C"? with that kinda temp, I dont think clothes could stand it :o) ... 10 C more as 185 C (183 C is melting point of solder! for tin lead solder).
Are you sure it is C not F?
Damn that explains why my clothes are so crisp with the new dryer ...
Heh, my bad for not looking at that more closely, yes it should been F and not C. Does not sound so dramatic anymore, around 80 C maybe 85 if your dryer is really hot. Still outside spec, not sure if high temperature will wipe it, definatly could cause errors though.
Heh, my bad for not looking at that more closely, yes it should been F and not C. Does not sound so dramatic anymore, around 80 C maybe 85 if your dryer is really hot. Still outside spec, not sure if high temperature will wipe it, definatly could cause errors though.
ASKER
Well, folks, we had a small, private ceremony for the thumb drive this evening. Then I chucked it in the garbage.
Following all suggestions above produced no effect. No computer recognizes the drive or even that a device is plugged into the port and no amount of praying or cursing had any effect either.
Thanks to all who responded. I learned several new things. Points are upped to 500 and will be split as equally as possible.
Jason
Following all suggestions above produced no effect. No computer recognizes the drive or even that a device is plugged into the port and no amount of praying or cursing had any effect either.
Thanks to all who responded. I learned several new things. Points are upped to 500 and will be split as equally as possible.
Jason
I'll throw in my 2 cents as well, for future situations. I once worked at a photo-shop, where I learned that if you drop your camera in salt water, the most important thing to do is as quickly as possible to bathe it in fresh water! Water itself does no harm, but salt water residues do. And if you can cleanse it before the salt water dries, chances are much better of saving the situation.
I am guessing washing detergent remains aren't necessarily good news, either. So here is my suggested procedure for next time a USB stick goes through the washing machine:
1. Open it (protecting covers etc.) as much as possible without damaging it (which normally means you can't do anything at all...).
2. Put it in the sink and let it lay in running water for a few minutes.
3. Cleanse it in tap water (with as high pressure as you have available), by trying to "force" water into it through whatever slots there are, to really flush out any residues.
4. Leave it to dry on a suitably warm place for several days, turning it once in a while. If it is only in room temperature, I agree with others here that a week is a recommended minimum.
5. Stick it in! If it works, great! If not, forget it!
P.S.: Better the USB stick than the cat. I tried that once in my childhood, because it came in from the rain, soaking wet. Luckily, my mother came across me just as I was trying to push the button :-)
I am guessing washing detergent remains aren't necessarily good news, either. So here is my suggested procedure for next time a USB stick goes through the washing machine:
1. Open it (protecting covers etc.) as much as possible without damaging it (which normally means you can't do anything at all...).
2. Put it in the sink and let it lay in running water for a few minutes.
3. Cleanse it in tap water (with as high pressure as you have available), by trying to "force" water into it through whatever slots there are, to really flush out any residues.
4. Leave it to dry on a suitably warm place for several days, turning it once in a while. If it is only in room temperature, I agree with others here that a week is a recommended minimum.
5. Stick it in! If it works, great! If not, forget it!
P.S.: Better the USB stick than the cat. I tried that once in my childhood, because it came in from the rain, soaking wet. Luckily, my mother came across me just as I was trying to push the button :-)
ASKER
>> Better the USB stick than the cat.
Or the baby. Always have to remember to check where the little guy is...
Or the baby. Always have to remember to check where the little guy is...
I dropped my cell phone in a porta-potty. It had been freshly cleaned and was shallow, so I retrieved it. I did the clean water washing thing and opened it up to dry off. After a few days, I could make calls again! But the display retained these purple jagged lines of interference. Cingular's replacement policy specifically excludes getting your phone wet so they were not sympathetic.
I've also run into a couple issues with 'moist' electronics and have found the best way to dry them has been to wrap loosely in a paper towel and place in a sealed container of rice for a day or two. The rice does a really nice job of pulling all the moisture out quickly.
On these devices, just getting wet will not render the data unrecoverable - professional recovery should be able to recover the data - if it's worth the cost. If drying it out does not work, try DriveSavers data recovery,they're very good at these things (http://www.drivesavers.com), and typically don't charge if they can't get the data back.