SanDisk Cruzer Fit USB Flash Drive 16GB Data Recovery After Physical Damage

A client’s SanDisk Cruzer Fit 16GB USB flash drive was physically damaged after their laptop fell while the USB was plugged in. The impact caused the USB stick to bend, damaging its internal connections.

The client took the flash drive to a local computer repair shop, where they were told that the only way to recover the data was through NAND chip removal—a highly specialized process requiring expert micro-soldering and forensic data extraction.

With critical personal and work-related files stored on the USB drive, the client sought a professional data recovery service to retrieve their lost information.

Our Expertise in USB Flash Drive & NAND Chip Data Recovery

With 25 years of experience, our team specialises in:
✔ Recovering physically damaged USB flash drives
✔ Using NAND chip-off techniques to extract data from non-working devices
✔ Forensic-level micro-soldering for chip-level recovery

Diagnosis & Recovery Process

Upon receiving the damaged SanDisk Cruzer Fit USB drive, our engineers performed a detailed physical and digital analysis. The key findings included:

  • Severe PCB (Printed Circuit Board) damage – The internal connectors were broken, preventing the USB from being recognized by any computer.
  • Controller chip failure – Since the device was unresponsive, direct data access was impossible.
  • NAND memory chip still intact – The actual storage chip where data was stored was undamaged, meaning data recovery was possible using chip-off techniques.

To recover the client’s critical files, we implemented a multi-step NAND chip recovery strategy:

Step 1: Cleanroom NAND Chip Removal & Preservation

  • The NAND memory chip was carefully removed from the damaged PCB using specialized micro-soldering tools.
  • The extracted chip was cleaned and prepped for direct reading.

Step 2: NAND Chip Data Extraction

  • Using forensic chip-off recovery tools, we directly accessed the raw data stored in the NAND chip.
  • A full binary dump of the flash memory was created to preserve all possible data.

Step 3: File System Reconstruction & Data Extraction

  • The raw data was processed through advanced flash translation layer (FTL) reconstruction tools to rebuild the file system.
  • Fragmented data was pieced back together to restore original files with proper names and folder structures.

Step 4: Data Integrity Verification & Secure Transfer

  • A complete file integrity check was conducted to ensure that all recovered data was accessible.
  • The successfully recovered files were securely transferred to a new USB drive for the client.

The Result

We successfully recovered 99% of the client’s critical files, including personal documents, photos, and work-related data. The client was able to regain full access to their important files, avoiding permanent data loss.

Why Choose Us for USB Flash Drive Data Recovery?

✅ 25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in NAND chip-off recovery and flash memory repair.
✅ Advanced Forensic Techniques – Extracting data even from non-functional USB drives.
✅ Micro-Soldering & Chip-Level Recovery – Recovering data when standard software-based solutions fail.
✅ Fast & Secure Process – Ensuring minimal downtime and 100% data confidentiality.

If your USB flash drive is physically damaged, unresponsive, or not recognized, contact our expert data recovery team today for professional assistance!