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You can try some apps that claim to fix it, but honestly, plugging into a computer and using real recovery software is usually the only way. Otherwise, good luck praying to the tech gods!
On Windows, you can open Disk Management to see if the pendrive appears there—sometimes it just needs a drive letter assigned. If it’s not showing up, try plugging it into different USB ports or even another computer to rule out a faulty port or PC issue. You might also want to check your USB drivers and update or reinstall them just in case. If the drive is detected but you can’t access your files, data recovery programs like Recuva or EaseUS might help you get your data back.
SanDisk has made its focus on AI the central pillar of its business strategy, particularly since its split from Western Digital. SanDisk and SK hynix have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on standardizing a new memory technology called High Bandwidth Flash (HBF). This technology is specifically designed for AI inference workloads and is intended to address the limitations of traditional High Bandwidth Memory (HBM).
Since you’ve tried the usual stuff like different ports, devices, and drivers, I’d check the power management settings in Device Manager—sometimes Windows turns off USB ports to save power. Also, resetting your BIOS to default can help if it’s a recognition issue.
If none of that works, it might be a hardware problem with your USB ports or motherboard. Running a system file check (sfc /scannow) could help too. If you’re still stuck, a tech might need to take a look.
Yeah, this happened to many, and it is easy to recover most of the stuff, so there’s definitely hope. First off, don’t format the card no matter how many times it asks, that’ll make recovery way harder. Try using a different card reader or USB port if you haven’t already, and maybe even a different computer, just to rule out a hardware issue. If the card still doesn’t show up properly, there are a couple of free tools you can try.
Photorec is good for basic recovery on Windows, and R-Photo is more powerful if the file system is really messed up, as it can pull files even if the drive looks empty or raw.
It’s not the best software, but it works. Also, check Disk Management (on Windows) or Disk Utility (on Mac) to see if the card shows up at all — if it appears as unallocated or RAW space, that’s a decent sign. If none of that works and the files are super important, like irreplaceable memories, you might have to look into a professional recovery tool like Stellar Photo Recovery, but it can be paid.
This is making sense now. I just checked and I do have several msgstore files in there. Gonna back them up and try the reinstall + restore method. Fingers crossed.
I’ve been using a SanDisk pendrive for a while, but recently it suddenly stopped working. When I plug it into my computer, nothing shows up- no drive letter, no notification, and it’s not showing in Disk Management either. I’ve tried multiple USB ports and even different computers, but the issue persists.
I really need to recover some important files from it. Has anyone else experienced this with their SanDisk drives? What troubleshooting steps did you try, and did anything work?
You’re telling me your phone is clearly dying and your solution was… to turn it off and on again? Genius. Maybe next try shaking it or yelling at it. 😀
Same thing happened to me. I dont know what to do?
Let me know if you were able to fix your card.
Also, make sure you have more free space than just 2 GB before doing all this. WhatsApp can be picky during restore..if you’re low on space mid-process, it might fail again. I’d clear up at least 6–8 GB temporarily.
hey, so my 64gb sandisk sd card randomly stopped working. I was using it in my camera and when I plugged it into my laptop it either doesn’t show up or says I need to format it (which I obviously dont wanna do).
it has a bunch of photos + vids I really need and ofc I didn’t back anything up yet… not smart, I know lol. I haven’t added anything to it since it stopped working, just trying to see if I can save the data.
anyone had this happen before? any free tools or methods that actually worked? trying not to lose hope here 😩
Reinstalling can wipe data if you’re not careful, but here’s what I did when I had that bug:
1. Go into Internal Storage > WhatsApp > Databases — see if you’ve got files like msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14.
2. Move the latest one to a safe folder outside WhatsApp’s folder.
3. Uninstall WhatsApp.
4. Reinstall it, before opening it, move that backup file back into the Databases folder.
5. Open WhatsApp and choose “Restore from backup” when prompted.
If the app is still using 70 GB, there’s a good chance the database file is intact.
I think I had daily backups turned on, but only locally and not on Google Drive. But I don’t know how to make whatsapp pull that data again without reinstalling. Won’t reinstalling wipe things?
I had something super similar happen when I was low on space. WhatsApp didn’t actually delete my files, but it messed up the index file that links chats to the app’s display. I had to restore from a local backup to get them back. Do you have daily backups enabled?
Don’t panic if it doesen’t work.. sometimes the database files can be repaired even if whatsapp refuses to read them. I’ve seen data recovery tools for Android that specifically target whatsapp..they basically read the raw .crypt14 file and rebuild the chat history. Saved me once when WhatsApp wouldn’t restore after a crash.