Hi, After I installed a new hard drive I updated it with Mavericks. I had a thumb drive which I used to back up info from old hard drive. I had it in one of the USB ports and everything worked well for weeks. I was busy doing other things and never put the data from the thumb drive on my new hard drive. I used the thumb drive a couple of times to look at some documents, so I know it worked with the new setup. Yesterday, I tried to access the thumb drive and it was showing on my desk top. I rebooted, received a massage saying, it dosent recognize the thumb drive anymore would i like to initialize, ignore or eject. I can't get the iMac to recognize my thumb drive anywhere. I tried using the thumb drive on a PC and it also asked if I would like to format the thumb drive. Not working on PC either. I tried a different thumb on my Mac and it worked. My problem is that I need the data on the thumb thats not working anymore. Any Ideas on why this happened and how I can retrieve the data from the thumb drive when my mack won't recognize it. Again, other thumb drives do work and the thumb that failed worked at one point also. Help Please!!! Thx Tony
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Installed Mavericks now one Thumb drive not working?
- Thread starter Felix711
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As for how it happened, my guess is a static discharge. I've had the same thing happen to me, where a previously working thumb/flash drive was working and then Windows and OS X reports that it needs to be formatted. I don't know of any way to recover the data after the OS sees it as needing to be formatted.
This unfortunately underscores the importance of backups. If you only have 1 copy, even it it's on your "backup" drive, it's not backed up. If it's on a RAID, even a straight mirror'd setup, it's not backed up unless you have a copy besides your RAID. If it's REALLY important to you, you should have at least 3 copies of it, with 1 offsite - the "cloud" works too.
I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you're SOL - but I would be happily corrected if there is a way to recover from a "needs formatting" situation like yours.
This unfortunately underscores the importance of backups. If you only have 1 copy, even it it's on your "backup" drive, it's not backed up. If it's on a RAID, even a straight mirror'd setup, it's not backed up unless you have a copy besides your RAID. If it's REALLY important to you, you should have at least 3 copies of it, with 1 offsite - the "cloud" works too.
I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you're SOL - but I would be happily corrected if there is a way to recover from a "needs formatting" situation like yours.
I am sorry for your loss.
You have just put a very unfortunate notch in your 'life experience' belt.
Thumb drives ARE NOT backup storage devices.
They are utility tools that facilitate copying data from one location to another, never to be employed in a manner where the only place the data resides in on the USB stick.
They do not have any magic smoke.
They fail without provocation, warning, or recourse.
When they fail, there is no release of magic smoke, no sparks, pop, or other indication that they have gone away. They very quietly lay down and commence their dirt nap.
Barring some kind of miracle, you have very likely lost whatever you may have had on that drive.
You have just put a very unfortunate notch in your 'life experience' belt.
Thumb drives ARE NOT backup storage devices.
They are utility tools that facilitate copying data from one location to another, never to be employed in a manner where the only place the data resides in on the USB stick.
They do not have any magic smoke.
They fail without provocation, warning, or recourse.
When they fail, there is no release of magic smoke, no sparks, pop, or other indication that they have gone away. They very quietly lay down and commence their dirt nap.
Barring some kind of miracle, you have very likely lost whatever you may have had on that drive.
As mentioned, USB flash fobs are notoriously flakey and as with any data you need to back them up too.