USB drive wont mount need help

[0007776]

I am trying to recover some files from a USB flash drive for a friend. It is a San Disk 2GB, and it has some school assignments that she unfortunately did not have a backup of, so I need a way to recover those files. The drive just does not show up anywhere, it doesn't show up in the finder, disk utility or the terminal. When I plug it in it briefly will have the light showing it is connected come on but that will go off immediately. I took it apart and it does not appear that anything is physically broken on it.
Does anyone know of any software or other way of getting it off? paying a Data recovery service to get it off isn't an option as she would have to redo everything on it before they could do anything.
Thanks for any help.

 

[koswo]

Which filesystem? NTFS?

 

[0007776]

Unfortunatly since i'm doing it for a friend it is not mine so i don't know what file system, but it is probably whatever those drives normally ship with which will mount on a Mac. and this drive has been tried on windows PCs with the same results.

 

[eRondeau]

Probably won't help, but spray the contact pins with some electronic contact cleaning spray. Could be some crud there? Try inserting it only 3/4 way too, that's worked for me before.

And you're plugging it directly into your Mac, right, not into a hub?