flash drive repair and data recovery

for data recovery call: 855.366.4232
or request your service here: www.hddrecovery...
in this video, we attempt to perform a flash drive repair but end up recovering data directly from the memory chip. Not every attempt to repair a non-working flash drive is successful, just like not every data recovery directly from memory chip is not always successful. The ability to perform both types of services helps us keep our success rate sky high. If your flash drive is busted, broken, snapped in half, or simply stopped working and you need data that was on it - contact us for help.
if you want to ship your failed device to us for data recovery and free evaluation, simply fill out this form: www.hddrecovery...
and send your drive boxed with bubble wrap to this address:
HDD Recovery Services
391 Bank St, Suite 201
Ottawa, ON
K2P 1Y3
Canada
data recovery software we recommend: bit.ly/2PnDG2X
Updated 2019 my gear for soldering:
Green inspection light amzn.to/2DFJoYu
Platter extractor: bit.ly/2YhQD2y
Momentary foot pedal switch amzn.to/2OSqjZF
Vacuum pump amzn.to/364XWxa
Programmer amzn.to/2DRjL7a
Quick pogo pin adapter for eepROM amzn.to/33TYVyO
Microscope: amzn.to/2rqWcwr
Multimeter: amzn.to/2EHKAxO
Microscope camera 21mp 60fps 1080P: amzn.to/2Rb5cUq
JBC precision soldering iron and tweezers: amzn.to/33MACm8
Hot air station: amzn.to/2K7Mztk
Infrared preheater: amzn.to/2rYCH1c
BEST Flux: amzn.to/2mXJd1b
Wick: amzn.to/2mNr0Xh
Solder: amzn.to/2mtyC0a
Solder paste for BGA reballing: amzn.to/2LrKQCi
NAND BGA rebelling stencil amzn.to/33Oq9a5
Gloves: amzn.to/2mbHWDI
Fume Extractor (mine is no longer available but this is the new version of the same unit) : amzn.to/2mNCmL7
Gear for filming:
small camera: amzn.to/2mNw51T
big camera: amzn.to/2Ficg9o
Lens on big camera:amzn.to/2Cx3fGw
this video: • flash drive repair and...

[@andrewjordan3061]

I run a small computer business in Australia and do data recovery at the software level but take the harder jobs to specialist companies like yours. I get a lot of customers that do not back up their data and I advise them they should have triplicates to ensure their data is safe. I have just spent the past few hours watching your videos and I have learnt more in 2 hours about data recovery than I have over the past several years. What you are doing is commendable and very much appreciated. Keep up the great work!!!

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Thank you Andrew! it means a lot

[@cosmicallyspeaking871]

Excellent camera work! Good explanation! Learned something new today. I have made the mistake of keeping my data on just one flash drive/one hard drive and losing it all. :( Never again! Data back up to multiple devices is a daily ritual for me. :) Thank you.

[@AlissonMalone]

I never see in my entire life,an hdd specialist. It's an amazing job!

[@beogeek]

I love your channel and work in the same field. Regarding reballing the chip, after applying the paste remove excess with a spatula, and reflow with hot air while the stencil is still on the NAND that way you won't have issues with smudging. All in all great work!

[@Zedman3333]

3:33 you're in trouble now USB flash drive. This guy is great, ive watched so many docos about ALOT of things, watching a guy fix hardrives or usb sticks, is just as interesting as watching wild life or mega structures or what ever.....awesome.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Haha, thanks so much zeddman

[@m.s.6545]

I have Netflix , i have Amazon Prime, and what am i doing in my free time ? watching this stuff. clicked on a video and hooked up....its a pleasure to watch your skills.... mesmerizing :-)

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Awesome! Thanks :)

[@El_Is0o]

@@hddrecoveryservices How much $$ cost this service??? Amazing work

[@janislanka]

The most interesting and insanely detailed lab and microscope work...and then you use USB drive in the back of a PC like a normal person...haha. I expected some fancier connection!

[@jeinnerabdel]

Yep, the thing is that only USB ports that come directly from the MOBO are reliable. Front USB ports or even using an extension cord may return an error. Some light would have been good though.

[@lee3521]

What software do you use for chip off recovery? I seem to recall you have some software that can simulate different controllers and rebuild the raw data from the nand chips.

[@Chriva]

I could watch this all day. Excellent work as always :)

[@hddrecoveryservices]

:)

[@alfonsosoriano171]

i don't know anything about it, but i enjoy watching. thanks.

[@dildardildar0612]

Pretty much video for information about data recovery.... thanks a lot.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

you are welcome

[@Mobiledotwww]

Maybe I am an ignorant, so may I be excused, but have you formally studied data recovery before, or you are just a passionate? Now, I recovered information only from HDDs, mine or some friends’, being passionate about IT and stuff and I usually try to learn something new every day. I watched like, hundreds or even more videos about people fixing, creating stuff or about hacks for life and those which inspire me the most are the DIY ones. Now many people like to share their experience, which is great, but though some are skilled and up to the sky more professional that others, they lack the ability to explain. There is a trap right there, because you make it all seem too easy, which it isn't. I like electronics and worked on some silly projects which taught me that even placing a SMD or an MMC on a specific spot might be difficult. OK, long story short: thanks for wanting and being able to hare! And good luck!

[@hddrecoveryservices]

There is no formal learning / certification in data recovery industry regardless of what anyone may say. There are individual tools that you can take training courses for from developers as they can be very overwhelming to most who start using them. I fell in love with this line of work at a very your age, and I never looked back. Everyday I try to learn new things and improve my skills. Good tools, patience, and willingness to learn is all it takes. It will take time, and sure enough it did happen not overnight for me :). Even if you watch my early videos from 7-8 ago, they don't looks as effortless as they do today

[@Mobiledotwww]

​@@hddrecoveryservices I am not familiar with the American or British educational system, that is why I asked about formal education. Now that I think about it there are many knowledge fields which are not cover by the curricula. Anyway, I love your videos. I know it is precision work what you do and I love the way you explain. Also using a magnifier, so that both you and the viewer can see clearly what you do is a plus. Of course, many youtubers do this, but there are more things that combine in your channel. I love electronics and IT which should have helped me get more proficient with any of them, but just like many teenagers, I somehow lost my way. So, I am a passionate learner in these two fields and I think I am able to recognize a professional when I see him/her. It happened overnight? That’s awesome. The right man at the right place 😊. I am looking forward for new educational videos from your channel.

[@lisajohnson8566]

Amazing work you do!! While I was watching you do this I was wondering where one would get these skills? You handle that stuff with such expertise and the soldering is so interesting to watch too. Thank you for taking your time to show us how you do your magic. So amazing!!

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Lisa, soldering is actually very easy if you are using the right tools. Aside from that most of what I do is self taught

[@lisajohnson8566]

Well being self-taught in such an amazing trade is in itself amazing. Thanks for taking the time to video this for all of us to even see what's inside a thumb drive. Addicted to your channel for sure. Regards, Lisa

[@alex_photo-shop493]

People, backup the data! Always. Just buy several flash drives

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Indeed

[@cocobongo268]

Not the first one this Time... but still very happy to watch HDD Recovery Services Notification... Ü

[@hddrecoveryservices]

thanks dude!

[@kennethconnors5316]

good skills , did this type repairs for years

[@drew12178]

Out of curiosity, if you were able to get the data with the nand reader, was what the point of continuing with the rest of the repair?

[@billtsit9347]

I have the same question,butt I think to read files it needs the controller!!!

[@38911bytefree]

Always a pleasure to watch your vids man.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

thank you!

[@recoveryaz7771]

thank you very much you are best Erkin

[@hddrecoveryservices]

You're welcome!

[@SKsakal]

WHAT IS price of recovery like that?

[@Maga1v3r]

I do it for free. Nothing special..

[@stuartfury3390]

@@Maga1v3r Never give your time away for free

[@naami2004]

Art as usual, great job

[@ACOnetwork]

First time here and interesting video 😁

[@awilliams1701]

me: that doesn't look like enough you: I'm not sure it's enough......it's not enough. me: thought so.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

:)

[@pauljabalde7097]

I guess the problem could be on the chip

[@shahfx1235]

Amazing work. I have a couple of USB's I might send over which are in real bad shape. How much would a repair/restore like this cost?

[@namdevjadhav1527]

excellent

[@usamatayyab7231]

Doctor Of Disks

[@AncientAmbience]

Great job, subbed.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Welcome aboard

[@al73r]

Love the videos, I used to do bga repair on ps3 and xbox360s and i have been hooked on the process no matter what the product is. Thank you for the videos and keep them coming

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Thank you!

[@fatdude8716]

Wow, pretty interesting content !!!!

[@cozycomputersdatarecoveryl1735]

you are intelligent sir i am fans of your all video 🎥😊

[@grabasandwich]

I wonder how often you get devices that work fine? As a cable guy, I hate it when everything is working fine when I get there.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

not often, but it happens

[@TheKarpinTechy]

Good video thank you for sharing. You just need to refine your reballing technique. It needs some improvement. New subcriber here!

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Is there a different way to tin pads?

[@paolomonai9511]

@@hddrecoveryservices Yes, hold in place the stencil while heating...this gigvs best results due to, let me say, a confining action to the forming balls.

[@reboot3572]

Hi from the UK. Just to say loving your videos, they're teaching me a lot. My first foray into NAND imagiing with a TL86_PLUS has begun thanks to you. I can identify the chip now using some software called NAND Programmer Tool but it says "ERROR: unsupported NAND part number." when I try to read it. Any guidance much appreciated. Keep the vids coming, each one gives us more of an insight into this type of work. Thanks

[@PatrickRibbsaeter]

great question. I have a question for you. OIs RT809H the same as TL86_PLUS.. ? or is TL86_PLUS specific for these nands..

[@mancbiker17]

First of all....love the skill involved in doing this stuff. I'd love to be able to spend my days doing this kind of work :) I have a couple of questions though. How come it took half an hour to read 16gb worth of data? Why is that so slow? And when recovering data, do you know by readouts on your software that data is recovered. Or do you go into the data itself to see if it is looking ok?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

When we use data extractor for hard drive recovery, our integrity validation is done by sorting files that are fully imaged 100% in one directory structure, and those that have unread/bad sectors in a clone structure marked as problematic. This way client knows what files may not work and which are 100% functional

[@mancbiker17]

@@hddrecoveryservices Thanks man :) Really appreciate the reply!!

[@taltechchip5827]

Reballing is much easier when you blow low heat on the stencil it self and hold it flat with a curved tweezer to prevent bending. Lay down at 45 degrees angle your heatgun on the stencil and let the magic happen. Now how to remove the chip: The second the balls are solid. You push with the tip of your tweezer ON the solder balls through the stencil to separate the ic from the stencil. Thats it:)

[@hddrecoveryservices]

I don't find it easier nor harder. The issue I was having is with the flux to solder balls ration in paste resulting in runs.

[@taltechchip5827]

@@hddrecoveryservices yes I could see that. That's why you should melt the paste with the stencil on top of it. Trust me.. Im in the same business but then mobile phone data recovery on board level. Love your channel by the way;)

[@seamuspurcell5065]

very good

[@ymmijjohnsson]

where do you buy such a nand reader that you just click in the chip?

[@dmironyuk]

Homemade

[@epeace2009]

Hi good video as always! Can you tell me about the software you use for logic reconstruction of nand chips ? Is it free or payed and how much costs if its payed?

[@jenner247450]

You may before detach a chip, kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGLSqaxsed6hhck, try to heat a paste in assembly - it makes a round bulbs on dots, and not smudge anymore.

[@VovanCBR]

Hi there, maybe you can suggest smtg, my SSD drive SP S80 240Gb after glitch can't format, all program can identify it and show all partition , I can even run a format or partition deletion - but after a reboot it's same, same data and untouched partition

[@lawnfascist4890]

fascinating work.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Thanks

[@a3-82]

i love work like this

[@catzhakury]

Good Job👍

[@diftypopproductions]

Very informative and well described. Keep up the good work:) im im UK but next time i have another data emergency I'll give u guys a call. Cheers:)

[@kasundinesh4463]

to dry solder paste. apply it to a paper towel, leave it alone 15mins. that's my way

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Thanks Kasun, that's the advise I got before and it works great.

[@abugin8191]

Hi pro I would like to ask you about swap the port connector for lexar usb how can I do it .. appreciate it

[@MrOrangeman18]

nice job man, could you not melt the solder balls first before removing the stencil?

[@tango_gru]

I was also thinking if that is possible. wouldnt it remove the chances of any smudges

[@MrOrangeman18]

I’ve seen it done by lots of people. I think it’s the correct way of doing it.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

@@MrOrangeman18 the correct way of doing it is the way that works for the person who does it. If it gets the job done properly - then the job is done. I've done heat over stencils before, and it does work also. The problem is not the stencil, the issue was with too much flux that is mixed into the paste that made it runny. Even with the stencil held for heat, it could run. This was a new paste I just got locally that was just sold out of the stuff I use for years.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

@@tango_gru no, with stencil on a runny paste can also leak

[@tango_gru]

@@hddrecoveryservices thanks for explaining. Have a great day

[@Raytechable]

nice video

[@10aaamit]

Done a g8 job really awesome

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Thanks Amit

[@yerrakrishna1699]

Thank you for the post, it only reminds me to have a back up rather to be in situation, great effort.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

I am glad you see it that way Yerra

[@mrsemifixit]

Hi two questions I’m curious about: 1. Does chip off recovery recover 100% of data or as much as it can? 2. Would transplanting the nand to a donor board be a better option or won’t work? Thanks

[@hddrecoveryservices]

swapping NAND will only work in case of a failure that is not related to the NAND. We only do chip-off if the NAND is defective. Recovery success rate will depend on a bunch of factors, different chips read differently (some read good and build data good, some read horrible)

[@mrsemifixit]

@@hddrecoveryservices Thanks. Are there programs that determine whether the nand itself is bad/corrupt? And from a customer perspective, would they accept partial data recovery or only want full?

[@CollosalTrollge]

Hi, do you have to use flux when u use the wick to wipe to remove solder?

[@bestbuildpc]

amaizing!!! i learned a lot from u

[@tslinofficial6586]

Thanks i have learned a lot

[@aferri2010]

Tks.

[@dimuborgir1987]

how could i get nand reader i have few usb`s to fix i try rebalbing but i had also no real patern for rebalbing cheap later so i improvise

[@austin2994]

Cool video. Nice soldering and reballing. Why would you reattach the nand after you had the image created ?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Repairing the device turns into a full recovery. Reconstruction of the data from NANDs can get 100% result but it is a lot more work, specially if video needs to be recovered

[@billtsit9347]

Can you tell us why happen this??? It need the controller?

[@valterburiti7961]

congratulations on your channel content. Is there any software that completely erases a nand flash memory, I have a Sandisk flash drive that has been marked with the iso dvd attribute that does not allow your partition table or its contents to be deleted and reused.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

You can download winhex, and erase first sector of the flash drive. It will make the entire volume unallocated. No partitions... nothing... Just blank. Then format it as you wish

[@jackoneill8585]

this is why you back up data people on regular discs ie stone dics forever disc they call them they are basically stone and a special m drive records to them worth the time and money

[@nalixl]

Just curious, why did you try to resolder the NAND after you got a backup of it's content? It seems like a water of time and money looking at the cost of pen drives these days...

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Dump is not a backup. It still needs to be converted from physical image into logical to get data. Repair brings the flash drive back to life. Time it takes to repair (if possible) is way less then logical reconstruction and it yelds cleanest possible result for recovery

[@henryD9363]

@@hddrecoveryservices okay thank you. I asked the same question just now. I should have gone through all the comments for asking a repeat question. More complicated than I thought!

[@alex_byrnes]

Fantastic video really interesting and informative thanks

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Glad you like it

[@MichaelCraig414]

what temp and airflow did you use? 3:50

[@britofilho764]

hello, could you name any data recovery programs you use. if you can, thanks.I really like your videos, also having recover here,

[@anandhurkrishnan5621]

good work sir

[@haxxorsheep]

What is that Nand tool your using? and software?

[@ShadrachASMR]

Where do you learn to do this? I want to know.

[@andresbudihardja]

is it can detect & data back ?

[@WolfRodrix]

Hello, I have a Kingstone Data Traveler 100 G3 32GB, and got WRITE PROTECT, and dont know what to do.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

we can recover it from NAND protocol. Fill out the request on our site: www.hddrecovery.ca/contact-us

[@WolfRodrix]

​@@hddrecoveryservices There are no main data to recover, its new, so I dont know if the memory can be fixed or change her chip controller for example.

[@igorsolomatov4743]

What was those two things you used: one is like transparent paste and another is like a piece of the metal paper?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

the transparent paste is called flux. Flux is a chemical cleaning agent, flowing agent, or purifying agent. Metal thingy is a stencil to reball BGA NAND components that gets filled in with solder paste (flux mixed with soldering balls)

[@igorsolomatov4743]

@@hddrecoveryservices thanks, but I was asking for thing that you used before the stencil, like a rubber or something but made of metal threads

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Oh that is called wick. It's a copper braid infused with flux for sucking up solder

[@igorsolomatov4743]

@@hddrecoveryservices Thank you very much!

[@nogamenolife9870]

11.35 y you not hit firse before you pull out ?

[@luigiprovencher8888]

I don't get it. You said that reballing it didn't work so then what did you do to fix it or correct the problem?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

reballing did not work, so data was recovered by using a controller simulation software.

[@laolalock909]

What kind of desk underlay do you use? What material is it made from? Can you give a link/source?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

I got those from eBay sometime ago. All silicone made by WL

[@moskito2010]

Witch temperature you use for soldering? That's interesting me. Can you make a video from your tools do you use?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

I'll make something in nearest future

[@hddrecoveryservices]

NAND removal at 390/90 rework 350/40

[@moskito2010]

@@hddrecoveryservices you got a quick?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

@@moskito2010 yes I work with quick

[@mr.george6975]

Would you be able to recover data from SSD drive?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Depends on SSD and what is wrong with it . Some are recoverable some are not

[@mr.george6975]

@@hddrecoveryservices How much we looking for kind of job to do that, SSD is Kingston 120gb

[@TT-ii5bu]

Real Good job done, I have sandisk sdcard for mobile 4 gb 32 gb can it repair

[@hddrecoveryservices]

SanDisk cards are monolithic most of the time. Monolithic cards are built without removable NAND

[@SeniorLifeDeveloper]

Great vid!

[@hddrecoveryservices]

thank you

[@visualgodeditings5623]

My phone is dead and I want some memory's of my videos, photos and etc.In the phone.plceas can you help me.plz......!

[@johnmoore1495]

My grandmas dead drive is literally the exact same one except orange lol.

[@EasyOne]

good

[@zeitgeist1348]

i hope you have enough work for the future because of all that cloud solutions.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Not really worried about cloud. People are people, and backups tend to get in the way of things.

[@DesignerMix]

this new solder paste is pain

[@hddrecoveryservices]

I think I will dump it all out into a container and let it be open to dry out. I reordered my original paste already too

[@ilkayexquisite7592]

Would this be easier if you had a BGA rework station

[@hddrecoveryservices]

not really. It would probably be more difficult. BGA rework stations are good for motherboard repairs. Thicker boards take in a lot more heat before, so components need to be heated longer to the point where solder starts to melt. That's why they have bottom preheaters built-in, to warm up the board before hitting it with air or IR heat. On small objects like flash drives and memory cards, a good hot air station is all you need.

[@ramirero6369]

good job.. like

[@RicardoPiccini]

I have a SSD 1tb 840EVO that just died... no detection on PC.. you think that is possible to fix it?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Ricardo, 840EVO is recoverable. Contact us here www.hddrecovery.ca/contact-us

[@jeffadapoolsbarta3305]

you are so cool

[@hddrecoveryservices]

:)

[@RainManFights]

Man I have that same Lexar drive on my desk right now but with a black cover not purple, oh and ya mine works. :P Chip off FTW!!!!

[@mrdesperate6534]

Could you please tell me the name and brand of this hot-air gun. I want to buy one like yours.

[@Myth_62]

check his description, he has all his equipment listed for you.

[@mrdesperate6534]

@@Myth_62 Thank you very much sir.

[@danielemalagoli2751]

What temperature do you use for removing that NAND?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

390 at 90 airflow. I find that less time heating at higher temp is better than more time at a lower temp for the nand content to be undisturbed.

[@hddrecoveryservices]

but since I mount with 37/63 led mix solder 350/40 is perfect for me

[@Myth_62]

He replied to someone bellow "NAND removal at 390/90 rework 350/40"

[@AMERABUGZALIH]

nice work man ... can you write the dump to another nand with the same name and number

[@jerri5700]

I need to recover information from a 750 gigabyte hard drive?

[@herbie5263]

You can start with the smaller one first and than slowly build up :-D

[@ngundu86]

Its not the end of the world. 😛

[@hddrecoveryservices]

:)

[@andrewcooksey9390]

After backing it up how come you bother repairing the drive? Throw it out and replace?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

That's not a good way to stock your donor pieces

[@henryD9363]

@@hddrecoveryservices I don't understand what you have said. I don't know what donor pieces refers to. You can get USB drives very cheaply. Whereas it's very difficult to recover the original drive hardware. I wish I understood what you were saying. I know you know what you're talking about. Confusing to me. Sorry

[@twinklesamsonj7569]

Western digital my passport 4TB turns raw partition , 2tb+ data inside hdd became inaccessible, how to recover it to normal(NTFS) without losing data . Looking for help dude

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Yes, we can help with those no problem. www.hddrecovery.ca/contact-us

[@omarbousbia6916]

I enjoyed the video But how does it position it self at 16:00 ??

[@QuickishFM]

It's just the effect of surface tension when the solder becomes molten enough to align the centre of the pads of the NAND and the PCB. However, if they are obviously misaligned (on purpose) then it'll align to the wrong rows - as long as it looks correct to begin it, it will automatically align itself correctly

[@williamaugust2762]

Is that jbc solder station??

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Yep

[@bufordmaddogtannen]

What about reflahing the firmware on the controller chip?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

no need for it as you can see

[@bufordmaddogtannen]

@@hddrecoveryservices I mean before/instead taking the nand chip out. The behaviour of that usb drive is typical of a controller with a wiped configuration.

[@yuyangwu5608]

輕輕鬆鬆水了一期，比老廝會水多了ＸＤ

[@Swenser]

What would that job cost?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Price right flash recovery chip off is $400USD (March 2020 price is flat due to COVID19)

[@brianwilless1589]

Why not solder the chip to another flash drive?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Because the chip is the problematic one. Moving it to another flash drive would not change a thing since the source of the problem in this case is inside of the NAND itself

[@billtsit9347]

​@@hddrecoveryservicesI'm asking you to understand, if you didn't take out the nand to put it in the reader, would just the program be enough to recover the data??? also, can you recover all the data with only the nand and the reader or do we need something else??? for example the controller???

[@nm4408]

HI how much do you charge to fix a USB?

[@hddrecoveryservices]

Depends on the type of work needed. Contact by website