Corsair Voyager mini Flash Drive Recovery - Help Needed - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 07:06:48 pm
content: Hi guys.I would kindly ask for your help in recovering USB Flashdrive (with its data intact if possible)It is a Corsair Voyager Mini 8GB drive. At first I tired to pop it open, so I can see what type of controller and flash memory are inside, possibly solving the problem with a simple xtal change. But life is never that simple. As I took it apart the final piece of the drive was a completely potted small plastic card, that has only some exposed gold plating for usb connection and two small contact at the back under an insulating tape.I can try to remove the potting compound, but it is unlikely to do it without damaging the components inside. So I will do that as a last resort. Because of that I was forced to find a complete software solution for Id'ing the chips, so I found with ChipGenius. (It is a program that give me a more detailed information on the usb device for recovery)Here is the output:QuoteIf I decipher this right. This flash drive forgot it's firmware hence no manufacturer information or anything other than chip id and manufacturer (iTE if we can believe the program). I’m inclined to believe this is the real chip inside but I’m unsure. When I searched for the VID and PID numbers onhttp://flashboot.ru/iflash/but none of the results where fit this drive. Than I tired it in reverse (searching the right PID an VID numbers for this brand of device) and I was lucky enough to find it:http://usbspeed.nirsoft.net/?pdesc=Corsair+Voyager+Flash+Mini+8GB&vid=6940&pid=2857But sadly even that was not enough. With the revised VID PID numbers I was unable to find useful information about its recovery. So now I turn to you guys. Please advise me on how to proceed in this matter.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 07:55:45 pm
content: You should search for controller model, not vid/pid.http://flashboot.ru/files/file/310/

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 08:05:58 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on May 03, 2015, 07:55:45 pmSo do you think it is safe to assume, that the ChipGenius identified the chip correctly? And if so than this tool is the one I want to use for recovery?

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 08:27:00 pm
content: Quote from: quarros on May 03, 2015, 08:05:58 pmIf it is wrong chip model, this utility just won't do anything.

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 09:28:27 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on May 03, 2015, 08:27:00 pmWell I dont know what I do wrong but this utility not showing any flash drive regardless what I put in. Maybe the problem is between the screen an the chair.Ps: At the end of the install it asked for the driver type but I dont know what to set so I left it type 0.A manual for this tool is kind of scarce.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 09:34:53 pm
content: Did you press F3/Enumerate?

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 10:00:00 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on May 03, 2015, 09:34:53 pmYes i pushed it. It did nothing. But I guess I'm missing something. So on the screen I see the device tree list with all the set (maximum) ports. But I do not see any devices listed on any ports regardless of what flash drive I plug in. I tried to play around with the maximum devices settings but sadly it did not helpplus the same result on two different computer

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2015, 10:07:56 pm
content: It shouldn't show anything with different controller. Anyway this is production tool, not something designed particularly for recovery. Try to install it with different driver setting. Comment left by some guy on the download page says that tool worked for the flash drive with the same VID/PID as on yours.

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 12:23:18 am
content: Quote from: wraper on May 03, 2015, 10:07:56 pmI solved it thanks to your link. I searched around for a different tool there, and found this:http://flashboot.ru/files/file/313/The B Letter at the end was a clue. Because the ChipGenius designated the controller as IT1167 B0AA. I assumed the space was just a separation and no real difference in the product code. Thankfully the tool come with a compatibility manual. So I was able to check whether it supports the flash chip and it did (29F64G08CBAAA Micron). It worked! Of course it formatted everything so now I have to try and unformat, salvage, recover... anything I can (lots of hour of photorec). But at least now I can access it and have options.Anyways:Thank you for pointing me in the right directionCheers

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 01:12:32 am
content: Sorry to say, but if you formatted the flash your data is GONE.

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 10:38:22 am
content: Quote from: amyk on May 04, 2015, 01:12:32 amNot necessary. I've gotten back data from flash drives after formatting in the past. (But if you know something than please enlighten me I'm always wiling to learn)In this case I had no choice... because the tool wouldn't do it any other way

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 10:54:43 am
content: The OS formatting (especially if it's a "quick format") is very different from the "low-level format" that the controller tool does.You're more than welcome to prove me wrong, but the latter often involves erasing every block of the flash and then building the block mapping tables (BMT) and bad block tables (BBT) depending on the result. Dump the raw flash and you're likely to find nothing left but 0xFF in every byte.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 10:55:47 am
content: If it did a "quick format" then you can recover stuff because only the FAT tables are gone, data is still there.If it did a "full format" then it's over. All the bits have been changed.

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 11:32:37 am
content: Quote from: amyk on May 04, 2015, 10:54:43 amWell I dont know exactly what the tool do but since the drive is 8GB and the whole procedure was like 20 sec... I say there is a chance. Not a big one but still a chance.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 12:11:54 pm
content: I have followed this thread with interest. Other members of this forum have commented on the fragility and unreliability of FLASH memory cards and sticks. I have not had such an unfortunate experience but have recovered other peoples photographs using a commercial recovery tool. IF it cannot see the flash drive it cannot do its job however. How does this apply to your situation ? Well when I am presented with a dead flash stick I always ask.... a) did you back it up anywhere ? (usually the answer is no) and b) did the data on the stick reside on a PC prior to moving onto the flash stick. The answer is often a yes. I then use my recovery tool on the original data host from where the data was moved. I have had good levels of success finding the 'lost' data that way. Always consider where the data was stored/processed before it got onto the memory stick.That is another avenue of data recovery.I used Encase forensic analysis and recovery software in an official capacity and realised how difficult it is to truly erase a data file on a PC unless you completely blow away the build, and even then there are techniques to recover data for legal cases etc.Aurora

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 05:30:16 pm
content: Quote from: Aurora on May 04, 2015, 12:11:54 pmQuite as you expect it. No access to the drive with any operating system means no way for me to recover anything at all.In this particular situation the biggest hurdle was. That I had no feasible access to any physical components. Normally if the data was important enough for me than I de-solder the NAND, read out its content, back it up, resolder it, than try anything with the controller. Than even if the controller is unrecoverable. The only thing would be lost is the wear levelling data (which is very important mind you but not absolutely essential). And than reconstruction is possible, albeit hard.In my case I had partial success but unfortunately some data is beyond recovery (no file extensions on the originals). So life goes on and I'm richer with some new experience.Thank you guys for the input.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2015, 02:01:43 am
content: Quote from: quarros on May 04, 2015, 11:32:37 am29F64G08CBAAA has 4096 (erase)blocks. Erasing one block takes ~3ms. Whole device can be erased/checked in ~12.3s.

author: markjohson121
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 03, 2016, 02:55:25 pm
content: I was having the same problem. and I found this solution which helped me:how to recover data from USB flash driveYou may also take a look at this article:usb drive recoveryhope this helps.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2016, 04:12:54 pm
content: You need to dump the flash and then recover the data from that.