We received an unresponsive SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 (CZ80) flash drive that heats up when plugged into a computer. The computer didn’t recognize the flash drive and the LED didn’t blink. After opening the SanDisk flash drive and diagnosing the…
Even if a monolthic flash device isn't visibly cracked there can still be internal damage. In electronics, all connected wires have a path to ground, using a multimeter we can measure voltage drop in diode mode to get a rough idea…
There are a few "PRO" file recovery programs like R-Studio used by data recovery companies, but there are some lesser known free applications that are just as good. In this video, I show how to use Image Explorer from Soft-Center…
We're starting to see a new generation of SanDisk Flash Drives com in with BGA-132 NAND chips. These circuit boards have a manufacture code of 54-50-07004 R1 and are dated 2013 with a 82-00515-5 controller. So far they've come in…
I want to do a series of videos demonstrating the general ideas behind off-chip recovery and the tools involved. Here is an example of an off-chip recovery from an SM321 QF USB Flash Drive Controller using Flash Extractor. This is…
Check out this video of a promotional flash drive with hacked firmware. The NAND chip is actually 8GB but the controller is configured to recognize it as 4GB. My guess is that this allows the manufacture to sell different capacity…