If you bumped your USB stick by accident and it’s intermittently or not detecting at all, don’t fret! It’s likely a damaged solder joint. If you apply a bit of force to the stick and “bend” it while plugged in, and it starts working, crack it open! Less than five minutes of effort and you’ll Most Likely(tm) have your precious data back.
Four shiny new solder joints brought this ‘dead’ stick back to life.
Pry open your stick – this one is a cheap plastic one that came apart with almost no effort. Examine the 4 solder joints to the USB connector. You can probably see a crack without the aid of a magnifying glass.
Pull out your trusty soldering iron and reheat those joints until it is shiny. You can add a touch of solder if it’s not reflowing easily.
Plug in, and done!
