I copied my father's old files from a computer onto a USB flash drive before formatting the computer. The files include extremely old family and historical documents, some possibly dating back to the late 1800s. The USB drive had been intermittently disconnecting, and after copying the files it began requesting a password. I tried setting a password, entered something random and unusually long, and then thought I had removed it. After formatting the computer, the drive began asking for the password again, but I no longer remember what I entered and never saved a recovery key. I also cannot access the drive through its Properties menu. Is there any legitimate way to recover the files without the password, and what should I do next? I'm not very technical, so I'd appreciate practical step-by-step guidance.
3 Answers
Stop using both the USB drive and the old computer immediately. Don’t keep trying passwords, formatting, or recovery tools, since that can make a difficult recovery worse. Because the data is irreplaceable, the safest option is a reputable professional data-recovery company. They can first inspect the device and tell you what may be recoverable before doing anything invasive.
If the USB password is genuine encryption, there usually isn’t a simple way around it without the password or a recovery key. Password-cracking tools might help only if the password followed a predictable pattern, but guessing a long random password could take an impractical amount of time and may risk the device. Avoid downloading random utilities or following instructions you don’t fully understand.
The computer’s formatted drive may be a separate recovery opportunity. If it was only quick-formatted and hasn’t been used since, some files could potentially be recovered with specialist tools. Keep the computer powered off and have the drive removed and examined as a secondary device by a professional rather than installing recovery software on it.
The computer should not be booted again because normal use can overwrite recoverable data. Also, USB flash drives are unreliable as a sole backup, so any recovered files should immediately be copied to multiple separate drives.
When you’re down to the only copy of important records, experimenting with recovery software is risky. A professional assessment is worth considering, even if the initial evaluation is inexpensive or free.