I had Windows Vista and now have XP. I downloaded files to a USB stick and haven’t been able to get them open for several months now. I have tried downloading stuff from the net to open them but have yet to get them open. There are several people that cannot open theirs as well. I am very confused and not very good at this type of stuff. Can you please tell me how to open these files step by step with my XP PC? If not please send me in the correct direction to open them. Thank you very much for your reply.
Retrieving Files from a USB Stick
Try the USB Stick in another Computer to test
There are several possible reasons to explain why you aren’t able to open your files, which are hard to narrow down without more information. To begin, it is possible that there is a problem with your USB stick. If the USB stick doesn’t open and display your files when you insert it in your computer, then the problem could be the USB stick itself. The first thing to do is try the USB stick in another computer and see if it opens there. If the USB stick doesn’t show up or open, the stick itself might be faulty.
Run Updated Virus Scans
If the USB stick behaves differently in another computer, there could be a problem with your drive. Sometimes drive problems are the result of a computer virus so it is a good idea to run updated virus, spyware and adware scans on your computer and quarantine or repair any problems that they find. Once you have addressed the problems, run the scans again until they come up clean.
Run Windows Chkdsk Utility
If you can get the USB stick to mount and it is displayed as an icon on your desktop, you should be able to use the Windows CheckDisk utility to see if the file system on the USB stick is corrupt. Chkdsk will run and check all your system volumes for errors and attempt to fix any that it finds. You will need to be logged on as an administrator to run the chkdsk tool. The chkdsk tool can only check files and volumes that are not in use, so you should close all open programs, folders and files before you proceed. Expect the chkdsk tool to take some time and wait until it has completed its process.
How to Run Windows Chkdsk on XP
- Click twice on My Computer, then right click on the name of the file that you want to scan - in this case on the drive letter assigned to your USB drive
- Choose Properties, then Tools
- Find the tab for Error Checking, then underneath it find and choose Check Now
- A dialog box will open and present three options. The third option - to Scan for and Attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors - is the most comprehensive scan. Select it and click Start.
Alternatives to USB Sticks for Data Backup
It is possible that your USB stick is simply too old to function properly, or that it is corrupt and unable to open or display files. I know it is of no use to tell you this now, when you are grieving the potential loss of your files, but USB sticks are not the most reliable devices to use when backing up important data. CD-ROMs remain a good choice, or a copy saved to CD to compliment a USB copy will guarantee you retrieve your data.
Collect a List of Details and Symptoms for Diagnosis
If none of these tips address your problem, please write again and include more specific information, such as whether or not the USB stick is displayed on the desktop, whether or not the files show up in the contents but fail to open, what type of file they are, and whether or not you receive an error message when attempting to open your files.
If your USB stick shows up as a drive letter, you may be able to use data recovery software to recover the files. Try the free demo of Data Recovery Pro and see if your files are recoverable.
Kate Dubensky | January 22nd, 2009
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