help! wife threw flash drive in washer and then in the dryer ... need to recover files

statik213

Golden Member
Oct 31, 2004
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The drive is intact and seems to be dry. No idea if water got inside, the plastic seems to have a good seal on it.

Should I try plugging it in to see if it is ok? How long should i wait until it's dry?
She has homework due tmrw on it :)

Any advice before I plug it in would be appreciated....

Thanks!
 

eldorado99

Lifer
Feb 16, 2004
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Hair dryer it for a little bit to help it dry out (don't get it too hot though).
 

Soapy Bones

Senior member
Dec 4, 2003
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I literally just now thought to myself as i plugged in my laptop that i left my flash drive in my shirt pocket and I had better remove it before I threw it in the laundry because who knows what would happen to it if I did.......


I would recommend putting it next to a de-humidifier as long as you can let it sit there. I've done that with several cell phones with very good success.
 

legoman666

Diamond Member
Dec 18, 2003
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My old flash drive went through the washer 2 or 3 times and worked just fine afterward.
 

everman

Lifer
Nov 5, 2002
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I'd give it a couple days in a bag with those moisture absorbing capsules and it should be fine. If you must try it, an external enclosure might carry less risks rather than a built-in card slot, maybe? ah probably not, but who knows.
 

frostedflakes

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
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Yup wait a day or two for it to dry out and see what happens. If it still doesn't work there could be mineral deposits or something like that on the PCB shorting out pins. If this is the case you might try opening the flash drive up and rubbing down the circuit board (especially chip legs) with rubbing alcohol to remove the deposits.
 
May 16, 2000
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I just did that to mine. An hour in the wash (hot water, heavy soil cycle) and more than an hour in the dryer (high heat). Plugged it in immediately and it worked fine. :cool:

Those things are damn near indestructible.
 

statik213

Golden Member
Oct 31, 2004
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Originally posted by: Ronstang
Is this the 21st Century version of "The dog ate my homework"???

yeah.

I just plugged the drive in (yup i followed all the advice and waited :p) and it worked fine. Thank god! the files are safe..
Thanks everyone.
 

frostedflakes

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
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Good to hear. Just out of curiosity what brand/model is it? Seems like these things are pretty tough. :)
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
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Well, any electronic part/equipment should be able to stand getting wet, as long as absolutely no power is provided to it or connected (battery, power cord, etc)... at least, as long as its allowed to dry properly and no major deposits were left on the circuity.

+
 

statik213

Golden Member
Oct 31, 2004
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Originally posted by: frostedflakes
Good to hear. Just out of curiosity what brand/model is it? Seems like these things are pretty tough. :)

I can't remember what brand it is and there are no markings on the drive it self. Says Samsung Flash Memory on the back though.
 

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
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It's pretty much dead when you threw it in the dryer. When we do our laundry all the pockets are picked before the clothes are thrown in the washer. I keep all the money.
 

venkman

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2007
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Step 1. Get New Wife
Step 2. Get New Flash Drive
Step 3. ??????
Step 4. Profit!
 

secretanchitman

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2001
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Originally posted by: Throwmeabone
Who keeps the ONLY copy of an important file on a flash drive?

lol good point...

but regardless OP, you should be fine. i threw my sandisk cruzer micro 512MB in the wash and it worked fine for years....up until a few months ago when it finally kicked the dust. oh well, not like i cared cause i got my 4GB cruzer micro for free to replace it a long time ago.
 

natto fire

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2000
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Wow, good to hear it was ok. I personally have only ran 3 bic lighters and some coins through the wash in my 10 years of doing laundry. I have gotten pretty good about emptying my pockets out at night. It is the nights that I have been drinking excessively and just strip down that the aforementioned trinkets have made it into the wash.
 

Soundmanred

Lifer
Oct 26, 2006
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I've run a couple of those through the wash, and never had a problem using them afterwards. One was a Sandisk 2GB and the other was a cheap 256MB that I recieved free in the mail.
 

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
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Funny you should make a thread about this. My memory stick went through a washer and dryer cycle today and worked just fine when I plugged it in.

:)
 

statik213

Golden Member
Oct 31, 2004
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Originally posted by: Throwmeabone
Who keeps the ONLY copy of an important file on a flash drive?

Yes.... i've tried to explain the merits of backups to my wife, sigh.