Problem with Freecom memory stick

Freecom 4 gig data stick

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15858089/freecom.png">

PROBLEM

I was trying to open the data stick on a friends p.c, but he had a blue screen crash.

When i dremoved the stick it was VERY HOT.

NOW, When I plug it into my laptop, (or any other p.c ) the green LED comes on, but the stick isnt

recognised......no errors.........nothing happens.

Anybody got a solution ? all my backups are on it!

What is the component at arrow 1.......is is a capacitor.......can it be replaced?

Please help

chrisbrobs

Edit: please use accurate post subjects, thanks - Ashley

If number 1 is cylindrical, and has two leads then yeah its probably a cap.

Probably not the issue tho, when they get hot they pop, and that means it's probably the ic.

When that gets hot.... game over.

If number 1 is cylindrical, and has two leads then yeah its probably a cap.

Probably not the issue tho, when they get hot they pop, and that means it's probably the ic.

When that gets hot.... game over.

Do you reckon its fried ? with the green light still coming on i just wondered.

i know this sounds really far fetched but i saw a youtube vid, where some guy took the chips out and soldered them into another stick ? what do you reckon ?

If it only contained your backups (i.e. things you have saved somewhere else) you can just throw it away and get another one, and copy everything you had on the old one back to the new one.

If you had things which were only on that memory stick - as in, not backed up, then...

Congratulations!

You have just learnt the importance of backing things up in multiple places. Always good to learn the hard way

(If you're really stuck and desperately need that information, your best bet is to take it to a data recovery specialist. It will cost you. If you solder it yourself and don't do it properly you could just make it worse.)

A capacitor serves three purposes. It acts like a battery, a filter, and a fuse.

If the stick got hot it means it failed that last part and something shorted together.

That's about all I can say without actually seeing the stick.

One thing to check.

Look at the top of the ic's if you see any dimples, signs of burning or warping... as in they are not completely flat... then you have a paper weight.

A capacitor serves three purposes. It acts like a battery, a filter, and a fuse.

If the stick got hot it means it failed that last part and something shorted together.

That's about all I can say without actually seeing the stick.

One thing to check.

Look at the top of the ic's if you see any dimples, signs of burning or warping... as in they are not completely flat... then you have a paper weight.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I looked at the ic's, i cant see any anything unusual.

One odd thing did happen though.......... yesterday i plugged it in....nothing.....went to make a brew, and well i was squeezing the the 'tesco's own' teabag.....i heard the XP 'DEFAULT BLEEP' noise that the computer makes when you plug a flash drive in. I looked over at the screen and it was displaying a message.

I dId a slow-mo dive to get to the computer, as i flying through the air the message started to fade and then vanished......and the drive was dead again.

I spent the rest of the day trying to recreate it...made about 30 brews...hid behind the couch....put my coat on and slammed the front door pretenting to go out...nothing?

Its not the usb socket beacause i plugged it in my other p.c.

I think might have to take it to repair shop, but i hate paying to get stuff fixed, because you always

see a simple fix or solution on some forum the next day.

I s

Good luck, but the more you try in it in this state, the more damage you can do.