2gb USB flash drive died suddenly

My 2gb flash drive just died.... about 20min ago :cry It worked on one PC, I plugged into a different PC, and nothing. It has LED which is supposed to light up and it is no longer lighting up :cry So.... is it possible to recover the data off this somehow? If no PCs recognize it, can I take it apart and rig it to another USB device or something? I have about 1.7gb of apps on there that I use all the freekin' time and without them, I'm lost. Luckily, 90% if the stuff is freeware so I can replace it easily, it's just that I don't even remember everything that was there... I had some web links and other stuff that will be almost impossible to track down again, if there's anything I can do, please post!

THANKS!

 

oh that sucks!!! ill be watching this post!! this happened to a flash drive i have its now just sitting on my desk looking like a flash drive lol hope u can get all ya stuff back ........

 

I'm actually in the process of researching USB device design standards and the creation of USB flash devices and the programming of such devices. My idea is to maybe take apart the drive, remove the flash memory and "build" a new device using the old flash chip. It looks like I'll have to get myself some good soldering gear!
The way I figure it, the data is lost right now so if I ruin the chip or damage it, no big deal; the stuff is gone anyway. But if there's even a small chance that I can resurrect this thing, I'll give it a go...

 

It may be possible that the mainline fuse has opened. Each of the USB power pins has a circuit board fuse link which is meant to prevent any overcurrent starting a fire. So, with a good magnifying glass and a sip or two of your best single malt ( to steady the nerves ) you can probably repair it. Keep in mind, that the fuse link might look like a surface mount resistor, or it might be as cheap as a whisker thin circuit trace.

If using an ohm-meter for continuity testing, be sure to set it for the highest range. This will limit the current from the ohm-meter from doing any damage. Don't use a continuity checker. These have much too much current and voltage available for the USB circuitry to handle. If possible, borrow a digital multimeter with a high impedence ohm setting. Best of luck

 

Thanks for the tech info... I'll definitely keep it in mind. I have a decent digital multimeter now, but I'm not sure of the ohm/impedence range or rating. What am I looking for here? What numbers should I be aware of as to avoid more damage to the device?