Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minute“USB recovery” can mean two different things in Windows 10: recovering deleted files from a USB drive, or using a USB drive to repair or reinstall Windows. For deleted files, stop using the affected USB and try Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery tool, saving results to a different drive. For a Windows PC that will not start, use a recovery drive or installation media instead; those tools do not retrieve deleted files.
Choose the right kind of USB recovery
| What you need to do | Use | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Try to restore deleted documents, photos, or other files from a USB drive | Windows File Recovery | Recover files to a different drive; continued use can overwrite deleted data. |
| Repair or reinstall Windows on a PC that will not start | Windows Recovery Drive or Windows installation media | This is system-recovery media, not a backup of personal files. Creating it erases the USB drive. |
Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025. Microsoft no longer provides free Windows Update software updates, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. The recovery steps below address the specific file or PC problem; they do not restore ongoing support.
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Recover deleted files from a USB drive
First, stop saving files to the affected USB drive and avoid using the computer more than necessary. Microsoft explains that when a file is deleted, its space is marked as free, but its data may still exist until new data overwrites it. Even ordinary computer use can create files that overwrite that space. Windows File Recovery can attempt to restore files from USB and other local or external storage when they cannot be restored from the Recycle Bin. It does not support network file shares or cloud storage. Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery guidance explains supported uses and limits.
1. Check the drive and prepare a separate destination
- Connect the USB drive, then open File Explorer. Right-click the drive and select Properties to check its file system: NTFS, FAT, or exFAT.
- Choose a destination on a different drive, such as the computer’s internal drive or another external drive. Do not save recovered files back to the USB drive you are scanning.
- Install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store if it is not already installed. The tool runs from the command line.
2. Select Regular or Extensive mode
Use the file system and what happened to the drive to choose a starting mode. Microsoft recommends the following:
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| Drive and situation | Starting mode |
|---|---|
| NTFS; files were deleted recently and the drive is not corrupted | Regular |
| NTFS; files were deleted some time ago | Extensive |
| NTFS; the drive was formatted or is corrupted | Extensive |
| FAT or exFAT, common on smaller flash drives and SD cards | Extensive |
Microsoft supports non-NTFS recovery only in Extensive mode. Extensive can take longer, particularly on larger drives. If Regular does not find a supported file, Microsoft suggests trying Extensive. Neither mode guarantees recovery: if the relevant space has been overwritten, the file may be unrecoverable.
3. Run Windows File Recovery
Open Command Prompt or Windows Terminal and use this format:
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winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
Replace the drive letters with the actual source and destination. The source and destination must be different drives. Use /n to narrow the search by filename, path, file type, or wildcard. Microsoft’s examples include searching for PDFs and Word files from C: to E: in Regular mode, and searching for files matching a name from E: to C: in Extensive mode; these are documentation examples, not guaranteed results. The tool places recovered items in a Recovery_<date and time> folder on the destination drive. Follow Microsoft’s current command syntax and filter examples when specifying your search.
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Use a USB drive to recover Windows
If Windows itself will not start, a recovery drive or installation media may help restore or reinstall the system. These are not ways to retrieve deleted files from a USB flash drive. Microsoft describes a recovery drive as USB media containing essential files for restoring a PC, including after its drive has been replaced; it does not contain personal files. Keep separate backups of documents and other personal data, for example with Windows Backup or File History. See Microsoft’s Recovery Drive overview.
Create a recovery drive from a working PC
- Use a working Windows PC and an empty USB drive.
- Open the Recovery Drive utility and follow its prompts to create the drive.
- Expect the process to erase anything already stored on that USB drive. Do not use a drive that contains files you still need.
Create installation media if Windows will not start
If you do not have a recovery drive and the PC cannot start, Microsoft says you can create installation media using another working PC. The USB drive must have at least 8 GB of capacity. Reinstalling Windows from installation media can remove personal files, apps, and settings depending on the process selected, so back up important data before proceeding if possible. Microsoft’s Windows recovery options explain the available paths and their effects.
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Common mistakes and limits
- Saving recovered files to the source USB: this can overwrite other deleted data you hoped to recover. Select another drive as the destination.
- Continuing to use the drive: new data can replace the space marked free after deletion, reducing the chance of recovery.
- Choosing Regular for FAT or exFAT: Microsoft supports those file systems for Windows File Recovery only in Extensive mode.
- Treating recovery media as a file backup: a recovery drive contains system-recovery files, not your personal documents.
- Assuming a recovery attempt will work: Microsoft does not promise a recovery rate, and overwritten data may not be recoverable.
Choose the USB drive’s capacity and compatibility for the task—at least 8 GB for the installation-media use described by Microsoft. A particular brand or model does not improve the chance of recovering deleted files.
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