USB key formatting - please advise

[woza]

hey guys does anyone know if formatting a usb key will lose all the data. Since getting a new computer the usb key says it has not been formatted and there is lots of data on there which i would rather not lose!

Woza.

[irm]

yes it will

[puggit]

Indeed it will.

There may be a need for drivers for the key, or you might not have pushed it in to the USB slot hard enough...

[woza]

have tried it on another pc and the same results! (needs formatting) anyway around this?

need to get the data from it!

Woza.

[ThePassenger]

You might get lucky using something like Knoppix and booting the PC off of that and then inserting the USB Key. If the file system on it is still even remotley valid it'll mount and you can drag the data off. If it won't then I'd suggest looking at data recovery firms if it's that level of importance.

[woza]

damn it!

[rebelstar]

It might just have a different filesystem on it. What operating system were you using before, and what are you using now?

[yellowtr]

Try this program

www.z-a-recovery.com/

I used it on a memory card that had been formatted and got back 99% of photos that had been wiped. Then again I tried it on another one and no luck at all.

[woza]

i think it had been used on 98 before and is now being used on xp, is that a big problem?

Woza.