I have a USB flash drive that ripped part of a computer’s USB port out when I last used it. The plastic piece in the middle of the port is stuck inside the drive. Is it possible to remove this without ruining it?
You need to take the “Drive now safe to eject” messages seriously.
My first thought is to use a small tweezers to grab the broken bit out. A small blade like an exacto blade might also work, you just want to be careful not to damage the contacts on the drive.
A jeweler or watch repair place would probably be able to help also.
And it should go without saying, but I will anyway, the power should be off before you do.
What brand? Check if there’s a warranty. I prefer to buy ones with 5 or more years.
As for your present predicament, tweezers or something. With the power off, just in case.
What power? A thumb drive is inherently unpowered when it’s not plugged into a computer.
Ah misread. Drive is whole, computer not. Nm
I’d recommend switching to a new thumb drive. They’re a lot harder to control once they’ve had the taste of plastic.
Assuming the standard sort of design of thumb drive, you don’t really even need the metal shroud that surrounds the bit you plug in - so in the worst case, you should be able to peel this away to remove the foreign object - leaving a bare board with the 4 USB terminal strips on it - it should still be possible to insert this into a (non-broken) USB port to retrieve the drive contents. I’d recommend you destroy it after that and buy a new one.