We recover data from USB flash drives and memory cards — SD, microSD, CompactFlash, CFexpress — when the medium is not detected, asks to be formatted, shows 0 bytes or has snapped off in the port. We read the controller and NAND chips outside the device, perform chip-off and read monoliths (microSD cards with the electronics encased in a single chip) with per-controller translator reconstruction — Phison, SMI, Alcor, Skymedi. A camera or phone card that will not read photos, files gone after copying, an exFAT/FAT file system in a RAW state — the sooner you set the medium aside, the better your chances. Warsaw laboratory in Praga-Południe and courier from all over Poland.
Can't see your medium on the list? Call and ask — we recover data from any USB flash drive and memory card, including microSD monoliths and media with a liquid-damaged controller.
A flash drive and a memory card fail differently from a spinning drive — they don't click, they just suddenly disappear, ask to be formatted or snap off in the port. Below are the most common symptoms and what usually lies behind them. We confirm the cause with a free diagnosis, and you only pay after your data has been successfully recovered.
Typical causes: you plug it into the port and nothing happens — no drive letter, "card damaged" on the phone, the flash drive's LED won't light up. Usually behind this is a failed controller, a burnt-out NAND-chip power supply or a broken track after bending.
Media damage symptoms — when to bring it in for service
Typical causes: "You need to format the disk before you can use it" or "the card is not formatted". The exFAT/FAT file system is corrupted, the partition shows up as RAW — most often after an interrupted write or removing the medium mid-copy.
Don't format — formatting overwrites the structures and reduces your chances. Bring the medium in for a read.
Typical causes: the medium shows up as 0 B, a few MB or the message "insert a disk into the drive". This is a controller or translator failure — the data is still in the NAND chips, but the electronics can't lay it out.
We rebuild the controller's translator and read the data directly from the NAND chips.
Typical causes: a flash drive broken off in the USB socket, a torn-off connector, a cracked or snapped SD card, bent contacts. Usually after catching it or dropping the device with the medium plugged in.
We resolder the connector or read the memory chip directly (chip-off). Don't plug the medium back in.
Typical causes: the camera or phone shows "no files", "card damaged", and the photos and videos have vanished. Usually an interrupted write, removing the card while it's working or a corrupted directory on the microSD or SD.
We recover photos and videos by their file signatures (JPEG, RAW, MP4, MOV).
Typical causes: files vanished during a move, an accidental format, deleted folders. Usually after an interrupted operation (removing the medium mid-way), deletion or a quick format of the card or flash drive.
Don't add new files to the medium — they overwrite the deleted ones. The sooner, the better your chances.
Recognise the symptom? Set the medium aside and book a free diagnosis — we'll check it and give you a price before recovery.
A USB flash drive and a memory card have no platters or heads — they have a controller and NAND memory chips, and microSD cards have all their electronics sealed into a single die (a monolith). That's why we diagnose their failures differently from disk drives. During the free diagnosis we determine whether the problem is logical, lies in the connector, in the controller, or whether we need to go all the way down to the NAND chips themselves.
On a flash drive and a card the key question is: does the controller still understand its own data?
The controller translates physical NAND cells into logical sectors and spreads data across the whole memory (wear levelling), and in microSD cards a single die seals everything — a monolith. When the controller fails, the data is still in the chips — but arranged so that the system can't read it. We then rebuild the translator or read the NAND chip directly (chip-off) and reassemble the data from raw dumps, reversing the ECC and XOR of the given controller. Below we describe each class of failure.
What happens: the medium is working, but the data has gone — after a format, a deletion, with a RAW partition, after a "card is not formatted" message or after an interrupted copy. The exFAT/FAT file system is damaged.
How we recover it: we create an image of the medium and reconstruct the file structure or recover data by signatures. That's why you should not format it or write anything new before handing the medium in.
What happens: a flash drive snapped off from the USB connector or torn off the PCB, a cracked or snapped SD card, bent or worn contacts. The medium is physically damaged, but the memory chips are usually intact.
How we recover it: we resolder the connector and traces, and when the board is beyond saving — we desolder the NAND chip and read it directly.
What happens: a damaged controller or power section — the medium is not detected, shows 0 MB or "insert disk", disappears after a moment. Often after a power surge, a short in the USB port or liquid damage.
How we recover it: we repair the NAND-chip power supply, enter the controller's technological mode, and when that isn't enough — we move on to reading the NAND chip (chip-off).
What happens: the controller is beyond saving or all the electronics are sealed into a single die (a monolith — typical of microSD cards). We have to go down to the memory itself.
How we recover it: we read the NAND chip directly (chip-off) or through the monolith's test points, dump the raw contents and reassemble the data by reconstructing the translator, ECC and XOR of the given controller — Phison, SMI, Alcor, Skymedi.
We always confirm the failure class and the chances of recovery during the free diagnosis — only then do we give you a price. You pay solely after your data has been successfully recovered.
Full transparency at every stage. The diagnosis is free, you learn the price before recovery, and you pay solely after your data has been successfully recovered.
Call or order a 24h courier. Set the medium aside and don't keep re-inserting it — repeated attempts finish off the controller. Describe the symptoms — not detected, asks to format, snapped off. Bring it to Praga-Południe or send it from anywhere in Poland.
Free of charge we determine the failure class — logical, connector, controller or NAND chips — and assess the realistic chances of recovery. We read the medium outside the device, on technological equipment.
We give you a specific cost and a list of what can be recovered — with no hidden fees. You decide whether we proceed. Cancelling costs nothing.
We rebuild the controller's translator or perform chip-off of the NAND chip, show you a file list to verify and hand over the data on a new medium. You only pay after a successful recovery. VAT invoice.
A flash drive and a card forgive less than you'd think — a single format, chkdsk or repeated re-inserting can wreck the recovery. That's why what you do NOT do to the medium is what counts. We'd rather say it plainly than promise the impossible.
And if the data can't be recovered? With microSD monoliths and chip-off there is no guarantee of success — the NAND chip is sometimes physically damaged, and with strong encryption without a key a read makes no sense. We'll tell you plainly at the diagnosis stage, before you pay anything. With us, payment is due solely after a successful recovery — we don't charge a labour fee for a failed attempt.
Recovering data from USB flash drives and memory cards calls for working with the controller and the NAND chips, and with microSD — with the monolith. Plus clear rules: an honest quote, confidentiality and payment only after a successful recovery.
We determine the media's failure class and the realistic chances of recovery — free of charge. You learn the price before any work, and if you cancel, you don't pay just for the check.
We settle up only after your data has been successfully recovered. We don't charge a labour fee for a failed attempt — the risk is on our side.
When the controller fails, we desolder the NAND chip or read the monolith through test points, dump the contents and reassemble the data by reversing ECC and XOR — where other services turn you away.
We work in an area isolated from the public network. On request we sign a confidentiality clause, and once we've handed over the data we erase it irreversibly from our media.
We issue VAT invoices. We serve companies, law firms, accounting offices and institutions — and for urgent business cases we offer an express mode.
USB flash drives, SD, microSD, CompactFlash and CFexpress cards, monoliths and BitLocker To Go encryption — we know the Phison, SMI, Alcor and Skymedi controllers and the specifics of every medium.
We issue VAT invoices — CSE Poland Sp. z o.o., NIP 113-310-78-61. We serve both individual and business customers. The free diagnosis applies to standard data recovery jobs.
An indicative price list by failure class. We give you the exact price after the free diagnosis — and you pay solely after your data has been successfully recovered.
The amounts shown are indicative — the cost depends on the type of medium, the controller, the number of NAND chips and whether it is a monolith or chip-off. The diagnosis is always PLN 0, you learn the price before recovery, and you pay solely after your data has been successfully recovered.
We've gathered answers to the questions we hear most often from people with a failed flash drive or memory card. Couldn't find your answer?
Call: +48 512 800 030Data recovery from USB flash drives and memory cards in Warsaw is handled by CSE Poland — an electronics service in Praga-Południe (Al. Stanów Zjednoczonych 72/13A, by the Galeria Wiatraczna). We read the controller and NAND chips, perform chip-off and read microSD monoliths. We accept media in person and by courier from all over Poland. Call: 512 800 030.
The price depends on the failure class. As a guide: logical recovery (format, RAW, deleted files) from PLN 300, connector or mechanical damage from PLN 400, controller failure from PLN 500, and chip-off / monolith / NAND chip reads PLN 800–2,500. The diagnosis and quote are free, and you pay solely after a successful recovery. We give you the exact price after the diagnosis.
Usually yes. With a snapped-off flash drive or a cracked card the memory chip is most often intact — we re-solder the connector and traces, and when the board is beyond saving we desolder the NAND chip and read it directly (chip-off). Don't plug the damaged media back in — further attempts finish off the controller. We'll assess the realistic odds during the free diagnosis.
Don't format it — formatting overwrites the file tables and reduces your chances. Don't run chkdsk or “repair” tools either. Such a message usually means a damaged exFAT/FAT file system or a RAW partition. Set the media aside and hand it in for reading — we rebuild the file structure or recover the data by file signatures. The diagnosis is free.
Yes — we recover data from a removable microSD card out of a phone, camera, drone or tablet: photos, videos and documents. This applies to the memory card, not the phone's built-in memory — if the data was in the phone's own memory, that's a different route, so write or call and we'll advise how to approach it. Take the card out, don't take any more photos with it and bring it in or send it to us.
Yes. We handle CompactFlash and CFexpress cards used in cameras and camcorders, as well as SD, microSD and USB flash drives. We recover photos and videos after a format, deletion or when the camera shows “card damaged”. Take the card out of the camera and don't save any new shots to it. The diagnosis is free.
Chip-off is reading data directly from the NAND memory chip after desoldering it from the board — we use it when the controller is beyond saving. A monolith is a card (typically microSD) in which the controller and memory are cast into a single block; we then read it through test points. In both cases we assemble the data by reconstructing the given controller's translator, ECC and XOR (Phison, SMI, Alcor, Skymedi). With monoliths and chip-off there's no guarantee of success — we'll tell you so plainly at the diagnosis.
Yes. We work in an area isolated from the public network, on request we sign a confidentiality clause, and once we've handed over the recovered data we erase it irreversibly from our media. CSE Poland Sp. z o.o. (NIP 113-310-78-61) issues VAT invoices — we serve companies, law firms, accounting offices and institutions.
Call or order a courier. The diagnosis and quote are free, and you pay solely after your data has been successfully recovered. Come to Praga-Południe or send your media from anywhere in Poland — 24h courier.
