I know this is likely a lost cause, but I don't mind spending a little time trying to get it to work. Now, the details: It was washed. It was dried. Not by myself, but by my friend, three days before I was given it to see if I could retrieve a file off of it. Initially, the drive would not be detected, so I put it in rice. After an hour, I removed it from the rice, and my computer was able to detect it first try. I retrieved the file and sent it to my friend. The file was fine. The drive worked again for awhile until it started freaking out slightly with the detection. I managed to format it during one of the moments of its detection (after it started freaking). The drive fails to be detected again. I have put it back in rice for the night. The red light indicating drive activity still comes on, however briefly at times. It froze the wireless mouse receiver upon disconnection, generally physical disconnection. Receiver just had to be unplugged from its USB port and replugged in to work again. No other noticeable side effects. So, is there any hope? Or is the drive a lost cause that is just basically having death spasms before it finally goes? I figure it is likely physically damaged in someway due to the static electricity present in the dryer, but if that had heavily affected it, the drive would be fried and wouldn't detect at all. Do you think there is just a little more water I need to draw out to get it working perfectly? Side note about the format: The next time the drive was detected, it was readable as empty, and the memory amount displayed correctly. I was able to open the file browser to display its empty innards. Stuff is definitely working, but I don't know to what degree. No big deal if it is broken, by the way. It's just a little project for me. If I get it working, I get a free 8GB flash drive. If it doesn't work, I'll just buy an 8GB or 16GB flash drive of my own.
there shouldnt be static electricity in a dryer unless it was put in with certain types of clothes (wool, nylon, etc). You could try putting it in an airing cupboard for a week and see if it recovers.
Update: I think it's dead. The indicator light on the flash drive has stopped coming on. It no longer responds when plugged in. The computer was able to detect it enough to install drivers, but it seems to be unable to fully mount the device. The device shows no want to mount. Pretty sure it's a goner.
