Basic tools to protect your USB drive from loss or damage

If you’re like most people, your USB drive probably holds important files that you need to carry along with you and, unfortunately, losing these devices or the data contained on them is very common. If at some point a USB drive has mysteriously disappeared or a virus has infected all the documents saved on one, you can use the apps below to prevent such a thing from happening again.

Don’t forget your USB drive

Although there are still no apps out there to prevent you from physically losing your USB drive when it falls out of your pocket, there are tools to help keep you from leaving it plugged in somewhere on somebody else’s computer. Pendrive Reminder is a small program that will remind you that your device is still connected every time you shut down, restart, or log off any PC, an excellent solution for when you’re distracted or in a hurry. The app does not require installation so you’ll just have to save it on your drive and verify that it runs every time you connect to a computer. If you frequently move files between computers, this tool and its close cousin Free USB Guard will save certainly save your life on many occasions.

And if you lose your USB drive?

Unfortunately, losing a USB drive —even if you remember to unplug it from a computer— is still quite common, meaning it’s advisable to password-protect all the data it holds. USB Safeguard encrypts all the files stored on your USB so that no one can access them without a password, meaning if you lose the drive, your details won’t fall into the wrong hands. That said, make sure you use a decent password.

The files have disappeared!

It’s happened to all of us at one time or another: you’ve accidentally erased a file from your USB drive or for whatever reason the super important project you have to hand in tomorrow has suddenly disappeared from the device. We’ve already mentioned Recuva on this blog, but another app dedicated to recovering files on removable devices is Wise Data Recovery. This tool quickly, precisely, and securely searches for and recovers lost files, no matter the type: documents, images, or videos. With a simple click Wise Data Recovery will display a list with all lost files and the status of each to indicate whether it’s possible to restore them.

Protect your flash drive

Infecting drives like this with any malware is unfortunately quite easy since they tend to be plugged into many different machines throughout their shelf life. Using an antivirus to keep all your portable devices safe is a very logical option that many people still don’t do and then find themselves in a pickle when their devices are damaged. USB Security Utilities is a tool that can run directly from your USB drive with no need for installation and will analyze both the drive itself and specific folders to detect threats. In addition, if you’re seriously worried about the condition of your USB drive you can make backups of all the information on it and save the most important things before formatting it.

Flee from viruses

In addition, in the opposite case, there are also tools out there to protect your computer from viruses on other USB drives that get plugged into your USB ports. With Autorun USB Helper you can reactivate the Autorun on any flash drive to check any disc that gets connected and stop automatic startup on USB drives that have some kind of virus.