Need Urgent Help - USB Stick recovery

ericmarceau · October 26, 2026, 1:47am

I have an old USB which had content placed on it by an Android tablet.

I used it on my UbuntuMATE 22.04.5 to copy a number of files.

Unfortunately, during the transfer, after copying about 25% of the files, the copy process reported by Caja froze. The OS was otherwise working fine.

There was no indication that the process was consuming CPU as reported by top . I let it do its thing but there was nothing changing or updating the the Caja status panel.

Even sync was “hanging”, not returning!

After about 20 minutes I decided to pull the USB stick out.

When I plugged the USB back in, my computer would not recognize the USB other than list a device that was present, but would offer anything to mount.

GParted does not show the device as one available in the drop-down for display selection!

I tried the following to capture the raw image to perform analysis/recovery, but to no avail:

# dd if=/dev/sdc of=nubbystick.dd
dd: error reading '/dev/sdc': Input/output error
0+0 records in
0+0 records out
0 bytes copied, 0.00373508 s, 0.0 kB/s

When I try to probe, I get this:

# fdisk -l /dev/sdc

fdisk: cannot open /dev/sdc: Input/output error


# lsblk | grep disk

sda       8:0    0 465.8G  0 disk 
sdb       8:16   0   1.8T  0 disk 
sdc       8:32   1    30G  0 disk 


# lsblk --output-all --pairs /dev/sdc

NAME="sdc" KNAME="sdc" PATH="/dev/sdc" MAJ:MIN="8:32" FSAVAIL="" FSSIZE="" FSTYPE="" FSUSED="" FSUSE%="" FSROOTS="" FSVE
R="" MOUNTPOINT="" MOUNTPOINTS="" LABEL="" UUID="" PTUUID="" PTTYPE="" PARTTYPE="" PARTTYPENAME="" PARTLABEL="" PARTUUID
="" PARTFLAGS="" RA="128" RO="0" RM="1" HOTPLUG="1" MODEL="USB Flash Disk" SERIAL="1210000000013009" SIZE="30G" STATE="r
unning" OWNER="root" GROUP="disk" MODE="brw-rw----" ALIGNMENT="0" MIN-IO="512" OPT-IO="0" PHY-SEC="512" LOG-SEC="512" RO
TA="1" SCHED="bfq" RQ-SIZE="2" TYPE="disk" DISC-ALN="0" DISC-GRAN="512B" DISC-MAX="0B" DISC-ZERO="0" WSAME="0B" WWN="" R
AND="1" PKNAME="" HCTL="6:0:0:0" TRAN="usb" SUBSYSTEMS="block:scsi:usb:pci" REV="1100" VENDOR="General " ZONED="none" DA
X="0"

Trying to get a sense from logs, I get the following, but I don’t understand what I am seeing!

# dmesg -w
[    0.000000] Linux version 6.8.0-45-generic (buildd@lcy02-amd64-075) (x86_64-linux-gnu-gcc-12 (Ubuntu 12.3.0-1ubuntu1~22.04) 12.3.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Ubuntu) 2.38) #45~22.04.1-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Wed Sep 11 15:25:05 UTC 2 (Ubuntu 6.8.0-45.45~22.04.1-generic 6.8.12)
[    0.000000] Command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.8.0-45-generic root=UUID=5dcf1a96-fa2e-42f5-9a08-37fcce0f0878 ro verbose resume=UUID=d6818877-fcce-4e10-b45c-17d5bf4670b8 modeset=0 quiet splash scsi_mod.use_blk_mq=1 usb-storage.quirks=1058:25ee:u usb-storage.quirks=1058:25e1:u usbcore.autosuspend=-1 ipv6.disable=1 amdgpu.sg_display=0 vt.handoff=7
[    0.000000] KERNEL supported cpus:
[    0.000000]   Intel GenuineIntel
[    0.000000]   AMD AuthenticAMD
[    0.000000]   Hygon HygonGenuine
[    0.000000]   Centaur CentaurHauls
[    0.000000]   zhaoxin   Shanghai  
[    0.000000] BIOS-provided physical RAM map:
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x0000000000000000-0x000000000009efff] usable
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x000000000009f000-0x000000000009ffff] reserved
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x00000000000e6000-0x00000000000fffff] reserved
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x0000000000100000-0x00000000cff8ffff] usable
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x00000000cff90000-0x00000000cffa7fff] ACPI data
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x00000000cffa8000-0x00000000cffcffff] ACPI NVS
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x00000000cffd0000-0x00000000cfffffff] reserved
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x00000000fff00000-0x00000000ffffffff] reserved
[    0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x0000000100000000-0x000000011fffffff] usable
[    0.000000] NX (Execute Disable) protection: active
[    0.000000] APIC: Static calls initialized
[    0.000000] SMBIOS 2.5 present.
[    0.000000] DMI: System manufacturer System Product Name/M4A78-E, BIOS 2603    04/13/2011
[    0.000000] tsc: Fast TSC calibration using PIT

* * *

[  134.908973] usb 3-5: new high-speed USB device number 2 using ehci-pci
[  135.043476] usb 3-5: New USB device found, idVendor=090c, idProduct=1000, bcdDevice=11.00
[  135.043500] usb 3-5: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[  135.043509] usb 3-5: Product: USB Flash Disk
[  135.043516] usb 3-5: Manufacturer: General
[  135.043522] usb 3-5: SerialNumber: 1210000000013009
[  135.199115] usb-storage 3-5:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[  135.199356] scsi host6: usb-storage 3-5:1.0
[  135.199468] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[  135.213538] usbcore: registered new interface driver uas
[  136.523148] scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     General  USB Flash Disk   1100 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[  136.524783] sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0
[  136.527237] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] 62980096 512-byte logical blocks: (32.2 GB/30.0 GiB)
[  136.528106] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[  136.528117] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
[  136.528970] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[  136.541579] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.541594] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.541597] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.541602] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.541605] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.541613] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.542822] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.542828] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.542832] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.542835] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.542836] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.542842] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.544072] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.544079] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.544082] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.544085] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.544088] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.544093] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.544106] ldm_validate_partition_table(): Disk read failed.
[  136.545453] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.545464] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.545468] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.545472] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.545474] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.545482] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.546828] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.546838] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.546843] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.546847] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.546849] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.546856] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.551452] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.551465] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.551469] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.551473] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.551477] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.551483] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.552820] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.552826] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.552830] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.552833] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.552835] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.552840] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.552851] Dev sdc: unable to read RDB block 0
[  136.554194] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.554201] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.554205] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.554208] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.554210] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.554216] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.555442] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.555447] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.555450] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.555453] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  136.555455] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.555460] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  136.556693] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  136.556699] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  136.556702] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  136.556705] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 08 00
[  136.556706] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 24 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  136.556711] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 3, async page read
[  136.559201]  sdc: unable to read partition table
[  136.559290] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI removable disk
[  147.963601] workqueue: output_poll_execute hogged CPU for >10000us 16 times, consider switching to WQ_UNBOUND
[  311.811020] workqueue: output_poll_execute hogged CPU for >10000us 32 times, consider switching to WQ_UNBOUND
[  419.596728] scsi_io_completion_action: 4 callbacks suppressed
[  419.596741] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  419.596752] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  419.596757] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  419.596762] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  419.596764] blk_print_req_error: 4 callbacks suppressed
[  419.596767] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  419.596777] buffer_io_error: 3 callbacks suppressed
[  419.596778] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  419.597983] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  419.597994] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  419.597999] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  419.598004] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  419.598007] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  419.598015] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  419.599354] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  419.599362] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  419.599366] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  419.599370] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  419.599372] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  419.599379] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  447.812409] usb 3-5: USB disconnect, device number 2
[  447.825221] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Synchronizing SCSI cache
[  447.825270] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Synchronize Cache(10) failed: Result: hostbyte=DID_NO_CONNECT driverbyte=DRIVER_OK
[  454.645302] usb 3-5: new high-speed USB device number 3 using ehci-pci
[  454.778889] usb 3-5: New USB device found, idVendor=090c, idProduct=1000, bcdDevice=11.00
[  454.778901] usb 3-5: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[  454.778905] usb 3-5: Product: USB Flash Disk
[  454.778909] usb 3-5: Manufacturer: General
[  454.778911] usb 3-5: SerialNumber: 1210000000013009
[  454.779958] usb-storage 3-5:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[  454.780237] scsi host6: usb-storage 3-5:1.0
[  456.088814] scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     General  USB Flash Disk   1100 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[  456.089258] sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0
[  456.092276] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] 62980096 512-byte logical blocks: (32.2 GB/30.0 GiB)
[  456.093168] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[  456.093177] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
[  456.094022] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[  456.102144] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.102155] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.102160] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.102165] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.102168] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.102177] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.103517] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.103525] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.103529] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.103533] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.103535] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.103542] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.104888] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.104893] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.104897] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.104900] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.104902] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.104908] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.104933] ldm_validate_partition_table(): Disk read failed.
[  456.106267] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.106276] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.106281] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.106285] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.106288] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.106295] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.107518] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.107527] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.107532] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.107536] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.107539] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.107546] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.108891] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.108898] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.108902] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.108906] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.108908] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.108915] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.110141] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.110150] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.110154] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.110158] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.110161] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.110168] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.110193] Dev sdc: unable to read RDB block 0
[  456.111515] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.111522] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.111526] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.111530] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.111532] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.111538] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.112886] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.112891] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.112895] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.112898] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  456.112900] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.112905] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  456.114265] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  456.114272] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  456.114276] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  456.114280] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 08 00
[  456.114282] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 24 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  456.114289] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 3, async page read
[  456.116908]  sdc: unable to read partition table
[  456.117001] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI removable disk
[  487.680222] audit: type=1400 audit(1792977212.360:103): apparmor="DENIED" operation="capable" class="cap" profile="man_groff" pid=4500 comm="preconv" capability=2  capname="dac_read_search"
[  487.680241] audit: type=1400 audit(1792977212.360:104): apparmor="DENIED" operation="capable" class="cap" profile="man_groff" pid=4500 comm="preconv" capability=1  capname="dac_override"
[  571.599333] audit: type=1400 audit(1792977296.274:105): apparmor="DENIED" operation="capable" class="cap" profile="man_groff" pid=4523 comm="preconv" capability=2  capname="dac_read_search"
[  571.599351] audit: type=1400 audit(1792977296.274:106): apparmor="DENIED" operation="capable" class="cap" profile="man_groff" pid=4523 comm="preconv" capability=1  capname="dac_override"
[  639.508546] workqueue: output_poll_execute hogged CPU for >10000us 64 times, consider switching to WQ_UNBOUND
[  662.255347] audit: type=1400 audit(1792977386.922:107): apparmor="DENIED" operation="capable" class="cap" profile="man_groff" pid=4559 comm="preconv" capability=2  capname="dac_read_search"
[  662.255363] audit: type=1400 audit(1792977386.922:108): apparmor="DENIED" operation="capable" class="cap" profile="man_groff" pid=4559 comm="preconv" capability=1  capname="dac_override"
[  750.970509] scsi_io_completion_action: 4 callbacks suppressed
[  750.970523] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  750.970532] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  750.970537] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  750.970542] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 20 00
[  750.970544] blk_print_req_error: 4 callbacks suppressed
[  750.970547] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x80700 phys_seg 4 prio class 2
[  750.971891] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  750.971901] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  750.971906] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  750.971911] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  750.971914] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  750.971942] buffer_io_error: 3 callbacks suppressed
[  750.971945] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  775.986746] usb 3-5: USB disconnect, device number 3
[  775.997165] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Synchronizing SCSI cache
[  775.997235] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Synchronize Cache(10) failed: Result: hostbyte=DID_NO_CONNECT driverbyte=DRIVER_OK
[  789.073673] usb 3-6: new high-speed USB device number 4 using ehci-pci
[  789.207369] usb 3-6: New USB device found, idVendor=090c, idProduct=1000, bcdDevice=11.00
[  789.207378] usb 3-6: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[  789.207382] usb 3-6: Product: USB Flash Disk
[  789.207385] usb 3-6: Manufacturer: General
[  789.207388] usb 3-6: SerialNumber: 1210000000013009
[  789.208744] usb-storage 3-6:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[  789.209011] scsi host6: usb-storage 3-6:1.0
[  790.508172] scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     General  USB Flash Disk   1100 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[  790.508603] sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0
[  790.511514] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] 62980096 512-byte logical blocks: (32.2 GB/30.0 GiB)
[  790.512256] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[  790.512261] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
[  790.512998] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[  790.520995] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.521007] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.521012] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.521018] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.521021] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.521030] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.522365] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.522369] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.522373] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.522377] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.522379] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.522384] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.523624] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.523634] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.523639] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.523645] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.523648] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.523655] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.523676] ldm_validate_partition_table(): Disk read failed.
[  790.525057] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.525065] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.525069] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.525073] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.525076] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.525083] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.526250] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.526259] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.526264] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.526268] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.526271] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.526278] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.527493] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.527499] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.527504] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.527507] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.527509] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.527515] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.528723] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.528729] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.528733] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.528737] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.528739] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.528746] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.528756] Dev sdc: unable to read RDB block 0
[  790.530116] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.530121] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.530125] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.530128] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.530130] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.530135] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.531370] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.531378] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.531382] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.531387] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  790.531389] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.531396] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read
[  790.532745] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  790.532752] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  790.532756] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  790.532760] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 18 00 00 08 00
[  790.532762] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 24 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  790.532769] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 3, async page read
[  790.535127]  sdc: unable to read partition table
[  790.535216] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI removable disk
[  821.250847] scsi_io_completion_action: 4 callbacks suppressed
[  821.250863] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  821.250874] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  821.250879] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  821.250884] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 20 00
[  821.250887] blk_print_req_error: 4 callbacks suppressed
[  821.250889] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x80700 phys_seg 4 prio class 0
[  821.252224] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_OK cmd_age=0s
[  821.252232] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Not Ready [current] 
[  821.252236] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: Medium not present
[  821.252240] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00
[  821.252242] I/O error, dev sdc, sector 0 op 0x0:(READ) flags 0x0 phys_seg 1 prio class 2
[  821.252250] buffer_io_error: 3 callbacks suppressed
[  821.252252] Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 0, async page read

Is there any way to recover/rebuild the USB stick’s partition table or some intelligent way to recover the files?

Note that when I plug it back into a Lenovo tablet, it is still not recognized by the tablet.

Or is this toast?

benowe1717 · October 26, 2026, 2:44am

This error definitely looks pretty nasty. When I’ve seen this on my USB drives, it was never a good sign, and seems to indicate some type of hardware failure.

Are you able to get fsck to recognize the drive and attempt a repair? You may need to use the specific fsck option like fsck.ext4 or fsck.exfat. You can also use e2fsck as well, if your filesystem is ext2/3/4. I’m not sure what filesystem your USB drive is, but for me and EXT4, I would start with something like this:
sudo e2fsck -n /dev/sdX
(where X is your actual drive letter, looks like /dev/sdc in your logs)

The -n argument only prints what would/could be done, giving you a chance to review. If you’re ok with fixing the errors e2fsck finds, then you can run:
sudo e2fsck -p /dev/sdX

If fsck or e2fsck aren’t able to detect the drive, find any errors, or repair any problems, then it might be a goner (others may have better things to try here).

I have had very good results with a program called PhotoRec. According to this Linux Vox article, it is part of the testdisk package. The only thing to note is that, part of this guide recommends making an image of the disk using dd, which I see from your post failed. I have had success with both routes in the past, both on the actual disk and on a disk image. The disk image is safer because you can run multiple attempts against it without contributing to the problem.

I hope that, even if this doesn’t solve your problem, it points you (or others) in a good working direction!

ericmarceau · October 26, 2026, 3:13am

Benjamin, thank you so much!

I tried the testdisk earlier but that didn’t seem to go anywhere.

PhotoRec is the tool for this task. That may be a lifesaver! I just started it and it looks very promising. Have to abandon for now, but will try full scan tomorrow, and give an update!

Stay tuned …

P.S.
Any way to get the original file names with the restore files??? otherwise, it is a real mess and not worth much, when file naming is critical to organization of the storage !!!

ClaudioDC · October 26, 2026, 9:48am

A very similar incident happened to me some time ago, I tried

sudo apt install gddrescue

then

sudo ddrescue -d -r0 /dev/sdc pendrive.img pendrive.log

Even when the system didn’t appear to be able to read the USB stick, ddrescue did create a complete image, pendrive.img, which you can mount and browse, all files are saved with their original filenames and folder structure.

Jymm · October 26, 2026, 9:53am

This maybe some help Eric:

If it doesn’t appear in lsblk: filesystem repair commands can’t help yet. Check whether lsusb detects it and review the dmesg messages. If Linux reports USB connection errors, try another port, cable, or computer. If it shows up in lsusb but not lsblk, or never appears on multiple computers, the drive may have a hardware or controller problem rather than just filesystem corruption.

Remove the Memory Chips

With technical skill, you can physically dismantle the drive and read the flash memory components directly with a compatible reader. This very difficult method may work when all else fails.

I have had very little luck recovering a USB drive that failed as you described, maybe once out of ten times. They do just get old and fail.

ericmarceau · October 26, 2026, 6:35pm

Thank you, Claudio!

What is your estimate for that process on a 32 GB stick?

Also, can it tell me what fstype to use for mounting?

What I got after about 5 minutes. Any opinion on what that is saying regarding likelyhood of success?

GNU ddrescue 1.23
Press Ctrl-C to interrupt
Initial status (read from mapfile)
rescued: 157220 kB, tried: 20801 MB, bad-sector: 0 B, bad areas: 0

Current status
     ipos:   25903 MB, non-trimmed:   25747 MB,  current rate:       0 B/s
     opos:   25903 MB, non-scraped:        0 B,  average rate:       0 B/s
non-tried:    6340 MB,  bad-sector:        0 B,    error rate:  38010 kB/s
  rescued:  157220 kB,   bad areas:        0,        run time:      1m 45s
pct rescued:    0.48%, read errors:    75481,  remaining time:         n/a
                              time since last successful read:         n/a
Copying non-tried blocks... Pass 5 (forwards)

Is there some kind of diagnostic command that can be run before the recovery attempt with ddrescue, that will report what it found in the way of

partition table
partition data
partition type ?

The Man page is not showing any flags that I recognize for that kind of initial low-compute report.

ericmarceau · October 26, 2026, 9:19pm

So, before touching the 1st drive I requested help with, I’m trying on another drive which has started acting up. This second drive is reporting a recognized partition with the following:

# fdisk -lu /dev/loop32
Disk /dev/loop32: 14.92 GiB, 16021192704 bytes, 31291392 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Device        Boot Start      End  Sectors  Size Id Type
/dev/loop32p1       8192 31291391 31283200 14.9G  c W95 FAT32 (LBA)

However, even if that shows FAT32, it refuses to mount, whether I try without specifying, specifying vfat or specifying exfat (using approach outlined on StackExchange):

mount -o loop,offset=4194304 /dev/loop32 /site/recmount
mount -o loop /dev/loop32p1 /site/recmount

mount -t vfat -o loop,offset=4194304 /dev/loop32 /site/recmount
mount -t vfat -o loop /dev/loop32p1 /site/recmount

mount -t exfat -o loop,offset=4194304 /dev/loop32 /site/recmount
mount -t exfat -o loop /dev/loop32p1 /site/recmount

The same error is being reported for all those attempts:

mount: /site/recmount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/loop32, missing codepage or helper program, or other error.

I took a stab with

# mount -o loop,offset=4194304 /dev/loop32p1 /site/recmount

# mount -t vfat -o loop,offset=4194304 /dev/loop32p1 /site/recmount

# mount -t exfat -o loop,offset=4194304 /dev/loop32p1 /site/recmount

Which gave the same error as noted above.

I also tried,

# mount -t fuse -o loop,offset=4194304 /dev/loop32p1 /site/recmount

/bin/sh: 1: /dev/loop32p1: Permission denied

but as you can see, that failed!

Anyone know how to mount?

ClaudioDC · October 26, 2026, 9:43pm

Sorry Eric, I don’t know what to tell you about what you’re asking, it is my understanding that gddrescue will recover or attempt to recover data from a device and build an image of such device, and that’s it.

In my case, on my 15 year-old computer, took around 45 minutes to “rescue” 57 Gb of files from a 64 Gb usb stick. No corrupted data, no read errors, all good, but still, the usb stick refused to work. It did mount itself, but whenever I attempted to browse the files, it disconnected itself and did not mount again until I rebooted the system.

When they start failing like this, I was told that, after recovering what can be recovered, I delete the partition table, then create a new one, then create a new partition and format the new partition, to see if it works. I didn’t try this yet. It’s kinda like “if it fails, it’s over, recover whatever you can from the drive and forget about it”.

ericmarceau · October 26, 2026, 9:46pm

Could the “Rescue Disk” DVD detect and repair such a USB drive?

Brian_Masinick · October 27, 2026, 9:47pm

IF there are only a FEW errors, these types of rescue devices can be helpful, but if the hardware is failing, the only real solution is a tier of backups; in that case, go back to the last MOSTLY working or totally working backup and restore that to a completely functioning device.

Otherwise what @ClaudioDC said applies:

Topic		Replies	Views
External USB drive unmounts or powers down randomly Help & Support mint , hardware , backup	37	1380	May 12, 2026
HP Omen with Zorin 18.1 frequently hangs requiring a hard power off Help & Support hardware , nvidia-drivers , drivers , question	7	284	July 8, 2026
Ubuntu system broken after overnight and installer starts on reboot Ubuntu hardware , file-systems , ubuntu , boot	24	627	April 14, 2026
Random shutdown Help & Support	6	229	August 10, 2026
Increase the Performance and lifespan of SSDs & SD Cards Server & Sysadmin sysadmin , file-systems , hardware	10	1065	September 7, 2025

Need Urgent Help - USB Stick recovery

Remove the Memory Chips

Related topics