Explain why our USB keys are sometimes recognized as corrupted with no apparent reason?

Common material causes of corruption

A USB key can malfunction when its internal components take a hit or wear out prematurely. You may not necessarily see it, but the internal soldering can crack after a fall or shock, creating unstable connections. Another common issue is the connector that bends slightly from being plugged and unplugged frequently, causing a poor physical connection. Lastly, the flash memory of cheap keys tends to wear out quickly with repeated data writing, which may explain why your key stops responding after a while.

Software errors impacting USB drives

A poorly installed or outdated USB driver can clearly confuse the system and render a USB flash drive unusable without warning. Sometimes it's simply the overly zealous antivirus software that suddenly blocks access to our USB drive, thinking it's doing the right thing! Bugs and sudden crashes during data writing on the drive can sometimes cause logical corruption, leaving the system perplexed upon the next connection. A Windows update or another operating system can also lead to temporary recognition or compatibility issues. In short, most often, our problems with supposedly corrupted drives are communication issues between our computer's software and the hardware itself, rather than the USB drives suddenly deciding to fail us.

Influence of incorrect USB key removal

You pull out your USB drive quickly, like many do. But your computer may still be writing or reading information from it, even if it doesn't seem like it. So, if you yank it out abruptly, it could abruptly stop an essential process and create write errors. These errors lead to incomplete files, or worse, a corrupted file system. The computer then struggles to read the data correctly because it's missing the final information that it couldn't finish. That's why there's the well-known option to safely eject your drive: it clearly tells the computer to quickly finish its operations before you remove it. In short, it may seem trivial, but abrupt withdrawal is one of the most common reasons for USB drives being oddly perceived as corrupted.

Effects of electrical fluctuations and interference

Your USB key, although it may seem robust, remains a device sensitive to electrical variations. Small fluctuations or electrical surges that occasionally occur on USB ports can cause errors in writing or reading data, leading to inexplicable corruption of stored files. Worse still, a simple electromagnetic interference — for example, coming from certain household appliances or radios located too close — can subtly disrupt transfer or backup, and ruin your key without warning. This phenomenon is common in low-end USB keys that have minimal or nonexistent electronic protection against these disturbances. Even if imperceptible, these repeated variations may, over time, permanently damage your key and your information.

File system issues and compatibility

Each USB stick uses its own file system (FAT32, exFAT, NTFS...). However, not all computers or devices can read all of these systems. If you format your USB on Windows in NTFS, an old Mac might struggle to properly read your files. A poorly supported file system can quickly create the impression that the USB is damaged or corrupted, when in reality, the problem is just compatibility. The same goes for a TV or a car that often only supports USB drives formatted in FAT32 or exFAT. The result: you insert the USB with confidence, and boom, the device panics upon encountering a format it doesn't understand—it's the famous illusion of a corrupted drive.