What is the best technique for opening these cards? I have purchased two used ones so I can experiment before attacking the clients card. One word of advice was "cut plastic corners/edges and then remove metal coating". Any other techniques? ie Dremel?

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HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group

Dremel not required!

I usually lever a blade under the metal covers, near the pin connections first, and then prise off the covers. Careful, as there are little clips going into the plastic frame.

Then it's easy to wrestle the CF card out of its plastic frame.

As you say, better to practice on an unimportant card first.

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PC Image Data Recovery
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New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

With CF Cards, as with all flash recoveries, you mostly assume you wont be putting them back together for normal use. So go carefully - I do as Sean says and never force or bend very much. Some of the PCBs are very thin.

As an extra tip:
I buy many many 5-bay plastic cases, the kind you would put fishing lures or sewing supplies in, and give every device a catalogue number. I write in a .xlsx what the flash chips are, what the controller chip is and what steps and data used to recover it.

The single most important thing in Flash recoveries is knowing what how a same/similar device you have was recovered.

Once you start getting a feel for the peculiar traits of different devices you start to make progress. but never assume anything, sometimes you see strange stuff such as one controller using another's Wear Levelling, or chips that are either fake or just plain odd-ball.

Indeed I have already scared myself once almost mixing up two clients chips. I learned a quick lesson that this is very different to HDD's and just logging serial number etc. Organization is key. I now have small, sealable plastic boxes to store each clients flash drive, only one is ever open at a time.


A lot to learn I think....but thats half the fun. Many thanks.

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HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group

I use a metallic sharpie to write the job number (and chip number 1,2,3,4..) on each of the NAND chips. And black sharpie to write the job number and chip number positions on the PCB of each device.

Then keep each job in its own little plastic box.

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PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

A metallic sharpie is my next purchase, bit cheaper than the microscope....

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HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group

Yes I use Artline 990XF metallic gold marker and a silver sharpie.. have to hide them from the Daughter!

I either use Sean's method, but first I will try and split the CF. They are usually made in two parts (top and bottom) by putting a large bladed screwdriver in the location key slot and twisting it will usually start the separation. They they can be clipped or glued back together when you are done.

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If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you probably don't fully understand the situation. ... Mr Kipling

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I use a little hot air to heat the metal and the blade, it comes apart cleanly

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Recover My Flash Drive

I'm not familiar with that specific card, I know some are just glued and the heat/exact-o-knife trick works well. Others though are actually clipped in and you may have to cut the outer plastic just to be safe.

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Data Medics - Hard Drive, SSD, and RAID Data Recovery Service Company

Thanks everyone. With this particular CF card the x-acto knife under the corners of the metal covers work great to get it started. It was glued so will use heat in the future, but just sliding the tip of the knife around the plastic case released the glue without an issue. Once again, thanks.

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HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group