I got a call last week that needed commenting on. A student working on her Masters thesis moved ALL of her research and papers to an el-cheapo Flash Drive. Read MOVED, not COPIED the data. You can conclude, the drive failed and her thesis is unrecoverable.

Several behaviors caused this to happen:

1. Moved important files to a portable media device. Keep viable copies on your PC, on-line service or server.
2. Used el-cheapo media. At this time I recommend Sandisk products for Flash Drives. Note: Be sure to wipe all of the factory installed software from the drive before using it.