RIP my USB

Hello everyone,

I am writing to you today with a frustrating story. My USB is dead. Essentially... when I went to Tarapoto last month someone passed me some documents, and I guess their computer was infected because it acted weirdly on my computer. I thought I had lost all of my files... but turns out that they just became invisible, and a few weeks later we were able to locate them (after I had replaced the few that were missing). Now last week I tried opening a document that I had on my USB, but it said that it was corrupted, so I went home, uploaded a newer version, and it worked fine.

Today when I got to work I couldn't open a single file, I couldn't delete a single file, and a coworker tried his best to save the files but nothing could be done. We tried for hours to format the USB but it wouldn't work, I don't know why. Then I went home for lunch and plugged it in, and I was able to recuperate some of the files on my laptop, and then all of a sudden my computer couldn't see the USB anymore. Like it disappeared. The red light won't turn on, and now it won't work on my computer or on another computer at work, either. So it is dead. I would have liked to format it but... if my computer can't see it then that is pretty impossible.

So I am asking my parents to bring me a new USB when they come for Christmas, but I want them to bring me one that is lying around at home, not a brand new one, because I don't know if it will get infected or no too... it's too bad, because at school they were constantly giving them out for free but I had 3 so I figured I didn't need more, but now it would be super helpful and useful. Lesson learned.

I am still going to back up the files from my computer onto a USB to give to my parents at Christmas. And now I am paranoid that my computer will become infected, too. I am also paranoid of my computer just not working anymore though! I don't want to lose all of my pictures! At least I submitted my schoolwork for this term, so that is a relief.

The moral of the story: it is scary how quickly you can lose all of your information, and how valuable it is to you, and how lost you can feel without it. Quite sad, but... when hours of work can disappear in moments, it is not motivating to continue.

With this being said, does anyone out there have other suggestions to help me save my USB? It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much! :)

Sheila