If the drive is completely dead and undetected by both Windows and the tool, you may need to manually trigger Test Mode . Carefully open the plastic housing of the USB drive, locate the physical FC1179 controller chip, and use a sewing needle or pin to short-circuit two data pins (usually pins 29-30 or 43-44) while plugging it into the USB port. This forces the controller into a safe bootloader state, allowing the software to see it.
If the Firstchip MpTool returns a red error code during the process, check the following common fixes:
Click on the (often marked with a gear icon).
If your drive uses the , you can completely restore it to working order using the correct mass production (MP) software and firmware. What is the Firstchip FC1179 Controller? Firstchip Fc1179 Firmware
If your USB flash drive suddenly became write-protected, shows a "Please insert disk" error, or displays 0 bytes of capacity, it is likely not physically broken. Instead, its controller firmware has become corrupted.
The memory chip has degraded beyond repair, or the ECC setting is too strict.
(also known as iTe Media or Chipsbank ) is a common controller manufacturer for budget USB flash drives. The FC1179 is a popular, low-cost USB 2.0 controller found in many generic/replacement drives from AliExpress, Amazon Basics, and promotional USB sticks. If the drive is completely dead and undetected
Note: Take a screenshot or copy the text of the Flash ID. The Firstchip software needs to support your specific NAND Flash ID to work. Step 2: Download the Correct Firstchip FC1179 MpTool
(e.g., Alcor, Micron, SanDisk, or Toshiba NAND strings)
Click on the button (usually requires a blank password, or type 888888 / 123456 if prompted). If the Firstchip MpTool returns a red error
Open the extracted folder and run as an Administrator. 2. Connect the Drive
When a USB flash drive stops working, shows a "Write Protected" error, or reports "0 Bytes" of available space, the issue is rarely hardware failure. Instead, the flash drive's controller firmware has likely corrupted. For generic, promotional, or budget USB drives, the controller is incredibly common.
This paper details the procedural recovery of USB flash storage devices utilizing the FirstChip FC1179 controller. These devices often encounter firmware corruption resulting in logical "brick" states. Recovery is achieved through low-level formatting and parameter re-initialization using the proprietary FirstChip MpTools suite. 2. Identification and Requirements
When a USB drive experiences a sudden power loss, improper ejection, or wear on its storage cells, the controller's internal firmware crashes. Once the firmware is corrupted, Windows can no longer communicate with the NAND memory, resulting in common drive failures. Symptoms That Require Reflashing Firmware
Choose whether you want the tool to prioritize maximum stability (Fix Capacity) or maximum available space (Binning). 5. Start the Production Process