If the chip becomes painful to touch within 5 seconds, the controller has an internal hardware short-circuit. The drive is completely dead and cannot be repaired by software. Unplug it immediately to prevent damaging your computer's motherboard.
: The integrated circuit design company that manufactured the USB mass storage controller chip.
If you’ve plugged in a USB drive or SD card reader only to see with a generic icon and a strange firmware ID like FA00 or FA04 , you aren't alone. It’s a common sign of a corrupted controller.
Alcor Micro makes the "brains" (controllers) for many budget-friendly USB sticks and card readers. When you see "FA00" or "Unknown Device," it means the device has entered . Firmware Corruption: The internal software is "stuck."
Remove the needle 1 to 2 seconds after the PC makes the "device connected" sound. alcor micro unknown fa00 fw fa04 hot
The NAND flash or controller enters thermal throttling or shutdown. Causes:
: The extreme heat generation is the most critical symptom. It indicates either an internal electrical short-circuit within the silicon wafer, or a severe power-management loop where the controller is endlessly trying to power on a damaged flash memory chip. Anatomy of the Failure: Why Is It Happening?
The software will detect the controller and highlight one of its display slots in blue. Click the button on the right menu.
Fixing this issue usually involves re-flashing the controller firmware using special Chinese-developed manufacturer tools, as standardized Windows drivers often fail. Step 1: Identify the Controller If the chip becomes painful to touch within
Several issues can lead to this diagnostic result. The most common causes include:
Use these tools to find the VID (Vendor ID, usually 058F ), PID (Product ID), and the specific Controller Part Number (e.g., AU6989SN-TA).
Identify your chip: Use a tool like to find your specific Alcor controller part number (e.g., AU6989SN).
When diagnosis software like ChipGenius or mass production tools parse a broken drive, they read the controller registry. This error string breaks down into four parts: : The integrated circuit design company that manufactured
Leave the process to run uninterrupted. A low-level format and flash build can take anywhere from depending on the drive's size.
While keeping those pins shorted, plug the drive into a USB 2.0 port.
Set the to match your NAND chip manufacturer (e.g., Toshiba, Samsung, SanDisk) if it fails to auto-detect.
This specific state is a notorious symptom among flash drives utilizing Alcor Micro controller chips (such as the AU6989SN-TA or AU6989SNCS-TA series). This comprehensive guide analyzes why this error happens, what the firmware codes mean, and how to safely determine if your drive can be saved or if it has met its end. What the Error Codes Mean