Well as i said to ken in PM, i MAY have a way to get his info back. I couldnt find a yes or no answer for sure while searching(ie i know of no one who has done this (success or failure) but the theory sounded good. i ran it by xires, and it turned out the question i was asking was in essence useless, because of me not understanding something right. however the idea itself SEEMS sound, so at least me and xires think it should/could work...yeah not the greatest opening i get it, but since this could ruin perfectly good hardware(ie cost money) i feel you should be warned that i have NOT tried this trick before, i thought of it after my last post.
So the basic idea: get the exact same make and model flash drive, and move the memory modules from your old one to the new one.
What you will need:
Exact same make and model thumb drive/flash drive
soldering iron
soldering bulb
a very thin gauge solder, such as 22 gauge
flux
(decent info on all this, here:
[size=78%]http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Practical_Electronics/Soldering[/size])
magnifying glass/stand
steady hands/time to get them. this is very detailed work, you will make mistakes and have to undo a joint and redo it. be patient.
Note 1: You may also use/need a clamp to hold the chip to the board during re-soldering, make SURE its a rubberized and not pressing to hard, it CAN be done without this, but depending on your skill level this could save you a bit of time.
Note 2:Even if you are using resin core solder i highly recommend getting some flux. a dirty soldering iron is a unhappy soldering iron. Also a good soldering pad is a nice addition.
Note 3: i find lead based solders easier to work with because of the lower melting point, but they do tend to cost more than lead free ones now, comes down to personal preference.
Note 4: Just to make sure: The same kind of precautions you take when dealing with any other circuit board should be taken here. Static electricity is BAD for computer parts.
Step 1: identify your memory module(s) and your controller module.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Usbkey_internals.jpg/625px-Usbkey_internals.jpg
Label 2 is your controller module, this is what went bad more than likely. Label 4 is a memory module. note that its going to be the biggest chip(s) on the thumb drive.
Step 2: Remove the memory module(s) using a soldering iron to melt the solder and a soldering bulb to collect the melted solder. Be VERY careful not to break or bend any of the contacts, if you do this becomes a exercise in futility. Once the memory chips are taken off of both boards take the ones with the information you want and put them on the new known good board.
Note 5: Even if this in the end proves useless, you can re-solder the new modules back onto the new board and still have a functioning drive, assuming you dont bend/break any of the contacts.
Step 3: re-soldering is an art as much as science. be sure to use the flux you purchased on the tip of your soldering iron in between each joint to ensure you get good joints. (dip iron in flux, wipe on pad, solder joint, repeat.)
Step 4: test! let us know if it worked.
As stated this ENTIRE thing is based on IF it was the controller module that went bad(which i think it is), hence why you cant even mount it. If this allows you to mount, then you should either A have all your files right away or B need to recover them, but now they ARE recoverable.
Anyway i THINK that covers everything, if i missed something evilzone make sure to point it out. 
