If you’ve landed here, chances are you’ve been staring at a USB flash drive that won’t cooperate — and chip detection tools have thrown back something like:
Alcor Micro (headquartered in Taiwan, stock code 8054) has been designing controller chips since 1999. Its product lines include:
Even with the correct tools, you may hit snags. Here is the updated troubleshooting for 2025: alcor micro unknown fa00 f w 3613 updated
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The “Alcor Micro Unknown FA00 F/W 3613” identifier is not a sign of permanent failure. It simply means ChipGenius cannot determine the exact model name, but the underlying hardware – almost certainly an AU6989SN‑family controller – is well understood and widely supported. By using the correct AlcorMP version, performing a low‑level format, and then manually installing the right driver for integrated card readers, the vast majority of issues can be resolved. If you’ve landed here, chances are you’ve been
This write-up covers the recovery and firmware update process for Alcor Micro flash drives identified with the firmware (specifically the AU6989SN-GTC [F500] controller series) and the associated hardware/vendor identifiers. Device Identification Controller Vendor : Alcor Micro Controller Part Number : AU6989SN-GTC / AU6998SN [F500] Current Firmware (F/W) Vendor ID (VID) : 3613 (International Parts & Information Co., Ltd.) Product ID (PID) : Common default is for generic/recovery modes Recovery & Update Procedure
When you see , it generally indicates that a USB flash drive or card reader using an Alcor Micro controller has experienced a firmware-level error or is being incorrectly identified by the system. This specific "Unknown [FA00]" status typically appears in low-level mass production tools (MPTools) when the controller's firmware (F/W) is corrupted or the Flash ID (FID) cannot be read properly. Key Features and Solutions This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted
Release the short circuit 1 to 2 seconds after the drive powers on. This forces the controller to bypass its corrupted startup routine and look directly to the computer for new instructions, allowing the utility to recognize the hardware and successfully push the updated firmware. Data Recovery vs. Hardware Salvage
section does not have your specific VID/PID listed, or manually add them to the IgnoreVIDPID 0 MB / No Media : If the drive shows 0 bytes, use the command in Windows
The controller chip gets confused when the drive is unplugged incorrectly or suffers a power surge. It forgets how to talk to the memory cells. The code [FA00] is a generic error name, and F/W 3613 is the version number of the broken software inside the chip. Step 1: Use Diskpart to Clear the Drive