please can anyone help. My USB stick seems to not want to work when i plug it into my usb port of pc (win XP) is there any way i can get the data off

Has the stick ever worked? Have you tried it in another pc?
Does windows detect the USB stick when you plug it in and can you see it if you go to my computer?

yes it has worked before has plugged into USB port and it says it has not been recognised and has malfunctioned

Have you tried it in another USB slot or another computer? You could try the manufacturers website for help in recovering the data. There is plenty of recovery software available on the internet, some of which allows a free trial. I have never used any so cannot recommend a particular brand.
Does anyone else have any ideas or suggestions?

i don't have the manufactureres website, took it to PC world but they said it would cost £70 !!!! to recover the data HELP!!!

This software comes highly recommended by people on another forum. It is a free trial for a few weeks I think. I have downloaded it just incase but haven't installed it as the trial starts counting down from the moment it's installed.

thanks for that i have tried it but it doesnt recognise the USB stick i have just put in so back to the drawing board

Do a repair install of xp and update it via windows updates (it's patch Tuesday today, just got 14 updates), reboot and plug the stick in.

Should work then.