Inside a conventional (but not Solid State Drives or thumbdrives!) is a motorized platter and a tiny arm with a read/record head on it that moves back and forth reading the contents of the platter.
Sometimes when the drives get old or damaged the platter quits spinning or the little arm gets stuck. When you place it in the freezer sometimes it temporarily unsticks the parts and allows the computer to read the contents of the disk.
It’s a “hail Mary” move but does work on occasion.
No one could make that up... thanks for explaining how freezing makes it work.