Generally, when an SSD hard drive categorically refuses to respond to a request, one can conclude that it has died or failed. So what happens to all the important data stored on it? Is it possible to recover it? If so, how? These are the questions we will answer in this article.
Some causes of SSD drive failure
The SSD hard drive (Solid State Drive) is just as fallible as any other piece of computer equipment. This fallibility can lead to its failure. This then results in data loss due to several factors, including:
- Aging of the SSD board;
- Overuse of the SSD drive;
- The formation of a failed sector;
- A sudden power failure that fried the entire SSD drive;
- Corruption of the master boot record, which is one of the essential components of an SSD hard drive;
- A severe viral infection following the infiltration of viruses, malware, or Trojan horses into the data.
Can data be recovered from a dead SSD hard drive?
Yes, it is entirely possible to recover data from dead SSD boards. However, it is no easy task. Since the death or failure of the external hard drive results from several of the causes mentioned above, file recovery will depend on the specific case. So, before attempting to recover the data, you must first take the time to determine the cause of the board’s malfunction.
However, if you were prudent enough to store a duplicate of your data on an SSD drive or another medium such as a USB drive or CD, you don’t need to go through this trouble. If, on the other hand, your documents exist nowhere else but on the damaged SSD drive, then it will be possible for you to recover some or all of your data.
Recovering data from a faulty SSD through repair
It is possible to recover data from a dead SSD by repairing the faulty sectors. For a failure linked to the infiltration of viruses and malware, using antivirus software will be of great help. In that case, two solutions are available to you.
Update your device’s Windows drivers
Updating the Windows drivers means first opening the computer’s device manager. Then, open the properties of the SSD hard drive and click on “update driver.” Allow time for the drivers to fully update and restart your computer to recover your information. If this process does not resolve the issue, use the following solution.
Update the SSD’s firmware
To update the SSD’s firmware, you must:
- press Win+E to open Windows Explorer and navigate to System Explorer;
- choose one of the operating systems to use and go to the device manager;
- open the properties of the damaged SSD drive, go to “hardware details and identifiers,” and click “ok”;
- install the firmware update software, open it, choose the available update, and click “update drive”;
- click “yes” then “ok” to finalize the process.
If, despite these updates, the SSD hard drive still refuses to work or recover the files, then use software capable of recovering the data.
Use data recovery software on the dead SSD drive
Thanks to the memory chips of the SSD hard drive, it is possible to perform a data recovery, even though using the software can damage the drive. But generally speaking, here is how you should proceed.
- Remove the damaged drive and connect it to a new computer;
- Use lost data recovery software that will lead you to the right results. Start it and open the location of the SSD hard drive;
- Look for and click the “scan” button to start the data recovery process;
- Check all the data you wish to recover in the scan results and click “recover”;
- Choose a new, reliable location to store your data again.
If you wish to use the source computer to recover the data on an SSD, it all depends on how the SSD drive was used on the computer. If it served as a data drive, the procedure to follow is the same as above. If, on the other hand, it served as the operating system drive, you will need a blank USB drive. You will connect it to the device before launching the Hexascan recovery software. Then, access the BIOS and configure the PC to boot from the bootable drive (USB drive) before continuing the process.
After all these explanations, you will agree with us that it is indeed possible to recover data from a dead SSD hard drive. To do so, simply follow the process outlined above, then use quality data recovery software if you’re lucky, or call on a specialist like us.