Unlike conventional HDD hard drives with moving parts, the flash memory chips in SSDs are largely immune to vibrations and similar influences. Mechanical defects are therefore rather rare and, when they do occur, are usually due to material wear. Logical errors are far more common. For example, viruses and trojans or exceeding the maximum number of write operations per cell can lead to a complete failure or other problems with the SSD. Furthermore, data loss can also have quite mundane causes such as accidentally overwriting or deleting files.
Common SSD Problems
If files stored on the SSD have disappeared but everything else is working, the files may have been accidentally (or intentionally) deleted. However, if the SSD is no longer recognized in the BIOS, more severe errors such as overvoltage damage or a faulty firmware update are likely. Power outages cannot do much harm to the memory cells themselves. However, the control software (firmware) running on the SSD controller - like all other programs running on the SSD - is anything but resistant. If a file was not fully saved or an action was not fully completed, a power outage can corrupt the file.
Common symptoms:
- SSD is not recognized in the BIOS
- SSD is not displayed in the operating system
- SSD data transfer is very slow
- SSD overheating
- Material fatigue
- Viruses / trojans / malware
- Accidental deletion of files
- Exceeding maximum write cycles
- Overvoltage
- Power outage
- Faulty firmware update
Analyzing SSD Status
If you want to know whether the problems are actually caused by your SSD, you can check its health status using free tools such as GSmartControl or CrystalDiskInfo. Periodic analysis also serves as excellent preventive maintenance. The tools display SMART values (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) such as read errors, erase errors, flash wear, and bad sectors.
First Aid for SSD Problems
While defects in HDDs are often preceded by strange noises or other symptoms, problems with SSDs usually occur suddenly and completely unexpectedly. If the drive is no longer functioning as it should, the right measures must be taken to prevent further damage. Specifically: Close all running applications to avoid write operations. Any unsaved documents should be saved to a separate storage medium.
If your computer has no contact with the SSD, you can remove the drive and try a USB-to-SATA connection. If this works, a defective hard drive controller can be ruled out. If the drive does not function, you should engage a professional SSD data recovery service.
Can Data Be Recovered from a Defective SSD?
Data recovery of deleted data on an SSD is possible if the cells occupied by the files have been marked for overwriting but have not yet been overwritten. Free recovery tools only search for deleted files. Professional tools, on the other hand, can read data from damaged RAID groups.
Examples include:
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard (Free, Standard, and Pro versions),
- DiskRecovery (Professional, Admin, and Tech levels)
- DiskInternals NTFS Recovery
SSD Data Recovery
We reliably recover data from defective SSDs - at a fixed price! You only incur costs if the SSD data recovery is successful. Nationwide pickup of the storage device is included at no extra charge.
Contact us at 0800-881 12 25 (free, available 24/7) for a free initial consultation.
Lars Müller