When it comes to mass storage or "hard drives," there is a fundamental distinction between HDDs and SSDs. While an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) contains moving parts such as a read/write head, an SSD consists exclusively of so-called flash memory. This means an SSD works exactly like a USB flash drive or an SD memory card. The only difference is that the number of individual memory chips in an SSD is higher. Learn more here about how SSDs work and how they are built.
SSD: Definition and How It Works
The abbreviation SSD stands for Solid State Drive. Information (data) is stored electrically in an SSD. By comparison: in an HDD, data is stored magnetically at specific locations on the magnetic platter. On an SSD, information is stored in a "chaotic" manner. Reading data, just like writing, occurs without any mechanical movement. In an HDD, the read/write head must mechanically scan the magnetic platter.
Because an SSD contains no moving or mechanical parts, this type of storage device is less susceptible to vibrations or other external influences that could lead to a defect with data loss (physical causes of data loss). When an SSD defect occurs, other causes are usually to blame (e.g., data overwriting, viruses/trojans, faulty firmware update). If the cells occupied by the files have been marked for overwriting but have not yet been overwritten with new information, the data on an SSD can usually be recovered.
Architecture of an SSD
An SSD fundamentally consists of three components: the storage unit, the controller, and the interface.
Storage Unit
Multiple flash memory blocks form the storage unit of an SSD. Each individual memory cell can only be written to a limited number of times. Once the number of write cycles has been exceeded across all memory cells (tracked by a counter), the SSD fails. Because an SSD (depending on its size) contains tens of thousands of memory cells, these storage devices are extremely long-lasting despite this apparent disadvantage compared to an HDD.
Controller
The quality of an SSD is largely determined by the controller - the most important component of the SSD. The controller's task is to manage all information stored in the memory cells. Only the controller knows where which data is located. Additionally, the controller ensures that data is stored in the cells with the lowest counter value (number of write operations). This process, called wear leveling (WL), increases the lifespan of an SSD - by a factor of 25 with dynamic WL, and by a factor of 100 with static WL.
Interface
The third SSD component is the interface, through which communication with the processor, RAM (working memory), and other computer components takes place. Manufacturers typically use the S-ATA II/III interface. Additionally, the PCIe interface, originally designed for graphics cards, can be used.
Because the controllers of SSD manufacturers differ significantly from one another, data recovery from an SSD in difficult cases is not possible with conventional recovery tools. Professional SSD data recovery replicates the function of the respective controller and can restore deleted files in many cases.
If you experience problems with your SSD or data loss, our specialists are at your service with state-of-the-art technology and years of experience in SSD data recovery.
Contact us at 0800-881 12 25 (free, available 24/7) for a free initial consultation.
Lars Müller