Why Has My Solid-State Drive Crashed, Failed, or Died?
Solid-state drives are considered more dependable than regular hard drives because they do not have moving parts. But, like all devices, SSDs can fail for many reasons. Here are some common reasons for SSD crashes:
- Overheating: If the drive is heated beyond a limit, this could damage the chips used for data storage and cause the drive to crash.
- Power surges: Power surges or fluctuations can damage the SSD components and lead to failure.
- Firmware issues: If there are any bugs in the firmware or corrupted, this can cause the crash.
- Manufacturing defects: Like any other electronic device, there can be manufacturing defects that cause it to fail.
- Wear and tear: If you use SSD heavily and frequently, this will wear out and eventually fail.
Is It Possible To Recover Data From A Crashed, Dead or Failed SSD?
Yes, it is possible to recover data from dead SSDs even if they have crashed or failed. However, Regarding SSDs, the chances of a successful recovery are low. This is because of the TRIM command.
What is TRIM?
The TRIM command in an SSD program the drive to erase any data after deletion. While this is usually beneficial when it comes to security measures, It becomes a hurdle when faced with data loss scenarios where you have accidentally deleted data.
If you experience SSD failure or if the drive has crashed or is dead, you may have a great chance if the TRIM command failed to initiate.
How to Repair a Crashed SSD?
Fixing a crashed SSD can be a challenging task, but there are methods you can try to repair yourself. We have evaluated some of the solutions and given them below. If you are facing an SSD crash, then you should follow the steps to fix it.
Note: If you do not have a backup of your data, then it is recommended to use first use any reliable SSD data recovery software like SFware. And then proceed with the repair process.
Method 1: How to Recover Data from Crashed SSD Using a Professional Data Recovery Tool
Data loss can occur after an SSD drive crashes fails, or dies. However, we can recover data from a crashed SDD using professional data recovery software. We recommend you try SFWare Data Recovery software, a purpose-built recovery tool, which can manage a wide range of data loss scenarios from multiple data storage devices.
Steps to Use SFWare Data Recovery Software for SSD Data Recovery
Download and install the SFWare data recovery tool to the system to start the process. After connecting your external SSD device to the system, follow the steps below,-
Step 1: Download, Install, and launch the SFWare data recovery tool.
Step 2: Select the crashed, failed, or dead SSD from which the files were deleted, and click on Start Scan.
Step 3: After the scan, locate the files using the Filter and Search box to make the process easier
Step 4: Double-click to preview the recovered files.
Step 5: Once the recovery is completed, You can select the files and click Save to store them at your preferred locations.
Step 6: Make sure you save the recovered data in a new location to avoid losing them again.
Note: In case you are facing any other issues with SSDs, like SSD not showing up or SSD write protected, or any other potential data loss scenarios, you can make use of SFWare data recovery software.
Method 2: Update SSD Firmware to Restore Failed SSD
SSD firmware controls SSD operations. If this software gets out of date or corrupted, then this leads to problems and stops you from accessing the drive. Follow the steps to check the firmware version,
- Press Window + X keys and select Device Manager.
- Click on the Disk drives to expand it and select the SSD drive and right click on it then select Properties.
- In the properties window, go to the Details tab and select Hardware Ids from the Property dropdown box.
Note: The first line Values box is the version of your SSD drive.
- Now click on OK.
Once you check your SSD firmware version you can download an SSD firmware update tool and check if any updates are available.
Method 3: Run CHKDSK Command To Fix the Crashed SSD
Sometimes an SSD can crash due to file system errors or bad sectors. In such cases, you can use a utility called CHKDSK.
CHKDSK is a built-in feature to check and repair disk errors. Make sure to back up the data because any step wrongly implemented can lead to data loss. You can use the SFWare Data recovery tool to recover your lost data.
- Type CMD in the search bar and select Run as administer.
- In the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk /f /r [drive letter]: and press Enter.
Note: You should replace [drive letter] with your crashed SSDs letter.
- Once the scanning process is done, you can try to access the drive.
Method 4: Format the SSD Drive To Restore Crashed or failed SSD
If you are still facing issues even after you have tried the above methods, then you must format the drive. Make sure to back up your data since formatting will remove all the data from the drive. Once you backup your data, follow the steps below,
- Press Windows + X keys and select Disk Management.
- In the Disk Management window, select the crashed SSD drive.
- Now right-click on the SSD and select Format.
- Check the Quick Format checkbox and click on the Start button.
- Once the process is completed, you can access your crashed SSD drive.
Conclusion
In modern times, SSDs widely used as storage devices. But like any electronic device, SSDs also can crash due to many reasons. In this article, we have discussed why SSD crashes and how to repair it for free. Moreover, we have also provided you with a step-by-step guide on how to restore data from a crashed SSD using reliable data recovery software.
