Is it Possible to Recover Data From a Failing SSD?

Is it really possible to recover data from an SSD? Is it even possible to back up an entire hard drive from an SSD? Is it even possible to put a data backup on an SSD? These are all very good questions that are asked by most users when they encounter an impending SSD failure. Fortunately, the answers to these questions are, quite surprisingly, Yes and No.

Is it possible to recover data from a crashed SSD? An SSD is commonly crashed or otherwise physically damaged by means of external or internal impact, heat, water, or any number of other events. The end result is the same – the drive is inaccessible and unusable. Recovering data from a failed SSD is therefore a very real possibility, although not a likely one.

So, how does one determine if it’s even possible to attempt a successful recovery from a “crashed” SSD? When you have an SSD on your computer system, the worst thing that can happen is for the system to “crash”. This means the computer cannot function normally anymore and there is very real potential for the system to completely fail (and thus render the user’s computer useless). It’s important to understand that even though the drive may be “crashed”, this does not always mean you cannot still recover data.

To understand this potential ability to recover from a “crashed” SSD, we need to look at how a typical hard disk or “non-volatile” flash device is designed. Non-volatile disks are backed up every time the device is used, so if you accidentally delete some information from it, you’ll have access to that data again. It is not lost forever. But, if the drive crashes, then you will lose all the data that was on it at that point. As far as recoverable data is concerned, this really isn’t all that common.

But, what if your computer had been left in a critical condition while it was working, without ever being “crashed”? You might think it would be impossible to retrieve lost data after such a condition has rendered the hard disk non-functional – but it’s actually very possible to retrieve data from even “crashed” SD cards. Fortunately, flash memory is very much different than it was back when traditional methods of storage were first developed. Modern recovery software tools have been developed to be capable of restoring much of what was lost from a “crashed” SSD.

So, just how do you know if you’ve got a “crashed” SSD? Well, if you receive an error from the Solid State Drive (SSD) when you try to read or write data to it – and nothing shows up, this is usually an indication that you have made a big mistake and need to rebuild your drive. If you receive the message” FAT32 file found”, then it’s more than likely that you’ve either written or erased an important file, resulting in a “crash”. Typically this only occurs when files are extremely large, or if they’re stored in the wrong place. It is also quite possible for a small file to become corrupted, causing a “crash” as well.

But even if this scenario plays out, there is still an alternative – and this is to use a data recovery software tool to recover your lost data. These tools recover data by scanning the drive for damaged sectors and then reorganizing the drive to repair the damage that was done. And the good news is, if the damaged sector was already reformatted, then this will happen automatically.

Of course, sometimes it may not be possible to regain the data – especially if it’s been corrupted. However, there is one very easy way to fix this problem and get your data back again… You simply need to go into the OS and “Safe Mode”, which allows Windows to boot up in a “safe” mode, without any type of drivers installed. By doing this, you can load up your PC without any type of driver, and then it’s entirely up to you to install any needed devices. This is an excellent technique to use if you are trying to retrieve data from an SSD because otherwise, you will have to resort to buying a new drive.