SSD data recovery

SSDs fail differently from hard drives. There is usually no warning and no noise: the drive works one day and is not detected the next.

Ask about data recovery Call 020 7237 6805

How SSDs fail

An SSD has no moving parts. It stores data in flash memory chips managed by a controller, which keeps track of where everything is. Most SSD failures are failures of that controller or its firmware, not of the memory itself.

Typical signs are a drive that is not detected at all, one that appears with a strange name or a capacity of a few megabytes, or a computer that freezes whenever the drive is connected. The data is still in the memory chips, but nothing can find it until the controller is working again.

What recovery involves

Where the controller is supported, PC-3000 can place the SSD in a service mode, bypass the damaged firmware and rebuild access to the data so that it can be copied. Electronic faults on the drive, such as a failed power component, are repaired first.

Two things make SSD recovery harder than hard drive recovery. Most modern SSDs encrypt their contents inside the controller, so reading the memory chips directly rarely helps. And when files are deleted, the TRIM function tells the drive to clear that space, which usually happens within minutes.

Recovery starts with a professional evaluation, charged at £94.80. It tells you what has failed and what can be recovered, and you then receive a fixed price for the recovery itself.

What to do now

Stop powering the drive on and off. A failing SSD can get worse with each attempt.
Do not update its firmware or run the manufacturer's "secure erase" or repair tools.
If files were deleted, switch the computer off at once. The longer it runs, the less is left.
If the SSD is soldered into a laptop, send the whole laptop.

We collect drives and devices by insured courier from anywhere in the UK, or you can post yours tracked and insured, or bring it to the workshop in London SE1. See how to send a drive safely.

Common questions

Can deleted files be recovered from an SSD?

Sometimes, if the drive was switched off quickly or TRIM was not active, as on some external enclosures. Often the data has already been cleared. The evaluation tells you which.

The SSD is soldered to my laptop's motherboard. Can the data be recovered?

It depends on repairing the board far enough for the storage to be read. That is component-level repair, which we also do. See laptop data recovery.

Get a price from a technician

Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to get your laptop to us – normally the same working day.

020 7237 6805

Creative IT workshop
Unit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm