Can we restore files from SSD?
Yes, data recovery from a corrupt SSD that is not overwritten is possible. But there are certain limitations that we should know.
So, let’s read further and understand in detail all about restoring data from SSD.
What is Solid State Drive (SSD)?
Unlike traditional hard disk drives (HDD), Solid State Drives (SSD) offer a slew of advantages. The main advantage of SSDs is nonvolatile memory chips, that help improve performance and speed. What’s more, SSDs are reliable than HDDs as there is no actuator arm to write data on a spinning disk. But this does not mean SSDs aren’t susceptible to memory degradation and physical damage. SSDs too are prone to power failure and the chances of losing data when using an SSD are there.
Hence, it is important to learn how to recover data from SSD and avoid accidental data loss.
Tip: If you do not want to decrease the chances of data recovery when using either an SSD or HDD stop using the disk immediately once the data is lost.
Why do people say recovering data from SSD is impossible?
Due to a technology named SSD TRIM, people say it is impractical to retrieve data from SSD drives. However, if you have lost data on an SSD due to performance issues or accidentally formatting a partition, recovering data using the best data recovery software is possible on an SSD.
Tip: To find if your Drive is SSD or HDD, open the Run window by pressing Windows + R. Type dfrgui > ok. You will now see the drive type you are using.
What is TRIM and why do SSDs have it?
TRIM is an ATA command for SSD, that allows the operating system to inform the SSD card which page is to be deleted.
Initially, when a command to delete data from SSD was given, the entire block with the data to be deleted was copied on another block, and then was restored to the same block except for the deleted page. This made the process complex. Hence, to simplify things TRIM command is used and it helps communicate direct instructions to the SSD as to which page is to be deleted.
Note: The command works with SSD drives with a SATA interface.
Now that we know what can make data recovery impossible on SSD. Let’s learn how to restore data from an SSD on Windows.
How To Recover Data From Formatted Or Failed SSD?
Data from SSD can be recovered using two effective methods.
Method 1: Restoring Data Deleted From SSD From Recycle Bin
If you have accidentally deleted data from the SSD by pressing the Del key, chances are it is moved to Recycle Bin. To restore this data, follow these steps:
- Look for Recycle Bin on the Desktop
- Double click to open it
- Locate deleted files stored on SSD
- Select the file > Restore
- This will put back the deleted file at the original location
Note: If you have pressed Shift+Delete or emptied Recycle Bin, the above steps will not work for you. In such a case, using professional data recovery software like Advanced Disk Recovery is recommended.
Method 2 – Recovering Data From An SSD Hard Drive Using The Best Recovery Tool For Windows
To recover data from an SSD, follow these steps:
Step 1. Download and install Advanced Disk Recovery on your Windows system on which you want to perform the SSD recovery.
Note: If the SSD from which you are trying to recover data is internal, install the product on another partition. However, if it is external do not install the product on the target disk.
Step 2. Connect the SSD to the device on which Advanced Disk Recovery was installed.
Step 3. Launch the recovery software
Step 4. Select the hard disk or partition from which recovery has to be done.
Step 5. Click the down arrow next to Select Drive and select the drive.
Step 6. Thereafter, to search for the lost data using Advanced Disk Recovery, click Start Scan Now.
Step 7. Next, select the scan type hit > Scan now.
Suggestion: To get a more thorough result, we suggest picking Deep Scan as it performs thorough sector-wise scanning of the hard disk.
Step 8. Wait for the scan to finish. Now select the files to recover and click the Recover button.
Note: When recovering files never restore the data on the same SSD or same disk partition as this will reduce the chances of data recovery.
Step 9. Wait for the recovery process to complete. Once done you will be able to see the summary of total files scanned, total deleted files found, total files selected for recovery, total files recovery, and total files remaining.
Step 10. Click Finish and go to the folder where you have saved the recovered files.
Note: This process will not help undelete files from the drive on which SSD TRIM was previously enabled. In such cases, you need to contact a professional data recovery service. If the SSD you are using does not have SSD TRIM, enabled the above steps will work for you to retrieve data from faulty or accidentally deleted partitions.
Additional Tip
How to increase your chances of getting successful results:
- Before following the steps to recover data stop using the SSD drive.
- Never install Advanced Disk Recovery or any data recovery tool on the same SSD drive or partition from which you want to recover data.
Why is data recovery on an SSD more difficult than a Traditional Hard Drive?
The way data is saved on both SSD and HDD makes addressing data recovery different. Where SSD depends on flash memory chips to perform data storage, hard drives store data magnetically on metallic platters and access the data via moveable read/write heads. Due to this, how the data is deleted from and recovered from these devices differs.
Where the plate on HDD retains data that has been deleted until space is reused or overwritten on an SSD the flash memory is wiped leaving no file remnants.
SSD – FACTS
- No obvious warning signs about SSD failure are seen
- SSD stores data more complexly due to this locating data on solid-state drive become difficult.
- TRIM feature makes recovering data on SSD complex
- People do not have experience with recovering data from SSD
FAQ
What is the main cause of SSD failures?
Damage caused by a malware infection, corrupt firmware, electricity fluctuation, physical failure of the flash memory is the common reasons for SSD failure.
Can we recover data from an SSD that has been water-damaged?
Yes, you can restore data from a water-damaged SSD. But before that air-drying the device for 24-48 before attempting recovery is suggested. This will help recover more data.
Conclusion
SSDs are great storage devices and give a good performance boost. But if you have lost data stored on them, then based on whether SSD has TRIM enabled or not the data recovery will depend. However, using the best data recovery software like Advanced Disk Recovery you can try recovering data.