How to Recover Data from a Physically Damaged SSD: The Expert Guide

Compared to conventional hard disks, solid-state drives (SSDs) are more efficient. However, damage can occur to even the most advanced storage devices.

One of the most common reasons behind SSD failure is physical damage. This type of damage refers to direct and tangible harm to the internal components such as, flash memory chips, and PCB. Although SSDs don’t have any moving parts like hard drives do, their electronic components are nevertheless sensitive. Physical damage can be categorized into different types based on its cause, as follows:

Improper Handling

Microfractures on the circuit board or connectors may result from dropping a laptop or an external SSD. The controller, NAND flash chips, and solder connections can all be harmed by even little impacts.

When it comes to portable SSDs, they are prone to break. People usually carry portable storage devices in their pockets or backpacks without any protection, plugging and unplugging connectors over and over again can cause them to wear out over time.

Environmental Damage

Environmental damage in SSDs refers to premature failure of the drive that may lead to data loss. The different types of environmental damage are as follows:

• Temperature Fluctuations: SSDs can be vulnerable to harsh environmental conditions. Extreme heat is a huge threat. The controller can get too hot outside, and the flash memory cells can burn out more quickly. The NAND chips can’t hold data as well when they grow too hot, which might cause the drive to lose files or cease working completely.
  It’s just as unpleasant when it’s cold. When SSD parts are in cold temperatures, they can become brittle, which makes it more probable that they will break or lose connections. When the temperature changes abruptly, such as when you move a cold SSD into a warm area, condensation can happen. This wetness can hurt circuits and cause them to short out.
• Water Damage: Flood or excessive humidity is another common risk. Even a small amount of water within the SSD might cause the printed circuit board (PCB) to rust and break down. Corrosion makes it hard for electrical impulses to pass through, which can cause read/write errors or even a complete drive failure.

Power Surges and Electricity issue

When talking about SSD’s health, it is important to address the power surge and electrical issue separately, even though some problems can stem from improper handling. For instance, putting too much pressure or bending on the drive can potentially break connectors or damage pins. If you don’t put the SSD in the right way, static energy can short-circuit things inside it. After this, you might not be able to find the drive or it might not turn on. Electrical issues can further strain on SSDs and affect the drive’s health. Power surges, inconsistent voltage, or abrupt disconnection can break the controller or mess with the firmware. A faulty USB cable or an uncontrolled power supply could also hurt the drive’s electronics.

Signs Your SSD Has Physical Damage

It is crucial to identify the physical damage at its earliest stage. The following symptoms will help you to understand when to stop using the drive to prevent further damage.

Many users ignore early warning signs of SSD failure, which can lead to permanent data loss. Learn more about the common warning signs of SSD failure and when to take immediate action.

• SSD is not detected on BIOS/UEFI.
• The system fails to boot after power surge.
• No power response or connectivity.
• The dive becomes unusually hot.
• Sudden data inaccessibility without prior warning.

What Not to Do After Physical Damage

Once you are certain your SSD is physically damaged and if it contains valuable data then the following precautions will help you to avoid permanent data loss.

How does a Professional Help in Recovering Data?

When SSDs suffer from physical damage, data inaccessibility is inevitable. If the chips are broken, the circuits are scorched, or the parts are corroded, no system can read the drive. In such cases, only an SSD data recovery service can recover data without being overwritten.

The first thing Stellar Data Recover’s experts do is to look at the drive in a safe environment. They find out how bad the damage is and what caused it, such as heat, water, impact, or a power outage. You need to know a lot about the controller and NAND chips in each SSD model to get data back from it. Professionals employ modern diagnostic technologies to discover problems without making them worse.

If the damage is physical, our recovery team works in a Controlled environment, ISO certified data recovery lab with worlds best data recovery tools and techniques. Skilled technicians replace damaged parts including connectors, PCBs, and makes memory chips to readable again.

When the drive is operational, drive cloning is done to replicate the data bit by bit. This technique protects the data from overwriting. After that, the data that is stored on a donor drive followed by the data recovery.

Taking help from a professional service like Stellar Data Recovery makes a tremendous difference. We can get data back from complex physical damage cases because our service is backed over 30 years of experience, advanced technology, best-in-class tools and expert professionals.

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