In today's digital age, solid - state drives (SSDs) have become a popular choice for storing our valuable data due to their speed and reliability. However, data loss can still occur, and it can be a nightmare. In this blog, we'll explore how to recover lost data from an SSD and the effectiveness of data rescue software.
How Drives Store Data
Most online articles claim HDD data is easier to recover as it's stored on the disk. If the disk isn't severely damaged, data can usually be rescued, similar to a CD. SSD stores data in NAND Flash. When deleting data, SSD marks the file for deletion and marks the storage block as available. Next time data is saved, the block may be overwritten. Some SSDs with Garbage Collection and Trim command can even erase deleted data without new writes. So, data rescue software isn't 100% reliable. Besides data erasure, damaged SSD components can also prevent data reading, which software can't solve. Here are 3 common data loss scenarios that software can handle.
1. Deleted by mistake
Everyone makes this error. If you do, stay calm. Don't read or write to the drive to avoid overwriting the original file. Cut off power. Then decide to recover data yourself or use a professional service.
2. Formatting the SSD by mistake
There are “quick format” and “low - level format”. Quick format gives data a chance of recovery, but low - level format erases data forever. If you accidentally do a quick format, don't read or write to the drive. Power off and choose between self - recovery or professional help.
3. Longer operation time when accessing files
If accessing files takes much longer than usual or gets stuck, the drive may be damaged. If the data transfer eventually succeeds, back up data immediately and check/fix the drive. If it's stuck during storage or crashes, don't store new data. Copy existing data to other devices. Then decide on self - recovery or professional help.
Note
If using free online data rescue software, clone the drive first. Even if you fail, you can still get professional help. Remember, no data rescue software beats daily data backup.
