SSD Data Recovery: How to Recover Data from an SSD on Windows

SSD stands for Solid State Drive. Unlike a traditional hard disk drive (HDD), an SSD stores data on NAND flash memory and has no mechanical moving parts. SSDs are commonly used as internal drives in Windows desktops and laptops and as external portable storage devices.

SSDs offer fast read and write speeds, low power consumption, and good resistance to physical shock. However, their flash-based storage architecture also affects data recovery.

When a file is deleted from an SSD, the operating system may send a TRIM command to tell the SSD that the corresponding data blocks are no longer needed. The SSD controller can then process those blocks through background garbage collection.

This is one of the main reasons why recovering deleted files from an SSD can be more difficult than recovering deleted files from an HDD.

Reasons for SSD Data Loss

Files can become lost or inaccessible on an SSD for several reasons. Common causes include:

• Virus infection: If you connect your SSD to a computer with virus attack, the virus is likely to lead to data loss on the SSD.
• Improper operation: Files are easy to be lost or deleted by a human mistake.
• SSD damage: when damage to SSD occurs, probably you are unable to find some files.
• Partition loss: On an SSD, if a partition is lost or deleted, files on this partition can’t be found.

Due to so many reasons, SSD data is easy to lose. Before telling you how to recover data from crashed hard drive or how to get back data in other cases, let’s know the possibility about SSD data recovery.

Is SSD Data Recovery Possible

Solid-state drive recovery is possible in some situations, but deleted-file recovery is more difficult than HDD recovery. The main reason is the way SSDs handle deleted data.

On a traditional HDD, deleting a file usually removes its file system reference while the underlying data remains on the disk until new data overwrites it. This can give data recovery software an opportunity to find and reconstruct deleted files.

SSDs work differently. When a file is deleted, Windows may send a TRIM command to the SSD. TRIM tells the SSD that the data blocks are no longer needed. The SSD controller can later process these blocks through garbage collection, which may make the original data unavailable for recovery.

Therefore, a deleted file on an SSD may be difficult or impossible to recover if TRIM has already been processed and the relevant data has been cleared.

Recovery may still be possible when the lost data has not been cleared by TRIM and garbage collection.

How to Recover Data from an SSD

Here is a video guide on SSD data recovery:

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is widely compatible with Windows operating systems and data storage devices that can be detected by Windows. Additionally, it supports recovering files that are lost under various situations, including unintentional deletion, partition loss, disk formatting, device crash, etc.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free has 1GB of free file recovery capacity. If you need to restore more than 1GB of files, you are advised to get an advanced edition to complete the data recovery task.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Case 1: Recover Deleted Files from a Healthy SSD

Most people encounter data loss in such a situation. Files are lost due to improper operations or virus attacks. Though your device, such as an SSD, is in a health status, you cannot find the required files stored on it. Here is the guidance for SSD recovery.

Step 1. Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery on your computer. If your SSD is an external device, connect it to the computer, and the software will automatically detect it.

Step 2. Choose the partition where the lost files are stored and click the Scan button. The scan duration may last for a few minutes. Please wait patiently for the best data recovery result.

Step 3. Look through the file list on the result page. You can expand the Deleted Files and Lost Files folders to find your wanted files. When there are piles of files, you can narrow down the file list by using the Filter, Type, and Search features. Choose the filter feature according to your requirements to locate the demand items quickly.

Step 4. Select all the files you want to restore and click the Save button to choose a proper save path. It needs to be mentioned that the restoration path should be different from the original file path to avoid data overwriting.

Case 2: Recover Data from a Deleted or Lost SSD Partition

Partition is necessary for a hard drive which can be used as a data storage device for an operating system and large data. However, when running a computer, the logical drive may be lost or deleted because of mistaken deletion or virus attacks. Once a partition is lost or missing, all data on this partition could be gone and unable to be found.

If there are no important files saved on this lost partition, you can repartition the hard drive or create a new partition. Unfortunately, if there are many important files on the SSD, when meeting partition loss issues, what should you do to recover data on SSD?

Step 1: Open MiniTool Power Data Recovery and find the lost partition on the main interface. Hover the mouse over the target partition and click Scan.

Step 2. Wait for the scan process to complete. Different from the scan result of a health partition, files stored on the Lost Partition are listed in the Lost Files folder. Thus, you should make use of the filter features to locate your wanted files and double-click on the chosen file to preview its file content before restoring.

Step 3. Tick the files you want to restore and click Save to opt for an appropriate save path.

Case 3: Recover Data from a Corrupted SSD

Usually, the partition on an SSD may be damaged by virus attacks or improper operations. More seriously, the partition table is likely to be corrupted. In this case, don’t worry. You can do data recovery on SSD from a damaged partition with MiniTool Power Data Recovery quickly.

Step 1: On the This PC interface, select the damaged or formatted partition and click Scan. Please wait for the scan process to complete itself.

Step 2: Find your wanted files on the result page with the help of multiple features. Add check marks in front of the wanted files and click Save to restore them to a new destination.

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The above contents introduce you to three cases of data recovery from SSD. Please select one according to the actual situation.

How to Avoid Data Loss on SSD

Data on the SSD is important for you; in order to avoid data loss and protect the important information well, you should pay attention to the following aspects.

Look:

• Please stop doing any operation to your hard drive once data loss occurs. If you write new data to the location where files are deleted, the original data won’t be recovered.
• After finishing recovering data, in order to avoid data loss again, it is suggested to make a backup for all important data regularly. MiniTool ShadowMaker can be an optional choice with its periodical and automatic backup features.
• You had better install anti-virus software on your computer to avoid virus infection.

If you do according to the above notes, the possibility of data loss on the SSD will be reduced. Just do them.

Summary

To sum up, the success rate of SSD recovery depends on how the data was lost and whether the SSD has already processed the deleted data through TRIM and garbage collection.

If you accidentally delete files, lose a partition, format an SSD, or encounter a RAW partition, stop using the affected drive and try to recover important files using data recovery software immediately.

If the SSD is physically damaged or cannot be detected by Windows, professional data recovery services may be necessary.

If there is any question or suggestion about MiniTool products, you can leave a comment below or email [email protected]. Thanks in advance!