Problematic SSD

[kevin]

I finally received my Zimaboard and have been running drives through a SpinRite cycle - works great!

However, I have an older SSD that failed from a laptop that I have been saving to run SpinRite 6.1 in the hopes that I could recover some of the data. As soon as SpinRite started up it warned me that the SMART system was reporting this drive was already having problems - no surprise. I started a level 2 scan and let it run for a few few hours. When I came back to check on it, it was still on the same first block on the screen. I came here to read about the command line options and restarted the scan, using the dynastat 1 and norewrite options. I've been letting it run for a couple of days and it's now on the 3rd block with the first two marked as "U".

Is there anything else I should try or should I accept the fact that this drive is DOA (of SpinRite)?

Thanks!

 

[DanR]

@kevin

It sounds like that drive is definitely in trouble, and may well be beyond SpinRite's ability to cope with it.

One thing that could be tried is to start SpinRite at a point just beyond the trouble spot. When you see the Before Beginning screen, do NOT press Enter. Press TAB instead. This will take you to a screen where a starting (and if desired a stopping) point may be specified. Of course you will need to know where to start. There would be information in the SRLOG file if data is being logged. Also, the Graphic Status Display screen will show % completed down in the LL corner. Just start at 1 or 2 or 3 etc.% beyond that point.

This drive may be unrecoverable.

 

[peterblaise]

ValiDrive.

;-)

 

[PHolder]

ValiDrive

Is not intended to be used on a drive with data you would like to recover.

 

[peterblaise]

Yes and no.

In Windows, free ValiDrive https://www.grc.com/validrive.htm says:

All data SHOULD be preserved​

​

ValiDrive has been thoroughly tested and it is very careful to​

restore the data in the 576 regions it tests. No data has ever ​

been lost during extensive pre-release testing. But it's conceivable​

that a damaged drive might fail during ValiDrive's testing. So, if you​

have critical data on the drive that's about to be tested it might be​

best to copy it elsewhere for absolute safety.​

And that note accurately presents our experience - no data was lost
by ValiDrive.

ValiDrive does a variety of tests that might be informative, if only
confirmative - evaluation, enumeration, then re and write testing
8 MB across 576 'regions'.

Even an error may provide a 'second opinion' on our suspicions
about a drive:

If we can get to a recognition screen, that's useful information, here are
2 different NVMe SSDs in a USB adapter::

Then, can we test 576 regions, approximately 8 MB?

It's not a compete test, but a basic, primary confirmation that there is
a drive there, or not, and there is data there, or not, and it can read,
or not, and it can write, or not.

That ValiDrive is essentially a mini-SpinRite 6.1 Level 5 on ~8MB
total across 576 regions of a drive is a good thing, and may be all
this is needed to most assuredly asses the situation, and maybe
'wake up' the drive so it's contents can be copied out, and maybe
even revive the drive to useful function.

Sometimes we forget we have a lot of tools in our toolkit.

Why not try them all?

Thanks.

 

[kevin]

Yes and no.

In Windows, free ValiDrive https://www.grc.com/validrive.htm says:

All data SHOULD be preserved​

​

ValiDrive has been thoroughly tested and it is very careful to​

restore the data in the 576 regions it tests. No data has ever ​

been lost during extensive pre-release testing. But it's conceivable​

that a damaged drive might fail during ValiDrive's testing. So, if you​

have critical data on the drive that's about to be tested it might be​

best to copy it elsewhere for absolute safety.​

And that note accurately presents our experience - no data was lost
by ValiDrive.

ValiDrive does a variety of tests that might be informative, if only
confirmative - evaluation, enumeration, then re and write testing
8 MB across 576 'regions'.

Even an error may provide a 'second opinion' on our suspicions
about a drive:

View attachment 1728

If we can get to a recognition screen, that's useful information, here are
2 different NVMe SSDs in a USB adapter::

View attachment 1730

View attachment 1732

Then, can we test 576 regions, approximately 8 MB?

View attachment 1731

It's not a compete test, but a basic, primary confirmation that there is
a drive there, or not, and there is data there, or not, and it can read,
or not, and it can write, or not.

That ValiDrive is essentially a mini-SpinRite 6.1 Level 5 on ~8MB
total across 576 regions of a drive is a good thing, and may be all
this is needed to most assuredly asses the situation, and maybe
'wake up' the drive so it's contents can be copied out, and maybe
even revive the drive to useful function.

Sometimes we forget we have a lot of tools in our toolkit.

Why not try them all?

Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestion. ValiDrive couldn't read the drive. I would mount the drive and a few minutes later it would be unmounted either by ValiDrive or Windows.

 

[peterblaise]

Well then, you have a 'valid' second opinion.

Drat.

Off to a recovery service, eh?