Not Detected
Stop here. This symptom means a do-it-yourself attempt can make the case worse or destroy useful evidence.
Free first-step guidance
DIY SSD Recovery: What To Try And What To Avoid
For SATA, NVMe, external SSD, and solid-state storage cases where deleted files, file-system damage, firmware behavior, or controller issues may be involved.
- General information only
- User assumes DIY risk
- No software links
Best practices
What to do first.
- Stop writing to the SSD immediately. New writes and background cleanup can destroy deleted-file chances.
- If files are visible, copy the most important data to another healthy drive first.
- If the SSD appears with correct capacity and is stable, a read-only software scan may help logical cases.
- Keep the SSD powered only as long as needed for copying or imaging.
- For NVMe drives, use stable cooling and avoid moving adapters while powered.
Avoid
Actions that commonly make recovery worse.
- Do not run repair utilities before recovery.
- Do not format, initialize, secure erase, reset, or update firmware on the problem SSD.
- Do not keep retrying if the SSD disappears or shows changing capacity.
- Do not assume deleted SSD data is recoverable after TRIM or garbage collection.
Wrong Capacity
Stop here. This symptom means a do-it-yourself attempt can make the case worse or destroy useful evidence.
Controller Or Firmware Errors
Stop here. This symptom means a do-it-yourself attempt can make the case worse or destroy useful evidence.
Repeated Disconnects
Stop here. This symptom means a do-it-yourself attempt can make the case worse or destroy useful evidence.
Deleted Data On A Trim-Enabled System Where The Data Matters
Stop here. This symptom means a do-it-yourself attempt can make the case worse or destroy useful evidence.
When to stop
Stop before the next attempt if the data matters.
If you are unsure, the safest free step is to stop and ask what not to do next. Do not keep testing just to prove the problem.
- Do not send passwords, private files, wallet seeds, confidential records, or drive images through chat.
- Do not pay anyone or ship anything until the case, path, and expectations are confirmed directly.
- Keep the original device unchanged until you are sure the recovered files are complete and usable.