This article provides six effective methods to help you repair and restore not working failed dead SSD. You can try updating the SSD, updating drivers, checking the file system, and more to fix the issue.
In today's world, solid-state drives (SSDs) have become the standard for fast storage and reliable performance. But what happens when your SSD fails, leaving you locked out of your crucial files and data?
⚠️ Signs your SSD may be failing:
🔖 SSD Slow performance: If your SSD has slowed down considerably, it could indicate that the drive is nearing failure. Applications may take longer to load, and file transfers could be sluggish.
🔖 File corruption: Frequent file corruption, where files get corrupted or won't open, can signal that your SSD is failing.
🔖 Unresponsive disk: Sometimes, your computer may not recognize the SSD at all. If the drive doesn’t show up in file explorers or disk management tools, it could be a sign of failure.
🔖 Error messages: You may encounter various error messages like "Drive not initialized" or "Disk error", which often indicate hardware or software issues with the SSD.
If you’re here, it’s probably because your SSD isn’t working as expected, and you're looking for ways to fix it. Well, you're in the right place. Whether your SSD is completely dead or just unresponsive, there’s hope. In this guide, we will provide you with practical tips on how to repair and restore your failed SSD.
There are five possible solutions in total. Simply follow the steps in order to fix a dead SSD drive.
Step 1. Right-click the Windows/Start icon and select Device Manager from the left pane.
Step 2. Expand Disk drives, right-click your SSD, and select Properties.
Step 3. Under Properties, go to Details and select Hardware IDs, then click OK.
Step 4. Download and run the SSD firmware update tool (e.g., Crucial). Use the tool to check the firmware version of your SSD.
Step 5. Click License and select Accept.
Step 6. Select any available updates and click Update Drive. Confirm the update by clicking Yes.
Step 7. Once the firmware update is complete, click OK. You can now exit the update tool and check your SSD.
Step 1. Click the Start button, type Device Manager, and press Enter to open it.
Step 2. Expand the Disk Drives category, right-click each driver, and select Update Driver.
Step 3. Once the update process is complete, reboot your PC. After restarting, check to see if the data on your SSD is accessible.
If your computer alerts you that the file system on your SSD is corrupted or the drive fails to respond due to an unknown file system error, you can use the CMD command or AOMEI Partition Assistant to fix the issue.
If your SSD contains internal errors or bad sectors, it may prevent you from accessing the data stored on it. Running CHKDSK in Command Prompt can help resolve this:
Step 1. Open the Command Prompt and type the following command:
chkdsk g: /f /r /x (Replace g: with the drive letter of your SSD.)
Step 2. Press Enter to begin the checking process.
Step 3. Once the process is complete, type exit and press Enter to close the Command Prompt.
Step 4. Afterward, you should be able to access and read the data on your SSD again.
If you're not familiar with using the CMD command line on your PC, you can rely on the professional partition manager software for assistance. AOMEI Partition Assistant allows you to check the file system with just a few clicks, helping you repair and fix a dead or malfunctioning SSD on your PC.
Step 1. Download AOMEI Partition and open it. In the main interface, right-click the target drive and then click "Check Partition".
Step 2. Choose the "Check partition and fix errors in this partition by using chkdsk.exe" option, then click "OK".
Step 3. Wait for a while and click "OK" when it's finished.
In addition to checking the file system, AOMEI Partition Assistant offers a variety of one-stop disk partition features. These include resizing and moving partitions to resolve low disk space issues, cloning disks, merging partitions, creating, deleting, and formatting partitions, wiping data, and converting disks or partitions.
If the master boot record (MBR) on your SSD is damaged, the drive will fail to boot and may stop working. In this case, you can use the "Rebuild MBR" feature of AOMEI Partition Assistant to fix the issue and repair your SSD.
If the SSD is your system disk and the MBR is damaged, your computer may not boot properly. In this situation, you can create a WinPE bootable disk using AOMEI Partition Assistant to rebuild the MBR and restore functionality.
Step 1. Insert USB drive or CD/DVD to a work PC. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant to create bootable media. Follow the wizard to complete.
Step 2. Boot your computer with the created device. You may need to change boot order in BIOS. You’ll see AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard started right after login.
Step 3. Right-click the disk you want to repair and select Rebuild MBR.
Step 4. Select the type of MBR for your Windows in the pop-up window.
Step 5. Click Apply on the toolbar to commit the pending operations. Shut down your computer on completion. Removethe USB drive and boot up from the original disk.
To fix a corrupted SSD, especially if it's write-protected due to file system corruption, you can back up or restore the data to another storage device and then format the SSD. If the SSD is a data disk, you can format and wipe it directly. For a system disk, you may need to reinstall the operating system.
Here’s how to format the SSD using Disk Management:
Step 1. Search for "Disk Management" and press Enter.
Step 2. Select the SSD partition you want to format. Right-click it and choose Format.
Step 3. Choose the file system and set the cluster size. Make sure to check the box next to "Perform a quick format". Click OK to begin the formatting process.
In this article, we've explored several practical methods to fix a dead SSD. You can attempt to repair the SSD manually or use AOMEI Partition Assistant, an SSD repair tool, to help resolve issues with a corrupted drive. If none of these solutions work, it's best to contact your SSD manufacturer for further assistance and potential solutions.
