Solutions to Samsung Data Migration SSD Not Recognized Error

Encounter "Samsung Data Migration SSD not recognized" issue when trying to transfer data to Samsung SSD drive? Here, you can learn how to solve the "Samsung Data Migrate cannot find SSD" issue and get an alternative to transfer Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 to any SSD (not just from Samsung) with most flexibility.

Emily

By Emily / Updated on May 12, 2023

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About Samsung Data Migration SSD Not Recognized

 

 

I bought a Samsung 980 EVO SSD and wanted to transfer all my data from my HDD to the new SSD. Following the steps in the guide, I connected the SSD to my PC via a SATA-to-USB 3.0 adapter. Then, I ran Samsung Data Migration, but the software did not recognize the SSD. Rebooted several times and still this result. How can I get Samsung Data Migration to recognize the SSD and perform data cloning successfully?"

 

Samsung Data Migration is a tool designed to help users transfer data (including current operating system, applications and other data) between HDD (mechanical hard drives) and SSD (solid state drives). It is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11. And, supports SSD including Samsung SSD 980 PRO, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus, Samsung SSD 970 PRO series, Samsung SSD 860 EVO series, Samsung SSD 840 PRO series, etc.

SDM

Error: Samsung Data Migration cannot find SSD

Because of its excellent performance, this tool is preferred by many Samsung users. However, some users may encounter some frustrating problems when using Samsung Data Migration to transfer data, such as Samsung Data Migration cloning failed 00001 [fffffff], Samsung Data Migration interrupted for unknown reason, Samsung Data Migration Stuck at 0%, 99%, 100%, Samsung Data Migration not working, etc.

Recently, more and more users have started complaining about the common error Samsung Data Migration SSD not recognized. This error brings up a pop-up window indicating that Samsung SSD is not detected when trying to clone a disk, even though SSD is detected normally in Windows Disk Management. Don't worry, I will describe some useful ways to fix it.

How to solve "Samsung Data Migration SSD not recognized" error

Here are 4 ways to fix Samsung data migration does not recognize SSD, please choose the one that works best for you depending on your situation.

✦ If you attach the SSD to a SATA/USB enclosure, then the Data Migration tool will not recognize it as a Samsung SSD. In this case, you should connect it using a SATA-to-USB cable.
If that doesn’t work, remove your old hard drive, and install the new SSD in its place. Then connect the old hard drive to your computer with the SATA/USB adapter and load the Samsung SSD Data Migration software.
If the SSD is connected via an internal SATA cable, not an external USB/SATA cable, then it is likely you are running it either in IDE or RAID mode. If it’s in IDE mode, you’ll need to switch it to AHCI in the BIOS. Before you do this, make sure you have installed the AHCI drivers on your computer.
If you are in RAID mode, you cannot change it to AHCI mode. Unfortunately, Samsung SSD Data Migration can only recognize drives in ACHI mode even though Windows can handle the drive in AHCI or RAID. In order to get it to work, you may have to reinstall your system to make the switch.

If the Samsung Data Migration tool still does not see your SSD after trying these solutions, or you think they’re too complicated, you can try to use our recommend freeware to transfer your data to any SSD.

Free alternative to evade the Samsung Data Migration error

Since there may be many causes behind the SSD not recognized in Samsung Data Migration issue, and this software is only compatible with Samsung SSD products, it is a good choice to turn to an alternative. Here we recommend AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. This software is fully compatible with all editions of Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32-bit & 64-bit). Besides, it can help clone any brands of SSD or HDD for data migration.

What's more, only the system disk can be chosen as the source disk in the Samsung Data Migration; and AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard can be used to clone both system and data hard drive to another one. So now you won’t have to worry about issues you might encounter in Samsung Data Migration software! In addition, it also has the following advantages:

Ease of use: provides graphical user interface for beginners with no computer experience; previews operation results in advance; concise operation guide

Security: 100% guaranteed disk data security; safe download; no malicious pop-ups during use

Functionality: provides Clone Disk Quickly and Sector-by-Sector Clone, the former clones only the used sectors of the disk, the latter clones the whole disk, including the unused parts.

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Now, you can download the freeware and have a try.

Download FreewareWin 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download
★Tips:
When the source disk is cloned, all data on the target disk will be deleted and will be impossible to recover. Therefore, if you have stored any data that you would like to keep on the target disk, please back it up in advance.
The Standard edition can only clone data disk. If you wish to clone system disk, please upgrade to Professional edition.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. Right click the source disk and select "Clone Disk".

Disk Clone

Step 2. Here, you can choose a proper clone method as you need. Here we choose the first one.

Clone Disk Quickly

Step 3. Now, select a destination disk and click on "Next".

Destination Disk

Step 4. Here, you can adjust the partition size on the destination disk.

Edit Disk

Step 5. Click "Apply" and "Proceed" to commit the pending operation.

Apply

Once the cloning is successfully completed, you can shut down your computer, replace the hard drive with a Samsung SSD, and boot from the cloned SSD.

If your computer has an extra slot, you can also install the old hard drive as a secondary storage drive. In this case, press the manufacturer-specified key at boot (you can check the user manual or search on Google) to enter the BIOS and select the cloned SSD as the first boot option.

Change Boot Order

Summary

Now, you should know what to do when Samsung Data Migration SSD not recognized issue occurs. The most effective solution is to use AOMEI Partition Assistant software to evade such problems. Besides disk clone feature, this versatile software also allows you to recover lost partitions, secure erase SSD drive, allocate free space from one drive to another, etc.

 
Emily
Emily · Staff Editor
Emily is an English editor of AOMEI Technology; she has a great passion for providing easy solutions for people to tackle with all disk or partition management problems. In addition to writing articles about disk/partition management, she also edits great tutorials on how to back up and restore disk for data security. In her spare time, she loves to learn computer skill to improve herself or stay with her family to enjoy a good day.