With the ever-growing popularity of SSDs (Solid State Drives), it’s no wonder that data recovery from these drives can be tricky. In this article, we will provide you with the ultimate guide to SSD data recovery, from the basics of how SSDs work to the most common mistakes people make when trying to recover data.
We’ll also provide some tips and tricks for making the process easier and faster for you. So if you’ve lost data due to an SSD failure, read on to learn how to recover it!
Types of SSD
SSDs are typically characterized by the number of NAND chips they use. A 7-nanometer (nm) SSD typically has 7 layers of flash memory, while an 11-nm drive might have 9 or 12 layers of flash.
Higher-density drives pack more bits into the same size, but this comes at the expense of longer writing and reading times. Higher-capacity drives are more common, so if you can spare the extra space in your system, it’s worth saving a few extra bucks.
2-D NAND: This type of SSD uses two-dimensional (2-D) flash memory. The cells in the drive are either not fully connected or connected in a grid-like fashion. As a result, data can be read from and written to the drive only in a linear fashion. Performance is typically high, but costs are lower.
3-D NAND: This type of SSD uses three-dimensional (3-D) flash memory. The cells are connected in a mesh-like fashion and can be read and written in both a linear and a nonlinear way. Performance is usually good, but costs are higher.
How does SSD Work?
SSDs are often built with the same basic architecture as hard drives. The majority of drives use a 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch mechanical drive bay and a SATA or e-SATA interface.
SSDs are loaded with flash memory, which is nonvolatile. This means that data can be stored in the drive, but it won’t be erased when the power is off. This is great news for security and applications that require data to be stored indefinitely.
SSDs typically use a combination of technology to get around the same limitations as mechanical drives. The one thing they all have in common is that the NAND flash memory is used to store data.
The rest of the technology used in an SSD varies from drive to drive, but most of it has to do with improving performance, increasing the lifespan of the flash memory, reducing cost, and improving heat dissipation.
How to Recover Data from an SSD?
If your computer uses an SSD, you’re probably familiar with the fact that these drives have a limited number of write cycles. The exact number varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, but it’s typically somewhere between 100 and 100,000 cycles.
This means that you can expect the data you store on an SSD to be erased relatively quickly. Since the only way to get data off of an SSD is to physically remove the drive and send it in for data recovery, you need to plan accordingly.
If you’ve accidentally deleted files or gathered too much-unwanted data on your SSD, you can perform data recovery on the drive. This is extremely tricky, though, and it’s an uphill battle at best. You’ll need to follow a detailed data recovery process, and it’s unlikely that you’ll get lucky on your first try.