Possible SSD Failure - Need Recovery Solution Please

pcasttv · Oct 21, 2014

Hello,

I have just experienced a failure of my computer's o/s hard drive (Samsung 840 Pro SSD 128GB); I am not certain whether it is a hardware issue (the SSD drive itself) or a software issue (Windows 7/64).

My system seemed fine Thursday night on shutdown; when I did a cold start the next morning however, I got a blue screen immediately after the Windows welcome screen appeared, which disallowed the login screen to load. My system repeatedly tried to restart unsuccessfully.

My first thought was to do a parrallel reinstallation of Windows 7 (allowing me to retrieve data in the "windows.old" folder and repair any possible Win 7 problems). After numerous attempts, I was unable to re-install Windows and I received the following error: 0x80070057.

To look further into possible hardware issues, I replaced the boot SSD with a smaller capacity (64GB) SSD which already had Windows 7 loaded. I next plugged the old boot SSD in as a secondary internal drive, in hopes of accessing and retrieving the small amount of important data I foolishly stored on it.

My system has been running fine on the replacement SSD - my video card, power supply, etc. all seem to be working properly. I've been running the replacement SSD since Saturday morning without a hitch.

When I attempted to access the old boot SSD (was drive "C" - now "D"), I received a Windows error stating the drive was not accessible due to improper file structure. I went as far as to see whether Windows would format the SSD, but it was unable.

Would it seem that the 128GB SSD (original boot drive) has failed irreparably (hardware failure)?

If the drive may be salvageable, what steps must I take to access and restore the drive?

If this SSD has indeed failed, is there any way by which I may access the drive in hopes of
retrieving a small amount of important data?

Thank you in advance!

Steve

ronintexas · Oct 21, 2014

Is it possible that your BIOS settings changed from AHCI to IDE (Legacy) or vice-verse? If you format the drive in one format - it doesn't work well in the other.

Try the Samsung Magician Software (it came with the drive or you can download it from Samsung) - it has testing utilities to check the drive.

I use the SSD for my operating system and program files - all of my data is on a regular hard drive - and I have a backup drive that backs up the data drive daily. You can never have too many copies of your data...

http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/samsungssd/downloads/Samsung_Magician_Setup_v44.zip

pcasttv · Oct 21, 2014

Thanks for the fast reply. The BIOS setting was and still remains AHCI (to rule out that possibility).

As for data storage, despite my carelessness in this instance, I ALWAYS store my data redundantly. In this case (as the drive is so new and I really didn't expect a catastrophic failure this soon) I have saved a number of documents to the Windows default location / my documents. Just my luck, a few of them are rather important.

I'll see what the Samsung software can do - however the tech at Samsung didn't seem to believe the tool would be of much use in this situation, I'll look into it and see.

Thanks!!

ronintexas · Oct 21, 2014

The software will tell you if the drive is bad or not. Since the other drive works....I would believe it is the SSD drive (it should be under warranty).

I use a program called SyncBack Free to automatically backup data.... http://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/freeware-hub.html

How-to-geeks has a good article on how to add save locations and change the default location: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/26559/change-the-default-save-folder-for-windows-7-libraries-to-something-else-like-your-dropbox/

pcasttv · Oct 21, 2014

I'll do a test either tonight or tomorrow; I removed the "bad" SSD to get the serial number and re-plugged my internal storage drive to the SATA. I'll have to open the thing back up and run the utility.

I already have an RMA set up with Samsung - my concern is more the data than the SSD replacement at this time.

As goes backing up - I have a room full of external drives. I routinely copy over my docs files to an archive, but this time I got blindsided and was unable to save a handful of important files - live and learn I guess.

I hope there may be a way of accessing the data!!

ronintexas · Oct 21, 2014

The Samsung Magician Software checks the setup (BIOS and firmware) for the SSD to make sure everything is set correctly. It also can test for faults - it may be able to fix it....or you could have one of the "lemons". I wish you luck!

pcasttv · Oct 21, 2014

So far the software says the drive's health status is "good"; however it shows 0/0 free/used space and performance test failed "volume not formatted."

Any ideas?

ronintexas · Oct 21, 2014

Formatting it will result in losing the data that was on it.

ingtar33 · Oct 21, 2014

you could always try the windows recovery tools on your windows install disk, try a system restore, or rebuild the boot sector on the hard drive. those are two possible options. it sounds mostly like a boot sector corruption so repairing the boot sector probably would fix it.

ronintexas · Oct 21, 2014

Try this tool - http://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html

They have partition recovery options - if the problem is with the partition table of the drive, this could fix it.

pcasttv · Oct 21, 2014

"Formatting it will result in losing the data that was on it." I realize that; the utility is confirming what Windows has - a proper file structure no longer exists on the drive.

"you could always try the windows recovery tools on your windows install disk, try a system restore, or rebuild the boot sector on the hard drive. those are two possible options. it sounds mostly like a boot sector corruption so repairing the boot sector probably would fix it."

The recovery tools were ineffective on this drive. I cannot do a system restore as it was disabled as per SSD optimization. I'm guessing you may be correct about the boot sector corruption; however I am not sure about the process - remember, this drive will not boot.

I'll see if the Partition Wizard can help. Thanks guys!

ronintexas · Oct 21, 2014

If you can boot your computer, or attach the SSD to another computer, install the software, and then try the "partition recovery": http://www.partitionwizard.com/help/partition-recovery.html

pcasttv · Oct 21, 2014

As I mentioned initially, my PC is fully operational; provided I can (as the software's demos appear to indicate) perform the restoration with the SSD in a non-boot configuration ("D" drive in this case) then I will give it a go.

Great utility - thanks for the info. Hope it works - at least to where I may retrieve some of those docs!!

ronintexas · Oct 21, 2014

Good luck!

pcasttv · Oct 22, 2014

I explored the software's capability as far as I could: I attempted to rebuild the MBR, I ran the partitions recovery utility multiple times as well as the data recovery tools - no dice.

When I originally installed this drive, I'd used the Samsung migration tool to move all data (including Windows 7) from the smaller SSD to the 128GB. For whatever reason(s) the SSD was automatically partitioned, creating a "data" folder on a 400MB partition (containing the boot MGR, etc) and the remainder of the space was allocated to the second partition. I don't remember all of the specifics other than the system originally being a dual-boot set-up and the now defunct XP drive was a forced clone from a RAID 0 two drive set-up to a single. To clarify, the aforementioned XP drive was mechanical and is no longer part of the system.

Oddly, the Partition Wizard was able to locate files on the 400MB partition and I was able to view the file structure, but the second partition came up as having 0 bytes of data; no files were viewable.

During my final pass with the Partition Wizard, my PC without warning completely powered down. I may be off-base, but I'm guessing that the SSD may have a faulty electronic component which caused the motherboard to shut down the system. I've experienced this power-down issue once or twice recently, but only with the failed SSD installed; I've not had a single problem with the current SSD in place.

At this point, I've made peace with the strong possibility that the small amount of important data residing on the SSD is a loss. I am willing to try additional suggestions before I fully wipe the drive and RMA it back to Samsung.

I greatly appreciate everyone's help and I will standby for a couple of days with open eyes for any additional recommendations before committing to the full erase.

Thanks again!!
Steve

ingtar33 · Oct 22, 2014

yep sounds dead. should still be covered by samsung's warranty, give them a call

pcasttv · Oct 22, 2014

Already have the RMA - was hoping to extract a few docs I didn't have a chance to save before the failure. I really didn't expect this problem so early in the game from a "pro" SSD.

ronintexas · Oct 22, 2014

I have several Samsung SSDs....not a single issue as of yet (other than the firmware update they put out). With any hardware you buy, there will never be a 100% "guarantee" that their product will last a certain amount of time. LMAO - the only thing I can think of that lasts "too long" is the hardware (computer, TV, DVD player, etc) that won't die so you can replace it.....

ingtar33 · Oct 24, 2014

pcasttv :

generally speaking modern SSDs are actually more reliable then standard hard drives; however there is still the chance to get a lemon. AND an ssd is only as reliable as the power supply. a mediocre power supply will shorten the lifespan and reliability of an ssd very quickly. If you have a bad power supply you'll see the same result with the replacement drive.

pcasttv · Oct 24, 2014

As I'm a power-user, not a tech - my experience is VERY limited; that said, what I've learned to date is that PC diagnosis / repair is an almost invariably deductive process. Applying this precept to this particular situation, I've thus far (to the best of my non-expertise) isolated the "Bad" SSD as the most likely culprit: empirically (zero errors so far on the replacement SSD - running the machine through its paces) and statistically by performing a few OCCT stress tests. From what I can glean from said OCCT tests, the PSU appears stable (for the time being). The PSU by the way is a Corsair 650TX and is only 2 years old; no additional signs of PSU failure have occurred.

At this point, the "bad" SSD appears to be unrecoverable and as such, my only option (other than tying the last few knots on my noose) is to RMA it with Samsung, install the replacement, migrate the current SSD image to the drive and see what shakes.

Could it be the PSU...maybe. Beyond working myself into a frothy lather worrying about it, I think a real-world test will be most telling. (LOL) I cringe when I think back to summer 2012, when I'd read about the insidious, abject horrors of having bad memory in a computer. As prescribed in the article, I downloaded the recommended Memtest 86 software and sat with my jaw agape as it counted off literally tens of thousands of errors on my screen!! After my heart-rate dropped down from quadruple digits - my ability to enunciate restored, I called G-Skill and was informed that I needed to run Memtest 86 PLUS, which of course disinterred ZERO errors.

It's Friday already, and I still have the weekend should anyone think of a recovery solution. Come Monday, that SSD will be wiped and bar code striped for da UPS man!!

Thanks again to everyone - it's been interesting; I wish we'd met under more favorable circumstances!

ingtar33 · Oct 25, 2014

pcasttv :

I wasn't saying the SSD isn't shot. I was simply saying a bad psu can kill an SSD. corsair tx psus are solid, so the chances it's the issue aren't great, i'm just pointing out if this happens again you'll NEED to replace the psu with a better one.

(frankly whenever i have hardware failure that could possibly come from my psu i replace my psu, the damage a failing psu can cause is unlimited, including starting a fire and burning your house down. its the one part of my computer i don't hesitate to replace when i get a suspicion it's failing. As a result i have several high end psus laying around that are probably just fine. Currently my XFX 750W XXX series psu is a year old and running strong, definitely one of the best PSUs i've owned)

JohnnyLucky · Oct 25, 2014

A fresh clean install of the operating system is the preferred method of installation. Cloning and migration utilities work reasonably well but sometimes glitches develop. This forum has seen more than its fair share of questyions about cloning problems.

I suggest you use the Samsung SSD Magician to perform a secure erase. The secure erase will make the ssd like new. Then do a fresh clean install of the operating system to see if that might be a good solution.

ronintexas · Oct 25, 2014

I came across an interesting article in another forum - it spoke of "power cycling" SSD drives when they are not recognized by the BIOS. To do this, you plug it in, power it on for 30 minutes, then power down, remove it (power/data) for 30 seconds, plug it back in, power on for 30 minutes, power down, unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in, power on for 30 minutes, and then unplug it for 30 seconds. When you plug it back in, check to see if the BIOS recognizes it.

This worked for quite a few people (not all).

ingtar33 · Oct 25, 2014

ronintexas :

i've never heard of that method, i would be interested to know if it helps you. Please let us know the results.

pcasttv · Oct 26, 2014

"I wasn't saying the SSD isn't shot. I was simply saying a bad psu can kill an SSD. corsair tx psus are solid, so the chances it's the issue aren't great, i'm just pointing out if this happens again you'll NEED to replace the psu with a better one."

I was merely acknowledging the possibility of the PSU being faulty in the above reply (second on my list of suspects - GPU being prime) and quantifying why I didn't feel it was an issue by virtue of the process of elimination I'd undergone. As of this evening (Sunday night 10/26) the temporary replacement SSD has worked without a hiccup for 8+ straight days; this leads me to believe the offending device is the "faulty" SSD. Had the PSU been culpable, the replacement SSD would have by now exhibited the same, similar or some kind of problem (as far as I can hazard a guess). IMHO at this point, the least intensive action (RMA / replace) should be the most telling.

"I came across an interesting article in another forum..."

Thanks for that info ronintexas; I appreciate the insight. I may try the power-cycling, but only with the "faulty" SSD in drive "D" position for two reasons:

(1) I've had several sporadic power-downs with the "faulty" SSD installed - not one with the replacement SSD in place.

(2) Whenever I swap boot drives on this computer, the system doesn't want to boot due to a "change in hardware" - I had to boot from the installation disc twice now.

What I'll do is plug it into the "D" power cable w/o the sata for the prescribed times, reboot..yada yada. I'll power down after the 2nd cycle and attach the "D" sata cable and see whether Windows can at least read the drive. If it does, then I'm onto something - if now...I guess time to WIPE it.

Possible SSD Failure - Need Recovery Solution Please

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