Recovering information from ssd. When recovery is possible. Recovering SSD data in the laboratory

Owners of solid-state or SSD drives are not insured against data loss in the same way as owners regular HDD. However, recovering information from a solid-state drive, be it OCZ, Kingston or any other, is much more difficult to carry out. Below we will consider how you can still try to recover data from an SSD using the examples of OCZ and Kingston, and also why this process for a solid-state drive and, for example, for a regular flash drive is so different.

When you can and cannot extract data from a solid-state drive

Flash drives, which also write to chips, are radically different from SSD OCZ and Kingston availability the latter have TRIM interface commands. She forces solid state drive physically clear data blocks of any information after deleting a file. However, files with OCZ are not instantly destroyed - after receiving the appropriate command Data blocks are cleared only after a certain period of time, however, which one is impossible to predict.

Algorithm for the TRIM command

The TRIM command is aimed at maintaining constant high performance of devices, but if the disk managed to execute it, then we can say with almost complete certainty that the deleted data was completely destroyed and cannot be restored. However, not in all cases TRIM is performed, therefore, data from the drive can be recovered in the same way as on the HDD.

You can effectively extract data from OCZ and Kingston SSDs in the following cases:

  1. Older versions of Apple's OS prior to OS X 10.10.4 did not support TRIM technology for any third-party SSD;
  2. TRIM does not work in older versions of Windows either, so if you have XP or Vista installed, then recovering deleted data from OCZ will not be difficult;
  3. USB and FireWire protocols also do not work with TRIM, so retrieving information from external SSD drives will not be difficult.

And another situation in which files from a solid-state drive are not deleted by the TRIM command is file system failures and disk damage. In this case, it can be scanned, for example, with the Hetman application Partition Recovery and without special problems get everything out of it Required documents, images, etc.

Hetman Partition Recovery program

The application works with all media, including an OCZ or Kingston SSD drive.

With restoration deleted files Even beginners should not have any problems with this application thanks to the built-in wizard, step by step mode explaining to the user the sequence of actions.

The program offers a preview of all the information found on the right side of the window. It could be any text documents, sound files MP3, photos and archives. Also functional Hetman Partition Recovery provides the user with the ability to create an image of the drive for further work with it.

Recovering data from SSD using DMDE

This program is also capable of saving a lot of information from a solid-state drive in some cases. In contrast, it works without paying for a license, but with restrictions - this way you can only restore files one at a time.

The procedure for working with DMDE is as follows:

  1. After launching the application, select a language and accept the terms of the license agreement;
  2. In the main DMDE window, select the media from which data will need to be restored;
  3. Click Ok, the program will analyze the structure of the OCZ disk and provide maximum information about the partitions detected on the drive;
  4. Select the one you need from the list and click the open volume button;
  5. In the left part of the window, select the item “Found + reconstruction”, on the right, indicate the reading parameters - “clean” reconstruction, and in the drop-down list below - “including deleted”;
  6. Next, a window will open with all the files found - available and already deleted, which are marked with a cross;
  7. Here you can select the disk, file or group of interest to the user and context menu of the selected item, give a command to restore the object.

Read about recovery problems SSD drives . Physical overwriting of deleted files with the TRIM command and cases when it does not work. Today solid state drives SSD), are becoming more and more popular and are often replacing traditional hard drives. Often used in the role system disks, SSD drives store the operating system, applications, and all or most of the user's files, including documents, settings, web browsers, Email and much more.

Content:

Due to the fact that SSD drives have no moving parts, they are considered more reliable than their mechanical counterparts. However, user errors virus attacks and failure of the operating system also pose a certain threat to the integrity of the data on these drives. With deleted files, accidentally formatted drives, corrupted data table partitions, and damaged system files owners of SSD drives encounter problems just as often as those who have installed regular hard disk.

Is it possible to recover an SSD?

The situation with data recovery from an SSD drive is significantly different from what we are used to using conventional hard drives. It is not always possible to recover deleted information from an SSD drive, but at the same time, it is not always impossible.

let's consider various situations and find out what, after all, can be done if you use it to restore special program Hetman Partition Recovery.

Recovering files from SSD

In the vast majority of cases, files that have been deleted from an SSD drive cannot be recovered. This statement may not be what you want to hear, but distinctive feature solid-state drive, not inherent in other traditional devices, is TRIM - special team ATA interface, which forces the solid-state controller to literally physically clear blocks of data that were previously used to save deleted files.

In other words, the controller will receive the command the very moment you delete the file. Of course, direct deletion of information does not occur instantly, but modern SSD controllers are designed in such a way as to report that the data block is empty as soon as the deletion command is received, even if the actual data block is cleared a little later.

Speed ​​of SSD drives from Corsair, Kingmax, Kingston, PQI, etc. almost the same. Regardless of the manufacturer, it can be argued that the fact of fulfillment TRIM commands almost 100% guarantees file deletion.

Is it possible to do something about this? There really isn't much that can be done. However, there are exceptions to this rule. If the TRIM command was not executed, if this option is not supported by the disk, operating system, or interface between the computer and the SSD drive, you will be able to recover files as if they were saved on a regular disk.

Today, most SSD drives support the TRIM function. However Current version operating room MacOS systems, does not work with this command, accordingly, you can recover files deleted from Mac PC. It is also possible to restore files from older versions of Windows (those before Windows Vista), which also do not support TRIM. And finally, TRIM function is not supported when working with USB and FireWire protocols, therefore, your data is external media can be restored.

Recovering Formatted SSDs

Typically, two types of disk formatting were available: full and quick. At full formatting the information contained on the hard drive was overwritten, while quick formatting simply cleared the partition table with information about files, giving the opportunity to a program such as Hetman Partition Recovery quickly and efficiently restore the necessary data. Now, such rules do not apply to SSD drives.

The very moment the user formats the disk, regardless of whether he uses a full or quick format, the operating system runs the TRIM command, and the SSD controller begins to physically erase the information contained in the data blocks. Yet again, this procedure does not occur instantly, but most controllers are designed to reset the data immediately after the TRIM command has been issued. With some exceptions (mentioned above), data from formatted SSD drives cannot be recovered - even if the fast format was selected.

Recovering failed SSDs

What to do if your SSD drive has been damaged, seriously damaged (within reason, of course) and can no longer be read or detected by the system. Ironically, in this case, all files are safely stored on disk because the TRIM command was not run by the operating system. In other words, you can use a data recovery program such as Hetman Partition Recovery to recover information from corrupted, corrupted, unreadable or inaccessible SSD drives and as soon as possible get back all, or almost all, data. To prevent unexpected drive failure, follow S.M.A.R.T. parameters of the SSD and promptly change the device to a new one.

About SSD reliability.

It would seem that there are no moving parts - everything should be very reliable. This is not entirely true...

Data recovery from Solid State Drive (SSD)

Data recovery from any SSD drives! Solid drives State Drive (SSD) appeared relatively recently, but has already gained great popularity. Advantage of SSD compared to traditional storage devices hard drives obvious at first glance, these are high mechanical reliability, the absence of moving parts, high speed read/write, low weight, less power consumption.

SSD is solid state drive(eng. SSD, Solid State Drive or Solid State Disk), a non-volatile, rewritable storage device without moving mechanical parts using flash memory. An SSD completely emulates the operation of a hard drive.

About SSD reliability.

It would seem that there are no moving parts - everything should be very reliable. This is not entirely true. Any electronics can break, SSDs are no exception. The low resource of MLC chips can still be dealt with somehow by ECC error correction, redundancy, wear control and shuffling of data blocks. But the biggest source of problems is the controller and its firmware. Due to the fact that the controller is physically located between the interface and the memory chips, the likelihood of it being damaged as a result of a failure or power problems is very high. In this case, the data itself is in most cases saved. Besides physical damage, in which access to user data is impossible, there are logical corruptions, in which access to the contents of memory chips is also impaired. Any, even minor, error or bug in the firmware can lead to complete loss of data. Data structures are very complex. Information is “spread out” across several chips, plus interleaving, making data recovery quite easy challenging task.
In such cases, flashing the controller firmware with low level formatting when re-created service structures data. Manufacturers are constantly trying to improve the firmware, correct errors, and optimize the operation of the controller. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically update the drive firmware to eliminate possible failures.
In an SSD drive, as in a HDD, data is not deleted immediately after the file has been erased from the OS. Even if you overwrite the top of the file with zeros, the physical data still remains, and if you take out the flash memory chips and read them on the programmer, you can find 4kb file fragments. Complete data erasure should wait until an equal amount of data has been written to the disk. free space+ reserve volume (approximately 4 GB for 60 GB SSD). If a file lands on a “worn out” cell, the controller will not soon overwrite it with new data.

Basic principles, features, differences in data recovery from SSD and USB Flash drives.

Recovering data from SSD drives is quite labor-intensive and long process compared to portable ones flash drives. Search process correct order, combining the results and selecting the required collector (an algorithm/program that completely emulates the operation of an SSD drive controller) to create a disk image is not an easy task.
This is primarily due to the increase in the number of chips in the SSD drive, which increases the number many times possible options actions at each stage of data recovery, each of which requires verification and specialized knowledge. Also, due to the fact that SSDs are subject to much more stringent requirements for all characteristics (reliability, performance, etc.) than for mobile flash drives, the technologies and methods of working with data used in them are quite complex, which requires an individual approach to each solution and the availability of specialized tools and knowledge.

Article taken from open sources: http://hardxdisk.blogspot.ru/p/blog-page_5651.html

Imagine the situation: data has been deleted from the SSD, or the solid-state drive has failed. Is it possible to recover information? Let's look at what programs are used to recover data from SSD drive, and when possible.

A little theory

On a traditional HDD, only the index is deleted. The OS marks the file entry in the file system to declare these blocks available. They record other information, but the old data remains available. That's why they. The real content remains until new data is written to this sector.

What happens when you delete

Data is written to empty NAND memory cells. When uninstalling, the OS contacts the SSD controller, sending the TRIM (delete) command. What kind of team is this?
TRIM technology ATA interface(used to connect drives). Tells the OS which cells with information can be cleared by the disk. It instantly deletes the contents of blocks without notifying the user. This mechanism makes it impossible.
If the SSD is built into the PC via SATA and the OS is located on it, or is used as an additional file storage- It will not be possible to restore lost information. The reason is the TRIM command. When removed, the controller receives a command to physical removal information in the block at the same moment.
Let's consider cases when it is possible to recover data from SSD drives.

When recovery is possible

  1. TRIM command failed: file system failure;
  2. TRIM is not supported by older operating systems below Windows 7;
  3. The disk is used as an external drive;
  4. The TRIM command is not supported by the device;
  5. The disk is formatted in FAT;
  6. When there is a failure in the disk partition table. Access to information will be lost, but the TRIM command will not run.

How to find out if a disk has failed

If the device does not work, the following occurs:

  1. Constant tapping or buzzing noise;
  2. The software does not install, games do not start. Associated with the emergence of Bad sectors
  3. The error “The file system is damaged” appears.

How to recover

Install the program Renee Undeleter. Double-click on the installation “exe” file to begin installation. It is simple and will not cause any difficulties even for novice users. The program offers four recovery options:

The next step is to select your device.
If you know which files need to be restored, select user settings. This will reduce scanning time. Otherwise select default.
After scanning, the deleted files will be displayed.
Recover the data you need.

Hetman Recovery

Download the utility from the official website. Thanks to the built-in Wizard, the work will not cause difficulties even for untrained users. It will show the sequence of actions.
After opening the program, a list of all HDDs will be displayed. Even those that are not determined by the system. Will appear as unmarked areas.
Let's launch the Master. By clicking on the “Wizard” button.
Choose required disk.
We determine how the program will analyze the data. There are two options available: fast or full. For SSD, use the second option “Full”.
Start scanning. After it is completed, restore the files by clicking on “Recovery”.

Recovering data from an SSD hard drive using DMDE

Download the application from the official website. Free version has a limitation. Recovers files one by one. Launch the program, select the media from which you want to recover information.
The utility will analyze the SSD structure and display information about the partitions. Select the one you need, then “Open”.
On the left side of the program, select “Found”, on the right in the parameters set “Clean”, then set the value to “Enable deleted”.
The program will mark the found files with a cross. Select those that need to be restored, specify the directory where the program will save the recovered information.

Advanced Search

After selecting, click the button Full scan».
Further:

If there are any MFT reading errors, click OK. Further analysis will be carried out.

AdvancedDiskRecovery

Download the utility from: https://www.systweak.com/advanced-disk-recovery/. Run the installation “exe” file for installation.
A program window will open where:
By going to the “Settings” section, select the scan type:

  1. Fast. Search for deleted information based on a file table;
  2. Complete. Detecting deleted files by signature.

Conclusion

We looked at how to recover data from an SSD drive. Use the applications described above for this. For beginners, I recommend using Hetman Partition. Thanks to the built-in wizard, the recovery process will not be difficult.

SSD disk recovery is a hot topic. There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding SSD drives in general. Users are confused, not understanding whether they can recover files from an SSD drive. We will try to resolve these issues and clarify the situation. But first, let's see what differences SSD drives have compared to traditional ones. mechanical devices data storage.

Yes, SSDs destroy deleted data

As you know, the contents of a file deleted from hard drive, USB flash drive or the SD card will not be available for use, but it will not be completely erased either. The operating system simply marks a file entry in the file system to declare blocks of information accessible. From this point on, the operating system can store other data in these data blocks; however, the system will not wipe, erase, or intentionally overwrite their contents until it has approved one or more blocks to store another file. This mechanism is exactly the reason why we can use a data recovery tool to recover deleted files.

SSD drives work on a different principle. In solid-state media, information can only be written to empty NAND memory cells. In order to write anything to a flash cell, the controller must first erase the contents of that cell. Although this already slows down the device, it is only part of the problem. Because the capacity of a physical NAND cell is typically much larger than minimum size block to write data (or disk sector as declared by the operating system), writing to non-empty blocks involves a three-step effort. When writing to a non-empty data block, SSD controller must read the contents of a NAND memory cell, modify its contents in the disk cache, erase the cell, and then write the modified contents back. This extremely slows down the write operation.

To avoid slowdown, SSD manufacturers used a combination of these smart technologies, like background garbage collection and physical address mappings. These technologies allow an SSD drive to use different physical NAND cells to receive data, giving that cell the same logical address as the modified cell. The contents of the original cell are treated as "garbage" and are cleared (trimmed) into background.

So what happens when you delete a file from an SSD? The operating system tells the SSD controller that a specific flash cell is becoming empty by sending a "TRIM" command to the SSD drive. Once the drive receives the Delete command, it knows that some blocks of data can no longer be used. The disk then erases the contents of these data blocks in the background without further notice. This mechanism makes it impossible to recover deleted files from an SSD drive.

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When is SSD recovery possible?

Wait, didn't we just say that recovering deleted files from SSD is impossible due to background trimming, remapping and garbage collection? In fact, the TRIM command request is sent to the SSD controller and is not always fulfilled! In the operating room Windows system, the TRIM command is executed only if the following conditions are met:

  • The SSD drive is connected via a SATA channel (or M.2 or a similar interface).
    USB, FireWire and Ethernet SSD drives are never removed.
  • The SSD drive is formatted with the NTFS file system.
    FAT32, exFAT, and other file systems are not supported by the Windows TRIM mechanism.
  • You are running Windows 7, 8 or 10. More early versions Windows does not support TRIM.
  • The file system is fine. If you are faced with a damaged file system
    or partition table failure, you will lose access to files and folders,
    but the TRIM command will not run.

If any of the conditions are not met, the TRIM operation will not start and you can still recover data from the SSD drive. To recover data, download and run the program Starus Partition Recovery. Select your SSD drive and start the scanning process to find available files and folders. After the scan is completed, select the files you want to recover, select the target device to save the recovered data and click the "Save" button. Your data will be extracted from the SSD and stored safely in a new location.