Troubleshoot Retrieving data.

lovehungryman

Level 2
Thread author
Verified
Jun 23, 2015
66
Briefly explain your current issue(s)
I recently had to reset my PC for an issue, so before doing it, I backed up all my stuff to an external SSD (Seagate 1TB slim portable drive). When I tried to move the files back to my PC, the external SSD didn't show anymore (not on File explorer, BIOS or Disk Management) so I worried that I will not be able to recover all the data and files back (bad luck if you wish for that drive to fail me exactly when I needed it most). I notice that when connected it makes noise (spinning I guess) and it feels like it rattles too.
Steps taken to resolve, but have been unsuccessful
Tried on plug it on another machine but nothing, so after fiddling with the cable connecting it to PC, it appeared finally in Disk Management as "Unknown" and "not initialize" but I read somewhere if I ever click Next for Initializing, all data can be delete, so I did not... So, on Friday I got and installed iBeesof Data Recovery, while SSD could be recognize by it, I clicked SCAN" but stayed for hours at 0% (below drive reads "Lost Partition" or something like that). I don't know if that is the way it should run or it is missing something for it to work correctly.
I read elsewhere that if TRIM is enable on the SSD it could as well erase everything while reading or write over it, so I am not sure if Ibeesoft disables TRIM. Is there any step(s) before running the Recovery software or what else can I do? I have like 300GB of Pictures, Files, apps, codes, etc. that I rather not lose forever.
Any feedback, hint or help is most than welcome. Thank you!
Your current Antivirus
F-Secure
Hello!
I am not sure if this is the right forum for my problem but it is a failing SSD:
 

vtqhtr413

Level 27
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Aug 17, 2017
1,610
If the data on that drive is precious to you, don't do another thing with it, wait for a response here or take it to a computer repair shop and have them extract your data.
 
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Victor M

Level 15
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Oct 3, 2022
732
Recuva I have used before: Download Recuva | Recover deleted files, free!

SeaTools | Support Seagate US SeaTools is good. Works on all brands no just Seagate.

Open a command prompt as admin. find the drive letter of the external HDD in explorer and replace X and type "chkdsk X: /R"

Haven't tried these, but may be useful:
EaseUS Partition Master - Free Partition Manager to Manage Disk Partitions in Windows Partition Master Free has a Check File System, Disk Surface Test.
 
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lovehungryman

Level 2
Thread author
Verified
Jun 23, 2015
66
Recuva I have used before: Download Recuva | Recover deleted files, free!

SeaTools | Support Seagate US SeaTools is good. Works on all brands no just Seagate.

Open a command prompt as admin. find the drive letter of the external HDD in explorer and replace X and type "chkdsk X: /R"

Haven't tried these, but may be useful:
EaseUS Partition Master - Free Partition Manager to Manage Disk Partitions in Windows Partition Master Free has a Check File System, Disk Surface Test.
I have been trying these and some other steps found around the web but nothing.
The thing about "Open a command prompt as admin. find the drive letter of the external HDD in explorer and replace X and type "chkdsk X: /R"
is: that not letter is assign to problematic drive. It shows in Disk Management as "Disk 1" (see picture below). I wonder, if that makes running any command prompt useless either to check device health, repair it or rebuilt MBR also for any recovery software for not to recognize drive properly and not to perform as it should. I might be wrong, just hoping someone knows about it.
 

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Victor M

Level 15
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Well-known
Oct 3, 2022
732
Hi @lovehungryman , I think SeaTools does not mount the drives it tests or repairs. So, if Disk Manager can see the drive, then SeaTools will also see the drive. Just select the drive in SeaTools and pull the menu to do a Repair. Try all the test options. Try all the Repair options. I am currently in Linux and I cannot tell you what things to click.

If that drive is valuable to you, then you should try every program. I gave you a couple of solutions because I know some may not work. The solutions all work differently. One way is to mount the drive and examine each partition. Each partition is assigned a drive letter by Windows. That is the way chkdsk works. The other way is to look at the entire drive regardless of how many partitions it has. And thats the way SeaTools works.

Ask me if the above explanation still leaves you fuzzy.
 
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lovehungryman

Level 2
Thread author
Verified
Jun 23, 2015
66
SeaTools recognized it but it always fails when trying to fix drive... I will try again over the weekend if not, only remedy I see is taking it to a technician.
 
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EstrellaRhodes

Level 1
Jun 3, 2024
34
Since your SSD is making noises and sometimes shows up, it seems like a connection issue or a problem with the drive itself. Try using a different cable and USB port first. Check the Seagate website for any firmware updates for your SSD, which might help with detection issues. If those don’t work, consider using a different recovery tool like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard or Recuva. They might handle the drive better than iBeesoft. To disable TRIM temporarily, open Command Prompt as an administrator and type fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 1. Enable it again later with the fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0. If the data is really important, consider professional data recovery services. They have specialized tools to recover data from damaged drives.
 
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SeaKelp

Level 1
Jun 6, 2024
11
The easiest and safest first step to me for situations like this has always been to boot from a live Linux DVD and see if the drive shows. If it does you will most likely be able to retrieve some/all of the data from it at that point if the drive isn't completely trashed.
Ubuntu is well documented so there is plenty of info out there on how to do this. I have recovered a lot of critical data this way without any problems and it is easy to do. It doesn't matter if the drive in question is internally mounted or an external usb.
I assume this link is okay to post here:
Linux may seem intimidating if you're not familiar with it but if you can type and c/p this will be straightforward. If you want to try it and need further help feel free to lmk here. Estimated time to know if this will work would probably be in the area of 10 minutes once you have a live DVD ready.
 
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