Dead SSD drive - asking me to initialize it
 

So the boot drive on one of my PCs has quit. I removed it and connected it to a different PC. It can communicate, but it says the MBR is gone and wants to initialize the drive.

Suggestions? I'm thinking if I initialize it, will I kill the data on the drive. Any suggestions?

Yeah if you initialize bye bye data.

Find someone with a Mac. Serious.

I've recovered data from hosed Windows drives for lots of friends from a Mac.

Put in an external case and plug in. Can't hurt anything and you stand a good chance of getting the data back.

FWIW while I love SSD tech I don't trust them.

I'll stick with spinning platters for a while longer.

you can restore the MBR without killing you data. i had a utility, give me a minute to find it.

this is what i used:

Free Partition Magic alternative. Best Free Partition Manager Freeware for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8 32 bit & 64 bit - EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition.

free. it works. i didn't lose my data.

instructions for MBR here:

http://www.partition-tool.com/easeus-partition-manager/rebuild-mbr.htm

I'd really recommend having getting the data off, before trying to fix the MBR. While I've had success everytime I have done this, there's always the chance things can go wrong and data can be lost for good.

Ha, partition magic. I used to use that about 20 years ago. Good to see it's still going (must be good :) )

Damn computers are just a fad! Can't wait until we're back to pencil and paper again.

Slide rule FTW!

there are bootable MBR repair tools that i have used with great sucsess and no data loss-

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1374255578.jpg

I don't care who you are...That's funny right thar! SmileWavy

Can't even access the disk in windows. System Manager "sees" it, but wants to initialize it.

The "Freeware" suggested above no longer contains the portion to repair a MBR.

Find a Mac.

ah, sheesh. let me do some more searching.

You're more than welcome to send out to me and I'll see what I can do.

How To Repair the Master Boot Record In Windows XP

i've done this, too.

If you have important data on that drive that is not backed up. Do not just try and fix the MBR. I really can't stress this enough.

Go to the website for the manufaturer of the drive and try and get their SSD diagnostic software (maybe the drive came with a CD?). You can also try and find a free utility via a Google search.

i've also used this with very good results:

GParted -- Live CD/USB/PXE/HD

when my drive started to die and wouldn't boot anymore, this is what i used to move the data to the new drive.

i believe you can do partition recovery, etc., and you can (probably) access your data and move it to a different drive/partition.

the live CD will boot to linux and you can work with it from there.

i do agree with dave that there is risk of data loss. good luck.

Tip of the night for dealing with problem hard drives:
(besides having a good backup)

1) If the drive/data is accessible, but you have BSODs, errors, slow. Ghost the drive. It's a good way of preserving the file system and data. If the drive turns out to be bad, you can ghost the image back to a new drive and save yourself a lot of time from having to reinstall everything. If you can't access the drive/data proceed directly to step 2.

2) Before messing with the drive... Run a diagnostics test on it. You will save yourself a lot of time. One of the utilities I use shoes the error disposition code but also uses green and red backgrounds to make it really simple to see the condition of the drive. I rarely bother with the codes, as they are really only used if you RMA the drive. If green, you know the drive is 99% good and it's a data/MBR/partition problem.

3) From the read out of step 2, proceed in the best way to fix the drive or restore the data to a new one.

Okay. I've had a really long and stressful week dealing with a major upgrade of a proprietary software package that runs a clients entire facility. I am done being the IT guy for the night. Time to lose my mind to mind numbing reality shows or a movie.

OK

The bad news: Not a MBR issue. The physical electronic interface is compromised

The Good news: By plugging it in and out a hundred times, I was able to get access. Pictures and data files recovered.

My wife put a single sheet of paper on top and that was enough to screw it up again!

Replacing with a standard 2.5" drive. Now I just need to reload the OS, programs, etc....fun fun fun

Invest a few dollars in one of those USB drive adapters. It has IDE and SATA interface plugs on it, so you can access the HD from another PC that boots up.

The SATA interface on the DRIVE was dead. It also happened to have a USB interface which was intermittent...

Right, but you're not relying on the failing drive for boot up any more. You're using it for storage, which would allow you to wiggle/jiggle the connector more easily and possibly would have saved you a ton of time.

I'm not using it for storage.

It is a dead drive. It is no more.

It is an "ex" drive.

Anyway, the issue is not using a SATA to USB interface, the SATA interface on the drive is dead. It is a special drive in that it also has a mini-USB connector on the drive. So, there wasn't even a need for the USB to SATA interface. The wiggling wasn't on the cable, it was pressing the chips and components on the drive to reconnect whatever was intermittent.

See, I have the drive pulled apart. On an SSD, this means the cover is off and the PCB is exposed/removed.

I think Joe was saying get one of those adaptors to make it easier to get the data off because you can plug it into any machine you want without having to open the computers case.

Not that he was advocating trying to use the drive going forward.

FWIW I have two myself. Indispensable when you jack around with as much stuff as we tend to.

I've got the block and cable kind for portability and the dock kind that sits on my desk.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...4kG-E8BQXOiN3w

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...p--Jm1hqWL8ZBC

I have 2 of those. And the SSD drive actually has a USB connector, so it isn't needed.

And it makes no difference, since those USB to SATA interfaces use the SATA interface, which is dead on the drive.

"Replacing with a standard 2.5" drive. "

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