Client Problem
A customer arrived at Greets Data Recovery, Hyderabad, with an EVM 1TB SATA SSD that had suddenly gone dead. The drive exhibited no power activity, was not detected in BIOS, and showed no LED response. It stored years of accumulated data, including office documents, college project work, and personal media files.
Following a power fluctuation while in desktop use, the SSD stopped functioning. Local IT repair centers declared it irreparable. The client then sought professional assistance from our lab.
Technical Diagnosis & Findings
Our engineers conducted an in-depth analysis and determined:
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The Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC) had failed
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The controller chip was shorted
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The drive was not drawing any electrical current
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NAND flash memory chips were intact – indicating that user data was still physically present but inaccessible
These findings pointed to a critical board-level failure.
Recover Your Important Files
We recover files from damaged or faulty HDDs, SSDs, NAS network drives, USB flash drives, and Smartphones.
Data Recovery Procedure
Component-Level Repair Attempt
We first attempted to revive the SSD by replacing the faulty PMIC and controller chip using donor components from an identical EVM drive. While power was briefly restored, we were unable to access data due to controller-specific encryption and wear-leveling information, which is unique to each individual SSD.
Chip-Off NAND Extraction
With controller replacement not viable, we moved to chip-off recovery. All NAND flash chips were carefully desoldered using a precision heat-controlled process to avoid physical damage.
The chips were then cleaned and read using PC-3000 Flash, which allowed us to obtain raw binary dumps of the data stored.
File System Reconstruction
Using specialized recovery software, our team decoded the controller’s algorithm, applied Error Correction Codes (ECC), and reconstructed the full logical file system and folder hierarchy. This ensured accurate and structured data recovery.
Final Data Transfer
Recovered files—including project folders, office documents, and personal media—were transferred to a new SSD provided by the client.
Recovery Outcome & Client Feedback
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100% recovery of all high-priority data
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94–97% of total data extracted successfully
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Turnaround Time: 6 working days
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Client Feedback: Highly satisfied, particularly after being informed elsewhere that recovery was impossible
Summary
This case study demonstrates the advanced techniques required for SSD recovery in cases of component-level failure. At Greets Data Recovery, our Hyderabad-based team successfully recovered critical data from a dead EVM 1TB SSD using chip-off NAND extraction and file system reconstruction. Despite failed controller and power components, we achieved near-complete data recovery.
Need expert help with a failed SSD? Call now for a free diagnosis or chat with our team on WhatsApp to start your data recovery.
FAQS
Can data be recovered from an SSD that is completely dead?
Yes. If the NAND chips are intact, chip-off recovery can bypass failed components and extract raw data for reconstruction.
What is chip-off NAND recovery?
It involves physically removing NAND chips from the SSD, reading raw data using specialized tools, and reconstructing files through controller emulation and ECC.
Why can't SSD controllers be simply replaced like PCBs in HDDs?
SSD controllers contain drive-specific encryption, wear-leveling, and translation algorithms that make direct replacement ineffective for data access.
How long does SSD recovery take for component-level failures?
Depending on complexity, it may take 5–10 working days. This recovery was completed in 6 days.
What tools are used for SSD chip-off recovery?
Tools like PC-3000 Flash are used to extract, decode, and reconstruct data from raw NAND dumps.