Re: [LUG] Laptop repair and ssd data recovery

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Subject: Re: [LUG] Laptop repair and ssd data recovery

From: Björn Grohmann <zzbjorn@xxxxxxxxx>

Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2021 18:36:25 +0000

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On Mon, 8 Feb 2021, 18:19 Gordon Henderson, <gordon+lug@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Mon, 8 Feb 2021, Aaron Trevena wrote:

> Are there any good local laptop specialists that can fix or replace
> disk/mobo/cable without formatting the drive or better still able to
> recover data from a Linux ssd?

I'm probably not the only one thinking: "just throw away the SSD and
restore from backup", however possibly the only one willing to post these
heretical thoughts...

It's 2021 for goodness sake. Keep a backup. Losing your working PCs drive
should not be an issue.

However...

Check the rest of the laptop by booting off a live CD/USB stick. Check the
SSD by putting it in another PC (Linux or otherwise - at least on an MS
Win PC you'll be able to read the drive ID and partition table) There is a
'DD' command for MS Windows, 'Etcher' I think it's called, so even with MS
Windows you may be able to dump a drive image - if it reads OK.

https://github.com/balena-io/etcher

Sadly my own experiences of recovering data off an SSD have not been good
- especially old ones from the days when a 32GB SSD was "wow, shiny",
anyway. I was able to get most of the stuff off an SSD that belonged to a
friend, but it was a bit patchy and the device kept on resetting. Spinning
rust still has a lot going for it.

Gordon

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"Spinning Rust" ...what a great description!

In my experience if the BIOS doesn't see a drive there is little or no chance of a bootable recovery DVD seeing it either. In which case I would try fitting the drive into an external drive housing and attempting to access it by attaching it to a known good computer.

Regards Björn