How to recover data from SSD that has gone read only.

[RyzenMaster.sys]

Hello. I have an Intel 600p 256gb SSD. It has 3.79tbw but has failed. It has 0 spares remaining and has gone read only.

While most of the data should be backed up I would like to copy anyhow. I took the drive and put it in another PC.

I can still see the files in file explorer, but the issue is that the permissions do not allow me to view the user folder nor copy all of its contents. Since it is read only I am unable to change the permission attribute for the files and it just gives me an error "access denied"

Any way to fix this?

 

[Wirko]

According to my faint recollection, there exist at least these solutions:

- Run bootable Linux from USB, mount the failed drive, and you will be able to access all files since Linux ignores NTFS file permissions.

- Use backup software - not sure which particular product but in general, it runs with high privileges (as SYSTEM?) as it has to have the ability to back up all users' files.

- Use partitioning software like AOMEI to copy whole partition(s) from the read-only drive to another drive, where you'll be able to set file privileges.

 

[Shrek]

Perhaps a little off topic, but don't such drives give warning as they approach zero spares?

 

[RyzenMaster.sys]

Perhaps a little off topic, but don't such drives give warning as they approach zero spares?

Intel toolbox gave me a notification when there was exactly 1 spare remaining, so basically no warning.

I tried to clone it and it started but then the remaining spare depleted so it errors and went read only, stopping the clone.

 

[Shrek]

I have an Intel 600p 256gb SSD. It has 3.79tbw

Am I reading this right? it was only written to 16 times its capacity.

Intel SSD 600p Series 256GB M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 3D1 TLC Product Specifications
Endurance Rating (Lifetime Writes) 144 TBW
Warranty Period 5 yrs

You were at 3% of expected life?

P.S.
b = bit
B = byte

 

[RyzenMaster.sys]

It's rated for 144tbw and has failed at just 3.790 tbw, correct. It came as part of a laptop purchase black Friday 2018.

It should 100% not have failed. I have ssds 3+ times as old with many times more tbw that have 0 issues.

It's a fluke thing but it doesn't make me very happy with Intel drives in all honesty.

I have a pair of Samsung PM830 series OEM SSDs. Over a decade old, way more wear, way more usage. Still chugging on happily

The laptop barely saw usage and lived a super easy life. Never been torn apart, never messed with, nothing that would maybe make the drive fail.

According to my faint recollection, there exist at least these solutions:

- Run bootable Linux from USB, mount the failed drive, and you will be able to access all files since Linux ignores NTFS file permissions.

- Use backup software - not sure which particular product but in general, it runs with high privileges (as SYSTEM?) as it has to have the ability to back up all users' files.

- Use partitioning software like AOMEI to copy whole partition(s) from the read-only drive to another drive, where you'll be able to set file privileges.

I am in a Ubuntu USB and I can copy from the drive luckily.

But it won't let me paste to my 2tb mechanical drive for some reason.

It has plenty of free space but won't let me paste to it or add new folder

I grabbed another drive and still can't copy to it.

But also most of the directories within the user folder are showing as empty when there is content there. Some like the downloads folder show content, but most are just empty

 

[oobymach]

Try macrium reflect, cloning the disk may get your data back but if the controller has failed there may be no hope.

Also look up how to take control of a folder if the data is in lockdown even after you copy it (because ownership was different windows version/user or whatever).

 

[RyzenMaster.sys]

Reflect just errors, tried that.

Turns out that pictures etc get moved out of the typical location when you have a onedrive setup. They go into the onedrive folder. So that's why they were blank. Nevermind that.

I figured out how to paste to another drive. I had to take ownership of the drive first.

Copy and pasting folders has worked good enough. It gives errors and won't copy some files, presumably due to corruption.

 

[stinger608]

I think it's what @Wirko stated; use a bootable Linux distro and copy the files to another drive.

Seems like the simplest solution due to Macrium and other back up software giving errors.

 

[MentalAcetylide]

Well, I'm sure this is going to show how stupid & non-tech savvy I am, but wtf is up with this? It doesn't seem to make sense to me that they would make a hard drive like that. If anything, you would think they would make it easier for the average user to move stuff off of a drive when that happens. I guess it can really pay off when this happens if you use a RAID 1 setup.

 

[Wirko]

Well, I'm sure this is going to show how stupid & non-tech savvy I am, but wtf is up with this? It doesn't seem to make sense to me that they would make a hard drive like that. If anything, you would think they would make it easier for the average user to move stuff off of a drive when that happens. I guess it can really pay off when this happens if you use a RAID 1 setup.

It's an SSD. Switching to read-only mode forever is the expected behaviour after the drive has determined that it's worn out. (Far too soon in this case, though.)
From that point on, you fight Windows and its file privileges, not the hardware.