Hey everyone! I recently got a Samsung 1TB SSD because I was running low on storage. I followed a tutorial to clone my files using Macrium Reflect, but somewhere during the cloning process, it failed with an error code (I think it was 008?). After that, I couldn't access the SSD, kept getting permission errors, and when I rebooted, my SSD disappeared completely! I can see it in the Samsung software, but it shows no data at all and the SSD feels really hot. Now, there's a flashing blue light on it, which is odd. I don't care about recovering any files from it, I just want to get the SSD working again. Can anyone help me out?
3 Answers
Have you checked online for the meaning of that flashing blue light on your SSD model? Manufacturers often provide details that could help you troubleshoot.
Since you don’t care about the data, the best move might be to wipe the SSD and try reinstalling your OS. You can create a Windows installation USB using Microsoft's tool. Boot from it, select 'Repair your PC', and then go to Command Prompt. Once there, use Diskpart to list the disks, select your SSD, and type 'clean' (make sure to select the correct disk to avoid wiping your main drive!). After that, you can create a new partition and reinstall Windows!
Your SSD should still be fine, but in the future, avoid unplugging it when it's running. What you felt as 'really hot' could actually be normal for it. You could also try using Windows Disk Management to reformat the drive, that might fix the issue.
When I tried to initialize my SSD, I got a 'device is not ready' message. What should I do if that happens?

Just to clarify, 'clean' can be intimidating, but don’t worry, it only wipes the selected disk. Just ensure you pick the SSD and not your main drive!