I had an fTPM problem on my work laptop that prevented me from signing into Windows. While trying to recover some files, I connected a portable SSD and used Command Prompt with several Robocopy commands. After the final command displayed an error or status message, I shut down the laptop as instructed and connected the SSD to my main PC. It no longer appears in File Explorer, Disk Management, or Device Manager. I also have another identical SSD that works normally. Is the drive likely damaged, or is there anything I can safely try before replacing it?
2 Answers
If the SSD has a removable enclosure, testing the drive with a known-good enclosure or adapter can help determine whether the SSD or the enclosure failed. Also check whether it appears in the computer's firmware or hardware-detection screen. If it is absent everywhere, the likely causes are a failed drive, controller, cable, or enclosure rather than a corrupted file.
First check the simple possibilities: try a different USB cable, another USB port, and a different computer if available. If the SSD still does not appear in Disk Management or Device Manager at all, this is probably not just file-system corruption, so reformatting or secure wiping will not help. The drive may have failed, although the enclosure or USB-to-SATA bridge could also be the problem. If the data matters, avoid destructive commands and consider professional recovery before doing anything else.
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