My wife's computer has a 2.5-inch 1TB Samsung SATA SSD, not an NVMe drive. On the first boot today, it opened the boot setup and reported that the boot volume could not be loaded because the SSD had a "Threshold Exceeded" error. I removed the drive and connected it to another computer through a SATA-to-USB dock. It briefly appeared in File Explorer and seemed to be read, but then disappeared.
I have a new 500GB Samsung 870 EVO SSD, SpinRite 6.1, and Windows installation media, but no system backup. Is there still a reasonable way to recover files from the failing 1TB SSD, or should I stop trying and rebuild Windows on the replacement drive?
There is also an 8TB hard drive connected to the original computer containing my wife's photos and business files. Could reinstalling or recovering Windows affect access to that drive, and is there anything I should do to protect it first?
2 Answers
You can install Windows on the new 500GB SSD, but disconnect the failing 1TB SSD and the 8TB data drive during installation if possible. That prevents accidentally selecting the wrong disk or allowing the installer to modify the data drive. After Windows is running, reconnect the 8TB drive and it should normally retain its files and drive letter, provided it was not encrypted or damaged.
Before doing anything, confirm that the 8TB drive is healthy and make another backup of the irreplaceable photos and business files. If BitLocker or another encryption system was used, make sure you have the recovery key before changing hardware or reinstalling Windows.
A “Threshold Exceeded” warning usually means the SSD's SMART health data has detected a serious failure condition. The drive disappearing through the USB dock is another sign that it may be failing electrically or internally. Avoid repeatedly booting it, running repairs, or using it as the source for a normal file copy.
The safest approach is to connect it as directly as possible, preferably by SATA rather than USB, and use a Linux live environment with a tool such as GNU ddrescue to make a sector-by-sector image onto a different healthy drive. Perform file recovery against the image, not the original SSD. If the drive keeps disconnecting or is not detected consistently, professional recovery may be the only realistic option. SpinRite is not the first thing I would use on a drive that is vanishing, since additional scanning can make the situation worse or waste the limited time it remains accessible.
I don't currently have a Linux system set up, but this is probably a good reason to finally use the Ubuntu dual-boot environment I've been postponing.