My external SSD is displaying as 'Disk 1 > Unknown, Not Initialized' in Disk Management. I've tried plugging it into different PCs, using various USB ports and cables, booting Windows in safe mode, and confirming that all my drivers are up to date. Initially, when I attempted to initialize the disk, I received an 'Incorrect Function' error. Now, the initialize option is completely greyed out. I need help since there's very important data on the SSD that I cannot afford to lose. Can I fix this, or at least recover my data?
4 Answers
If your data is crucial, stop trying to fix the drive on your own and take it to professionals who specialize in data recovery. Trying to do it yourself could make things worse. Also, it's a good lesson: never store important data on just one device. Drives fail, and you'll end up in trouble without backups.
I'm not certain how to fix this if the SSD controller board is failing. You might consider taking it apart and trying to connect it to another external case that has a similar configuration. There might be a chance to recover your data that way.
Unfortunately, it seems like your SSD may be beyond saving. You might have to accept that the data could be lost for good.
You mentioned 'initialize' and 'format'—those are pretty much the same thing. If a professional recovery service is necessary, be prepared for it to be quite pricey and there's no guarantee it'll work. By the way, was your SSD encrypted?
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