My old Zephyrus G15 from 2022 has finally given out and won't boot up anymore, even though the lights and fans are still working. The drive activity light is also off, so I'm worried about my data. I bought an SSD enclosure from Amazon to retrieve the data from the SSD. I've been so paranoid about the safety of this process, especially since I ran full scans with Malwarebytes and Defender before it died with no detections. However, I did notice some strange fluctuations in the free storage a few days back. Now that my laptop is completely dead, I want to know: is it safe to plug in this SSD into my new laptop? What are the chances it might carry malware, and how can I safely access the data?
5 Answers
If your new laptop supports NVMe, you could boot from a USB with Malwarebytes to scan the SSD for any potential malware. It’s a smart move before accessing your files.
Honestly, connecting the SSD to your new laptop should be fine. I don't think the issues with your laptop were caused by malware. Just run a scan on the SSD as soon as you connect it, just to be safe.
If you've got a solid antivirus tool installed, connecting the SSD should pose minimal risk. Just make sure to perform a virus scan once it's connected and avoid running any executable files straight from it.
To be extra cautious, you can put the SSD in an external enclosure and start your new laptop in safe mode before plugging in the drive. Scanning it in safe mode is overkill, but it reduces the risk of other programs interfering while you transfer or scan for viruses.
It's pretty much as safe as plugging in any external drive. Your motherboard should recognize it unless there's a serious issue with the SSD itself. Just keep in mind to be cautious.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload