Solid State Hard Drive Data Recovery

With over 25 years’ experience, Sheffield Data Recovery provides professional, engineering-led recovery for all hard drives and SSDs—consumer, enterprise, external, NAS and RAID members. We support every major manufacturer and interface, and we’re equipped for both physical and logical failures, from head crashes and firmware corruption to APFS/NTFS metadata damage.

Pricing (clear & simple)

For single-disk HDD/SSD jobs, recovery typically starts at £299 + VAT (standard priority). Complex cases (severe mechanical damage, firmware rebuilds, encryption handling, donor parts) are scoped after diagnostics and confirmed with you before work proceeds. Critical-path turnaround is available on request.

Shipping / Drop-off: Please place the drive in an anti-static bag (if available), pad securely in a padded envelope or small box, include your contact details, and post or hand-deliver it to us.

Supported Interfaces (legacy → modern)

PATA/IDE, SATA I/II/III, SAS, SCSI (Ultra/Ultra320), MicroSATA (1.8″), mSATA, USB 2.0/3.0/3.1/3.2 (UASP), USB-C, FireWire 400/800, Thunderbolt (1–4, incl. USB4 alt-mode enclosures), PCIe (Gen3/4/5), NVMe, M.2 (B/M/B+M keys), U.2 / SFF-8639, U.3, mini-SAS / SFF-8087/8643/8644, eSATA, Fibre Channel/FC-AL, ZIF/LIF (1.8″), vendor-specific bridge boards (ASMedia, JMicron, Realtek, Initio, Oxford, Prolific), Fusion/Hybrid disk+SSD pairings.

Top 30 Manufacturers & Representative Popular Models

Seagate (BarraCuda, IronWolf/Pro, SkyHawk, Exos) • Western Digital/WD (Blue, Black, Red/Plus, Purple, Gold) • Toshiba (P300, X300, N300, MG series) • Samsung (870 EVO, 990 PRO, T7/T9) • HGST/Hitachi (Ultrastar 7K/He10/He12) • Crucial/Micron (MX500, P3/P5 Plus, T700) • SanDisk (Ultra 3D, Extreme Portable) • Kingston (A2000, NV2, KC3000) • Intel (660p/670p, DC P3520/P4510) • ADATA (SX8200 Pro, S70 Blade) • Corsair (MP510/MP600 series) • Sabrent (Rocket 4/4 Plus) • PNY (CS900, XLR8 CS3140) • TeamGroup (T-Force Cardea Z440/Z540) • LaCie (Rugged, d2) • Maxtor (DiamondMax legacy, M3 ext.) • G-Technology/SanDisk Pro (G-DRIVE) • Transcend (SSD230S, ESD370C) • SK hynix (Gold P31, Platinum P41) • KIOXIA (Exceria G2/Pro) • OCZ (Vector/ARC legacy) • HP (EX900/EX950) • Lenovo/OEM enterprise (PM/RM rebrands) • Dell/OEM enterprise (Ultrastar/Exos rebrands) • Apple OEM (SM/TS/Blade SSDs) • Fujitsu (MHY/MHZ legacy) • Mushkin (Pilot-E) • Silicon Power (A55/A80, US70) • Verbatim (Vi7000) • Patriot (P200, Viper VPN100).

(Model names are representative; we recover across entire families and generations.)

Professional Recovery Workflow (what we actually do)

1. Intake & Write-protect: Log serials, label orientation, and SMART baselines. All subsequent work occurs against write-blocked targets.

2. Power-on triage: Oscilloscope + current profiling, identify spin-up behavior, SA (service area) access, and error registers; decide physical vs logical vs hybrid failure path.

3. Controller/Firmware path (HDD):
   • ROM read & adaptive extraction (head map, P-lists, G-lists)
   • SA module validation (DIR, overlay, translator) and module rewrite if corrupt
   • Rebuild translator, clear SMART, patch heads map/defect tables

4. Electronics path (HDD/SSD):
   • PCB swap with ROM/BGA transfer; pre-amp sanity checks
   • Bridge-board microcontroller (Initio/JMicron/ASMedia) repair to expose native LBA

5. Mechanical path (HDD):
   • Diagnose stiction, spindle/motor seizure, head crash, off-track servo
   • Controlled head-stack replacement, donor selection by micro-code/head map
   • Spindle swap or platter migration with radial alignment and clocking integrity
   • Calibrate adaptives; validate SA readability before imaging

6. Imaging strategy:
   • Hardware imagers (PC-3000, DDI) using read-unstable media profiles: head-select, zone prioritisation, escalating timeouts, head-by-head cloning, multi-pass with declining block sizes, and reverse reads to bypass weak pre-reads.
   • SSD-specific: forced read-only mode, vendor routines, block-level mapping extraction, ECC thresholds, channel/interleave isolation.

7. Logical reconstruction:
   • APFS: container → volumes → spacemaps → object maps → B-trees; snapshot reconciliation; catalog rebuild
   • HFS+: volume header, catalog/extent B-trees, journal replay, hot files
   • NTFS: $MFT/$MFTMirr, $LogFile replay, $Bitmap gaps, orphan file grafting
   • exFAT/FAT32: FAT chains, upcase tables, cluster slack carving
   • EXT/XFS/ReFS/ZFS: superblocks, journals/intent logs, metaslabs, txg consistency

8. File carving & repair: Photo/video/office signatures (JPEG/CR3/NEF/MP4/MOV/PST etc.), fragmented carving with inter-block heuristics; media repairs (container atom rebuild, H.264/265 index repair).

9. Integrity & delivery: SHA-256 manifests, sample opens, tree audits; encrypted/PII handling as required; secure handover.

Typical Problems We Diagnose & How We Resolve Them (selected highlights)

• Head crash / clicking: Confirm with SA access tests & G-list growth; replace HSA with matched donor; translator rebuild; head-map imaging (good heads first), then low-level reads from marginal heads.

• Spindle seizure / no spin: Current spike with no rotation; perform spindle swap or platter migration to donor base; recalibrate SA and image.

• Stiction (park ramp failure): Controlled media release, swap heads if damaged; immediate imaging with short timeouts to avoid re-adhesion.

• PCB burn / TVS short: Remove/replace TVS, measure rails; ROM transfer to donor PCB; re-initialise and image.

• Pre-amp failure: Normal spin, no read; swap HSA; verify pre-amp bias; image on new assembly.

• Firmware translator corruption: SA readable, user area LBA timeouts; regenerate translator from P/G-lists; re-write modules; image.

• Bad sectors / surface wear: Multi-pass imaging, head zoning, adaptive timeouts; relocate unreadables; reconstruct FS around holes.

• External USB bridge faults: Swap enclosure, or bypass bridge to SATA/NVMe; repair vendor encryption mapping if applied.

• SMR write holes (HDD): Identify shingled zones; gentle pass strategy; reconstruct shingle logs; logical rebuild.

• SSD controller failure: Force ROM mode; extract FTL mapping, bad block tables, XOR/ECC params; reconstruct L2P; image.

• SSD NAND wear/ECC maxed: Lower read speeds, adjust ECC thresholds, retry policies; plane/channel isolation; partial image and file-level repair.

• BitLocker/FileVault/LUKS: Recover raw image → locate metadata → derive keys (with provided credentials/recovery keys) → decrypt → reconstruct FS.

• APFS container damage: Rebuild object maps/spacemaps; restore snapshots; recover orphan extents via physical range mapping.

• NTFS $MFT corrupt: Pair $MFT with $MFTMirr; replay $LogFile; harvest inode slack to rebuild directory tree.

• Partition table loss (GPT/MBR): Scan for secondary GPT headers/backup; infer boundaries from FS signatures; rebuild partition map.

• Overheating / thermal-induced errors: Current profile shows throttling; cool, re-grease bearing if viable; short-window imaging.

• Power surge / brownout: Replace TVS/regulator; ROM swap; check SA integrity; clone.

Software-Level & System Issues We Handle

• Drive not recognised / BIOS errors: Diagnose link layer (PHY), identify 0MB LBA bugs, repair firmware IDs; expose to OS and image.

• Overheating throttles: Temperature-managed imaging with cooling intervals; throttle-aware retry logic.

• Failed rebuilds / degraded arrays (single-disk members): Clone each member first; we can later virtualise RAID if needed.

• CCTV overwrites: Carve from remaining extents; reconstruct containerized streams (H.264/265), rebuild time indexes; partial recovery expected.

“Top 75” Hard Drive & SSD Error Scenarios — and How We Recover (concise, technical)

1. Clicking on spin-up: Head crash → donor HSA, SA check, head-map clone.

2. Buzz then power-off: Shorted pre-amp → HSA swap, pre-amp bias test.

3. No spin, 5V rail short: TVS diode short → remove/replace TVS, ROM verify.

4. No ID, spins fine: Translator corrupt → rebuild from P/G-lists.

5. 0MB capacity shown: Firmware LBA bug → patch overlay, restore native LBA.

6. BSY lock (busy state): Vendor terminal unlock, clear SMART, patch firmware.

7. Slow responding (SRT): SA module degradation → re-write modules, re-gen tables.

8. Repeated resets under load: Weak head → limit to stable heads, zone imaging.

9. Grinding noise: Seized bearings → spindle swap or platter transfer.

10. Scraping noise: Platter scoring → donor HSA, image good surfaces only.

11. High reallocated count: Surface wear → gentle multi-pass, reverse reads.

12. Pending sector storms: Time-bounded retries, head zoning, skip lists.

13. UNC at LBA ranges: Targeted re-read with variable block sizes; fill holes.

14. SAS drive no ready: Mode page/PLIST issues → vendor cmds, reinitialise.

15. NVMe not detected: PCIe link fail → alternate host, disable ASPM, force 1x.

16. NVMe controller lock: Admin cmd reset, FW restore if available.

17. NVMe SMART critical: Throttle imaging; channel isolation by namespace.

18. M.2 overheats: Active cooling, short bursts, staged cloning.

19. USB bridge dropouts: Bypass to native SATA/NVMe; stable host.

20. Encrypted USB enclosure: Extract key store; rebuild mapping; decrypt image.

21. FireWire enclosure dead: Transplant to working bridge or native bus.

22. Helium drive leak (symptoms): Abnormal acoustics → treat as mechanical; HSA & spindle assessment.

23. SMR write log corruption: Reconstruct zone translation; logical rebuild.

24. Shattered heads on impact: HSA swap; avoid contaminated zones; quick clone.

25. Stiction at inner diameter: Release media, replace heads, immediate imaging.

26. Off-track servo: Calibrate adaptives; low-speed track follow; image.

27. Servo wedge damage: Skip wedges; interleave reads; reconstruct files with gaps.

28. SA tracks unreadable: Mirror SA copy; module copy/rebuild; proceed.

29. ROM corrupted: Recreate from donor family; patch adaptives; boot.

30. Wrong donor PCB: No calibrations → move ROM; re-train adaptives.

31. Heads mis-map: Edit head map; disable bad head; image by head.

32. Translator loops: Purge G-list; regen translator; controlled imaging.

33. SMART trip prevents access: Clear SMART, unlock access, image.

34. Power loss mid-write: Incomplete metadata → journal replay; carve.

35. APFS orphaned snapshots: Enumerate snapshots; mountable clone; export.

36. APFS spacemap damage: Rebuild object map; salvage extents.

37. HFS+ catalog B-tree corrupt: Merge extents; rebuild catalog; graft orphans.

38. NTFS $Bitmap inconsistent: Repair bitmap, reconcile $MFT; recover files.

39. NTFS $LogFile missing: Heuristic FS rebuild; deep carve.

40. exFAT FAT wipe: FAT recreation via cluster signature analysis.

41. EXT superblock loss: Use backup superblocks; e2fsck journal fix.

42. XFS log corruption: xfs_repair with logzero; directory salvage.

43. ReFS metadata errors: Salvage from shadow copies; block clone.

44. ZFS degraded pool single-disk: Import readonly; zdb map; copy files.

45. Hybrid Fusion pair split: Identify SSD/HDD pairing; recreate mapping.

46. Vendor password (ATA lock): Unlock with key (from client) or exploit device-specific routine if permitted.

47. BitLocker without key: Use recovery key/TPM escrow; otherwise raw carve.

48. FileVault2: Decrypt with password/recovery; APFS rebuild.

49. LUKS: Header recovery; PBKDF; decrypt mapping.

50. Ransomware logical damage: Offline parse; restore previous FS states; carve.

51. GPT both headers gone: Infer from FS superblocks; rebuild GPT.

52. MBR virus overwrite: Restore from backup, or re-create partitions.

53. Repeated CRC errors: Cable/backplane; rehost; then image.

54. Bad USB power: Stable lab PSU; filter noise; image.

55. Thermal throttling (SSD): Cool; staged imaging; adjust queue depth.

56. SSD FTL table corrupt: Extract vendor metadata; rebuild L2P.

57. NAND read disturb: Read-refresh cycles; alter read voltages.

58. Wear-level metadata loss: Recreate from spare blocks; partial recovery.

59. ECC uncorrectables: Lower speed, soft-read; majority voting reads.

60. BGA detachment (SSD): Reflow/reball controller only when safe; prefer ROM access and chip-off last.

61. Chip-off (NAND): Dump per die/plane; de-interleave; apply ECC/XOR; reassemble image.

62. Controller-side XOR unknown: Derive via pattern analysis; brute XOR tables.

63. Proprietary encryption in SSD: Pull keys from controller/ROM; apply on dumps.

64. Initio bridge virtual sectors: Reverse map; expose native LBA; image.

65. Headerless media files: Recreate headers (JPEG/MP4/Docx) from content.

66. Corrupt video indexes: Rebuild moov/mdat; GOP re-index.

67. Large PST corruption: Scan/fix folder map; salvage items to new PSTs.

68. VM disk corruption (single file): Parse VMDK/VHDX; rebuild grain tables; extract files.

69. Time-shifted camera files: Reorder by EXIF/timecode; recover partials.

70. Photo RAW fragmentation: Heuristic join by maker notes; validate previews.

71. SQLite DB damage: Page-level salvage; rebuild schema; export rows.

72. Filesystem case-folding conflicts: Normalise; export unique paths.

73. Symbolic link loops: Prune; export real files only.

74. Sparse file holes: Preserve ranges; warn about zero-fill.

75. CCTV circular overwrite: Carve stream segments; transcode valid GOPs; timeline export (partial expected).

Why Choose Sheffield Data Recovery

• 25+ years of hands-on HDD/SSD engineering and forensic-grade workflows.

• Multi-vendor expertise across consumer, enterprise and OEM variants.

• Advanced hardware imagers & donor inventory to maximise recovery odds.

• Forensic-level logical reconstruction (APFS/NTFS/EXT/XFS/ReFS/exFAT/ZFS).

• Free diagnostics with clear recovery options before work begins.