Solid-State Drives (SSDs) offer high-speed performance and reliability, but they are not immune to failure. Unlike traditional hard drives, SSD failures are often caused by firmware corruption, NAND degradation, or controller issues—which makes data recovery a complex challenge.
This case study details how we successfully recovered business-critical data from a Packard Bell computer with an NVMe SSD that was no longer detected due to firmware corruption. The affected device belonged to a Eurospar shop in Lisburn, where the SSD stored inventory records, transaction logs, and essential business documents.
As Ireland’s oldest and most experienced data recovery specialists, we applied our advanced chip-level recovery techniques to restore the lost data and get the business back on track.
The Challenge: NVMe SSD Not Booting or Being Detected
The Eurospar shop faced a major issue when their Packard Bell computer suddenly failed to boot. The shop manager noticed:
- The NVMe SSD was no longer detected in the BIOS.
- The system would get stuck at a boot loop or show a “No Bootable Device” error.
- When connected to another system, the SSD was inaccessible and not recognised.
This indicated a potential firmware-level failure, meaning DIY software-based recovery methods would not work. Since the SSD contained vital business files, the shop urgently needed a solution.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
Upon receiving the SSD at our cleanroom facility, we performed a thorough analysis using specialised SSD diagnostic tools. The results confirmed:
- Firmware corruption – The SSD’s internal controller had failed, preventing communication between the NAND memory and the system.
- Wear-leveling table issues – The drive’s data mapping had become unreadable.
- Power loss event detected – Indicating a possible improper shutdown that triggered the corruption.
These issues made standard data recovery methods ineffective, requiring a direct chip-level recovery approach.
The Recovery Process
1. Bypassing the SSD Controller Using Chip-Off Recovery
Since the SSD controller was unresponsive, we extracted the NAND memory chips using chip-off recovery techniques. This involved:
- Carefully removing the NAND chips from the SSD’s PCB in our ISO-certified cleanroom.
- Using a dedicated NAND reader to extract raw data from the memory modules.
2. Rebuilding the Data Structure
Once we had access to the raw NAND data, we used advanced tools to:
- Rebuild the wear-leveling table and reconstruct the original file system.
- Manually correct firmware-level corruption to restore file accessibility.
- Extract critical business files, transaction logs, and inventory records.
3. Data Verification & Restoration
After successful extraction, we conducted a file integrity check to ensure all recovered data was usable. Once verified, we transferred the data to a new secure storage device for the client.
The Results: 100% Recovery of Business Data
After 48 hours of intensive work, we successfully recovered 100% of the essential business data, including:
✅ Inventory records and transaction logs
✅ Employee and payroll data
✅ Customer order history
The Eurospar shop was able to resume operations immediately without losing any critical information.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful recoveries, we are the leading SSD and hard drive data recovery specialists in Ireland and the UK. Our expertise includes:
✔ NVMe, SATA, and PCIe SSD recovery
✔ Firmware repair and NAND chip-level recovery
✔ RAID, NAS, and server data recovery
✔ Cleanroom facilities and advanced forensic techniques
If your SSD has failed, is not being detected, or has firmware corruption, don’t risk further damage—let the experts handle it.