Help?! SSD Failed - Reputable Recovery Companies?

[GoNz0]

thecus may not have overwritten the info, depending on the firmware there is also a trash can you can get you using putty

[FatalSaviour]

thecus may not have overwritten the info, depending on the firmware there is also a trash can you can get you using putty

Hi Gonzo,
The N5200 is currently running FW v2.00.18.4.
Is it possible to shed any light on how I might go about doing this (if applicable) please?
From having ssh'd in and having a preliminary look, nothing is jumping out at me as to where I might find this Holy Grail?
Thanks in advance!

[GoNz0]

best bets the thecus forums

[g8ina]

Long shot, but look for Odie Ferrious in uk.adverts.computer

He runs his own very reputable Data Recovery company, but not spoken for ages and not sure if he covers SSDs

[GoNz0]

This is a textbook Corsair death. Have a Google around and you'll see this is a huge issue - loads of people on their own forums and all over the web have had this happen to them too.
In short - you're screwed. Due to the way Sandforce compresses the data on the drive, even if you managed to solder and dump the contents of each NAND, it would be unreadable.

Sorry

Long shot, but look for Odie Ferrious in uk.adverts.computer

He runs his own very reputable Data Recovery company, but not spoken for ages and not sure if he covers SSDs

[FatalSaviour]

Long shot, but look for Odie Ferrious in uk.adverts.computer

He runs his own very reputable Data Recovery company, but not spoken for ages and not sure if he covers SSDs

Thanks for the heads up g8ina. Though I realise that it may well be in vain, I have sent the drive to Ontrack for a data recovery diagnosis today. The data on there is too important to not give it a shot, and I need to be able to show that every avenue has been explored before giving up on this.

Thanks once again all.

[Agent]

Sorry for the late reply - missed this thread.

Is it also an issue with OCZ vertex 2s Agent?

No, and never has been (thankfully). Sandforce has it's own issues (such as write speed once the GC map hits), but in general I've not seen any relibility issues apart from with the Corsair drives.

Hi Agent, thanks (I think! :-) ) for your reply.
Having spoken to a data recovery technician this morning, who obviously suggested proceeding along the lines of a dump and reconstruction, I was under the impression that this should potentially be a viable solution.

I'm not sure whether my googling skills just aren't up to scratch today, but I haven't had much luck finding reports of data recovery involving SSDs full stop, let alone related to the Sandforce controllers specifically.

The company that I spoke to (I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to post names) said that although they do usually operate a no-recovery-no-fee policy, the large size of the SSD meant that they would have to charge a non-refundable deposity (around the £500 mark was mentioned).

I think that they're a fairly reputable outfit (and are advertised on http://www.datarecoverycompanies.co.uk ), and although I'd like to also obtain quotes from companies such as Ontrack, the fact it's the weekend doesn't help matters either!

£500 deposit, just to look?

Don't get me wrong, it might be doable with very specialist hardware, but ultimately you need to dump the NAND and reconstruct it. With the custom compression from Sandforce, unless you know the exact algorithm it uses (or can replicate it), it's not easy.
Secondly, Sandforce uses encryption (see: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...ncryption-info to see if this applies to you). If it’s encrypted to, it's most likely 'impossible' without hiring someone who has deep understanding of the controler and can make a custom PCB for it.
If they offered a fee based on the data recovered – sure. But alarm bells are ringing for a £500 deposit up front. While I’m not accusing them of this, keep in mind there is a huge number of people around that are happy to take your cash with little thought of what happens after. For example – see people’s experiences about a company at: http://forums.hexus.net/general-disc...-data-net.html

My only real advice is 'be careful'

[FatalSaviour]

Sorry for the late reply - missed this thread.



No, and never has been (thankfully). Sandforce has it's own issues (such as write speed once the GC map hits), but in general I've not seen any relibility issues apart from with the Corsair drives.



£500 deposit, just to look?

Don't get me wrong, it might be doable with very specialist hardware, but ultimately you need to dump the NAND and reconstruct it. With the custom compression from Sandforce, unless you know the exact algorithm it uses (or can replicate it), it's not easy.
Secondly, Sandforce uses encryption (see: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...ncryption-info to see if this applies to you). If it’s encrypted to, it's most likely 'impossible' without hiring someone who has deep understanding of the controler and can make a custom PCB for it.
If they offered a fee based on the data recovered – sure. But alarm bells are ringing for a £500 deposit up front. While I’m not accusing them of this, keep in mind there is a huge number of people around that are happy to take your cash with little thought of what happens after. For example – see people’s experiences about a company at: http://forums.hexus.net/general-disc...-data-net.html

My only real advice is 'be careful'

Thanks very much for the info and advice Agent, it really is very much appreciated. In the end, I contacted Ontrack, who seem to have a much better reputation, and as it transpires, had signifcantly lower fees for diagnosis and potential recovery.

As mentioned, I realise that this is possible a lost cause. However, the value of the data is such that the diagnosis fee (and voiding of the SSD's warranty) is definitely worth it.

Thanks once again.

[GoNz0]

so you went to the thecus forums and found out how to recover the data from the NAS for free....