Razer Blade laptops are widely used for high-performance computing, making them an ideal choice for government agencies, businesses, and professionals. However, when an M.2 SSD fails suddenly without warning, it often indicates NAND chip failure, power regulation issues, or controller corruption, making stored data inaccessible.
This case study details how we successfully recovered critical government documents and operational files for a local council department in Scotland from a Crucial M.2 SSD inside a Razer Blade laptop, after the SSD suddenly stopped responding.
As Glasgow Data Recovery, Scotland’s oldest and best data recovery company, we have 25 years of experience using chip-off NAND recovery, firmware repair, and forensic data extraction techniques to restore lost files securely and confidentially.
Crucial M.2 SSD Not Detected & Failing Without Warning
A local council department contacted us after their Razer Blade laptop stopped detecting the SSD, with the following issues:
- The laptop displayed “No Bootable Device” upon startup.
- BIOS did not detect the Crucial M.2 SSD.
- Attempts to connect the SSD externally via an M.2 to USB adapter failed.
- The drive contained essential council documents, contracts, and operational data.
Since continued use of a failing SSD can cause permanent data loss, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the Crucial M.2 SSD arrived at our secure cleanroom facility, we conducted a full hardware and NAND memory diagnostic. Our findings:
- SSD controller failure – Preventing communication between the NAND memory and the system.
- No visible damage to NAND flash chips – Indicating a high likelihood of successful data recovery.
- Power regulation failure – The SSD was not receiving stable power, preventing initialization.
Since controller failure prevents SSDs from being recognised, we prioritized chip-level NAND recovery and firmware repair.
The Recovery Process
1. Cleanroom SSD Disassembly & PCB Repair
To restore access to the SSD, we:
- Opened the SSD in our cleanroom.
- Tested and repaired power regulation circuits to stabilize voltage flow.
- Bypassed the faulty controller using specialized SSD recovery tools.
2. Extracting Data Using Chip-Off NAND Recovery
Since the SSD controller was non-functional, we:
- Removed the NAND flash memory chips from the SSD PCB.
- Used specialized NAND chip readers to extract raw data.
- Rebuilt the SSD’s file structure manually to restore missing documents.
3. Extracting & Verifying Local Council Data
Once the SSD data was extracted, we:
- Recovered all council documents, operational records, and financial reports.
- Restored Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and legal contracts.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure encrypted backup device.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our chip-off NAND extraction and SSD PCB repair techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the council department’s lost files, including:
✅ Council contracts, operational reports, and financial documents
✅ Legal agreements, project management files, and compliance records
✅ Organized file structures restored for easy access and security
The local council department was able to retrieve all critical files, preventing disruptions to public services and government operations.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful SSD recoveries, we are Scotland’s leading SSD data recovery specialists. Our expertise includes:
✔ Crucial SSD chip-off NAND flash memory recovery
✔ Firmware repair & controller failure data extraction
✔ Government data security & confidential file retrieval
✔ Secure & GDPR-compliant data recovery services
If your SSD is not detected, failing without warning, or preventing access to important government or business files, stop using it immediately and contact us for expert SSD data recovery.