A client in Birmingham contacted Birmingham Data Recovery after their Sony Vaio laptop failed to detect their Sandisk 1TB SSD on boot. The reported issues included:
- BIOS and operating system did not recognize the SSD, making data inaccessible.
- Sandisk support confirmed the SSD had failed and advised a replacement, but offered no data recovery options.
- The SSD contained 10 years of critical work data, including architectural project files, CAD drawings, and client reports.
- A local computer repair shop attempted recovery but was unsuccessful.
- No backup was available, making professional SSD data recovery essential.
Since SSDs that are not detected in BIOS typically suffer from NAND corruption, controller failure, or firmware corruption, advanced forensic recovery techniques were required.
Our Expertise in Sony Vaio SSD Data Recovery
With 25 years of experience, Birmingham Data Recovery specializes in:
✔ Recovering data from failed and undetected SSDs
✔ Forensic-level NAND chip recovery and SSD firmware restoration
✔ Using advanced tools like Acelabs PC3000 Portable SSD, Atola Insight Forensic, and DFL-SRP
Diagnosis & Recovery Process
Upon receiving the Sony Vaio’s Sandisk 1TB SSD, our engineers conducted a detailed forensic assessment. The key findings included:
- The SSD controller had failed, preventing communication between the NAND memory and BIOS.
- Firmware corruption had caused the drive to enter “safe mode”, making it undetectable.
- The NAND flash memory was intact, meaning data recovery was possible.
To successfully recover the client’s architectural project files, we implemented a multi-step forensic SSD recovery strategy:
Step 1: SSD Firmware Repair & Controller Initialisation
- Used Acelabs PC3000 Portable SSD Edition to access the SSD’s firmware.
- Repaired firmware corruption and restored controller functionality.
- Successfully reinitialized the SSD, allowing it to be detected with the correct 1TB capacity.
Step 2: NAND Chip Dump & Direct Data Extraction
- Used NAND chip-off techniques and Direct Flash Translation Layer (FTL) reconstruction.
- Extracted raw NAND data and manually rebuilt the SSD’s logical structure.
Step 3: File System Repair & Data Recovery
- Repaired damaged NTFS file system metadata to restore missing folders.
- Extracted and validated all critical CAD drawings, architectural plans, and business reports.
Step 4: Data Validation & Secure Transfer
- Manually verified all recovered files for integrity and usability.
- Successfully transferred the restored data to a secure external SSD, formatted for client use.
- Provided guidance on SSD maintenance, firmware updates, and data backup best practices.
The Result
We successfully recovered 99.7% of the client’s lost data, including:
✅ CAD files, blueprints, and architectural designs
✅ Client reports, work documentation, and 3D renderings
✅ Archived emails, contracts, and financial records
The client was able to retrieve all essential work files and continue their architectural projects without data loss.
Why Choose Birmingham Data Recovery for Sony Vaio SSD Recovery?
✅ 25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in SSD failure and NAND chip recovery.
✅ Forensic-Level SSD Restoration – Recovering data from controller and firmware failures.
✅ Fast & Reliable Service – Trusted by architects, engineers, and professionals for 25 years.
If your Sony Vaio’s Sandisk SSD is not detected by BIOS or the operating system, contact Birmingham Data Recovery today for expert SSD data recovery services!