How to recognize a faulty SSD

Are you worried that the SSD will malfunction or suddenly fail, causing all the data inside to be lost? Pay attention to the signs below to promptly recognize a faulty SSD and find a way to fix it early.

Signs of a faulty SSD

How does SSD fail?

Unlike HDDs, there is no physical disk moving around in an SSD, so it is immune to legacy disk errors. However, SSDs need a capacitor and a power supply, so they are susceptible to malfunctions, especially when there is a sudden power outage. In fact, when there is a power outage, it is very easy for SSDs to lose existing data, even if the drive itself is not completely defective.

Another problem that can occur with SSDs is that they have limited read/write cycles - typical of all types of flash memory.

However, you don't need to worry too much because the lifespan of SSDs is quite long, even in today's computers, they have less read/write problems than old drives.

One thing you need to remember is that read/write cycles can affect the ability to write data to the SSD. You can still read data so you can still retrieve them. Therefore, knowing when an SSD is about to fail or needs to be replaced is always very important.

How to check if the SSD hard drive is faulty

A constantly beeping HDD is an easy way to tell if the hard drive is failing. However, SSDs are different. It doesn't make any noise, so it's hard to tell when a problem appears.

The simplest, most reliable way to tell if an SSD is faulty is to install software that tests and silently monitors it, such as CrystalDiskMark for Windows, Smart Reporter Lite for macOS, and Hard Disk Sentinel for Linux.

In addition, some of the following signs also warn that the SSD is having problems:

Error related to bad blocks

Bad block on SSD drive

This situation usually occurs when the computer tries to read or save a file but it takes too long to respond and ends in failure, so the system ends up giving an error message.

Common symptoms of bad masses include:

• Cannot read or write data to the hard drive.
• PC/system files need to be repaired.
• Freeze active applications.
• Errors occur frequently when moving files.
• The system runs slowly, especially when accessing large files.

When you see these signs, it's best to run drive monitoring software to check if it's having any problems. If so, back up your data immediately and replace the SSD with a new one.

Cannot read or write file

Notice unable to read or write data

Bad blocks can affect files in two ways:

• The system detects bad blocks when writing data to the drive so it refuses to write them.
• The system detects bad blocks after writing the data but refuses to read them.

In the first case, the data has not been written yet so it is not lost. The system will usually resolve this problem automatically. If not, you can fix it by saving the file to another location or copying it to the cloud, restarting the computer, and then saving it back to the drive.

In the second case, unfortunately, you cannot get the data back easily. You can try several methods to recover data from a failed SSD but don't get your hopes up too much. Bad blocks always think that any loss of data inside them is a good thing.

System files need to be repaired

PC message needs to be fixed

This problem sometimes occurs simply because you did not close the computer properly. However, it can also be a sign that bad blocks are growing on the SSD or there is a problem with the connection port. Fortunately, solving this problem is easy with the built-in corrupt file system repair tool on Windows, macOS, and Linux. You just need to follow the instructions provided by the operating system.

In addition to the three errors mentioned above, when you see a continuous error when booting the computer or the drive can only be read, that is also a sign that the SSD needs to be replaced soon.

Suggestions on how to increase the lifespan of SSD

• Make sure your PC stays cool and avoid overheating.
• Avoid sudden power interruptions and ensure a stable power source.
• Increase the storage capacity on the SSD so it can move data away from bad blocks.