We recover data from SSD and NVMe drives after sudden death, when a drive is not detected, disappears after a restart or has switched to read-only mode. We read the controller and NAND chips outside the system, perform chip-off and rebuild the FTL translator. 2.5" SATA SSDs, mSATA, M.2 SATA and NVMe/PCIe — Samsung, WD, Crucial, Kingston, Goodram. Watch out for TRIM — the sooner you stop using the drive, the better your chances. Warsaw laboratory in Praga-Południe and courier from all over Poland.
Can't see your drive on the list? Call and ask — we also recover data from SSDs soldered into laptops and MacBooks, and we assess the chances after diagnosis.
An SSD doesn't click like a spinning drive — but it can die suddenly, disappear after a restart or switch to read-only mode. Below are the most common symptoms and what usually lies behind them. We confirm the cause with a free diagnosis, and you only pay for the work after a successful recovery.
Typical causes: a failed controller or NAND-chip power supply — the drive vanishes from the BIOS and the system overnight, even though it worked fine without warning.
Media damage symptoms — when to bring it in for service
Typical causes: a degrading controller or a firmware error — the SSD is visible one moment, gone the next, gets lost after waking up or reports zero capacity. It's a sign the drive is dying.
Don't count on it “fixing itself” — back up immediately or send it in for a diagnosis.
Typical causes: the SSD has exhausted its reserve of spare cells or the firmware has switched the drive into a protective mode — you can read the data but can't write anything. Paradoxically, this is the best moment for recovery.
We clone the drive in read-only mode before the controller locks it completely.
Typical causes: a damaged FTL translator or mapping table — the drive shows up as a few MB, with an unknown capacity or in safe mode (safe / panic mode). The data is there, but the controller can't lay it out.
We rebuild the FTL translator and read the data directly from the NAND chips.
Typical causes: an accidental format, a deleted partition, deleted files, a RAW partition. On an SSD, TRIM is critical — after deletion the controller physically erases the cells, often irreversibly. Time matters.
Switch the drive off immediately and don't write anything to it — every minute of use reduces your chances.
Typical causes: an SSD soldered into a laptop or MacBook board (monolith), OPAL hardware encryption or BitLocker. The drive is physically sound, but the data can't be read in the standard way.
We perform chip-off where the data in the chips isn't tied to the controller. With encryption we first try to revive the controller, and a key or password is required. In MacBooks with T2 or Apple M chips, a working chip is a condition, and with FileVault also the password or recovery key.
Recognise the symptom? Switch the drive off and book a free diagnosis — we'll check it and give you a price before recovery.
An SSD has no platters or heads — it has a controller, an FTL translator and NAND memory chips. That's why we diagnose its failures differently from spinning drives. During the free diagnosis we determine whether the problem is logical, lies in the controller and firmware, or whether we need to go all the way down to the NAND chips themselves.
On an SSD the key question is: does the controller still understand its own data?
The controller translates physical NAND cells into logical sectors (the FTL translator) and spreads data across the whole drive (wear levelling). When the controller or firmware fails, the data is still in the chips — but arranged so that the system can't read it. We then rebuild the translator or, where the drive's design and encryption allow it, desolder the NAND chips and reassemble the data from raw dumps. Below we describe each class of failure.
What happens: the drive is working, but the data has gone — after a format, a deleted partition, deleted files, a RAW partition. On an SSD, TRIM is active and physically erases cells after deletion, often irreversibly.
How we recover it: we create a drive image and reconstruct the file structure — but only for as long as TRIM hasn't wiped the cells. That's why an SSD must be handed in as soon as possible and nothing written to it.
What happens: a damaged controller or power section — the SSD vanishes from the BIOS overnight, is not detected or appears and disappears after a restart. A typical “sudden death” of an SSD.
How we recover it: we repair the NAND-chip power supply, enter the controller's technological mode, and when that isn't enough — we move on to reading the NAND chips (chip-off).
What happens: a damaged FTL translator or mapping tables — the drive shows up as a few MB, with an unknown capacity or in safe mode (safe / panic mode). The data is there, but the controller can't lay it out.
How we recover it: we rebuild the FTL translator on technological hardware and read the correct data area, bypassing the damaged firmware modules.
What happens: the controller is beyond saving or the SSD is soldered into the board (monolith). Chip-off makes sense where the data in the chips isn't tied to the controller. With hardware encryption we first try to revive the controller. In MacBooks with T2 or Apple M chips, a working chip is a condition, and with FileVault also the password or recovery key.
How we recover it: we desolder the NAND chips, dump their raw contents, then reassemble the data by reversing the wear levelling, where the drive's design and encryption allow it. On some SSDs, controller damage and loss of the encryption key can make data recovery permanently impossible. We assess the chances after diagnosing the specific drive.
We always confirm the failure class and the chances of recovery during the free diagnosis — only then do we give you a price. You only pay for the work after a successful recovery.
Full transparency at every stage. The diagnosis is free, you learn the price before recovery, and you only pay for the work after a successful recovery.
Call or order a 24h courier. Switch the drive off and don't leave it plugged in (TRIM). Describe the symptoms — sudden death, read-only, format. Bring it to Praga-Południe or send it from anywhere in Poland.
Free of charge we determine the failure class — logical, controller, firmware/FTL or NAND chips — and assess the realistic chances of recovery. We read the drive outside the system, on technological equipment.
We give you a specific cost and a list of what can be recovered — with no hidden fees: the courier and a new medium are charged separately. You decide whether we proceed. Cancelling costs nothing beyond the courier, if the drive came by post.
We rebuild the FTL translator or perform chip-off of the NAND chips, show you a file list to verify and hand over the data on your medium or a new one, charged separately. You only pay for the work after a successful recovery. VAT invoice.
We take in SSD and NVMe drives from across the European Union. Inside the Union the parcel clears no customs and carries no duties, and your files stay within the GDPR area the whole time. Contact us first with the model and the symptoms — we reply in English the same business day and tell you honestly whether shipping is worth it before you pay for transport.
An SSD runs processes you can't see: TRIM and garbage collection can wipe data in the background, and encryption can make it unreadable. That's why with an SSD, time and what you do NOT do to the drive both matter. We'd rather say it plainly than promise the impossible.
And if the data can't be recovered? With an SSD this does happen — after a secure erase, when TRIM has cleared the cells, or with encryption without a key. We'll tell you plainly at the diagnosis stage, which you don't pay for. With us, you only pay for the work after a successful recovery — we don't charge a labour fee for a failed attempt. The courier and a new medium are charged separately.
SSD data recovery calls for a different skill set than spinning drives — working with the controller, the FTL translator and the NAND chips. Plus clear rules: an honest quote, confidentiality and payment for the work only after a successful recovery.
We determine the SSD's failure class and the realistic chances of recovery — free of charge. You learn the price before any work, and if you cancel, you don't pay just for the check.
We settle up for the work only after a successful recovery. We don't charge a labour fee for a failed attempt. The courier and a new medium are charged separately.
When the controller fails and the drive's design and encryption allow it, we desolder the NAND chips, dump their contents and reassemble the data by reversing the wear levelling.
We work in an area isolated from the public network. On request we sign a confidentiality clause, and once we've handed over the data we erase it irreversibly from our media.
We issue VAT invoices. We serve companies, law firms, accounting offices and institutions — and for urgent business cases we offer an express mode.
SATA, mSATA, M.2 and NVMe, drives soldered into laptops and MacBooks. With OPAL and BitLocker encryption a key or password is required, and we assess the chances after diagnosing the specific drive.
We issue VAT invoices — CSE Poland Sp. z o.o., NIP 113-310-78-61. We serve both individual and business customers. The free diagnosis applies to standard data recovery jobs.
An indicative price list by failure class. We give you the exact price after the free diagnosis — and you only pay for the work after a successful recovery.
The amounts shown are indicative — the cost depends on the drive's capacity, the controller type, the number of NAND chips and encryption. The diagnosis is always Free, you learn the price before recovery, and you only pay for the work after a successful recovery. The courier and a new medium are charged separately.
We've gathered answers to the questions we hear most often from people with a failed SSD. Couldn't find your answer?
Call: +48 512 800 030Data recovery from SSD and NVMe drives in Warsaw is handled by CSE Poland — an electronics service in Praga-Południe (Al. Stanów Zjednoczonych 72/13A, by the Galeria Wiatraczna). We read the controller and NAND chips, rebuild the FTL translator and perform chip-off. We accept drives in person and by courier from all over Poland. Call: 512 800 030.
The most important thing with an SSD: switch the drive off immediately and don't write anything to it — TRIM and background processes can erase the data irreversibly. Don't run recovery software or secure erase. Disconnect the drive and bring it in for a diagnosis — we read the SSD outside the system, rebuild the FTL translator and, when necessary, desolder the NAND chips (chip-off).
The price depends on the failure class. As a guide: logical recovery (format, TRIM, deleted files) from PLN 400, controller failure from PLN 600, firmware or FTL translator failure from PLN 900, and chip-off with NAND chip reads PLN 1,200–4,500. The diagnosis and quote are free, and you only pay for the work after a successful recovery. We give you the exact price after the diagnosis.
Sometimes, but the outcome depends on TRIM, the drive type and time — after formatting or deletion the controller may clear the cells in the background, sometimes irreversibly. The sooner you switch the drive off and write nothing to it, the better your chances of recovery. We'll assess the realistic odds during the free diagnosis.
The cause may be firmware, the controller, the memory or the power supply. Don't update the firmware, don't do a secure erase or a reset — that often ends in data loss. Disconnect the drive and call: 512 800 030. We read such SSDs outside the system, in the controller's technological mode, and if needed by the chip-off method.
Yes. We handle SSDs in every format: 2.5" SATA, mSATA, M.2 SATA and M.2 NVMe/PCIe, as well as drives soldered into laptops and MacBooks. In MacBooks with T2 or Apple M chips, a working chip is a condition, and with FileVault also the password or recovery key. Brands Samsung, WD, Crucial, Kingston, Goodram, SanDisk, Kioxia and others. The diagnosis is free.
On some SSDs, controller damage and loss of the encryption key can make data recovery permanently impossible. We assess the chances after diagnosing the specific drive. With BitLocker or OPAL a recovery key or password is required, so if you have it, have it ready before handing over the drive.
Yes. We work in an area isolated from the public network, on request we sign a confidentiality clause, and once we've handed over the recovered data we erase it irreversibly from our media. CSE Poland Sp. z o.o. (NIP 113-310-78-61) issues VAT invoices — we serve companies, law firms, accounting offices and institutions.
Call or order a courier. The diagnosis and quote are free, and you only pay for the work after a successful recovery. Come to Praga-Południe or send your SSD from anywhere in Poland — 24h courier.
