Specialist assessment for failed or inaccessible M.2 and other PCIe/NVMe solid-state drives, including devices that are not detected, show the wrong capacity, disconnect, overheat or prevent a computer from booting.
Do not initialise or keep power-cycling the SSD
Do not initialise, format, secure-erase or reinstall an operating system onto the affected NVMe drive. Repeated power cycles and uncontrolled read attempts can worsen unstable controller, firmware or NAND faults. Remove power if the drive becomes unusually hot.
NVMe failure types
Controller and firmware faults
The drive may disappear, remain busy, identify incorrectly or fail while translating logical addresses to physical NAND locations.
Electrical and power faults
Short circuits, failed power-management components and damage caused by incorrect adapters or host faults can prevent detection.
NAND degradation
Uncorrectable errors, weak memory cells and damaged internal metadata can make sectors unreadable or destabilise the controller.
Why NVMe recovery differs from hard-drive recovery
An NVMe SSD has no mechanical heads or platters. It depends on a controller, firmware, volatile and non-volatile metadata, error correction, wear levelling and a translation layer spread across multiple NAND dies. A failed controller cannot always be replaced like a simple circuit board, and direct NAND extraction may not recreate usable data when encryption or controller-specific transformations are involved.
TRIM, encryption and deleted data
TRIM can allow an SSD to erase blocks that the operating system no longer considers in use. Once that process has completed, deleted or formatted data may no longer be recoverable. Hardware encryption, BitLocker, FileVault and device-specific encryption can also require the original key, password or system state. We assess what remains accessible rather than promising recovery from every deletion or format.
Assessment process
- Record the exact manufacturer, model, capacity, host device and symptoms.
- Check power rails, physical condition, identification and controller behaviour.
- Determine whether controlled access, firmware-level work, electrical repair or another method is feasible.
- Provide a written quote and identify encryption or credential requirements.
- Image readable data to stable media and reconstruct the file system or requested files.
Supported formats
We assess common M.2 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280 NVMe devices, selected proprietary modules and NVMe storage removed from compatible computers. Support varies by controller, NAND, firmware, encryption and physical condition. An M.2 connector does not automatically mean a drive is NVMe; some M.2 drives use SATA and are covered by our SATA SSD recovery service.
Frequently asked questions
Can an NVMe SSD be recovered if it is not detected?
Sometimes. Detection failure can have several causes, from a host or power issue to controller, firmware or NAND failure. The exact device must be diagnosed.
Can you recover files after a quick format?
Possibly, but TRIM and encryption can make post-format recovery impossible even when the format was quick. Stop using the drive immediately.
Will putting the SSD in another enclosure help?
It may help rule out a host problem, but repeated testing with incompatible or low-quality adapters can create risk. Do not continue if the drive overheats or disconnects.
Send a failed NVMe SSD for assessment
Tell us what happened, what device you have and which files matter most. We will provide packing instructions for a tracked mail-in case or arrange a Timaru drop-off.
Submitting an enquiry does not authorise paid recovery work. Any applicable assessment, parts, media, courier or recovery charges are explained before you approve them.