PC-3000 SSD. Beyond TRIM: QUMO SSD SM2259XT| Part 1
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PC-3000 SSD. Beyond TRIM: QUMO SSD SM2259XT| Part 1
Formatted SATA SSD Recovery: Understanding the Challenge
Recovering data from a formatted SSD is one of the most complex tasks in data recovery today. This complexity arises not from traditional file deletion methods, but from the advanced functions built into SSDs to maintain performance and long life.
At the heart of this challenge are two key components working in tandem: the TRIM command from the operating system and the SSD’s internal Garbage Collector.
We know that NAND memory chips can write and read information extremely fast. But REWRITING is going to be extremely slow because the NAND memory has to:
Find the place where to write new data
Erase the old data (fill the NAND cells with zeros)
Make a writing operation
Thus, unnecessary read and erase operations reduce SSD performance and increase SSD wear. This phenomenon is known as write performance degradation to garbage accumulation.
To solve this, SSD manufacturers implement a TRIM command – garbage collector which in the background erases all data that was marked as deleted. It helps to save time in the future, when the user will decide to write new data on the place which was already TRIMed and cleaned.
How Drives with TRIM Manage Data?
The SSD controller marks the data in these blocks as invalid in its internal table
The controller’s background task (Garbage Collection) at a convenient, unoccupied time:
Finds blocks with a large amount of invalid data
Copies the remaining valid data to a new clean block
Physically erases the entire old block, preparing it for future fast writing
NOTE: TRIM does not erase data instantly! It only lets the controller know that this data can be erased. The actual erasing occurs later, in the background, as part of the Garbage Collection process.
Time and usage are critical factors: the longer a formatted SSD remains in use and the more new data is written to it, the lower the chances become for a successful recovery of the original files.
Sometimes an SSD can do something even easier – in the case of “quick formatting,” the SSD simply erases the translator – the main firmware that addresses physical sectors logically. As a result, the SSD returns only ZEROS when attempting to read any data from it.
Until recently, recovering formatted or deleted data from SSDs was considered impossible. Now, with the latest PC-3000 software updates, ACE Lab engineers have achieved a breakthrough by developing a method to revert to previous versions of the SSD’s internal translator.
This option allows access to previously deleted data and even restores the complete file structure of previous versions of the translator.
Another unique feature of this method is that we can not only manually manage file versions, but also use an automatic selection algorithm. It will show the file system that was current at the time before formatting.
Currently, this capability is available for drives based on Phison, Silicon Motion and Maxio controllers, as accessing these translator versions requires entering the drive’s specialized technological mode.
Support for additional controllers is actively being developed and expanded.
The solution will be demonstrated on the PC-3000 Portable PRO 7.7.21 software update.
For practice we will take a formatted QUMO SSD drive based on the SM2259XT SATA controller. The current drive was formatted by Quick Format operation.
Let’s move on to DE and check what we can find there. As you can see in the screenshots below, there are a few folders on the drive with new metadata that appeared after formatting.
We can’t even find any useful data when recovering RAW, it’s hidden on a Translator’s level; only file system structures and metadata records are displayed. PC-3000 SSD. Beyond TRIM: QUMO SSD SM2259XT| Part 1
In this case, our main goal is to find data that was written to the drive before formatting.
The start of the recovery procedure is the same as when working with any supported SSD. The next steps differ in the Data Extractor (DE).
To access the data we need to:
Find and launch a compatible utility. SM2259XT is a universal controller, so you can choose any vendor from the list or simply work through the controller list menu
Upload the loader from the list. In the current case the needed loader matches with the internal drive’s firmware
PC-3000 SSD. Beyond TRIM: QUMO SSD SM2259XT| Part 1
Thanks to the newest update the utility now gives you access to all past versions of the translator tables, not just the most recent one. This is crucial because after a drive is formatted, the latest translator is often empty – while the older versions still hold the actual user data we’re trying to recover.
After the translator is created, we need to follow the DE to create a task based on the PC-3000 utility. In DE, we get the same situation on the main partition. Only the latest version of the file system is displayed. PC-3000 SSD. Beyond TRIM: QUMO SSD SM2259XT| Part 1
Right-click on the drive – Working with the utility – Add drive with access “by physics”
Now we can scan the RAW recovery on this drive to try to find content from previous versions of the translator. But for most users, this result won’t be enough.
If we want to build a previous version of the file structure and be able to manage file versions, we need to add another virtual disk with translations and versions.
Follow these steps:
Working with the utility (on the PBA based virtual drive) – Add drive with translation and versions.
Now we get one more virtual drive, but this time we already have the access to manage the versions of the MBR, BOOT, ROOT etc. You can view and work with these versions using the “Edit” menu in the utility.
PC-3000 SSD. Beyond TRIM: QUMO SSD SM2259XT| Part 1
We are mainly interested in the “selection versions of metadata” option. This is an automatic algorithm that uses the latest active versions of files and folders that are still physically stored on the SSD to build a virtual file structure.
If we still cannot see the previously recorded data, we need to perform the data analysis option – “scan MFT”.
We can use “headers control” to locate and assess damaged data. If any folders or files are highlighted in red, we can try applying a different version (when available) to repair that specific item.
If none of the available versions resolve the issue, it indicates the file or folder contains bit errors or has already been partially affected by the TRIM process.
Please, note that even after retrieving data you may encounter files containing parts that have already been trimmed by SSD.
This method enables the recovery of data from formatted SSD. Combining the automatic algorithm with manual adjustments for other problematic files can produce great recovery outcomes.
Document used from Acelabs website as reference to our partnership with them
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