If you are having issues with your solid state drive (SSD), there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take to diagnose and potentially resolve the problem yourself before taking more drastic measures like reformatting or replacing the drive.
Quick Overview of SSD Troubleshooting
Here is a quick overview of the common troubleshooting steps for an SSD:
- Check your SSD’s health using disk utility tools
- Update SSD firmware
- Run chkdsk to check for file system errors
- Check SSD cables and connections
- Test with a different SATA port/cable if possible
- Update SSD drivers
- Secure erase SSD to reset it
- Check for overheating issues
- Try a different computer if the issue persists
Check SSD Health With Disk Utilities
The first step in any SSD troubleshooting is to analyze the health of the drive using your operating system’s disk utilities. This will give you an overview of read/write errors, bad sectors, temperature, and other critical specs.
On Windows, open the Disk Management utility. On MacOS, grab Disk Utility. There are also third party utilities like Hard Disk Sentinel that provide more in-depth SMART drive diagnostics and health monitoring.
Pay attention to the drive’s health status, reallocated sector count, temperature, and any read/write errors. If the SSD has a high reallocated sector count or excessive read/write errors, it likely has bad blocks and needs replacing soon.
Update SSD Firmware
It’s a good idea to make sure your SSD is running the latest firmware. Manufacturers release firmware updates to fix bugs, optimize performance, and improve the SSD’s long term reliability.
To update, you’ll need to get the latest firmware ISO file for your specific SSD model from the manufacturer’s website. The process varies a bit between manufacturers, but usually involves creating bootable media from the ISO, booting into the update app, and flashing the firmware. Refer to your SSD vendor’s instructions.
Firmware updates carry a small risk of bricking the drive if interrupted, so only flash a new firmware if you are having issues or see a new version is available.
Run CHKDSK to Check for File System Errors
Corrupted files, bad sectors, or file system errors on your SSD can sometimes be fixed by running the CHKDSK utility in Windows. This scans the drive for logical errors and attempts to repair them.
To run CHKDSK, hit Start, type “cmd” to open the command prompt as admin, then type:
chkdsk C: /f
Replace C: with your SSD drive letter if different. The /f flag tells CHKDSK to fix any errors it encounters. Let the utility run – it may take a while on a larger SSD. When finished, reboot your computer and see if performance has improved.
Check SSD Connections and Cables
If your SSD is not being detected or showing other aberrant behavior, one of the first troubleshooting steps is to check it is seated properly and all cables are tightly connected.
Remove the SSD and reseat it in the M.2 slot or SATA port, pressing down firmly to create a tight connection. Inspect the SATA data and power cables for any damaged pins or loose connections. Swap out cables if you have spares to test.
For M.2 NVMe drives, inspect the notch keys and ensure they are properly aligned with the slot. A loose M.2 screw can also cause connectivity issues.
Try Testing With a Different SATA Port and Cable
To rule out a faulty SATA port or cable, try moving your SATA SSD to another SATA port and cable if available in your PC.
Power down, disconnect all cables from the SSD, reconnect it to a different open SATA port using a different SATA cable, then boot up again to see if the SSD is now detected properly without issues.
If the SSD works normally when connected to different SATA ports/cables, the problem lies with the original port or cable. Replace any suspect cables.
Update SSD Drivers
Outdated, corrupt, or missing drivers can sometimes cause SSD issues in Windows. It’s worth updating your storage drivers and chipset drivers to the latest available versions.
To update your SSD drivers in Windows, open Device Manager, expand the Disk drives section, right click your SSD, and select Update driver. This will search and install the latest driver for your storage device.
You can also try uninstalling the SSD device from Device Manager then scanning for hardware changes to freshly reinstall the drivers.
Getting drivers directly from your SSD or motherboard manufacturer’s website is another option if the default Windows update doesn’t install the most recent release.
Secure Erase SSD to Reset It
If your SSD is still misbehaving or running slowly after troubleshooting, doing a secure erase can reset the SSD to a fresh out-of-box state which may resolve software issues.
This works by overwriting all user data on the disk with zeros. It will wipe your SSD completely, so make sure you have backups!
Tools like Parted Magic have a simplified option to securely erase SSDs. Some SSD manufacturers also include secure erase in their management software suite.
You’ll then need to repartition your SSD and reinstall the OS from scratch after secure erasing.
Check for Overheating Issues
SSDs can suffer performance issues or throttling if they overheat. This is especially common for M.2 SSDs in laptops where cooling is limited.
Check your SSD’s current temperature in the disk utility software. If it’s running above 70°C under load that is considered overheating territory.
Improving case airflow, reseating/relocating the SSD, applying new thermal paste or pads, and undervolting can help drop temperatures if overheating is detected.
Test SSD in Another Computer
If you still can’t resolve the SSD issue with the above troubleshooting, try installing the SSD in another computer if possible. This will confirm whether the problem is with the SSD itself or something on your PC.
Use an external M.2 enclosure or SATA adapter to connect the SSD to another system. Check if the SSD is recognized properly without issues on the second computer.
If the SSD works fine on another PC, the issue lies with your original system’s configuration or hardware. If it still fails on other PCs, it points to a faulty SSD.
Troubleshooting SSD FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about diagnosing common SSD problems:
Why is my SSD suddenly very slow?
An SSD running slower than expected is usually caused by outdated firmware, overheating, file system errors, or too little free space. Update firmware, check temps, run CHKDSK, and free up space.
My SSD is recognized but doesn’t show total capacity – why?
This points to a partition issue. Open Disk Management in Windows or Disk Utility on a Mac to check the drive partitioning. You may need to delete and recreate partitions to resolve it.
Why does my SSD have less space than advertised capacity?
SSD capacities advertised are in decimal units (1 GB = 1 billion bytes). But operating systems show capacity in binary units (1 GiB = 2^30 bytes). So a 256GB SSD shows ~238GiB in Windows.
How can I tell if my SSD is dying or faulty?
Frequent Blue Screens of Death, bad sectors, 0% disk life remaining, and read/write errors in SMART tests indicate a faulty, dying SSD.
Can faulty RAM cause SSD problems?
Yes, RAM issues can sometimes manifest as storage problems like crashes, slowness, or corrupted data. Test your RAM with Memtest86+ to rule it out.
My SSD passes diagnostics but is still slow – what now?
With no obvious hardware faults, storage driver conflicts, Windows updates, malware, or software misconfiguration could be slowing your SSD. Troubleshoot those as potential issues.
When to Replace an SSD
Replacing your SSD may be necessary if it is exhibiting multiple SMART errors, reallocated sectors are high, 0% disk life shows in utilities, or read/write speeds have significantly deteriorated.
An SSD replacement should also fix issues like bad sectors, failed firmware updates, or unresponsive drives that cannot be restored with troubleshooting.
Before replacing, try these last ditch troubleshooting steps to recover a problematic SSD:
- Secure erase then repartition SSD
- Update BIOS/UEFI and chipset firmware
- Remount SSD in different slot or PC
- Try alternative SATA ports and cables
If an SSD still misbehaves or has degraded performance after exhausting software troubleshooting, physical replacement is the definitive solution.
Conclusion
Troubleshooting SSD issues properly can help extend the drive’s lifespan and avoid unnecessary replacements. Use disk utilities to monitor SSD health statistics and err on replacing drives once multiple SMART errors emerge.
Updating firmware, checking connections, scanning for file system errors, and monitoring thermals are good first steps before attempting more complex software troubleshooting. Backup valuable data in case low level secure erasing or full formatting becomes necessary.
In most cases, common SSD problems can be resolved with basic troubleshooting steps. But hardware failures or end of life degradation will ultimately require an SSD replacement when performance drops too low.