Lenovo Legion laptops are known for high performance and reliability, making them popular among students, researchers, and professionals. However, when a Crucial 5TB SSD suddenly disappears from File Explorer and Disk Management, it often indicates firmware corruption, connection failure, or NAND chip degradation, making critical data inaccessible.
This case study details how we successfully recovered research data for a student at Leeds University after their Lenovo Legion laptop failed to detect the SSD.
As Leeds Data Recovery, with 25 years of experience, we used firmware repair, NAND chip extraction, and deep file system reconstruction techniques to restore lost research files.
The Challenge: SSD Missing from File Explorer & Not Recognised by OS
A university student contacted us after their Lenovo Legion laptop failed to detect the SSD, with the following issues:
- Windows no longer displayed the SSD in File Explorer.
- Disk Management showed the SSD as “Unallocated” or not initialized.
- BIOS occasionally detected the drive, but it was unreadable.
- The SSD contained critical research data and thesis materials.
Since reformatting the drive would erase all data, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the Crucial 5TB SSD from the Lenovo Legion laptop arrived at our cleanroom facility, we conducted a full hardware and NAND-level diagnostic. Our findings:
- Firmware corruption – Preventing the SSD from being properly initialized.
- Power regulation issues – The SSD intermittently failed to receive stable power.
- File system corruption (NTFS/EXT4) – Making stored data unreadable.
Since standard recovery software cannot access firmware-damaged SSDs, we needed to use chip-off NAND extraction techniques.
The Recovery Process
1. Repairing SSD Firmware & Power Issues
To attempt direct SSD recovery, we:
- Stabilised power delivery by repairing voltage regulators.
- Flashed a compatible firmware version to restore SSD initialization.
2. Extracting Data from NAND Flash Chips
Since the SSD’s firmware remained unstable, we:
- Used chip-off NAND recovery methods to access raw storage.
- Reconstructed the SSD’s file system from extracted NAND data.
3. Verifying & Restoring University Research Data
Once data extraction was complete, we:
- Checked all recovered thesis materials and research files for integrity.
- Repaired damaged documents, spreadsheets, and datasets.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external SSD.
The Results: 99% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our firmware repair and NAND chip extraction techniques, we successfully recovered 99% of the student’s lost research data, including:
✅ Thesis drafts, academic papers, and lecture notes
✅ Research datasets, analysis spreadsheets, and project materials
✅ Scientific publications, PDFs, and presentation files
The student was able to continue their research and submit their work on time, avoiding academic setbacks.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful recoveries, we are the leading SSD data recovery specialists in Leeds and the UK. Our expertise includes:
✔ SSD firmware corruption repair & NAND chip data recovery
✔ Lenovo Legion BIOS detection issues & SSD troubleshooting
✔ File system repair & research data retrieval
✔ Secure & confidential student & academic file recovery
If your SSD is not being recognized by Windows, missing from File Explorer, or failing to initialize, stop further attempts and contact us immediately for professional SSD data recovery.