Acer laptops are widely used by students, professionals, and businesses due to their reliability and performance. However, when a WD SSD is not recognized by the operating system, it often indicates firmware corruption, file system damage, or NAND degradation, making stored data inaccessible.
This case study details how we successfully recovered critical school project files for a student in Guildford from a WD SSD inside an Acer laptop, after the drive disappeared from File Explorer.
As Guildford Data Recovery, Surrey’s oldest and best data recovery company, we have 25 years of experience using chip-level SSD recovery, firmware repair, and deep forensic data extraction techniques to restore lost files securely.
WD SSD Missing from File Explorer & Not Recognised by OS
A Guildford-based A-Level student contacted us after their Acer laptop stopped recognizing the WD SSD, with the following issues:
- The SSD was no longer visible in File Explorer.
- Windows Disk Management detected the SSD but showed it as “Unallocated.”
- The BIOS sometimes recognized the drive, but Windows failed to mount it.
- The SSD contained important coursework and research needed for an upcoming A-Level submission.
Since continuing to use a failing SSD can cause further data corruption, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the WD SSD from the Acer laptop arrived at our secure cleanroom facility, we conducted a full hardware and firmware diagnostic. Our findings:
- Firmware corruption – Preventing the SSD from properly initializing.
- File system corruption (NTFS issues) – The drive’s partition table was unreadable.
- No physical NAND damage detected, meaning logical recovery was possible through firmware repair and sector cloning.
Since a corrupted SSD controller can prevent recovery through standard software, we prioritised chip-level SSD repair and non-intrusive data extraction.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the SSD to Prevent Further Data Loss
To preserve all recoverable data, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the WD SSD.
- Used specialized tools to extract readable sectors while bypassing bad areas.
2. Repairing the Firmware & Restoring Partition Structure
Since the SSD firmware was preventing proper recognition, we:
- Repaired the corrupted firmware using manufacturer-specific SSD recovery tools.
- Rebuilt the Master Boot Record (MBR) and GPT partition tables.
3. Extracting & Verifying School Project Data
Once the SSD was accessible, we:
- Recovered all lost coursework, research files, and school documents.
- Restored folder structures exactly as they were before failure.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external backup device.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our firmware repair and partition recovery techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the student’s lost files, including:
✅ Word documents, research papers, and spreadsheets
✅ Presentations, project files, and notes
✅ Organized folder structures restored for easy access
The student was able to submit their coursework on time, avoiding academic penalties.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful SSD recoveries, we are England’s leading Acer laptop data recovery specialists. Our expertise includes:
✔ WD SSD firmware repair & partition table reconstruction
✔ SSD data extraction from corrupted file systems
✔ A-Level coursework, research papers, and project file recovery
✔ Secure & confidential data recovery services
If your SSD is not being detected, showing as unallocated, or preventing access to critical school files, stop using it immediately and contact us for expert SSD data recovery.