Asus laptops are widely used by professionals, content creators, and game designers for their high-performance computing. However, when an M.2 SSD suddenly fails without warning, it often indicates NAND flash memory degradation, firmware corruption, or power regulation failure, making stored data inaccessible.
This case study details how we successfully recovered critical game design files for a video game developer working for Epic Games (Fortnite) from a Crucial M.2 SSD inside an Asus laptop, after a sudden SSD failure prevented the system from booting.
As Guildford Data Recovery, Surrey’s oldest and best data recovery company, we have 25 years of experience using chip-off NAND recovery, firmware repair, and advanced SSD forensic techniques to restore lost data securely.
Crucial M.2 SSD Sudden Failure & No Boot
A Guildford-based game designer contacted us after their Asus laptop stopped recognizing the Crucial M.2 SSD, with the following issues:
- The laptop failed to boot, showing “No Bootable Device Found.”
- The SSD was no longer detected in BIOS or Disk Management.
- Attempts to access the SSD through external adapters failed.
- The drive contained critical Fortnite game design files, project assets, and source code.
Since SSD failures can be caused by NAND chip degradation or firmware corruption, an immediate professional recovery solution was required to prevent permanent data loss.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the Crucial M.2 SSD from the Asus laptop arrived at our secure cleanroom facility, we conducted a full hardware and firmware diagnostic. Our findings:
- Power regulation failure in the SSD controller – Preventing proper drive initialization.
- No visible physical damage, increasing the chances of full data recovery.
- Corrupt firmware preventing NAND chip communication, meaning manual chip-level recovery was required.
Since SSD failures can make data completely inaccessible, we prioritized chip-off NAND extraction and firmware repair.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the SSD to Prevent Further Data Loss
To preserve all recoverable data, we:
- Used specialized SSD recovery tools to attempt firmware-level access.
- Extracted raw NAND chip data for further reconstruction.
2. Chip-Off NAND Recovery & Firmware Repair
Since the SSD controller was failing, we:
- Removed the NAND memory chips from the SSD and connected them to specialized chip readers.
- Extracted raw data at the chip level, bypassing the failed controller.
- Rebuilt the SSD’s logical file system manually.
3. Extracting & Verifying Game Design Files
Once the data was successfully reconstructed, we:
- Recovered all Fortnite project files, game assets, and source code.
- Restored Unreal Engine files, 3D models, and animation sequences.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external backup device.
The Results: 98% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our chip-off NAND recovery and firmware repair techniques, we successfully recovered 98% of the game designer’s lost files, including:
✅ Unreal Engine 3D models and level designs
✅ Project source code, game assets, and animation sequences
✅ Organized file structures restored for seamless game development
The game designer was able to continue their work on Fortnite without losing critical progress, avoiding delays in their project timeline.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful SSD recoveries, we are England’s leading data recovery specialists for gaming professionals. Our expertise includes:
✔ Crucial M.2 SSD power failure recovery & NAND chip repair
✔ Unreal Engine project recovery & game development file extraction
✔ Chip-off NAND recovery & firmware reconstruction
✔ Secure & confidential data recovery services
If your SSD has suddenly failed, is not being detected, or is preventing access to critical game design files, stop using the system immediately and contact us for expert SSD data recovery.