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DrMoishe Pippik
DrMoishe Pippik
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UnlikeYes, the HDD could have been damaged, there are no moving parts in the SSDthough likely you'd see evidence of that. The answer to interpreting S.M.A.R.T. data is already given here.

However, smartctl is not designed for testing an SSD! An SSD is quite shock resistant - you likely could drop one from an airplane onto concrete, and it would be fine. And, were it to fail, it would unlikely be to be degraded partially. If the PCB broke, or if soldered parts got knocked off, it would not work at allpartially.

However, the The SSD has other modes of failure. Specifically, writingwriting to RAM gradually damages memory cells. "Most SSDs employ NAND flash memory technology. This type of flash memory can only be programmed and erased with a limited number of times." Though the SSD is provisioned with extra cells, eventually they get used up. A test program deigned for a hard disk driveA test program deigned for a hard disk drive that repeatedly reads and writes data can destroy the SSD. that repeatedly reads and writes data can destroy the SSD. There were even Windows updates that attempted to "optimize" the SSD, causing early failure.

Executive Summary: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If a cursory inspection shows it works, and a peek at data shows it's there, use it. And note that some HDD tests could damage it.

Unlike the HDD, there are no moving parts in the SSD. An SSD is quite shock resistant - you likely could drop one from an airplane onto concrete and it would be fine. And, were it to fail, it would unlikely be to be degraded partially. If the PCB broke, or if soldered parts got knocked off, it would not work at all.

However, the SSD has other modes of failure. Specifically, writing to RAM gradually damages memory cells. "Most SSDs employ NAND flash memory technology. This type of flash memory can only be programmed and erased with a limited number of times." Though the SSD is provisioned with extra cells, eventually they get used up. A test program deigned for a hard disk drive that repeatedly reads and writes data can destroy the SSD. There were even Windows updates that attempted to "optimize" the SSD, causing early failure.

Executive Summary: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If a cursory inspection shows it works, and a peek at data shows it's there, use it. And note that some HDD tests could damage it.

Yes, the HDD could have been damaged, though likely you'd see evidence of that. The answer to interpreting S.M.A.R.T. data is already given here.

However, smartctl is not designed for testing an SSD! An SSD is quite shock resistant, and, were it to fail, it would unlikely be degraded partially. The SSD has other modes of failure. Specifically, writing to RAM gradually damages memory cells. "Most SSDs employ NAND flash memory technology. This type of flash memory can only be programmed and erased with a limited number of times." Though the SSD is provisioned with extra cells, eventually they get used up. A test program deigned for a hard disk drive that repeatedly reads and writes data can destroy the SSD. There were even Windows updates that attempted to "optimize" the SSD, causing early failure.

Executive Summary: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If a cursory inspection shows it works, and a peek at data shows it's there, use it. And note that some HDD tests could damage it.

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Source Link
DrMoishe Pippik
DrMoishe Pippik
  • 31.6k
  • 5
  • 43
  • 63

Unlike the HDD, there are no moving parts in the SSD. An SSD is quite shock resistant - you likely could drop one from an airplane onto concrete and it would be fine. And, were it to fail, it would unlikely be to be degraded partially. If the PCB broke, or if soldered parts got knocked off, it would not work at all.

However, the SSD has other modes of failure. Specifically, writing to RAM gradually damages memory cells. "Most SSDs employ NAND flash memory technology. This type of flash memory can only be programmed and erased with a limited number of times." Though the SSD is provisioned with extra cells, eventually they get used up. A test program deigned for a hard disk drive that repeatedly reads and writes data can destroy the SSD. There were even Windows updates that attempted to "optimize" the SSD, causing early failure.

Executive Summary: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If a cursory inspection shows it works, and a peek at data shows it's there, use it. And note that some HDD tests could damage it.