Best approach to save my dying drive?

[chestbox]

i'm using a late 2012 imac, and i have 2 separate bootable drives (SSD1 and SSD2). I've been mainly using SSD2, which as of recently started failing. The computer would randomly just restart, and this behavior would slowly increase, until the computer would almost not boot anymore. Maybe every 5th or so attempt i could still boot the ino SSD2, but just selecting random documents on the desktop would make it shut down/restart.
My idea now was to plug in SSD2, while i'm booted into SSD1, initially make just a backup so i at least save the files (using Disk Drill or so), and after make a bite-by-bite copy, so i can ideally continue booting into SSD2 like i was before.
My conundrum now is that, plugging SSD2 into the computer, while booted into SSD1, also makes SSD1 freeze. Some times SSD2 appears in finder (interacting with it is not possible), and sometimes it does not. Disk Drill just shows a message saying that it's "updating disk list..." so i assume it is at least being detected? But nothing happens after this. This does make me feel that the drive is done for, however, i very occasionally can still boot into SSD2. Again, i cannot interact with it at all, but seeing all documents and folders when i'm able to boot into SSD2, still shows that the files are all there, so the drive is not completely done just yet?

what is my best approach moving forward?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Whether you're able to salvage the data or not... start backing up moving forward

 

[Andrey84]

i'm using a late 2012 imac, and i have 2 separate bootable drives (SSD1 and SSD2). I've been mainly using SSD2, which as of recently started failing. The computer would randomly just restart, and this behavior would slowly increase, until the computer would almost not boot anymore. Maybe every 5th or so attempt i could still boot the ino SSD2, but just selecting random documents on the desktop would make it shut down/restart.
My idea now was to plug in SSD2, while i'm booted into SSD1, initially make just a backup so i at least save the files (using Disk Drill or so), and after make a bite-by-bite copy, so i can ideally continue booting into SSD2 like i was before.
My conundrum now is that, plugging SSD2 into the computer, while booted into SSD1, also makes SSD1 freeze. Some times SSD2 appears in finder (interacting with it is not possible), and sometimes it does not. Disk Drill just shows a message saying that it's "updating disk list..." so i assume it is at least being detected? But nothing happens after this. This does make me feel that the drive is done for, however, i very occasionally can still boot into SSD2. Again, i cannot interact with it at all, but seeing all documents and folders when i'm able to boot into SSD2, still shows that the files are all there, so the drive is not completely done just yet?

what is my best approach moving forward?

Sorry to hear that it's happening.

At this stage I'd ask for professional help to recover your data.

You might get lucky and it's only the enclosure that's dying, but the drive itself is OK.

 

[Alameda]

i'm using a late 2012 imac, and i have 2 separate bootable drives (SSD1 and SSD2). I've been mainly using SSD2, which as of recently started failing. The computer would randomly just restart, and this behavior would slowly increase, until the computer would almost not boot anymore. Maybe every 5th or so attempt i could still boot the ino SSD2, but just selecting random documents on the desktop would make it shut down/restart.
My idea now was to plug in SSD2, while i'm booted into SSD1, initially make just a backup so i at least save the files (using Disk Drill or so), and after make a bite-by-bite copy, so i can ideally continue booting into SSD2 like i was before.
My conundrum now is that, plugging SSD2 into the computer, while booted into SSD1, also makes SSD1 freeze. Some times SSD2 appears in finder (interacting with it is not possible), and sometimes it does not. Disk Drill just shows a message saying that it's "updating disk list..." so i assume it is at least being detected? But nothing happens after this. This does make me feel that the drive is done for, however, i very occasionally can still boot into SSD2. Again, i cannot interact with it at all, but seeing all documents and folders when i'm able to boot into SSD2, still shows that the files are all there, so the drive is not completely done just yet?

what is my best approach moving forward?

If these are external SSD’s, the first thing I’d try are different cables.

 

[chestbox]

Sorry to hear that it's happening.

At this stage I'd ask for professional help to recover your data.

You might get lucky and it's only the enclosure that's dying, but the drive itself is OK.

thanks for the input, albeit a bit hard to hear

 

[chestbox]

If these are external SSD’s, the first thing I’d try are different cables.

i already tried most of this. different cables, different ports, no extra hubs connected, no extra software open, etc. etc. all to no avail.
thanks for the reply

 

[Fishrrman]

Get a new SSD (not the other one that you have now).

For now, disconnect the "SSD1" and set it aside.

Download SuperDuper. It's free to use for what we're going to do.
It's VERY easy to understand and use.
Just click the link:
download

Get booted if you can from the problem SSD2.
See if you can "clone the contents" to the NEW SSD (while the old one is still alive).

Does this work?

If it does, try booting from the replacement SSD (let's call it SSD3).
Do you get good boots now?
If you DO, time to put the defective SSD in the drawer.
Consider yourself lucky that (like some SSDs when they fail) it didn't just "go dark" on you...

 

[chestbox]

Get a new SSD (not the other one that you have now).

For now, disconnect the "SSD1" and set it aside.

Download SuperDuper. It's free to use for what we're going to do.
It's VERY easy to understand and use.
Just click the link:
download

Get booted if you can from the problem SSD2.
See if you can "clone the contents" to the NEW SSD (while the old one is still alive).

Does this work?

If it does, try booting from the replacement SSD (let's call it SSD3).
Do you get good boots now?
If you DO, time to put the defective SSD in the drawer.
Consider yourself lucky that (like some SSDs when they fail) it didn't just "go dark" on you...

Thanks for the reply! Will try this as soon as i’m home. However i’m not sure i’ll be able to install new software on ssd2.
Is installing supersuper on ssd1 and clone contents from ssd2 to ssd3 not an option at all?
I’ll try to boot into ssd2 again and report after

 

[Fishrrman]

"Is installing supersuper on ssd1 and clone contents from ssd2 to ssd3 not an option at all?"

I believe that will work, as well.
So ... it IS "an option"...

 

[shadowboi]

Just copy all important data and install a fresh system onto new SSD. Do you use external USB 3 drive?
I am using my iMac (late 2012) since 2014 off external drives, my 1TB hdd failed in just 2 years. Fancy Samsung SSD already died so for now I am using system off Goodram one, very good quality drive ngl

 

[chestbox]

Does this work?

sadly this did not work. i was not able to boot into SSD2 and install superduper.
installed it on SSD1, and i was at least select the drive i wanted to copy and the destination drive (SSD2 and SSD3), but as soon as i pressed "copy" nothing further would happen.

 

[chestbox]

Just copy all important data and install a fresh system onto new SSD. Do you use external USB 3 drive?
I am using my iMac (late 2012) since 2014 off external drives, my 1TB hdd failed in just 2 years. Fancy Samsung SSD already died so for now I am using system off Goodram one, very good quality drive ngl

this is not at all possible. ideally, i'd make a bite-for-bite copy, but at the very least i of course want to copy all important data. i cannot access the drive in anyway. i mentioned that it occasionally boots, just to make it clear that the data/file structure still appears to be intact, but i cannot interact with any of it. other than that, idk what to do

and yeah, it's a usb3 drive from sandisk. my 2nd bootable ssd, while the 1st, older drive (also sandisk) is still going strong lol

 

[shadowboi]

this is not at all possible. ideally, i'd make a bite-for-bite copy, but at the very least i of course want to copy all important data. i cannot access the drive in anyway. i mentioned that it occasionally boots, just to make it clear that the data/file structure still appears to be intact, but i cannot interact with any of it. other than that, idk what to do

and yeah, it's a usb3 drive from sandisk. my 2nd bootable ssd, while the 1st, older drive (also sandisk) is still going strong lol

Maybe the enclosure went bad. You can try to get the disk out of the enclosure, connect it to different USB3 concentrator and connect it to mac again, should work if it is just a bad cable/connectors. Alternatively connect it to another mac if you have one to see if the other mac connects it as a regular drive in finder, then try to repair disk in disk utility to see whats wrong (in case it doesn’t work after all of this)

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

If you're having problems with SuperDuper, my next advice would be to download CarbonCopyCloner and try that instead.

CCC is free to download and use (fully-functional) for 30 days.

Boot from the good SSD1, and try to copy from the bad SSD2 to a "third drive" using CCC.

If that fails (as did SD before), then you'll have to try "other things"...

 

[chestbox]

i'm still in the process of trying to recover/save my data of a failing drive.
seems like every 10th or so attempt, i'm able to boot into recovery mode with my failing drive connected, and get to the point of setting all options to create an image from the current drive. however, i always get the message saying to: "choose a different volume with at least 1tb of space available" but both drives are 1tb. granted, the empty drive displays 999.8 gb available, and not one full tb, but i thought that if i choose the "compressed format" i should be fine to use this 1tb drive, no? yet, i still get the same message.

could this somehow be caused by the failing drive itself? is there no way around buying another bigger drive to create this backup image?

i formatted the empty drive to both apfs, and extended journaled, but this seems to not make a difference.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

When an SSD fails... good luck trying to get data off of it.

Can you still try to boot from the bad SSD?
Even if the first attempt fails, I'd give it about 5-10 more tries (before "writing it off" as a bootable drive).

IF it gets "up and running", THEN try connecting another drive (let's call it your "scratch drive") and see if you can copy anything from it.

I'd try running SD or CCC again.
If you can't get these apps ONTO the bad drive, try connecting the "good" SSD you have and see if they will launch and run that way.

I'm wondering how effective data recovery apps like Disk Drill will be, if the drive is formatted APFS. HFS+ -- that might be a different story. But Apple has never released all the details about APFS to the 3rd-party drive utility companies, as far as I know.

 

[chestbox]

@Fishrrman thanks for the continued replies!

and see if you can copy anything from it.

only some times. sometimes folders won't open, sometimes it crashes while trying to move or just select files/documents. but i was indeed once able to copy files to another drive. it just doesn't "work" long enough for me to copy everything

booting into SSD2 is sometimes possible, but installing CCC was not possible. i was not able to install dependencies necessary to do the copy.

when booting into SSD1 (the good drive), i was able to "start the copy" a few times but, but SSD2 would just not mount, even after 30+ minutes. not sure if this is good, or even worse news though?