Question External SSD fell out of laptop and won’t let computer boot when plugged in

[Thelushomega67]

I was gaming on my laptop and my ssd disconnected as I tilted the laptop too quickly. My windows is in my internal ssd but it will only boot if I don’t have the external plugged in. Device manager sees it but disk manager doesn’t. I can’t access it through bios since it won’t go past the initial boot screen if I start it with the ssd in. I have to boot it and then plug it in. If you know how I can wipe it with these things blocking my way, I’d appreciate the help.

Edit: the ssd is a seagate game drive SRD00F1. It’s made for PlayStation 4s but I formatted it and have been using it for my laptop.

 

[rgd1101]

brand and model of hte external ssd?

 

[JayGau]

If you put something else like a usb flash drive or a mouse in that usb port does it boot? And you say that Windows disk manager can't see it? So even if you plug it in after you booted you still can't read it? Can you try to read it with another computer? And what do you mean by "pulled the usb out of its socket"? Did it break the usb port or did it just get disconnected?

 

[Thelushomega67]

It’s a seagate srd00f1

brand and model of hte external ssd?

 

[Thelushomega67]

If you put something else like a usb flash drive or a mouse in that usb port does it boot? And you say that Windows disk manager can't see it? So even if you plug it in after you booted you still can't read it? Can you try to read it with another computer? And what do you mean by "pulled the usb out of its socket"? Did it break the usb port or did it just get disconnected?

The same usb port works with my mouse.
Disk manager can’t BUT device manager can for some strange reason
I’ll try to put it into another computer when I get home
And it was just disconnected.

 

[JayGau]

By the way, this drive is NOT a SSD, it's a hard drive. If the device manager can see it but you can't read it, it might be because one of the drive's moving parts is no longer working. The device manager can probably see the MBR and knows there's a drive connected but it cannot be read because the arm is not moving or something like that.

This is very common when a hard drive falls on the floor (it happened to me). SSDs are less likely to break from a shock like this because they don't have any moving parts. If it's the case then there's nothing to do, it's gone (unless you are willing to pay a professional to repair it).

I would download and install Minitool (there's a free version and you can just uninstall it once you're done). If this software can't see it, it's probably broken.

 

[Thelushomega67]

By the way, this drive is NOT a SSD, it's a hard drive. If the device manager can see it but you can't read it, it might be because one of the drive's moving parts is no longer working. The device manager can probably see the MBR and knows there's a drive connected but it cannot be read because the arm is not moving or something like that.

This is very common when a hard drive falls on the floor (it happened to me). SSDs are less likely to break from a shock like this because they don't have any moving parts. If it's the case then there's nothing to do, it's gone (unless you are willing to pay a professional to repair it).

I would download and install Minitool (there's a free version and you can just uninstall it once you're done). If this software can't see it, it's probably broken.

I was so perplexed, I always thought it was just from the slim+sleek design. That’s good to hear, I’ll download that minitool.

THANK you 🙏🏼🙏🏼

 

[Bob.B]

It’s a seagate srd00f1

Reseat the cable at the hdd...test.

Try a different cable....test.

 

[schaekspier0]

brand and model of hte external ssd?

as written , it is a seagate game drive SRD00F1

 

[rgd1101]

as written , it is a seagate game drive SRD00F1

OP update his original post. Please don't added your $.02 if you are not helping

 

[Misgar]

It’s a seagate srd00f1

As this link shows, the hard disk found inside an SRD00F1 during teardown was a Seagate ST1000LM024.
https://newscrewdriver.com/2021/05/...le-drive-1tb-srd00f1-teardown/comment-page-1/

Although the model number for the external caddy is SRD00F1, the drive inside was an ST1000LM024.

From the persepective of fixing the problem, the actual drive number is more important that the overall USB package. It's possible Seagate changed the drive part number several times.

There is just the slightest chance that the drive is still intact, but the USB-to-SATA PCB has broken, especially where the USB socket is soldered to the PCB. If you transfer the hard disk to another USB3 SATA housing, it might power up.

Alternatively, if you have a suitable desktop PC, you could connect SATA power and data cables to the drive on its own.

 

[JayGau]

Misgar has a very good point. Maybe it's just the enclosure that is broken and the drive is ok (maybe). You could also buy a usb to sata adapter (require a powered one for HDD) if you don't have a desktop available.