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)