Initialize disk says "incorrect function"

Question

I think my m.2 SSD died on a windows 10 box and I'm trying to see if it's possible to do any data recovery. I pulled it out and put it in an external usb enclosure. When I plug that into another computer I can see a mass storage device was connected in device manager but the drive doesn't show up in the file explorer.

I checked in Disk Management and the disk shows up as Unknown and Not Initialized. I've tried initializing it with both MBR and GPT options and both thrown an error saying incorrect function.

Going to DiskPart and asking for details gives this output:

DISKPART> detail disk
Realtek RTL9210 USB Device
Disk ID: 00000000
Type   : USB
Status : Online
Path   : 0
Target : 0
LUN ID : 0
Location Path : UNAVAILABLE
Current Read-only State : No
Read-only  : No
Boot Disk  : No
Pagefile Disk  : No
Hibernation File Disk  : No
Crashdump Disk  : No
Clustered Disk  : No
There are no volumes.

I'm guessing there is nothing I can do here but wanted a second opinion before I toss in the towel.

Answer 1

Could it be that your USB enclosure only supports NVMe and you have a SATA M2 SSD instead, or the other way around?

Answer 2

Hello

I’m sorry to hear about your SSD issue. Here are some steps you can try to recover your data:

Basic Checks: Restart your computer to check if some components get stuck and try the initialization again. Check if the SSD drive is online in Disk Management. Check if the cable that connects the PC and your disk works well. Scan your computer for viruses or malware.

Update the Device Driver: Outdated drivers can make your computer sluggish and even trigger some unexpected results. So, please make sure your hard drive is up to date and that can help fix security and compatibility problems, and errors.

Data Recovery Software: You can use data recovery software like removed by moderatorto recover your data. These tools can help you recover data from an uninitialized disk. Please follow the instructions provided by the software carefully to avoid any data loss.

Professional Help: If the above methods don’t work, it might be a good idea to seek professional help. There are data recovery services that specialize in recovering data from failed or damaged drives.

Remember, it’s always a good practice to back up your data regularly to prevent data loss.

Answer 3

I have a similar problem and couldn't find a workaround. When adding a second disk to my laptop, it appears as "Unknown" and "Not initialized" on Windows Disk Manager, and got an "Incorrect function" error when trying to initialize it. However, I can successfully see it when plugging it to an external carry disk case. I don't have that issue with other HDD, so it's not a problem with the connector. Fortunately, I don't have any data on it. The information about my disk on Diskpart is:

DISKPART> detail disk

Disk ID: 00000000
Type : SATA
Status : Online
Path : 0
Target : 0
LUN ID : 0
Location Path : PCIROOT(0)#PCI(1700)#ATA(C00T00L00)
Current Read-only State : Yes
Read-only : Yes
Boot Disk : No
Pagefile Disk : No
Hibernation File Disk : No
Crashdump Disk : No
Clustered Disk : No

There are no volumes.

Could you give me any help or suggestions on how to proceed? Thank you!