Sandisk External SSD (SDSSDE30) not functioning properly: can’t create, move files, or format

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1

Hello,

I’m experiencing an issue with my Sandisk External SSD Drive (SDSSDE30). While I can still view the files on the drive, I am unable to create new files, move files, or format the drive. I’ve tested it on both Windows and Ubuntu systems, but the issue persists.

Could you please advise what steps I can take to resolve this? If it turns out that I need to submit the drive for warranty claims, I would like to clean the data first. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your help!

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Have you checked our knowledge base articles?
(Get Support for Your SSDs and Flash Products | SanDisk)

Try this these.

Have you opened a Support Case?
If not, contact SanDisk Technical Support for assistance.
(Contact Support | SanDisk)

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Show us a SMART report. This will tell us if the drive’s firmware has locked down the drive as a consequence of bad NAND or some other fault.

https://www.reddit.com/r/datarecoverysoftware/wiki/index/smart/

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Your SanDisk SSD (SDSSDE30) may be write-protected or have bad sectors. In Windows, open Disk Management to see if the drive is marked Read-Only. If it is, run CHKDSK in Command Prompt (chkdsk X: /f /r /x) to fix possible errors. If the issue persists, use Diskpart to remove write protection (diskpart > list disk > select disk X > attributes disk clear readonly).

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I’ve tried these, but none of them worked.

  1. windows => chkdsk X: /f /r /x
  2. windows => diskpart > list disk > select disk X > attributes disk clear readonly
  3. windows => format: windows was unable to complete the format
  4. linux => format using gparted
  5. linux => sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=1M status=progress

my-SMART
my-SMART674×692 40 KB

And after I opened a support case, they told me it might be write-protected and sometimes cannot be repaired or fixed. It needs to be replaced. :disappointed_relieved:

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Then the issue may be a hardware fault, such as a failing controller or firmware lock, that can’t be fixed with software.

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Is it possible to remove the cover and use it with an NVMe-to-USB adapter, or could the problem be the NVMe itself?

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Remove the NVMe SSD and test it with an NVMe-to-USB adapter on another PC. If it works, the issue is with BIOS, motherboard, or drivers. If it doesn’t, the SSD may be faulty. Check Disk Management or use diskpart to see if it’s detected.

1 Like
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Thank you, I’ll give it a try.

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Opening the drive will void the warranty.

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Has your issue been solved?

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I decided to open the cover of my SanDisk external SSD to remove the NVMe drive and connect it using an NVMe-to-USB adapter, even though the warranty had expired. (I didn’t want to send it for a warranty claim since my data wasn’t encrypted.)
Unfortunately, it seems the NVMe itself is already damaged.

For anyone facing the same issue, I’d recommend sending it for warranty service if you’re not worried about data privacy or if your data is encrypted.
But if you’re concerned like I was, you can try removing the NVMe and connecting it through an NVMe-to-USB adapter—then hope for the best.

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Could this be a write protection problem? If so, you can try the following solutions:

  1. Use Command Prompt to clear the read-only attribute.

  2. Edit the Windows Registry to remove write protection.

  3. Use the built-in Windows tool to fix the corrupted file system.

  4. Backup your important files from the SD card and then reformat it.

For more details, check out this guide: How to Remove Write Protection from an SD Card