Why is my SSD frozen and what can I do about it? - TUXEDO Computers

This guide explains what you can do if your SSD does not accept commands or refuses to install an operating system.

Before applying commands to your storage media that could destroy data, please make sure that all data you still need is available as a backup on another media.

The following applies to both SATA SSDs and NVME storage media, which are nothing more than SSDs with a different interface.

If a SATA SSD refuses to execute commands such as reset to factory defaults or not allow an installation, then one of two conditions may have occurred. The SSD may be frozen or locked. If the latter is the case, then the device can only be unlocked if you have the appropriate password or Physical Security ID (PSID). Unfreezing the frozen state, which can occur under various preconditions, does not require a password and is easy to perform. 

How do SATA SSDs differ from NVMe SSDs?

Both are non-volatile data storage devices. NVMe is an abbreviation for "Non-Volatile Memory Express". An NVMe storage device is a SSD that is connected differently than older SSDs from the early days. While older SSDs are mostly connected via the Serial ATA interface (SATA), which is limited to 6 GByte, NVMe uses the faster PCI Express for data exchange. The two also differ in form factors, even though there are overlaps. SSDs in the 2.5" format with a SATA port can be connected  via SATA cables as well as plugged in via a modern M.2 socket if in that format. The NVMe SSDs are available both for M.2 and as a PCIe plug-in card. A detailed description of the differences can be found here.

How do I diagnose the state of my SSD under Linux?

The diagnosis is relatively simple for a SATA SSD, but not all SSDs provide the same information depending on the controller. If information is missing, a firmware update of the SSD may help. Information about this is available from the respective manufacturers. If several hard disks are installed in the computer, then you issue the command
sudo fdisk -l

to determine the identifier for the corresponding disk. This is followed by
sudo hdparm -I /dev/sdX | grep frozen

Replace the X with the identifier found by fdisk.  If in the output the word "not" in front of "frozen" is missing, as in the figure below, the device is frozen. However, if the output of the command
sudo hdparm -I /dev/sdX | grep locked

is missing the "not" in front of the term, you will not get anywhere without the user or master password or the PSID. Unfortunately, not all disks provide this information. If you do not get the corresponding information, performing a firmware update for the SSD might help. More information on the availability of such an update is supplied by the manufacturer of the disc. If none is available, just try one of the remedies below.

The output of hdparm -I shows that this SSD is neither locked nor frozen

NVMe is not very informative for our case

With NVMe, there is a problem with diagnostics, as hdparm does not work with NVMe devices. This is because NVMe does not support the ATA specification. NVMe has its own diagnostic tool called nvme-cli, which provides a ton of information, but not the info we are looking for here.

Fixing a detected frozen condition is the same for SSD and NVMe. The simplest solution is to send the disk into suspend for a few minutes by closing the lid of the notebook and then wake it up again. If that does not suffice, you will have to "hotplug" the disk. This means that you unplug and replug the cables during operation or unplug the device from the socket and plug it back in. In any case, this should free up the SSD again. However, this does not apply to devices that sit in an M.2 socket, they cannot be unplugged or swapped during operation unless you have an Icy Dock NVMe Enclosure.

Why are SSDs frozen in the first place?

Freeze and Lock are security mechanisms designed to prevent your SSDs from being modified by a non-privileged person. That's why the controller first locks the SSD when commands like ATA Secure Erase are entered via Hdparm. If a password is assigned, this helps to remove the "locked" state. If no password is assigned, the disk is frozen and has to be "unfrozen" as described. However, the freeze security feature can also be caused, for example, by a PC or notebook being shut down cold several times in succession.