Recover data from a Dell XPS 15 SSD

Question

I purchased a Dell XPS 15 a couple of years ago. Last week I spilled a cup of water over it. I brought it to a repair shop, and all that was able to be salvaged was the hard drive. I'm now trying to figure out how to get the data off of the hard drive. Here's how the hard drive is listed on the invoice:

400-AJBV

512GB PCIe Solid State Drive

Ideally I'd find a way to connect to the drive to the USB port of a desktop and then transfer the data to the hard drive of the desktop. However, the repair person told me that it's an unusual drive and that there might not be an adapter that would work. Also, even though the hard drive is listed as a PCIe SSD, the repair person told me that it's actually an m.2a drive? I've attached a picture of the drive.

Basically, I'm looking for advice for how to get the data off of the drive!

Thank you! and RIP my Dell XPS 15. :[!

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

There's no way you can connect that drive by USB or Thunderbolt inexpensively - yes, there are external adapters but they run at least a few hundred dollars. SATA M.2 adapters do exist for USB and are inexpensive, but NVMe/PCIe adapters are not.

https://www.amazon.com/Thunderbolt-M-2-PCIe-Adapter-DisplayPort/dp/B079RNGNKB

If you have a desktop system, you CAN use an inexpensive PCIe card and mount the drive in that:

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-PEX4M2E1-M-2-Adapter-Profile/dp/B01FU9JS94

Or, it you happen to have a desktop with an open M.2 NVMe slot, use that.

The repair shop likely didn't have the required hardware -- NVMe drives are relatively new technology, and connecting them other than internally is not an inexpensive thing to do.

ChristopherPage · Answer

Thanks for your help, ejn63!

I do have a desktop system at my disposal and it has an open PCIe slot. I went ahead and purchased the adapter you suggested, which looks like it'll do the job well.

Thanks again for taking the time to help me out.

:Smile:

XPS

Recover data from a Dell XPS 15 SSD

Was this post helpful?