Issues reading Intel Optane 32+512GB NVMe drive

[AdrianV]

Hello

Please excuse any stupid questions I'm likely to ask as this is the first time I've encountered a device like this. I'm working on a laptop that has an Intel Optane 32+512GB NVMe drive P/N: HBRPEKNX02H with Windows 11 installed and the drive has stopped booting the operating system. Before addressing the operating system issues, I've been trying for the past two evenings to backup the data on the drive.

Up to this point, I attempted to check the drive with Windows 10 installation media and I also tried some USB backup software but the only disk either of them see is the USB drive the laptop is booting from. The backup software allows me to add drivers to the WinPE image but adding chipset drivers and IRST F6 drivers from the HP website doesn't help. Finally, I tried attaching the SSD to another laptop and that didn't work either because the Optane+SSD drive appeared as a 2048GB GPT Secure Volume or something along those lines and the drivers from the Intel page wouldn't install because the laptop I tried has a 4th Gen i7 and the setup software detected the motherboard doesn't support Optane and wouldn't proceed.

I currently have the drive attached to another PC with a 7th Gen i5 and at first this also read the drive as a 2048GB single partition which couldn't be mounted but after installing a compatible version of the driver, it finally sees the SSD as an offline array member (see manage.png below). My only actionable option appears to be to clear the metadata but when I click that link, I'm presented with a rather ominous message saying I will lose all the data on the SSD (see clear.png below). This is exactly what I'm trying to avoid by trying to backup the data.

Could someone with a bit of experience with these devices please let me know if clearing the metadata will erase the whole SSD or just the cache volume? Would doing this allow me to read and backup the data on the SSD or is there a better way to do this without jeopardising the contents, like maybe one of the CLI tools? 

Any help would be extremely appreciated.

Cheers

Adrian

[BrusC_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello, AdrianV.

Thank you for posting on the Intel Community Support forums.

I received your ticket regarding the failed Optane Memory H data recovery, and I will be reviewing this with you.

There are no official data recovery methods or tools we can share, the best option to recover the information is to restore it from an existing backup, which is always recommended.

The Optane H series can be considered a 2-in-1 drive, with an Optane and a Storage portion, which are paired as one with the help of the Intel RST driver.

Something that may happen if you connect this drive to a different system (and it is not configured for RST, is not H10/H20 compatible, or is connected via USB adapter), is that the drive may not be recognized at all, or just one of the sections will be visible.

Based on your screenshot, that system is RST configured and it is able to see the drive, it even gives you the option to clear the metadata, which is the pairing information between the Storage and Optane portions of the SSD. If you clear the metadata that portion of the drive should become accessible, and you may just need to assign a drive letter:

- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/disk-management/change-a-drive-letter

Clearing the metadata should not be data destructive, meaning that if there is information there it will not be erased, only the pairing information between both portions of the drive (what makes them be recognized as one single drive), but yet again, we cannot guarantee that your information will be there nor that it can be recovered.

You also have the option to contact a professional data recovery company if recovering the information is absolutely necessary:

- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000006357/memory-and-storage.html

If you have any questions, please let me know, but if that is not the case I will proceed to close the ticket on April 17th.

Regards,

Bruce C.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AdrianV]

Hi Bruce

Thanks for getting back to me. I cleared the metadata as you suggested and the SSD is now showing up as "Available" within the RST software.

However, within Windows, it still shows up as a 2048GB GPT Protected Partition (please see the attached images disk_management.png and properties.png). I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the BitLocker Encryption on the drive or if need to reboot the PC or if the SSD is faulty. How can the device report such an incorrect capacity to Windows?

The RST software sees it as 477GB and doesn't report any more problems so I was hoping this would also be the case in Windows now. I noticed that Windows is using the generic HDD driver from 2006 for the SSD (see driver.png). Is it using the correct one or should I forcibly swap that to something else? Have you got any advice on how to proceed?

Cheers

Adrian

[BrusC_Intel]

Hello, AdrianV.

Thank you for the details.

We do not have any information about the drive being detected like that, so it is possible this is related to its previous configuration.

If this is related to encryption, it may be necessary to contact the manufacturer of the system where it was originally installed or Microsoft for BitLocker support to check if they have any recommendations on what to do on this case.

After checking online, I found this article which mentions that it could be related to the current system being used, but also that using a third-party software may be possible to unlock that partition and access files, but please keep in mind this is not an Intel article and the link is provided just for your reference, this is not tested nor validated by Intel:

- https://www.diskgenius.com/how-to/gpt-protective-partition.php#About_GPT_protective_partition%20error

I will wait for any updates you can share and I will follow up April 17th.

Regards,

Bruce C.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[BrusC_Intel]

Hello, AdrianV.

Good day,

I wanted to check if we can help in any way.

I will follow up again on April 19th in case you want to keep the thread open a bit longer.

Regards,

Bruce C.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[BrusC_Intel]

Hello, AdrianV.

This message is to inform you about the thread closure.

I previously shared that it may be necessary to check with the system manufacturer or Microsoft if this is related to encryption, and also shared a link with some additional information found on a third-party site about a similar case, but there was no confirmation about further assistance being required after trying to follow up.

The thread will be closed right now, and it will no longer be monitored by Intel support, but if you require any type of assistance from Intel in the future, just open a new thread, or contact us using any of the available support methods:

- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-intel.html

Best regards,

Bruce C.

Intel Customer Support Technician