WD 500G SSD bricked after Microsoft update

glasskuter said:

While having longevity M discks are not re-writable. May I ask why you do not choose more modern storage solutions than DVDs. Optical storage of any kind is a dinosaur and makes no sense to me in this day and age..

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I do not need re-writable, just reliable long term data storage.

What modern storage solution can be put on a shelf or locked in a cabinet for 50+ years without degradation?

Murby said:

Any advice on those M Disks? Do I need a special DVD burner or will anything work? Are they really that reliable?

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To write to M-discs you need a drive with specific support for that type of media. You cannot use just any drive to write to that type of media.

M-Disks are a good choice for long term storage - they are not affected by magnetism or electrical noise (not even an EMP would affect it).

While M-discs are said to keep data intact for 1,000+ years, be aware that they are still susceptible to things like scratches. So, while the medium itself is ultra reliable, it always makes sense to have more than one copy "just in case".

glasskuter said:

The old freeze trick was only for HDDs, not SSDs

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And then there was the old baking trick that I would never recommend even on a HDD. The idea here was that if some component had come loose on the soldered pins that baking it at 500 degrees in an oven would soften the solder and reconnect the pin(s). I don't think that is hot enough to melt solder. But it could melt several plastic parts!

Not much to solder inside a SATA SSD!
_

TVeblen said:

And then there was the old baking trick that I would never recommend even on a HDD. The idea here was that if some component had come loose on the soldered pins that baking it at 500 degrees in an oven would soften the solder and reconnect the pin(s). I don't think that is hot enough to melt solder. But it could melt several plastic parts!

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The lead-free solder typically used in PCB manufacturing nowadays indeed will melt at 500F. Lead-free solder (commonly SAC305: Sn/Ag/Cu) melts around 217°C–221°C.