An apparatus includes a non-volatile memory and a controller. The non-volatile memory includes a user area and a non-user area. The user area is generally enabled to store and retrieve data in a logical block address space of a host. The non-user area stores a failure-specific recovery routine. The controller may be communicatively coupled to the non-volatile memory. The controller is generally enabled, when operationally coupled to the host, (i) to respond to host commands to read and to write data into the user area of the non-volatile memory and (ii) upon detection of a predefined failure of a controller boot process, to respond to host read requests by returning the failure-specific recovery routine stored in the non-user area of the non-volatile memory.