My SSD is a magician..

It first started a couple months ago when Windows started loading ridiculously slow, like 30 mins to get to the login screen, and eventually it just told me that there was no OS to load. Now, for the second time the Windows partition has 'disappeared' from my Crucial M4. Its still there as far as i can see when I load up the Windows 7 install disk (still says 12gb remaining). I don't know of any other way to fix it besides reinstalling windows unless you guys know of something? My user account in Windows has also mysteriously just disappeared 3 times requiring me to make a new one each time.

I've tried changing slots and using a different SATA cable but it hasn't worked. I've reset the CMOS many times, and I'm now leaving the computer unplugged over night.

I'm going to try installing new firmware on it tomorrow, providing there is an update (I haven't checked). I have had the ssd for almost 2 years now. Only ever used it as an OS drive, otherwise everything was saved on a normal hard drive.

It is the Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2.

Anything else I can check without loading into windows?

Otherwise I was looking at the Kingston V300 120gb mainly because of the $69.99 price tag. Though I suppose spending the extra $20 for the Samsung 840 would be worth it?



Thank you for reading,

King

I'd check out its life using SSDLife. That's a small drive and a fairly old one. Wouldn't be surprised if you already started wearing it out depending on your use. FYI if you do consider a new SSD I'd go bigger like 256GB min. Flash wearing shouldn't be a problem for the foreseeable future.

Firmware seems like the most logical conclusion since just a basic google search turned up a 5200 hr bug already. I don't know what it was about earlier SSD's, and even now the problem persists, but sometimes it just drops out of the bootable drive list or being recognized. Specific issues like these may have answers depending on your hardware, but I'd always speak directly with the manufacturer in a case like this.

Sounds to me like that drive has been used to death but with only 12GB remaining after a fresh install there's something else going on.

I'd do a secure erase on it and try a fresh install.

You're pushing it with only a 64GB drive anyway and after all the stuff in your sig. why cheap out on an OS drive?

I saw the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD for 180.00 + free ship from Buy.com but that deal has expired.

Sign up on one the deal sites, get alerts from them for that drive, get off your wallet, and buy something decent that compliments your machine.

The 12GB left isn't from a fresh install. I should have verified in my OP; the first disappearance was months before the second.

Looks like I'm going to have to do the fresh install. I've tried messing with all variations of bootrec /rebuildbcd among other things. I was able to get the partition active again, but I can't get bootmbr to properly fix itself.

King Icewind said:

The 12GB left isn't from a fresh install. I should have verified in my OP; the first disappearance was months before the second.

Looks like I'm going to have to do the fresh install. I've tried messing with all variations of bootrec /rebuildbcd among other things. I was able to get the partition active again, but I can't get bootmbr to properly fix itself.

Click to expand...

Have you contacted Crucial? Reinstalling might not be the best, or even a solution at all. Sounds like a more serious problem is going on. Updating firmware did nothing?

I don't understand why you don't update the firmware, SSDs have lots of updates, especially ones from a few years ago.

I did install the new firmware, Aesma. It did not fix it.

I guess this drive has a three year warranty, so maybe I will contact Crucial anyways.

I was able to fix it, however. By using the windows install disc, I went to install a new OS on the same drive (the M4). Once it got to the expanding files part on the drive, I cancelled the install. This allowed me to load into regular Windows off the hard drive by first booting to the Windows install disc. However, when I just tried booting straight the hard drive it still gave me the boot error. So, once again, going back the Windows Install disc, I loaded up the command prompt and typed:

bootsect /nt60 f: /force /mbr

bcdboot f:\windows /s cf:

Which forces the creation of a new mbr and bootloader. The M4 SSD was labeled as the F drive when loaded in the install disc, but C drive in windows. Was able to figure out which drive by using, diskpart > list volume, in command prompt.

So yeah, tried restarting it a couple times now and it's working. Who knows for how long, but at least it is working.

Thanks.

Here's a picture with SSDlife



Does it look okay?

King Icewind said:

Here's a picture with SSDlife

Does it look okay?

Click to expand...

Hi, King Icewind,

I would say that 98% is okay.

If you haven't already, try updating the morherboard BIOS.

Hope this helps.

How much memory is in your computer?

as the drive is only 64gig.... and if you have 32gig of memory well...windows is going to chew up half that drive with a page file.

if you do have 32gig......maybe either

pull out as much memory as you can before installing again......or edit your system setting and drop the page file size down to something like 2g.

which should give you some space on the drive.....

.

Does the issue happen without being overclocked?
when you say the user account disappeared, the folder was gone from C:\Users? or gone from control panel, user accounts?

I had a Crucial V4 in my company laptop that was exhibiting similar behavior. It all started out with PDF files opening very, very, VERY slowly. Then eventually it turned into a bluescreen when opening PDF files. Not sure why the PDFs were causing the issue as everything else seemed be working well at the time.

Fast forward 1 month after I first started noticing the issues with Acrobat files...
Occasionally after a crash from opening a PDF, when rebooting the laptop, I would get the no OS installed issue. By rebooting the computer a few times, Windows would once again load. There was no new firmware to install on the SSD, and I had re-seated the SSD several times thinking maybe that was an issue.

About a month later from my first crash, I decided I wanted to format and re-install Windows. That was a mistake. I couldn't even get Windows to load on the drive again.

Now I'm running an M4 in this laptop and everything appears to be working correctly now.