Best wipe for Corsair X128 SSDs

dugn

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
398
I want to wipe my Corsair X128 SSDs as easily as possible. And for me, that's through an external USB dock - not while mounted in a running system.

I've seen the GParted Live CD method on the Cosair forums (seems a lot to boot into another OS just to wipe), I've heard of Wiper.EXE that seems to be downloadable only from OCZ and Patriot sites (unclear how to get the latest version [0525] and if it will work on my Corsair branded SSDs - and lots of reports that it doesn't work for some people) and HDDErase (which some people report locks their drives with a BIOS password).

Losing data isn't an issue for me. I've got WHS and Win7 image backups that I've become adept at restoring from. I use 2x Corsair X128 SSD drives in a RAID0 config on an EVGA X58 (E757) motherboard. When they get flaky (and it seems to happen after 2-3 weeks of use), they start getting unreliable. To kick them back into gear, I break the array, reformat, rebuild the array, retore from backup.

Now that I've done this a few times, I want to wipe the drive to regain factory-fresh SSD performance - especially since Corsair hasn't released a firmware update for them to self-clean themselves.

On a related note, I've never been able to figure out whether running these in RAID0 prevents any sort of garbage collection the on-board Indilinx controller from kicking in. Corsair says to 'let the drives sit for awhile', which isn't very helpful - especially with Win7 touching them every few milliseconds. I'm also concerned from what I've read that TRIM can't get to these drive through the AHCI/RAID controller and they just degrade during use like most SSDs.

So - is Gpart the way to go or is there a better method to restore my drives to factory fresh performance without concern for wiping data?
 
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For the brand corsair, this is your best bet

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A new TRIM firmware was released yesterday for Corsair P-series drives. Not sure if yours are supported or not.
 
Parted Magic has a GUI for Secure Erase. Simply boot off the CD, run the Disk Erase app, and check the Secure Erase box. Technically you're still booting to another OS, but other than the actual reboot time, it's probably just as quick. Plus you don't have to worry about the installed OS having anything locked or blocked on the SSD.
 
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