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Intel SSD Firmware Update
- Thread starter hhara
- Start date
This is honestly pathetic from Intel. Break working drives from a bad flash utility and then make ppl wait forever to get an actual working one.
Not to mention people are already paying $500 for 160GB which to me is just ridiculous. Give me a couple SLI or crossfire cards for that price.
I'm on the wait and see side of the fence when it comes to SSD in my computers. I need a single drive that can store all my apps and games etc. I also don't want to break the bank to get it. That's just me though.
Not to mention people are already paying $500 for 160GB which to me is just ridiculous. Give me a couple SLI or crossfire cards for that price.
I'm on the wait and see side of the fence when it comes to SSD in my computers. I need a single drive that can store all my apps and games etc. I also don't want to break the bank to get it. That's just me though.
Well I bought 2 ssd form intel. I expect them to fail. I just want to see the problems and what kind of work arounds there are going to be and how bad the fix is first hand. These drives need at least another year before thay are ready for general public with some reliability. 
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Well I bought 2 ssd form intel. I expect them to fail. I just want to see the problems and what kind of work arounds there are going to be and how bad the fix is first hand. These drives need at least another year before thay are ready for general public with some reliability.
What reliability issues? I never updated the firmware on my drive and it works great. I haven't heard of any "Reliability issues" beyond this one specific firmware issue, but I don't see how that would apply to the "general public" since i can't imagine most even knowing what firmware is much less how to update it.
While I personally find $500 dollars for a 160gb ssd to be a non wise investment, it isn't ridiculous. The cheapest 128 gb flash drive on newegg cost 299, the second cheapest one is 354. Increase the cost by 25% since there is 25% more storage and we are talking about 375 dollars for the cost of the flash memory chips. Add in the cost of the controller, as well as all the R&D and $500 dollars doesn't look that expensive any more. You are paying $125 for the memory controller, the R&D and the profit for intel.
SSD won't be mainstream till you can get the cost per gigabyte under $1.5 a gig, and can get a good 64+gig drive under a hundrend dollars. Now this will be very doable in 1-2 years since flash memory follows moore's law.
DarkSideA8
Gawd
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Okay, now I'm confused...
If I buy an Intel 80 gb SSD today & load an oem copy of Win 7 on there, are you telling me that when Intel releases the TRIM firmware update that I will have to REFORMAT / uninstall-reinstall the OS????
If I buy an Intel 80 gb SSD today & load an oem copy of Win 7 on there, are you telling me that when Intel releases the TRIM firmware update that I will have to REFORMAT / uninstall-reinstall the OS????
I'm waiting for the day when they are 100% reliable long term and relatively inexpensive or at least more reasonable.
No, you won't.
ashmelev75
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Well, you also paying for high quality flash chips, not the cheap stuff that goes to flash cards.
There is no such as thing as 100% reliable, inexpensive yes. Today's hard drive still fail and DOA and how long these drive been around.
DarkSideA8
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Good to know. Tango.
So I went ahead & ordered an Intel G2 80 from Amazon for $244. (Not in stock, but for the price, I can wait!)
At the risk of sounding harsh, no one gives a damn if you're not going to buy an SSD, for whatever reason you can conjure. The OP was asking about Intel's firmware, not to spark a discussion from the peanut gallery on what requirements must be met before you'll get one.
There was the fragmentation issue, there was the G1 drives not getting the TRIM upgrade, there was the BIOS Lock issue, and then there was this most recent Win7 issue.
One of the main reasons to go with Intel is that they supposedly have the resources to do R&D that the little guys don't. Well, that sure hasn't been borne out by reality. HOW much time did Intel have to prep for Win7, considering also that they are a top top top tier partner with Microsoft? And they STILL borked the Win7 launch, and we have no ETA on ICH10R RAID pass-through. Intel should stick to making CPUs, it seems.
Hamish Campbell
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I like the cut of your jib
I saw this:
http://communities.intel.com/message/73938#73938
He claims he read that they will be updating the boot loader at the end of the month.
EDIT: The linked post has been updated with the information the guy was referencing.
EDIT 2: This appears to only be an explanation as to why the Toolbox was removed. It does not provide anything definitive in terms of the firmware upgrade fix. Also, I do not see a date like the poster mentioned.
EDIT 3: The guy has edited the post again, adding info about the firmware itself.
http://communities.intel.com/message/73938#73938
He claims he read that they will be updating the boot loader at the end of the month.
EDIT: The linked post has been updated with the information the guy was referencing.
EDIT 2: This appears to only be an explanation as to why the Toolbox was removed. It does not provide anything definitive in terms of the firmware upgrade fix. Also, I do not see a date like the poster mentioned.
EDIT 3: The guy has edited the post again, adding info about the firmware itself.
Last edited:
I am wondering the same.
I have just finished installing Win 7 on non-U2HA G2.
Everything I have read (which is only a small number of forum posts) leads me to believe that the answer is no. Having said that, I would love to hear someone tell me I am wrong.
itching to brick your drive?
From my understanding, the issue was with Windows 7. I have not installed that yet. I was planning on flashing with WinXP 32bit (which is what my current rig has) and then putting Win7 x64 on it for the new rig. Everything I've read says that would be fine. *shrug*
read the announcement. The key word is 'predominantly' which is far from being exclusive. Any drive can brick, no matter what OS is there or even clean drives with no OS
Lucky you. It's the 'hit' part that worries me. I wouldn't want to risk downtime/aggravation of RMA for some small feature which is yet to prove to be useful in any meaningful way. I mean OK, if it doubled write and read speed accross the board then yeah, it's worth but as it stands... Not worth the risk.
Here's a link to a fix by the end of this month
Update from Intel's NAND Solutions Group - Firmware issue
To 34nm (G2) Intel® X25-M Solid-State Drive consumers,
• Intel has confirmed an issue with the firmware update process for 34nm (G2) Intel® X25-M SSDs (80GB and 160GB). This predominantly affected Windows* 7 (64bit) users during or immediately after the upgrade process to 02HA firmware using the firmware update tool (version 1.3). Intel plans to release a fix for this issue by the end of November 2009.
• Please see below to decide what you should do:
• If you have not upgraded to 02HA but using 02G2 or 02G9 – then use new tool when available to upgrade to new firmware to get Trim support and better sequential write performance (160GB)
• If you have successfully upgraded to 02HA - then continue using the SSD, there are no known issues.
• If you have received a SSD with 02HA pre installed – then continue using the SSD, there are no known issues.
• If you have unsuccessfully upgraded to 02HA - then contact Intel Customer Support for instructions on how to recover the SSD via secure erase or return SSD to Intel for replacement or refund.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Alan
NAND Solutions Group
Intel Corporation
http://communities.intel.com/message/73990#73990
Update from Intel's NAND Solutions Group - Firmware issue
To 34nm (G2) Intel® X25-M Solid-State Drive consumers,
• Intel has confirmed an issue with the firmware update process for 34nm (G2) Intel® X25-M SSDs (80GB and 160GB). This predominantly affected Windows* 7 (64bit) users during or immediately after the upgrade process to 02HA firmware using the firmware update tool (version 1.3). Intel plans to release a fix for this issue by the end of November 2009.
• Please see below to decide what you should do:
• If you have not upgraded to 02HA but using 02G2 or 02G9 – then use new tool when available to upgrade to new firmware to get Trim support and better sequential write performance (160GB)
• If you have successfully upgraded to 02HA - then continue using the SSD, there are no known issues.
• If you have received a SSD with 02HA pre installed – then continue using the SSD, there are no known issues.
• If you have unsuccessfully upgraded to 02HA - then contact Intel Customer Support for instructions on how to recover the SSD via secure erase or return SSD to Intel for replacement or refund.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Alan
NAND Solutions Group
Intel Corporation
http://communities.intel.com/message/73990#73990
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I like to live dangerously. It's not like it'll cost me anything. It's under warranty.
It'll cost you time, nerves and shipping charges (you do have to pay to ship the drive out or for cross-shipping it's $25). If you time and nerve cells are worth nothing then by all means, go for it.
Worked fine for me as well! Just wanted to give some support. TRIM works really well too!
so, if I run the update and brick the drive, you gonna give me a working one, right? I mean, since you are supporting it, then that's what you gonna do, won't you?
InvisiBill
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My G2 is still on a FedEx vehicle somewhere, but I'd really like for this new firmware to come out soon too.
That seems to imply it's a data corruption issue. If a simple SE can fix it, I'd be a lot more likely to try upgrading the firmware (as I don't use Win7).
Also, http://communities.intel.com/message/73946#73946 is the link you want. Not a big deal, but the link above is to one of the replies.
That seems to imply it's a data corruption issue. If a simple SE can fix it, I'd be a lot more likely to try upgrading the firmware (as I don't use Win7).
Also, http://communities.intel.com/message/73946#73946 is the link you want. Not a big deal, but the link above is to one of the replies.
Once it is all setup, how do you know that TRIM is working?
I have asked this in other threads, no answer yet?
I have 160GB X25-M Gen 2 with TRIM firmware flashed, Windows 7, and the SSD Toolbox installed. How do you know TRIM is doing anything???
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Further updated.......
Announcement: Intel® Solid-State Drive Firmware Update -- Nov. 16, 2009
Intel has confirmed an issue with the firmware update process for 34nm (G2) Intel® X25-M SSDs (80GB and 160GB). This predominantly affected Windows* 7 (64bit) users during or immediately after the upgrade process to 02HA firmware using the firmware update tool (version 1.3). Intel plans to release a fix for this issue by the end of November 2009.
Please see below to decide what you should do:
If you have not upgraded to 02HA but using 02G2 or 02G9 then use new tool when available to upgrade to new firmware to get Trim support and better sequential write performance (160GB)
If you have successfully upgraded to 02HA - then continue using the SSD, there are no known issues.
If you have received a SSD with 02HA pre installed then continue using the SSD, there are no known issues.
If you have unsuccessfully upgraded to 02HA - then contact Intel Customer Support for instructions on how to recover the SSD via secure erase or return SSD to Intel for replacement or refund.
Announcement: Intel® Solid-State Drive Toolbox Update -- Nov. 16, 2009
Microsoft* alerted Intel to an issue with the Intel® SSD Optimizer tool and Intel is working on a fix to the issue. After the SSD Optimizer is run, the SSD Optimizer renders all previously set Windows* system restore points unusable. However, user data is not affected. The SSD Optimizer tool is part of the Intel® SSD Toolbox (ver 1.1).
This applies only to users who meet all four criteria below:
Use Windows*7 or Vista and
Use the System Protection feature which sets system restore points (enabled by default in Windows*7 and Vista*) and
Have installed 02HA firmware and
Have used Intel SSD Optimizer (which was available from intel.com from 10/26 to 11/4).
A workaround for this issue and additional details are available here . Intel will give regular updates on this issue. Please note this issue is not related to the Intel SSD firmware update process covered in a separate announcement (Intel® Solid-State Drive Firmware Update).
Announcement: Intel® Solid-State Drive Firmware Update -- Nov. 16, 2009
Intel has confirmed an issue with the firmware update process for 34nm (G2) Intel® X25-M SSDs (80GB and 160GB). This predominantly affected Windows* 7 (64bit) users during or immediately after the upgrade process to 02HA firmware using the firmware update tool (version 1.3). Intel plans to release a fix for this issue by the end of November 2009.
Please see below to decide what you should do:
If you have not upgraded to 02HA but using 02G2 or 02G9 then use new tool when available to upgrade to new firmware to get Trim support and better sequential write performance (160GB)
If you have successfully upgraded to 02HA - then continue using the SSD, there are no known issues.
If you have received a SSD with 02HA pre installed then continue using the SSD, there are no known issues.
If you have unsuccessfully upgraded to 02HA - then contact Intel Customer Support for instructions on how to recover the SSD via secure erase or return SSD to Intel for replacement or refund.
Announcement: Intel® Solid-State Drive Toolbox Update -- Nov. 16, 2009
Microsoft* alerted Intel to an issue with the Intel® SSD Optimizer tool and Intel is working on a fix to the issue. After the SSD Optimizer is run, the SSD Optimizer renders all previously set Windows* system restore points unusable. However, user data is not affected. The SSD Optimizer tool is part of the Intel® SSD Toolbox (ver 1.1).
This applies only to users who meet all four criteria below:
Use Windows*7 or Vista and
Use the System Protection feature which sets system restore points (enabled by default in Windows*7 and Vista*) and
Have installed 02HA firmware and
Have used Intel SSD Optimizer (which was available from intel.com from 10/26 to 11/4).
A workaround for this issue and additional details are available here . Intel will give regular updates on this issue. Please note this issue is not related to the Intel SSD firmware update process covered in a separate announcement (Intel® Solid-State Drive Firmware Update).
InvisiBill
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Wow, what a waste. The 500KB, eight page PDF with tons of illustrations basically states that the Optimizer screws up your System Restore points. If you want a valid restore point, you should manually create one after running the Optimizer and delete all the old ones, as they're now worthless.
DarkSideA8
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InvisiBill, would you mind expanding your comment for those of us who aren't quite up to speed on this? I've read articles like this but they don't highlight the problems you suggest here.
TIA
InvisiBill
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From above... (emphasis mine)
It's a compatibility issue between the SSD Optimizer's method of cleaning the drive and how Windows Vista/7 stores restore points apparently (no mention is made of standard TRIM affecting it). I was just pointing out that their fancy "workaround guide" essentially just tells you to delete all the now-invalid restore points and create a new one.