The SSD Saga: Unraveling the Mystery of Recent Failures
The ongoing saga surrounding the unexpected failures of solid-state drives (SSDs) has taken a new twist, particularly following Microsoft’s August security patch for Windows. Insights from the Chinese Facebook group PCDIY! suggest that the crux of the problem lies in pre-release engineering firmware present on certain SSDs, potentially exacerbated by the recent Windows 11 updates.
In a detailed Facebook post, group administrator Rose Lee shared that the issue has been corroborated by engineers from Phison, lending weight to the group’s findings. According to Lee, testing conducted by PCDIY! indicated that the crashes associated with the Windows 11 update were predominantly affecting drives operating on pre-release engineering firmware rather than the finalized production versions.
Users have reported peculiar incidents where their SSDs seemed to vanish after intensive file transfers, with some systems failing to recover even after a reboot. In light of these alarming reports, Phison responded with a statement following an extensive 4,500 hours of testing. The company stated it could not replicate the reported failures and suggested that thermal issues might be at play. To mitigate overheating during demanding tasks, Phison recommended the use of heatsinks.
Microsoft has also entered the fray, firmly refuting any claims linking its August update to the storage issues. The tech giant’s investigation concluded that there was no evidence connecting the security patch to the SSD failures, effectively dismissing the notion that the update introduced a critical flaw.
With PCDIY!’s latest findings pointing towards pre-release engineering firmware as the likely culprit, the narrative has shifted once more. Users operating SSDs with official production firmware are unlikely to encounter any issues with their devices.
This back-and-forth between user experiences, Phison’s lab testing, and Microsoft’s denials underscores the complexities involved in diagnosing storage failures—especially when firmware, hardware, and operating system updates intersect.
For those experiencing similar issues, it is advisable to update SSD firmware while ensuring that all important data is backed up as a precautionary measure.
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