Latest Intel SSD firmware can cause data loss

Intel recently released a firmware update for its well-known X25 line of solid state disks (SSDs) that delivered a massive 40 percent performance improvement and added support for the "trim" feature in Windows 7. However, it was quickly pulled due to reports of data corruption. 

If you've been following the news of Intel's SSD, you will know that this would be the third time that problems with its firmware have been reported. The first time was when the reviewers at PC Perspective discovered early this year that the X25-M degraded significantly with heavy use--sometimes performing even worse than the regular hard disk drives (HDD) used in laptops. While denied by Intel initially, it was subsequently fixed with a firmware update.

A second generation of improved X25 SSD were afflicted with a lockout problem on certain systems. Discovered at a relatively early stage, this was resolved via firmware as well, though not without shipments being delayed.

Ars Technica noted that this latest problem "underscores a long and disturbing trend of strange bugs in SSDs from Intel and other drive makers." While there is little doubt of the performance advantages that SSDs have over that of normal HDDs, the truth is that SSDs are a relatively new technology.

Exacerbating the issue for end-users is the fact that newer laptops shipping with SSDs tend not to advertise the manufacturer of these drives, making troubleshooting problems that much harder. Have you had problems with an SSD before?

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Ars Technica

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