SSD stopped working, what can I do?

So I was running Vista on my M17x with 120gb OCZ Vertex SSD, then it BSoDs one day and corrupts my install. I'm like ? I can't even repair the install with the Vista DVD, so I shrug and install Windows 7.

Windows 7, which used to run super smooth and fast on the SSD, was now extremely slow and choppy, taking literally minutes to open up firefox on a clean OS install rather than the <1 second it should take on a SSD.

But as we all know about the W7 + M17x stutter problems, I cried and reinstalled Vista x64. It was all smooth again and I went about my business for a couple of days. I got a 24 hr take-home exam from law school and 3 hours from it being due, I BSoD'd again. Ok, I thought, not bad... I saved it, I'll just restart.

But no, I got an "Operating System Not Found" error. I had nothing plugged into the laptop but a mouse and a keyboard.

I tried repairing it with the Vista DVD and nothing worked. I tried accessing the file via the command prompt on the Vista DVD and it didn't work. I pulled out the SSD from the laptop (yes, while under the clock), plugged it into an external enclosure, and tried to access it on my other laptop to get the paper off so I wouldn't have to retype 21 hours of work. My laptop didn't even realize an external drive was plugged in. I fortunately have a second external HD enclosure (my roommate's, actually) and tried that, it also didn't work.

Long story short, my $300 something SSD showed signs of failure, then completely crashed and died.

Is there anything I can try besides RMAing it?

 

afaik, no, nothing besides RMAing

bad news. you lost a lot of work?

 

avoid vertex if you don't want it happen again, lots of same case from online users review.

 

Koshinn,

I really feel for you, hope you're given an extension on that law exam, btw.

This is the type of scenario where I feel Intel is the more 'trustworthy' SSD maker currently.

As to how to possibly save your paper, I would try to flash the firmware on it (even if its the same as you had on it), I would also try a Ubuntu Live CD to see if that sees the SSD (before and after trying the firmware) too. Other than that, RMA'ing is the only recourse.

Good luck (both with the SSD and with your exam dilemma too).

 

Really? I thought the Vertex was supposed to be reliable?

I didn't get an extension, they told me to just type fast.

 

just a few examples...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...eoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&Page=1&Keywords=

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-OCZSSD2-1...?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66150

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66004

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65090

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3535&p=2

 

I have to say this, but now you know why it is critical to backup data. The more critical the data is, the more you need to back it up.

That being said, the SSD is toast. You're going to need to RMA it.

I had a 60GB Agility come to me DOA and got it returned, and I'm crossing my fingers the 120GB Agility I have now will work for a few years!

 

Yeah, who would have thought it would die in the middle of a 24 hour exam. I thought SSDs were supposed to be more reliable.

vostro - thanks for that, I wish that info came out about a month and a half ago

 

more reliable != no backup needed.
nothing is 100% reliable. backups for important work are always needed..

but it's too late to say, you now know better anyways..

yes

 

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1477793

 

vostro1400user,

Thanks for that link.

It may be the Intel drive is defective, but it doesn't seem to have failed in mid-use, but rather the unfortunate OP received the drive DOA?

 

i have no idea what's wrong with this intel G2, i saw some local brand new sealed intel G2 160GB deal at 400ish on craigslist and kijiji but was hesitate to catch it for a test, fearing that whether intel will honor warranty for this kind of deal without formal receipt...

 

I agree with that vostro1400user, when it's too good to be true...

 

DId you try to not use ACHI mode?
If you didnt do this, please try it. If it still doesnt work, you may need RMA

 

Great idea ronan_zj!

But even if it works in non AHCI mode, I would still RMA it - after I got that exam paper off!

 

I have Vertex 120G and it works great on my X61t, the only thing I dont like is when you install OS, you need to use IDE mode, under ACHI mode it won't load the drive. After you installed OS, then you need to enable ACHI in OS, then restart it.
Right now both Intel 160G and Vertex 120G works pretty awesome on my laptops, and I sold my samsung 256G crap for a cheap price.

 

While it is great to preach the backup maxim, I honestly think this is a situation where very few backup solutions would have helped. A 24 hour take home exam with 3 hours left on a month and a half old harddrive is a real real whack job.

The only practical backup solution I can think of that would of saved you here is if you had your exam's working copy on an external flash disk. I can't think of any other practical backup solutions that would not of been promoted through hindsight.

I'm fortunate that all my important documents are constantly being backup using Window's Offline files. But they only get constantly copied if I am within my Work network. Otherwise the only other set of backups I would of had for a situation like this way last nights incremental.

 

yeah this is more of a case of a raid1 that would have helped.. or having a realtime backup system. i have that for some folders, but not my documents folder, actually so backup-praising myself, i would have been in the same situation...

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...rk=&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&Keywords=

 

you love to collect all bad cases, right?

call me again, once 1%, or even just 1&permil; actually fails. then we can see it actually popping up in some statistic as tiny minor issue.

sad for everyone who had problems, though. but a statistical nothing, it still is.

 

Can you cite one of the actual statistic collected of the failures proportion in SSDs vs. HDDs? For example, Google and external researchers recently academically published on DRAM failures and ECC coverage. Citing a similar, not necessarily academic, but at least some number of SSD vs. HDD failures even in a simulated environment, would be nice, rather than just claiming that's the case. Don't get me wrong, I tend to agree, but you can simply copy-paste that link in response to each of the "bad case" reports and be done with it

 

no, i can't. i don't work for intel or one of the shops, and i haven't heard them publishing that info (just as they don't for ALL OTHER STUFF THEY SELL).

want reports how much coffee machines got RMAed? well, ask the ones that SELL them.

but, there are ten to hundred thousands of (intel) ssds sold worldwide by now. and we see reports dropping in of <50 or <100 cases where there where actual hw issues (if at all that much, i'd say much less than that).

so it's simply a non-issue, those devices are around 100% trustable, within the rounding errors.

 

Many posts have been deleted. Stay on topic and avoid bickering. I suggest that the parties involved use the ignore feature(via usercp) before bans are issued(FYI: we usually ban both parties).

Thanks for your cooperation.