8/13 Update on "Bad Context 13x Error" for Intel SSD 320 Series

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Status:

Intel has reproduced, identified root cause, and developed a firmware update which addresses the Bad Context 13x Error being discussed on the Communities site and elsewhere.

Response plan:

The new firmware update is in final validation testing and is targeted for release on Intel® Communities within the next two weeks. Intel takes firmware updates and issues of reliability very seriously and is taking extra steps to support a smooth release. We appreciate your patience.

What should I do if I have not experienced this issue?

To minimize occurrence, if a system requires a shut down, Intel recommends using that system's standard power shut down sequence. As with any storage device, Intel recommends users frequently back up their data. Download and install the new firmware when it is available. As with our previous firmware updates, a secure erase is not required.

What should I do if I have experienced this issue?

If you have already experienced a drive failure or encounter this problem before the firmware update is released, please contact your Intel representative or Intel customer support (via web: http://www.intel.com/ www.intel.com or phone: http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/contact/phone www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/contact/phone) for an SSD replacement. An alternative option is to use the Intel ® SSD Toolbox or similar tools to perform a secure erase in order to restore the SSD to an operational state; all data will be erased. After secure erase, update your SSD with the upcoming firmware. The pending firmware update will not recover user data.

Background:

For users unfamiliar with the issue, an Intel SSD 320 Series drive may exhibit a drive capacity of 8MB and an electronic serial # field containing a message of "BAD_CTX 0000013x" due to an unexpected power loss under specific conditions. Once this error occurs, no data on the SSD can be accessed and the user cannot write to or read from the SSD.

Rgds,

Scott

Intel Corporation

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It is not my native language but I have a guess on why you could not write the word 'hard'. I believe your next word was the word 'on'. These two words in combination might be a bit improper 🙂

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Till now we've 4 people with the 8MB Bug with the new firmare in this forum, right? Just to summarize this. Everyone, including me, had the 8MB bug on the very first crash after updating the firmware? Coincidence?

edit: Maybe 5 /thread/24353?tstart=0 http://communities.intel.com/thread/24353?tstart=0

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I doubt it homie.....I rue the day I installed it.

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So what, exactly, are the "crash" conditions that makes this happen? A bluescreen (or platform equivalent)? Last week I got a new 160GB 320-series drive and the frist thing I did was flash it with the new firmware. After that it still worked and I installed my system. Later on I hooked up one of my old magnetic drives as well and due to a couple of circumstances (mostly BIOS settings) my machine froze at boot and I could not even get into the BIOS.

So I experimented with a lot of hardware things (switching SATA ports, moving them around on the different controllers etc) and basically had to cut the power to my machine (by killing the PSU) anywhere between 12-15 times before I resolved the issue I was having.. after the SSD still works like a charm.

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For whom thinking of data recovery..

info: Please wait for a site operator to respond.

info: You are now chatting with 'Nathalie ' Nathalie : Hello. Thank you for using the Intel Customer Chat Support service. We are glad to be of service. How may I help you? : Hi Nathalie, : I have purchased a SSD about 7 months back.. : I had BAD_CTX error since few months : I waited for your FW update.. : I tried to update FW, it detects the SSD but fail to update.. : I' have tried it in 3 different computers.. : But finally I get "Update did not complete" message.. : Tried changing BIOS settings but I still couldn't get it updated.. : Will you be able to help? : My SSD is SSDSA2M080G2GC : FW is 2CV102HD : PBA:E78444-203 Nathalie : Hello Asel, the firmware update will only prevent this issue from occurring on a G3 SSD, to try and recover the SSD you can run a secure erase with a secure erase program, like HDD secure erase software (http://cmrr.ucsd.edu http://cmrr.ucsd.edu Nathalie : if this does not help you would need to replace the SSD, : I really need to recover my data.. : : If I run Secure erase it will clear all up.. Nathalie : on a Solid State drive it is very hard to recover data, since the data does not leave any traces, we do not offer data recovery, but you may use data recovery tools like EaseUS, or Power Recovery, : I tried to use a different one but it's showing only 8MB.. Will the ones you've suggested work on the size? : I mean the actual size of the disk? Nathalie : that is something you would need to try, at the moment we have not been made aware of tools that will access information on an SSD, nor third party companies that offer data recovery on SSDs, : : Ok.. : I'll try few other things then.. : Thanks Nathalie..