Firmware update now available - Addresses Bad Context 13x Error

[Alan_F_Intel]

Status:

Intel has posted a firmware update for the Intel® SSD 320 Series (firmware 4PC10362) which addresses the Bad Context 13x Error being discussed on the Communities site and elsewhere. You can download the new firmware here:

http://www.intel.com/go/ssdfirmware www.intel.com/go/ssdfirmware

Also posted at this link are Read Me, Release Notes, and SSD Firmware Update Tool Guidelines which provide detailed firmware update instructions and other relevant information such as the most current firmware revision available.

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

In order to provide the best user experience, Intel always recommends users download and install the latest firmware. As with any storage device, Intel recommends users frequently back up their data and periodically check for firmware updates. The http://www.intel.com/go/ssdtoolbox Intel® SSD Toolbox provides a host of utilities to monitor your SSD, including displaying detailed information such as the currently installed firmware revision.

What should I do if I have already experienced this issue?

If you have already experienced a drive failure or encounter this problem before the firmware update was 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 new firmware. The 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" caused by 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,

Alan

NVM Solutions Group

[idata]

Are there any plans to release firmware for the old generations too?

I ask you, because Bad Context 13x Error is also can be found on the G1/G2 drives, I don't know is it related to power losses, but it's fact. Maybe you can provide us more information about this error and why it can appear? I am sure that not only firmware bug can cause that.

[idata]

Hi Alan,

I have a 2011 MacBook Pro 15inch with the 320 Series 120GB Drive that has the same Bad Context 13x Error. I do not have access to a PC. I download the latest firmware, created a bootable CD from the ISO using the instructions found in the PDF, and booted off it.

It found the Intel SSD (Model # Intel SSDSA2CW120G3) and told me the serial number is (BAD_CTX 000001) and the current firmware is: 4PC10302. I proceed to answer Yes to all the questions, and it said that the firmware was being applied and that I should wait 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

About 20 seconds into this step, it failed to update the firmware. It displayed the "Intel SATA SSD Firmware update did not completed" screen, asking me to try to Disable the Drive Password protection in the BIOS and try again. It also asked me to Enable SMART in the BIOS, and finaly it told me to enable Legacy IDE mode in the BIOS.

None of the three things are possible in the MacBook Pro, so what are my options here? I rather not RMA the drive since I was hoping the firmware would restore access to the SSD so I can get my files off of it. I do have a old backup, but it's about 1 week prior to the Error, and if possible I rather not loose all that work if I can help it

Any suggestions?

I even tried to download the firmware again on a different Macbook Pro, and burned a second CD from the ISO, and exactly the same problems.

I'm hoping you have some suggestions.

Thanks,

Zubin Anary

[idata]

hi,

from /message/135752 previous update regarding the issue, i think you need to make your SSD back to operational state before you update the firmware

and maybe thats why the firmware update failed

"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. "

cmiiw, but afaik there no Intel SSD toolbox for mac yet, so you need to use bootcamp or other secure erase tools that works on osx

other than that, i think RMA the drive is the only way

[idata]

Great that the fix is available, greater still if there were an Apple Mac compatible version (also of the other SSD tools)!

Colin

[idata]

Colin wrote:

Great that the fix is available, greater still if there were an Apple Mac compatible version (also of the other SSD tools)!

Aha, the download says that it's only for Windows, but the instructions have an explicit section for Macs...