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 you sure that it's iso buggy, not your dvd/cd/whatever drive or media, etc?

Check the md5 for 0811036202M388208850.ISO

md5=b5f040185e899c48042569a35e62a101

if your OS is windows,

You can use http://www.winmd5.com/ http://www.winmd5.com/ to check md5 and ImgBurn to make bootable disc from iso - http://www.imgburn.com/ http://www.imgburn.com/. 

Message was edited by: w00thisButtonDo

[idata]

How important is it to disconnect & reconnect SSD after the firmware update?

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?92465-Where-we-are-with-Vertex3-Agility3-Soli... http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?92465-Where-we-are-with-Vertex3-Agility3-Soli...

OCZ technician's posts in their forum indicate that Sandforce drives must be disconnected for full 30 seconds after firmware update in order to let the system see the new acpi table. Yeah, I know OCZ's SSDs have very little to do with intel's, but I wonder if intel's controllers have similar requirement, so the firmware update didn't 'take' for some users who rebooted immediately after the update?

[idata]

Exactly my thoughts!

Maybe it was my "fault", I was waiting only for a few seconds and rebooted then... On my first bsod -> 8mb. I did 15-20 hard shutdowns now, trying to reproduce the 8MB error with no "luck".

Maybe Intel can clarify this, how important it is to wait longer or even plug on/off the ssd after flashing the firmware.

[idata]

I'd like to see clarification or specifics on the phrase "caused by an unexpected power loss under specific conditions". What "specific conditions" are necessary?

[idata]

I just saw revision 1.92 of the Firmware Update Tools has been released yesterday:

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

It seems it addresses problems in updating the SSD firmware on Apple and Lenovo systems, while not providing any new change in the firmware.

Mauro.