Need Latest 02M3 Firmware for X-25-M 80GB

[idata]

I get an error from the SSD Optimizer in the Intel SSD Toolbox to update my drive's firmware; the utility will not run. It says I have the old firmware and informs me I need to update (the drive's firmware).

Intel Product Change Notification number 110343-00, dated December 3, 2010, tells me that the current firmware (for this drive) is version 02M3, not the version 02HD as is in the ISO update on the Intel site and is noted at the latest version of the firmware (110902HD88208850.iso).

The Intel SSD Toolbox "View Drive Information" confirms the firmware is version: 2CV102HD.

The disk created from the ISO file also confirms the firmware is version 02HD and will not update the SSD drive.

I need to update the firmware to version 02M3 to allow the SSD Optimizer to run.

I am running XP media Center Edition with all the latest patches and upgrades. No other problems with the drive or OS.

Please help.

Thanks!

[idata]

redux, thanks for taking the time to create your long post, I greatly appreciate it. The synopsis of G1 SSDs was very enlightening, thank you. I must say that over the last few days I have been chasing down information about TRIM and the operation of SSDs. What I find curious is the lack of what I would call "official" information, as in technical documents from authoritative sources, such as Intel for example. Not that Intel is responsible for providing such a thing, of course. But it is somewhat irksome that the best source that I found is Wikipedia, whom I like very much BTW, but that seems odd to me. Anyway...

When we say that Win 7 adopted and provides the TRIM command, it would be more accurate to say that Microsoft implemented the provisions outlined in the INCITS Data Set Management Commands Proposal ATA8-ACS2 document, which describes the low-level implementation and purpose of the TRIM "command". After studying this and other documents... err, articles, it seems to me that what TRIM actually does is not truly understood by some people, and I hope I am getting it right, BTW!

The TRIM command communicates to an SSDs firmware which data blocks are no longer valid data, due to file deletion and the processing involved in that process. TRIM does not perform any actual operations on the SSD, it is the SSD's firmware that does that work, given that it supports the TRIM command. TRIM simply serves as an assistant, albeit an important one, to the garbage collection function of an SSD, assuming it has one, the result being less wear on the SSD due to the write amplification situation inherent in SSDs. Please feel free to correct this explanation, but only if you truly know what is correct. I have found quite a bit of contradictory information on the Internet, and a post in a forum cannot necessarily be considered as accurate (of course, I should talk, right?) My statement is based upon the best information (IMO) that I could find, and combine into one simple statement.

[idata]

mistermokkori, Indeed I was referring to the Windows 7 msahci driver. Would you agree with what is written in the table on page five of the document below:

http:////http://download.intel.com/design/flash/nand/mainstream/Intel_SSD_Optimizer_White_Paper.pdf //http://download.intel.com/design/flash/nand/mainstream/Intel_SSD_Optimizer_White_Paper.pdf

Also perhaps you missed this in redux's recent post, which seems to be in contradiction to what you have stated earlier. That is:

After the firmware update the G1 drives were highly resilient to degradation and they remain a great drive to this day. The fact that Intel did not issue a firmware update for G1 drives to enable TRIM is however something that upset a lot of customers. Not a great way to reward earlier adopters. Apart from that gripe however Intel drives have performed admirably and they are the most reliable SSD out there. Even today the G1 access times outperform the latest gen drives from other vendors and they have managed to do that without DRAM.

I ask this only in hope of coming to the correct conclusion, with the intent of providing only the most accurate information possible.

[idata]

An OS marks "deleted" data as available. In contrast TRIM is a notification mechanism that can instigate an erase process on the device, by the device. Again, my understanding.

Although standards are developing it does not mean that they are necessarily being implemented. There is a lot of variation between the inner workings of controllers, which is in part due to the fact that the technology is still evolving.

When DuckieHo gets round to writing his article on TRIM (which he promised to do some time ago now) hopefully things can be better explained/confirmed.

Native TRIM support is not supported on G1 drives and neither is the Toolbox TRIM function and that is, I believe, what mistermokkori is also saying.

[mmokk]

parsec wrote:

mistermokkori, Indeed I was referring to the Windows 7 msahci driver. Would you agree with what is written in the table on page five of the document below:

http:////http://download.intel.com/design/flash/nand/mainstream/Intel_SSD_Optimizer_White_Paper.pdf //http://download.intel.com/design/flash/nand/mainstream/Intel_SSD_Optimizer_White_Paper.pdf

it's incomplete, and also outdated. the native microsoft ide driver passes through windows 7 trim commands, and also allows the optimizer to work. the fact that it says the matrix storage manager doesn't support native windows 7 trim means the whitepaper was written before the release of the 9.6 driver set (which was renamed intel rapid storage technology).

parsec wrote:

Also perhaps you missed this in redux's recent post, which seems to be in contradiction to what you have stated earlier. That is:

After the firmware update the G1 drives were highly resilient to degradation and they remain a great drive to this day. The fact that Intel did not issue a firmware update for G1 drives to enable TRIM is however something that upset a lot of customers. Not a great way to reward earlier adopters. Apart from that gripe however Intel drives have performed admirably and they are the most reliable SSD out there. Even today the G1 access times outperform the latest gen drives from other vendors and they have managed to do that without DRAM.

I ask this only in hope of coming to the correct conclusion, with the intent of providing only the most accurate information possible.

what did i state that was in contradiction to redux's post?

[idata]

mistermokkori, When you wrote the following:

"the toolbox and trim both work fine without ahci. i say that because i've used them. if people report they don't work, then it is due to some configuration issue specific to their case."

I assummed you were refering to your G1 drives, but that is apparently not the case.

Regarding the white paper, although Intel has a very large and extensive web site that is difficult to manage, allowing obsolete documents to be accessible, particularly ones that are innately inaccurate, is not a good practice. But then things do become lost and forgotten.