TRIM update hosed my Windows 7 install

[idata]

Just did the firmware update and it hosed my Windows 7 installation. The updater showed a successful firware update. Initially the computer booted just fine, but once I was within Windows it installed some drivers and asked for a reboot. That's when the trouble started. Now the drive won't boot Windows 7 anymore. I don't know if it's a Dell problem or Intel problem. The Dell BIOS claims a SMART error. I have a Dell XPS 8000.

[idata]

Glugglug, I don't know. From what people posted, all I see is randomness. Compared to the last firmware fiasco (which there was a commonality), this one just doesn't have any consistancy. People with new drives work didn't work. People with os installed work didn't work. People who erased worked and didn't work. People with different oses had issues too. Whatever modes they used it either worked or didn't work. Now if New Intel drives were being sold with the 02HA firmware and didn't have any issues, then we would know it wasn't the firmware's fault. It would have been either user/compatibility error or just being that data is already on the drive prior to updating. Makes me wonder if Intel is doing a full firmware rewrite which would mean it would take much longer for it to reach the consumer.

Also, I wonder if Trim and the Optimizer are doing the same things? From what I heard from a different forum about a different make of SSDs, that the TRIM and GC couldn't exist together on the same firmware. They would supposedly have different firmware for the different types. Supposedly it would cause data corruption if TRIM ran and GC was ran later. This is all assumptions so I don't know. Is the optimizer TRIM or is it GC? I believe trim and gc erases things differently.

I have a feeling that with the fixed firmware update, people with stuff on it will be REQUIRED to HDDErase it then update the firmware. Supposedly this is how S**S**G will be doing their TRIM and GC updates.

[idata]

I used a SATA DVD burner to do firmware update and no problems. I did not boot to desktop in IDE mode, I changed BIOS to AHCI before going to desktop. What drivers are on the CD firmware update?

[MJohn29]

Isnt it true that some Optical drives are IDE with a SATA output...meaning they are not natively SATA?

[idata]

Never heard that, but I know my SATA DVD burner is SATA Generation 1, and Intel Storage Manager recognizes it as a SATA drive.

[idata]

I have a question that I haven't seen answered anywhere on these forums. How likely or unlikely is it that you have bricked your drive if you've only flashed your empty drive with 1.4 with nothing else installed? No Windows 7, nothing.

I jumped the gun as soon as 1.4 was out and flashed my X25-M G2 160GB awaiting Windows 7 to arrive only to discover the day after about the severe issues of the firmware. Waiting for a new firmware is my best bet here or should I be concerned the disk might be damaged from the firmware?