Intel 540s SSD - hangs in Windows10, upon reboot no drive detected. DevSleep issue?

[FMook]

Hi all, I've got a couple hundred Intel SSDs and I've randomly had an issue with both the Intel 540s series and Intel 535 series drives randomly hanging the computers. When the computer blue-screens and reboots, the system can no longer find the harddrive. On the 535 series drives, Intel's tech support suggested I try installing the firmware that disables the DevSleep feature of the 535 drives. That has fixed my problem with the 535 series. However, I'm having basically the same symptoms with the 540s series drives as well. I haven't bothered contacting Intel support yet about the 540s series drives. Is there a firmware available for the 540s series that disables the DevSleep feature? The utility for the 535 series only works on that series of drives.

The Intel SSD Toolbox utility finds no problems with any of the drives when I run the full disk check repeatedly.

Thanks!

[idata]

Hi citybett,

We understand your situation regarding the Intel® SSD 540s Series. We would like to inform you that the latest Firmware available for the SSD(041C) in the latest https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27330/Intel-Solid-State-Drive-Toolbox Intel® Solid State Drive Toolbox contains a fix it for the "Devsleep" feature. In case you are not able to do it with the tool, we recommend you to follow the next steps: 1- Go to: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26491/Intel-SSD-Firmware-Update-Tool2- Download the issdfut_2.2.3.iso3- Go to https://rufus.akeo.ie/ and download Rufus.4- Connect an empty USB flash drive to the PC.5- Open Rufus and change only the options "Device" and select your USB. Then go to ISO image, click on search and select the issdfut_2.2.3.iso you previously downloaded.6- Go to your BIOS -> Boot -> Boot priority -> select the "USB" as primary.7- Re-boot your PC. It should enter the firmware update tool for your SSD.8- Update the firmware and then boot windows.9- If it does not boot to the "USB" or it gives you an error, please go to BIOS and change the boot mode to "legacy only". Then try again.NOTE: Any links provided for third party tools or sites are offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel® of the content, products, or services offered there. We do not offer support for any third party tool mentioned here.Please try it and let us know the results. Regards,Junior M.

[FMook]

Thanks for the reply, but I'm already running the latest 041C (LSF041C) firmware for my 540s series drives but still encountering the random system hangs and then "drive not detected" on reboot. Any other suggestions? This is with a variety of Dell desktop computers, such as Vostro 270, Inspiron 660, Inspiron 3847, etc... All systems have the latest system BIOS installed.

As an aside, the Intel SSD Toolbox utility doesn't allow you to update the firmware for the 540s series, I've had to update the firmware using the bootable 2.2.3 firmware update utility.

[idata]

Hi citybett,

Thanks for the information. Could you please confirm how many drives are affected? Regards, Junior M.

[FMook]

How many drives affected? Hmm, over the last few months, 3 or 4 of them. That's been the same story with the 535 series as well.

The typical symptoms of both the 535 and 540s are that the drives have worked correctly in a computer for over a year, and then the one day the computers will start hanging/blue-screening, and not detecting the drive upon restart. Shutting off completely and turning back on, the drive works again for awhile until the same thing happens. Before I learned about the special firmware for the 535 series that disables DevSleep, my "fix" was to simply clone the data onto a different SSD and stop using the "problem" drive in that specific computer. But by applying the 535 firmware that disables DevSleep, it has fixed my problem with the 535 series.

But I still have the same issue with the 540s series, even with the latest firmware. That's why I was hoping there was a firmware for the 540s that disables DevSleep just like the 535.

As mentioned, the "problem" drives pass all diagnostics in the Intel SSD Toolbox....and if I re-use the "problem" drive in a different computer entirely it generally works correctly again. Why it works correctly for over a year in the original computer and then starts having this problem.....no idea.