Running Toolbox Optimize on 240GB Intel SSD 520 Results In BSOD

[DWund]

I've been using a 240GB Intel SSD 520 as my boot drive for about three weeks (Intel RSTe v3.5.1.1009). I have not had any problems with day to day operations and the AS SSD benchmark for the drive is about what I would expect it to be. Yesterday I attempted to optimize the drive using Intel SSD Toolbox v3.1.2. At 85% I got a BSOD that completely froze the system. I did a hard reboot and the system came up without an issue. All of the trim files created by SSD Toolbox were still on the drive. I deleted them manually and attempted to optimize the drive again. The result was the same. Except this time when I restarted the system the SSD boot drive could not be found. The second time I tried to turn the computer on the SSD drive was found and the system booted. I ran SSD Toolbox quick and full diagnostic scans and neither found a problem with the drive. I also ran optimize on an X25-M SSD drive I also have in my system and it completed without a problem.

Although the drive seems to be working fine, the fact that running optimize crashes the system has me concerned with its long-term reliability. Any suggestions for further troubleshooting the problem (or fixing it) would be greatly appreciated.

[idata]

I just tried installing the new RST drivers: 11.7.1.1001, and the computer BSOD as it was restarting as soon as the install completed.

Windows 8 error message:

"CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED"

EDIT: To follow up, after restarting, I tried running SSD optimize and it reached 100% but then the computer locked up but did not BSOD. Had to manually power off after 5 minutes of being non-responsive.

[idata]

IMO, this issue is related to the SandForce controller used in the 520. Given the way the SandForce controller works, which is very different from other SSD controllers, it is difficult for the Optimizer to perform its work relative to other SSD controllers. Note that other Intel SSDs that don't use the SF controller do not have this problem.

I doubt there is much if anything users can do to fix this issue, it will require an update to the Toolbox so it will work correctly with Windows 8.

Until then, the Windows 8 Optimize feature for SSDs works fine in my experience, even with SSDs in RAID 0 volumes.

[DWund]

A bit of an update. I just installed the Intel RSTe ver.3.6.0.1093 drivers that were released on February 21. After doing so, Toolbox optimize only made it to 35-percent before throwing up an error saying optimization had failed and a reboot was required. Although I did not get a BSOD this time, the system performance was "sluggish" after I closed the Toolbox program. As I was navigating to the shutdown option, multiple memory access violation errors occurred for other running processes before the system locked up entirely. I had to do a hard shutdown of the computer at that point.

[KenF_Intel]

Hi all,

I have not been able to recreate this issue yet.

Do any of you that are experiencing the problem have an HDD password set in the BIOS? If so, please try removing the password and then run the optimizer.

Thanks.

ken

[RCram]

For my 520 180 GB SSD, I am not using BIOS password when the incident occur per my original post.

PS: In case it matters, I have never had a BIOS password set on the machine or a password set on the SSD.

Also, I was unable to recreate the problem when the schedule task initiated the SSD Optimizer. However, from this thread, it appears that the SSD will stop responding after the Optimizer completes causing the BSOD and in my case the BSOD could not create a crash dump.

Thank you.