Firmware Upgrade to Fix Intel 320 SSD's 8 MB Bug

A few days back, Intel acknowledged the 8 MB bug that was plaguing some of the 320-series of drives.

Rossi Fernandes|Jul 27, 2011, 10:56:15 IST

A few days back, Intel acknowledged the 8 MB bug that was plaguing some of its 320-series of solid-state drives. Alan Frosty from Intel posted on their forum stating that they have been investigating the Bad Context 13x Error bug. Intel has also been hard at work trying to simulate the bug and test it thoroughly. They've stated that the bug can be fixed using just a firmware upgrade. Intel will post further updates detailing the schedule for the firmware availability. The 320-series of drives are still available and are being sold in the market. A set of guidelines have been given by Intel, to prevent any data loss caused by this bug.

Easily fixable

As with any storage device, backup your data regularly
When shutting down your system, follow your system’s standard shutdown process
Minimize unplugging the SSD while your system is powered

The bug makes some of the 320-series drives appear as an 8 MB drive, after a power cut has occurred. While some users have managed to get the drive to show up in its original capacity, there have been cases where data has been lost. Intel’s 320-series of drives are available in capacities of 40, 80, 120, 160, 300 and 600 GB.

By Rossi Fernandes

Our resident Hardware Ninja, Rossi, lives for speed - by uhh riding his bicycle. He's Tech2's utility man, dividing his time between cameras, software and intense bouts of Quake III. He's also a fan of all things obscure, case in point, Live for Speed (sic). Never heard of it? We rest our case. In his spare time he tries to teach our new joinees the tricks of the trade even though the blood sweat and tears, but give him a camera and all things forgotten.