- SSD Error may be down to the use of phison firmware before release
- That’s the conclusion of a study from a PC enthusiast group in China
- We are told that it is verified by Phison Engineers but we have to be careful with this claim until we officially hear from Drive Controller Maker
There is a fresh twist in terms of the recent controversy about Windows 11 and SSD errors in the form of a suggestion that problems with drives may be related to the use of firmware before release.
Neowin reports that this reasoning comes from a Chinese Facebook group for PC enthusiasts called ‘PCDIY’, the group administrator that a particular Rose Lee -claims to have reached the bottom of the basic reason why SSD’s breaking.
Apparently this is due to the fact that versions of Phison Drive-Controller Firmware are used in SSDs out there. This is a conclusion that was reached through testing performed by PCDIY and apparently verified by Phison Engineers, too we are told-it is backed up in a follow-up report of Neowin.
Lee writes (as translated from Chinese by Google): “PCDIY tests have revealed that the SSDs that crashed and crashed due to the Windows 11 update used pre-release, prefinal versions of engineering firmware.
“Because all SSD manufacturers who sell products using phison controllers, buy their products from the original manufacturer and send them into bulk using mass production tools are the SSDs delivered to consumers are already using the official firmware.”
Where does this leave us then? And why do some of the drives out there use ‘technique’ firmware?
Let’s explore the next, but of course we have to be careful with the claim made here until we officially hear from Phison that this is actually the case. The statement that Phison delivered to Neowin still remains vague in the wild and does not directly confirm that this is the widespread problem Windows 11 users report.
Analysis: An interesting explanation – but put a caution first here
Okay, so when you refer to drives using firmware before release, are these, say, SSDs are sent to reviewers before the official release of these products?
Although it would explain the use of previous firmware, this problem is too widespread to it – and a whole lot of ordinary old consumers complain about being affected. In short, this error is driving drives sold in retail. The question then becomes: How would such SSDs get an early version of Controller -Firmware?
The prevailing theory seems to be that the affected SSDs are from manufacturers who bought Drive Controllers from Phison who had firmware before release. Then Phison then updated the firmware and delivered this update to the SSD manufacturer, but they could not use it until the drive was sent and hit the shelves -and thus the beta company ended up with a retail SSD.
Although it sounds unlikely, it is a possible scenario. However, these are all guesses, and as already mentioned, we will have to hear from Phison officially to confirm this, so sit tight for it.
However, this theory explains why Phison’s extensive test did not show any errors – because the controller manufacturer would have used the latest release company, of course. Microsoft also cleared Windows 11 of any blame for its last update for us, and again it makes sense in this light – if this is a drive company problem.
What it does not explain is why SSDs other than those with phison controllers were apparently affected. However, the majority were Phison who went after reports – and maybe the others are a case of coincidence, it could be argued.
In any case, if you are concerned that your SSD is potentially affected by this error, the simple solution is to make sure it runs the latest firmware. Glitch can make the drive disappear from the system, but maybe just temporarily in some reported cases – it could return after a reboot.
Check the version of your Firmware in Windows (in Device Administrator) and compare it to the latest release version available on Drive Manufacturer’s Website.
However, remember that updating the firmware for any hardware carries the risk in itself – so you may want to wait a little longer and see if we get official confirmation of this new theory of SSD errors.
