Crucial M4 firmware update (000F)

[Elganja]

000F Crucial m4 2.5-inch SSD

• Windows® 7 Updater Application
  guide — download firmware
• Manual Boot File
  guide — download firmware

Release Date: 04/11/2012

Firmware for the m4 SSD is being updated from version 0309 to 000F. The m4 is updatable to this new firmware starting from versions 0001, 0002, 0009, or 0309 in a single step. If updating from an early version directly to 000F, all interim improvements will also be included (please see Release Notes for version 0002, 0009 and 0309 for details).
Changes between version 0309 and 000F include the following changes:

• Improved compatibility with certain SAS expanders and peripheral RAID cards.
• Improved throughput stability under extremely heavy workloads.
• Improved data protection in the event of unexpected, asynchronous power loss.

This firmware update is recommended for all drives currently in the field if the end user is experiencing any of these symptoms.

 

[Elganja]

i updated the firmware in my macbook pro and my main rig this morning with no ill effects (5 drives in total)

didn't have chance to do any benchmark testing though on the new firmware (have benchmarks on the 0309 firmware for comparison)

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Also updated last night without issue using the Windows updater.

 

[sm625]

I just ordered one of these. I submitted the order about 7 minutes after my ocz sandcrap drive refused to boot.

 

[Sunny129]

i just took delivery of my M4 64GB the other day and loaded Win7 x64 on it. fortunately i haven't installed much on it yet, though i don't know if that even matters. it appears that some of you have successfully updated your firmware on volumes that already contain an OS, applications, and such...so i'm assuming this can be done without data loss, right?

 

[birthdaymonkey]

i just took delivery of my M4 64GB the other day and loaded Win7 x64 on it. fortunately i haven't installed much on it yet, though i don't know if that even matters. it appears that some of you have successfully updated your firmware on volumes that already contain an OS, applications, and such...so i'm assuming this can be done without data loss, right?

Yep, the update doesn't touch your data.

 

[Sunny129]

thanks! i'll give it a go when i get home tonight...

 

[God Mode]

Its nice to see crucial being diligent with updates for their product. I can't wait for their next iteration of drives.

 

[razel]

[*]Improved throughput stability under extremely heavy workloads.

I hope this relates to the torture TRIM tests that Anand does. I'm curious to test the improvement myself this weekend if it rains hard enough.

 

[Coup27]

Another classic illogical naming system.

0001, 0002, 0009, 0309 then 000F.

 

[icanhascpu2]

Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean its illogical. Who cares anyway?

 

[zokudu]

The update utility says it cannot recognize my drive. Any ideas?

 

[Sunny129]

i had an interesting experience...i did it through Windows, and did as the .pdf file instructed. the update software recognized my SSD after reboot, but instead of outputting "updating firmware..." and "finished," it said that an error occurred during the update process, and then rebooted again. luckily, windows loaded just fine. upon checking my drives properties, it is in fact now using the 000F firmware, despite the updater telling me that an error occurred while updating...

 

[RU482]

son of a b...I just shipped 20 computers with this drive....at least they had 0009

 

[hardhat]

Updated with the windows updater without issue.

 

[Towermax]

The windows version wouldn't work for me--"no drive found". So I burned and booted the firmware ISO and it upgraded the drive just fine.

 

[DarkRogue]

son of a b...I just shipped 20 computers with this drive....at least they had 0009

0009? That's not a good idea regardless..
I think you need 0309 minimum to fix the 5184-hour BSOD bug.

 

[Coup27]

Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean its illogical. Who cares anyway?

It is quite clearly illogical. The reason it gets my goat is because I work in the engineering sector in factory automation. We rely quite heavily on documents having a standard naming method with sequential version numbering system. When you receive multiple revisions of the same document it's essential. When some tool then sends through "new version" or "000F" without continuing the naming system things start to go pearshaped with different people working from different documents.

 

[Burner27]

Neither method worked for me. It must be user error..........

 

[Sunny129]

Neither method worked for me. It must be user error..........

what was the nature of your error? was the firmware update software able to recognize your SSD just after reboot? if so, and it still didn't update as the instructions said it would, what messages were displayed on the screen during the failed update attempt? if it didn't recognize the SSD just after reboot, then perhaps you still have IDE mode set in the BIOS instead of AHCI?

 

[Burner27]

I tried with AHCI mode, IDE mode (compatible) and IDE mode (enhanced) - stuck at finding drives.....


***UPDATE*** I told you this was going to be user error. I got it to update the FW. I forgot to turn off the Marvell onboard controller (yes I am using it but neither of my M4s are attached to it). When I disabled it and re-ran the update it found my drives.

 

[kbp]

Im holding off. Think i'll wait till the "beta testers" give the "all good". So, with that said, keep me posted in about a month or two.

 

[zokudu]

Still no luck updating. I used the burnable iso image still didn't recognize my drive. I double checked and shut off my my Marvell on board controller and still no luck.

 

[God Mode]

The windows exe worked fine for me. At first, it was on a different drive and rebooted without updating. I then put it in C:/ or whatever your OS drive is and it worked. No IDE/AHCI nonsense needed.

 

[zokudu]

I'm booting into the updater but it does not recognize my drive once there.