T420 m-SATA boot drive woes

[sktn77a]

Just got an Intel 530 m-SATA SSD from Newegg for my T420. Removed the old HDD, installed the m-SATA SSD and loaded Windows 7 from the Lenovo recovery DVDs. Everything appeared to be going well until the installation had almost completed then I started having problems with the many restarts windows does on final installation. I get a "failed media test" message and it goes into a BIOS-like boot manager screen with the following options:

Windows Boot Manager
ATAPI CD0
PCI LAN

None of the options do anything.

The problem is only on restart (warm boot). I have to manually switch the computer off with the power button and then start it up (cold boot) again and all is fine. If I try to do a manual re-start (instead of shut down) from the shut down menu, I get this boot manager screen again. It's almost like it doesn't see the m-SATA SSD on warm boot but does see it on cold boot.

Any ideas?

[ajkula66]

I've had highly questionable experiences with Intel's 520/530 drives and tend to stay away from them.

While the older 310/320 ones (if you must have an Intel SSD) are slower, they are fast enough IMO for a mSATA boot drive and run cool unlike some of their newer competitors.

In plain English, there is a reason why I stay away from SF-based SSDs and advise everyone to do the same.

I'd just sell/return/whatever that SSD and get something like Intel 320 or Crucial M4/Micron C400 in the mSATA form factor and call it a day.

My $0.02 only...

[sktn77a]

Well, after searching all day, I had one more shot at it tonight and found the answer - apparently this is a known problem (to Intel and maybe one or two other people) of the system failing to recognize these disks on restart. A firmware update from Intel seems to have corrected the problem.

What did we do before Google and the internet???

[Temetka]

We played outside.

That being said, get a Samsung mSATA and RMA the Intel one.

[jcvjcvjcvjcv]

Or get a Crucial. Samsung is a brand that lives off doing everything as cheaply as possible, except the marketing.

[excal32]

Or get a Crucial. Samsung is a brand that lives off doing everything as cheaply as possible, except the marketing.

Please don't post inflammatory comments like this if you don't know what you're talking about. Samsung designs their own SSD controllers and are considered to be quite nice actually.

[sktn77a]

The Intel drive is still working fine. I think the firmware upgrade was the only issue. Of course, Intel should never have released a drive in beta form but I guess that's the hardware and software manufacturers' mentality these days - throw out crap and let the marketplace fix it for you.

[ajkula66]

Please don't post inflammatory comments like this if you don't know what you're talking about. Samsung designs their own SSD controllers and are considered to be quite nice actually.

Actually, he might have a very valid point.

If one is looking for a cheaply-designed SSD surrounded by a ton of hype, Samsung's most popular offerings would fit the bill perfectly well. Standard 840 and EVO being the case...

On the occasions when they decide to create a "proper* drive (830, 840 Pro to a degree and likely the new 850 Pro which I haven't tested yet) they charge an arm and a leg for it.

While I'm glad that the OP's Intel mSATA SSD works fine after the firmware update - gotta love Intel's designers who learned absolutely nothing from the 8MB fiasco on the 320 series - I still wouldn't install a SandForce-based drive in any of my machines even it I got it for free...

My $0.02 only...

[Temetka]

Throwing my hat in the ring.

I have 2 Samsung SSD's. A 128GB 840 PRO and a 250GB EVO. Both run very fast in my T410 and my Precision M4400. I recommend Samsung SSD's at this point in time because they are proven to be reliable and speedy. Price is pretty competitive as well. I got the 840 PRO included with the T410 when I got it from another forum member here so I don't know what it's purchase price was. However the 250GB EVO I pad $150 for at Fry's Electronics. That was a great day for me. I told myself I wouldn't buy an SSD until the 250GB and up drives were under $150. That day came and I jumped never looking back. But why did I get a Samsung drive instead of one from another manufacturer? Every review indicated that these were top notch drives with a good warranty and good specs. Had another manufacturer hit the price/performance/GB ratio I was after, then I would have purchased from them.

WRT to the comment about never using a SandForce based controller SSD in a machine even if it were free: I agree 100%. Those drives are simply not to be trusted.