Intel DC S3500 SSD - formatting causes immediate BSOD

[coolrunnings82]

I picked up a pair of Intel S3500 drives to run in a RAID 1 and did what I always do to start a burn in: put them in my bench computer and started a format. I start the format process and it immediately locks up and bluescreens with a Stop 0x0000004A error. First time I've seen that and I can't find anything applicable online about it. I tried the following:

- Checked the 2nd drive - both exhibit the exact same behavior
- Checked firmware - fully up to date.
- Updated the BIOS on the machine used for testing: same behavior afterwards.
- Tried a different port: same problem.
- Tried different cables (rated for 6gb/s): same problem
- Tried a SATA 3G port: same problem.
- Ran a test with the Intel SSD toolbox - the drives both pass.
- Tried a Windows 8.1 live-CD: doesn't bluescreen but can't initiate a format.
- Tried them in another machine with the same hardware configuration. Same problem.
- Tried them in a Lenovo TS140 - they work, pass a format, can do a full install of Windows, no issues at all (besides being noticeably slower than my 840 Pro drives).

I'm at a loss. I've used several hundred different solid state drives from nearly every consumer vendor out there and never had anything like this (well, except from OCZ but let's not go there). I've had SSD drives fail before but never run into outright compatibility problems. The motherboard I'm using is an Asus B85M-E CSM board. Anyone see anything I missed or is this just and outright compatibility issue? That seems strange on an Intel chipset to be having issues like this!

I'm getting ready to return them both but I'm just checking to make sure I didn't forget to check anything. Suggestions? Also, any recommendations on specific models of drives for use with a SQL Server 2012 database and/or OS drive? I was considering using the Samsung 840/850 Pro drives but their lack of power loss protection got me worried.

 

[MiniKnight]

Uh... bizzare? I wonder if its a default BIOS setting issue given your tests above.

 

[HellDiverUK]

Don't suppose you have a USB to SATA dongle, and try it with that? I have a little SATA to USB bridge board I gutted from a Seagate external, and it'll work with everything. It's got an AsMedia chipset on it, which seems happy to play with otherwise tricky drives.

You could also try something like DBAN - it's linux based and boots off CD. Only takes an hour to zero a SSD fully, which will get rid of any bizarreness.

I suspect once you get the drives wiped, they'll be fine.

 

[coolrunnings82]

Don't suppose you have a USB to SATA dongle, and try it with that? I have a little SATA to USB bridge board I gutted from a Seagate external, and it'll work with everything. It's got an AsMedia chipset on it, which seems happy to play with otherwise tricky drives.

You could also try something like DBAN - it's linux based and boots off CD. Only takes an hour to zero a SSD fully, which will get rid of any bizarreness.

I suspect once you get the drives wiped, they'll be fine.

Good call on the USB dongle. I tried that and it works with the SSD on one of my laptops. That's bizarre that one specific motherboard can't handle this SSD. Gives me pause about putting it in a server in case I ever had to try to recover data from it... I did a diskpart clean on it but I haven't dbanned it yet. Not sure I really need to if it works in several other computers. Thoughts?

 

[coolrunnings82]

So far it seems that it is just the one computer where I'm having issues with that S3500 drive. Sure wish I knew what was causing that! It'll be interesting to see how the PERC H710P in the R720 I just ordered does with them.

 

[Patrick]

I wonder if its a default BIOS setting issue given your tests above.

I might have gone with this as the answer too.

 

[coolrunnings82]

Not sure where to even begin to find a setting like that! Any ideas of what to even search for to isolate it? I'm not too hopeful about calling Asus support...