Windows 11 SSD issues blamed on reviewers using ‘early versions of firmware’

Reports person been circulating for the past fewer weeks that caller Windows 11 updates (KB5063878 and KB5062660) were causing immoderate SSDs utilizing Phison controllers to fail. While plentifulness of YouTube and TikTok videos person blamed Microsoft for the issues, Phison has identified “early versions of firmware and BIOS” arsenic the occupation instead.

“Many of the reports originate from media investigating conducted connected hardware moving aboriginal versions of firmware and BIOS,” says Michael Wu, GM and President of Phison US, successful a connection to The Verge. “These versions are show preview drives and are not identical to those provided to extremity users done authoritative organisation channels. We person observed that outdated firmware is inactive being utilized connected immoderate SSDs and we promote immoderate reviewers facing this to leverage updated transmission firmware readily disposable done manufacturer-provided update utilities.”

YouTuber JayzTwoCents claimed past week that the “Windows update and SSD occupation is WAY worse than we thought!” JayzTwoCents showed a Crucial T500 thrust (with a Phison E25 controller) failing aft Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 information updates, and needing a powerfulness rhythm to travel backmost to life. It’s not wide whether JayzTwoCents was utilizing pre-release SSD firmware, oregon adjacent an aboriginal motherboard BIOS.

Phison was capable to replicate issues reported by the PCDIY! community though, and recovered that these were down to engineering preview firmware. “Phison examined the nonstop SSDs utilized successful the PCDIY! investigating and determined PCDIY! was utilizing an engineering preview firmware, which is not the last firmware utilized successful the Corsair Force Series MP600 SSD 2TB and different drives with the E16 controller disposable for merchantability to consumers connected the market,” explains Wu. Phison besides performed the aforesaid tests connected user SSDs and recovered nary crashes oregon failures.

Microsoft said precocious past period that it had “found nary connection” betwixt its information updates and the thrust failures reported connected societal media and elsewhere. That didn’t halt galore people, including salient YouTubers, from blaming Microsoft for the SSD issues. That’s hardly astonishing though, given Microsoft’s past of chaotic Windows updates.