Crucial M4 009 Firmware update

If you know how to crack open the 2880 .img file, you can still get back to use freedos as that I believe is just a diskette image containing bootable DOS.

All these are so easy under linux but so difficult under Windows. Or as suggest, use Grub4DOS and this .img is the only file you need.

 

What .img?

 

BOOT\ISOLINUX\BOOT2880.IMG

it is basically a 2.88MB diskette image containing DOS and the firmware. I don't know how Grub4DOS work but assume it would chain boot into this image.

If you really want, you can crack open this file using DOSBox(another tool to install) and use the above mentioned HP method to create the USB and copy everything after you crack open this to the USB.

 

just try this

UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads

and see if it can create the USB for you. just select the iso image instead of the distro.

 

If I just burn a dvd with a iso burner then it will work right? Because this is waay too timeconsuming to save a dvd disc :s'

edit:

trying that

 

yes, that is what I said. effort(less to more)

1. burn CD/DVD
2. unetbootin
3. syslinux
4. HP tools + DOSBox(then manual copy)
5. Grub4DOS(because I don't know about it).

 

Easy and worked perfectly

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : Crystal Dew World
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 521.593 MB/s
Sequential Write : 258.940 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 442.569 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 191.081 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 22.580 MB/s [ 5512.6 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 65.623 MB/s [ 16021.2 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 206.292 MB/s [ 50364.2 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 211.685 MB/s [ 51680.9 IOPS]

Test : 1000 MB [C: 35.9% (168.6/469.6 GB)] (x5) <All 0x00, 0Fill>
Date : 2011/09/06 15:42:18
OS : Windows 7 Ultimate Edition SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)

 

What size USB stick did you use?

I'm trying with a 16GB OCZ Diesel (stick works fine) and I get a menu with a "Default" option that does absolutely nothing. The countdown timer just runs down from 10 to 0 over and over again.

I've even tried YUMI and it gets stuck in it's own way, too.

 

i didn't burn this particular image as I don't have M4. You have to ask the poster I tried to help. Size shouldn't matter though as it just chain boot into your ISO image.

I have no problem doing it this way with other iso images, mainly linux distro.

 

Is this SSD with 4K points BEST of all SSDs ?
Can we make thread that everybody will post JUST 4K Benchmarks results of all existing SSDs ? Because that is MOST important measure of SSD

 

who said 4K is the MOST important measure ? It is as of today, the most UNIMPORTANT(for laptop use), assuming we are comparing reasonably capable models.

 

Trying to update to 009 via USB drive and got stuck at "Initdisk" message same as some people posted above, I have been trying to troubleshoot the problem for hours, no luck so far

 

Are you able to use IDE or Compatibility mode for the bootable update?

What other troubleshooting have you done so far?

 

I can't find any IDE or compatibility mode in the BIOS, there are only three options for SATA configuration: RAID, ACHI and ATA, all leads to the same result, it just won't progress after "Initdisk" message.

I thought it was something wrong with the bootable drive I made, then I tried other methods as some people suggested in this thread and remade the drive, unfortunately it made no difference.

 

Hmmm... have you tried burning the ISO at the lowest speed possible and/or verifying the MD5 checksum of your download?

 

I updated via usb drive, if I had a CD or DVD at hand, I wouldn't have gone through the hassle of making bootable drives etc.

 

Okay, a bad burn seems to be ruled out?

How about verifying the downloaded ISO file?

 

The downloaded file crucialm4_0009.zip is 1242Kb, I downloaded it twice, I am pretty sure it's not a corrupt download. The extracted ISO file is 3286KB.

 

I see you have two machines, have you tried using another machine for the flashing ? Afterall, it really is just a simple DOS program that stuff the firmware down to the drive, can be done on any machine(borrowed or whatever) that do the job.

 

Unfortunately I don't have an extra HDD caddy that is required to install the SSD on my G50Vt Asus skimped the extra HDD caddy on 2nd harddrive and sells it for a price.

 

take out the existing HDD and just stuck the SSD in. You are only using it for flashing, you don't need the existing drive during that process. just put it back afterward.

the flashing can be done ON ANY MACHINE THAT CAN BOOT FROM USB.

 

Thank you for your advice, I just followed your suggestion and swapped the hard drives, and my dear ASUS G50VT refused to boot up from the USB drive, no idea what's wrong, the same USB drive boots up my M17x perfectly fine, very frustrating... so much for updating the firmware.

I guess I will just get a DVD sometime later and try update the damn thing from DVD. Why can't they figure out an easier way to do this is beyond me.

 

very few modern machine refuse to boot from USB. Though some only boot from one of the USB port(and of course you have to enable USB boot and make it the first boot device).

 

Just so you are aware, ATA=IDE. but the flash should work fine in AHCI.

I have seen for a fact that it doesn't like to work in RAID mode however. Had to help a friend over the phone, his update kept skipping through the drive detection part and going straight to the A:> prompt. Swapping out of RAID mode work first try.

 

I booted up my G50 with USB drives before in order to flash my video card bios, and I did make it the first boot device, it just failed to boot and then headed straight to windows, then consequently crashed.

I tried updating in ATA mode and still can't get past the "InitDisk" message, I searched the crucial forum and found this problem is not exactly uncommon, and there isn't an answer in there either.

 

Yea I realize you stated that earlier. Just letting you know as you didn't seem to realize this before.

Perhaps you ought to just find a CD and burn it (don't waste a DVD on a 3MB iso, honestly even a CD isn't worth it, but perhaps a CD-RW...hmmm...*lightbulb*). I've seen a lot of people have trouble with the flash on USB keys, few if any on CD/DVD's.

 

Used a CD, didn't want to waste a DVD, and it worked flawlessly. Have another M4 arriving in 2 days.

 

Same here, flashed using a CD and it went flawlessly, no loss of data what so ever on my OS drive.

 

Ditto.

On a side note, I don't understand why people will spend $400+ on an ssd, and then gripe about having to waste a $0.10 cd to flash it with.

 

Something called environmental friendly ?

 

I made a ISO image on the disk but can't get my computer to update, I restart the computer and hit ESC to tell it to run from CD. It doesn't work. It eventually boots up and the firmware intstall program never opens. I have to be doing something wrong.

 

Got it to work, and I never changed anything that I'm aware of!

 

Use ultraIso to burn it on USB drive

 

Ugh. I updated my Crucial M4 to the 0009 firmware and now I'm getting random beachballs and lockups.

I didn't have any problems with the 0002 firmware other than the occasional startup failure (nothing but the Apple logo). I still have that startup failure on the 0009 but it's happening quite a bit more often now.

Anyone have a fix? This is on a 2011 Apple MacBook Pro 13.3"?

 

You could try this if you haven't already:
MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.2 Solves SATA III Problems | StorageReview.com

 

Just updated to 0009 and the speeds are slightly better

 

Yup. Installed the EFI firmware update the day Apple released it. I don't think it fixed anything.

 

You did reset PRAM and EFI?

 

I had already reset my PRAM and I felt like stability improved for a few hours until the random lockups started again. Haven't had a bad startup in a while though.

I just reset my PRAM and my SMC. Let's see what happens. So far, so good.

 

What I found How to Upgrade Crucial SSD Firmware | StorageReview.com

 

This doesn't work for Alienware m14x. The CD/DVD doesn't work either for me. It starts updating and ends up saying current version 0002. My BIOS SATA operation is set to ATA.

Any ideas?

 

just get another desktop/notebook and do the update there.

 

worked on another desktop.