OCZ Stomps Out SandForce BSOD Bug with Firmware Update

OCZ just made available new firmware that's supposed to fix a handful of stability issues with certain SandForce-based solid state drives (SSDs). Affected SSDs include the Vertex 3 series, Vertex 3 Max IOPS series, Agility 3 series, and Solid 3 series.

According to the release notes, the firmware addresses the following:

• Fixed a rare condition that may cause Windows Blue Screen error when the primary-configured drive woke up from either a SATA slumber mode or S3/S4 modes.
• Fixed a rare condition that may cause Windows Blue Screen error when the drive was configured as primary with OS installed.
• Fixed a corner-case issue that may cause the drive to stutter or Windows freezing screen when a media read error occurred.
• Further improved robustness of Secure Erase operation to prevent possible low-level data structure corruption.
• Significantly improved TRIM handling to enhance system stability.

Anyone who has experienced a BSOD with one of the affected models is encouraged to upgrade the firmware. You should also keep an eye on your SSD's manufacturer's website for an update if you own a non-OCZ with a SandForce SF-2000 series chipset. Apparently the stability issues extend to all SF-2000 SSDs.