As part of the test and validation of firmware, we validate the procedures on a combination of multiple motherboards, operating systems, and SATA drivers. Despite our testing and validation efforts, we did not initially identify there was a port sensitivity issue in some systems. We are now adding this test to our procedures.
In the short-term, we are editing our Firmware Update Guide to include the following step: “Once in IDE mode, plug the drive into any of the Ports 0 - 3 directly on the motherboard”.
The reason for connecting directly to the Motherboard and not through an HBA (host bus adapter), is that HBAs typically only support 4 ports - Primary Master/Slave and Secondary Master/Slave - when in IDE mode. On the Gigabyte board (specifically, the X58A-UD7), we were unable to replicate the issue on Ports 0 - 3 (ICH10R). However, when using some of the other ports, we encountered issues where either the drive isn’t detected or the process failed.
It’s important to note the difference between Native and Compatibility mode: the Compatibility mode maps the I/O ports to “well known” port ranges, whereas “Native” (or “Enhanced”) mode allows the HBA to map the ports more-or-less where ever they want. Once the port ranges are known, there is no difference in communication with the drive. We found no difference in our testing in using Native or Compatibility modes. Additionally, we did not have any issues using Ports 0 – 3.
If you previously attempted the Crucial firmware update and have a drive that is no longer detected, please contact Crucial Technical Support for immediate resolution.
We apologize for any inconvenience you’ve experienced, and we appreciate the feedback and insights we’ve been receiving from Crucial customers relative to this matter.
Guru, Crucial Moderator US
