New Samsung 830 256GB SSD with minor problems...

Hi,

So I just bought this SSD about a week ago from the Newegg deal for $170 and have been using it for about 3 days so far. It seems really fast and all, but I have had a minor problem with it. I would be browsing the net normally then suddenly my mouse input would start lagging slowly then suddenly freeze. The computer would completely freeze and refuse to take any inputs from the mouse or keyboard.

I have checked for new FW updates via the Samsung SSD Magician Tool, but it seems I'm already running the latest firmware.

When I first got my SSD I installed a fresh copy of Widows 7 on it then followed the following guide to optimize Windows 7 accordingly: http://www.overclock.net/t/115665...-ssds-hdds

Now the guide mentions to use the native AMD SATA controllers instead of any third party ones, which I did in the first place, however I just went into the BIOS and completely disabled the other 3rd part controller a few mins ago since the computer just froze for the 2nd time in 3 days.

Any ideas on what I should try doing or what might be causing this? Should I try updating my BIOS or something?

This is my setup atm:
Motherboard: GA-890GPA-UD3H (rev. 2.0) @ BIOS Version FF [gigabyte.com]
RAM: G. Skill Ripjaws 12GB DDR3 1600MHz PC3-12800 CL9
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T @ Stock 2.8GHz
GPU: EVGA GTX 460 SuperClocked 768MB
HDD: 1x Seagate 320GB 7200RPM, 1x Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1TB 7200RPM, 1x Samsung F4 Spinpoint 2TB 5400RPM
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB
PSU: Antec EarthWatts 750 Watts

Here is my CPU-Z Validation if needed: http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2492852

Here is a CSV file of my Event Viewer from a few hours ago (note that the WMI error has been resolved with a script file I found by googling):
I exported it to a CSV file (can be opened in Excel) and uploaded it to my Dropbox here:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/errors.csv

I tried using a program called SSDLife to check up on my SSD as I hadn't found any other tool that can check for errors on SSDs. Here are the only thing I have found by using that program:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/SSDLife.png
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/SSDLife_SMART.png

The computer has froze 3 times so far in 3 days, 2 times today.

Please let me know if anymore information is required. Thanks in advance.

"You should have bought a squirrel (Intel)"

Quote from boltman2007 : "You should have bought a squirrel (Intel)"

Wow! Thanks for the very useful input.

-_-

I am sure that someone more knowledgeable than me will answer your question,
Just a few comments though.
Did you use the OS optimization in Magician? These were all done in the Windows 7 install and yet there were not recognized by Magician, so I just did them again.
I have had no problem with the 128GB version. But I do notice that there are so many conflicting opinions on what tweaks to make that it seems to be be a matter of preference. Like turning off Pagefile and Defrag etc... Why should I have to worry about how many writes I make to an SSD, seems pointless, if you have to worry about it.
I really like the the fast boot times and program load times, but it seems like you have to treat these things with kid gloves.
I do think that your on the right track with the controller issue though, since it seems hard to screw up a basic install.
Sorry I could not be more helpful.

If you did a fresh install of Win 7 then there shouldn't be any required optimization. The only thing in that case would be to make sure you are running in AHCI mode within the BIOS, prior to the install.

I would actually try the other controller just to see if it makes a difference once you've ruled out AHCI.

What programs are you running in the background, I previously had issues with my virus scan program and my SSD that would cause a boot lag.

I would use the correct driver if it was installed, also SSD magician does several thing that Windows does not turn off like indexing and defrag

Quote from komondor : I would use the correct driver if it was installed, also SSD magician does several thing that Windows does not turn off like indexing and defrag

A fresh install with SSD in win 7 will turn off defrag. If indexing isn't off by default I would turn it off for all drives, even if you aren't using an SSD.

Quote from repitall : I am sure that someone more knowledgeable than me will answer your question, Just a few comments though. Did you use the OS optimization in Magician? These were all done in the Windows 7 install and yet there were not recognized by Magician, so I just did them again. I have had no problem with the 128GB version. But I do notice that there are so many conflicting opinions on what tweaks to make that it seems to be be a matter of preference. Like turning off Pagefile and Defrag etc... Why should I have to worry about how many writes I make to an SSD, seems pointless, if you have to worry about it. I really like the the fast boot times and program load times, but it seems like you have to treat these things with kid gloves. I do think that your on the right track with the controller issue though, since it seems hard to screw up a basic install. Sorry I could not be more helpful.

Yeah I used the Magician software afterwards. Defrag is turned off because it's completely useless on an SSD and reducing the amount of small writes is key to having an SSD last longer at fast speeds.

Quote from brbubba : If you did a fresh install of Win 7 then there shouldn't be any required optimization. The only thing in that case would be to make sure you are running in AHCI mode within the BIOS, prior to the install. I would actually try the other controller just to see if it makes a difference once you've ruled out AHCI. What programs are you running in the background, I previously had issues with my virus scan program and my SSD that would cause a boot lag.

I was actually recommended to try uninstalling the AMD AHCI driver and try again to see if it's the driver's fault. I plan to try doing that first and see.

Quote from komondor : I would use the correct driver if it was installed, also SSD magician does several thing that Windows does not turn off like indexing and defrag

The drivers installed were all correct, I assure you.

Quote from Mo786 : Yeah I used the Magician software afterwards. Defrag is turned off because it's completely useless on an SSD and reducing the amount of small writes is key to having an SSD last longer at fast speeds. I was actually recommended to try uninstalling the AMD AHCI driver and try again to see if it's the driver's fault. I plan to try doing that first and see.

Again, defrag is turned off automatically on all fresh installs of Win 7 to the SSD. And small writes likely won't make much of a difference due to wear leveling which every present day SSD has.

You can attempt to reinstall the drive, but is AHCI enabled and working within the BIOS?

Quote from brbubba : Again, defrag is turned off automatically on all fresh installs of Win 7 to the SSD. And small writes likely won't make much of a difference due to wear leveling which every present day SSD has. You can attempt to reinstall the drive, but is AHCI enabled and working within the BIOS?

Reinstall Windows with no other hard drives connected. Quite often the Win7 install attempts to use bigger attached hdds as temp system file storage.

You will know that Win7 used the other hdds as storage if you disconnect them and attempt to boot into the ssd only, just to find that there is a boot error because a system drive is missing.

Alright guys, sorry for the (very) late reply, but I had been trying a few different fixes to see if the problem can be resolved.

Here is what I have tried:

I have tried disconnecting ALL other SATA components except for the SSD and running the computer without turning it off for 5 days. The first 3 days were consecutive without turning off the computer at night, and everything ran fine without any problems. Then for the last 2 days I decided to turn it off at night, and it was still fine without any problems.

After seeing this, I decided to replug all EXCEPT my old OS drive back in (replugged 2 SATA drives, eSATA bracket for external HDD [newegg.com], and my optical drive). It ran fine for the first day, but then it froze again the second day.

Not sure if this means the cause is from one of my SATA components or not. Now to remind you guys, I have been running with this setup for about a year before I got this SSD and did not receive this problem AT ALL!

Most of the previous errors from event viewer are gone except for the ones that I get telling me my system has shut down unexpectedly and this is due to me turning it off by holding the power button when it freezes.
Here are the errors in case you didn't see them before:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/old%20error.PNG
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/ol...or%202.PNG

However, 2 new errors have shown up. One showed up for the first time today and it is this: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/error%201.PNG

As for the other one, it has been happening for a few days, but I was able to track it down to my Zune Dock which is connected to the back of my PC for power. This error shows up every time at startup and doesn't seem to affect my PC at all since it only occurs at bootup and no other time. Here it is: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/error%202.PNG

Now I have heard that it may be the USB ports, well I highly doubt that because I have my power button set to turn off the PC when pressed. I did this on purpose to rule out the USB port being an issue. The computer doesn't respond to the power button either when it freezes.

Now I have been thinking of uninstalling the AMD SATA driver and using the Microsoft one to rule out the driver being a problem. However, if it is a problem, won't that degrade my SSD performance if I used the SSD with the generic Microsoft drivers?

What do you guys suggest I do? The SSD is only about 2 weeks old, and I want to be able to get down to the bottom of this before a month passes so that I can get a replacement from Newegg in case the problem is from the SSD itself.

Sorry for the long reply and thanks to all that have tried to help so far.

Quote from AkumaX : Reinstall Windows with no other hard drives connected. Quite often the Win7 install attempts to use bigger attached hdds as temp system file storage. You will know that Win7 used the other hdds as storage if you disconnect them and attempt to boot into the ssd only, just to find that there is a boot error because a system drive is missing.

That's what I did when I installed Windows. I did not have any other drives connected at the time.

Quote from Mo786 : Alright guys, sorry for the (very) late reply, but I had been trying a few different fixes to see if the problem can be resolved. Here is what I have tried: I have tried disconnecting ALL other SATA components except for the SSD and running the computer without turning it off for 5 days. The first 3 days were consecutive without turning off the computer at night, and everything ran fine without any problems. Then for the last 2 days I decided to turn it off at night, and it was still fine without any problems. After seeing this, I decided to replug all EXCEPT my old OS drive back in (replugged 2 SATA drives, eSATA bracket for external HDD [newegg.com], and my optical drive). It ran fine for the first day, but then it froze again the second day. Not sure if this means the cause is from one of my SATA components or not. Now to remind you guys, I have been running with this setup for about a year before I got this SSD and did not receive this problem AT ALL! Most of the previous errors from event viewer are gone except for the ones that I get telling me my system has shut down unexpectedly and this is due to me turning it off by holding the power button when it freezes. Here are the errors in case you didn't see them before: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/old%20error.PNG https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/ol...or%202.PNG However, 2 new errors have shown up. One showed up for the first time today and it is this: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/error%201.PNG As for the other one, it has been happening for a few days, but I was able to track it down to my Zune Dock which is connected to the back of my PC for power. This error shows up every time at startup and doesn't seem to affect my PC at all since it only occurs at bootup and no other time. Here it is: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/40710/error%202.PNG Now I have heard that it may be the USB ports, well I highly doubt that because I have my power button set to turn off the PC when pressed. I did this on purpose to rule out the USB port being an issue. The computer doesn't respond to the power button either when it freezes. Now I have been thinking of uninstalling the AMD SATA driver and using the Microsoft one to rule out the driver being a problem. However, if it is a problem, won't that degrade my SSD performance if I used the SSD with the generic Microsoft drivers? What do you guys suggest I do? The SSD is only about 2 weeks old, and I want to be able to get down to the bottom of this before a month passes so that I can get a replacement from Newegg in case the problem is from the SSD itself. Sorry for the long reply and thanks to all that have tried to help so far. That's what I did when I installed Windows. I did not have any other drives connected at the time.

hmmm.. so the SSD works perfectly fine w/o any other IO devices installed?

looks like you'll have to install each device 1 by 1 and run it for a little bit before you can find the error...

i have a USB card reader that makes my computer refuse to boot. i have to remember to disconnect it before i can boot..

Quote from AkumaX : hmmm.. so the SSD works perfectly fine w/o any other IO devices installed? looks like you'll have to install each device 1 by 1 and run it for a little bit before you can find the error... i have a USB card reader that makes my computer refuse to boot. i have to remember to disconnect it before i can boot..

Thing is it can take a few days to see whether it would freeze. I only have 7 days left to return this unit to Newegg for an exchange if it's faulty.

I mean the SSD ran fine for 5 days since that's all I tested for. I'm not sure if it's perfectly fine or not. I just want to figure something out before the 7 days so I need all the help I can get.

Quote from Mo786 : Thing is it can take a few days to see whether it would freeze. I only have 7 days left to return this unit to Newegg for an exchange if it's faulty. I mean the SSD ran fine for 5 days since that's all I tested for. I'm not sure if it's perfectly fine or not. I just want to figure something out before the 7 days so I need all the help I can get.

:\ good luck!! AHCI in BIOS?