How to always keep SSD firmware up-to-date

The importance of firmware updates to SSD drives should not be underestimated as it directly affects the functionality of the drive and therefore it is important to always be running the latest version.

ssd

If you want to be sure that your SSD works as advertised, you should always keep it up-to-date with its firmware as it offers bug fixes, performance improvements, improved reliability, etc.

Firmware updates are not tied to the operating system and there is no one software for all SSDs.

Instead, each manufacturer offers its own software for updating the firmware. If you haven't updated your SSD's firmware in a while, or if you're just wondering if a new firmware update is available for it, here's how to do it.

Identifying your SSD drive

CrystalDiskInfo

The first part of the process involves identifying the SSD on your computer. You can skip this particular step if you built the computer yourself or just know which SSD you're using.

To find the SSD manufacturer name and model number, and if you are under Windows, go to Windows Search, type “System Information” and open it. Then go to Components > Storage > Disks and under Model you should be able to see the name of the disk.

If you have multiple drives installed in your computer and you are not sure which one is SSD, you can open “Defragment and optimize drives”.

Also the Crystal Disk Info program can easily and quickly give you all this information.

If you are under Linux try the hdparm command. Open the terminal and type the following command to find information about the dev/sda disk

ubuntu hdparm

hdparm -I /dev/sda
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sudo hdparm -I /dev/sda

Another alternative command that can give you information is lshw:
lshw -class disk -class storage

Updating the firmware of an SSD disk

Before updating the SSD firmware, we advise you to back up your most critical data on the drive. This will keep your data safe in case something goes wrong.

Once you know the model name, download and install your SSD manufacturer's tool. Whether your drive is made by Samsung, Crucial, or WD, they'll all have some sort of utility for their SSDs, and it's often just a Google search away.

Linux users don't have many options to update the firmware through the manufacturer's software, as most don't support linux (except Seagate and Intel).

So for sata there is the command hdparm --fwdownload. Also Linux comes with firmware update management utility called fwupdmgr.

  1. With the command sudo fwupdmgr refresh you will download and refresh metadata from the LVFS server
  2. With the command sudo fwupdmgr get-devices you will get a list of all devices that support firmware updates,
  3. And with the command sudo fwupdmgr update you will upgrade the firmware.

Η Debian has a relevant documentation. Alternatively, you can put a Windows 2 Go operating system on a usb stick, boot your machine with it and perform the firmware updates from there.

Test firmware update on Samsung

step 1 : Launch the corresponding Samsung SSD utility. In our example it will be Samsung Magician. At startup, it automatically receives all the latest information from the company.

samsung magician 1

step 2 : The app will show you all your drives. Focus on the Samsung SSD and simply click on “Update” located at the bottom left. The update will start (if available).

samsung magician 2

Note : Utility settings may vary between SSD manufacturers and their utilities. Look for similar settings in your own app.

So you can easily update your SSD firmware. You can keep your SSD utility installed on your computer which will keep your SSD firmware updated from time to time.

Is it safe to update firmware on an SSD?

Updating your SSD's firmware can improve its performance, fix bugs, and make it work better with other hardware, helping your drive last longer.

However, there are some risks such as data loss if something goes wrong during the update.

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Written by Dimitris

Dimitris hates on Mondays .....

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