Intel Issues Firmware Update for X-25M G2 SSDs

When Intel released their second-generation SSD's last month, we saw drives with chips based on a 34nm process, faster overall speeds, and even lower latencies. But, sadly for Intel, a show-stopper issue surfaced only a few days later.

The issue affects only those who use a BIOS password. If you set a password with the drive using the launch firmware, the SSD would become inoperable on the next boot. What exactly a BIOS password has to do with a storage device, I have no idea, but the issue was severe enough to push Intel to immediately release the information. It took a few weeks for an updated firmware to become available, but it's here now.

If you are using one of Intel's latest G2 drives, it's highly recommended that you go and update the firmware now. You can download it here, in the form of an ISO. You will need a blank CD-R for burning. If you are unsure of how properly burn an ISO, download and install CDBurnerXP. Once launched, use the "Burn ISO image". The steps from that point are rather straight-forward.

After the image is burned, you can boot up your machine with it in the drive, and change the boot device to whichever disc drive it's inserted into. The flashing process is simple, so don't worry, you are not going to kill your drive. If you have more than one X25-M installed, they will be displays, but the latest version of the firmware will only update G2 drives. G1 drives will go ignored (as they don't suffer from this issue).

Is Firefox Becoming More Crash-Prone with Each Release?

Whenever a new version of your favorite software gets released, there's usually good reason to get a little excited. After all, minor version upgrades usually mean important bug fixes, and major upgrades are a combination of that and feature updates. Firefox 3.5 was no exception to the rule, and along with a slew of bug fixes, many notable features were also introduced, which made the upgrade decision a no-brainer.

For me personally, though, each new major version update gives me hope that what I'll download will be a much more stable browser. I've been using Firefox since it went by the Firebird moniker, and the reason I came to love it so much is that in the beginning, the browser was rock-solid. Fast, simple, and stable. Since then, though, and especially since 2.x, I have found Firefox to become buggier than ever, and far more crash-prone.

Since I run Linux as a primary OS, I usually blame other factors when Firefox crashes. Prior to Adobe's releasing of an official 64-bit Flash plugin for Linux, most crashes usually could be attributed to that, but I don't think that plugin today is as guilty in the same high percentage of crashes as it used to be. I mainly come to this conclusion, only because, as of Firefox 3.5, I have found the crashes to become more frequent. And with each crash, my love for the browser diminishes just a wee bit further.

I took some comfort in seeing I wasn't alone, though, as Erick Schonfeld at TechCrunch is apparently suffering the same issue, and judging by the screenshot, he's running Mac OS X. Many will be quick to blame the extensions being used, and that's understandable. But realize that the extensions scheme of things is what made Firefox so popular in the first place. It's a major feature. Of the three extensions I currently run, none are noted to cause issues (Compete, Forecast Fox, Web Developer), so I still tend to blame the browser itself more than anything.

If you're a Firefox 3.5 user, how has your experience been so far? Have you seen as many screens like the one below as I have?

Without basic stability, none of the other great features or add-ons really matter much. Mozilla needs to fix this issue fast because Firefox 3.5 is already gaining a lot of traction. Net Applications has it at a 4.5 percent market share at the end of July, while StatCounter has it at 9.4 percent as of today. People are using this as their main browser, despite the beta label, and there are plenty of other powerful choices out there from Safari to Chrome to, yes, even IE8.

Tech Roundup - August 11, 2009

Motherboards & Processors
• Gigabyte MA785GMT-UD2H - Motherboards.org
• MSI X58M - Madshrimps

Displays & Video Cards
• AMD FirePro V8750 2GB - Phoronix
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 2GB Vapor-X - TweakTown

Memory & Storage
• Kingston 32GB DataTraveler 112 USB Flash Drive - Legit Reviews
• Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB - Overclockers Club

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Aerocool Touch 2000 Touch Panel - Pro-Clockers
• Razer Megladon Headset - Bjorn3D

Cooling
• CoolIT Systems Domino A.L.C. CPU Cooler - Bigbruin
• 3RSystem Iceage 90 CPU Cooler - FrostyTech
• Tuniq TX-3 Thermal Compound - Hardware Bistro

Chassis & Power Supplies
• In Win Na Hard Drive Enclosure - Modders-Inc
• SilverStone Strider 1500W Power Supply - PureOverclock
• Thermaltake Element T Chassis - Hi Tech Legion

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Apple's New 13" Macbook Pro - HotHardware
• Contest: ModSynergy 200th Review / 6-Years - ModSynergy
• Technology: Getting Too Small for Its Own Good? - Digital Trends