Intel Investigates Possible Bug in SSD 320 Drives

Intel is investigating a potential bug that may be causing SSD 320 solid-state drives to fail. The company is offering replacement drives to affected customers until the issue is resolved, a customer service representative said.

In Intel forums, users are complaining about SSD 320 drives crashing due to power issues, causing data loss. In some instances the storage capacity on the drive is being reported as only 8MB after the crash.

“We are investigating the issue,” Intel spokesman Daniel Snyder said via e-mail. “Any customer with concerns should call Intel customer support.”

An Intel technical support representative said that until the issue is resolved, affected customers will be sent a replacement drive. Intel’s customer support contacts are listed on its website. The company also offers live chat support.

The SSD 320 was released in March and is being used in both PCs and Apple Mac computers. The drive, which has received positive reviews, is offered with capacities ranging from 40GB to 600GB.

Intel has had issues with SSDs crashing in the past. In 2009 it pulled a firmware upgrade for its X25-M consumer SSDs the day after users complained about the software crashing drives.