SSD Warning: Should i be worried?

[LokeYourLord]

Hi guys, long time since i have been here. Anyways, lets get straight to the point: My SSD was behaving a little funky today (not just the SSD, the entire Operating System, Windows 10, since that last stupid update). My SSD usage and HDD usage (not my 2nd HDD) was at almost a 100% right after boot for about 5 minutes. Now, this has happened before so my alarm bells weren't ringing yet (due to NVIDIA Geforce Experience scanning the drives for games), but the odd thing was my SSD. I have NEVER seen it jump over 50% usage, EVER. Then i found out that a new (and utterly stupid) program from Microsoft checks for "Compatibility Telemetry" with the name "Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser". Anyways, after taking a quick Google i found out how to disable it, but my SSD was still at a 100% for at least another 5 minutes, until i figured i had a bad startup, so just reboot my PC right? Nope. 10 minutes after the reboot, my SSD was STILL at a 100% usage, and so i went to get a drink, then it was at 0-10% again, as usual. This cannot be normal, so i fired up HDTune, and guess what i found:

So, do i have to be worried in any way, or are these just messages to tell me i need to switch SSD within the next years? If i should be worried, i will go and buy a new SSD today right from the local PC store.

Regards, Loke

 

[rhysiam]

As always when diagnosing potential HDD/SSD issues. Step 1 is to take a backup of any and all important data. Using the drive can push it from occasional errors to outright death, sometimes in a short space of time. So just in case your drive is on the way out... backup first.

Once that's done, it's always a good idea to use the diagnostic tools from your drive manufacturer, as sometimes different manufacturers use the SMART events slightly differently.

Googling the product code in your screen shot tells me that your drive is a Crucial M550. Crucial Storage Executive is compatible the M550 and should be able to run detailed diagnostics on your drive: http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/support-storage-executive
Run the diagnostics on that and tell us how you go.

Normally the performance issues would be a big red flag that something was wrong with your SSD. However, you're right about the latest round of updates. Earlier this week I had similar issues with my Win10 system. I was under time pressures to finalise and produce a video project and my 850 EVO kept getting pegged at 100% disk usage from some stupid Windows process.
It's entirely possible that those SMART errors have been sitting there for some time, and the totally unrelated performance issues have just got you to notice them. Hopefully the Crucial diagnostics will tell you more.

 

[LokeYourLord]

Thanks mate, i will do that. I NEVER store anything on my main SSD drive for my OS, that is why i install Software, Games, etc on my 1rst HDD which has 3TB storage, i also store my Pictures etc there and just Library link them. Technically, i have no important files on my SSD (for good reasons, i had to learn that the hard way once), so i always store everything important AWAY from the OS drive, always, it is a really good practice to learn. But ye, i will do the Diagnostics and return here when done. Also, i am already preparing a Windows 10 Pro USB Install stick just in case (i will probably have to buy a new SSD anyways).

 

[LokeYourLord]

As always when diagnosing potential HDD/SSD issues. Step 1 is to take a backup of any and all important data. Using the drive can push it from occasional errors to outright death, sometimes in a short space of time. So just in case your drive is on the way out... backup first.

Once that's done, it's always a good idea to use the diagnostic tools from your drive manufacturer, as sometimes different manufacturers use the SMART events slightly differently.

Googling the product code in your screen shot tells me that your drive is a Crucial M550. Crucial Storage Executive is compatible the M550 and should be able to run detailed diagnostics on your drive: http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/support-storage-executive
Run the diagnostics on that and tell us how you go.

Normally the performance issues would be a big red flag that something was wrong with your SSD. However, you're right about the latest round of updates. Earlier this week I had similar issues with my Win10 system. I was under time pressures to finalise and produce a video project and my 850 EVO kept getting pegged at 100% disk usage from some stupid Windows process.
It's entirely possible that those SMART errors have been sitting there for some time, and the totally unrelated performance issues have just got you to notice them. Hopefully the Crucial diagnostics will tell you more.

I see no detailed Diagnostics option in the Crucial Software, though i got a "Drive Debug" option, and it made a zip file for me. Do you want that?

 

[rhysiam]

I see no detailed Diagnostics option in the Crucial Software, though i got a "Drive Debug" option, and it made a zip file for me. Do you want that?

What's in the ZIP file?

Can you at least look at SMART data through the Crucial App? It might have different labels, or at least manufacturer specific warnings that are more reliable than the generic warnings HD Tune can give you.

I don't have a crucial drive at the moment, and it's been a while since I've used one. There should be at least some basic diagnostics you can run? Or information you can glean from the "debug"?

 

[LokeYourLord]

I see no detailed Diagnostics option in the Crucial Software, though i got a "Drive Debug" option, and it made a zip file for me. Do you want that?

What's in the ZIP file?

Can you at least look at SMART data through the Crucial App? It might have different labels, or at least manufacturer specific warnings that are more reliable than the generic warnings HD Tune can give you.

I don't have a crucial drive at the moment, and it's been a while since I've used one. There should be at least some basic diagnostics you can run? Or information you can glean from the "debug"?

Well, the Crucial Software says there is nothing wrong with my SSD, but i somehow doubt that. Here:

I think i just go buy a new SSD and use this SSD as a second SSD for games that work better and faster with SSD's, like ARK, etc.

 

[rhysiam]

I think i just go buy a new SSD and use this SSD as a second SSD for games that work better and faster with SSD's, like ARK, etc.

That Crucial tool is reporting good condition. Which is positive. But there are a few data entries which are concerning, things like the Raw Read Error Rate, Reported Uncorrectable Errors, and the Ultra DMA error. To be honest, I don't know exactly how Crucial handles those particular errors or what they suggest for a Crucial SSD.

Someone with more knowledge of Crucial's SMART data handling might have some better suggestions for you, but as things stand, there is some suspicion hanging over that drive. If your only symptom is that performance issue - which I suspect was that Windows issue which affected me too - then you could well be fine. If you have the money for a new drive though, it's not a bad idea to upgrade.

 

[LokeYourLord]

I think i just go buy a new SSD and use this SSD as a second SSD for games that work better and faster with SSD's, like ARK, etc.

That Crucial tool is reporting good condition. Which is positive. But there are a few data entries which are concerning, things like the Raw Read Error Rate, Reported Uncorrectable Errors, and the Ultra DMA error. To be honest, I don't know exactly how Crucial handles those particular errors or what they suggest for a Crucial SSD.

Someone with more knowledge of Crucial's SMART data handling might have some better suggestions for you, but as things stand, there is some suspicion hanging over that drive. If your only symptom is that performance issue - which I suspect was that Windows issue which affected me too - then you could well be fine. If you have the money for a new drive though, it's not a bad idea to upgrade.

Ye i am going to buy a Intel 600p 256GB M.2 SSD, which is more than enough, is relatively cheap AND has a bonkers R/W rate

 

[rhysiam]

Ye i am going to buy a Intel 600p 256GB M.2 SSD, which is more than enough, is relatively cheap AND has a bonkers R/W rate

It's a decent drive, as long as you have a PCIe M.2 slot (not a SATA only slot). Unfortunately the "bonkers" write rate only applies while you're writing to the SLC cache. If you write lots of very large files at a time (like more than the ~15GB SLC cache), performance absolutely chokes. But otherwise, it's a reasonable drive, and equivalent or a little better than premium SATA drives like the 850 Pro and Sandisk Extreme Pro.