Falcon 128GB: Probably dead - what now?

[Omoronovo]

Hello there.

I'm posting here to find out what, if anything, can be done regarding my G.Skill Falcon 128GB SSD - whether I can repair/mitigate any wear, whether replacement is an option, and if neither are possible, whether G.Skill operates a recycling program so I can dispose of it safely.

I'll explain the basic details of what has happened.

Approximately 2 months ago, my system started experiencing odd problems. Applications that I had used just hours before had stopped functioning, apparently after nothing more than a reboot. Assuming it was just OS deterioration, I reinstalled my operating system after performing an ATA secure erase of the drive (to restore any lost performance), and that seemed to be the end of my issues.
However, a week ago the same thing happened again. This time the issue was different, but similar - Windows Explorer would no longer launch, but I could still have marginal use from my pc by running utilities via task manager and the command prompt, so I was able to back up my own data and go through the steps again.
Finally, it happened again yesterday. Initially the system would launch then hang upon login. After two restarts, the system would then bluescreen before the Windows login screen would appear.

I can no longer reinstall the operating system on the drive. It fails after a varied amount of time - sometimes within a few moments, sometimes after the first restart - but it always fails, either with a bluescreen or by having the Windows Setup tell me my media or drive is corrupt and that I should run CHKDSK.

I know my installation media (I install windows 7 from a read-only USB drive) is not corrupt, as I had to use it to reinstall onto my hard disk to get my machine back up and running. I have not made any hardware changes since the problems started happening - My last hardware change was my GPU more than 8 months ago.

So basically, my questions again:
1. Do you think this damage is repairable, and if so, how?
2. If not repairable, is replacement an option?
3. If neither of these is the case, does G.Skill operate a recycling program so I can dispose of my drive safely.

Thanks.

[G.SKILL]

hi

as you mentioned that you were secure erase the SSD but the problem still happened again,
i will suggest if you can send it back for RMA, and we will replace another drive for you(if you still under warranty)

[Omoronovo]

Do you know of any way for me to check whether the drive is still under warranty?

I purchased it around two years ago - I'm unsure if the warranty was 3 years or not.

[G.SKILL]

Hi,

the Falcon series is 2 years warranty, please check the serial number and let me know( the bottem one)

[Omoronovo]

Do you want me to enter the serial number here or send it to you in a private message?

[G.SKILL]

Hi,

you can enter the serial number here, because no one can use it only if they want to RMA, and you are the only one who have the disk, so don't worry!

[Omoronovo]

That makes sense I guess.

The serial number is: 9260000107701

[G.SKILL]

Hi,

we were sorry, the warranty of your SSD was expired and i will suggest you can secure erase the SSD (using firmware 1916 with clean funtion) and then re-install 1916, and next install firmware 2030.

[Omoronovo]

I already have 2030 on my drive - is it possible to downgrade to 1916 then upgrade again? Would it make any difference?

I'm beginning to question whether the known failure point of drives was explicitly determined to be past the 2-year cutoff point of your warranty.
I looked through all my paperwork and found that I still had my original printed receipt - which I received on 10/7/09. From that, it means that the drive cannot possibly be more than 2 years and 3 months old from the date of purchase - and considering my problems began 2 months ago, this seems too convenient to be a coincidence.

[G.SKILL]

Hi omoronovo,

you can secure erase the SSD and reinstall 1916 and then 2030. this way should solving your problem, i will asking the RMA department about your warranty if you can not solving the problem by yourself.

[Omoronovo]

Thanks for the effort you've gone to so far.

I have used the WPE cd method on here to use the 1916 "clean" function and flash 1916 firmware onto the drive. I will be performing a clean installation of Windows onto the drive later today, and I should know before Friday if it has helped alleviate the problems I've been having.