Q: Firmware update and SATA II hard drive

I just purchased a 13" MBP, preloaded with the 1.7 EFI and replaced the stock 250GB drive with a Corsair P128 SSD and for whatever reason I've had absolutely no problems. If there's anything else someone would like me to post I'd be happy to contribute.

Oh, this is with the 32-bit kernel.

wowy

I have a MacBookPro5,3 BTO, with the 500 GB 7200 RPM ST9500420ASG drive and I have been experiencing this issue. The MB came wit EFI 1.7 preinstalled, so I have experienced this problem from the get go.

I have disabled the SMS and I haven't experienced this issue yet, but I don't have a reliable way to test that. Can anyone suggest a way to test this issue to see if disabling the SMS did fix this? Has disabling SMS worked (or not) for someone else?

I have not tried downgrading the EFI 1.6, since this seemed easier. Also the tech specs for the ST9500420ASG suggest is has SMS-like system of its own. I remember a number of years back WD drives that had this built in also had problems with the built in SMS of the laptops. Therefore disabling the SMS sounds like a logical thing.

Message was edited by: Jose Barbe

Just today I noticed I got the circle with line through it at startup, after a hard restart. I used Disk Utility to check my drive and no problems. I reset PRAM + SMC after, and have not had the problem again. I'll keep an eye out. I'm rolled back to 1.6 (from Apple store) with a faster/larger drive.

Bryan

wowy18 wrote:
I just purchased a 13" MBP, preloaded with the 1.7 EFI and replaced the stock 250GB drive with a Corsair P128 SSD and for whatever reason I've had absolutely no problems. If there's anything else someone would like me to post I'd be happy to contribute.

wowy

Open up your new MBP and write down the part numbers for the components on the logic board that are in the area of the SATA controller. Then compare those part numbers to a MBP purchased in June. Let us know if there are any hardware changes. (Just kidding. Congrats on a working MBP.)

Furi0us.Bee wrote:
Just today I noticed I got the circle with line through it at startup, after a hard restart
Bryan

What is a "hard restart"?

Gregory Mcintire wrote:

Furi0us.Bee wrote:
Just today I noticed I got the circle with line through it at startup, after a hard restart
Bryan

What is a "hard restart"?

Well, more correctly it would be a shutdown/startup, but I used the power button to shut down, as the system got hung up on the gray screen. I still consider everything "hard" when the actual button is used from my old PC days.

And it did happen after the PRAM/SMC. I noticed it's happening with my iPhone connected. I'll try unplugging my iPhone and see if it happens as well.

Bryan

Has anyone tried the suggestion made by forum user KiD0M4N at this link?

http://www.erodov.com/forums/13-15-m...ues/24807.html

"I had noticed that a few times... basically the OS being over jealous at times with the HDD power savings.

Using HDAPM and setting the HDD to high performance mode solved it for me. Just another day in the Macworld. Unfortunately, most of the Mac users are not tech savvy enough to figure all that out. Waiting for Apple to package something up and present it."

So Page 100 is here, and were almost int he month of october. the closest thing to a solution i've received to apple is, bring it in to repair, if the issue persists we will give you an exchange machine.

Please watch this youtube video, Courtesy of apple:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0

Thats what happens when you buy from apple.

Hello world!!

This is not clear for me about what Apple's doing exactly if you have a third part HD with the problem after you Update efi 1.7.

-is it changing the mother board
-is it rool back to 1.6
-or they are telling you Apple is not responsable because of the third part HD not from Apple.

i have a seagate HD 500GB that i did install it myseld and it's work good under 1.6 efi , i will like pass in 1.7 but don't know what Apple doing if i do have the problem i will like update to install a SSD to get the 3GHZ speed.

Message was edited by: FroggyParis

3rd party hard drives are not supported by Apple. Check with the manufacture to see if they have a firmware update.

For me the problem is from Apple not from the HD , my HD work good on my old MB in 3GHZ
Apple have always support 3 part HD until this MBP before, i neverd had to worry about a 3 part HD

So Apple doing a Update to get the Max speed for HD and telling you he is not supporting problem so why it's let you install the firmware if it doesn't support 3 pard HD

Message was edited by: FroggyParis

Pour eviter le criticisme des consommateurs, ils on fabriquer ce firmware upgrader pour "debloquer" la bande passante de 1.5 gigabit par second a 3.0 gigabit par seconde. Mais faisant ceci ils on casser le support pour les hd des autre compagnie mais aussi les leurs.

Leur Hd fonctionnent a 1.5 gigabit par seconde au maximum est pas a 3.0 alors, l'installation de 1.7 est totalement optionelle pour eux qui ons les hd de apple, mais pour avoir la performace total des 3rd party hard drives la firmware 1.7 est requise mais elle ne fonctionne pas bein.

Alors: Pour eux qui on le hard drive de apple et qui souffrent de beachballs et "slow downs" apple replace la logic(mother)board avec une autre logicboard avec la version 1.6 (ou ils offrent le downgrade tool pour re initialiser la machine avec firmware 1.6)

Mais pour les hard drive des autre manifacturier apple ne veut riend faire pour nous aider, voila pourqoi ils on fabriquer le 1.7, pour etre capable de dire notre machine peut achever 3.0 gpbs, mais utiliser la a votre risque.

Voici la philosophie de apple.

Thanks Peter for you french answer, i understand now but i do not feel it 's normal to let the system install a firmware who doesn't support the HD of the machine since Apple have been always support all HD in the past even if it's say Apple does is not responsable for 3 part specially when the manuel show you how easy it's possible to change your HD for another one and specially if you can not buy a HD directly to Apple.

I've this problem from June (500GB HD), they have changed logic board and hd, but nothing happen. I've done the downgrade to firmware 1.6, but sometimes i've the problem anyway. The only way to avoid the problem is switch off the sudden motion sensor (I tried and it works), but i suppose it is dangerous for hd life.
I'm disagree with that, because it isn't right, i pay for a full product! Tomorrow i'll come back another time to the apple service...

The issue isn't really with Apple supporting third party drives, it is with proper implementation of the SATA 3.0GB standard. The issue is either hardware or firmware related (the inability to get SATA 3.0 working properly that is). As Apple as not acknowledged the problem, there is no way to tell which it is. The stock "we don't support third party drives" is just their way of dancing around the problem. Come on now... no computer manufacturer would ever get away with saying that "you can only use our drives"... which is basically what they are saying. A proper implementation of the standard would automatically make third party drives work (unless of course there is actually a problem with a drive). This particular issue is really starting to tick me off. I'm not even impacted by it at the moment. I'm still at 1.6 and using a stock drive. It would be nice to know that as newer and faster SSDs come out, that I would have the option to take advantage of them. I'm still of the belief that they used a different SATA ribbon on the newer machines which can't support the throughput of SATA 3.0. I'd like to be wrong... but after nearly 200,000 views, thousands of comments, and several months gone by... I'm really inclined to believe this is a hardware issue.