Q: Firmware update and SATA II hard drive

I don't know how you were able to get them to exchange it. I'm told that even if I exchange it there will be no way to guarantee that the new machine does not have the EFI 1.7 update already installed and that I'll be gambling at best.

and that I'll have to pay a 10% restocking fee no matter what even though it's entirely Apple's fault that it worked and then no longer worked due to their update.

I've concretely proven that calling AppleCare online will not help with this issue. I've now called 4 times and asked to escalate the call to a Product Specialist and this was refused. I'm told that in order to escalate my issue I'll have to speak with a store manager and I've been told at the store that they can no longer help me. My only recourse is legal action as what I was told I was being sold is not what I received and I've been refused a full refund. I'm writing a letter to Attorney General Edmund Brown as well as a full detailed back-and-forth state of events to the Better Business Bureau. I hope you all have better luck than I have.

-Goldie

Ask to be transfered to Customer Relations.
They will take care of you.

Thanks ... Ken

Hopefully, you used a credit card to pay for your MBP. If so, talk to the Manager of the store (don't waste time with 'geniuses' or other low-level functionaries who aren't empowered to make a decision) and inform them that you will dispute the charge unless they take it back as defective. If they don't want to play ball, then you've got the MBP and they have no money for it. More often than not, they will back down in that situation.

seethruskin:

No big surprise here. I had a look and all the Apple HDD's seem to have custom Firmware limiting them to SATA I despite the drives being SATA II drives when bought aftermarket:

| | | +-o PRT0@0 <class AppleMCP79AHCIPort, registered, matched, active, busy 0, retain 10>
| | | | | "Controller Characteristics" = {"Vendor Name"="NVidia","Port Description"="AHCI Version 1.20 Supported","Product Name"="MCP79 AHCI","Port Speed"="3 Gigabit"}
| | | | +-o IOAHCIDevice@0 <class IOAHCIDevice, registered, matched, active, busy 0, retain 11>
| | | | | "Protocol Characteristics" = {"Physical Interconnect"="SATA","AHCI Port Number"=0,"Physical Interconnect Location"="Internal","Port Speed"="1.5 Gigabit"}
| | | | | }
| | | | |
| | | | +-o AppleAHCIDiskDriver <class AppleAHCIDiskDriver, registered, matched, active, busy 0, retain 6>
| | | | | {
| | | | | "Model" = "Hitachi HTS545050B9SA02 "
| | | | | "Revision" = "PB4AC60Q"
| | | | | "CFBundleIdentifier" = "com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage"
| | | | | "IOMatchCategory" = "IODefaultMatchCategory"
| | | | | "Queue Depth" = 32
| | | | | "IOMaximumBlockCountRead" = 65536
| | | | | "IOProviderClass" = "IOAHCIDevice"
| | | | | "Physical Block Size" = 512
| | | | | "IOMaximumBlockCountWrite" = 65536
| | | | | "IOPolledInterface" = "not serializable"
| | | | | "IOClass" = "AppleAHCIDiskDriver"
| | | | | "SATA Features" = 15
| | | | | "NCQ" = Yes

You shouldn't have the EFI 1.7 unless you used the new software update and installed it, to get mine exchanged I simply called Apple they knew of the issue, gave me a case number, I called the store, gave them a case number, and they said bring it in tomorrow and we'll exchange it with no restock fee. Admittedly, oftentimes when you call Apple it depends on the rep you're handed, but mine was super nice and she understood and handled it beatifully

correction, Apple is loading some machines with the 1.7

So the only way to replace/upgrade the drive with 1.7 installed is with Apple drives???

Heads need to roll!!!

Thanks ... Ken

Apple drive = any SATA drive with Apple firmware loaded to limit the drive to 1.5Gb/s!

I have enough of the waiting around now. I went to the repair center and they ordered the Logic Board for replacement tomorrow to go back to the old firmware. If Apple at least would make some offical annoucement on when/if they will fix this they could save themselves a lot of warranty repair costs.

In case you want to verify what speed your harddrive is really running at:
Open terminal:

sudo ioreg -l | grep 'Interconnect"="SATA"'

We have not heard of anybody with a SSD BTO option in their MBP.

It would be extremely interesting to see if Apple also limits the SSD's to SATA I.

Message was edited by: OliverF

no telling how soon Apple will have a fix. I contacted CNET to ask that they run a story about this, but no telling if anyone there even read my email. If any of you has a moment to email them, Engadget, TUAW, etc., then the more coverage perhaps the faster the fix. At the least, it might save someone who isn't reading this thread the expense of a SATA drive they might not be able to use.

While most folks are tired of waiting, I believe Apple themselves are probably waiting on NVidia to fix the problem, as they are the makers of the chipset and probably are the ones responsible for the bad EFI firmware. Macrumors has a couple of stories about similar problems Apple has had with NVidia:

http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/03/nvidia-sources-refute-claim-of-split-with-ap ple/

http://digg.com/apple/NewApple_EFI_Firmware_1_7_make_machines_UNUSABLE

Please digg and share it! Let's raise our visibility...