Cosmos VII unable to boot with Kingston 500GB SSD

[sidcha]

Hi, I have this boot problem with my Cosmos VII laptop ... Just left the laptop overnight, everything working... Woke up and nothing loads. The screen says " Reboot or Select Proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot Device and press a key" ?

I have a Kingston SUV500 SSD. The BIOS detects the drive, but unfortunately, it does not boot.

Also, in the Main BIOS menu, if I go into the details of the Kingston drive, it shows that the transfer mode is PIO mode 4 ?!

Also, in the Offboard SATA controller configuration, it shows no SATA / PCIe devices installed ?

I have tried to remove the SSD and re-attach it but made no difference. I also tried to disable the UEFI mode as per what someone in this forum had suggested but that made no difference either. Everything was working fine and there have been no indications of drive failure. So I don't get it. How can this happen ?

If anyone else has encountered this and has any idea please let me know thanks

 

[ubuysa]

That rather looks as though the drive might have gone bad.

Can you post your full spec please?

 

[sidcha]

It does appear that way but why all of a sudden overnight?

This is so dangerous, how can people trust these drives if they can lose all their data overnight for no reason?

Config-

Chassis & Display Processor (CPU) Memory (RAM) Graphics Card 1st Hard Disk Memory Card Reader AC Adaptor Battery Power Cable Thermal Paste Sound Card Bluetooth & Wireless USB Options Keyboard Language Operating System Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 7300HQ (2.5GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo) 8GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB) NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1 480GB KINGSTON UV500 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 500MB/W) Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC) 1 x 120W AC Adaptor Cosmos VII Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery 1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 3 GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0 1 x USB 3.0 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single License

 

[SpyderTracks]

That’s the downside of SSD’s, when they fail they fail hard, it’s either working or not, there’s no inbetween.

This is why a secondary HDD for data is so important.

Were there no smart warnings?

 

[sidcha]

No SMART warnings and the drive health was like almost 100% a few weeks ago.

Worked absolutely fine.

When these companies sell these drives they should have some sort of disclaimer.

I have lost everything and in big trouble. I don't know what to do now

 

[SpyderTracks]

No SMART warnings and the drive health was like almost 100% a few weeks ago.

Worked absolutely fine.

When these companies sell these drives they should have some sort of disclaimer.

I have lost everything and in big trouble. I don't know what to do now

It’s a well known issue with SSD’s, I’m afraid PCs knowledge is expected from the user when purchasing or getting advice if they’re unsure.

exactly for this reason it would always be suggested to have data on a separate HDD

Also, if you only had an SSD, you should be doing regular backups for this kind of eventuality. It’s an important but harsh learning curve for you I’m afraid.

 

[sidcha]

It's easy to say 'if unsure'. If the consequences are so serious, companies should not leave it up to assumption.
I'm not saying it's PCS is fault. The product belongs to Kingston.
I do know a bit about PCs having assembled them for about a decade for friends, neighbors, fixed their PCs, worked in software for about 11 years, and I nor my friends have ever heard that SSDs are ticking timeboms I don't think all users of SSD drives have a spare mechanical drive installed. I don't think there is any evidence of that I'm afraid

 

[SpyderTracks]

It's easy to say 'if unsure'. If the consequences are so serious, companies should not leave it up to assumption.
I'm not saying it's PCS is fault. The product belongs to Kingston.
I do know a bit about PCs having assembled them for about a decade for friends, neighbors, fixed their PCs, worked in software for about 11 years, and I nor my friends have ever heard that SSDs are ticking timeboms I don't think all users of SSD drives have a spare mechanical drive installed. I don't think there is any evidence of that I'm afraid

It’s not the company’s responsibity though. You’re buying a custom pc, the onus is on you to know what you’re buying, not for PCS to advise you of this unless you ask. It’s very well known, it’s not as if it’s something only IT pros would know, it’s an every day downside to SSDs.

Just google SATA SSD Fail and see for yourself.

 

[sidcha]

The point I'm trying to make is that it is a defective product. To some extent they should try and keep some standards. For their own brand image.

I'm not talking about what is the position 'Legally'


There's no point arguing on this.

Appreciate PCS's help
Thanks

 

[SpyderTracks]

The point I'm trying to make is that it is a defective product. To some extent they should try and keep some standards. For their own brand image.

I'm not talking about what is the position 'Legally'


There's no point arguing on this.

Appreciate PCS's help
Thanks

It’s not defective at all, any drive or any piece of hardware can fail at any point, it’s exactly the same with an HDD, it’s just that with an HDD you’ll get some warning (only if you’re monitoring it) as it’s a spinning disc and the platters usually degrade over time.

an ssd is solid state like RAM or curcuitry in general. There’s no lead up, it’s either working or not, that’s how it works.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Judging by this thread there were signs that something wasn’t right and needed to be investigated further, but you never reponded.

Cosmos VII Strange USB error

Hi, I just started getting this strange USB error today. I have no idea why... Nothing even happened that I can recollect that might have caused this. Even with "no USB device plugged in" , I am getting this message - " The last USB device you connected to this computer has malfunctioned and...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Out of curiosity, how old was the drive?
Have to admit, i wasnt aware they could just go overnight, I thought you might get some signs that it was playing up before finally biting the dust.... ATM i tend to use things like dropbox or onedrive to store any actual files, and sync this to a SSD so i have a local copy, that at least should offer me some protection i suppose but still leaves actual programs etc that would be lost.
I guess most of that would be replacable but I know from personal experience you can still lose access to download a product you have bought (spent nearly a month getting nowhere trying to get a download of a game I had bought a year earlier and had on my old PC before it died.... apparently "no record" of it...

 

[sidcha]

Judging by this thread there were signs that something wasn’t right and needed to be investigated further, but you never reponded.

The 'above' post referred to a message that was displayed regarding - a USB device that could not be recognised even though there wasn't any plugged in. And I mentioned in a reply that it's probably due to a Windows 'auto' update. And after subsequent 'auto' updates, that error went away... almost '2 years' ago. Since the USB error went away after further Windows auto updates, I did not investigate the error further.
It's hard to predict any random error (which in time gets resolved...), could be related to a sudden 'overnight' crash of an SSD '2 years later'. Especially one that did not show any signs or symptoms of failure or wear.

Out of curiosity, how old was the drive?
Have to admit, i wasn't aware they could just go overnight, I thought you might get some signs that it was playing up before finally biting the dust....

It was about 2 years old approximately. Yes, that is the surprising part that it happened overnight. I was using it at night, like any other night, then went to sleep. Woke up to a black screen asking me to 'Select Proper Boot device '
I know its best to backup and that I should have. That's agreed... But still you would end up loosing some stuff as you cannot predict when this would fail.

Anyway I am trying to contact data recovery companies and praying I can get some of it back. Just need to pray that's all, there's nothing i can do now

 

[ubuysa]

No SMART warnings and the drive health was like almost 100% a few weeks ago.

Worked absolutely fine.

When these companies sell these drives they should have some sort of disclaimer.

I have lost everything and in big trouble. I don't know what to do now

Electronic components fail and they fail at random times. It should be obvious to anyone that an electronic storage medium like an SSD will most likely lose all data if it fails - unlike an HDD of course. That's why it's even more important that users of SSDs regularly backup their data. It seems you didn't do that, so if you've lost everything I'm afraid that's your fault.

It's easy to say 'if unsure'. If the consequences are so serious, companies should not leave it up to assumption.
I'm not saying it's PCS is fault. The product belongs to Kingston.
I do know a bit about PCs having assembled them for about a decade for friends, neighbors, fixed their PCs, worked in software for about 11 years, and I nor my friends have ever heard that SSDs are ticking timeboms I don't think all users of SSD drives have a spare mechanical drive installed. I don't think there is any evidence of that I'm afraid

SSDs are no more ticking timebombs than any other component of your PC. The CPU can fail, the GPU can fail, RAM can fail, capacitors, resistors can fail, your wireless card can fail. Everything fails eventually. Entropy increases.

The difference between an SSD and other components is that your valuable data is on an SSD - so it is entirely down to you to ensure that your valuable data is protected. If you didn't regularly backup the contents of all drives (SSDs and HDDs) then I'm afraid that you only have yourself to blame for your data loss.

The point I'm trying to make is that it is a defective product. To some extent they should try and keep some standards. For their own brand image.

I'm not talking about what is the position 'Legally'


There's no point arguing on this.

Appreciate PCS's help
Thanks

How on Earth were PCS, or Kingston for that matter, supposed to know that this SSD would fail after - how many years is it? There is no magic test that anyone can do that predicts the lifespan of an SSD when it's new, a tiny percentage will fail in a few hours with no way of knowing beforehand, for example. PCS offer a range of warranty options that cover parts for up to 3 years, depending on which option you choose, so that you're not out of pocket when components fail - as they well might. The data on those components is however entirely your responsibility so you need to supply your own 'warranty' by means of regular data backups to protect your data when components fail.

It's a massive error on your part to not have backups of your valuable data. Now you're angry with yourself for not having had the good sense to regularly backup and you're blaming the SSD for that failure. Hopefully you, and others reading this sad story, will learn that regular backups are essential.

 

[sidcha]

Electronic components fail and they fail at random times. It should be obvious to anyone that an electronic storage medium like an SSD will most likely lose all data if it fails - unlike an HDD of course. That's why it's even more important that users of SSDs regularly backup their data. It seems you didn't do that, so if you've lost everything I'm afraid that's your fault.

I don't think you have read or understood anything written above. We know everything eventually fails, the sun rises, the sun sets Lol
That doesn't justify how this SSD failed though...

That's fine that we should regularly back up and if you had 'read' my message above, I did say it is good to back up. I hope you can read the post above. Please see

I know its best to backup and that I should have. That's agreed... But still you would end up loosing some stuff as you cannot predict when this would fail.

The difference between an SSD and other components is that your valuable data is on an SSD - so it is entirely down to you to ensure that your valuable data is protected. If you didn't regularly backup the contents of all drives (SSDs and HDDs) then I'm afraid that you only have yourself to blame for your data loss.

Again, there is no disagreement on whether its good to back up data or not. Please 'read' the messages before posting.

How on Earth were PCS, or Kingston for that matter, supposed to know that this SSD would fail after - how many years is it? There is no magic test that anyone can do that predicts the lifespan of an SSD when it's new, a tiny percentage will fail in a few hours with no way of knowing beforehand, for example. PCS offer a range of warranty options that cover parts for up to 3 years, depending on which option you choose, so that you're not out of pocket when components fail - as they well might. The data on those components is however entirely your responsibility so you need to supply your own 'warranty' by means of regular data backups to protect your data when components fail.

It's a massive error on your part to not have backups of your valuable data. Now you're angry with yourself for not having had the good sense to regularly backup and you're blaming the SSD for that failure. Hopefully you, and others reading this sad story, will learn that regular backups are essential.

It was surprising that a SSD would fail without warning 'overnight' for no reason. You can say whatever you like but that is not usual behaviour of all SSD devices. This particular product definitely has some issue with it, whether it is some kind of defect or other problem which or a combination of problems. It will have to be examined.

Again, no one is talking about any legal position here. All we are saying is that this was surprising considering what happened and shocking you not being able to understand that. Why are you so defensive.? No one is talking about PCS.

Firstly, if a customer's SSD breaks down suddenly like this without warning, do you want the customer to be 'happy' and singing and dancing ? Of course I am a little upset. Who wouldn't be ? If you go through the forums, anyone who has faced any issues or problems with their system is not exactly 'happy'. But 'you are the one who is angry'.

It looks like you are the one who is really angry Just look at the messages you have sent, 'you are angry' , 'your fault' , 'blaming ...'

Please do not be angry. I am the one who has lost the data, not you. Please relax and do not release all your frustration on this. It doesn't help anyone.

Again, no one is doubting about backing up data. The point is and shall remain, that the product was too fragile and/or defective in this case or a combination of issues. Of course if someone backed up all their data regularly, they would 'still' have lost some of their data, maybe not all... You can believe whatever you like to. You can take whatever backups you want, 'the way the drive failed is a problem'.

No point taking this discussion any further as it has changed direction towards a pointless argument. This is not helpful to anyone.

 

[ubuysa]

Why would I be angry? It's not my data that's been lost.

I have (and repeatedly and on purpose) pointed out that stuff fails, that's why we take out warranties.

Backup, backup backup and then backup again. I backup nightly and to two separate devices, critical data is also in the cloud. Had you done that you might be complaining about a day's work lost and the annoyance of having to replace an SSD, but that would be all.

 

[Tony1044]

This is the thing though - electronics such as SSD's are complex. Each of the memory chips has tens of millions of individual components baked into them and they can fail.

I've got SSD's and HDD's that have been running constantly for years. I bought a new phone last week and it was faulty on arrival. It does happen and it's a royal pain in the backside. I had a brand new SSD some years ago from Crucial that caused BSoD's galore.

If you do some digging you can find all sorts of information about mean time between failures but ultimately that's not much better than a rounded average.

I do feel your pain. One advantage of HDD's is that SMART technology can move data from sectors and tracks that become unreliable to some that are kept for that very purpose and then warn the system that a failure is imminent.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no such technology built into consumer SSD's. There is, I believe, in enterprise SSD's but they cost an order of magnitude more for these very reasons.

What that means is, as Spydertracks correctly said, that SSD's can fail more spectacularly and suddenly than HDD's and recovery is much more difficult because the places the OS thinks the data is stores on an SSD may not actually bear any relevance to where it is - because the cells have a finite number of writes they can perform, the SSD will use things like wear levelling, to try and distribute the load more evenly.

Something I find interesting though is your perception that the SSD failed in a way that wasn't acceptable to you. And I'm not having a go here but I am genuinely curious what kind of failure you consider to be acceptable.

 

[moosEh]

Hey @sidcha

First of all I am sorry to read you have had an SSD failure. As stated above in the previous updates all man made electronic components can fail and a varying length of time. This is why manufacturers provide warranty on the items they make (and why we provide separate warranty as well).

I'd probably recommend contacting our Customer Care team as they will be able to check if the drive is still in manufactures warranty. As you have already taken the SSD out then I would recommend to take it out again and take a picture of the drive serial number as the Customer Care team will most likely ask for it.

As for why it has failed without warning, no one would be able to give you a definitive explanation we could brainstorm that it was the controller on the SSD or a part of the storage flash media that has failed but only the manufacturer would be able to narrow that down (and I am not sure even if they would offer than information out).