Windows 10: DIY External (USB) SSD - pitfalls of power loss?

A while ago at Micro Center I noticed a bucket of these SSD's at a very cheap price and tossed one into my basket:

https://www.amazon.com/Inland-Profes.../dp/B076XMH2JT
Inland Professional 120GB SSD 3D TLC NAND - Micro Center

Afterwards I read some reviews which indicated that it was a decent, if not spectacular drive. It sat on the shelf for a while until I decided to play with it inside an external enclosure, which uses an Asmedia chipset:

https://www.amazon.com/Nippon-Labs-N.../dp/B01C7YKC1S

I had been happily using it for some weeks as as temporary storage, for downloads and the like. One day, I plugged it in and found it unrecognized; Disk Management saw it as unpartitioned/unformatted. Thinking back to its last use, I remembered having done something different: I powered down the computer with the drive plugged in, instead of using "safely remove" as usual. This has never been a "gotcha" with any other USB equipment, including factory-made USB SSD drives from Sandisk, etc; suggesting that the power loss was responsible for wiping the drive. Device manager had this drive listed as "optimize for quick removal".

In further reading on this line of SSD's I so see comments that they are rather unforgiving of unexpected power loss; but still, my understanding is that 1) Windows should flush buffers prior to a power-down, 2) all SSD's have supercaps and controller firmware measures to prevent data loss. Nope. Is this a generic issue with self-made external SSD's? Would definitely influence later purchase decisions.

:)

 

Loss of External drives

Hi,

For better assistance, kindly verify the queries below:

• What is the make and model of the external drives?
• Have you checked if both drivers are recognized on the BIOS settings?
• Are you connecting the external hard drives via USB?
• What are the troubleshooting steps have you done so far for this issue?

Looking forward to your response.

Regards.

 

USB powered external hard drive will not power down.

Hi Vikki,

To help resolve your concern with USB powered external hard drive issue, you can refer to the steps below:

• Press Windows key + R on your keyboard, type
  devmgmt.msc, and then hit Enter.
  
• Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
  
• Right-click the USB Hub, and then choose Properties.
  
• Click Power Management tab, and then enable Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power
  option.

If the issue persists, you can consider contacting your device manufacturer for advanced assistance regarding BIOS settings. The
BIOS has unique USB port settings that can manage its power/electric flow.

Should you need further assistance, feel free to get back to us.

 

Silicon Power Releases eSATA/USB SSD Featuring 8x the Write Speed of the Normal USB

This is not a normal USB flash drive. Silicon Power has released the availability of its pioneering product: eSATA/USB SSD (eSATA; External Serial ATA), a high-capacity handy SSD in worldwide markets. The eSATA/USB SSD features eSATA and Mini USB dual interface, hot plug and play and four-channel high performance technology. The eSATA connection has a read speed of 92 MB/s and a write speed of 48MB/s, which is 8 times the write speed of the normal USB. The eSATA/USB SSD is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities that are ideal for those wanting high-speed data transfer, high-capacity and portability.

The eSATA connector provides external data transfer at speeds up to 3Gbps, which is higher than USB 2.0 interface with 480 Mbps. It is very convenient for large volume of data transfer at a short time. The bottom of the eSATA/USB SSD is a Mini USB connector offering a read speed of 33MB/s and a write speed of 25MB/s.





With the advent of eSATA technology, most of the desktops, servers and laptops manufacturers start to employ eSATA port as a standard interface. Nearly 60% of new laptops uses eSATA interface. There are two kinds of eSATA port (with power provided/ without power provided). Users need to confirm which kind of port is on your device. If your eSATA connector is with power, you can plug it directly without connecting any cable. If not, users connect Mini USB cable to eSATA/USB SSD first, and then connect USB to the device. Each Silicon Power eSATA/USB SSD package comes with a TTPE to Mini USB Cable and a user manual with detailed instruction. The eSATA/USB SSD is backed by a two-year warranty.

Features:

• eSATA and Mini USB dual interface
• Support Windows Vista ReadyBoost function
• Support eSATA-2 3Gbps high speed
• Four channel high performance tech
• LED indicates the usage status (Power/Access LED)
• True plug and play, no external power required
• Compliant with RoHS requirement

Specifications:

• Capacities: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
• Color: Black
• Dimensions: 79.2 x 29.8 x 10.95 mm (L/W/M)
• Weight: 16g
• Connection: eSATA, Mini USB type B
• Support OS: Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Vista, and Linux
• Support eSATA/USB Hot Plug and Play
• Operating Temperature: 0℃~70℃
• Storage Temperature: -20℃~85℃
• Vibration: 20 G peak-to-peak max
• Shock: 1500G Max
• 2 year warranty

Source: Silicon Power