Intel Tech Support - Urgent - Please Help with Intel RST Corrupting SSDs

[Michael4000]

We have a problem with Intel RST corrupting SSDs, and RAID 1 failing.  Computers don't boot, drives unrecognized, RAID 1 broken.

I have multiple HP Z2 G9 computers with Western Digital SN850 SSDs and Samsung Evo 990 SSDs that are being corrupted by Intel RST.  Another person on this forum has the same SSD corruption issue.

Can we please get some help from Intel, and have Intel investigate this?  

I would like to get someone from Intel who really wants to fix this, and put in the work.

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello Michael4000,

Thank you for posting in Intel Communities.

This issue is currently being checked and I will post an update once it's available.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

[Michael4000]

Thank you.  I am anxious to learn about what you find out.

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello Michael4000,

Good day.

To investigate this matter further, could you please share the exact error message you are receiving (share a photo if possible)? Additionally, I need to know when the issue first started occurring and what troubleshooting steps you already attempted. It would also be helpful to know how many units are affected by this issue.

I will wait for your reply.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

[Michael4000]

The issue has now occurred on 11 HP Z2 G9 tower workstations.  I just found another one today.

Here is the error message.

If I click on SMART error, I get this.

Yet, CrystalDisk does not show any errors for this drive, although the life is 97%, and the other drive is 99%.

I have updated the BIOS and Intel RST from the HP site on several computers, and it did not correct the issues.

Other symptoms:

1.  When computer is left on overnight, it says "Boot Device not found".  If the user presses F2, it will boot anyway.

2.   Intel RST reports "Unrecognized drive".  I had a screenshot on another forum thread, but I don't see any way to show what threads I've posted.

The issue started last August when we started using the latest Samsung 990 Pro and Western Digital SN850 drives.  We have not had the issue with the older Samsung and WD drives.

Michael

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello Michael4000,

Your diligence in supplying screenshots and detailed information is greatly valued. I will now proceed in with further checking and will post an update once available.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

[Michael4000]

Here is the other error message we commonly get with this issue (Unknow hard disk).

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello Michael4000,

Please be advised that I am still currently investigating this issue and need your help with the following information below:

1) Can you help provide the SSU scan of the affected systems? I need to check the processors used by the affected systems, OS, Drives used, and additional drivers installed on the system. This could be possible by downloading the Intel® System Support Utility for Windows* software. When the download is complete, launch SSU.exe.

• Scan: Check the box Everything.
• Click Scan.
• Review: When finished scanning, click Next.
• Click Save (.txt).
• Attach the log file as you reply.

2) Can you clarify if the RAID volumes were created when the additional drives were installed or was both drives present when the BIOS was configured?

3) What was the RST driver used on the affected systems? Please share the exact OEM link where you've downloaded the RST driver.

I will wait for your reply.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Michael4000]

I'll download this utility, and run it afterhours.

For #2, all RAID volumes were created through the BIOS (before the Windows 11 operating system was installed).

For #3, the driver version is:

• Intel Rapid Storage Technology VMD Driver 

• 20.2.3.1018.1 Rev.H
• 17.6 MB
• Jan 9, 2025

Here is the link to the download page.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/hp-z2-tower-g9-workstation-desktop-pc/2100987204

Here is the link to the actual driver file:

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp156501-157000/sp156585.exe

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello Michael4000,

Thank you for sharing those details. I'll just wait for the SSU log file so I can proceed with further checking. I hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Michael4000]

Hi Jeanette,

I'll get this log file for you tomorrow.

Thanl you!

Michael

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hi Michael4000,

I'll wait for it. Take your time.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

Comment

[Michael4000]

Hi Jeanette,

Here is the Intel System Support Utility output for one of the computers with the RST RAID 1 issue.

Thank you for reviewing this.

Michael

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello Michael4000,

Thank you for sharing the SSU log file as well. I'll proceed with the further investigation of this issue. I'll post an update once available.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Ernesto_C_Intel1]

Hi @Michael4000,, 

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to inform you that I'm currently in the process of recreating the issue you encountered with RAID 1 using Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST). I'm committed to thoroughly investigating the matter to ensure a comprehensive resolution.

Please rest assured that we are prioritizing this issue and will provide you with an update as soon as possible. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated.

If you have any further questions or require additional information in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your continued trust in Intel.

Regards, 

Ernesto C. 

Intel Customer Support Engineer

[Michael4000]

I was wondering if anything was happening on this issue.  I have opened three cases here.  the issue has been going on for months.  I know your new Intel President wants feedback from customers, so I will try to contact him. 

We have 11 HP Z2 G9 computers where the Intel RST RAID 1 has failed.

I was in the office of a customer last Saturday, and this was on the screen of the HP Z2 G9 with Samsung 990 SSDs RAiD 1.  I unplugged the power from the computer, waited a minute, replugged it, and started it back up.  It started rebuilding the RAID 1.  This has happened previously.

[f1technology]

@Michael4000  I have the same problem with 3 x HP Elite 900 G9 SFF computers with RAID 1 using Intel VMD/RST and Samsung 990 Pro 4TB drives.

Happens on systems with Intel i7-13700 and i7-14700.

I am using RAID1 for the same reasons you are.

Fault does not occur when using a single drive with VMD disabled.

Fault does not occur with one of the two drives removed leaving the RAID 1 degraded.

Faults consist of any of the following occurring:

1. System freezing (computer doesn't bluescreen and still responds to ping but cannot do anything that would require access to storage, including logging to event log) - this is the most common scenario
2. Boot device not found
3. RAID being degraded with one of the drives marked as "missing"

I have previously used RAID1 on multiple HP Elite G4 with Samsung SSD 980 Pro without any issue. The combination of the HP Elite G9 / Intel 13th and 14th Gen processor and the Samsung 990 Pro isn't working for me.

Versions
--------------
Samsung 990 Pro firmware version is 4B2QJXD7
HP BIOS U01 2.18.00 (will try upgrading to 2.18.10)
Intel RST Driver 20.2.1.1016.4, have also tried the HP issued version 20.0.1.1039

These computers all have a SATA DVD drive connected that I have not yet tested to see if having this disconnected makes any difference.

When the Intel Rapid Storage Technology application fails to open I find I need to restart the Intel Storage Middleware Service to get it to open.

[Michael4000]

Your issues are exactly what I am experiencing with 12 computers to the tee.

I reported this to Intel 9 months ago, and this is still not fixed.

[f1technology]

Thanks @Michael4000, I've been having trouble with this for 5 months.

I probably need to settle on a different configuration. It's annoying as it's something we've been doing for 10+ years (even with SATA drives) all without issue until we introduced the newer 4TB NVMe drives.

I'll look into a different storage controller but was hoping not to introduce another point of failure or another configuration change that will introduce new monitoring requirements and may introduce other problems. This had been such a simple thing to do until recently.

[Michael4000]

@f1technology 

We are both in the same boat.  I have been using Intel RST in RAID 1 for at least a decade with no problems.  Then all of sudden, the problems started.  

Downtime due to an SSD going bad is not an option for us.  I have looked at alternate storage controllers, but the price is very high, about 50% of the cost of the entire computer.  The less expensive ones I found use Intel RST, so those are out.

HP has released a new BIOS which I have been testing on seven computers for the past week.  I'll check them over the weekend to see how they are doing.  This BIOS supposedly fixes some CPU microcode problems, which Intel has had huge problems with over the past year.  I'll report back on what I find in a few days.  You might try running HP Image Assistant to update the BIOS and all of the drivers on your computers which are having issues.  It can't hurt.

[Ernesto_C_Intel1]

Hi @Michael4000, 

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the extended time taken to investigate the issue. I understand how frustrating this situation can be, and I want to assure you that we are actively working to expedite the investigation into why your drives are being corrupted. I am committed to resolving this matter as swiftly as possible and will provide you with an update as soon as we have more information.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Regards, 

Ernesto C. 

Intel Customer Support Engineer