SSD X25M 80GB disappearing after Windows 7 install

[idata]

Hi!

I just spend 2 days on the following problem and still don´t know how to solve it:

I made a clean install of Windows 7 Professional on my new SSD, which took ages to complete (about 1-2 hours) but worked fine so far. After I installed the chipset drivers for my Mainboard (Asus Striker II Extreme), I rebooted my system and the SSD wasn´t there anymore - not even in BIOS! In the end I found out that:

1. BIOS can only find the SSD after I shut down the computer completely and turned it back on. But after that it disappears after 1-2 minutes or after the next reset.
2. No matter what, after a reset without power off in between the SSD is gone.

I spend incountable hours reading several forums about the same problem and tried the following without any luck:

Attempt: Clearing the CMOS

Result: No Change

Attempt: Replacing and reconnecting the cables, including a try on other ports

Result: No Change

Attempt: Changing the power management in BIOS from S1(POS)/S3(STR) to S1(POS) only, to avoid the SSD being shut down by power saving.

Result: No Change

Attempt: Activating/Deactivating AHCI mode in BIOS

Result: No Change

Attempt: Trying Hdderase to bring the SSD back to its original status (using: http://www.markc.me.uk/MarkC/Blog/Entries/2009/8/13_Erasing_an_SSD.html)

Result: No Change. Hdderase couldn´t find the SSD. Propably because it was gone before Hdderase could be executed.

Attempt: Trying hdparm from a Linux (Knoppix) distribution for the same purpose.

Result: No Change. Same as with Hdderase. Couldn´t find the SSD anymore after Linux started.

Attempt: Running the SSD in another computer that runs with Vista.

Result: Same here: BIOS detected the SSD only after the computer was powered on, not after a reset. Could get as far as to the computer management (after it caused the bootup process several times to freeze) in Vista where I initialized the drive, but every time I wanted to assign a letter or format it, it was gone again!

I even had the SSD in my system for 2 weeks but didn´t use it until I installed Windows 7. I always saw it in the Computer Management window in Windows XP but after I started copying the first files on it (by installing Windows 7) the problems started.

I´m running out of ideas here and wonder if the SSD could be just broken in some way?

Bests,

Sascha

[idata]

No ideas?