My WD Black SN770 2TB m.2 SSD frequently crashes while using the drive, disappears from the Windows Explorer and cannot be detected in the Windows disk manager. It works for around 20-30 minutes, then crashes, and the laptop needs to be restarted for the SSD to be detected. I am using both the m.2 SSD slots in my Alienware m15 R7 laptop, one slot with WD Black and the other withMicron NVME 500GB. I even tried changing the slot and installing fresh windows on each of the SSDs, one at a time. I updated the firmware from the WD Dashboard and also cleaned-installed and updated all the laptop drivers to the latest. Nothing worked to fix the issue.
My issue started when I was using Windows 11 22H2 Home edition and right now I am using Windows 11 Pro 23H2. When I encountered my first issue, I thought it might be related to the firmware so I waited and used the SN770 SSD as an external drive for the time being (There seems to be no issue while using it as an external drive with an adapter). So, when there was an updated firmware, thinking the issue would be fixed, I installed it again to the internal slot but the same problem still occurs till today. I also used the diagnostic tool S.M.A.R.T extended test and there was no error found in the test.
BTW, there seems to be no malfunction and also showing in the Windows Explorer when I’m not accessing the drive. The issue occurs only when I am accessing games or other files continuously for a few minutes.
I’d very much appreciate it if anyone would solve my issue. Thanks.
Have you opened a Support Case? If not opened, for more information, please contact the WD Technical Support team for the best assistance and troubleshooting:
@Keerti_01 No, I did not. Will there be any issue with customer support and Warranty since I did not buy it directly from the WD website? I bought it from Amazon.in
Although I’m staying in India, the climate in my state is quite cool around 24ºc - 36ºc max. I monitor the temperatures of the other SSD (500GB Micron) which I use internally alongside my WD_Black SN770 and another (Crucial P3 1TB) which I use as an external drive using an enclosure. I copied some games from the external drive to both the internal drives and the temperature of WD_Black SN770 reached 68ºc while the other two drives barely reached 40ºc. I also ran a SMART extended test from WD Dashboard and it seems there is no problem with the drive seen in the test result. To be sure, I removed all the partitions in the drive, formatted and wiped the drive using Mini Partition Wizard, but the same problem occurs after certain minutes (say 20-30 mins approx.). The problem occurred more frequently which resulted BSOD and system froze when I installed Windows OS in the drive, and less frequently when Windows is installed in another SSD. In Windows Event Viewer it’s showing bad block in disk but there is no error when I checked the SSD using WD Dashboard, Windows In-built tool and some other software which made me more confused
I contact an agent from WD and he assisted me in troubleshooting the drive using several methods. Since the error still occured, I create RMA and mailed it to WD. I"m hoping they replace with a new one.
SSDs can overheat and throttle performance or even become unresponsive if they get too hot. Liteblue Ensure that your laptop’s cooling system is working properly and that the SSD is not overheating.
Yes, I did checked the drive’s temperature and also monitor the performance. The temperature exceeded the temperatures of the other 2 ssd drives by 20°c (while the other 2 temps are 40°c each the WD ssd drive reaches 60°c) which, I think, is not that high to cause system crash.
I use laptops so I use WD green and WD blue class SSD products which are cool running with Windows 11, the WD black are best in desktops with better thermal management as laptops do not have the room for large fans etc.
