0xF4 BSOD due to imminent SSD failure?

0

I've been using an Intel 535 SSD (SSDSC2BW240H6R5) for a Win7 boot drive for little over 3 years. Just recently I have been getting system lockups and BSODs typically at random.

Usually there are warning signs. Programs would randomly freeze or stop working properly, i.e. Web Browser would be stuck at checking cache, text editors would warn of unsaved changes for all opened files. All sorts of random errors. Task Manager would be unable to end processes. CMD.exe would ignore any commands (dir, cd ..) on the C drive (which is the SSD). CTRL+ALT+DELETE would fail to display the "security and logon options". Desktop icons would disappear, taskbar shortcuts would give an "moved or deleted" error. Sometimes the taskbar would just disappear entirely. Soon after this, the BSOD would occur, or sometimes not, leaving Windows in a lobotomized state, only able to move a cursor around the screen.

Just before a BSOD, I also noticed C drive was no longer showing in this Trash dialog:

ShowingDrives

I took note of the BSOD errors:

0x000000F4 (0x00000000000003, 0xFFFFFA800DDC4060,  0xFFFFFA800DDC4340, 0xFFFFF8000396C110)
0x000000F4 (0x00000000000003, 0xFFFFFA800DC25B00,  0xFFFFFA800DC25DE0, 0xFFFFF800039A0110)
0x000000F4 (0x00000000000003, 0xFFFFFA800DC26B00,  0xFFFFFA800DC26DE0, 0xFFFFF800039BD110)
0x000000F4 (0x00000000000003, 0xFFFFFA800DC26B00,  0xFFFFFA800DC26DE0, 0xFFFFF800039BD110)
0x000000F4 (0x00000000000003, 0xFFFFFA800DC2A4B0,  0xFFFFFA800DC2A790, 0xFFFFF80003965110)
0x000000F4 (0x00000000000003, 0xFFFFFA800DC1BB00,  0xFFFFFA800DC1BDE0, 0xFFFFF800039BC110)

I also checked the SSD SMART data:

Intel SSD SMART

So according to that, it's used 281.1 TB NAND writes (Don't know how it can be that big, I think this SSD is rated for 73TB or 150TB), and has 20% remaining life according to 'Wearout' value. Aside from that, no real critical errors are being reported. Personally I find it strange that drive software would not alert me that I've greatly exceeded the write cycle usage of my drive.

So all in all, what might be the fault here? Would an SSD with the SMART data above, randomly unmount itself (possibly what is happening), causing Windows to randomly lock up and BSOD with a 0xF4 'CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION' error code?

Also, I ruled out RAM as the cause, as Memtest86 ran fine, and SLAX Linux on a USB stick had no such lock ups (however I noticed that the SSD was no longer readable from File Manager after the system had been running for quite some time).

windows-7
ssd
bsod
asked on Super User Apr 19, 2019 by bryc • edited Apr 19, 2019 by bryc

0 Answers

Nobody has answered this question yet.


User contributions licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0