Windows 11 SSD scare - Phison finds No Fault after 4,500 hours of testing

A pair of Windows 11 security updates rolled out earlier this month (KB5063878 and KB5062660), and they quickly sparked controversy due to reports that they were causing issues with SSDs, leading to outright failure in some cases. With the sources for these claims coming from individuals posting their first-hand accounts of encountering problems online, the reports were alarming and a cause for concern, but also anecdotal.

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As we reported last week, a significant number of alleged SSD failures were attributed to Phison controllers. The first case of the issue was reported by an X user who was attempting to update Cyberpunk 2077, which subsequently caused their SSD to disappear from their Windows 11 system. Microsoft's initial response and statement on the issue was that it was investigating the reports, with Phison also responding in kind, adding that it was conducting a thorough review.

And thorough it was, with Phison's Chris Ramseyer confirming in a statement provided to TweakTown that the company "dedicated over 4,500 cumulative testing hours" and "conducted more than 2,200 test cycles" with the reported SSDs and Phison controllers. And after all that, Phison was "unable to reproduce" the reported issues.

Not only that, but Phison, which has been engaging with its partners and customers (Phison controllers can be found on a wide range of SSDs), notes that "no partners or customers have reported that the issue affected their drives." So, let's take a quick look at the current status of the issue.

• Widespread reports of SSDs failing after a Windows security update caused a stir earlier this month
• These first-hand reports of SSD issues all come from third-party sources and individuals
• Microsoft and Phison both responded to reports stating that investigations were underway
• A false document claiming to come from Phison leaks online, which mimics online reports from social media and Reddit, confirming issues are related to its controllers (check out our full story on that here)
• Phison issues a statement after conducting a thorough investigation to confirm it has been unable to replicate the SSD issue, while confirming none of its partners or customers have reported SSD issues similar to the online reports

Phison's statement doesn't claim that these reports of SSD failures are false or that this was a hoax created to tarnish the brand. Nor is that our conclusion. Due to the complexity of PC-related hardware and software configurations, thermal performance, environmental impacts, and other unforeseen variables, there's a good chance that these SSD failures could be due to overheating and the lack of a dedicated heatsink. It could also be an issue related to the power supply, system memory, or a particular motherboard model and BIOS version combination.

"While our validation testing has not identified any concerns related to these Windows 11 updates, we have shared industry best practices to support high-performance storage devices," Phison's Chris Ramseyer says. "We continue to advise users that for extended workloads, such as transferring large files or decompressing large archives, make sure a proper heatsink or thermal pad is used with the storage device. This helps maintain optimal operating temperatures, reduces the likelihood of thermal throttling, and ensures sustained performance."

We'll have more on this story as it continues to evolve.