Firmware upgrade with Linux -- It works!

[skybub]

Hi,

Thank you MacTella for the Linux firmware updater, it worked perfectly.

FYI, I used an USB Flash disk that I made bootable on an intel Macintosh using this tutorial :

http://studyblast.**************/2011...ssds-firmware/

I installed latest Lubuntu live CD on it and boot on it.


Here is how to do :

1 - Format a USB drive to provide a single FAT32 partition featuring MBR.
2 - Create the following directories on your USB drive: /efi and /efi/boot
3 - Copy the bootX64.efi from “ISO-2-USB EFI-Booter for Mac 0.01 beta” into /efi/boot on your USB Drive.
http://www.mediafire.com/?dpgorsfdkf6nn2c
4 - Copy the (L)ubuntu Mac image into /efi/boot/ on the USB Drive, too and rename it to “boot.iso”.
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/re...-amd64+mac.iso


I also had the files (flash tool + firmwares) on a second USB flash disk, and I copied them to the desktop of Lubuntu.

Flash Tool : http://media.Kingston.com/support/do..._503FW_Lnx.zip
Firmwares : http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110257

If I do remember, I also had to make the flashing tool executable.

I ran the flashing tool with sudo command (via a terminal) in order to recognize my SSD.

Thanks !

[Lorrin]

Exactly, no optical disk! Perhaps http://isostick.com/ would do the trick, but they're pricey. I imagine there's some way to make a bootable USB stick that will load the ISO, but I haven't found it yet. I came across some tools that sound like they'd do it (YUMI, SARDU, XBoot), but they'll all Windows apps. :-(

[mactalla]

Originally Posted by skybub

Thank you MacTalla for the Linux firmware updater, it worked perfectly.

Great to hear it worked for you and thanks for those instructions on making a bootable USB stick!

Originally Posted by Lorrin

I imagine there's some way to make a bootable USB stick that will load the ISO, but I haven't found it yet.

skybub posted just a few minutes before you with exactly what you're looking for. Try his instructions.

[Lorrin]

Hi skybub, thanks for posting.

I followed the steps with both an Ubuntu ISO and the ISO with the firmware loader.

With the Ubuntu ISO I got the EFI Booter welcome message, then it said loading linux, loading RAMdisk, booting kernel. I let it sit a couple minutes with no sign of progress.

With the firmware loader ISO, something flashes by really quickly -- perhaps the same messages? Then I get dumped into Grub, and I can't see how to convince Grub to boot the ISO. (Though it can see it: ls (hd0,msdos1)/efi/boot shows the file)

Perhaps this isn't a generic ISO booter but one that can only boot Linux kernels?

[skybub]

Hi Lorrin,

Sorry, I forgot to mention that this booting USB flash disk is for use on an intel Macintosh.

Regards

[gingerbeardman]

Thanks so much for this guide. It was relatively easy and worked a treat - I went from FW 1.2 to 5.05 on my 120GB Corsair Force 3 SSD. Everything going well since.

My personal spin on the approach for Mac OS X is as follows, as my Intel iMac 12,1 (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) can only boot CDs (no luck with the USB boot guide above)...

Preparation:

- download Ubuntu Live CD 64-bit
(burn it to CD)
- download the correct Corsair firmware for your drive
- download "SH103_503FW_Lnx.zip" which contains a firmware flashing utility - google it
(put both of these on a USB stick)

Steps:

- insert Ubuntu Live CD and hold alt key while booting Mac OS X
- copy "SH103_503FW_Lnx.zip" contents to Desktop
- copy your specific drive Corsair firmware files to Desktop
- open Terminal
- cd to ~/Desktop
- chmod +x the firmware updater
- run the updater with sudo permission

Updating:

- click scan for drives
- check signature of drive to verify which Corsair firmware file to use
- check box next to SSD you wish to update
- choose Corsair firmware file that matches drive signature
- firmware will be flashed
- wait a moment until the drive gets a positive check mark
- shutdown Ubuntu
- boot Mac OS X :)

One additional point:
It's crazy that Corsair don't offer this Linux tool officially. Shame on them!

[c0mrade2]

Hello,
I'm on an iMac early 2006 (the first one with 32bit intel cpu) and a year ago I upgraded to a corsair force 3 120gb. My firmware version is 1.3.3 and I'm running into severals freezes.
Following the guide in the post above step by step, I could't update the firmware.
I succeeded in booting lubuntu latest version trough usb and cd both (using rEFIt), but the firmware updater utility posted above, launched with sudo command, doesn't recognize my ssd.
I followed the guide posted by mactalla in the first page of the thread in order to set my ssd in ahci mode instead of ide.
My mac as a intel ich7-m chipset, and I found out in the internet that the "magic number" mentioned in the guide to be used is 90.b=40. Doing so, the drive is finally set in ahci (I checked this with the command "lspci -vnn | grep SATA"), but the utility still won't see the ssd. I tried both with live cd through usb and cdrom.
What should I do? Trying to install the drive in a pc with windows, or trying to update the firmware with bootcamp + windows on the mac itself?

p.s. obviously I used the 32bit version of lubuntu and of the utility

[Rockbar]

How can i adapt that to run on a new PC where OS is not installed yet. I cannot find the terminal within Ubuntu 12.04??

Originally Posted by gingerbeardman

Thanks so much for this guide. It was relatively easy and worked a treat - I went from FW 1.2 to 5.05. Everything going well since.

My personal spin on the approach for Mac OS X is as follows, as my iMac can only boot CDs (no luck with the USB boot guide above)...

Preparation:

- download Ubuntu Live CD 64-bit
- download the correct Corsair firmware for your drive
- download "SH103_503FW_Lnx.zip" - google it

Steps:

- insert Ubuntu Live CD and hold alt key while booting Mac OS X
- copy "SH103_503FW_Lnx.zip" contents to Desktop
- copy your specific drive Corsair firmware files to Desktop
- open Terminal
- cd to ~/Desktop
- chmod +x the firmware updater
- run the updater with sudo permission

Updating:

- click scan for drives
- check signature of drive to verify which Corsair firmware file to use
- check box next to SSD you wish to update
- choose Corsair firmware file that matches drive signature
- firmware will be flashed
- wait a moment until the drive gets a positive check mark
- shutdown Ubuntu
- boot Mac OS X :)

One additional point:
It's crazy that Corsair don't offer this Linux tool officially. Shame on them!

[Rockbar]

I could follow all the steps, however, the corsair f60 ssd cannot be detected by the Kingston update tool. Thats it. This corsair update tool for the force series is a pain in the ***. I will go for a new samsung ssd.

[sparacis]

Why can't I access this link http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110257

[dlcusa]

Originally Posted by sparacis

Why can't I access this link http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110257

Probably for the same reason I cannot, either. I'll guess it is due to not having 10 posts to my credit. So here's one. After I get to ten, I'll try again. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll need to get the Toolbox running under wine just to get the firmware distribution.

[dlcusa]

Originally Posted by dlcusa

Probably for the same reason I cannot, either. I'll guess it is due to not having 10 posts to my credit. So here's one. After I get to ten, I'll try again. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll need to get the Toolbox running under wine just to get the firmware distribution.

Oh, I'll see if I can make anything happen using FreeDOS, too. I think the Toolbox requires a GUI, though, so I'm not optimistic.

[dlcusa]

Originally Posted by dlcusa

Oh, I'll see if I can make anything happen using FreeDOS, too. I think the Toolbox requires a GUI, though, so I'm not optimistic.

It's a shame Corsair is still Linux-unfriendly even after Microsoft itself claims to have made a U-turn (but their Libre software animosity in things like SecureBoot remains).

[dlcusa]

Originally Posted by dlcusa

It's a shame Corsair is still Linux-unfriendly even after Microsoft itself claims to have made a U-turn (but their Libre software animosity in things like SecureBoot remains).

I really like the case and the H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler I got for this box. The mobo, CPU, and RAM were a gift from my son who had moved on to newer gear. I would never have bought that mobo, though, since it won't play nicely with non-SecureBoot deployments. I am amazed that Corsair isn't interested in cultivating no-Windows customers.

[dlcusa]

I was able to determine the firmware in the SSD is current so I'll let those experiments sit for now, especially if I can find a nice Microsoft home for the drive and not have to worry about it again.