HyperX Predator PCIe SSD - Support
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
ElectroStatic Discharge, ESD is simply the discharge of built up static electricity.ESD should not be taken lightly as this is one of the few things an individual can do to damage or destroy their computer or hardware components.It is like when you rub your feet on the carpet and you touch something metal.ESD can occur without the user feeling a shock and will occur when only working on the inside of the computer or handling hardware.
How to help prevent ESD
The best method of preventing ESD is to use an ESD wrist strap or a grounding mat or table.However, because most users do not have access to these items, we have included the below steps to help reduce the chance of ESD as much as possible.
- Standing – We recommend that you are standing at all times when working on the computer. Setting on a chair can generate more electrostatic.
- Cords - Make sure everything is removed from the back of the computer (power cord, mouse, keyboard, etc).
- Clothes - Make sure not to wear any clothing that conducts a lot of Electrical Charge, such as a wool sweater.
- Accessories - To help reduce ESD and help prevent other problem, it is also a good idea to remove all jewelry.
- Weather - Electrical storms can increase the ESD risk; unless absolutely necessary, try not to work on a computer during an electrical storm.In very dry areas, the air itself becomes a part of the electrostatic build-up mechanism every time there is an air flow (wind, air conditioning, blower) passing over an insulated surface.Do not let high humidity levels build a false confidence, and beware of corrosion problems with interconnects and other electrical interfaces.
To learn more about ESD and how to protect your electronics, please refer to the below site.
ESD Association
https://www.esda.org
FAQ: KTC-Gen-ESD
This guide will walk you through securely erasing your Kingston SSD using Linux tools
SATA Secure Erase Procedure
Warning
Please make sure to have a full backup of any important data before you proceed!
Prerequisites
• You must have root privileges.
• You must have your SSD connected to the system as a secondary (non-OS) drive.
• You must have lsscsi and hdparm installed. You may need to install them with your distribution’s package manager.
• Your drive must not be in a security freeze.
• Your drive must not be password protected.
Instructions
1.Find the device name (/dev/sdX) of the drive you wish to erase:
# lsscsi
2. Make sure drive security is not frozen:
# hdparm -I /dev/sdX | grep frozen
If the output shows "frozen" (instead of "not frozen") then you cannot continue to the next step. You must try to remove the security freeze by trying one of the following methods:
Method 1:
Put the system to sleep (suspend to RAM) and wake it up. On most distributions the command to suspend is:
# systemctl suspend Now issue the hdparm command again. If it worked the output will show "not frozen" (instead of "frozen").
Method 2:
Hot plug the drive. This is done by physically unplugging the SATA power cable from the drive and plugging it back in while the system is powered on. You may need to enable hot plug in BIOS. Not all systems support hot plug.
Now issue the hdparm command again. If it worked the output will show "not frozen" (instead of "frozen").
3. Set a user password on the drive. The password can be anything. Here we are setting the password to "p":
# hdparm --security-set-pass p /dev/sdX 4. Issue the secure erase command to the drive using the same password: 1234567890 - 1234567890 -
# hdparm --security-erase p /dev/sdX This command may take a few minutes to complete. The drive password is removed upon successful completion.
If the secure erase is interrupted or otherwise fails your drive may become security locked. In this case you can remove the security lock using the command below and then try the secure erase procedure again:
# hdparm --security-disable p /dev/sdX SATA Secure Erase Example
NVMe Secure Erase Procedure
Warning
Please make sure to have a full backup of any important data before you proceed!
Prerequisites
• You must have root privileges.
• You must have your SSD connected to the system as a secondary (non-OS) drive.
• You must have nvme-cli installed. You may need to install it with your distribution’s package manager.
• Your drive must not be password protected.
Instructions
1. Find the device name (/dev/nvmeXn1) of the drive you wish to erase:
# nvme list
2. Issue the format command to the drive. Here we set the secure erase setting to 1 which indicates a user data erase:
# nvme format /dev/nvmeXn1 --ses=1
This command may take a few minutes to complete.
NVMe Secure Erase Example
FAQ: KSM-SE-LIX
Trim and garbage collection are technologies that modern SSDs incorporate to improve both their performance and endurance. When your SSD is in its fresh out of box condition all of the NAND blocks are empty so the SSD can write new data to the empty blocks in a single operation. Over time most of the empty blocks will become used blocks that contain user data. In order to write new data to used blocks the SSD is forced to perform a read-modify-write cycle. The read-modify-write cycle hurts the SSDs overall performance because it now must do three operations instead of a single operation. The read-modify-write cycle also causes write amplification which hurts the SSDs overall endurance.
Trim and garbage collection can work together to improve SSD performance and endurance by freeing up used blocks. Garbage collection is a function built into the SSD controller that consolidates data stored in used blocks in order to free up more empty blocks. This process happens in the background and is completely handled by the SSD itself. However the SSD may not know which blocks contain user data and which blocks contain stale data that the user has already deleted. This is where the trim function comes in. Trim allows the operating system to inform the SSD that data has been deleted so that the SSD can free up those previously used blocks. For trim to work both the operating system and the SSD must support it. Currently most modern operating systems and SSDs support trim however most RAID configurations do not support it.
Kingston SSDs take advantage of both garbage collection and trim technologies in order to maintain the highest possible performance and endurance over their lifetime.
FAQ: KSD-011411-GEN-13
Make sure the M.2 socket is M keyed. The Predator M.2 card will not work in a M.2 socket that is B keyed (see figure below). This is because only M keyed M.2 sockets support PCIe x4 capability.
FAQ: KSD-032015-PRE-01
The adapter will fit in PCIe x4, x8 and x16 sockets. It will not work in a PCIe x1 socket or a legacy PCI socket.
FAQ: KSD-032015-PRE-02
Try resetting the BIOS to default settings. Check to see that the M.2 socket is enabled. In some cases, the M.2 socket is shared with a PCIe slot. You will have to choose between one or the other. If none of this works, see if there is a BIOS update. You may need to reset the BIOS to default settings again after the update.
FAQ: KSD-032015-PRE-03
Your M.2 socket must be at least PCIe Gen 2 x4 compatible in order to run this card at the maximum speed. The drive will work in a M.2 PCIe x1 or x2 socket, but at a slower speed. Also, make sure that in the BIOS, the M.2 slot is linked to the PCIe bus as a x4 socket.
FAQ: KSD-032015-PRE-04
Yes you can, but you will not be able to use it as a boot drive.
FAQ: KSD-032015-PRE-05
Some motherboards require "Compatibility Support Module (CSM)" be enabled in the BIOS in order to boot from a PCIe SSD. By default, this should be enabled. If it is disabled, please follow the BIOS instructions to resolve the issue or consult your motherboard manufacturer's documentation.
FAQ: KSD-070915-PRE-06
In terminal type:
diskutil list
Then press RETURN. Scroll up to top and verify the Kingston SSD disk (i.e. disk0, disk1, etc).
Then type:
diskutil mountDISK disk0 (or whichever ddisk is the Kingston SSD).
Then press RETURN. It should show "mounted successfully".
Then type:
diskutil eraseDISK apfs YOURDRIVENAME disk0 (or whichever disk is the Kingston SSD)
Warning – This step (eraseDISK command) will delete all data on the target drive. Confirm that you have selected the drive you wish to delete and then continue.
Then press RETURN. It should show "successful". Then exit terminal and proceed with the normal installation of the OS.
FAQ: KSD-092917-GEN-21