This guide outlines how to repair a Kingston A400 SSD (SA400S37/480G SBFKB1D1) that has failed and is identifying as "SATAFIRM S11". This issue is caused by a corruption in the Phison PS3111-S11 controller's firmware.
This video shows: Repairing damaged firmware on Kingston A400, SATAFIRM S11, SBFKB1D1, SBFK71F1, SSD Reset, edit firmware ...
Warning: This procedure will permanently erase all data on the drive. Use it only if you have already backed up your data or do not need it.
1. Hardware Preparation
Open the SSD: Unscrew the casing to access the internal PCB.
Identify Flash Type: Before flashing, you must know if your SSD uses Micron or Toshiba memory chips. You can use a tool like phison_flash_id to verify this while the drive is connected.
Bridge the Jumper: Locate the two-pin jumper on the PCB. Use a small wire or tweezers to short/bridge these pins; this puts the controller into "ROM mode" or "Safe Mode".
Connect to PC: Connect the SSD to your computer. Using a direct SATA or e-SATA connection is highly recommended (Only AHCI mode) .
2. Firmware Customization (HxD)
If you need to change the displayed capacity or model name, use a hex editor like HxD.
Open the firmware flasher executable (fw.exe) in HxD.
Search for text strings related to model name or capacity values.
Edit cautiously: Ensure you do not change the file size. For example, if you change a name, use spaces to maintain the exact byte count.
Save the modified file.
3. Flashing Process
Prepare the Flasher Folder: Place your chosen firmware file into the flasher directory. Rename it to fw.bin.
Run the Flasher Creator: Run the tool specific to your flash type (e.g., s11-flasher2-micron.exe for Micron flash) to generate the final fw.exe.
Execute Flashing: Ensure the SSD is detected by the system as "PS3111".
Run fw.exe and click "Upgrade Firmware".
Wait for the process to complete.
4. Finalization
Power Cycle: Turn off the SSD and remove the jumper from the pins.
Re-initialize: Power the SSD back on. Open Windows Disk Management; the drive should now appear as unallocated space.
Format: Right-click the unallocated space and select "New Simple Volume" to format the drive and assign a letter.
Test: Verify the drive's health and performance using tools like Hard Disk Sentinel.
Video with detailed instructions ...
Necessary links ...
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Kingston A400 Phison PS3111 Firmware SBFM
https://www.usbdev.ru/files/phison/ps...
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Download Phison S11 firmware flasher v2
http://vlo.name:3000/ssdtool/
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HxD - Freeware Hex Editor and Disk Editor
Download on https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/