Hey everyone! I'm having a peculiar problem with my ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA506IU laptop, which has two NVMe M.2 SSDs installed. Every time I enter the BIOS, make changes, and use the Save & Exit option, both SSDs show an increase in the Unsafe Shutdown Count in their SMART data after the laptop restarts. Interestingly, this only happens when I exit BIOS; normal shutdowns or restarts through Windows don't trigger the issue. I'm starting to think that during the BIOS exit, the SSDs are losing power too abruptly without receiving the proper shutdown commands. I've kept my BIOS updated to the latest version and checked for SSD firmware updates, but I can't find any info from ASUS about this. I'm curious if anyone else has experienced a rise in the Unsafe Shutdown Count after exiting BIOS, if this is a possible bug in the BIOS firmware, and if it's something that could affect the SSD lifespan or data integrity. Any thoughts or similar experiences would be great! Thanks!
3 Answers
I've built PCs for a long time and honestly, I've never even tracked the "unsafe shutdown" count. But it just seems odd to worry about it.
This sounds like an unusual quirk with the ASUS BIOS. It could very well be that the firmware isn't handling the power management correctly when exiting BIOS. I haven't seen many discussions on this, but if multiple drives are affected, it might point to a clear issue. I'd recommend reporting it to ASUS support if you haven't already—might help get it on their radar.
I can relate to your concern about the Unsafe Shutdown Count. It’s definitely worth looking into whether this is a known issue with your specific model. As for SSD longevity, while they’re generally resilient, repeated improper shutdowns can lead to potential wear over time. Keeping an eye on the firmware updates for both the BIOS and the SSDs might help ensure they're optimized.
I get why you might think it's just a number, but it's not the count itself that's the issue for me. It's concerning that it only happens during the BIOS exit and not during normal reboots. It seems like there might be a deeper, firmware-related power management bug that could impact the SSDs.