SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 July 2016 The content of this document is confidential and subject to change without notice Document No. 02-02-US-04-00001 Western Digital Technologies, Inc. 951 SanDisk Dr. • Milpitas, CA 95035 Phone (408) 801-1000 • Fax (408) 801-8657 www.sandisk.com Western Digital Technologies, Inc. is the seller of record and licensee in the Americas of SanDisk® branded goods and services.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Contents 1. 2. Preface .................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 About This Document ................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Typographical Conventions...........................................................................................................
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Update Using File on My Computer.................................................................................................... 19 5.3 Secure Erase ................................................................................................................................ 20 5.4 Sanitize ........................................................................................................................................ 21 5.5 Crypto Erase .....
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Table of Figures Figure 1: Begin Installation ........................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Installation Successful .................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 3: Scanning for SanDisk SSDs ........................................................................................................
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Figure 33: Create Bootable USB Drive for Sanitize ..................................................................................... 21 Figure 34: Crypto Erase ............................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 35: Create Bootable USB Drive for Crypto Erase ............................................................................. 23 Figure 36: S.M.A.R.T. ..............
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Revision History Revision 1.0 Description Initial version Date May 28, 2014 Added: 1.1 2.2: Support for 17 languages 5.1: Third part offers 5.3: Secure Erase 5.4: Sanitize 5.5: Crypto Erase 7.1: Chat Live and Ask a Question Aug 20, 2014 1.2 Revised for 1.2 release Nov 7, 2014 1.3 Revised for 1.3 release Jan 6, 2015 Added: 1.4 Apr 16, 2015 6.3 Email & Text Alerts 7.2 Disable eDrive 1.4.2a Re-branding June 30, 2016 1.4.
Western Digital Technologies, Inc.’s (“WDT”) general policy does not recommend the use of its products in life support applications wherein a failure or malfunction of the product may directly threaten life or injury.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 1. Preface 1.1 About This Document This document describes the installation process and usage instructions for the SanDisk SSD Dashboard. 1.2 Typographical Conventions This document follows these conventions: Convention Usage Examples Note: Important additional information or further explanation of a topic. Warning! The task or operation might have serious consequences if conducted incorrectly or without appropriate safeguards.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 2. Introduction 2.1 Minimum System Requirements The SanDisk® SSD Dashboard is a Windows application. It can be installed on 32 or 64 bit Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 8.1 environments. Admin rights are required for installation and execution of the application. Supported Operating Systems Windows Vista (32/64 bit) Windows 7 (32/64 bit) Windows 8 (32/64 bit) Windows 8.1 (32/64 bit) Additional Requirements .NET 4.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 2.3 Installation You may download the current version of the SanDisk SSD Dashboard software from http://www.sandisk.com/ssddashboard. Once it has been downloaded, double-click on the SanDiskSSDDashboadSetup.exe file icon to launch the installation program. Select a language and then click on the Install button to proceed with the installation. Otherwise, click on the red button in the upper right-hand corner to cancel the installation.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 2.4 Usage The SanDisk SSD Dashboard will automatically scan for SanDisk SSDs when it loads. Figure 3: Scanning for SanDisk SSDs If a SanDisk SSD was not connected to the system when the application was loaded, or a specific one is not appearing in the SanDisk SSD Dashboard, you may (re)connect it, then click the Refresh icon to rescan the system for SanDisk SSDs.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 3. Status The Status section displays the overall state and health of the drive. Figure 6: Status 3.1 Model Product model of the selected SanDisk SSD. 3.2 Firmware Version Version number of current firmware installed on the selected SSD. 3.3 Drive Health Drive Health summarizes the current condition of the SSD based on S.M.A.R.T. attributes. Normal The drive is in good condition. Poor The number of spare blocks has reached the minimum threshold.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 It will display “Not Activated” if the security protocol is not active. Otherwise, it will display the name of the active security protocol, such as TCG Opal 2.0. 3.6 Capacity Displayed capacity is based on Windows® total reported capacity. Green Free space Blue Used space Gray Unallocated space Yellow Other 3.7 Volumes The chart displays any drive volumes recognized by Windows. Green Free space Blue Used space Red No free space 3.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 4. Performance 4.1 Performance Chart The Performance chart has the ability to show two different real time performance metrics. The chart will scroll from right to left showing a moving 5 minutes time line on the horizontal axis. The vertical axis of the chart will show either Mega Bytes per second or I/O operation count per second. Transfer Speed MB/s The disk read and writes are shown in the chart with green and blue indicators, respectively.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Transfer IOPS The disk I/O read and writes are shown in the chart with orange and purple indicators, respectively.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 4.2 TRIM TRIM frees up space on the SSD used by files that have since been deleted. Figure 9: TRIM Use the Run TRIM Now button to manually run TRIM. It is recommended to run TRIM weekly. Select the frequency to be weekly. To view SanDisk SSD Dashboard scheduled TRIM tasks, click the Windows Task Scheduler button to schedule the task. Each TRIM task is specific to a drive, so multiple drives can be scheduled differently for TRIM.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 5. Tools 5.1 Third Party Offers Third party offers relevant to the SSD drive will be displayed at the bottom of the Tools section. These may include applications or services such as drive cloning, anti-virus software, theft recovery, drive security, etc... To find out more about a particular offer, simply click on the image or third party logo.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 5.2 Firmware Update You may use the Update SSD Firmware button to initiate an update or click on the Show More Options link to select additional methods to update the firmware. Figure 12: Firmware Update When you click on the Update SSD Firmware button, a confirmation dialog will appear. Note: It is strongly recommended that you backup your data before updating the firmware.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Once the firmware has been downloaded to the drive, the power to the SSD must be turned off to complete the firmware update process. This can usually be done by shutting down the computer then turning it back on. Figure 14: Firmware Update – System Shutdown Required For legacy drives, SanDisk SSD Dashboard may ask to reboot the computer to run the firmware update tool.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 The firmware update process will run, and upon successful completion, it will shut down the computer. Figure 17: Bootable CD/DVD - Firmware Update Process You will need to turn the computer back on. Check for Updates Click on Check for Updates to manually check if a firmware update is available for the selected drive.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Create Bootable USB Drive Some firmware updates may require you to create a bootable USB with the firmware update tool on it. The bootable USB drive can also be used as a portable tool to update SSDs on multiple systems. Click on the Select USB Drive dropdown to choose the desired USB drive and then click on the Create USB Drive button. If it is not listed, click on the Refresh icon next to the dropdown menu to scan for the USB drive.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 When the boot process is complete, select SanDisk SSD Dashboard to initiate the firmware update. Figure 21: Bootable CD/DVD - Select SanDisk SSD Dashboard The firmware update process will run, and upon successful completion, it will shut down the computer. Figure 22: Bootable CD/DVD - Firmware Update Process You will need to turn the computer back on.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Create Bootable CD/DVD You may download an ISO file which can be used with your favorite CD/DVD burning software to create a bootable CD/DVD. This will allow you to boot from the disc and run the firmware update on an SSD. Click on the Create ISO file button then select the folder where the ISO file will be saved.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Reboot the computer with the disc in the CD/DVD drive and select CD/DVD Drive as the boot device. Figure 25: Bootable CD/DVD – Select CD/DVD Drive as Boot Device When the boot process is complete, select SanDisk SSD Dashboard to initiate the firmware update. Figure 26: Bootable CD/DVD - Select SanDisk SSD Dashboard The firmware update process will run, and upon successful completion, it will shut down the computer.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Update Using File on My Computer If there is a specific firmware file already downloaded that should be used for the update, click on the Select File button. Figure 28: Firmware Update Using File on My Computer A confirmation dialog will appear before you may proceed to select the file. Figure 29: Firmware Update Warning Note: Only compatible firmware update files may be used for this process.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 5.3 Secure Erase Secure Erase will erase the drive and can only be performed on SSD drives that are not the boot drive. Click Erase Now to erase the drive and leave it in an unformatted state. Figure 30: Secure Erase If the SSD is the boot drive, you may create a bootable USB drive with the Secure Erase tool on it. The bootable USB drive can also be used as a portable tool to erase SSDs on multiple systems.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 5.4 Sanitize Sanitize will explicitly erase all of the data on the drive and can only be performed on SSD drives that are not the boot drive. Click Erase Now to erase the drive and leave it in an unformatted state. Figure 32: Sanitize If the SSD is the boot drive, you may create a bootable USB drive with the Sanitize tool on it. The bootable USB drive can also be used as a portable tool to erase SSDs on multiple systems.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 5.5 Crypto Erase Crypto Erase is used to revert an OPAL-activated or eDrive-activated SanDisk SSD back to its factory default state. After a Crypto Erase, all security keys will be deleted, rendering the user data unrecoverable. Also, OPAL or eDrive security will be deactivated so that the drive can be reused with any compatible security application. Crypto Erase can only be performed on security enabled SSDs that are not the boot drive.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 5.6 S.M.A.R.T. S.M.A.R.T. is an industry standard and is an acronym for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology. Figure 36: S.M.A.R.T. Diagnostic Short Test The S.M.A.R.T. Diagnostic Short Test is automatically run every time the application is launched. It is a quick drive health test as defined in the S.M.A.R.T. specification. Diagnostic Extended Test The S.M.A.R.T. Diagnostic Extended Test is an extended drive health test as defined in the S.M.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Figure 38: S.M.A.R.T. Diagnostic Extended Test Successful 5.7 Drive Details Figure 39: Drive Details Drive Details displays the following information for the selected drive: Model Name Model String SATA Revision SATA Link Speed Serial Number Maximum LBA World Wide Name (a unique identifier used for all SanDisk drives) For additional information, click on Show Advanced Details.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 5.8 System Details Figure 40: System Details System Details displays information about the operating system, computer hardware, and ATA controller(s) used in the system on which SanDisk SSD Dashboard is installed.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 6. Settings 6.1 Application Update If a newer version of the application is available, a message will be displayed in the Notifications area. Clicking on the New Application Available link will take you to the Settings section, which will display the number of the new version available. Click on Update SanDisk SSD Dashboard to initiate the update.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 6.2 Options Figure 43: Options Start SSD Dashboard with Windows Startup To have the application start when Windows starts, check Start SSD Dashboard with Window startup. Additionally, selecting the Start minimized checkbox will make the SanDisk SSD Dashboard start in a closed state in the Windows System Tray.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 6.3 Email & Text Alerts The SanDisk SSD Dashboard can be configured to send notifications via email or SMS text message. To send a text message, use the corresponding gateway email address of your phone for your mobile carrier. NOTE: Mobile phone carriers allow sending text messages to phones using gateway email addresses, e.g. 5105551234@mms.att.net would be the email address to send a text message to (510) 555-1234 on AT&T.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 STEP 2: Review the Privacy Statement and EULA Review the Privacy Statement and End User License Agreement displayed and then check the checkbox to receive alerts via email from SanDisk when the SSD Dashboard requires your attention. Figure 45: Enable Email/Text Alerts STEP 3: Enter Your Email Address or Text Address Enter your email address and then click on the Subscribe button.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 To: John Doe Subject: The SanDisk SSD Dashboard requires your attention! Hello, You have successfully configured the SanDisk SSD Dashboard to send you email alerts. Thank you! SanDisk -Please do not reply to this email. If you no longer want to receive email alerts, you may unsubscribe by un-selecting the checkboxes on the Settings - Email Alerts page in the SanDisk SSD Dashboard or Unsubscribe here.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 Figure 48: Accessing Advanced Alert Options A dialog will then appear where you can turn off/on notifications for: Application Updates Firmware Updates SSD capacity near full SSD temperature above normal SSD S.M.A.R.T.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 7. Help 7.1 Online Support Figure 50: Online Support The Online Support section contains links to the SanDisk SSD Support Page, User Forums, and the current version of this User Manual. In addition, it has links to Chat Live and Ask a Question, where interactive support may be found. 7.2 Disable eDrive Figure 51: Disable eDrive Disable eDrive will prevent Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs) from being placed into eDrive mode when installing Windows 8 or higher.
SanDisk SSD Dashboard User Manual Rev. 1.4.3 7.3 Generate Report Figure 52: Generate Report File Click on the Generate Report File button to create and save a full system report, which can provide more detailed information required for certain support cases. The two files generated are: SSD_Dashboard_Report.csv and SSD_Dashboard_Report_msinfo.txt. 7.
