The Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive comes with upgradeable firmware. You can check out this step-by-step guide at Seeking Tech to see how you can update to the latest software version of the X5.
This tutorial will cover all capacity options of the X5, which includes the following products:
- 500 GB Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive (MU-PB500B)
- 1 TB Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive (MU-PB1T0B)
- 2 TB Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive (MU-PB2T0B)
Downloading and Installing Samsung Portable SSD Software
In order to update the firmware of your Samsung X5, you need to do so through the Samsung Portable SSD Software. So, if you haven’t done so already, you can download and install the program from the official Samsung website.
Keep in mind that there are multiple versions available. So, make sure you are downloading the one that is compatible with your X5 as well as the operating system of your computer.
The Samsung Portable SSD Software has the following OS requirements:
- Windows PC: Windows 7 or later
- Macintosh: Mac OS 10.10 or later
How to update the firmware for X5 Portable SSD
With the aforementioned program installed, you now have the ability to update the firmware for the Samsung X5.
You can do so by taking the following steps:
1. Connect your X5 solid state drive to the Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C port of your computer. Your PC or Mac should have the Samsung Portable SSD Software installed on it and should be connected to the Internet.
2. If the Samsung Portable SSD Software doesn’t automatically open when your X5 drive is detected, you need to manually open the program.
3. The Samsung Portable SSD Software should detect that your X5 SSD is connected. If you have security enabled for your external drive, you need to enter the password for it. Otherwise, you won’t be able to update its firmware.
If you forgot your password, then you can try performing a factory reset, which will restore your X5 drive to its original factory settings. While this will technically remove the password protection for the external drive, it will also delete all of the personal data you have on the SSD. So, we recommend doing this if you don’t mind erasing all of your data you have stored on the X5.
If you are still interested in doing a factory reset, you can check out more information with this tutorial.
4. After inputting the password, if necessary, click the OK button.
5. You should be in the main menu of the Samsung Portable SSD Software with your Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive fully unlocked.
6. In the bottom left corner of the screen, you should see Update. Click on the Update option.
7. In the Update screen, you will see the current firmware versions of Samsung Portable SSD Software and your Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive.
If you have updates available for both, we recommend updating the firmware for the Samsung Portable SSD Software first.
8. If your Samsung Portable SSD Software’s firmware is up to date, you can then update the firmware for your Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive from the same Update screen.
To avoid potential damages, your X5 should not be reading, writing or transferring any data when you are updating to a new firmware. You should also avoid disconnecting your external drive when it is updating. Finally, make sure you don’t unplug your computer from the power outlet.
9. After updating your Samsung Portable SSD Software and/or your Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive, you should be back in the Update screen. Here, you can click on the Refresh button to see the latest firmware versions applied to the software and hardware.
10. If you want your Samsung Portable SSD Software and/or your Samsung X5 Portable Solid State Drive to automatically update whenever there is a new firmware available when you connect the X5 to your computer, you can do so from the aforementioned Update menu.
In the Update screen of the Samsung Portable SSD Software, you should find the “Check for Updates Automatically” setting. Make sure that this setting is set to ON as it will enable automatic firmware updates.