I didn't know this was such a critical update or that it even affected my Touchsmart IQ816 until a month ago, my drive suddenly wasn't recognized by the pc anymore. I was very, very lucky and got a great local computer tech who took the time to learn a special technique for unbricking the drive. As soon as he had it unbricked, he flashed the firmware with the update. My pc is back to running smooth.

The problem with this firmware bug is that most people think their drive is dead. It isn't. The data is still there, the drive actually still works fine. The bug puts your drive into a permanently locked busy state. It just needs someone who knows how to unbrick it for you. You don't need a new hardrive. And the sad thing is, I've heard tons of stories of people having to get a new drive over this. You don't need a new one. You just need the right person for the job.

This firmware update should be listed as CRITICAL. A lot bigger deal should be made over it. Too many people don't know that it's not just another update. Without this update, your Touchsmart is a ticking timebomb. And there is nothing scarier than having your pc suddenly decide you no longer have a hardrive. And I didn't even know if the tech would be successful at unbricking it. Plus, I had to pay for this and a special adapter he had to order to fix it with.

Hopefully, it will never happen again. All my firmware is updated now.