Crucial Storage Executive (CSE) and External Crucial SSDs

I have two Crucial MX500 SSDs which were installed internally and CSE was useful for checking the health of the SSDs and installing firmware updates. CSE includes five modules that support the SSDs: -

• System Information
• Drive Details
• SMART
• Firmware Updates
• Device Self-test

I have now got a new PC which has a non-Crucial internal SSD. The two old Crucial SSDs are now used for my backups and are installed in external caddies, which are only connected by USB cable via USB 3.0 ports when I run my backup program, Macrium Reflect.

Q1 – In the first place would CSE install on a PC that does not have a SATA connected Crucial SSD internal drive (assuming the external Crucial SSD was not connected at the time of installation)?
Q2 - If CSE did install on the new PC will it detect external Crucial SSDs if they are connected via USB 3.0 ports?
Q3 – If it does detect the external SSDs does anyone know if it can install firmware updates via USB?
Q4 – Will CSE ignore the internal SATA connected non-Crucial SSD as ‘not supported’? I would not want it corrupting my OS SSD.

I realise that these external SSDs are no longer system critical components in that they do not contain the OS and will not stop Windows Feature Updates installing so maybe I should forget the idea of even trying to update the firmware?

Thoughts please?

Q1: I doubt it although I've never tried it. I bought and still use a Crucial MX100 as my OS drive about 5 years ago. I immediately installed the then current version of CSE and just as immediately wished I hadn't. It had problems documented on Crucial forums, so I gave up on it and have never regretted it. Other tools do what I need to do re SSDs.

It may well be that CSE is needed to update firmware, but I've never bothered with new firmware on my OS drive and have zero issues.

Q2 and Q3: I don't know.

Q4: I have an Intel NVMe internal SSD for data. The Intel "toolbox" does "see" my Crucial SSD as well as my WD internal spinning drive. But it reveals only generic OS info and SMART details for those 2 drives...I don't see any way that it could otherwise interact with or change anything about them. The Intel toolbox has "control" only over the Intel drive, re firmware, scan, erase, tune, etc.

I can't be positive, but I'd expect/hope the Crucial CSE acted similarly....no allowing you to fiddle with non-Crucial drives.

I tend to agree with you re not being obsessive about firmware updating. I don't do it on my Crucial OS SSD, but I'll admit to doing it on my Intel data SSD......mostly because I'm halfway obsessive. If I started to have issues with the Intel tool as I did with CSE, I'd give up on it too. But I haven't. Yet.

Additionally......you can get a lot of drive info with other non-manufacturer tools....such as HWInfo, Speccy, CrystalDiskInfo, etc.

So maybe question whether you need CSE at all?

Addendum:

I have a WD Blue SN550 NVMe in an external enclosure that I use occasionally for data backup. It is usually NOT connected at all.

WD has a toolbox called "Dashboard". It sees ONLY my WD internal spinner and the SN550 in the enclosure. The Crucial and Intel are not even acknowledged.

The Intel toolbox sees the WD in the enclosure, but won't even show me SMART details. All it shows is serial number; size, model, and firmware version. No control at all.

Thanks for the quick response which supports my thoughts. Why bother fixing something that ain't broke?

I was just after other people's thoughts so thanks again.

I'm a pretty recent convert to HD-Sentinel, having become disenchanted with Crucial Storage Executive for use with my MX500 1TB drive in my laptop. I find HDS tells me everything I need to know about the SSD in the ThinkPad and any SSD or HDD I plug into it. The free version is great but I bought the paid version to support the product, as it's so good. I've got CSE's EXE file to hand in case I need to re-install it for any reason, but I don't think that's likely to happen.