Is my m2 possibly fake ? and possible laptop hardware damage ?

[matpc]

Hello

i have this samsung m2 model (picture) and i´m honestly not sure if it is fake or legit ( bought it from a suspicious ali express store at the time )

the problem is that my laptop just turned itself off at 26/06 ( event viewer )

To be honest i had this before and it is a extremely rare occurrence

It turns off like once in a year or once every 6 months ( sometimes less but it is not that frequent )

I´ve ran countless hardware tests ( the dell hardware tests included) and they never show any hardware issue

the laptop is a dell g15 5520 ( i5 12500h , rtx 3050 4gb)

I´ve swapped rams ( bought 2 same crucial models 2x16 and the samsung m2 in question)

i also wanted to know if my rams are legit as well

i´m running latest bios but just checked and my nvidia driver was 576.28 ( a bit old already )

despite crystal disk info saying the m2 is ok , i have some errors in the event viewer

Basically i have DR3 , DR8 , DR9 , DR10, DR14 disk errors

i´ve checked my samsung drive with samsung magician and it does not work , only shows N/A information

also , the kernel event 41 points to absolutely nothing , it just turned off ( image as well)

tbh i think it has the 0x8000400000000002 code , does it point to anything ? (both events are the same )

i can´t find any important event before the crash but one weird thing that the clock somehow shows a future time ? ( image as well )

between these events it says that the disk is ok and it also says kernel boot ( despite my pc being turned on already ) and that the firmware has detected initialization metrics even with the computer already on

is it normal behavior ?

sorry about too much images but i´m at a loss at this problem , is there a hardware issue or my m2 to blame or anything ?

latest bios as well

thanks

is there a way to read better these kernel events ?

Hello

i have this samsung m2 model (picture) and i´m honestly not sure if it is fake or legit ( bought it from a suspicious ali express store at the time )

the problem is that my laptop just turned itself off at 26/06 ( event viewer )

To be honest i had this before and it is a extremely rare occurrence

It turns off like once in a year or once every 6 months ( sometimes less but it is not that frequent )

I´ve ran countless hardware tests ( the dell hardware tests included) and they never show any hardware issue

the laptop is a dell g15 5520 ( i5 12500h , rtx 3050 4gb)

I´ve swapped rams ( bought 2 same crucial models 2x16 and the samsung m2 in question)

i also wanted to know if my rams are legit as well

i´m running latest bios but just checked and my nvidia driver was 576.28 ( a bit old already )

despite crystal disk info saying the m2 is ok , i have some errors in the event viewer

Basically i have DR3 , DR8 , DR9 , DR10, DR14 disk errors

i´ve checked my samsung drive with samsung magician and it does not work , only shows N/A information

also , the kernel event 41 points to absolutely nothing , it just turned off ( image as well)

tbh i think it has the 0x8000400000000002 code , does it point to anything ? (both events are the same )

i can´t find any important event before the crash but one weird thing that the clock somehow shows a future time ? ( image as well )

between these events it says that the disk is ok and it also says kernel boot ( despite my pc being turned on already ) and that the firmware has detected initialization metrics even with the computer already on

is it normal behavior ?

sorry about too much images but i´m at a loss at this problem , is there a hardware issue or my m2 to blame or anything ?

latest bios as well

thanks

is there a way to read better these kernel events ?

and also , how can i update the m2 firmware ?

 

[Shrek]

i´ve checked my samsung drive with samsung magician and it does not work , only shows N/A information

I'd say it is fake.

 

[matpc]

I'd say it is fake.

it stays like this . Is there other way to check or just magician ?

 

[Shrek]

Don't Get Fooled: How to Check If Samsung SSD is Genuine Like a Pro - Cybertechnosys

The world of technology is filled with counterfeits, and solid-state drives (SSDs) are no exception. With Samsung being a leading brand in SSDs, it's crucial

cybertechnosys.com

Visit the official Samsung website and navigate to their product support section. Enter the serial number of your SSD in the designated field. The website should provide information about the product, including its model, capacity, and warranty details.

 

[matpc]

Don't Get Fooled: How to Check If Samsung SSD is Genuine Like a Pro - Cybertechnosys

The world of technology is filled with counterfeits, and solid-state drives (SSDs) are no exception. With Samsung being a leading brand in SSDs, it's crucial

cybertechnosys.com

Visit the official Samsung website and navigate to their product support section. Enter the serial number of your SSD in the designated field. The website should provide information about the product, including its model, capacity, and warranty details.

the serial is 14 numbers and samsung asks for 15 numbers lol

 

[Shrek]

I've been burned with fake Crucial RAM before.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Don't think it's fake, seems to be an OEM PM9A1 drive, similar to what Dell themselves ship on some of these laptops. I have the G15 5515 (Ryzen version of your laptop) and mine came with an ADATA drive, but it could have come with your drive, too. It's probably fine. Wouldn't be surprised if Magician didn't work because this drive technically is made by Samsung to be used and supported by the OEM.

MZVL21T0HCLR-00$00/07(1TB) | SSD | Samsung Semiconductor Global

PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR-00$00/07(1TB). Find technical product specifications, features and more at Samsung Semiconductor.

semiconductor.samsung.com

SMART data is fine, don't worry about it. The errors on your event viewer aren't anything relevant to a hardware malfunction. The "controller error" there could have been caused by a busy I/O operation, if these are being thrown at the hardware level, it'll show up in SMART, and your SMART data is clean.

Unless you're getting performance issues, then just use it and be happy. You bought it off Aliexpress and it was probably salvaged from another computer.

 

[matpc]

I've been burned with fake Crucial RAM before.

also is there a way to check fake crucial ram ?

it is because i´m suspecting these kernel 41 events could be due to fake m2 maybe

Don't think it's fake, seems to be an OEM PM9A1 drive, similar to what Dell themselves ship on some of these laptops. I have the G15 5515 (Ryzen version of your laptop) and mine came with an ADATA drive, but it could have come with your drive, too. It's probably fine. Wouldn't be surprised if Magician didn't work because this drive technically is made by Samsung to be used and supported by the OEM.

MZVL21T0HCLR-00$00/07(1TB) | SSD | Samsung Semiconductor Global

PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR-00$00/07(1TB). Find technical product specifications, features and more at Samsung Semiconductor.

semiconductor.samsung.com

SMART data is fine, don't worry about it. The errors on your event viewer aren't anything relevant to a hardware malfunction. The "controller error" there could have been caused by a busy I/O operation, if these are being thrown at the hardware level, it'll show up in SMART, and your SMART data is clean.

Unless you're getting performance issues, then just use it and be happy. You bought it off Aliexpress and it was probably salvaged from another computer.

 

[Shrek]

Here are my RAM sticks, the SAMSUNG on the board was the giveaway (and it was not 6400 speed).
Crucial confirmed these were not genuine.

Run
Windows Memory Diagnostic
to check the RAM

 

[matpc]

i have to say odd things happen to my laptop , i´m not sure if it is software related at this point

it does not happen in gaming , mostly browsing , it just turns off randomly once like every 6 months or 1 year

i´ve had also warranty denied in dell site due to their diagnostic showing OK in all pc components

but maybe i have fake ram , ssds

 

[Shrek]

Samsung PM9A1 firmware is at: https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...8wkd&msockid=232dd0e77f47689033aac6fb7e6a692d

 

[matpc]

Samsung PM9A1 firmware is at: https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...8wkd&msockid=232dd0e77f47689033aac6fb7e6a692d

my laptop originally came with a 256 gb drive which i forgot the brand

then i´ve bought this samsung one from ali express at the time

the update unfortunately did not work

is there a way to check my ram modules as well ? i can send pictures if needed

but i just ran smart and memtest86 as well , they don´t report any error

ssd and rams were the only things i´ve replaced on the laptop

my laptop originally came with a 256 gb drive which i forgot the brand

then i´ve bought this samsung one from ali express at the time

the update unfortunately did not work

is there a way to check my ram modules as well ? i can send pictures if needed

but i just ran smart and memtest86 as well , they don´t report any error

ssd and rams were the only things i´ve replaced on the laptop

also , is there a way that i could read that kernel event 41 or is it pretty much generic ? thanks

 

[Shrek]

If the RAM tests good, why worry about it?

 

[matpc]

i´ve wanted to know if there is some hardware that i´ve changed that could be causing this ( mainly ram , ssd)

 

[Shrek]

"The Kernel Event ID 41 error occurs when a Windows system reboots unexpectedly without a proper shutdown. This can result from power interruptions, hardware issues, or system crashes."

Running the latest BIOS?

Dell G15 5520/5521 System BIOS | Driver Details | Dell US

 

[matpc]

If the RAM tests good, why worry about it?

not sure if it being fake gets worse stability

"The Kernel Event ID 41 error occurs when a Windows system reboots unexpectedly without a proper shutdown. This can result from power interruptions, hardware issues, or system crashes."

it is just a weird occurrence i would say , out of nothing my laptop just shut itself off

it says WHEA errors 0 ( hardware errors 0 ) but not sure if i can trust it

"The Kernel Event ID 41 error occurs when a Windows system reboots unexpectedly without a proper shutdown. This can result from power interruptions, hardware issues, or system crashes."

Running the latest BIOS?

yes , latest one

when using the laptop you absolutely don´t say it has issues but out of nothing it just shuts down in like 6months , one year

i´ve ran dell diagnostics in bios and they also say the computer is 100%

 

[Shrek]

Sorry I can't be of any help.

 

[matpc]

"The Kernel Event ID 41 error occurs when a Windows system reboots unexpectedly without a proper shutdown. This can result from power interruptions, hardware issues, or system crashes."

Running the latest BIOS?

Dell G15 5520/5521 System BIOS | Driver Details | Dell US

mine shows 1.32

i know it is hard but i´ve wanted to know what is causing these 41 events ( which hardware is responsible for it)

but i would say yes , i have this issue for years and could never solve it

 

[Shrek]

To be honest i had this before and it is a extremely rare occurrence

It turns off like once in a year or once every 6 months ( sometimes less but it is not that frequent )

Your firmware is 13 May 2025

Happened since then?

 

[matpc]

Your firmware is 13 May 2025

Happened since then?

yes , it unfortunately happened 26/06/2025

 

[Shrek]

I haven't been any help, maybe someone else can do what I cannot.

But I would be concerned that the SSD does not update.

 

[matpc]

I haven't been any help, maybe someone else can do what I cannot.

But I would be concerned that the SSD does not update.

i also cannot update it through magician as well

some people say dell diagnostic is the best one but i´m not sure

 

[Dr. Dro]

my laptop originally came with a 256 gb drive which i forgot the brand

It's likely the ADATA IM2P33F3A. Same one mine came with, but mine's a 512 GB model. That event is generic in nature, yes. My opinion is as follows, if the drive works, let it be. If it errors out and slows down too much, replace. If you don't trust your data to the device, replace. It's not much use suffering over it, IMO.

By any chance, was your computer built at Dell Brazil's Jaguariúna plant like mine was?

 

[chrcoluk]

I was victim to buying fake WD red drives once. 3rd party on amazon, I installed the drives, moved (not copied like an idiot) data, and then something was amiss, I cannot remember what it was but I noticed something about the drives which was unusual. I posted about it online and someone told me to enter the serial numbers on WD's warranty checker, and sure enough the drives were not legit. (bear in mind even if its oem, not for resale, sort of thing the checker will still usually recognise and just tell you they wont accept oem).
I then started moving data back and discovered some data was unreadable, I guess like those fake USB drives that advertise a bigger capacity then they actually have.

The seller of these drive wasnt some chinese vendor, but ironically by chance a person who was based in my city, so I decided to hand deliver the drives back to him, found a couple of young guys there building PC's out in the open, a really dusty area, and one of them called the owner for me on his phone, the owner tried really hard to convince me the drives were legit, but eventually agreed to let me leave the drives behind and do the refund, I waited for the refund notification and then left. Lesson learned.

I am really careful where I buy storage from now, if its amazon its either only if amazon itself is the seller or the actual vendor of the drives.

In terms of the OP, I dont think I would be happy given the serial mismatch, and the samsung magician app not working with it.

If buying from ALI better to buy a chinese branded drive than a samsung branded one which will probably be fake.

 

[matpc]

I was victim to buying fake WD red drives once. 3rd party on amazon, I installed the drives, moved (not copied like an idiot) data, and then something was amiss, I cannot remember what it was but I noticed something about the drives which was unusual. I posted about it online and someone told me to enter the serial numbers on WD's warranty checker, and sure enough the drives were not legit. (bear in mind even if its oem, not for resale, sort of thing the checker will still usually recognise and just tell you they wont accept oem).
I then started moving data back and discovered some data was unreadable, I guess like those fake USB drives that advertise a bigger capacity then they actually have.

The seller of these drive wasnt some chinese vendor, but ironically by chance a person who was based in my city, so I decided to hand deliver the drives back to him, found a couple of young guys there building PC's out in the open, a really dusty area, and one of them called the owner for me on his phone, the owner tried really hard to convince me the drives were legit, but eventually agreed to let me leave the drives behind and do the refund, I waited for the refund notification and then left. Lesson learned.

I am really careful where I buy storage from now, if its amazon its either only if amazon itself is the seller or the actual vendor of the drives.

In terms of the OP, I dont think I would be happy given the serial mismatch, and the samsung magician app not working with it.

If buying from ALI better to buy a chinese branded drive than a samsung branded one which will probably be fake.

i just bought it from king moon store and a person just said it is a fake model

i also have a desktop and never ever had that disk error

it also bugs me the inconsistency , how can a computer just fails ( this kernel event 41) once in like 6 months to 1year ? it is very hard to diagnose indeed