The OWC Atlas Pro is one of the best-value CFexpress Type A cards available but it has come to light that the cards have a fatal flaw that can cause them to lock up, rendering them unusable. The problem only occurs under extreme circumstances after continuous extended use, but the good news is that this issue can be addressed via a firmware fix, and even if a card does suffer from the problem then the data on the card remains retrievable, although the card cannot be written to until the firmware has been updated.
To fix the problem, the cards' firmware needs to be updated using OWC’s free Innergize software. However, this can only be installed via OWC's own-brand Atlas memory card readers; other manufacturers' card readers are unable to apply updates. Those who don't have access to an OWC Atlas memory card reader are advised to contact OWC’s technical support team, who will either arrange for access to a card reader to be provided or for the cards to be sent to OWC to have the firmware updated, in which case OWC will cover all shipping costs.
OWC advises that any images or other data on the card should be transferred before updating the firmware. However, anyone who has already had their card suffer from the problem and finds it unusable will have to send it to OWC for the fix to be applied, in which case the data on the card will also be restored.
OWC Atlas Pro cards are not the only CFexpress Type A cards to have had reliability problems lately. Sony was forced to issue a recall for selected serial numbers of its Sony Tough CFexpress Type A cards, due to failures in extreme cold conditions.
