Express 4M2 \ Windows crash during large file transfers.

I just got a OWC Express 4M2 to share files between my Mac Studio (m2 ultra) and my Windows 10 PC. When attempting to copy a large folder (approx 425GB) containing an image sequence of about 14,000 raw images / 30mb each image) from the SoftRAID drive to the PC, the system becomes unresponsive requiring a hard reset. No Blue screen, computer can still be used but can't be rebooted using the power options in start menu..

Important: This issue does not occur when copying FROM the PC to the SoftRAID drive.

On Mac (using Sonoma 14.5) the Softraid volume works perfectly read/write.

System Specifications

• OWC Express 4M2
  • Using 4x Western Digital WD_BLACK 2TB SN770 NVMe
• PC Motherboard: ASUS ProArt X670E-CREATOR WIFI
  • Manual
• RAM: 32GB
• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4080
• Thunderbolt: 2x Thunderbolt ports on motherboard
• Mac Studio: with M2 Ultra / 64GB Ram

Software Environment

• SoftRAID Version: 8 (Also tested with version 4 / same issue)
• Windows Versions Tested: Windows 10 and Windows 11 (same issue on both)
• RAID Format: APFS and HFS+ (issue occurs with both)

Specific Scenario

• Copy of a 425gb folder: Image sequence folder containing 13,674 items, totaling 425.58 GB
• Initial Transfer Speed: Starts at 1.9 GB/s for about 40% of the transfer
• Issue Onset: Speed suddenly drops to 30 MB/s, system becomes unresponsive
• Outcome: Unable to shut down normally, requires hard reset
• Additional Impact: Sometimes compromises RAID integrity, preventing mounting on Mac after the incident

Troubleshooting Steps Taken

1. BIOS Updates:
   • Tested latest BIOS version.
   • Reverted to oldest version.
   • Tried a version in between..
   • Result: No difference observed
2. Thunderbolt Settings in BIOS:
   • Thunderbolt/USB4 Support: [Enabled]
   • Security Level: [No Security]
   • MMIO Resource: [Full Size]
   • Wake Up Command: [GOSX Command]
   • Result: Adjusting these settings did not resolve the issue
3. Thunderbolt Driver (PC side):
   • Tested NVM firmware versions 31 through 38
   • Result: No improvement
4. Thunderbolt Ports:
   • Tested both Thunderbolt ports on the motherboard
   • Result: Issue persists on both ports

Additional Observations

1. Mac Performance:
   • RAID drive works perfectly on Mac, with read/write speeds around 2300 MB/s (tested with Blackmagic Disk Speed Test)
2. Windows Performance:
   • Initial Benchmark: 950 MB/s read, 2300 MB/s write
   • Then after changing SoftRAID volume 'performance settings' from 'Better Performance' to 'quick removal' and back to 'Better Performance' I get 2300 MB/s read, 2300 MB/s write in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test.
3. Windows Event Viewer:
   • Warning observed: "The driver detected that the device \Device\Harddisk5\DR5 has its write cache enabled. Data Corruption may occur."
   • This warning appears for each drive in the SoftRAID volume
4. Post-Issue Behavior:
   • After a crash during copy, the SoftRAID volume is unmounted in SoftRAID and cannot be re-mounted.

Questions for SoftRAID Team

1. Do I need to do anything special to prepare the Express 4M2 to work on windows/mac? Like preparing each NVME a specific way?
2. Are there known compatibility issues between SoftRAID 8 and Windows 10/11 on systems with Thunderbolt 4?
3. Could the write cache warning in Event Viewer be related to this issue? If so, how can it be addressed?
4. Are there any recommended settings or configurations for high-performance setups like this one?
5. Is there a way to improve the stability of large file transfers from the SoftRAID volume to Windows?
6. Are there any diagnostic tools or logs that could provide more insight into what's happening during these crashes?

Any assistance or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and expertise.