I remember buying a Samsung R720-FS04 5 years ago, I could not get enough of it - then it was, of course, not a "top" laptop, but very solid. Core 2 Duo 3 GB random access memory and Radeon HD 4650.
A lot of time has passed since then, the laptop has gone through a number of events - my missus filled it with milk (after which it was disassembled and reassembled), its matrix “died”, which I also changed on my own, I also repaired the speakers, and then, seems to be something else. Preinstalled Windows Vista By . And now ... Fresh giving about when he was the height of dreams, and I was already thinking about how to add the "old man" agility.
There were surprisingly few options:
- the processor and video card in the laptop cannot be replaced;
- 3 gigabytes of memory (two bars - 1 and 2 GB, respectively), and can only be expanded up to 4 ex. It’s a necessary thing, but it’s too late to drink Borjomi - it’s almost impossible to find a “notebook” (SODIMM) DDR2 bar for 2 gigabytes on sale. And adding one gigabyte of big weather will not do;
— HDD. "What about a hard drive?" - probably thought many. Its task is to keep all good things - pictures and films. And become of him. It has an average volume of 320 gigabytes. Not a fountain, but you can live. And they thought wrong! It is the hard drive that is the weak (or rather, slow) link in the entire configuration.
What hard drives are installed in laptops? Right. In order not to make noise, they ate less electricity. And the pieces of iron that meet these requirements, as a rule, are also the slowest. And the disk subsystem is already the slowest in modern computers.
Therefore, the obvious and perhaps the only way to give speed to an elderly laptop was to install an SSD instead of a hard drive. SSD (Solid-State Drive) are modern solid-state drives. In short, in their device they are similar to flash drives. Here are their advantages compared to the classic "screws":
- absolute silence. There are simply no moving parts - there is nothing to make noise;
— low power consumption;
- impact resistance;
- and most importantly - the speed of work. She several times higher than conventional HDDs.
Of course, there were some disadvantages, and they are:
- limited number of rewrite cycles. That is, durability is worse.
- price. SSDs are more expensive.
In view of all this, an "ops" was planned to buy an SSD and install it in a laptop. However, long conversations with the toad brought next problem- The SSD will be 120 gigabytes, otherwise it (the toad) will suffocate me.
As a result, the task has become more difficult. Putting an SSD in place of an existing hard drive is generally a trifling matter. And I wanted to put them together. That is, leave the old 320 GB hard drive for storing photos, movies and other sentiments, and install the system and all programs on the 120 GB SSD, which will have an extremely positive effect on their (system and programs) speed.
Some laptops have room for a second hard drive, some even have three! But this is not my case. The Samsung R720 only has room for one HDD, which means there will be sacrifices. And you don’t have to choose for a long time here - you can install an SSD in only one way - instead of an optical drive. Personally, I hardly use it, so I part without regret. And in extreme cases, I have a USB drive, since they cost a penny now.
For installation of a hard disk or SSD instead of an optical drive, you will need a special adapter. In principle, you can go the other way - leaving the optical drive and installing the SSD to use the USB hard drive. They are also not expensive. Or buy a special container to connect via USB to the hard drive that you pull out of the laptop. Do not disappear the same good?
But I chose the first method - namely, installing an SSD instead of a DVD - firstly, as the most difficult, and secondly, as the most interesting. In addition, in the optical drive bay, I will put old hard drive and an SSD in its place. This is not important, but if I suddenly want to return to laptop dvd- then certainly not instead of an SSD, so the decision on such an installation is more than obvious. Actually, I can say in advance that the idea was a success. Below you will find a detailed report on the installation of the SSD, of course with photos 🙂
We buy
To implement the plan, the SSD itself was bought - my choice fell on the SSD 120GB, 2.5 ″, SATA III, Kingston V300, SV300S37A / 120G model. The price is 3300 rubles.
In addition, for installation instead of an optical drive, you need a special adapter. I chose the Espada SS12. The price of the adapter is 1100 rubles. In fact, such or a similar adapter can be found much cheaper, for 700 - 800 rubles. However, this one was sold right next to my house and this became a decisive argument.
So, in the costs we have 4400 rubles.
Go!
To begin with, I will briefly outline the action plan:
- remove the optical drive;
- remove the hard drive;
- remove the cap from the optical drive and rearrange it to the adapter;
- remove the sled from the hard drive and put the SSD in them;
- put the hard drive into the adapter;
- put the adapter with a hard drive in place of the DVD;
- We put the SSD in place of the hard drive;
- check the "visibility" of the SSD in the BIOS, set the correct boot priority, install or transfer Windows to the SSD.
Well, now everything is the same in detail. Let's start by removing the optical drive. In Samsung R720, and in many other laptop models, it is enough to unscrew one screw and pull the drive towards you. This screw is usually marked with the letters ODD (Optical Disc Drive).
After that, simply pull the drive towards you.
Second, remove the hard drive. In my case, it is located behind a separate lid, which can be easily removed by unscrewing 2 screws. As a rule, the cover under which the hard drive is hidden is marked with the letters HDD. On some laptop models, there is one cover, under which both the hard drive and memory are hidden.
The hard drive itself, in my case, is placed in a special sled, but is not screwed on with anything else (it is held by the same screws as the cover) - in order to disconnect it, you need to move it away from the SATA connector, there is just enough space in the compartment for this.
The next task is to detach the cover of the optical drive itself from itself - it is separated, and it can be attached to the adapter so that the aesthetic component is not affected. The lid is held on snaps, you need to act decisively, but carefully 🙂
Now we install the cover on the adapter, we also put the hard drive there. Pay attention to the plastic plug opposite the connector in the adapter - you may need to pull it out to install the hard drive. The hard drive is attached (in my case, because the adapters are different) with two screws on the sides of the adapter.
We put the SSD in the sled.
Well, now, in fact, we put a hard drive instead of a DVD, an SSD instead of a hard drive, close everything and spin it. I had one difficulty here - the “ear”, which was on the native drive and clung to the screw, is not on the adapter. However, it already sits quite tightly in the socket, so I didn’t do anything about it (as an option, I could push a piece of paper so that the adapter sits tighter).
That's all! I start the computer, go into the BIOS - both disks are defined, everything works!
Of course, in order to experience all the advantages, the OS must be transferred to an SSD. Eat different programs, which allow you to do this, I, however, did not bother and just installed "Windows" from scratch.
Result
And what is the result? Reasonable question. What was all this for? After spending a couple of tens of minutes with a stopwatch, I will share some of the results.
Starting Windows from pressing the power button to the state of "can work":
- up to - 50 seconds;
- after - 12 seconds.
Starting Firefox:
- up to - 5 - 7 seconds;
- after - 1 - 2 seconds.
- up to - 1.5 - 2 minutes;
- after - 15 - 25 seconds.
As you can see, the performance gain is 4-5 times! Of course, this applies to various processes, one way or another related to writing or reading from a disk - launching various programs, loading something, etc. However, as it turned out, this is not so little. Expect graphics improvements, of course, is not worth it. However, the number of lags and friezes in some games has noticeably decreased (and in some they have disappeared altogether) - apparently, they “lag” due to a small amount of RAM, coupled with a very slow “native” hard drive.
Underwater rocks
To begin with, the procedure may vary slightly on different models laptops. The differences may lie in how the hard drive and DVD are attached and in which compartments it all resides.
Now about how to avoid unnecessary purchases, or not to buy something that does not fit.
We will start by entering into Google or Yandex: laptop model - SSD installation. And we appreciate what we find.
Further. I have already mentioned that some laptops provide extra bed for a hard drive, so before buying an adapter, make sure that it (the place) is not. Because if it is, you don't need an adapter.
If there is space, don't rush. It is necessary to understand whether all the necessary wires are connected there. To do this, we rearrange the main hard drive into the second compartment, and see if it works or not.
If it works, don't rush again. You need to figure out how to secure it there. There are two options here - buying a sled on eBay \ some flea market or "crazy hands". If the disk in the second place did not work, most likely there were no wires connected there and it is not always easy to do this, therefore, it may make sense to remember about the adapter.
- the adapter must be the same thickness as the optical drive in your laptop. And they come in two types - 12.7 mm (the most common) and 9 mm (also found). I have not yet seen adapters for 9 mm, although I do not exclude that they exist;
— SSD. Please note that SSDs also come in different thicknesses. Like the hard drive bays in laptops. Don't be fooled by buying a fatter SSD than it can fit.
Software difficulties.
Here we have three points at once. First, an update may be required. laptop BIOS. Some models without it will not see an SSD and/or a hard drive instead of an optical drive.
Second. Many laptops (recently, almost all) contain a partition on the hard drive with Windows distribution from where it is installed. By switching to an SSD, you lose this opportunity, so you need to take care in advance how you will install Windows later. There is an option to move the service partition to a new hard drive, but personally I would be sorry to give 10 - 15 gigabytes of such an expensive disk space for the OS distribution. In addition, the article will help owners of Windows Vista \ 7. If you have. Proceed according to the method described there, with the only difference being that pure a copy of Windows installed on the SSD.
Well, the third. Many people think that Windows needs to be specially optimized to work with SSDs. I will not hide - I am against all these recipes aimed at extending the life of the SSD. Whether they prolong life is a big question, but they slow down the work of a computer, and they can affect stability. Therefore, if you want to pass your laptop to your grandchildren, just do not buy an SSD 😉 For those who want to argue on this topic, I send you to read 12 myths about SSD optimization that will never die.
Don't burn bridges.
Buy accessories in a place where you can safely return them back. When installing the SSD and the adapter, try not to leave scratches and scuffs on them - it will be easier to return them to the store if that happens. A fairly large number of discounted SSDs, with the wording “with traces of installation” in the store where I bought it, indirectly indicates that there may still be problems in the process.
At one's own risk.
As usual at the end of this kind of articles, wishing you good luck, I will mention: the author is not responsible for any consequences of an unsuccessful installation of an SSD in a laptop.
One of the easiest ways to improve the performance of your PC is to install a larger hard drive (HDD) for it, or even look for a so-called solid state drive (SDD) to increase the performance of your computer to incredible heights. In this article, we will discuss with you the issue of choosing a disk and installing it.
Step One: Choose Your New Drive
The very first thing all users start with is choosing a disk. Currently, you can install HDD or SSD in your system. It would seem, take what is better - and rightly so. However, it's not all that simple...
Which drive to choose: HDD, SSD or both?
Ask yourself the following question: do you want more performance or free space?
Modern solid state drives are amazing - they are an unsurpassed improvement for any existing system. By switching from a conventional hard drive to a solid state drive, you will notice an incredible increase in the performance of your computer. Your PC will start up faster, load applications and large files faster, and last but not least, it will reduce loading times in most modern video games. However, if you look for an SSD with a size of, say, a terabyte, the price will scare you.
However, you can buy a classic hard drive for your system, which will provide you with a huge amount of free space for a relatively low price. In shops computer technology you can easily find four terabyte hard drives that will surely satisfy the needs of any media enthusiast, within 6-8 thousand rubles, and possibly cheaper.
Among other things, no one forbids you to combine HDD and SSD in the system. If your computer is quite capable of working with two disks at the same time (and most PCs can), then you can install the operating system on the SDD for more quick access To various programs and system files, and use the HDD to store all sorts of files, such as movies, music, some games, and even work documents. If, for example, you already have a hard drive, buying an SSD becomes even more attractive: just move the operating system to an SSD, and take the old hard drive as storage.
If money isn't an issue for you - or you're limited to a single connection in your laptop - you can invest in a multi-terabyte SSD, which will solve your dilemma entirely. However, most PC users still prefer to create combinations of HDD and SSD.
How big should my disk be?
Typically, hard drives come in two form factors: 2.5″ and 3.5″(inches). The latter, i.e. 3.5″ is considered a full-sized hard drive designed for a desktop computer. As a rule, almost every PC has a place in its system unit for one or even several HDDs of this size. The only exception may be small form factor PCs, such as some HTPCs, which can only fit 2.5″ hard drives inside.
The 2.5″ form factor is traditionally designed for laptops, however, it may also be suitable for some PCs. For example, in some system units you can find places to install a 2.5″ HDD. If you decide to buy a 2.5″ HDD for your PC, but you don’t have a place to install it in the system unit, you will have to buy mounting brackets somewhere in a specialized store. It is worth noting that such brackets can be designed to install SSD drives, which, however, does not change anything, since many classic SSDs are made exclusively in the 2.5″ form factor.
Speaking of SSDs, there is another form factor for them - M.2. Solid state drives of this format look completely different: a small and thin board that resembles a bar of RAM. Instead of the usual connection to motherboard via SATA cable, connects to a dedicated M.2 slot. It is worth noting that not all computers are able to work with this type of SSD.
Let's look at something else. Most laptops still use the 2.5″ drive form factor, however, not all models provide their users with easy access to a SATA or M.2 connection. Getting access to the drive mount is quite easy on cheap, large, and business-class laptops. On other models, it may take a lot of sweat to get to the desired element of the device - especially on new models that have switched to the M.2 standard. Changing the drive on such laptops will probably void the warranty and you will probably have to look at some more specific guides for a particular model.
What kind of connection do I need?
All modern 3.5″ and 2.5″ drives use SATA connections for power and data transfer. If you are installing a drive for your PC, then you need to find a 15-pin SATA cable on your power supply. If your PC only has an old 4-pin Molex, use an adapter that can be found in a computer electronics store.
It is definitely not worth worrying about SATA support in your computer, since all modern PCs undoubtedly support this connection interface. You have something to worry about only if you own some really ancient monster, but then you need to think not about buying a working disk, but about changing your computer. However, let's not deviate from the topic.
Let's talk about SATA cables. In the picture below you can take a good look at one of these cables. These are ordinary double-sided cables, one end of which is connected to the motherboard, and the other to desired disk. Some connectors on SATA cables are L-shaped, but this is done only for ease of connection. However, there are cable variations with exclusively straight plugs. You need to choose a cable based only on how little space your system unit has.
If you are setting new disk into a laptop that has access to a SATA connector, you won't even need cables. You can simply connect the HDD or SSD you need directly to the slot that is suitable for this, which already has an output for power and data transfer.
Let's talk a little more about SATA. At the moment, the latest version of the SATA interface is SATA III. Most modern motherboards support SATA III, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding the right HDD or SSD. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that SATA interfaces are fully compatible with each other, for example, you can connect a second SATA HDD to SATA III to the motherboard - it will work fine, but in a limited mode.
For example, by connecting a 550/520MB/s SSD via SATA II, you will limit the sequential read and write speed to about half. There is nothing wrong with connecting SATA III to SATA II, especially when your motherboard only supports SATA II, but if it supports SATA III, try to choose drives with the latest interface version to ensure maximum performance. Use exactly the same principle when buying SATA cables.
Among other things, on this moment there are even more modern SSD drives connected via the M.2 interface. This connection interface can be found on many modern motherboards. This is how the M.2 interface looks like with an SSD already installed in it:
We will talk more about these drives and their connection below.
Notebooks. Laptops do not use SATA cables, and therefore you simply have to select one or another disk for it with a suitable one. SATA interface. It all depends on the model of a particular laptop, so you will have to find out on your own what SATA (or even M.2.) your old drive is running so that it can be replaced with a new one.
How much free space do I need?
Yes, sometimes this question is asked. The price of a hard drive or solid state drive is commensurate with the amount of free space that it offers to its user. The larger the carrier, the higher the price for it. It's that simple. Stay within your budget.
How fast should my drive be?
In fact, the faster your drive is, the better. For example, if you're swapping out your old hard drive for a new SSD, your mouth will open wide at how much faster your PC is now. And this is even taking into account the fact that your SSD will not be the fastest on the market. Believe me, the difference between HDD and SSD in terms of write and read speed is simply colossal. However, like the price between them, which also cannot be ignored.
If you buy a classic hard drive for your computer, then the speed of such a device is usually expressed in RPM - the purity of spindle rotations per minute. 5400 RPM is a typical speed of some inexpensive solutions (especially the 2.5″ form factor). 7200 RPM is the most common speed for HDDs, and these are the kind of HDDs we recommend using on regular PCs. Among other things, you can also use the services of high-speed 10,000 RPM hard drives, however, for the price at which such devices are usually sold, you involuntarily look at much faster SSDs.
There is also a third option - hybrid drives, which combine HDD and SSD. Such hybrids will not have the speed of a real SSD drive: you will get at your disposal a regular hard drive with a small flash storage cache. Your HDD won't magically become much faster, but it will greatly increase your file caching speed if you're constantly requesting access to the same programs and files. However, these drives are somewhat more expensive than regular hard drives, making them highly unpopular with computer users.
Step Two: Whether to Move the Operating System to a New Drive or Perform a Clean Install
Once you have bought the drive you need for your system, nothing prevents you from opening the case of a laptop or system unit to install it. The next question that we have to discuss is whether to transfer the operating system to a new disk or to execute it clean install. Of course, each of these actions has its pros and cons.
Moving an operating system to a new drive
Transferring the OS to another drive is an extremely lengthy, but important process for those users who do not want to part with the habitable system. Well, it’s understandable: when installing a new system, you will have to configure everything and everything again, which not everyone wants.
Do we recommend doing this process? Only if you really care about your operating system. In another case, we advise you to perform a clean installation, so as not to waste your time on such a simple, but lengthy task. However, you should be aware that there is a series software, which will help you when moving the operating system to another drive.
If you are using a laptop, then you will need to use a SATA adapter connected via a USB interface in order to transfer the operating system and all necessary files. You can do the same with a desktop computer, but it's easier to just install a new disk in the system unit, perform a data transfer, and then disconnect the old disk (or stop it there).
Performing a clean install
Installing a clean operating system on a new drive has a lot of advantages. One of the biggest upsides to this situation is that you literally start from scratch. Your OS will not be littered with old temporary files, forgotten programs and installation files of all kinds of updates. We are also confident that you will notice a small performance boost by moving to a clean OS.
The downside, of course, is that you will have to perform a clean system setup: installing drivers for PC hardware, installing desired programs, as well as games (where can we go without them). Alternatively, you can make a backup of all your important personal data in advance, such as work documents or movie collections, install a clean OS on a new disk, and then download all the copied files to the system. Actually, many users do this in order to get their hands on a clean system and the necessary data.
Step Three: Installing a New Drive
The steps for installing a new drive may vary slightly due to differences between desktops and laptops, as well as SATA and M.2 drives.
Installing a new drive in a laptop
Different laptop models have different access to the drive connection. However, it is worth noting that on some laptops it is extremely problematic to access the drive connection. Some business-class laptops allow their users to remove the drive from the device case by unscrewing just one screw. On other models, it may be necessary to completely disassemble the bottom of the machine or even remove the keyboard. Of course, you will have to find out on your own how to perform this procedure for your laptop model.
Let's, for example, analyze the disk replacement for the ThinkPad T450s laptop model. A laptop like this is several years old, and in order to replace a drive in a machine like this, you would have to completely remove the bottom of the case. It is worth noting that most often you will have to perform exactly the same procedure on other laptops, at least on models similar to the ThinkPad T450s.
To access the drive, you first need to remove the battery and eight screws in various places on the case. Once you're done, you can remove the bottom of the laptop case. This laptop has a hard drive installed, which you can see in the upper right corner of the screenshot below.
To remove the drive itself, you need to unscrew another screw, lift the drive a little, and then carefully remove it from the SATA connector built into the system. Next, you need to pull the old rim out of the aluminum mount with rubber bumpers. Then take your new drive and place it in this aluminum mount, after which you need to follow the previously described process in reverse: connect the drive to the SATA connector.
Now let's take a quick look at connecting an M.2 SSD drive. So, connecting such a small board is done as follows: take the board, carefully insert it into the connector (on the right side in the previously shown screenshot), slowly bend the board in the connector to the screw hole, screw the board to the motherboard. As a result, the SSD drive in M.2 literally does not take up space in the laptop, as it is pressed against the motherboard.
It is worth noting again that the process of changing a disk may differ from laptop to laptop. If you need step-by-step instruction for disassembling your laptop - Google search will help you. You will definitely find at least some material related to your laptop model.
Installing a new disk in a desktop computer
If you have never changed anything in your computer, but only, for example, cleaned it, then it must be said that the process of replacing a disk is exactly the same process in terms of complexity as replacing a disk in a laptop, which you could learn about from the above information.
All you need to change a drive on a desktop PC is a screwdriver, a purchased drive, and a SATA cable that fits it. You also need to connect power to the drive you are installing, but it must be included with your power supply desired cable. However, if there is no such cable, use an adapter.
So, turn off your computer first, as trying to replace something in a running computer is a very bad idea. Then, as a rule, remove the side cover from the system unit case (on the left side, if you look at the front side of the unit). Having exposed the insides of the machine, take a good look around: the place you need to install the disk will be in the front of the case. If you are replacing a drive, you should see it connected to the motherboard via a SATA cable. The power cable, in turn, will go from the side of the power supply.
The note: it is worth noting that in your system unit you can see both 2.5″ and 3.5″ disks. Among other things, it can be located in a completely different place. In some custom system units, disks can be placed completely behind the motherboard. Not finding the disk in the usual place, remove the second cover from the system unit and examine the bottom of the board.
If you're not going to keep the old drive as a spare, then it's time to take it out. Depending on the situation, you can also leave the power and SATA cable in order to connect the new drive. So, first you need to disconnect a couple of cables from the old disk: power and data. CAREFULLY: these cables are often equipped with special latches.
If the old disk is placed in a special mount, pull it out from there using a screwdriver. As soon as you make sure that the disk has been detached from the system unit, pull it out and put it aside. We remind you that things like disks are extremely delicate devices, so be careful with them. All you have to do is repeat the whole process described above, but only with a new drive: fix it in the system unit and connect the power and data cables.
M.2 SSD drives - everything is done here in the same way as in the case of laptops: insert the board at an angle into the M.2 slot, bend it to the screw hole and screw it to the motherboard. The advantage of these drives is that you can easily combine them with SATA drives without taking up too much space.
That's all. You may have to fiddle around with a bunch of screws, but other than that it's pretty straightforward. Once you're done, take another look at your work: check the connections, count the screws, and more. After replacing the old or installing a new drive, close system unit and then try to start your PC. If you did everything correctly, you can start installing a new OS or enter a previously transferred one.
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The advent of solid state hard drives or abbreviated SSD, of course, can be considered a breakthrough in the development of technologies for creating devices for recording and storing digital information. The first SSDs that entered the market, with the exception of the high speed of access to arbitrary blocks of information, were in many ways inferior to traditional HDDs. Not only could their volumes, without exaggeration, be called more than modest, they also had low fault tolerance and cost a lot of money.
What's wrong with SSD?
The high speed, quietness and low power consumption of solid state drives have served as good drivers for their development. Modern SSD drives are lightweight, very fast and mechanically quite reliable devices used in tablets, ultrabooks and other compact devices. The price of SSDs has also dropped significantly. However, they cannot be called perfect. All SSDs have a significant drawback - a limited number of write cycles.
The flash memory of most SSDs is of the MLC type and allows you to write data from about 3 to 10 thousand times, while conventional USBs exhaust their resource in 1000 or less rewrite cycles. There are also such SSDs, for example, with the SLC memory type, which can withstand several hundred thousand rewrite cycles. There are many nuances, so it is not surprising that just this feature of SSD drives raises a lot of questions from ordinary users regarding their operation, and most importantly, extending their service life. Is SSD optimization necessary in Windows 7/10 or is it just another myth created by manufacturers and commercial software developers themselves?
Basic training
Yes, you can leave everything as it is on a PC with an SSD, and you might be right, but if you really care about your drive and want it to last as long as possible, it's worth considering tuning it. Let's start with whether you bought a computer with an integrated SSD, or just the drive itself, with which you want to replace the HDD by transferring Windows from it. In the first case, you can limit yourself to setting up the system. If you install the SSD yourself, be sure to check if the AHCI connection mode for the SATA controller is enabled in the BIOS.
There are two points here: after enabling AHCI and Windows Migration on SSD system may not boot, as it does not contain the appropriate drivers. Therefore, either install the drivers ahead of time, or run reinstalling Windows from scratch. Second. The BIOS of older PCs may not have AHCI mode. In this case, the BIOS will have to be updated. Now for the SSD controller firmware. SSD owners often ask if the drive will run faster if they install latest version firmware. Yes, it will be, but if you decide to update it and in general, if the need arises, it is better to contact the maintenance service for help.
System settings. Disable defragmentation
For HDDs, defragmentation is a useful thing, but for SSDs, on the contrary, it can damage it, so Windows usually disables it automatically. However, it's worth checking to see if it's actually disabled. Run command dfrgui disk optimization utility and click "Change settings".
Make sure the "Run on schedule" checkbox is unchecked. If it's there, be sure to remove it.
Enabling TRIM
The TRIM mechanism optimizes the SSD drive by clearing memory cells of unnecessary data when they are removed from the disk. The use of TRIM ensures uniform wear of the disk cells and increases the speed of its operation. To check if TRIM is active on your system, run as administrator command line command fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify.
If the value of the returned parameter DisableDeleteNotify will be 0, then everything is in order and the trim function is enabled, if 1 - it means it is disabled and it should be enabled by the command fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0.
This SSD setting only applies to Windows 7/10, while Vista and XP do not support it. Option two: either install more new system, or look for an SSD drive with hardware TRIM. Please also note that some older SSD models do not support TRIM at all, however, the likelihood that they are still sold in digital equipment stores is very small.
In the process to the hiberfil.sys file on system drive a significant amount of data can be written, comparable to the amount of RAM. We, in order to extend the life of the SSD, need to reduce the number of write cycles, so it is advisable to disable hibernation. The disadvantage of this SSD setup is that you will no longer be able to save open files and programs when the computer is turned off. To disable hibernation, run the command in a running with administrator privileges powercfg -h off.
Restart your computer and make sure the hidden system file hiberfil.sys is removed from drive C.
Disabling Search and Indexing of Files
What else can be done to properly set up an SSD drive for Windows 7/10? The answer is to disable indexing of the contents of the disk, because the SSD is already fast enough. Open the properties of the disk and uncheck "Allow the contents of files to be indexed ...".
But here's the thing. If you have a HDD in addition to an SSD, then you are unlikely to want to disable indexing on it. What will come of it? By default, the index file is located on drive C and data from drive D will still be written to the solid state drive.
If you do not want to disable indexing on the user volume, you will need to move the index file from the system SSD to the user HDD. Open by team control /name Microsoft.IndexingOptions indexing options.
Now click "Advanced" and specify your index location, having previously created a folder on the user's drive.
If your PC only has an SSD, you can completely disable indexing and search by opening the Services.msc snap-in and stopping the Windows Search service.
Disabling system protection
Controversial moment. By disabling the creation of system shadow copies, on the one hand, you will reduce the number of write cycles, on the other hand, you will increase the risk of getting a non-working system in the event of some unforeseen failure. The use of rollback is one of the most effective and simple ways to return Windows to a working state, for this reason we would not recommend disabling this feature, especially since points are created infrequently and they do not take up so much space.
It does not recommend disabling system protection for its Intel SSDs, the same opinion is shared by Microsoft. However, it's up to you. If you are using other means Reserve copy, such as Acronis True Image, system protection can be disabled. To do this, go to the system properties, on the "System Protection" tab, select the SSD drive and click "Configure". Next, in the recovery options, activate the "Disable system protection" radio button, move the slider to zero and click the "Delete" button.
Disable or not paging file?
An even more controversial solution is to disable the swap file. Someone advises to transfer it to the HDD, someone completely disable it, but not everything is so simple. The paging file is necessary to optimize the performance of the system and programs that require significant RAM resources. Disabling swap can indeed reduce disk usage, but the resulting effect will be very small. In addition, this disabling can significantly reduce the performance of your computer.
There is little point in moving the paging file to hard disk drive neither, since it is many times slower than an SSD, and the constant access to it by the system will slow down its work. Disabling, or even better, reducing the paging file is permissible only in one case - if your computer has more than 10 GB of RAM, and at the same time you do not use resource-intensive applications. And so, of course, it is better to leave everything by default. You can perform all manipulations with the paging file in the performance parameters window called in the "Run" window by the command system properties performance(hereinafter Advanced - Change).
Prefetch and Superfetch
In theory, it is also better to leave everything by default here. The function does not affect the durability of SSDs in any way, as it does not produce any writes. Moreover, when Windows installation on an SSD, the system automatically disables it. Want to make sure it's disabled? Go to Registry Editor at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/Memory Management/PrefetchParameters and see the parameter value EnableSuperfetch. It should be set to 0. You can also disable it through the Services Control snap-in.
As for Prefetch, its writes to disk are so insignificant that it can be ignored. However, you can turn it off, nothing bad will happen. To do this, in the same registry key, set the value of the parameter EnablePrefetcher 0.
The same can be said about disabling the additional Prefetch ReadyBoot feature that logs the process of loading applications. The volume of records it produces in a folder C:/Windows/Prefetch/ReadyBoot is negligible, but if you want to disable them as well, set the Start parameter in the key to 0 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/WMI/Autologger/ReadyBoot.
Programs for optimizing an SSD drive
Almost everything that was shown in the examples above can be done using special utilities. How to set up an SSD under Windows 7/10 using third party programs? Very simple. Most of them have an intuitive clear interface A , represented by a set of options that can be enabled or disabled. There are many SSD optimizers, but we will focus only on the most popular ones.
SSD Mini Tweaker
The most convenient portable program for optimizing solid state drives. The utility supports work with the functions of defragmentation, hibernation and system protection, Trim, Superfetch and Prefetcher, management of the paging file and Layout.ini, indexing, cache file system and some other settings.
The SSD Mini Tweaker interface is represented by a window with a list of functions available for management. You may need to restart your PC after applying the new settings.
Shareware optimization and tuning utility SSD performance disk. There is no Russian language in Tweak-SSD, but there is a convenient step-by-step wizard that offers optimal settings. Features of this program include disabling file indexing, program compatibility assistant, hibernation, paging file, defragmentation, last file access time recording, working with TRIM, increasing the file system cache, removing the NTFS limit on memory usage, as well as removing the kernel in memory instead of unloading parts of modules to disk.
SSD Fresh Plus
Another SSD optimizer. Unlike analogues, it supports working with S.M.A.R.T. With Abelssoft SSD Fresh Plus, you can disable defragmentation, the use of abbreviated names for folders and files, timestamps, windows log, prefetch service.
In total, the utility supports nine different settings that optimize the performance of the SSD. Additional features programs include viewing detailed information about the disk. Distributed in paid and free editions.
Conclusion
On this, perhaps, everything. There are also other SSD optimization recommendations, but for the most part they are either dubious or harmful. In particular, it is not recommended to disable write caching for the SSD disk and USN file log. NTFS systems. You should also not transfer programs and Temp temporary folders, browser cache, etc. from the SSD, because then what's the point in buying an SSD drive? We need to speed up the work of programs, transferring them to the HDD, you will only slow down the system.
And finally, here's some good advice for you. Don't bother with SSD optimization especially. To develop a resource even for a budget solid state drive 128 GB, you will need at least a decade, unless you write and delete terabytes of data daily. And during this time, not only the disk model, but also the computer itself will become hopelessly outdated.
Solid state drives, which are popularly called SSD drives, are gaining more and more popularity every year. They become cheaper to produce, more and more affordable models appear in the store for buyers, and the number of users who decide to install them increases.
Installing an SSD in a desktop computer or laptop is a great solution if you want to increase the speed of the operating system. At the same time, it doesn’t really matter how fast you get a solid state drive, even the slowest SSD drive is ten times faster than a standard HDD.
Having bought an SSD drive, it is important to install it correctly. In this article, we will consider how to install a drive in a computer or laptop.
Please note: To notice the performance improvement from installing in your computerSSD drive, you need to have an operating system on it.
We recommend reading:How to install an SSD drive in a computer system unit
The procedure for installing an SSD drive in a desktop computer is almost identical to how an HDD drive is installed, with the exception of small nuances. The main nuance is that a regular HDD for a desktop computer has a size of 3.5 inches, while the size of an SSD drive is 2.5 inches, respectively, to install the disk, you will need a special adapter, which can be inexpensively purchased at any computer store.
In general, the installation processAn SSD drive in a computer's system unit looks like this:
When all the steps described above are completed, you can proceed to setting up an SSD drive. To do this, go into the BIOS and select the AHCI mode for the installed SSD drive. If you plan to use an SSD drive for the operating system, install it first in the list of disks to boot and install the operating system (or transfer Windows from the old disk to the new one).
How to install an SSD in a laptop
Installing an SSD in a laptop is an extremely simple procedure that takes no more than 10 minutes if everything is done correctly. The fact is that laptops are initially equipped with 2.5-inch drives, so no additional effort is required to properly fix the drive. All you need to do to install an SSD in a laptop is:
After the SSD drive is in place of the HDD drive, you will need to install the operating system. You can do this from a flash drive or disk.
Please note: If your laptop hasCD/A DVD drive that is not in use can be pulled out of the computer and a special mount can be installed in its place forSSD drive to use it without removing the main hard drive.
If you are the owner of a laptop and you are not entirely satisfied with the speed of its work, and especially the download speed, and you are increasingly thinking about upgrading or even replacing the entire laptop, then do not rush. We offer an upgrade option for almost any full-sized laptop for adequate money.
The fact is that the processor is not the first freshness, a small amount of RAM and an integrated video card are not the main culprits of the "brakes" of the system. The main reason is a slow hard drive. We suggest replacing it with a more modern analogue - SSD. But you yourself probably thought about such a purchase, but for the full use of a PC, you need a lot of free space on the storage device - at least 500-750 gigabytes. And the prices for SSDs of this capacity are very, very biting.
And when buying an SSD for 60-120 gigabytes, there is enough space only for the system and applications, there can be no talk of any media content. Therefore, you need to look for another way out, a way out in which it will be possible to increase the speed of the system and not lose disk capacity, and not spend too much. We understand you perfectly and offer just such a way.
Why do you need a DVD drive?
No, seriously, why do you need it? Any movies or music can be downloaded on the Internet, which almost everyone has, information that does not need constant access can be stored either in the cloud, which is now divorced immeasurably, or on an external hard drive, the prices of which are quite “ridiculous” today. Important Information optical discs I would not trust - they are quite easily scratched and become unusable.
So, if you really don't need a DVD drive on your laptop, then we suggest installing an SSD instead. And again, do not be afraid - you won’t have to break anything, and you won’t have to “make” either - we promise to leave beautiful view your beech is safe and sound.
What do we need?
First, we need an SSD and connectors to connect it. In principle, a 60 GB disk for the system will be enough for us, but it’s still better to buy 128 - in this case, you won’t worry about the lack of space and you can always put some large program on the SSD, or demanding input operations \\ output the game (because that's what we buy SSD for). In addition, the prices for this gadget of such volumes are quite low and the purchase of such a part will not hit your wallet.
In addition to the SSD, we need a seat for it, or rather an adapter that will replace the DVD drive. At various foreign auctions and in online stores, this is called "HDD-Caddy" (in our country it is most often referred to as "HDD 2.5 connection adapter" in the laptop drive bay). Buy this device only for your laptop model.
Actually, this is all we need to buy. Of the tools, we need a screwdriver and ... nothing more.
What is the best place to put it?
It's up to you to decide. You will have unhindered access to the device installed instead of the DVD drive, that is, it is better to put a media device there - a hard drive (movies, music, photos, etc. will be stored on it). In this case, you can always quickly get the HDD and, using a special tool (pocket), connect it to a DVD to watch movies or connect it to another PC as a bulk flash drive.
On the other hand, the heat dissipation of the drive is worse, and there will be more vibrations, besides, it is also difficult to say about the protection from mechanical damage of this place. And the SSD is much smaller than the hard drive, it is afraid of vibrations, high temperatures, etc. That is, with regard to operational properties - it will be better here than a hard drive.
In any case, it's up to you, depending on how you plan to use these devices and depending on the configuration of your laptop model.
Let's get started
In principle, the procedure is quite trivial. First you need to pull out the DVD drive - in many laptop models you don’t even need to remove the case - they are held on by one bolt, after unscrewing which they are simply pulled out of the laptop.
When the DVD drive is in your hands, you will need to remove the cover from it, on which the compartment opening button is located, and rearrange it to the purchased HDD-Caddy. Now we perform the reverse procedure - install the adapter in place of the DVD drive. Don't forget to secure it with a bolt. Well, that's all - it remains only to install an SSD here (or a hard drive, and the SSD in place of the hard drive).
Installing or migrating an operating system
Next, you need to install the operating system on the SSD, after removing system partition from the HDD and attaching it to the partition that stores media information. Installing the operating system will be no different from the process you are used to.
But, if for any reason you want to keep your the old system, then before deleting a partition from the HDD, you need to “clone” it to the SSD. This is done by any program for working with hard drives in boot mode. For example, Acronis Partition Director or Mini Tool is suitable Partition Wizard- in general, the choice is only yours.
Instead of conclusions
After the replacement, you will be surprised how much more responsive and nimble your operating system has become. In addition, if you previously ran out of hard disk space, now you will have freed up the space previously occupied by the operating system.
If, nevertheless, the only thing that stops you from such an upgrade is that in order to use the DVD drive you will now need to twist the adapters every time, then we will reassure you - you can buy a special “pocket” for the DVD drive and connect it to any PC via USB interface.
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