# Sean's Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide for SSDs & HDDs



## Sean Webster

*System Preparation!*
Be sure to not only go over my checklist but to make your own and see if you need to do anything else or not. Feel free to share any changes you make.

*The Checklist:*

Read your motherboard manual! This saves you the hassle of asking which SATA port is which and much more; almost everything is in there!
If your hardware is overclocked please revert to stock clocks for installation to prevent data corruption.
Enable AHCI SATA mode in the UEFI/BIOS. Use RAID mode if you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT aka. SSD caching. Guide here: (link)
Check to see if ACPI 2.0 or newer is in the UEFI/BIOS and enable it if it is there, if not then don't worry about it.
Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of your SSD/HDD and update if necessary. Storage drivers, firmware, and utilities here: (link)
Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "*System Setup after Installation.*" This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.
If you are using a SSD use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, I advise that you do *NOT* use the Marvell or other 3rd party SATA ports for your SSD/HDD.
*The installation of Windows 7!*
The installation process is pretty straight forward. Just put in your install media, boot from it, and follow the onscreen instructions. Once you complete installation a and get to the start screen move on to the "*Now It's Time For The System Set Up and Optimization!*" section.

Here however, I am going to show you how to install on either MBR (Master Boot Record) formatted or GPT (GUID Partition Table) formatted disks. By default Windows will use MBR, but for UEFI motherboards you can use GPT. You can decide to use either if you have an UEFI motherboard. If you have a BIOS use MBR.

Important! You should not use GPT format unless you _need_ to. The MBR format is what most people should use. You should only use GPT if you want to boot Windows off a 2.2TB+ partition or if you want to test it out. People are having issues with the GPT format because they don't know how to troubleshoot and since I can not have their PC in front of me I can't troubleshoot for them either. So I highly recommend that if you do not need to use the GPT format or if you don't know what you are doing and don't have a real reason to use GPT then you should use the MBR set up.

If you guys ever get an issue with a system image restoration with GPT this may help. (link)

*Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:*


Spoiler: ->



Well, here you can choose to keep the Microsoft system Reserve partition or not.

On a fresh (custom) installation of Windows 7, where Windows 7 is installed onto a new hard disk with unallocated disk space (no partition or volume been defined yet), or when user attempts to create a new partition out of empty drive, the Windows 7 installer will create an additional partition with the size of 100MB, and mark as System Reserved.

The 100MB volume is labeled as System Reserved with NTFS file system, and System, Active, Primary partition attribute with no drive letter in Disk Management. The 100MB system partition is used primarily as BitLocker partition for BitLocker encryption. Additionally, it also holds the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and boot files with boot manager for booting up the computer for troubleshooting when there is no Windows 7 installation DVD disc on hand.

The Windows 7 created 100MB partition is not the main boot partition or boot drive, but serve only as a backup.

For Windows 7 users who do not intend to use BitLocker, the 100MB partition can be removed subsequently and easily (link). However, users can stop and prevent the 100MB partition from been created in the first place during installation.

*Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:*

Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type *Clean*, press Enter.
Type *Exit*, press Enter.
Close the Command Prompt window.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
*Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:*

Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type *Clean*, press Enter.
Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
Type *Format Quick FS=NTFS*, press Enter.
Type *Exit*, press Enter.
Close the Command Prompt window.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
Click the partition.
Click the "Next" button.
From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
*Video Tut:*








*Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:*


Spoiler: Info on GPT



This guide is for utilizing a Microsoft Operating System (Apple OS and Linux distros, may require different steps).

A UEFI (GPT) boot drive can only be configured from a blank "unallocated" drive. The drive must initially contain no partitions or formatting. When configuring the blank drive as a boot drive, (GPT Boot), it is necessary to configure your drive utilizing 3 partitions. Your motherboard should be an UEFI enabled motherboard. Although a BIOS can be configured (through hacks) to boot GPT drives, that configuration is beyond the scope of this guide. When configuring a GPT boot drive, only x64 (64-bit) OSes support this feature. x86 (32-bit) Windows installations do not support GPT boot devices. If the steps are performed properly, Windows installation media from Vista SP1 and above are GPT "aware" when launched from a device marked as "UEFI" in the boot device list. Earlier versions of Windows, can have attached storage formatted as GPT, but these volumes cannot be booted from.

The three partitions involved in a GPT boot are as follows:

*ESP* - 100MB - This is the UEFI System partition. It is the First partition that is placed on the drive. This partition contains the EFI boot loader, hardware abstraction layer (HAL), drivers, and other pre-OS utilities utilized Pre-Boot by the UEFI during its boot or system check processes. Windows requires that this partition be formatted as FAT32.

*MSR* - 128MB - This partition is the Microsoft Reserved Partition. It is a required partition for any GPT formatted drive under Windows. This partition will initially be empty after you install Windows, but will be used later by the OS when performing certain disk tasks. GPT disks do not allow for hidden sectors (as was the case with MBR). This space is reserved for software operations that formerly used hidden sectors. You will not format this partition.

*Data Partition* - This is the remainder of your drive that will contain the OS, User Data, programs, etc.

*Benefits of a UEFI/GPT boot disk vs. MBR:*

Although not currently applicable to SSDs, GPT disks can exceed the 2.2TB bootable limit of a MBR partitioned drive. MBR drives are limited to four partition table entries, unless a secondary "extended" partition structure is created.
Data critical to platform operation is located in partitions, and not in un-partitioned or "hidden" sectors which in certain instances, can lead to system instability. Data contained in hidden sectors that result in system problems are difficult to debug.
GPT disks use primary and backup partition tables for redundancy and 32-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC32) fields for improved partition data structure integrity.
A UEFI boot is more secure, and less vulnerable to pre-boot malware.
A system utilizing a UEFI boot, will boot and recover from sleep faster than the same machine using MBR.
UEFI is the future, and as different implementations of UEFI mature, UEFI will be used for much more than just booting a computer.






Spoiler: Click here to see guide!



Here you can either let Windows partition the drive for you automatically or you can do it manually.

Note first on UEFI boot: http://www.overclock.net/t/1429005/ocz-vertex-4-256gb-windows-7-efi-boot#post_20862366
Quote:


> ...unless you disable the Compatibility Support Module (CSM) either directly with a setting in the BIOS, or via enabling Secure Boot (disabling CSM is a side affect of this), a Windows installation otherwise configured for EFI booting will not boot in EFI mode.


*Booting and partitioning of GPT for Windows 7 Automatically:*

Boot from the Windows 7 install media (You must initiate this boot from a device labeled as a UEFI device, or the installation of Windows 8 will produce an error that the OS cannot be installed to a GPT partition) These UEFI boot devices will have a prefix *UEFI:* "name of your device", and show as a boot option in your UEFI.
After booting to the UEFI device you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
Type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
Type *List Disk* , press Enter.
Type *Select Disk #* (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type *Clean*, press Enter.
Type *Convert GPT*, press Enter.
Type *Exit*, press Enter.
Close the Command Prompt window.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Three partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
*Note:* If you can't boot after the install you need to make sure the boot is set to "Windows Boot Manager" in the UEFI. Also, important info.
*Booting and partitioning of GPT for Windows 7 Manually:*

Boot from the Windows 7 install media (You must initiate this boot from a device labeled as a UEFI device, or the installation of Windows 8 will produce an error that the OS cannot be installed to a GPT partition) These UEFI boot devices will have a prefix *UEFI:* "name of your device", and show as a boot option in your UEFI.
After booting to the UEFI device you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
Type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
Type *List Disk* , press Enter.
Type *Select Disk #* (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type *Clean*, press Enter.
Type *Convert GPT*, press Enter.
Type *Create Partition EFI Size=100*, press Enter.
Type *Format Quick FS=FAT32*, press Enter.
Type *Create Partition MSR Size=128*, press Enter.
Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
Type *Format Quick FS=NTFS*, press Enter.
Type *Exit*, press Enter.
Close the Command Prompt window.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
Three partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
Click the "Next" button.
From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
*Note:* If you can't boot after the install you need to make sure the boot is set to "Windows Boot Manager" in the UEFI. Also, important info.
Special thanks to *xandypx* for creating the guide above


----------



## Sean Webster

*Now It's Time For The System Set Up and Optimization!*
Ok, optimizations are split up into three sections. The first of which is the "*System Setup after Installation:*" section. This one is the most important one to look over. Even if you set up your system already still look this part over, especially you people who are using OS cloning/migrating software! The next section, "*Optimizations after System Setup:*," is more of an optional set of optimizations to get a little more out of your system. You do not need to do them all, read what each one does and see if it could help you improve your system. And finally there is the "*System Maintenance:*" section in which there is info on how to keep your system maintained and in tip top shape, feel free to suggest anything to add.

Furthermore, I advise making a system image at this point and after complete system set up (link). But you don't need to. It is just easier for me than reinstalling later.



Spoiler: Here is what I do out of this guide for my set up when I first install:



*Optimizations and Changes:*

Disabled Hibernation
Page file set to 512MB
Shutdown for the first time
Install Motherboard Drivers
Install newest SATA and chipset drivers
Run Windows Update
Change power options
Run Windows Experience Index Assessment
Install virus protection and apps
Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD
Disabled UAC
*Drivers:*

Intel Network
Intel Chipset
Intel IGPU
Intel RST
Nvidia GFX
ASUS Xonar Sound
ASMedia USB
*Installed Programs:*

Seagate DiscWizard
Malwarebytes
7-zip
Adobe Flash
Then this allows me to make a baseline system image I can always go back to and not have to worry about things. Once image is complete I install all my other programs and set everything up the way I like and make another system image. Some other optimizations and things are done at later times when I feel to.

As you can see, this is just a guide with a bunch of tips and tricks, nothing is mandatory or needs to be followed to a "T" here.









Oh, and here is a list of programs that I usually have installed and use on my PC: (link)



*System Setup after Installation:*


Spoiler: ->



*Be sure to see if the steps apply for either SSDs only or applies to both SSDs/HDDs.
For example...
You install the OS onto a HDD, only do the steps marked SSD/HDD.
You install the system on a SSD then do the steps marked SSD/HDD and SSD only.*


*Turn Off or Shrink the Hibernation File:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
If you don't use hibernation mode, disabling it will save you several GB of disk space. If you do use hibernation mode, you can still shrink the hibernation file size. I say to do it at this point if you want to b/c it prevents extra writes as well. Also, hibernation is different than the normal sleep mode. However, it can allow you to have hybrid sleep when it is enabled.
Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *CMD*
Right click CMD icon that comes up and choose "Run as administrator"
Type *powercfg -h off* and press enter to delete it or type *powercfg -h -size 50* and press enter to shrink it

*Video Tut:*






*Disable or Shrink System Protection:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
You will not be able to run a system restore with system protection this disabled. However, disabling system protection will save you several GB of disk space, and saves time when installing new stuff since no restore points are created. I say to do it at this point if you want to because it prevents extra writes if you have a SSD. Personally I use system restore and it is nice to restore back a day or two when there is an issue i am encountering, it only takes up a tiny bit of space my SSD (3.58GB) so I leave it.
Open the Start Menu
Right click Computer
Click Properties
Click System protection (it's on the left side)
Select C:
Click the Configure button
Click "Turn off system protection" or adjust slider to desired size.
Click OK

*Video Tut:*






*Turn off drive indexing or edit its settings:* Applies to SSD only
Indexing creates and maintains a database of file attributes to use for search so results show up quicker. This can lead to multiple small writes when creating/deleting/modifying files. Searching for files will still work for programs and system tools and such when disabled. Since SSDs have such fast seek times and 4k reads that this feature is pointless.
Open the Start Menu
Click Computer
Right click C: drive > properties and uncheck drive indexing
Click apply (ignore all when comes up)
Once done press the start button and type "Indexing options" into the search and enter, a window will pop up and you can adjust Indexing for quick search exactly how you like.

*Video Tut:*






*Turn Off or Shrink Page file:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
If you shrink your page file most people recommend 512MB or 1024MB, the minimum for a dump file to be created is 400MB. I suggest that if you have 4GB of RAM or less or do heavy multitasking do not disable the page file just shrink it to a reasonable size because the rule of having page file equal to or set to 1.5x the amount of your RAM is outdated. Several programs use page file when enabled like VMWare, some games, graphics software, MS office, etc. Windows does use the page file if present and will only use it when it is efficient to do so. Page file is also read at boot to speed things up. Do not put the page file on a RAM disk, it is much better to have it on the SSD or HDD. (Why to have the page file on an SSD) (Why to not have page file on a RAM disk) (The Windows 7 Pagefile And Running Without One)
Open the Start Menu
Right click Computer
Click Properties
Click Advanced System Settings (it's on the left side)
Under performance click Settings
Go to the Advanced tab
Under Virtual memory click Change
Uncheck the "Automatically manage paging file" box at the top
Select the C: drive
Click "No paging file" or set the min and max
Click "Set"
Choose Yes for the dialog box
Click OK
Click OK

*Video Tut:*






*Shutdown for the first time:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
This applies all the changes and you should have a nice amount of free space now. If you have any secondary drives plug them in now.
Open the Start Menu
Click the arrow next to Shut down

*Install Motherboard Drivers:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
This is to ensure your components will work properly and efficiently.
Attain drivers for your motherboard, graphics card, sound card, and etc. via. download or installation disk, preferably the most up to date ones from the manufacturer's website.
Install as instructed and restart as needed.

*Install newest SATA and chipset drivers:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
This it to make sure your SSD/HDD run in tip top shape.
For AMD systems, use the newest chipset driver. (link)
For Intel systems, use the newest Rapid Storage Technology driver. (link)
For all other brands and products look here: (link)

*Run Windows Update:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
Make sure every update is installed. It may take a few restarts. This will make sure your system has no vulnerabilities and will most likely solve any issues may encounter due to the updates not being installed. You can do this step later if you like, I just like to do it at this point myself.

Here are my preferred settings:


*Change power options:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
I recommend at least setting to high performance, as for laptops it is up to you, I would leave the default for a laptop. This step is so that Idle Time Garbage Collection can run for your SSD if you have one when the system is at idle rather than going to sleep and you get more performance out of your system just by setting it to high performance. But feel free to set it up however you like.
Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *Power Options* and press Enter
Select the High performance power plan
Click "change plan settings"
Click "change advanced power settings"
Expand the Hard disk option and change setting to "never"
Expand the Sleep option and change setting to "never"
Click OK

*Video Tut:*






*Run Windows Experience Index Assessment:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
This makes windows recognize you have an SSD as well as other things. (ex. turns off disk defrag for the SSD)
Press the "Windows Key" + "Pause|Break Key" on your keyboard.
Click "Windows Experience Index."
Click the "Rate this computer" button.

*Video Tut:*


*Check Defragmentation schedule:* Applies to SSDs only
Verify that defrag is not checked for your SSD or and partitions on the SSD. If the disk is missing from the list, then it has been detected as an SSD and will not be automatically defragmented. If the disk is an SSD, but has not been detected as such, then it's important to remove the check next to the disk in this list so that Windows does not attempt to defragment the drive, which will reduce the life of the drive. Windows is suppose to disable this automatically for the SSD. More info on SSDs and fragmentation here: (link)
Open Disk Defragmenter
Click the Configure schedule button
Click the Select disks button

*Video Tut:*






*Install virus protection and apps:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
Windows update should install MSE for you. It is simple, light on resources and easy to use. Other antivirus's are not really needed. Though I suggest you have Malwarebytes as well. You can choose whatever you like though, it is up to you.
Go on the internet and install all your favorite apps.





*Optimizations after System Setup:*


Spoiler: ->




*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
Go to your User folder.
Right click your user folder you want to move (ex. the "My Pictures" folder).
Click "Properties."
Click the "Location" tab.
Change the destination to another location bu clicking "Move..." and selecting the destination (ex. "D:\Pictures").
*Note 1:* If there are two of the same folder in the User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
*Note 2:* If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.

*Video Tut:*






*Disable unneeded services:*
This is more for advanced users. This helps you go through and edit which services you want or not.
Press the "Windows Key" + 'R" on your keyboard and type *Services.msc*, press Enter.
Go to BlackViper
Follow the info to your OS.
You can use this program to automate the process: (link)

*Disable GUI on boot:*
This speeds boot up a second or two. You will no longer see the boot splash screen.
Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *msconfig* and press Enter.
When the "System Configuration" window opens click the "Boot" tab.
Check the checkbox for "No GUI boot."
Click the "Apply" button and restart.

*Disable UAC:*
Stops the annoying popups that ask "Are you sure you want to do something?"
Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *UAC* and press Enter.
Move slider to "Never notify."
Click the "OK" button.
Click "Yes."
Restart.

*Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features:*
This can help regain some space and free up resources by uninstalling unneeded features you never use.
Click Start.
Click the "Control Panel" option.
Go to "Programs."
Go to "Programs and Features."
Click "Turn Windows features on or off" from the left pane.
Now uncheck all the features that you don't use in Windows 8.
Click the "OK" button.
Restart the system for the changes to take effect.

*Video Tut:*






*Enable write back caching and turnoff windows write-caching buffer flushing on C:\ drive:*
Intel users read this: What's The Deal With Write-Cache Buffer Flushing? The performance improvement is not universal (some drives do not seem to like it for whatever reason), but it does usually apply to both SSDs and HDDs. HDDs are just at higher risk for data loss as they tend to be slower at writing their cache information to the drive and require more power when in operation, thus are less likely to finish writing everything to disk when there is a power failure. Many SSDs have enough power stored in their capacitors for the half second or so it takes to flush the buffer, most rotating platter drives do not. There is still some element of risk on most SSDs, but some (especially enterprise models) have a supercap specifically meant to power the drive long enough for a complete flush. Most consumer level drives do not have such a feature. In the end its about the level of risk you are willing to accept. Turning off buffer flushing on an HDD is moderately risky. On a normal SSD it's low risk (much faster random wirtes get data off the cache onto the NAND fast). On an enterprise SSD it's virtually no risk (supercapacitor gives these drives even more time to write data).
Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *Disk Management* and press Enter.
Right click C:\ drive.
Click "Properties."
Go to the "Hardware" tab.
Select your drive.
Click Properties."
Go to the "Policies" tab.
The "Enable write caching" box should be checked by default, if not tick the check mark.
Tick the check mark for "turnoff windows write-caching buffer flushing."
Click the "OK" button.
Once you do this reopen the policies tab and uncheck both boxes and then apply then open it again and recheck both boxes. Sometimes there is a glitch where it doesn't work the first time and you don't know it isn't working.

*Video Tut:*






*Speed up Shut down time:*
If you have problems with programs from your computer shutting down too quickly, then repeat the steps and increase the time a bit.
Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *regedit* and press Enter.
In regedit, go to:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control


In the right pane, right click on WaitToKillServiceTimeout and click on Modify.
Type in 1000 (or b/w 1-20 seconds, default time is 12000) and click on OK.
Close regedit.

*Speed up the Menu Show Delay Time:*
This will show you how to change the amount of time it takes for a menu in Windows 7 to pop, fade, or slide open when you run the mouse pointer over it. Also the lower the number, the faster the response time. If you use an entry of 0, there is no menu display delay. However it is not recommended to use 0 though since the menus may be hard to navigate through at that speed.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
In regedit go to:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop


In the right pane, right click on MenuShowDelay and click on Modify.
Type in a number between 0 to 4000 (400 is default, I use 1) for how many milliseconds you want the Menu to wait before it opens.
Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the changes.

*Change the Mouse Hover Time before Pop-up Displays:*
This will show you how to change the delay time, in milliseconds, that the mouse pointer has to stay hovered on a item before it is selected or opens a pop-up in Windows 7. For example, how long it takes for a taskbar open window button before to display it's thumbnail preview while hovering the mouse pointer over it. The lower the number, the faster the response time. If you use an entry of 0, there is no delay before the taskbar thumbnail preview opens. However it is not recommended to use 0 though since it may be hard to navigate through the thumbnails at that speed.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
In regedit go to:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse


In the right pane, right click on MouseHoverTime and click on Modify.
Type in a number between 0 to 4000 (400 is default, I use 3) in milliseconds, that the mouse pointer has to stay hovered on a item before it is selected or opens a pop-up.
Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the changes.

*Disable the Unwanted Visual Effects:*
For this right click on Computer and select Properties from the right click menu.
Click on Advanced System Settings from the left pane to open up the System Properties window.
Select the Advanced tab from it. Then Under Performance click Settings . Choose Custom: Options From it.
Now just logoff your system and turn logon.
*Note:* The ones in the pic are the ones I check and uncheck. Feel free to adjust as desired.













*System Maintenance:*


Spoiler: ->




*CCleaner:*
CCleaner has to be the best "cleanup" utility I have ever used, it cleans up all your temp files and cleans your registry better than any other software I know. I have never had an issue with it over the last two years of using it. I have tried many others and CCleaner has come out to be the best. I highly recommend you use this as your sole maintenance cleanup software over everything else.

Download here: (link)

Also there is CCEnhancer which expands CCleaners reach in your system.

Download here: (link)

*Disk Cleanup:*
This is the integrated Disk Cleanup in Windows 7. I often use this after using CCleaner just in case CCleaner misses anything. Does a good job and I recommend you use it too.
Open the Start Menu, type *Disk Cleanup*, press Enter
Select your drive you want to "clean"
Check any of the boxes you wish (I check them all)
Click OK
Click "Delete Files"

*Disk Defragment for HDDs*
Haven't really had a need to use anything other than the built in disk defragmenter in Windows. It works good for me and since it is integrated I don't need to waste space on getting any 3rd party software.
Open the Start Menu, type *Disk Defragmenter*, press Enter
Select your drive you want to defragment
Click "Defragment Disk"
Alternatively you can use Defraggler: (link)

*Note:* Do not defragment your SSD, it does absolutely nothing beneficial for it.

*Empty windows update download cache:*
This is a safe and easy way to get rid of any left over windows update files.
Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
Delete all of them.
Here is a .bat that will do it automatically when you run it:

Empty windows update download cache.zip 1k .zip file


*Revo Uninstaller:*
Best Uninstaller app I have used so far, does a great job at keeping my uninstalls clean and such.

Download Revo Uninstaller free here: (link)

*Remove Start up Items and more:*
This is one of my favorite apps, just uncheck an item you wish to disable and it won't run upon start up. This can decrease your boot time as well as become a great troubleshooting tool.

Download Autouns here: (link)

*Add Start up Items:*
To add items to your start up this is an easy way to do it, just drag and drop a shortcut into this folder.
For an individual user go to: C:\users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
For all users go to: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

*Space Sniffer:*
Cool app that lets you see what is taking up your space on your system and manage it.

Download Space Sniffer here: (link)




*You are done!*
Congrats! Now that all is over and your system is all set up, brand new, and ready to go I say have fun, be safe, and enjoy! I advise making another system image now so you can easily revert your system back to this point if anything goes wrong from any circumstance.


----------



## Sean Webster

_*Extras!*_

Here is just a bunch of guides and other useful information for you guys, I'll keep adding things when I can. If you have anything that you would like to add fee free to leave a suggestion.


Unknownm said:


> just a extra tip if anyone is installing Windows 7 stock ISO and wants to enable admin account without enabling a user account first
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH7xcnB-Y74


*Speed up your SSD in a laptop:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



How To Improve SSD performance on Intel Series 4, 5 and 965 chipsets (Stamatisx Tweak) 
How To Improve SSD performance on Intel Series 4, 5, 965 Chipsets (JJB Tweak) 
Laptops w. Intel Series 5 chipset can not take full advantage of fast SSDs



*Check to see if the TRIM command is being issued:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



TRIM basically keeps your SSD running in top shape by optimizing Garbage Collection. You shouldn't have to do this step, but it is always something I do just to be sure. More info on TRIM, Garbage Collection, and SSDs here: ( link )

Open the Start Menu, type *CMD*
Right click the icon and Run as Administrator
Type *fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify*

DisableDeleteNotify = 1 (Windows TRIM commands are disabled)

DisableDeleteNotify = 0 (Windows TRIM commands are enabled)

*To enable TRIM:*

Open the Start Menu, type *CMD*
Right click the icon and Run as Administrator
Type *fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0*

*Video Tut:*









*Wipe a drives partitions:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)




Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter




*How to: Move system Reserve partition from secondary drive to the C: drive:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)




Download EasyBCD . It is free for non-commercial use, just click the "Download free for limited, non-commercial use" link.
After downloading, start EasyBCD. Select the Tool from the "toolbox" for "BCD Deployment."
Make sure that your SSD is selected in the upper box (the partition on the SSD).
Click the Radio button for "Install the Vista/Win7 bootloader to the MBR"
Click "Write MBR". (This will make a copy of your current BCD onto your SSD.)
Before exiting, click the "View settings" tool, and make sure the Entry shows drive C:\ as the default windows 7 entry. If it does, you're done.
Shut windows down, reboot, and then in disk management youcan delete the 100mb partition from your HDD, and then extend the other partition on the drive to use the space.



*Change default install location for programs:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1170#post_15989972 


or

http://www.intowindows.com/change-default-installation-directory-in-windows-7-vista/



*Remove system reserve partition:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html 

*GUIDE:*

Boot from your installation or repair disc.
When you get to the language screen , press Shift+F10.
Type *diskpart*, Enter
Type *list disk*, Enter after diskpart is loaded
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is your drive with the System reserve partition on it), Enter
Type *list partition*, Enter
Type *select partition X* (where *X* is your System reserve partition), Enter
Type *delete partition override*, Enter
Type *list disk*, Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is your OS drive), Enter
Type *list partition*, Enter
Type *select partition X* (where *X* is your OS partition), Enter
Type *active*, Enter
Close the command prompt


We have deleted the partition, and Windows will be unable to boot at this point. Now it is time to write a new boot loader and BCD to the Windows partition.


Now shut down, unplug any secondary drives, boot up and run start up repair up to 3 times .


If startup repair does not work follow this: ( link )


In CMD type:

*bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup*, Enter
*c:*, Enter
*cd boot*, Enter
*attrib bcd -s -h -r*, Enter
*ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old*, Enter
*bootrec /RebuildBcd*, Enter




*Rebuild Icon cache:* http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html 

*How to move steam to another drive:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)




Delete everything in the Steam folder except for the "steam.exe" and the "steamapps" folder
Move the steam folder over to the secondary drive you want it on
Open the "steam.exe" and it will reconfigure steam
Log in and BAM! All your games are recognized
Now, you can put what ever games you want on the SSD with Steam Mover (or junctions)
Create another folder on the C:\ drive and name it (C:\Users\Sean\Steam Games)
Run Steam Mover and have it move the game to that location and you are done!
Now go play the games you want!




*How to have steam on the SSD while having the games on either the SSD or HDD:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)




Delete everything in the Steam folder except for the "steam.exe" and the "steamapps" folder
Have the "steam.exe" to a folder made on the C:\ drive (C:\Users\Sean\Steam)
Have the "steamapps" folder on the HDD you want to store your games (D:\User\Program Files\Steam\steamapps)
 Make a junction from the "steamapps" folder to the SSD folder with the "steam.exe" in it
Open the "steam.exe" and it will reconfigure steam
Logged in and BAM! All your games are recognized and steam is on the SSD and the games on the other drive.
Now, you can put what ever games you want on the SSD with Steam Mover (or junctions)
Create another folder on the C:\ drive and name it (C:\Users\Sean\Steam Games)
Run Steam Mover and have it move the game to that location and you are done!
Now go play the games you want!




*Shortcut commands:*
Win + Tab > Alt + Tab for switching through windows
Win + P For Multi displays this helps a lot
Win + E Opens Computer
Win + D Minimizes everything quickly when needed wink.gif
Win + F Windows Finder
Win + L Locks the PC
Win + Arrow keys Snaps windows

*Check out your Restart Time:* http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/720-restart-time.html"]Restart Time .vbs download + Guide

*Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)




Go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT and delete the winsat.txt
Then go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore and delete all the files in there.
Now restart W.E.I.
*Note:* The scores should be the proper score now.




*Disable RDP password to log on:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



By default, Windows will not allow the logon over a network with a blank password. After you have enabled this, you will be allowed to log on using a blank password.


You can disable blank password restrictions by using a policy. To locate and change this policy:

Click Start, point to Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK to start the Group Policy Editor.
Open Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
Double-click Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
Click Disabled, and then click OK.
Quit Group Policy Editor.





Disable needing to put in a password to log into Windows and you can set yourself as admin as well:
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



Click on Start and then enter the following command in the search box:


netplwiz


Press the ENTER key.


This command will load the Advanced User Accounts Control Panel applet.


In the Users tab, uncheck the box next to Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.


Click on the Apply button at the bottom of the User Accounts window.


When the Automatically Log On dialog box appears, enter the user name you wish to automatically login to Windows 7 with. Then enter your account password in the two fields where it's asked.


Click the OK button.


Click OK on the User Accounts window to complete the process.


From now on, when your PC starts up, Windows 7 will log on automatically.



*Back up software:* http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1060#post_15913000 

*Make a bootable USB device for utilities:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)




Download the the files ( link )
Extract
Open the USB Disk Storage Format Utility
Select your flash drive
Select File system > FAT32
Label what you want it to be named
Tick the check box for "Quick format" and "Create a DOS Bootable Disk"
Under "using DOS system files located at: click browse
Select the entire "win98boot" folder
Click Start
When finished Close
Go into your app you want to boot from and drag all the files onto your flash drive
Then plug it in and boot from it!




*Le list of Random Windows 7 stuffz:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/104341-bootmgr-missing-fix.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/205905-ssd-fix-misalignment.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/15699-folder-template-default.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/720-restart-time.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/124198-user-profiles-create-move-during-windows-7-installation.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18530-user-folder-create-your-own-special-folders.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/20864-mbr-restore-windows-7-master-boot-record.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html?ltr=S 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/96938-check-disk-chkdsk-read-event-viewer-log.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/187346-robocopy-create-backup-script.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/177819-ahci-link-power-management-enable-hipm-dipm.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/software/92-free-great-programs-windows-7-a.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/135077-windows-7-installation-transfer-new-computer.html#post1161038 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/26476-desktop-shutdown-tweaks-combined.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/85813-windows-7-universal-installation-disc-create.html 
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html 

*TON OF LINKS!*


-Backup:
http://www.howtogeek.com/108679/the-best-articles-for-backing-up-and-syncing-your-data/ 
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/25046/schedule-synctoy-to-run-automatically-with-task-scheduler-in-windows-7/ 
http://www.todo-backup.com/business/free-backup.htm 
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx 
http://www.fbackup.com/ 
http://backup.comodo.com/ 
http://www.acebackup.com/ 
http://clonezilla.org/ 
http://sourceforge.net/projects/freefilesync/....http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/?&fq[]=trove%3A137&fq[]=trove%3A787 
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=15155 
http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm 
http://www.cobiansoft.com/ 
http://www.piriform.com/recuva 
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=15155 


-UEFI:
http://info-coach.fr/pc/hardware/AsusP8P67/Asus-UEFI.php 
https://gitorious.org/tianocore_uefi_duet_builds/pages/Windows_x64_BIOS_to_UEFI 
http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/booting.html 
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproinstall/thread/83e12678-271f-4a8d-82b3-8b213f79582e 
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463140.aspx 
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463525 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd799232%28WS.10%29.aspx 
http://www.logic.nl/Products/Technology/BIOS-and-EFI.aspx 
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#Booting_an_OS_using_UEFI 
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1584795 


-Windows 7
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff545499%28v=vs.85%29.aspx 
http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/29178-WinAIO-Maker-Professional-The-All-in-One-Windows-Setup-Solution 
http://www.windowsvalley.com/create-windows-7-aio-all-in-one-dvd-or-merge-all-editions-of-windows-7-in-single-dvd/ 
http://www.rt7lite.com/ 
http://www.howtogeek.com/tag/windows-7/ 
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?63273-*-Windows-7-Ultimate-Tweaks-amp-Utilities-* 
http://www.joshcellsoftwares.com/ 
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Keyboard-shortcuts 
http://reboot.pro/15593/ 
http://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.html/ 
http://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.html/#ImDisk 
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=356046 
http://agnipulse.com/2010/02/imdisk-virtual-disk-driver/ 
http://memory.dataram.com/products-and-services/software/ramdisk ?
http://lifehacker.com/5560281/move-your-caches-to-a-ram-disk-to-reduce-wear-on-ssds 
http://www.ghacks.net/2010/06/10/use-a-ram-disk-to-reduce-writes-on-solid-state-drives/ 
http://thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-windows-7-optimization-guide/ 
http://www.blackviper.com/category/guides/service-configurations/ 
http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/windows-7/2441-windows-7-ultimate-solid-state-drive-speed-tweaks.html 
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/2009/05/05/support-and-q-a-for-solid-state-drives-and.aspx 
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2069761 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb545027 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb842062 
http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/go-to-registry-key-menuext-ie/ 


-Alignment:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jimmymay/archive/2009/05/08/disk-partition-alignment-sector-alignment-make-the-case-with-this-template.aspx 
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/mydeveloperworks/blogs/anthonyv/entry/ibm_and_windows_disk_partition_alignment1?lang=en 
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2888 
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982018/en-us 
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2385637/en-us 
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/partition-alignment/ 
http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/other/157 
http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance 


-SSD:
http://thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/ssd-performance-loss-and-its-solution/ 
http://static.usenix.org/event/hotstorage10/tech/full_papers/Mohan.pdf 

(APPLE TRIM) http://www.mactrast.com/2011/07/how-to-enable-trim-support-for-all-ssds-in-os-x-lion/ 
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?271063-SSD-Write-Endurance-25nm-Vs-34nm 
http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/SSD-Tool-free-space-trimmer/td-p/51198 
http://www.ssd-life.com/ 
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253953-32-useful-articles 
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/270102-32-useful-articles-part 
http://pastebin.com/N8rY8v0i 
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/08/07/nand_flash_faces_off_synchronous_vs_asynchronous/3 
http://club.myce.com/f138/ssd-faq-297856/ 
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?74093-How-to-use-HDDErase 
http://www.ssdreview.com/review/compare/samsung-serie-830-128gb-25-inch-cxm03b1q/asssdbenchmark.html 
http://computerhardwareupgrades.blogspot.com/2012/03/quick-look-at-ssds-and-how-to-pick-one.html 
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4408/microns-p320h-a-custom-controller-native-pcie-ssd-in-350700gb-capacities 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive 
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2738 
http://www.infoworld.com/print/152263 
http://www.storagereview.com/how_upgrade_crucial_ssd_firmware 
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?79848-THE-BASIC-GUIDE-amp-FAQ-ABC-for-OCZ-SSD 
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/content.php?306-SSD-ABC-Guide 


-Software:
http://www.door2windows.com/change-oem-information-and-display-extra-text-in-system-properties/ 
http://ninite.com/ 
http://www.hirensbootcd.org/usb-booting/ 
http://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/ 
http://www.revouninstaller.com/ 
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/home 
http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm 
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/ 
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner 
https://www.virtualbox.org/ 
http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ 
http://www.hiren.info/downloads/freeware-tools/1 
http://majorgeeks.com/Glary_Utilities_d5870.html 
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/2039/TechPowerUp_GPU-Z_v0.5.5.html 
http://www.overclock.net/t/146790/memtest86 
http://www.overclock.net/t/711417/magical-jelly-bean-keyfinder 
http://www.overclock.net/t/305818/security-process-explorer 
http://www.boozet.org/dd.htm 
http://www.glarysoft.com/ 
http://www.videolan.org/ 
http://www.overclock.net/t/525501/switch 
http://www.kcsoftwares.com/?sumo 
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html 
http://www.7-zip.org/ 
http://eraser.heidi.ie/ 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx 
http://www.axantum.com/ 
http://app.jbbres.com/actions/ 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx 
http://windirstat.info/ 
http://www.hexagora.com/en_dw_davperf.asp 
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html 
http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed 
http://tweevo.com/easy-h-264-video-encoder/ 
http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/download.htm 
http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/ 
http://notepad-plus-plus.org/ 
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/ 
http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx 
http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_pro 
https://www.google.com/search?q=uTorrent&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a 
http://rainmeter.net/cms/ 
http://www.wireshark.org/ 
http://hcidesign.com/memtest/ 
http://metasploit.com/ 
http://www.tenable.com/products/nessus 
http://partedmagic.com/doku.php 
http://phyxion.net/ 
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-v2-a-tweak-ui-for-windows-7-vista 
http://dcunningham.net/media-tools/encodehd/ 
http://www.fcleaner.com/ 
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/pc-wizard.html 
http://www.wegame.com/ 
http://www.crossloop.com/ 
http://www.sandboxie.com/ 
http://www.dvdflick.net/ 
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html 
http://www.imgburn.com/ 
http://staxmedia.sourceforge.net/ 
http://www.dvdshrink.org/what_en.php 
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/RipBot264 
http://www.comodo.com/home/download/download.php?prod=anti-malware 
http://www.realvnc.com/ 
http://grandstreamdreams.blogspot.com/2009/08/devio-remote-drive-access-and.html 
http://cccp-project.net/ 
http://nosleephd.codeplex.com/ 
https://www.google.com/search?q=TRUECRYPT&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a 
http://www.filehippo.com/download_hijackthis/ 
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/internet_explorer_password.html 
http://www.online-convert.com/ 
http://findandmount.com/ 
http://www.gamesave-manager.com/?s=download 
http://phyxion.net/item/driver-sweeper.html 
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=35 
http://www.todo-backup.com/products/home/free-backup-software.htm 
http://www.killdisk.com/ 
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ 
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec 
http://www.pandorarecovery.com/ 
http://www.oo-software.com/en/products/oodiskrecovery 
http://www.softperfect.com/products/ramdisk/ 


-PC:
http://nosleephd.codeplex.com/releases/view/24052 
http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/67-windows-7-tips-tricks-and-secrets-643861?artc_pg=3 
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/45?vs=363 
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?63273-*-Windows-7-Ultimate-Tweaks-amp-Utilities-* 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883109029 
http://www.ip-adress.com/ip_tracer/ 
http://www.google.com/search?q=professor+messer&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=&oe= 
http://superuser.com/questions/106917/remote-desktop-without-a-password 
http://www.howtogeek.com/tag/windows-7/ 
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?74093-How-to-use-HDDErase 
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/ 
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/hdd/support/downloads/support_in_es.html 
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/hdd/faqView.do?b2b_bbs_msg_id=308 
http://mintywhite.com/vista/vcustomization/restore-quick-launch-shortcut-icons-in-windows-vista-how-to/ 
http://www.tweakhound.com/windows7/tweaking/13.html 
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/disable-shortcut-icon-arrow-overlay-in-windows-vista/ 
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?72309-How-to-switch-to-RAID-0-without-reinstalling 
http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html 
http://home2.paulschou.net/tools/xlate/ 
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463009.aspx 
http://techpp.com/2009/11/11/download-windows-7-iso-official-direct-download-links/ 
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-7-start-button-changer-released 
http://www.intowindows.com/configure-windows-7-taskbar-and-start-menu-transparency-level-using-taskbar-transizer/ 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd535816.aspx 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx 
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/23974/beginner-deauthorize-all-computers-associated-with-your-itunes-account/ 
http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub 
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/7142/access-windows-7-system-settings-the-easy-way/ 
http://lifehacker.com/5811545/dropbox-linker-makes-dropbox-sharing-effortless-by-automatically-copying-new-public-links 
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090801041040AAyt1mi 
http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/skype_portable 
http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media 
http://www.linuxliveusb.com/ 
http://partedmagic.com/doku.php?id=downloads 
http://code.kliu.org/misc/winisoutils/ 
http://forums.techarena.in/guides-tutorials/1172499.htm 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157236 
http://www.howtogeek.com/57442/how-to-backup-and-resurrect-a-dead-or-dying-system-disk-with-clonezilla/ 
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?72309-How-to-switch-to-RAID-0-without-reinstalling !
http://nospecifictopic.blogspot.com/2001_04_01_archive.html 
http://techpp.com/2009/11/11/download-windows-7-iso-official-direct-download-links/ 
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-prevent-users-from-installing-programs-in-windows-7 
http://windows.about.com/od/maintainandfix/ss/scansystemfiles.htm 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuwjadbtUCY&feature=related




*Q&A/Facts:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



*4K alignment?*

By default Windows 7 will align your partition to 1MB, which is fine. You don't need to do anything special. Default offset is already 4K compatible.

*SSDs:* It is important that your SSD is 4k aligned because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. Typically SSDs have a NAND Erase Block Size of 512kB and their NAND Page Size is 4kB. If your blocks and pages arent aligned then your will have reduced performance and possibly hurt your SSD's lifespan. Windows vista and newer aligns to 1024 (1MB) and there is no alignment issue. However, usually Windows XP will misalign SSDs and the offset will need to be fixed. Thus, by setting the offset to something that is 4k compatible here are no misaligned blocks or pages.

*For HDDs:*
Source 

"The sector size increase, described by Advanced Format, occurs at the hard drive media level. Host systems will continue to request and receive data from the hard Advanced Format 4K Sector drive in 512-byte sector sizes. However, the translation from 4096-byte sectors in the hard drive to the 512-byte sectors in the host will be managed in the hard drive. This process is called 512-byte emulation. It’s important that every drive partition start with an LBA offset that is aligned to the drive’s physical 4K sector. If partitions are un-aligned, then hard drive performance will be degraded"


Basically with 4K drives you need to make sure your drive is aligned properly for best performance. The default 1MB offset made my Windows 7 and 4MB (4096KB) is fine. However, if you somehow set it manually to something that is odd, then you can have decreased performance. Usually cloning or imaging software can cause issues with this.


To see if your drive is aligned look here: ( link )


More here:
 http://forum.acronis.com/forum/32883 
 http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh848035%28v=vs.85%29.aspx 
 http://consumer.media.seagate.com/2010/03/the-digital-den/4k-sector-hard-drive-primer/ 
 http://consumer.media.seagate.com/2010/03/the-digital-den/4k-sector-hard-drive-primer/ 
 http://hothardware.com/Reviews/WDs-1TB-Caviar-Green-w-Advanced-Format-Windows-XP-Users-Pay-Attention/?page=1





See disk sector info in CMD: fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo X: (where X is the drive letter)


*Le Q/A:*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)






kevindd992002 said:


> Q.
> 
> 
> kevindd992002 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15563542*
> 
> I'm not really sure, but I think I read somewhere that aligning any SSD/HDD should start from the very beginning of the drive and that is the first partition (ESP for GPT). That means that the Offset for the System partition in your picture should be 4096KB and the rest will follow.
> 
> 
> Can you confirm this?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A.
> 
> 
> xandypx said:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx;15569282*
> 
> The alignment parameter specifies the starting point for a particular partition. this may have been discussed earlier in this thread, but I'll clarify anyway.
> 
> 
> In the case of an SSD, you want to ensure that a logical sector of the *Primary DATA partition* starts exactly at the beginning of a physical page of the SSD. Without the alignment, the sector boundaries and the page boundaries will not match and sectors will span pages. That would require for a Windows write operation to clear two blocks in lieu of only one, reducing the theoretical write speed by 50%.
> 
> 
> The first two partition's relative locations under GPT don't matter. The only requirement is that the ESP (EFI) is the very first partition, preceding all others. It is also benefitial (although not required) that the free space (MSR), that you create resides in front of, and next to, your primary GPT data partition.
> 
> 
> Since the very first partition is for the UEFI, once the EUFI hands control of the system to the OS, the ESP partition is no longer used. As I mentioned before, the MSR partition is only used by the OS for certain disk intensive operations, or dynamic disks etc.., so again the alignment (offset) is not important. It is the day to day OS operation where the alignment becomes important.
> 
> 
> A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:
> 
> 
> 1024KB for the 100MB partition
> 
> 101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.
> 
> 
> Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.
> 
> 
> The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. (again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...




esocid said:


> Q: Why 4096 alignment vs. 1024?
> 
> A:
> 
> 
> esocid said:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *esocid;15530789*
> 
> I believe the 4096 thing is with the change in sector size of disks from 512 to 4096. So basically 4096 is the "new" first sector, rather than 512x2 (1024). If this is HDD or SSD specific, I am not positive.
> 
> http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-4kb-sector-disks/index.html?ca=dgr-lnxw074KB-Disksdth-LX
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BradleyW said:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *BradleyW;15533065*
> 
> Ok it's about time we got this sorted.
> 
> 
> 1. You don't need to run AHCI when using a SSD. By this, I mean you can run HDD's in raid with a SSD on its own. Whichever drives are not selected as raid will run in AHCI although the bios reports raid mode.
> 
> 
> 2. 4096 is the correct allocation size for newer storage devices. Why?
> 
> A hard drive or SSD is a chunk of free space (Let's talk in digital terms). So this free space needs to be divided into segments. By setting 1024, 1024 small little chunks can be help within a segment. By setting 4096, you can hold over 3072 more chunks per segment.
> 
> 
> 3. So yeah....why is this better?
> 
> Firstly we need to look at how information is stored and read on the hard drive. Let’s take a file. It's saved as small chunks that fit into a segment. If you use 1024 allocation size and the file will need 2000 chunks, the file will become split up. So the first 1024 chunks will be stored in the 1st segment whilst the remaining is stored into the next segment. Because the file is divided, it takes longer for the HDD/SSD and/or the OS to read/write the file. The file that requires 2000 chunks of a segment can fit into a 4096 segment. The file and information does not become scattered around. Of course, no matter what you do, chunks will become split up over time as you add and delete things on the computer and gaps in the structure appear and get filled by new files. The new files just become scattered to fill the gaps between the empty chunks that appear from previous files becoming deleted by software or the user.
> 
> 
> 4. Why to not use an allocation size higher than 4096?
> 
> Because if the units that hold tiny segments become too large of an open space, it will take the OS and the hardware far too long to find and interpret the information. It will also reduce the amount of formatted free space available to the OS and the user.
> 
> 
> Hope this helps!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BradleyW said:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *BradleyW;15611027*
> 
> Just want to clear something up.
> 
> Might wanna add to OP in my message via FQA section
> 
> Ok alignment can be 1024 or 4096. (4096 will provide better speeds in real world environments whilst 1024 will show slightly better results via benchmarks).
> 
> Allocation Unit size MUST be 4096 no matter what! Even if your alignment is at 1024!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Also see this for performance comparison!
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/70#post_15532088
Click to expand...




> for=format
> 
> pri=primary
> 
> cle=clean
> 
> cre=create
> 
> sel=select
> 
> par=partition
> 
> det=detail
> 
> del=delete
> 
> dis=disk
> 
> lis=list
> 
> log=logical
> 
> ass=assign
> 
> act=active
> 
> exi=exit





> It should also be noted that ATTO uses completely compressible data, so devices that use compression based storage, like your SSD, appear to achieve very high results. This is not a suitable test for an SSD because in the real world, data is only at least partially compressible. AS SSD uses completely incompressible data, which truly stresses the SSD without it being able to compress anything.
> 
> 
> For example..
> 
> 
> Compressible data: AAACCCFFGBBRR could be compressed to A2C2F1B1R1, where the numbers are used to decompress the data.
> 
> Incompressible data: ABCDEFGHIJKL. Using our example algorithm, there is no way to compress that!






*The Credits!*
*Warning: Spoiler!* (Click to show)


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)



*Blameless* - Thanks for the info on windows write back caching and windows write-caching buffer flushing. 





 *BradleyW* - Thanks for the info on 4k alignment. 





 *xandypx* - Thanks for the guide on configuring a drive as a boot drive using UEFI and GPT! 





 *TwoCables* - And a very special thanks to you for all the help! You're awesome!


----------



## mcg75

Great job Sean.


----------



## banging34hzs

Rated and Rep'ed, should help come tax time since Im getting a boot drive


----------



## Crabby654

Gonna rep and sub and bump you. Triple threat!


----------



## firestorm1

awesome guide. thanks for this.

rated, +rep and subbed.


----------



## Sean Webster

Thanks everyone! I appreciate it, I hope this thread helps you guys









Added some new info


----------



## kevindd992002

Following the manual alignment of the SSD in the OP would not create the system reserved partition made automatically by Windows installation disc, right?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15527448*
> Following the manual alignment of the SSD in the OP would not create the system reserved partition made automatically by Windows installation disc, right?


It shouldn't.


----------



## kevindd992002

So the process of manually aligning it to 4096 is the same for GPT partition styles? GPT should contain three partitions by default, ESP, MSR, and Basic Data partition.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15527665*
> So the process of manually aligning it to 4096 is the same for GPT partition styles? GPT should contain three partitions by default, ESP, MSR, and Basic Data partition.


I can't really answer that question fully atm, maybe later after some more learning, *but* my ssd is set to GPT and it works fine and is aligned properly.


----------



## toyz72

hmmm....not seeing any srt info in this


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *toyz72;15527761*
> hmmm....not seeing any srt info in this


Link me to that thread I helped you in


----------



## DuckieHo

Paging File does not need to be disabled and is recommended.

Disk Defragmenter should not be disabled since it will not defrag a 0RPM disk (i.e. SSD) anyways. It will still defrag your HDDs.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15527690*
> I can't really answer that question fully atm, maybe later after some more learning, *but* my ssd is set to GPT and it works fine and is aligned properly.


Your alignment is set to 4096? So you just followed the steps in the OP without creating the ESP and MSR partitions required for GPT?


----------



## hitman21988

i hope im not bringing up something that has already been posted but can something like this be done to a regular HD? More or less in the OS only? hope im not goign off topic.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DuckieHo;15527803*
> Paging File does not need to be disabled and is recommended.
> 
> Disk Defragmenter should not be disabled since it will not defrag a 0RPM disk (i.e. SSD) anyways. It will still defrag your HDDs.


Ok, will update, still adjusting everything. Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.









I realized that a while ago that derangementer doesn't need to be disabled b/c windows automatically disables it for the SSD








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15527807*
> Your alignment is set to 4096? So you just followed the steps in the OP without creating the ESP and MSR partitions required for GPT?


I did the alignment before when it was set at 1k (1024...default windows) and 4k(4096) and it didn't make the extra 100mb partition.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hitman21988;15527838*
> i hope im not bringing up something that has already been posted but can something like this be done to a regular HD? More or less in the OS only? hope im not goign off topic.


Well, you can do the alignment for newer HDD's and some of the optimizations. I think i'll go though later and label the ssd specific ones if you like.


----------



## hitman21988

ya, that would be cool if we can really optimize HD like we can do with ssd now a days.


----------



## DuckieHo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hitman21988;15527895*
> ya, that would be cool if we can really optimize HD like we can do with ssd now a days.


You can short-stroke a HDD.


----------



## XSCounter

So 4096 alignment is the new trend?









I gotta agree with *DuckieHo* on the defragmentation issue. SSDs will already be excluded from the list of possible drives to defragment and your HDDs in the system will still require defragmentation over time. So disabling it completely is not always a good thing.

Paging file is debatable. I have always left it ON shrinked to 1024MB but lately after reinstalling Windows on my laptop I disabled it and never had problems. However, some people who use very specific software which needs pagefile existence might encounter problems.

Nevertheless, great thread! Will add it to my suggested list of stickies


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter;15527920*
> So 4096 alignment is the new trend?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I gotta agree with *DuckieHo* on the defragmentation issue. SSDs will already be excluded from the list of possible drives to defragment and your HDDs in the system will still require defragmentation over time. So disabling it completely is not always a good thing.
> 
> Paging file is debatable. I have always left it ON shrinked to 1024MB but lately after reinstalling Windows on my laptop I disabled it and never had problems. However, some people who use very specific software which needs pagefile existence might encounter problems.
> 
> Nevertheless, great thread! Will add it to my suggested list of stickies


Sweet! Thanks.


----------



## UNOE

apreciate it. I knew about all these before except for WaitToKillServiceTimeout and moving user folders. Just did those about to reboot now.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *UNOE;15527993*
> apreciate it. I knew about all these before except for WaitToKillServiceTimeout and moving user folders. Just did those about to reboot now.


Glad to show you something new









I hope to add some more stuff, I just need to get it organized now.


----------



## Sneaky Payload

Here is a question, I want to do 2x SSDs in RAID 0. I know I Will lose TRIM, but will it effect my overall performance?

Should I just do 1 SSD and 1 large drive?


----------



## DuckieHo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sneaky Payload;15528088*
> Here is a question, I want to do 2x SSDs in RAID 0. I know I Will lose TRIM, but will it effect my overall performance?
> 
> Should I just do 1 SSD and 1 large drive?


TRIM will prevent your SSD for losing performance over time due to dirty fragments. You can restore a SSD to original performance with a reformat though.

There's no real benefit in RAID0 SSD for most people since it just boost sequential performance. You generally do not need to load massively large files into memory nor have another storage device fast enough to transfer from/to.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sneaky Payload;15528088*
> Here is a question, I want to do 2x SSDs in RAID 0. I know I Will lose TRIM, but will it effect my overall performance?
> 
> Should I just do 1 SSD and 1 large drive?


With the way garbage collection is on newer drives you will be fine without trim. RAID them and enjoy the faster sequential performance, but I would still rather a larger single SSD. You won't notice the difference much in real world use.

Also, your boot up time may be a tiny bit longer with drives in RAID b/c the RAID driver has to load after the bios posts.


----------



## Sneaky Payload

Awesome, thanks for the reply. Reason I ask is I got ahold of 2x Crucial M4 60gb SSDs for under 150 bucks, brand new (adorama had an awesome sale on them..). So I was thinking of doing RAID 0 for performance, and a WD caviar black for storage.

Thanks for the info!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sneaky Payload;15528160*
> Awesome, thanks for the reply. Reason I ask is I got ahold of 2x Crucial M4 60gb SSDs for under 150 bucks, brand new (adorama had an awesome sale on them..). So I was thinking of doing RAID 0 for performance, and a WD caviar black for storage.
> 
> Thanks for the info!


No problem. Congrats on the buy!


----------



## UNOE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sneaky Payload;15528088*
> Here is a question, I want to do 2x SSDs in RAID 0. I know I Will lose TRIM, but will it effect my overall performance?
> 
> Should I just do 1 SSD and 1 large drive?


Been there done that. One large SSD is better but mostly a trade off. But what ever is cheapest is good.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15527857*
> I did the alignment before when it was set at 1k (1024...default windows) and 4k(4096) and it didn't make the extra 100mb partition.


That is actually for the MBR partition. The 100MB system partition is not needed when the drive is used as an OS drive.

It's a whole different thing for GPT drives because it needs THREE partitions. The 100MB ESP (EFI System Partition), 128MB MSR (Microsoft System Reserved) partition, and the Basic Data Partition itself.

So when you used GPT, what did you actually do?







That is my question.


----------



## tw33k

Nice guide. One thing tho, point 9, AMD users should use AMD AHCI driver. It out performs msahci


----------



## Crabby654

For the Windows Defrag issue I feel like in the past when I formatted my SSD and put windows on it, sometimes it would have it enabled for the SSD and sometimes it wouldn't. Although I've heard if you run the Windows Experience Index tool (the performance thing) it will auto change it to off for the SSD.

If anyone does do the 4096 partition on an M4..do some benchies and post!


----------



## XSCounter

*Tweek* is right. Use the corresponding driver for each controller for the best performance:

AMD: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/raid_windows.aspx
Intel: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?ProductID=2101&DwnldID=20215&lang=eng&iid=dc_rss


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tw33k;15529880*
> Nice guide. One thing tho, point 9, AMD users should use AMD AHCI driver. It out performs msahci


Done, that stuff was outdated eh? lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654;15530021*
> For the Windows Defrag issue I feel like in the past when I formatted my SSD and put windows on it, sometimes it would have it enabled for the SSD and sometimes it wouldn't. Although I've heard if you run the Windows Experience Index tool (the performance thing) it will auto change it to off for the SSD.
> 
> If anyone does do the 4096 partition on an M4..do some benchies and post!


I'll do one soon and see if there is a difference in performance.

I've never had defrag enabled myself, I'll put a note to verify in the op.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter;15530031*
> *Tweek* is right. Use the corresponding driver for each controller for the best performance:
> 
> AMD: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/raid_windows.aspx
> Intel: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?ProductID=2101&DwnldID=20215&lang=eng&iid=dc_rss


Thanks









note: i'll be back in 2 hrs, off to college lol


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Great guide Sean. And to elaborate on this part:
Quote:


> Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features:
> 1.) Click Start > Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features
> 2.) Click the Turn Windows features on or off from the left pane.
> 3.) Now uncheck all the features that you don't use in Windows 7 [ex. "Games"], click OK, and then restart the system for the changes to take effect.


Just noticed this last night while reformatting and going through your guide: "Windows Search" is also located in there. Even if you turn it off via "services.msc" and "Administrative Services" in the Control Panel....when you click on the Windows icon you can still type in whatever you want to search for (at least that's how it was for me). So, _if_ you want it completely removed, just un-check the box in what you listed above.

I love how Microsoft makes completely turning off unwanted things a pain sometimes.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15530345*
> Great guide Sean. And to elaborate on this part:
> 
> Just noticed this last night while reformatting and going through your guide: "Windows Search" is also located in there. Even if you turn it off via "services.msc" and "Administrative Services" in the Control Panel....when you click on the Windows icon you can still type in whatever you want to search for (at least that's how it was for me). So, _if_ you want it completely removed, just un-check the box in what you listed above.
> 
> I love how Microsoft makes completely turning off unwanted things a pain sometimes.


I check it when I get home. Also, tell me if anything needs to be adjusted...like the step by step guides.


----------



## Nocturin

I can't wait to get an SSD and W7 to try all this







.

2 more quarters!


----------



## Tranquil

+Rep

Great guide!


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15530375*
> I check it when I get home. Also, tell me if anything needs to be adjusted...like the step by step guides.


Will do. I think alignment (and pagefile size for example) are one of the few of things you see varying opinions on with these ssd guides, but I'll look around at some other ones I've been following for a while and get back to you.

For example, you have:

*create partition primary align=4096*

compared to a few threads below:

*create partition primary align=1024*

Is there a reason you chose 4096? I formatted it your way and I don't have any issues, I just wanted to know.


----------



## Arimis5226

Kudos man. Awesome thread. Thanks for rounding all this info up into one location.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15530461*
> Will do. I think alignment (and pagefile size for example) are one of the few of things you see varying opinions on with these ssd guides, but I'll look around at some other ones I've been following for a while and get back to you.
> 
> For example, you have:
> 
> *create partition primary align=4096*
> 
> compared to a few threads below:
> 
> *create partition primary align=1024*
> 
> Is there a reason you chose 4096? I formatted it your way and I don't have any issues, I just wanted to know.


4096 is what it should have been in other guides before. It is more optimal for ssd's and newer hdd's. 1024 is just default by windows. I will try to find some info on it.


----------



## BinaryDemon

From what I have read Win7 does alignment correctly and automatically when doing a clean install onto a SSD. The beginning part of this guide is probably only needed when cloning an existing installation onto a SSD or working with an older OS (Vista/XP).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BinaryDemon;15530525*
> From what I have read Win7 does alignment correctly and automatically when doing a clean install onto a SSD. The beginning part of this guide is probably only needed when cloning an existing installation onto a SSD or working with an older OS (Vista/XP).


You are correct, windows does align properly, but it is more optimal to have it align 4k rather than default.

Now I have to find this info lol. If I am wrong I will correct myself, but it has been agreed with by a few other members.


----------



## noahhova

Awesome guide, well layed out and easy to read. Love the clean list style. I have a couple of these types of threads subbed however, this one will be my "go to" list for when I format my SSD now.

Well done.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *noahhova;15530557*
> Awesome guide, well layed out and easy to read. Love the clean list style. I have a couple of these types of threads subbed however, this one will be my "go to" list for when I format my SSD now.
> 
> Well done.


Thanks, if you would like to contribute to it that would be awesome too.


----------



## lightsout

People still do all this junk. I know with early ssd's a lot of these things were needed. But I think some of this stuff is just not necessary. I used to freak out about all these things everytime I reformatted. Now I just turn off hibernation to save some space. Do you have some before and after benches to show a benifit.


----------



## Crabby654

Well he does list all the other tweaks as optional and not necessary. And most of those tweaks are for saving space regardless. Still think its a nice cleaner guide that is actually updated compared to most of whats stickied or floating around anyway.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15530482*
> 4096 is what it should have been in other guides before. It is more optimal for ssd's and newer hdd's. 1024 is just default by windows. I will try to find some info on it.


Oh ok. Sooooooo I probably should have aligned my 2TB Hitachi drive I use for external storage _*before*_ I put 1.46TB of stuff on it huh.







lol


----------



## infected rat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15530554*
> You are correct, windows does align properly, but it is more optimal to have it align 4k rather than default.


Everyone has been saying that lately and it may well be correct, but no one has attempted to justify WHY 4096K is preferable to 1024K.

The reason we align to 1024 is to make sure sectors don't span the erase block size of the SSD, which would cause one block deletions to span two blocks, thus significantly impacting performance. Since 4096 is a multiple of 1024 it will also clearly have the same effect regarding the erase block size but what is the actual justification for it being 4096 specifically?

I really don't think "I don't know" is an acceptable answer when the guide very explicitly pins the answer as 4096K.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lightsout;15530585*
> People still do all this junk. I know with early ssd's a lot of these things were needed. But I think some of this stuff is just not necessary. I used to freak out about all these things everytime I reformatted. Now I just turn off hibernation to save some space. Do you have some before and after benches to show a benifit.


I agree, but this has other info to optimize windows in general to and I am trying to put all the info on this stuff in one place. It is really a personal guide lol


----------



## Crabby654

This is what I have found out in the previous "Win 7 SSD's setup and secrets guide":

Originally Posted by crabby654
Quote:


> Sorry not to harp on this again but I'm having a bit of trouble finding a definitive reason why. But how is the 4096 alignment better than the 1024?
> 
> I'm only asking because I can't seem to find a for sure source of why its better and I'm curious if its format worthy


Originally Posted by BradleyW
Quote:


> It will allow more segments of information to be stored per cluster. Too little reduces performance. Too high of a number will also cause storage and performance issues. 4096 is optimal, it performs the best and that's just how it is. Put it this way, in 5 minutes i will be cleaning all my hdd's and putting windows on the raid setup. I will then format the SSD in windows to 4096 with the latest firmware too. Then i'm putting windows back on the SSD using raid for software


----------



## Sean Webster

Ok, I edited the alignment step. Like I said in the op, this is what I do, this is what I feel comfortable with. You can choose to do what you like in this guide. I will try to link info on each part if you guys would like explanations


----------



## infected rat

Nice work, I'm not saying 4096K is wrong just that I have not seen a convincing argument for doing it. "It's better, trust me" is about as good as we've got so far! lol

Anyway, good guide and nice that you're here taking comments about it and maintaining things


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *infected rat;15530761*
> Nice work, I'm not saying 4096K is wrong just that I have not seen a convincing argument for doing it. "It's better, trust me" is about as good as we've got so far! lol
> 
> Anyway, good guide and nice that you're here taking comments about it and maintaining things


Thanks, I'm trying my best lol. If you can find info on 4k alignment I would appreciate it. I've been making this guide from my itouch lol


----------



## esocid

I believe the 4096 thing is with the change in sector size of disks from 512 to 4096. So basically 4096 is the "new" first sector, rather than 512x2 (1024). If this is HDD or SSD specific, I am not positive.

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-4kb-sector-disks/index.html?ca=dgr-lnxw074KB-Disksdth-LX
Quote:


> Starting in December 2009, hard disk manufacturers began introducing disks that use 4096-byte sectors rather than the more common 512-byte sectors. Although this change is masked by firmware that breaks the 4096-byte physical sectors into 512-byte logical sectors for the benefit of the operating system, the use of larger physical sectors has implications for disk layout and system performance.


----------



## Crabby654




----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *esocid;15530789*
> I believe the 4096 thing is with the change in sector size of disks from 512 to 4096. So basically 4096 is the "new" first sector, rather than 512x2 (1024). If this is HDD or SSD specific, I am not positive.
> 
> http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-4kb-sector-disks/index.html?ca=dgr-lnxw074KB-Disksdth-LX


Thanks. Rep+


----------



## adridu59

I suggest you to remove the disable windows defrag tip in Crabby654 quote :
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DuckieHo;15527803*
> Disk Defragmenter should not be disabled since it will not defrag a 0RPM disk (i.e. SSD) anyways. It will still defrag your HDDs.


Also I agree on the paging file stuff :
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DuckieHo;15527803*
> Paging File does not need to be disabled and is recommended.


Otherwise its a very good guide man !


----------



## Sean Webster

If you have an issue updating your firmware from within Windows do this:

Click Start
In the Start menu, type *Device Manager*, hit Enter
Click "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers"
You will see AMD SATA Controller, Intel SATA controller, etc., right click and click "Properties"
Go to the "Driver" tab
Click "Update Driver"
Click "Browse my Computer"
Click "Let me pick"
You will see the option to choose "Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller", click this and click "Next" and let it install
Then reboot and try to install the new firmware for your drive now


----------



## Crabby654

Ya I changed my original thread: http://www.overclock.net/ssd/1103319-ssd-general-information-compilation.html

To reflect that change of not turning off windows defrag given it seems to be not necessary anymore.

I do agree with using a Pagefile of at least 1Gb because I've had programs be pissed at me for turning it off, so I just left it at 1000-1000 and no issues


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15527665*
> So the process of manually aligning it to 4096 is the same for GPT partition styles? GPT should contain three partitions by default, ESP, MSR, and Basic Data partition.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15527807*
> Your alignment is set to 4096? So you just followed the steps in the OP without creating the ESP and MSR partitions required for GPT?


Hey Sean, gotta jump on this bandwagon, from a "need to know" aspect. Can you provide some insight. Below are the "standard requirements" for a GUID Partition Table (GPT) boot device.

Every GPT disk must contain an MSR, or the DATA on the disk can't be accessed properly. In your formatting senario, running diskpart on your functional SSD, are you sure you ended up with GPT, rather than MBR?

Diskpart is the only way you can see the MSR, but with the caveat below. The MSR, may not show up, without the ESP.

On another note....

Although it is possible to eliminate the ESP (It is very similar to the 100MB "system partition" in MBR), it is not adviseable. The ESP contains a very important piece of information as outline below:

A very important thing that is contained in this partition under GPT, is a "legacy" Protective MBR at sector 0 of the drive. This ensures a protection of the GPT disk from MBR disk tools such as Microsoft MS-DOS FDISK or Microsoft Windows NT Disk Administrator, as well as other disk programs that run in the pre-OS environment.

These type of programs are not GPT "aware". They therefore cannot access a GPT disk. This type of legacy software that does not know about GPT interprets only the Protected MBR when it accesses a GPT disk. These tools will view a GPT disk as having a single encompassing (possibly unrecognized) partition by interpreting the Protected MBR, rather than mistaking the disk for one that is unpartitioned/unformatted etc... It ensures that you can't, (or often can) run a utility outside of the OS on a GPT partition, that is looking for MBR information.

Without the ESP partition, these "legacy" (only to the new GPT disk) programs, cannot be run on a disk formatted as GPT. They actually can be run, but usually with unexpected results... "Oh ****! Where'd all my stuff go?"

Although the UEFI stores some information regarding the pre-boot environment in its firmware, it also uses this partition to store some additional preboot information. This will become more important down the road, as the UEFI starts to mature, and is used for more than just booting the PC.


----------



## esocid

Well, now I'm not sure where the 4096 came from. It' still a multiple of 512, so it doesn't really matter since it aligns properly.

http://www.speedguide.net/articles/ssd-speed-tweaks-3319&print=friendly
Quote:


> MLC NAND flash drives generally have 512KB erase block size (128 pages * 4KB per page = 512KB per block).
> Filesystems like NTFS usually have 4KB (4096 bytes) default cluster size.
> To align the partition of a single drive with a single NAND flash controller, you should use 512KB.
> For a single drive with dual NAND flash controllers, you should double the sectors to 1024KB.


----------



## Nocturin

/\

that was awesome.

Oh and the people asking about 1024 vs 4k. Drives are now manufactured w/ 4k. Best to give them what they want!

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2888

EDIT: I do not know what I'm talking about


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx;15530989*
> Hey Sean, gotta jump on this bandwagon, from a "need to know" aspect. Can you provide some insight. Below are the "standard requirements" for a GUID Partition Table (GPT) boot device.
> 
> Every GPT disk must contain an MSR, or the DATA on the disk can't be accessed properly. In your formatting senario, running diskpart on your functional SSD, are you sure you ended up with GPT, rather than MBR?
> 
> Diskpart is the only way you can see the MSR, but with the caveat below. The MSR, may not show up, without the ESP.
> 
> On another note....
> 
> Although it is possible to eliminate the ESP (It is very similar to the 100MB "system partition" in MBR), it is not adviseable. The ESP contains a very important piece of information as outline below:
> 
> A very important thing that is contained in this partition under GPT, is a "legacy" Protective MBR at sector 0 of the drive. This ensures a protection of the GPT disk from MBR disk tools such as Microsoft MS-DOS FDISK or Microsoft Windows NT Disk Administrator, as well as other disk programs that run in the pre-OS environment.
> 
> These type of programs are not GPT "aware". They therefore cannot access a GPT disk. This type of legacy software that does not know about GPT interprets only the Protected MBR when it accesses a GPT disk. These tools will view a GPT disk as having a single encompassing (possibly unrecognized) partition by interpreting the Protected MBR, rather than mistaking the disk for one that is unpartitioned/unformatted etc... It ensures that you can't, (or often can) run a utility outside of the OS on a GPT partition, that is looking for MBR information.
> 
> Without the ESP partition, these "legacy" (only to the new GPT disk) programs, cannot be run on a disk formatted as GPT. They actually can be run, but usually with unexpected results... "Oh ****! Where'd all my stuff go?"
> 
> Although the UEFI stores some information regarding the pre-boot environment in its firmware, it also uses this partition to store some additional preboot information. This will become more important down the road, as the UEFI starts to mature, and is used for more than just booting the PC.


I'll get back to you on that. :/
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *esocid;15531263*
> Well, now I'm not sure where the 4096 came from. It' still a multiple of 512, so it doesn't really matter since it aligns properly.
> 
> http://www.speedguide.net/articles/ssd-speed-tweaks-3319&print=friendly


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin;15531276*
> /\
> 
> that was awesome.
> 
> Oh and the people asking about 1024 vs 4k. Drives are now manufactured w/ 4k. Best to give them what they want!
> 
> http://www.anandtech.com/show/2888
> 
> EDIT: I do not know what I'm talking about


Hmmm, I need to ask someone who knows for sure, I'll update you with what I learn.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin;15531276*
> /\
> 
> that was awesome.
> 
> Oh and the people asking about 1024 vs 4k. Drives are now manufactured w/ 4k. Best to give them what they want!
> 
> http://www.anandtech.com/show/2888
> 
> EDIT: I do not know what I'm talking about


Nice read actually but this caught my eye:
Quote:


> So what's the net benefit from all of this for consumers? At the moment, not a lot, which is why this is a low-key launch for Western Digital, and the focus of this is an education effort on what the use of 4K sectors means for older operating systems. The biggest benefit is going to be that this will enable Western Digital to more easily design drives over 2TB in size.
> 
> From a numbers perspective, Western Digital estimates that the use of 4K sectors will give them an immediate 7%-11% increase in format efficiency. ECC burst error correction stands to improve by 50%, and the overall error rate capability improves by 2 orders of magnitude. In theory these reliability benefits should immediately apply to all 4K sector drives (making the Advanced Format drives more reliable than regular drives), but Western Digital is not pushing that idea at this time.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654;15531304*
> Nice read actually but this caught my eye:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> So what's the net benefit from all of this for consumers? At the moment, not a lot, which is why this is a low-key launch for Western Digital, and the focus of this is an education effort on what the use of 4K sectors means for older operating systems. The biggest benefit is going to be that this will enable Western Digital to more easily design drives over 2TB in size.
> 
> From a numbers perspective, Western Digital estimates that the use of 4K sectors will give them an immediate 7%-11% increase in format efficiency. ECC burst error correction stands to improve by 50%, and the overall error rate capability improves by 2 orders of magnitude. In theory these reliability benefits should immediately apply to all 4K sector drives (making the Advanced Format drives more reliable than regular drives), but Western Digital is not pushing that idea at this time.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I remember originally reading about it a while ago.


----------



## Nocturin

The I guess the question is the relevance to SSDs, rotational media is a sure thing.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin;15531397*
> The I guess the question is the relevance to SSDs, rotational media is a sure thing.


Yep, I just pm'ed a few people, i'll see what info I can get out of them


----------



## Nemesis158

Great guide









You forgot about Patriot memory though:
http://patriotmemory.com/support/driversp.jsp


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nemesis158;15531447*
> Great guide
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You forgot about Patriot memory though:
> http://patriotmemory.com/support/driversp.jsp


Thanks


----------



## kevindd992002

It's nice to know we're discussing about the 1024 vs. 4096 thing especially when different partition styles like MBR and GPT are involved







I hope we can all get to the bottom of this once and for all. I think it's about time we all learn about GPT as well, besides it's the future









Oh one more thing, what would be the best cluster size to use when formatting Storage drives?


----------



## Nocturin

Oh yea, I subbed for reason


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15531624*
> It's nice to know we're discussing about the 1024 vs. 4096 thing especially when different partition styles like MBR and GPT are involved
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hope we can all get to the bottom of this once and for all. I think it's about time we all learn about GPT as well, besides it's the future
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh one more thing, what would be the best cluster size to use when formatting Storage drives?


Ok now I am a bit confused, with the different partition styles is there a way to choose which style you will create the primary partition?


----------



## Nemesis158

Has anyone used and noticed any improvement using 4096?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nemesis158;15531769*
> Has anyone used and noticed any improvement using 4096?


I'll let you know in a few minutes, I just reinstalled following the guide, I actually changed the order and steps of some parts lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

OK everyone! I just reinstalled windows 7 using 4096 alignment and there is no performance increase as far as I can tell over 1024. I get the same results as I did before in AS SSD with my crucial M4 on firmware 0009. Maybe access times?

So I am just going to use 4096 still.

Before:









After:


----------



## Crabby654

Man I really am struggling to find information on the benefits of 4096 alignment. As long as the alignment is divisible by 512 then it will be properly aligned. So a 4096 alignment will not hurt anything in terms of it being correct. Thats about all I can find to be totally honest with all the googling ><

And as you pointed out Sean you gained a year with SSD Life but no I/O loss or gain. So the question remains other than possibly pro-longing the lifespan of your SSD, what else is the benefit?


----------



## Dustin1

Excellent guide Sean!









+Rep, and keep up the good work my friend!


----------



## King Who Dat

agreed. very nice work here. this is just what I needed. finally someone breaks it down step by step. this must have taken forever to do and I for one truly appreciate your efforts. you are what OCN is all about bro. Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654;15532630*
> Man I really am struggling to find information on the benefits of 4096 alignment. As long as the alignment is divisible by 512 then it will be properly aligned. So a 4096 alignment will not hurt anything in terms of it being correct. Thats about all I can find to be totally honest with all the googling ><
> 
> And as you pointed out Sean you gained a year with SSD Life but no I/O loss or gain. So the question remains other than possibly pro-longing the lifespan of your SSD, what else is the benefit?


I still am going to get to the answer, just not atm, maybe when I get a clear answer or free time to find out lol

We need others to replicate my result though, like you said it may be a glitch.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dustin1;15532655*
> Excellent guide Sean!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> +Rep, and keep up the good work my friend!


Thanks.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *danielwiley;15532806*
> agreed. very nice work here. this is just what I needed. finally someone breaks it down step by step. this must have taken forever to do and I for one truly appreciate your efforts. you are what OCN is all about bro. Thanks.


Thanks, I told you I was the man when it comes to this stuff









And I did most of it from an iTouch lol

I spent 8+ hours creating the guide I have learned a ton in a very short amount of time. My thoughts are getting cloudy, I need a break









Don't forget to give me suggestions on things to add


----------



## Crabby654

Well for anyone subbed for 4096 alignment information, all the props to BradleyW for making it a bit more clear with this quote!
Quote:


> Ok it's about time we got this sorted.
> 
> 1. You don't need to run AHCI when using a SSD. By this, i mean you can run hdd's in raid with a SSD on it's own. Whichever drives are not selected as raid will run in ahci although the bios reports raid mode.
> 
> 2. 4096 is the correct allication size for newer storage devices. Why?
> A hard drive or SSD is a chunk of free space (Let's talk in digital terms). So this free space needs to be devided into segments. By setting 1024, 1024 small little chunks can be help within a segment. By setting 4096, you can hold over 3072 more chunks per segment.
> 
> 3. So yeah....why is this better?
> Firstly we need to look at how information is stored and read on the hard drive. Lets take a file. It's saved as small chunks that fit into a segment. If you use 1024 allication size and the file will need 2000 chunks, the file will become split up. So the first 1024 chunks will be stored in the 1st segment whilst the remaining is stored into the next segment. Because the file is devided, it takes longer for the hdd, ssd and/or the OS to read/write the file. The file that requires 2000 chunks of a segment can fit into a 4096 segment. The file and information does not become scattered around. Of course, no matter what you do, chunks will become split up over time as you add and delete things on the computer and gaps in the stucture appear and get filled by new files. The new files just become scattered to fill the gaps between the empty chunks that appear from previous files becoming deleted by software or the user.
> 
> 4. Why not use an allication size higher than 4096?
> Because if the units that hold tiny segments become too large of an open space, it will take the OS and the hardware far too long to find and interpiete the information. It will also reduce the amount of formatted free space avialable to the OS and the user.
> 
> Hope this helps!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654;15533153*
> Well for anyone subbed for 4096 alignment information, all the props to BradleyW for making it a bit more clear with this quote!


Beat you to it


----------



## Crabby654

/fist!...eer /shakefist @you

Now that its a bit more clear, I am kind of wanting to do it to my system now.


----------



## Sean Webster

*How to: Move system Reserve partition from secondary drive to the C: drive:*


Download EasyBCD. It is free for non-commercial use, just click the "Download free for limited, non-commercial use" link.

After downloading, start EasyBCD. Select the Tool from the "toolbox" for "BCD Deployment."

Make sure that your SSD is selected in the upper box (the partition on the SSD).
Click the Radio button for "Install the Vista/Win7 bootloader to the MBR"
Click "Write MBR". (This will make a copy of your current BCD onto your SSD.)

Before exiting, click the "View settings" tool, and make sure the Entry shows drive C:\ as the default windows 7 entry. If it does, you're done.
Shut windows down, reboot, and then in disk management youcan delete the 100mb partition from your HDD, and then extend the other partition on the drive to use the space.


----------



## Nocturin

good to know, i will be formatting as 4k, referencing this guide when i get my new rig all nice and ready for birth







.

Sean, again, thanks for the great guide!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15530345*
> Great guide Sean. And to elaborate on this part:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features:
> 1.) Click Start > Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features
> 2.) Click the Turn Windows features on or off from the left pane.
> 3.) Now uncheck all the features that you don't use in Windows 7 [ex. "Games"], click OK, and then restart the system for the changes to take effect.
Click to expand...

Ok, so basically this is to uninstall parts of windows that you don't use, for example I don't use IE9, Media Features, Tablet PC Components, and Windows Gadget Platform so I uncheck those and it uninstalls them.

You should look up what they are via google or similar and see what you need.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15530345*
> Just noticed this last night while reformatting and going through your guide: "Windows Search" is also located in there. Even if you turn it off via "services.msc" and "Administrative Services" in the Control Panel....when you click on the Windows icon you can still type in whatever you want to search for (at least that's how it was for me). So, _if_ you want it completely removed, just un-check the box in what you listed above.
> 
> I love how Microsoft makes completely turning off unwanted things a pain sometimes.


lol Thinks for the tip


----------



## BradleyW

Glad i could help you all on the 4096 Allication size question.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15533544*
> Ok, so basically this is to uninstall parts of windows that you don't use, for example I don't use IE9, Media Features, Tablet PC Components, and Windows Gadget Platform so I uncheck those and it uninstalls them.
> 
> You should look up what they are via google or similar and see what you need.
> 
> lol Thinks for the tip


You are most welcome.


----------



## EmeraldICE

Man you couldn't have posted this at a better time. I'll be getting my first SSD next month. Thank you!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EmeraldICE;15534496*
> Man you couldn't have posted this at a better time. I'll be getting my first SSD next month. Thank you!


No problem









A new step will be added to the guide!(if it is good, and it should be) It pertains to GPT partitioning and Users with UEFI bioses. Basically there needs to be 3 partitions created and one is for the uefi bios as an extension.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463525

Also, I'm adding in how to adjust your services and start up programs.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15534973*
> Also, I'm adding in how to adjust your services and start up programs.


Google "Black Viper services"







and make a guide from there. I've been going to his site for years.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15535314*
> Google "Black Viper services"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and make a guide from there. I've been going to his site for years.


hehe, I already got it.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15535348*
> hehe, I already got it.












Also, if you want to add a PartedMagic section at the end of the ssd guide that would be great. It's SecureErase function works wonderfully.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15535405*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, if you want to add a PartedMagic section at the end of the ssd guide that would be great. It's SecureErase function works wonderfully.


OK, I was thinking about that


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15535423*
> OK, I was thinking about that


The only time it can be a pain is _if_ the secure function is locked. If that's the case: You have to reboot, go into the bios and turn on "hot swap" on the sata ports, save & exit, then turn off the computer, disconnect the ssd, turn on and boot to PartedMagic, then plug the ssd back in (I connected it to a Sata II port). Finally, the SecureErase should be unlocked.

I found a post on here yesterday that explained basically the same thing, but I added an extra step. It was driving me insane before I found said post. It was never locked on my old G.Skill ssd, but it was with my Mushkin. Aaaand if SecureErase is not locked.....then there's no need to go through all that.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15535507*
> The only time it can be a pain is _if_ the secure function is locked. If that's the case: You have to reboot, go into the bios and turn on "hot swap" on the sata ports, save & exit, then turn off the computer, disconnect the ssd, turn on and boot to PartedMagic, then plug the ssd back in (I connected it to a Sata II port). Finally, the SecureErase should be unlocked.
> 
> I found a post on here yesterday that explained basically the same thing, but I added an extra step. It was driving me insane before I found said post. It was never locked on my old G.Skill ssd, but it was with my Mushkin. Aaaand if SecureErase is not locked.....then there's no need to go through all that.


Thanks again,

100 posts and nearly 2,000 views in 24 hrs!


----------



## Crabby654

Taken from my SSD General Info thread!
Quote:


> Secure Erasing
> 
> Over time you may notice your SSD's performance degrade or might not feel as snappy as it was from right out of the box. Over time when data is deleted off of your SSD it will not fully erase and leave "garbage data" behind and will make future writes slower, generally lowering performance.
> 
> Now if your SSD is enabled in AHCI mode and supports TRIM, then TRIM will over time securing wipe sectors that had data on them but was deleted. TRIM works overtime and usually only when the system is idle. If you have had your SSD for awhile and want it brand new out of the box then doing a full Secure Erase on your SSD all at once would be the best option.
> 
> Secure Erasing an SSD will effectively make each sector on the SSD a blank and empty spot just like it was out of the box. If you believe it is time for you to Secure Erase your SSD there are multiple ways you can go about it. My preferred way about Secure Erasing is the Parted Magic program. With Parted Magic you will basically need a blank CD/DVD
> 
> Download Link for Parted Magic -> http://partedmagic.com/doku.php
> Corsairs Parted Magic Guide (will work on any SSD) ->http://blog.corsair.com/?p=4484
> 
> Freeze Lock
> 
> If you do decide to use Parted Magic to Secure Erase and are having issues with your SSD being "Freeze Locked" or not showing up then try this:
> 
> 1. Enable AHCI mode in the UEFI/BIOS and enable Hot Swap on all everything.
> 2. Unplug EVERYTHING (including the SSD) on your Sata ports but your CD/DVD drive.
> 3. Load up Parted Magic and when in the main GUI plug your SSD into a normal Sata 2 port.
> 
> Basically "Freeze Locking" your SSD will not let it be allowed to be Secure Erased. If the UEFI/BIOS recognizes the SSD as plugged in at boot up then it will lock it. If you plug in the SSD after the computer is on then it will not be locked and it should be able to be Secure Erased normally.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

^^^^^ That was it. I added the "then turn off the computer, disconnect the ssd, turn on and boot to PartedMagic" because it wasn't that clear (at least to me) in that post.


----------



## Sean Webster

Added secure erase and some links.


----------



## firestorm1

i do have a question. is there a guide floating around here on how to set up a raid 0 array? i know the concequences of the raid 0 but i have an image backup, so im not worried if something happens. i want to pick up another 60gb force gt and pair it with the one i already have.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15538137*
> i do have a question. is there a guide floating around here on how to set up a raid 0 array? i know the concequences of the raid 0 but i have an image backup, so im not worried if something happens. i want to pick up another 60gb force gt and pair it with the one i already have.


I'll either find one or make one lol.

All you need to do is set SATA to RAID, boot off your raid drivers cd, install/create array.

I think thats it lol, it's been a while. I'll look for a better guide


----------



## firestorm1

damn. didnt realize it was that simple lol. but i would be interested in reading whatever you find. im all for learning someting new.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15538220*
> damn. didnt realize it was that simple lol. but i would be interested in reading whatever you find. im all for learning someting new.


I just got the best idea, read your mobo manual! XD

I remember that is what I did. lol

I'm still looking...I can't find anything "good" for AMD


----------



## firestorm1

i did earlier. asus isnt known for being self explainatory lol. but ill go through it again and see if i missed something.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15538303*
> i did earlier. asus isnt known for being self explainatory lol. but ill go through it again and see if i missed something.


*Set up RAID for AMD:*

Change the HDD to Raid mode
Then when you restart your PC hit Ctrl+I(maybe?), it will take you to raid setup menu
Choose create a raid volume,
Choose the device you wanna add to raid
Then when you done choosing, hit enter, it will go to raid setup,
Choose your raid type (Raid0 or Raid 1, whatever you wanna do).
Give your raid volume a name and finish it
Also
Quote:


> BIOS settings are correct. Now once you enable RAID and reboot, when the RAID screen pops up and says press ctrl+l/g or whatever it is, do that. when the setup menu comes up, select create raid, once in this menu you can change the name of the config if you feel like as well as the size. Leave everything else the way it is (0-stripe / 128kb) and now save the config. Reboot and start reinstalling Windows 7. If Windows 7 doesn't pickup your RAID config have your RAID drivers ready (motherboard driver disc or the driver on a usb) and load driver (bottom left corner) if needed. If Windows 7 sees the config just continue installing and your done. Keep in mind Windows will see the drives as one drive when properly configured. So your 500's will show up as a 1TB (formatted to 931GB or whatever 1TB's format to).


Read this thread: http://www.overclock.net/hard-drives-storage/484367-guide-all-you-ever-wanted-know.html

Generally what you do lol


----------



## firestorm1

sweet. sounds easy enough. thise ssd is blazing fast on its own, so i can only imagine having twice the speed when i get another one.


----------



## UNOE

This tool
http://www.overclock.net/ssd/1068948-awesome-tool-folder-hardlinks-junctions.html

I really liked this you may want to add something like this to your post.
This really helped me create links. and really freed up space on my SSD like I linked my itunes folder and iphone backup folders off the SSD and linked them to another drive. The biggest problem I had with SSD space was gone after I downloaded this I know can have one or two games on my SSD linked for a few weeks then link it off and put a different game linked to C: that I'm currently playing at the moment. Linking is in my opinion a essential with a SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *UNOE;15539674*
> This tool
> http://www.overclock.net/ssd/1068948-awesome-tool-folder-hardlinks-junctions.html
> 
> I really liked this you may want to add something like this to your post.
> This really helped me create links. and really freed up space on my SSD like I linked my itunes folder and iphone backup folders off the SSD and linked them to another drive. The biggest problem I had with SSD space was gone after I downloaded this I know can have one or two games on my SSD linked for a few weeks then link it off and put a different game linked to C: that I'm currently playing at the moment. Linking is in my opinion a essential with a SSD.


Thanks, I'll put in your thread


----------



## UNOE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15539704*
> Thanks, I'll put in your thread


Sounds good. Thanks
Just to clarify its not just Shortcuts. They are more powerful. You can actually CD into these links from cmd. The program will see it as if it was on the drive. I'm sure you know that though.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *UNOE;15539774*
> Sounds good. Thanks
> Just to clarify its not just Shortcuts. They are more powerful. You can actually CD into these links from cmd. The program will see it as if it was on the drive. I'm sure you know that though.


hehe


----------



## guyladouche

Subscribed! Just built a rig for my lady--first ever build involving a SSD. Didn't do anything yet other than install windows/programs, and I'll have to read through this more thoroughly this evening and do the tricks/tips!

Thanks!


----------



## firestorm1

i think this should be a sticky. ive learned a bit reading some of this stuff.

you have my vote


----------



## TwoCables

The "alignment" section is missing a step. The version I sent to you had the first step being to disconnect all drives except for the SSD in order to avoid having the boot sector getting installed to a secondary drive. Of course, the optical drive(s) must remain connected so that the instruction can be followed.

How did that step get removed?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TwoCables;15542214*
> The "alignment" section is missing a step. The version I sent to you had the first step being to disconnect all drives except for the SSD in order to avoid having the boot sector getting installed to a secondary drive. Of course, the optical drive(s) must remain connected so that the instruction can be followed.
> 
> How did that step get removed?


I moved it to the section of steps above.


----------



## TwoCables

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15542237*
> I moved it to the section of steps above.


Oh. I missed it because that's a list of "settings".


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15538137*
> i do have a question. is there a guide floating around here on how to set up a raid 0 array? i know the concequences of the raid 0 but i have an image backup, so im not worried if something happens. i want to pick up another 60gb force gt and pair it with the one i already have.


The lack of TRIM in a RAID configuration for ssd's is another topic people debate. The posts in this link by member MushkinSean are a nice little read: http://www.mushkingames.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=18832#wrap


----------



## Domino

just doing a few of these things improved my reads on my x25-m by about 50 mb/s. No updates in firmware yet.

Thanks...feels like a new drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Domino;15542812*
> just doing a few of these things improved my reads on my x25-m by about 50 mb/s. No updates in firmware yet.
> 
> Thanks...feels like a new drive.










wow, that is awesome! Congrats.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15542438*
> The lack of TRIM in a RAID configuration for ssd's is another topic people debate. The posts in this link by member MushkinSean are a nice little read: http://www.mushkingames.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=18832#wrap


i read that. but in all honesty, i dont plan on keeping these drives for more than a year or 2 at most. im always upgrading something. so the lack of TRIM support shouldnt affect the read/write speeds that much for me to worry. thats even if it affects it at all.

EDIT:

also, whats a good benchmark to test a ssd. i read that ATTO is pretty reliable. i was also informed last night that benchmarking a ssd can cause it to wear faster than normal use. can anyone confirm/deny this? i dont plan on benching every day, but i would like to check my read/speeds every so often


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


i read that. but in all honesty, i dont plan on keeping these drives for more than a year or 2 at most. im always upgrading something. so the lack of TRIM support shouldnt affect the read/write speeds that much for me to worry. thats even if it affects it at all.


Hey man wait till next year when the price per gigabyte goes down by a lot. At least thats my plan. I'm hoping to at least get a 250Gb for around 300ish or cheaper next year....well one can hope right?

And I know raids don't support trim, but they support Garbage Collection no?


----------



## pioneerisloud

If its an Intel controller, it'll still support TRIM in RAID mode, by just installing the Intel Rapid Storage controller driver.









Marvell controllers = no TRIM at all. And nowhere NEAR the rated 6Gb/s, and you may or may not get random stuttering.

Avoid Marvell controllers....









I'm logging out now, before I go on a huge OCN wide rant on this stupid Marvell controller.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*


If its an Intel controller, it'll still support TRIM in RAID mode, by just installing the Intel Rapid Storage controller driver.









Marvell controllers = no TRIM at all. And nowhere NEAR the rated 6Gb/s, and you may or may not get random stuttering.

Avoid Marvell controllers....









I'm logging out now, before I go on a huge OCN wide rant on this stupid Marvell controller.










You sure on the trim support in raid? There was an article that said it did, but was wrong. I haven't seen anything else supporting that fact. Can you infor me?


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:



Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*


If its an Intel controller, it'll still support TRIM in RAID mode, by just installing the Intel Rapid Storage controller driver.









Marvell controllers = no TRIM at all. And nowhere NEAR the rated 6Gb/s, and you may or may not get random stuttering.

Avoid Marvell controllers....









I'm logging out now, before I go on a huge OCN wide rant on this stupid Marvell controller.











i didnt know this. how can i tell if my motherboard has an intel controller for the sata ports? i know the 2 black sata ports use the jmicron controller, but i have those disabled. i looked in the manual but i didnt see anything about it.


----------



## Crabby654

You won't have an Intel controller on an AMD board, but here are the specs for the ports:

Quote:



AMD SB950 controller :
6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), brown
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
JMicronÂ® JMB362 controller :
2 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), black
1 x Power eSATA 3Gb/s port(s), green
1 x eSATA 3Gb/s port(s), red


http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD...specifications


----------



## mingqi53

Awesome, but just thought I should add that the OP should include "disable scheduled defragmentation".

No need to defrag an SSD when the I/O on it is ridiculous compared to an HDD


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


i didnt know this. how can i tell if my motherboard has an intel controller for the sata ports? i know the 2 black sata ports use the jmicron controller, but i have those disabled. i looked in the manual but i didnt see anything about it.


You don't have an Intel controller. Your AMD SB950 controls the brown ssd ports.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Hey man *wait till next year when the price per gigabyte goes down by a lot.* At least thats my plan. I'm hoping to at least get a 250Gb for around 300ish or cheaper next year....well one can hope right? And I know raids don't support trim, but they support Garbage Collection no?


That's what everyone was saying last year as well.







Unfortunately, I don't see it dropping by a large margin anytime soon.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *mingqi53*


Awesome, but just thought I should add that the OP should include "disable scheduled defragmentation".

No need to defrag an SSD when the I/O on it is ridiculous compared to an HDD


I think its been talked about that Windows 7 will auto turn off defrag when it installed on an SSD. That and if you run the Windows Experience performance tool and when it detects an SSD it will adjust it accordingly.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


No problem









A new step will be added to the guide!(if it is good, and it should be) It pertains to GPT partitioning and Users with UEFI bioses. Basically there needs to be 3 partitions created and one is for the uefi bios as an extension.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/wind...dware/gg463525

Also, I'm adding in how to adjust your services and start up programs.










Thanks for bringing this up. IMO, this should be standard for boards with UEFI nowadays









Quote:



Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*


Google "Black Viper services"







and make a guide from there. I've been going to his site for years.


I swear that I've read somewhere advising not to use Black Viper services anymore since it is very outdated and some may not be applicable for systems nowadays. Not 100% sure about this though.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


i read that. but in all honesty, i dont plan on keeping these drives for more than a year or 2 at most. im always upgrading something. so the lack of TRIM support shouldnt affect the read/write speeds that much for me to worry. thats even if it affects it at all.

EDIT:

also, whats a good benchmark to test a ssd. i read that ATTO is pretty reliable. i was also informed last night that benchmarking a ssd can cause it to wear faster than normal use. can anyone confirm/deny this? i dont plan on benching every day, but i would like to check my read/speeds every so often


Usually ATTO is used for Sandforce-based drives. Using AS SSD with Sandforce-based drives will have results lower than the rated speeds since this software uses Incompressible Data rather than Compressible Data used by ATTO. AFAIK, incompressible data is mostly data used by OS (I'm not 100% sure on this).

Hope this helps.

@all

What is the best "CLUSTER SIZE" to use for fromatting storage drives?


----------



## dejanh

Extensive guide, but with so many "optimizations" why even bother with an SSD. I have to be honest, 99% of these are not needed. Most of these tweaks came from early generations of SSDs and further a lot of them were born out of the need to run pre-Windows 7 OS on the SSD. For Windows 7 all you need to do really is install the OS and make sure that defrag is disabled after install, as well as disable ReadyBoot. Everything else is basically irrelevant, including moving your user directory to a spinner drive (noticeable hit in performance).

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*


snip...

Usually ATTO is used for Sandforce-based drives. Using AS SSD with Sandforce-based drives will have results lower than the rated speeds since this software uses Incompressible Data rather than Compressible Data used by ATTO. AFAIK, incompressible data is mostly data used by OS (I'm not 100% sure on this).

snip...


Actually, OS uses mostly compressible data; hence why Sandforce drives are so good as primary boot drives. Incompressible data is largely comprised of compressed image formats, video formats, music formats, and data images and these tend to work better on drives that do not use Sandforce controllers as rated speeds usually reflect sequential throughput irrespective of the type of data.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *dejanh*


Extensive guide, but with so many "optimizations" why even bother with an SSD. I have to be honest, 99% of these are not needed.


You gotta keep in mind that most of the optimizations are for saving space. Which is why they are optional. The only thing you really need to do is turn on AHCI. Why bother with an SSD? because they can be triple the read speed of a modern day mechanical drive and it CAN be one of the most performance boosting upgrades in your machine.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


You won't have an Intel controller on an AMD board, but here are the specs for the ports:

http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD...specifications


ah, thanks for the info.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


You gotta keep in mind that most of the optimizations are for saving space. Which is why they are optional. The only thing you really need to do is turn on AHCI. Why bother with an SSD? because they can be triple the read speed of a modern day mechanical drive and it CAN be one of the most performance boosting upgrades in your machine.


He means why even bother doing these optimizations with an SSD, not why go with an SSD







He is using an SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *mingqi53*


Awesome, but just thought I should add that the OP should include "disable scheduled defragmentation".

No need to defrag an SSD when the I/O on it is ridiculous compared to an HDD


Like I said, this is an up to date guide. Windows automatically disables defragmentation SSD's.









I have multiple HDD's in my system and defragmentation helps.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*


He means why even bother doing these optimizations with an SSD, not why go with an SSD







He is using an SSD.


Ahh ok gotcha, disregard that part then! Although I feel like people read everything and get immediatly bugged out that "people might be making everything overcomplicated" when in reality all you need to do is just read everything and decide what you need or want to do.

Quote:



None of this is really necessary! Though I do it and suggest others too. I've spent hours upon hours looking up info and reinstalled Windows 7 over 50 times now, this I what I got from it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Thread is being modified, I am hoping to add some info to each step of the guide to explain why I do it


----------



## kevindd992002

@BradleyW

Can we use 4096 alignment with GPT partition style SSDs?

How about Cluster Size?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*


@BradleyW

Can we use 4096 alignment with GPT partition style SSDs?

How about Cluster Size?


You can use the 4096 alignment, you just need to format it with three partitions, my friend said he will make a guide.

As for cluster size, I think that the default 4 KB is fine.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


You can use the 4096 alignment, you just need to format it with three partitions, my friend said he will make a guide.

As for cluster size, I think that the default 4 KB is fine.


And you just apply the 4096 alignment for the first (ESP) partition, right? And it will automatically affect the other two (MSR and Basic Data Partition)?

I think 4KB is fine with OS drives. How about for STORAGE drives?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*


And you just apply the 4096 alignment for the first (ESP) partition, right? And it will automatically affect the other two (MSR and Basic Data Partition)?

I think 4KB is fine with OS drives. How about for STORAGE drives?


I am not sure atm about which partition it applies, I will though when the guide is finished.

And 4KB is good for a storage drive as well, if you want just do a google search, I haven't much knowledge on the subject.


----------



## McLaren_F1

Quote:



Originally Posted by *TwoCables*


The "alignment" section is missing a step. The version I sent to you had the first step being to disconnect all drives except for the SSD in order to avoid having the boot sector getting installed to a secondary drive. Of course, the optical drive(s) must remain connected so that the instruction can be followed.

How did that step get removed?


Do you approve of this guide?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *McLaren_F1*


Do you approve of this guide?

















He helped make it XD


----------



## firestorm1

i think im going to wait until this guide is finished before setting up my other ssd. i want to see what options are available and what all this partition madness about lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


i think im going to wait until this guide is finished before setting up my other ssd. i want to see what options are available and what all this partition madness about lol.


hehe,

everything is up to date.

I am currently looking into superprefetch and prefetch settings. I came across this.

Quote:



Rather than disable SuperFetch altogether, a better way would be to set it to cache boot files only. SuperFetch does have a purpose and just turning it completely off will only gain you some disk space, and that is only if you remember to delete the cached files after disabling it. Disabling SuperFetch will cause a busy machine to slow down as it swaps applications from disk to ram. Just because it's an SSD doesn't mean swapping won't occur or won't be noticeable.

Open regedit.exe and browse down to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Con tro l\\Session Manager\\Memory Management\\PrefetchParameters

Find the EnablePrefetcher key on the right-hand pane, and change the value to one of these:

Disable Caching: 0
Cache Applications Only: 1
Cache Boot Files Only: 2
Cache Everything (default): 3

A restart is required before this takes any effect.
Also you can clear out the \\Windows\\Prefetch folder after making this change to
start with a fresh prefetcher cache, the next boot will probably be slower since
Windows will have to cache everything again.


----------



## Sean Webster

*Does anyone want to take the liberty to make a mini guide to setting up RAID?
*

One for Intel and one for AMD.

Here is the info I have for AMD

*Set up RAID for AMD:*

Change the HDD to Raid mode
Then when you restart your PC hit Ctrl+I(Ctrl+F), it will take you to raid setup menu
Choose create a raid volume,
Choose the device you wanna add to raid
Then when you done choosing, hit enter, it will go to raid setup,
Choose your raid type (Raid0 or Raid 1, whatever you wanna do).
Give your raid volume a name and finish it
Also
Quote:


> BIOS settings are correct. Now once you enable RAID and reboot, when the RAID screen pops up and says press ctrl+l/g or whatever it is, do that. when the setup menu comes up, select create raid, once in this menu you can change the name of the config if you feel like as well as the size. Leave everything else the way it is (0-stripe / 128kb) and now save the config. Reboot and start reinstalling Windows 7. If Windows 7 doesn't pickup your RAID config have your RAID drivers ready (motherboard driver disc or the driver on a usb) and load driver (bottom left corner) if needed. If Windows 7 sees the config just continue installing and your done. Keep in mind Windows will see the drives as one drive when properly configured. So your 500's will show up as a 1TB (formatted to 931GB or whatever 1TB's format to).


Read this thread: http://www.overclock.net/hard-drives-storage/484367-guide-all-you-ever-wanted-know.html

Generally what you do lol

Also, one on setting up Intel SRT, I already started that one for you.


----------



## firestorm1

that would be pretty cool. could give the raid array defficient folks some pointers, like myelf


----------



## Nocturin

exciting! keep it up


----------



## Sean Webster

Ok, I am going need help still







I don't think I havE any extra sata cables to do it on my mobo to make the guide, all will be hypothetical lol


----------



## firestorm1

speaking of sata cables, how can i tell if im using a sata III or sata II cable? when i got this ssd, it didnt come with a cable. i had a couple extra laying around and used one of those. im not sure which version it is though. there is no writing on it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15546334*
> speaking of sata cables, how can i tell if im using a sata III or sata II cable? when i got this ssd, it didnt come with a cable. i had a couple extra laying around and used one of those. im not sure which version it is though. there is no writing on it.


They are all th same, some are just higher quality. Your fine with any. The through put should be the same.


----------



## firestorm1

ok. i just wanted to make sure. you just saved me $16 because i was about to order 2 of the sata III cables off newegg.









Edit:

wait a sec. i was reading the specs for these cable and this is what is says:

sata II:
Features: With Locking Capability 3Gbit/sec Maximum transfer rate

sata III:
Features: Compliant with Serial ATA III Specifications Fast data transfer rate of up to 6 Gbit/sec

so according to that, i need sata III cables.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15546415*
> ok. i just wanted to make sure. you just saved me $16 because i was about to order 2 of the sata III cables off newegg.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit:
> 
> wait a sec. i was reading the specs for these cable and this is what is says:
> 
> sata II:
> Features: With Locking Capability 3Gbit/sec Maximum transfer rate
> 
> sata III:
> Features: Compliant with Serial ATA III Specifications Fast data transfer rate of up to 6 Gbit/sec
> 
> so according to that, i need sata III cables.


Do what you will, but I am telling you if the cables you use are good then you will get your full speed off the cable.

From the Sata document on Revision 3.0:

"SATA Revision 3.0 was designed to facilitate a much more elegant - and cost effective - migration to higher data rates. Rather than completely redefining the spec, SATA Revision 3.0 achieves its data rate increase by faster signal switching. While this has resulted in changes to the PHY, modifications to the protocol have been kept to a minimum. In addition, SATA Revision 3.0 is backward compatible so that the same connectors and cabling used for SATA 3 Gb/s under SATA Revision 2.6 can be used for SATA 6Gb/s.

This decision not only enables end-users to retain their existing investment in cabling when moving to SATA 6Gb/s, it also enables silicon manufacturers to maintain much of their existing IP. Except for the doubling of the data rate, SATA Revision 3.0 is no more complex than SATA Revision 2.6 from an electrical perspective, and no heroics are required to implement the technology at 6Gb/s speeds."


----------



## firestorm1

oh, well that explains it. thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15547751*
> oh, well that explains it. thanks.


No problem


----------



## Sonics

Thanks







cant wait to try this out for my new build







I rep'ed


----------



## dennyb

Sean, I really like your guide. very useful info. You might want to consider this alternative for disabling start-up apps. If you use C-Cleaner >>>tools>>>start-up>>>click desired app to highlight and select the option to disable/enable them. After a reboot the app no longer resides on the start menu and is easily reversed by "enable". Just a suggestion


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *dennyb;15548882*
> Sean, I really like your guide. very useful info. You might want to consider this alternative for disabling start-up apps. If you use C-Cleaner >>>tools>>>start-up>>>click desired app to highlight and select the option to disable/enable them. After a reboot the app no longer resides on the start menu and is easily reversed by "enable". Just a suggestion


Yeah, I know about that. Thanks for reminding me.









A good thing about it is that you can delete the start up key from there too! I love that lol.


----------



## pioneerisloud

As far as the RAID thing:
Using an Intel or AMD native controller, if your controller is in RAID mode, AHCI is automatically supported in RAID mode. Both the current Intel and AMD controllers support TRIM in RAID mode (with a single SSD, not sure about an actual RAID of SSD's). All you have to do is install the drivers and they'll take care of the single SSD for TRIM.

This is nice if you have a RAID array of mechanical drives, and would still like the full benefits of your SSD, without having to resort to the dreadful Marvell controller.

The Marvell controllers, I repeat, the Marvell controllers DO NOT support TRIM even in AHCI mode. They're also nowhere NEAR the rated 6Gb/s either. And once the drivers are installed for the Marvell controllers, you'll get stuttering.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud;15549694*
> As far as the RAID thing:
> Using an Intel or AMD native controller, if your controller is in RAID mode, AHCI is automatically supported in RAID mode. Both the current Intel and AMD controllers support TRIM in RAID mode (with a single SSD, not sure about an actual RAID of SSD's). All you have to do is install the drivers and they'll take care of the single SSD for TRIM.
> 
> This is nice if you have a RAID array of mechanical drives, and would still like the full benefits of your SSD, without having to resort to the dreadful Marvell controller.
> 
> The Marvell controllers, I repeat, the Marvell controllers DO NOT support TRIM even in AHCI mode. They're also nowhere NEAR the rated 6Gb/s either. And once the drivers are installed for the Marvell controllers, you'll get stuttering.


OK, I thought you were saying an array of SSD's not a single one.









You hate that Marvell controller don't you


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


OK, I thought you were saying an array of SSD's not a single one.









You hate that Marvell controller don't you










That stupid Marvell controller is HORRIBLE. I will spread the word, and keep SSD users from using that horrid thing.







I can't even BEGIN to describe how horrible that thing was...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud;15550846*
> That stupid Marvell controller is HORRIBLE. I will spread the word, and keep SSD users from using that horrid thing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't even BEGIN to describe how horrible that thing was...


I started to do that a while ago, I was so supprised at how many people didn't know about it!

Also, to all who read this, the partitioning guide may be delayed









I am trying to figure out how to boot the dvd/usb to install windows from the UEFI properly.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


I am trying to figure out how to boot the dvd/usb to install windows from the UEFI properly.


i wish i could help, but i do all my installs from a acronis image. its been forever and a day since i booted from usb.


----------



## Sean Webster

Under "Now the fun stuff! Optimization!" I updated step # 4.









My reboot time dropped 5 seconds! It took a few restarts though.


----------



## Canis-X

So how do you change the alignment on a disk without distroying the OS? I used Windows 7 default (whatever it is) during the install.

BTW, excellent guide!! Looking forward to your GPT partitioning info/instructions. Can you use a GPT partition in RAID?

Edit:

I ran AS SSD on my drive and my score flat out sucks compared to yours Sean, what do you all think might be the issue?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Canis-X*


So how do you change the alignment on a disk without destroying the OS? I used Windows 7 default (whatever it is) during the install.

BTW, excellent guide!! Looking forward to your GPT partitioning info/instructions. Can you use a GPT partition in RAID?


Thanks!

Don't bother changing the alignment unless you are going to reinstall the OS, I don't think it is possible to do it any other way.

Yes you can run RAID: http://www.intel.com/support/motherb.../CS-031158.htm










Edit: Are you on the native AMD sata 6 port?


----------



## Canis-X

The port supports SATA III, how do I tell if it is running as SATA III or SATA II?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Canis-X*


The port supports SATA III, how do I tell if it is running as SATA III or SATA II?


First of all I forgot to ask if you are using firmware 0009? That seems to be the problem, I am tired lol.

Now, you are on a sata 3 port. I just don't know if you are on a Marvell one. Check your mobo and see...you need to be on the native AMD port.


----------



## iSeries

Sean, re prefetch and superfetch, have you tested with both at default 3? Would be interested in knowing if having them fully enabled would speed things up even further or whether setting them at 2 is optimal over 0 and 3.


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


First of all I forgot to ask if you are using firmware 0009? That seems to be the problem, I am tired lol.

Now, you are on a sata 3 port. I just don't know if you are on a Marvell one. Check your mobo and see...you need to be on the native AMD port.


Yes, oh GOD yes! If you're using a Marvell port, take it off that pile immediately and use your native AMD / Intel ports.

And 0009 firmware should help if you're not already using it. Mine shipped with it on there (came in Monday from newegg).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *iSeries*


Sean, re prefetch and superfetch, have you tested with both at default 3? Would be interested in knowing if having them fully enabled would speed things up even further or whether setting them at 2 is optimal over 0 and 3.


I tested with superprefetch at 2 and prefetch set to 3 and it was 1-2 seconds slower, I didn't bother seeing both at 3. I will try for you now


----------



## Canis-X

I have 6 SATA ports that are on the AMD controller and one that is on a ASMedia controller, the SDD is on the AMD controller (I have my optical drive plugged into the ASMedia one). I flashed the SSD to 0009 before I installed the OS.


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Canis-X*


I have 6 SATA ports that are on the AMD controller and one that is on a ASMedia controller, the SDD is on the AMD controller (I have my optical drive plugged into the ASMedia one). I flashed the SSD to 0009 before I installed the OS.


As long as you're using the native AMD (or Intel) SATA 6Gb/s controller in RAID or AHCI mode (single drive, the RAID option is assuming you're using RAID of mechanical drives), then your drive will function fine and work properly in 6Gb/s mode.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Canis-X*


The port supports SATA III, how do I tell if it is running as SATA III or SATA II?



according to your manual, all 7 of your sata ports are sata III. however, sata6g_1 port through sata6g_6 port are the on the amd controller.

your sata6g_E1 port is an asmedia controller.


----------



## Canis-X

hmmm....I wonder why my AS SSD scores are off then. 
<--- Confused

I'm so tired that I can't see straight. I'll pick this up in the AM. G'Night all.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Canis-X*


hmmm....I wonder why my AS SSD scores are off then. 
<--- Confused

I'm so tired that I can't see straight. I'll pick this up in the AM. G'Night all.










Well, 1 thing I know for sure is that AMD sata 3 isn't as fast. you can check what others got on their drives here: http://www.overclock.net/ssd/1145150...-ssd-club.html


----------



## firestorm1

test with crystal disc mark or use ATTO. i hear those 2 are more accurate for our ssd.

i see your sig though. that hdd isnt paired with you m4 is it?

EDIT: nevermind. read your sig wrong lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *iSeries*


Sean, re prefetch and superfetch, have you tested with both at default 3? Would be interested in knowing if having them fully enabled would speed things up even further or whether setting them at 2 is optimal over 0 and 3.


Wow, that is crazy, it is on average 1 second faster or the same! Thanks for making me go over it again









I am going to look up reasons to not have it default now, I am removing the steps from the op now.

But also setting them to 0 (disable) makes boot longer.

OK, I need to test it more, there are other factors I forgot about


----------



## iSeries

Hi Sean, what are the other factors?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *iSeries*


Hi Sean, what are the other factors?


There is the prefetch folder...It needed to be cleared.


----------



## 10halec

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*











If you have any issues or questions just ask, *I wrote the guide from my iTouch* so if you see a mistake let me know! lol










why?

Someone likes to do things the hard way









Great write up, appreciate the time spent, bookmarked for sure!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *10halec*









why?

Someone likes to do things the hard way









Great write up, appreciate the time spent, bookmarked for sure!


Thanks! I was bored in lecture hall.


----------



## Sean Webster

Guys here is the BETA guide for GPT partitioning, please be warned that I am not able to boot off my USB properly ATM, I don't know for sure what the issue is, but I am trying to figure it out. If you want please test this and help me!

*******************If you do this step do not do the Alignment guide below it********************


----------



## firestorm1

now when you say boot off usb, do you mean an external source like a thumb drive or something hooked to a usb port and its not being read?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


now when you say boot off usb, do you mean an external source like a thumb drive or something hooked to a usb port and its not being read?


I made a bootable USB with Windows 7 on it: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...usbdvd_dwnTool

In the UEFI you need to click Exit and select "Launch EFI Shell from filesystem device"

I do that and the EFI doesn't detect the bootable USB. :/


----------



## firestorm1

try tagging the usb drive as pimary boot device. sorry if i aint much help on that matter.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


I made a bootable USB with Windows 7 on it: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...usbdvd_dwnTool

In the UEFI you need to click Exit and select "Launch EFI Shell from filesystem device"

I do that and the EFI doesn't detect the bootable USB. :/


The question arises based on this. I have reciently updated my BIOS (UEFI) on an ASUS P8P67 Pro motherboard. In the UEFI, I used to have boot devices with a UEFI tag (a UEFI banner in Basic mode, or a UEFI prefix in the boot devices listed on the boot tab).

These entries no longer exist, and since I don't go into my UEFI often, I am not sure when they dissappeared. I am assuming with the UEFI update. can anyone check their UEFI that may not have updated to the lasest UEFI (BIOS) and report if UEFI devices still exist as boot devices. Thank You.


----------



## Sean Webster

Updated once again for the 50th time today!


----------



## Crabby654

Ok I am beyond confused...maybe because I just woke up with no coffee. But still, I read the GPT Partition guide, I am still confused on the benefits of doing it that way. Basically what is the point of doing the GPT Partition over the standard format partition for an everyday gamer like myself?

Also about the Prefech and Superfech I noticed it was removed from the guide, why is that?


----------



## Nocturin

Any luck on the UEFI usb thing?

So if I read correctly, your MB wouldn't boot from the UEFI?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Ok I am beyond confused...maybe because I just woke up with no coffee. But still, I read the GPT Partition guide, I am still confused on the benefits of doing it that way. Basically what is the point of doing the GPT Partition over the standard format partition for an everyday gamer like myself?

Also about the Prefech and Superfech I noticed it was removed from the guide, why is that?


Gpt is just better overall. I just read the wiki for it and everything is beginning to make sense lol. It isn't just a bunch of words









http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table

And I removed those b/c I am still testing that. I ended up seeing that it really didn't make a difference so far.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Nocturin*


Any luck on the UEFI usb thing?

So if I read correctly, your MB wouldn't boot from the UEFI?


Nope, I will let you know though. If you want to try doing it and help me I would appreciate it.


----------



## Crabby654

You don't need GPT on a USB do you? I notice USB pops up a lot in the GPT section.

edit: Does it apply to SSD's because the first thing I see on the wiki is mechanical drives?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


You don't need GPT on a USB do you? I notice USB pops up a lot in the GPT section.

edit: Does it apply to SSD's because the first thing I see on the wiki is mechanical drives?


I am planing on making a custom windows 7 install disk now. USB is just easier usually.

And it isn't ssd only.


----------



## Canis-X

Morning, I started my own thread so as to not muck up yours here. If anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate the input!!


----------



## DuckieHo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx;15553399*
> The question arises based on this. I have reciently updated my BIOS (UEFI) on an ASUS P8P67 Pro motherboard. In the UEFI, I used to have boot devices with a UEFI tag (a UEFI banner in Basic mode, or a UEFI prefix in the boot devices listed on the boot tab).
> 
> These entries no longer exist, and since I don't go into my UEFI often, I am not sure when they dissappeared. I am assuming with the UEFI update. can anyone check their UEFI that may not have updated to the lasest UEFI (BIOS) and report if UEFI devices still exist as boot devices. Thank You.


What happens when you revert to the older BIOS?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DuckieHo;15556831*
> What happens when you revert to the older BIOS?


I remember he said he couldn't, but if you know how please share.

I know a way but you will have to corrupt it and then use the asus crash free utility (i think it is called) in the mobo...I did it once before in my x58 board, but I am not sure how it will be on the newer UEFI or if it will work again at all.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15555656*
> ...snip/
> Nope, I will let you know though. If you want to try doing it and help me I would appreciate it.


I would if I had the appropriate hardware







. Still have an OEM from 5-7 years ago, heh.

If you don't have the info by the time I build my new rig (q2 2012) I'll definitely help


----------



## iSeries

Hi Sean, did you reach any conclusion over prefetch / superfetch? I notice that SSD Tweaker's auto tweak settings recommend disabling prefetch completely and setting superfetch to application only.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15553252*
> I made a bootable USB with Windows 7 on it: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
> 
> In the UEFI you need to click Exit and select "Launch EFI Shell from filesystem device"
> 
> I do that and the EFI doesn't detect the bootable USB. :/


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx;15553399*
> The question arises based on this. I have reciently updated my BIOS (UEFI) on an ASUS P8P67 Pro motherboard. In the UEFI, I used to have boot devices with a UEFI tag (a UEFI banner in Basic mode, or a UEFI prefix in the boot devices listed on the boot tab).
> 
> These entries no longer exist, and since I don't go into my UEFI often, I am not sure when they dissappeared. I am assuming with the UEFI update. can anyone check their UEFI that may not have updated to the lasest UEFI (BIOS) and report if UEFI devices still exist as boot devices. Thank You.


For CD/DVD-ROM drives, if you insert a Windows 7 x64 installation disc to it, you will see an icon of the drive in the Boot Priority section of UEFI with the "UEFI tag". You will also see an icon of the drive WITHOUT that tag. So if you want to install an OS to a GPT partition you need to boot WITH the icon that has the UEFI tag. Also, only Windows 7 x64 supports booting with GPT. Obviously, your motherboard should be capable of using UEFI (instead of BIOS) in order to boot with this kind of partition style.

If the CD/DVD-ROM drive doesn't have any disc inside, you WILL NOT see the icon with the UEFI tag in the Boot Priority section.

For Windows x64 installations copied to USB drives using the official Microsoft tool, you need to format your USB drive with FAT32. Formatting it with NTFS, copying over the files, and booting with it WILL NOT display the CD/DVD-ROM drive with the UEFI icon. You do not need to use the "Launch EFI Shell from filesystem device" to do a UEFI boot.

I hope this clears a lot of confusion with this. You can also read a lot about it here:

http://info-coach.fr/pc/hardware/AsusP8P67/Asus-UEFI.php

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1584795
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15556879*
> I remember he said he couldn't, but if you know how please share.
> 
> I know a way but you will have to corrupt it and then use the asus crash free utility (i think it is called) in the mobo...I did it once before in my x58 board, but I am not sure how it will be on the newer UEFI or if it will work again at all.


For downgrading the BIOS, you should follow this guide: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1629404 . It is for the P8P67 motherboard but it worked flawlessly on my P8Z68-V motherboard.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSeries;15557243*
> Hi Sean, did you reach any conclusion over prefetch / superfetch? I notice that SSD Tweaker's auto tweak settings recommend disabling prefetch completely and setting superfetch to application only.


Check the last steps of the guide, I have them to be disabled now








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15557316*
> For CD/DVD-ROM drives, if you insert a Windows 7 x64 installation disc to it, you will see an icon of the drive in the Boot Priority section of UEFI with the "UEFI tag". You will also see an icon of the drive WITHOUT that tag. So if you want to install an OS to a GPT partition you need to boot WITH the icon that has the UEFI tag. Also, only Windows 7 x64 supports booting with GPT. Obviously, your motherboard should be capable of using UEFI (instead of BIOS) in order to boot with this kind of partition style.
> 
> If the CD/DVD-ROM drive doesn't have any disc inside, you WILL NOT see the icon with the UEFI tag in the Boot Priority section.
> 
> For Windows x64 installations copied to USB drives using the official Microsoft tool, you need to format your USB drive with FAT32. Formatting it with NTFS, copying over the files, and booting with it WILL NOT display the CD/DVD-ROM drive with the UEFI icon. You do not need to use the "Launch EFI Shell from filesystem device" to do a UEFI boot.
> 
> I hope this clears a lot of confusion with this. You can also read a lot about it here:
> 
> http://info-coach.fr/pc/hardware/AsusP8P67/Asus-UEFI.php
> 
> http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1584795
> 
> For downgrading the BIOS, you should follow this guide: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1629404 . It is for the P8P67 motherboard but it worked flawlessly on my P8Z68-V motherboard.


Thanks for your input, I will try this when I get home!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15553160*
> Guys here is the BETA guide for GPT partitioning, please be warned that I am not able to boot off my USB properly ATM, I don't know for sure what the issue is, but I am trying to figure it out. If you want please test this and help me!
> 
> *******************If you do this step do not do the Alignment guide below it********************


Where is the BETA guide?

Also, what is the step 4 in the Now, the fun stuff section that made your boot times faster by 4 sec?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15557358*
> Where is the BETA guide?
> 
> Also, what is the step 4 in the Now, the fun stuff section that made your boot times faster by 4 sec?


The beta guide is directly between those two bodies of text lol, you need ot click "GPT partitioning Guide inside!" to view it

Step 4 was moved to steps 13 and 14.


----------



## Sean Webster

OMG!!! Guys I got it to start the install!!!

I am currently doing it on my old laptop hdd, but it is expanding windows files!

I will get back to you guys with the results when it is done!
















Thanks for all the help everyone!


----------



## firestorm1

how did you get it going? still no luck using the UEFI bios?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15558469*
> how did you get it going? still no luck using the UEFI bios?


I ended up using the normal install disc, I then selected to boot from the UEFI: ASUS DVD/CD DRIVE" and I made the partitions and installed windows.









Note: in the diskpart step 8 of the guide, I used efi instead of esp...I am not sure if I should redo it with esp...I am going to make sure this works first though.

I am really happy!

kevindd992002 you are awesome!


----------



## firestorm1

at least you got it working.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Good God you guys post fast.







Information overload!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15558543*
> at least you got it working.











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15558606*
> Good God you guys post fast.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Information overload!


And thus why I said this guide will be the most up to date one out there


----------



## Sean Webster

Quick update, Iam pretty sure that it is installed it properly...I am not sure on the alignment though, I will try it on my ssd soon and see what I get.


----------



## firestorm1

awating the findings on the ssd. iim wondering whats the difference of having a 1024k alignment over a 4096 alignment and vice versa.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15558856*
> awating the findings on the ssd. iim wondering whats the difference of having a 1024k alignment over a 4096 alignment and vice versa.


That that isn't the main partition. the main partition is the bottom one...

and 4k vs 1k is just that 4 k is more optimal, it is explained in the second post.


----------



## firestorm1

oh. lol sorry my brain isnt functioning. i needs more coffee


----------



## Canis-X

So, with GPT, you don't have to mark the partition as Active like you do with a MBR partition?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canis-X;15559780*
> So, with GPT, you don't have to mark the partition as Active like you do with a MBR partition?


I guess not, at least not with the guide in the op. I am reinstalling on my SSD as I post this, I will let you know for sure.

*Edit:* doing step 13 makes it an active mounting point


----------



## iSeries

Hi Sean, what are your reasonings in reverting back to disabling prefetch / superfetch completely?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSeries;15560021*
> Hi Sean, what are your reasonings in reverting back to disabling prefetch / superfetch completely?


Check the notes. I decided to because after reading up on a TON of articles and guides, including ones from microsoft I decided to do what the OS is suppose to do, turn them off.

I also noticed that the boot times where pretty much the same no matter what the setting, so they really do do much to speed any thing up.

*BTW THE GPT GUIDE IS DONE







*


----------



## firestorm1

Awesome









also thought i would make a suggestion. in the section where you have the firmware links for the ssd manufactures, you may want to add that you only need to install the lastest firmware version. as it will have all previous fixes included. in case someone new to an ssd dont know that.


----------



## HothBase

I followed the GPT guide's instructions, but after Windows 7 install restarts the PC for the first time, I just get a blinking "_" in the top left corner during boot.

*Edit: NVM, I re-did the whole process and now it's working.*


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15560113*
> Awesome
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> also thought i would make a suggestion. in the section where you have the firmware links for the ssd manufactures, you may want to add that you only need to install the lastest firmware version. as it will have all previous fixes included. in case someone new to an ssd dont know that.


Ok, I will add that in the beginning








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HothBase;15560230*
> I followed the GPT guide's instructions, but after Windows 7 install restarts the PC for the first time, I just get a blinking "_" in the top left corner during boot.
> 
> *Edit: NVM, I re-did the whole process and now it's working.*


Glad you got it, I put a note that you need to have the mobo boot from the Windows Boot Manger.


----------



## Canis-X

Sean....

I think you should make the verbiage below bigger so that people do not overlook it...
Quote:


> ******If you did the step above do not do the Alignment guide below. If you didn't do it, start from here.*******


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canis-X;15560380*
> Sean....
> 
> I think you should make the verbiage below bigger so that people do not overlook it...


oK


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15557356*
> Check the last steps of the guide, I have them to be disabled now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for your input, I will try this when I get home!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15558438*
> OMG!!! Guys I got it to start the install!!!
> 
> I am currently doing it on my old laptop hdd, but it is expanding windows files!
> 
> I will get back to you guys with the results when it is done!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for all the help everyone!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15558512*
> I ended up using the normal install disc, I then selected to boot from the UEFI: ASUS DVD/CD DRIVE" and I made the partitions and installed windows.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Note: in the diskpart step 8 of the guide, I used efi instead of esp...I am not sure if I should redo it with esp...I am going to make sure this works first though.
> 
> I am really happy!
> 
> kevindd992002 you are awesome!


Glad to be of help








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15558469*
> how did you get it going? still no luck using the UEFI bios?


It's UEFI, we should call it UEFI and not BIOS anymore. They are two different things. Let's make it this way, UEFI is the new version of BIOS









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15558802*
> Quick update, Iam pretty sure that it is installed it properly...I am not sure on the alignment though, I will try it on my ssd soon and see what I get.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15558918*
> That that isn't the main partition. the main partition is the bottom one...
> 
> and 4k vs 1k is just that 4 k is more optimal, it is explained in the second post.


I'm not really sure, but I think I read somewhere that aligning any SSD/HDD should start from the very beginning of the drive and that is the first partition (ESP for GPT). That means that the Offset for the System partition in your picture should be 4096KB and the rest will follow.

Can you confirm this?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15560350*
> Ok, I will add that in the beginning
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Glad you got it, I put a note that you need to have the mobo boot from the Windows Boot Manger.


Yes. Also, another caution on this. Windows Boot Manager is stored in the NVRAM of the motherboard when you START Windows 7 installation. Usually (not always), when you clear the NVRAM of the mobo, either by using the jumper reset pins or removing the CMOS battery, you lose that Windows Boot Manager boot option and you won't be able to boot to Windows even though your OS drive is intact. A remedy to that is to start Windows 7 installation again and do "Repair your computer" with it. When doing so, the repair won't see any errors and will just be finished as it is. After you restart the computer the Windows Boot Manager boot option will be back again









It is hard to imaging if you still didn't experience it first hand. But if you want to experiment, then be my guess


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15563542*
> Yes. Also, another caution on this. Windows Boot Manager is stored in the NVRAM of the motherboard when you START Windows 7 installation. Usually (not always), when you clear the NVRAM of the mobo, either by using the jumper reset pins or removing the CMOS battery, you lose that Windows Boot Manager boot option and you won't be able to boot to Windows even though your OS drive is intact. A remedy to that is to start Windows 7 installation again and do "Repair your computer" with it. When doing so, the repair won't see any errors and will just be finished as it is. After you restart the computer the Windows Boot Manager boot option will be back again
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is hard to imaging if you still didn't experience it first hand. But if you want to experiment, then be my guess


Thanks for the tip


----------



## Canis-X

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15558802*
> Quick update, Iam pretty sure that it is installed it properly...I am not sure on the alignment though, I will try it on my ssd soon and see what I get.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15563816*
> That was on an old laptop HDD
> 
> Here is what it is now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the tip


What is the difference that we should take note of between the two CMD prompt ss?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canis-X;15564266*
> What is the difference that we should take note of between the two CMD prompt ss?


Crap, I am tired lol, didn't see they were the same. Ignore.


----------



## DMac84

Quick Question without asking for an elaborate and long answer but why would I want to set my alignment manually to 4096 vice whatever windows does by default?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DMac84;15564372*
> Quick Question without asking for an elaborate and long answer but why would I want to set my alignment manually to 4096 vice whatever windows does by default?


4096 is optimal for SSD's and newer HDD's, windows makes it 1024 default.

Long answer








Quote:


> Ok it's about time we got this sorted.
> 
> 1. You don't need to run AHCI when using a SSD. By this, I mean you can run HDD's in raid with a SSD on its own. Whichever drives are not selected as raid will run in AHCI although the bios reports raid mode.
> 
> 2. 4096 is the correct allocation size for newer storage devices. Why?
> A hard drive or SSD is a chunk of free space (Let's talk in digital terms). So this free space needs to be divided into segments. By setting 1024, 1024 small little chunks can be help within a segment. By setting 4096, you can hold over 3072 more chunks per segment.
> 
> 3. So yeah....why is this better?
> Firstly we need to look at how information is stored and read on the hard drive. Let's take a file. It's saved as small chunks that fit into a segment. If you use 1024 allocation size and the file will need 2000 chunks, the file will become split up. So the first 1024 chunks will be stored in the 1st segment whilst the remaining is stored into the next segment. Because the file is divided, it takes longer for the HDD/SSD and/or the OS to read/write the file. The file that requires 2000 chunks of a segment can fit into a 4096 segment. The file and information does not become scattered around. Of course, no matter what you do, chunks will become split up over time as you add and delete things on the computer and gaps in the structure appear and get filled by new files. The new files just become scattered to fill the gaps between the empty chunks that appear from previous files becoming deleted by software or the user.
> 
> 4. Why to not use an allocation size higher than 4096?
> Because if the units that hold tiny segments become too large of an open space, it will take the OS and the hardware far too long to find and interpret the information. It will also reduce the amount of formatted free space available to the OS and the user.
> 
> Hope this helps!


----------



## firestorm1

good job. that pretty much explains the question i was about to ask.


----------



## amvnz

Some games game up with an error message saying page file had to be enabled, turned it on and set it to 16mb. No errors so far, much better for compatibility.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amvnz;15564663*
> Some games came up with an error message saying page file had to be enabled, turned it on and set it to 16mb. No errors so far, much better for compatibility.


Nice find, Ill add that to the facts/q&a


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amvnz;15564663*
> Some games game up with an error message saying page file had to be enabled, turned it on and set it to 16mb. No errors so far, much better for compatibility.


what games? i havent ran a pagefile in years and never had an error message come up for anything ive done.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15564948*
> what games? i havent ran a pagefile in years and never had an error message come up for anything ive done.


Same, even when on my hdd as a boot drive lol.

Well, good night guys I'm off to bed, talk later.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15564411*
> 4096 is optimal for SSD's and newer HDD's, windows makes it 1024 default.
> 
> Long answer


Is a Spinpoint F3 considered one of the "newer" HDDs?


----------



## Canis-X

I would think so


----------



## Nocturin

yes, the entire F3 series is 4K.


----------



## Sean Webster

Added some nice to know info directly after "The installation of Windows 7" header.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15521879*
> *A quick word on SSD's from Crabby654*
> "SSD's do NOT require the confusing and intense setup that a lot of people seem to suggest. The current day SSD's are much more reliable then the first generation and do not need to be treated like a box full of glass cups. Literally all that is necessary is to change in the BIOS IDE -> AHCI and you are good to go."[/INDENT][/CENTER]


I'm not sure if you even need his quote in the guide. I'm not saying he's wrong nor to start an argument, but my reasoning is: Not only do the tips help ssd performance, the latter tips also help Windows itself run smoother.

Maybe a better thread title would be: Sean's SSD Install Guide & Windows 7 SSD Optimization Tweaks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet;15568363*
> I'm not sure if you even need his quote in the guide. I'm not saying he's wrong nor to start an argument, but my reasoning is: Not only do the tips help ssd performance, the latter tips also help Windows itself run smoother.
> 
> Maybe a better thread title would be: Sean's SSD Install Guide & Windows 7 SSD Optimization Tweaks


I was thinking that over in my heard too, I will probably change it when I get home.


----------



## Canis-X

How does one know if a HDD is considered newer and supports the 4096 alignment configuration?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15563542*
> Glad to be of help
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's UEFI, we should call it UEFI and not BIOS anymore. They are two different things. Let's make it this way, UEFI is the new version of BIOS


This one is going to take a little while to get correct. How many years have we had a BIOS? It's kind of like Kleenex, rather than tissue, JellO (Kraft Foods) instead of gelitan, or one of our favorites Photoshop (Adobe) rather than Photo manipulation.

I find myself doing the same thing... Calling it a UEFI "BIOS". Although technically, the UEFIs that exist right now actually are... a dual UEFI/BIOS.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15563542*
> I'm not really sure, but I think I read somewhere that aligning any SSD/HDD should start from the very beginning of the drive and that is the first partition (ESP for GPT). That means that the Offset for the System partition in your picture should be 4096KB and the rest will follow.
> 
> Can you confirm this?


The alignment parameter specifies the starting point for a particular partition. this may have been discussed earlier in this thread, but I'll clarify anyway.

In the case of an SSD, you want to ensure that a logical sector of the *Primary DATA partition* starts exactly at the beginning of a physical page of the SSD. Without the alignment, the sector boundaries and the page boundaries will not match and sectors will span pages. That would require for a Windows write operation to clear two blocks in lieu of only one, reducing the theoretical write speed by 50%.

The first two partition's relative locations under GPT don't matter. The only requirement is that the ESP (EFI) is the very first partition, preceding all others. It is also benefitial (although not required) that the free space (MSR), that you create resides in front of, and next to, your primary GPT data partition.

Since the very first partition is for the UEFI, once the EUFI hands control of the system to the OS, the ESP partition is no longer used. As I mentioned before, the MSR partition is only used by the OS for certain disk intensive operations, or dynamic disks etc.., so again the alignment (offset) is not important. It is the day to day OS operation where the alignment becomes important.

A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:

1024KB for the 100MB partition
101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.

Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.

The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. (again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.


----------



## Nocturin

so much knowledge in this thread that my head is spinning round and round

Say UEFI 20 times fast, correctly







.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canis-X;15569209*
> How does one know if a HDD is considered newer and supports the 4096 alignment cofiguration?


I am not sure, I need to check.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canis-X;15569209*
> How does one know if a HDD is considered newer and supports the 4096 alignment configuration?


i would assume the sataII and sata III hdd's can be 4096 aligned. i dont see why they couldnt.


----------



## HothBase

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15558802*
> Quick update, Iam pretty sure that it is installed it properly...I am not sure on the alignment though, I will try it on my ssd soon and see what I get.


Here's what I get:









Is it supposed to say 232 MB Offset?


----------



## Sean Webster

Hey guys, do you just like starring at the guide? I always see the same people at the bottom of the page lol.

Are you following the guide? Away? Reading info in the guide? Or posting a question?

Just would like to know








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HothBase;15570106*
> Here's what I get:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is it supposed to say 232 MB Offset?


I think so, I am going to verify with my friend again, but it is aligned properly.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *xandypx*


This one is going to take a little while to get correct. How many years have we had a BIOS? It's kind of like Kleenex, rather than tissue, JellO (Kraft Foods) instead of gelitan, or one of our favorites Photoshop (Adobe) rather than Photo manipulation.

I find myself doing the same thing... Calling it a UEFI "BIOS". Although technically, the UEFIs that exist right now actually are... a dual UEFI/BIOS.


Exactly, I too was not used to calling it UEFI the first time around. But as soon as I read about it I was comfortable in saying it anyway. So yeah, it's a good starting information for us here in this thread









Quote:



Originally Posted by *xandypx*


The alignment parameter specifies the starting point for a particular partition. this may have been discussed earlier in this thread, but I'll clarify anyway.

In the case of an SSD, you want to ensure that a logical sector of the *Primary DATA partition* starts exactly at the beginning of a physical page of the SSD. Without the alignment, the sector boundaries and the page boundaries will not match and sectors will span pages. That would require for a Windows write operation to clear two blocks in lieu of only one, reducing the theoretical write speed by 50%.

The first two partition's relative locations under GPT don't matter. The only requirement is that the ESP (EFI) is the very first partition, preceding all others. It is also benefitial (although not required) that the free space (MSR), that you create resides in front of, and next to, your primary GPT data partition.

Since the very first partition is for the UEFI, once the EUFI hands control of the system to the OS, the ESP partition is no longer used. As I mentioned before, the MSR partition is only used by the OS for certain disk intensive operations, or dynamic disks etc.., so again the alignment (offset) is not important. It is the day to day OS operation where the alignment becomes important.

A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:

1024KB for the 100MB partition
101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.

Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.

The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. (again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.


Thanks for the clarification, I understand now. So usually if you don't specify the "align" switch in Diskpart, it automatically defaults to 1024 KB?

One more thing, when creating partitions is it OK not to format it using Diskpart? Will Windows 7 automatically format the three partitions created when you install it in the Primary Data Partition?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*


Thanks for the clarification, I understand now. So usually if you don't specify the "align" switch in Diskpart, it automatically defaults to 1024 KB?

One more thing, when creating partitions is it OK not to format it using Diskpart? Will Windows 7 automatically format the three partitions created when you install it in the Primary Data Partition?


That's correct, Diskpart (and windows) default to 1024 alignment...

..and you got me stumped...

I don't have an answer to your second question, but I have to assume that Windows 7 install should... (I would guess it would be like installing with an unpartitioned disk, and the install walking you through the formatting steps), since the install program has to write to the partitions.

I am just so used to formatting with diskpart. I'll have to give that a shot, and try an install to find out. i won't be able to get to it 'till later though.


----------



## Sean Webster

Updated Guide name and edited it a tiny bit.









If anyone would care to put the guide in their sig, I would appreciate it


----------



## Canis-X

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


*Hey guys, do you just like starring at the guide? I always see the same people at the bottom of the page lol.

Are you following the guide? Away? Reading info in the guide? Or posting a question?

Just would like to know







*

I think so, I am going to verify with my friend again, but it is aligned properly.


----------



## tlxxxsracer

Great guide Sean!







Will take a look at some of them even after having my ssd optimized.

I would like to ask for a guide on something. Im switching from an AMD to intel system in the next week. I have a 1tb as a storage which I have moved my user data and have games/programs installs on it. What would be the way to maintain my windows installation with my optimizations and programs but yet not have issues with old drivers from my old mobo/cpu?

You can PM me if you like


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Canis-X*


How does one know if a HDD is considered newer and supports the 4096 alignment configuration?


Pretty much every HDD since 2099 is 4K. I was standardized a few years before that







.

EDIT: *2009*


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Nocturin*


Pretty much every HDD since 2099 is 4K. I was standardized a few years before that







.

EDIT: *2009*



Also I was reading and I think that if you use windows 7 and do the 4 k on an older hdd it will emulate it or something like that. I think it was related to the term 512e or something. Sorry of it is vague, I am not home to check and I looked it up briefly eArlier.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Also I was reading and I think that if you use windows 7 and do the 4 k on an older hdd it will emulate it or something like that. I think it was related to the term 512e or something. Sorry of it is vague, I am not home to check and I looked it up briefly eArlier.


yes, this goes for the reverse too (4k drives and XP too).









I got training on it for work and a powerpoint that explains it pretty well but I cannot share due to NDA







.

So..... I consult the almight wiki god.


----------



## Canis-X

Nice!! Thanks guys! Every day that goes by I love this place a little more, tons of great information as well as those that enjoy sharing it! FANSTANDING!!!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Nocturin*


yes, this goes for the reverse too (4k drives and XP too).









I got training on it for work and a powerpoint that explains it pretty well but I cannot share due to NDA







.

So..... I consult the almight wiki god.


Ha that is where I got it from earlier, among other sources, mostly microsoft.

What is your job?
















Quote:



Originally Posted by *Canis-X*


Nice!! Thanks guys! Every day that goes by I love this place a little more, tons of great information as well as those that enjoy sharing it! FANSTANDING!!!!


NP, I love it here too, great forum from the members to the mods and staff.

Feel free to contribute whenever you learn something! It ends up helping others later on usually.


----------



## firestorm1

another question. if your setting up a raid array, do you do the alignment on each drive seperately and then set up the array?

or do you set up the array, then do the alignment?


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Ha that is where I got it from earlier, among other sources, mostly microsoft.

What is your job?



























I'm a technical writer for one of 'dem big corporations that have their fingers in every consumer electronic's pie







.

I know my grammar and writing style doesn't convey it, but I like it that way.

















----
M$ is an amazing resource. Their trainers know their stuff. *consults ginormous M$ training document sitting on desk for 4K stuff*

-.- 3.5" thick w7 manual has 1/2 page of info about SSDs and only TRIM. Nothing about 4k. -.-

I'm going to re-install w7 this weekend onto my HD103SJ, anything you want me to try?


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


another question. if your setting up a raid array, do you do the alignment on each drive seperately and then set up the array?

or do you set up the array, then do the alignment?


I know little to nothing about raids, but IIRC, you set the alignment when you set-up the RAID.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


another question. if your setting up a raid array, do you do the alignment on each drive seperately and then set up the array?

or do you set up the array, then do the alignment?


Raid set up first.


----------



## firestorm1

thanks for the iput guys. i just want to be sure i have everything ready for when my other ssd gets here.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Nocturin*











I'm a technical writer for one of 'dem big corporations that have their fingers in every consumer electronic's pie







.

I know my grammar and writing style doesn't convey it, but I like it that way.

















----
M$ is an amazing resource. Their trainers know their stuff. *consults ginormous M$ training document sitting on desk for 4K stuff*

-.- 3.5" thick w7 manual has 1/2 page of info about SSDs and only TRIM. Nothing about 4k. -.-

I'm going to re-install w7 this weekend onto my HD103SJ, anything you want me to try?


Where can I get this manual!


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Where can I get this manual!










Sit through 20 hours of bone try technical training? I was hoping to get a free copy of win7, but all I got was this freaking manual. lol. It's nothing special, just a general overview of every feature in w7 with some troubleshooting thrown in for good measure.

Darn it- I should a brought it home.

If your looking for anything specific, lemme know and I'll check it when I get back to my desk.

EDIT: M$ knowledge base prolly has much more info than this manual


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Nocturin*


Sit in on M$ training? lol. It's nothing special, just a general overview of every feature in w7 with some troubleshooting thrown in for good measure.

Darn it- I should a brought it home.

If your looking for anything specific, lemme know and I'll check it when I get back to my desk.


Nothing at the moment. I'll try to think of something.









Link to M$ knowledge base?


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Nothing at the moment. I'll try to think of something.









Link to M$ knowledge base?


this and thisis what's called a knowledge base, mainly for troubleshooting. It's may of been what you've been using







.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Nocturin*


this and thisis what's called a knowledge base, mainly for troubleshooting. It's may of been what you've been using







.


Haha, pretty much







thanks


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx;15570534*
> That's correct, Diskpart (and windows) default to 1024 alignment...
> 
> ..and you got me stumped...
> 
> I don't have an answer to your second question, but I have to assume that Windows 7 install should... (I would guess it would be like installing with an unpartitioned disk, and the install walking you through the formatting steps), since the install program has to write to the partitions.
> 
> I am just so used to formatting with diskpart. I'll have to give that a shot, and try an install to find out. i won't be able to get to it 'till later though.


Ok, I'll be trying it when I have time also


----------



## Fan o' water

Nice work Sean - A huge help for those who are going to build there own rig for the risk time. I shall read it thoroughly to see if there is something I could use tooptimize my own build .


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fan o' water;15576939*
> Nice work Sean - A huge help for those who are going to build there own rig for the risk time. I shall read it thoroughly to see if there is something I could use tooptimize my own build .


Thanks, hope you find something









Let me know id there is anything i should add









___________________________________________________________________

Guys! how could you let me do this!

*Check if Prefetch is disabled:* Applies to SSD only

Open the Start Menu, type *Services.msc*, press Enter
Go to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters".
Double-click on "EnablePrefetcher" and enter "0″ (default value is "3″) to disable the Prefetcher.
Instead of *services.msc* it should be *regedit*!

Thanks for telling me!







LOL


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15523325*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you have any issues or questions just ask, I wrote the guide from my iTouch so if you see a mistake let me know! lol


Damn Sean. You wrote that on your iTouch? Almost 6,000 words on your iTouch? Did you never think 'Hmm, I'm starting to get bored'?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown;15578687*
> Damn Sean. You wrote that on your iTouch? Almost 6,000 words on your iTouch? Did you never think 'Hmm, I'm starting to get bored'?


lol, most of it atleast, there was some fine tuning on my PC of course.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *tlxxxsracer*


Great guide Sean!







Will take a look at some of them even after having my ssd optimized.

I would like to ask for a guide on something. Im switching from an AMD to intel system in the next week. I have a 1tb as a storage which I have moved my user data and have games/programs installs on it. What would be the way to maintain my windows installation with my optimizations and programs but yet not have issues with old drivers from my old mobo/cpu?

You can PM me if you like


That is tough, try to remove all the drivers that were for your motherboard first. Make a system image, then align the drive. Then install from a the system image. After it is installed install the proper drivers. You should be good, you may need to reactivate windows.

Note what do you mean by moving programs installs to the 1TB? Most programs will not work unless they are on their proper set up.


----------



## Crabby654

So the 4096 alignment, is that optimal for the secondary drive as well?

Like for my 1TB WD black cavier, should (or would it be optimal) to reformat it for 4096?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


So the 4096 alignment, is that optimal for the secondary drive as well?

Like for my 1TB WD black cavier, should (or would it be optimal) to reformat it for 4096?


You can do it if you want, I wouldn't bother though. I may try it if you want, I have my data backed up to 4 different drives, it will just set me back some time today.


----------



## Crabby654

Well I'm a performance freak when it comes tiny things like that. And I'm thinking about formatting my SSD with the "new" alignment and GPT, but I'm going to wait another week or so to see if theres anymore developments regarding it just so I don't waste time doing it







. And if I'm going to format the SSD, might as well format the storage drive to match.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Well I'm a performance freak when it comes tiny things like that. And I'm thinking about formatting my SSD with the "new" alignment and GPT, but I'm going to wait another week or so to see if theres anymore developments regarding it just so I don't waste time doing it







. And if I'm going to format the SSD, might as well format the storage drive to match.


It is finished, so go do it if you like









I doubt you will notice the performance increase. I am going to try making a few partitions for things now and see if it helps any on my secondary.


----------



## Crabby654

Hmmm I said to myself, nope not going to reformat till windows 8 or I get a 250Gb SSD...looks like the time has come to format now :|, GPT partitioning is new to me tho so this should be interesting. I guess my main reasoning for reformatting is I want my computer ready and top shape for Star Wars: The Old Republic in December


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Hmmm I said to myself, nope not going to reformat till windows 8 or I get a 250Gb SSD...looks like the time has come to format now :|, GPT partitioning is new to me tho so this should be interesting. I guess my main reasoning for reformatting is I want my computer ready and top shape for Star Wars: The Old Republic in December










Haha, also, read this:

Quote:



Now here you can either use MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table). Normally you would use MBR for motherboards with a BIOS and GPT for motherboards with UEFI. *I have noticed since using GPT with my Asus Z68 motherboard that restart times have usually been 3-5 seconds longer than when I have used MBR.* This is because it creates a boot loader and is slightly slower in general to boot, but sleep to wake is faster and there are many other benefits to it including making 2.2TB+ bootable partitions. So in all, you can decide to use either if you have a UEFI or BIOS motherboard. If you have a BIOS use MBR. Below are guides for each.


If you do it, test this out too, IDK if it is just me. There is a windows 7 restart time .vbs you can run and see your restart times in the second post.

Run it, then when you boot up reopen the .vbs and run it again when you see that the internet icon is connected and normal. Do that 5-10 times in a row and tell me what your times were before and after. Also, make note of start up programs and such.

That would help out a lot lol.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Haha, also, read this:

If you do it, test this out too, IDK if it is just me. There is a windows 7 restart time .vbs you can run and see your restart times in the second post.

Run it, then when you boot up reopen the .vbs and run it again when you see that the internet icon is connected and normal. Do that 5-10 times in a row and tell me what your times were before and after. Also, make note of start up programs and such.

That would help out a lot lol.


Alright I'll try and give that a go. For my personal preference I don't care if the boot times are slower, I literally wake up, turn on my PC, goto the bathroom and its on. So times aren't crucial to me, but I will try that for you and see what happens


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Alright I'll try and give that a go. For my personal preference I don't care if the boot times are slower, I literally wake up, turn on my PC, goto the bathroom and its on. So times aren't* crucial *to me, but I will try that for you and see what happens










Isn't crucial! So ironic!









I do the same, usually I just put it to sleep too.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Isn't crucial! So ironic!









I do the same, usually I just put it to sleep too.




















Heres my test with the MBR partition:

1st - 29 sec
2nd - 37 sec
3rd - 27 sec
4th - 27 sec
5th - 37 sec

Startup Programs:









The 37 second reboots I will chalk up to my computer being incredibly weird. For some reason when I do a restart via windows, once in awhile the computer will shut off and turn back on with an overclock error, not sure why but it happens once in awhile. I feel like those times are long tho, it really feels like 15 seconds not almost a half a minute.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*











Heres my test with the MBR partition:

1st - 29 sec
2nd - 37 sec
3rd - 27 sec
4th - 27 sec
5th - 37 sec

Startup Programs:









The 37 second reboots I will chalk up to my computer being incredibly weird. For some reason when I do a restart via windows, once in awhile the computer will shut off and turn back on with an overclock error, not sure why but it happens once in awhile. I feel like those times are long tho, it really feels like 15 seconds not almost a half a minute.


Wow, your mobo is more optimized than mine I guess, the fastest time I ever got was 35 sec on MBR. Now I get 37-40 on GPT.


----------



## Crabby654

I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to make a bootable EFI USB drive. The EFI directory in windows is in the boot directory? I think. But for some reason I can't or maybe I don't know how to create a bootable USB, for some reason when I goto format the option to make a MS-DOS boot is greyed out.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to make a bootable EFI USB drive. The EFI directory in windows is in the boot directory? I think. But for some reason I can't or maybe I don't know how to create a bootable USB, for some reason when I goto format the option to make a MS-DOS boot is greyed out.


I can help!







lol

here are the files, download both.

Once downloaded do the following:

*Make a bootable USB device:*
Download the the files here
Extract
Open the USB Disk Storage Format Utility
Select your flash drive (4GB+ in size)
Select File system > FAT32
Label what you want it to be named
Tick the check box for "Quick format" and "Create a DOS Bootable Disk"
Under "using DOS system files located at: click browse
Select the entire "win98boot" folder
Click Start
When finished Close
Go into you windows 7 disk and drag all the files onto your flash drive (if it is a ISO extract it first)
Then plug it in and boot from it!
*Note:* If you are doing UEFI and GPT follow the steps for that as well.


----------



## Crabby654

Oh eer...I only have a 2Gb USB drive...UGH haha


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Oh eer...I only have a 2Gb USB drive...UGH haha


lolz


----------



## Sean Webster

Check this out guys! Autoruns

Helped me lower my boot time back to the normal 34-35 seconds I had before along with disabling somethings in the UEFI.


----------



## Crabby654

Disabling ItunesHelper makes it so your Ipod won't be recognized when connect to the computer I thought? Or maybe your punking me and don't have an Ipod.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Disabling ItunesHelper makes it so your Ipod won't be recognized when connect to the computer I thought? Or maybe your punking me and don't have an Ipod.


I have 2 itouches and 2 shuffles and they all work fine.

I just plugged it in and it works fine, it just doesn't auto open itunes for me when plugged in, but when I open itunes it detects it fine.

I only disabled any thing for itunes under the "logon" tab, not the services, that is where stuff gets messed with.


----------



## firestorm1

i can vouch for the above statement. i myself have had no issues with my iopd touch by doing that.


----------



## Sean Webster

Added SSD tweaker to the utilities list: SSD Tweaker


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15586755*
> Added SSD tweaker to the utilities list: SSD Tweaker


another program?









i see im going to be busy the next few days.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15586777*
> another program?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i see im going to be busy the next few days.


lol, I never used it before but I'm about to check it out.


----------



## asus6983

Here's a great app to see what is filling up the drive. Add it to the utility list: http://windirstat.info/


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *asus6983;15587005*
> Here's a great app to see what is filling up the drive. Add it to the utility list: http://windirstat.info/


Done!


----------



## blackbuilder

subbed, this is a good thread.
Lots of great info, definitely coming back to this later.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *asus6983;15587005*
> Here's a great app to see what is filling up the drive. Add it to the utility list: http://windirstat.info/


ive been looking for something like that for a couple days. thanks









+rep for you


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blackbuilder;15587052*
> subbed, this is a good thread.
> Lots of great info, definitely coming back to this later.


Glad you like it!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15587131*
> ive been looking for something like that for a couple days. thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> +rep for you


haha, I totally for got I use it all the time!

Also, I am adding a custom sig for the thread! wheee:







*>>>Sean's Windows 7 Install Guide & Optimization for SSD's/HDD's<<<*











PHP:


[IMG alt="post-flame-small.gif"]https://www.overclock.net/images/smilies/post-flame-small.gif[/IMG][B][URL=www.overclock.net/ssd/1156654-seans-windows-7-install-guide-optimization.html]>>>Sean's Windows 7 Install Guide & Optimization for SSD's/HDD's<<<[/URL][/B][IMG alt="post-flame-small.gif"]https://www.overclock.net/images/smilies/post-flame-small.gif[/IMG]


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15583295*
> Haha, also, read this:
> 
> If you do it, test this out too, IDK if it is just me. There is a windows 7 restart time .vbs you can run and see your restart times in the second post.
> 
> Run it, then when you boot up reopen the .vbs and run it again when you see that the internet icon is connected and normal. Do that 5-10 times in a row and tell me what your times were before and after. Also, make note of start up programs and such.
> 
> That would help out a lot lol.


Now that's weird. One of the main advantages of having a GPT is "Faster Boot Times".


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15587400*
> Now that's weird. One of the main advantages of having a GPT is "Faster Boot Times".


I figured out what was causing it!

I had stuff enabled in the UEFI I didn't before! lol


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15587443*
> I figured out what was causing it!
> 
> I had stuff enabled in the UEFI I didn't before! lol


what did you have enabled? so i can keep an eye out for the same.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15587443*
> I figured out what was causing it!
> 
> I had stuff enabled in the UEFI I didn't before! lol


Lol. I'm guessing JMB Storage controller and stuff like that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15587508*
> what did you have enabled? so i can keep an eye out for the same.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15587640*
> Lol. I'm guessing JMB Storage controller and stuff like that?


Exactly! haha, among other stuff.

Here are my settings for some things....I just realized I don't need the HD audio controller enabled!


----------



## Sean Webster

New tweaks, these make your user experience as if you have no lag at all, yet still have aero!

*Speed up the Menu Show Delay Time:*

Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
In regedit go to:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop


In the right pane, right click on MenuShowDelay and click on Modify
Type in a number between 0 to 4000 [400 is default, I use 1] for how many milliseconds you want the Menu to wait before it opens.
Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the changes.
*Note:* This will show you how to change the amount of time it takes for a menu in Windows 7 to pop, fade, or slide open when you run the mouse pointer over it. Also the lower the number, the faster the response time. If you use an entry of 0, there is no menu display delay. However it is not recommended to use 0 though since the menus may be hard to navigate through at that speed.
*Change the Mouse Hover Time before Pop-up Displays:*

Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
In regedit go to:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse


In the right pane, right click on MouseHoverTime and click on Modify
Type in a number between 0 to 4000 [400 is default, I use 30] in milliseconds, that the mouse pointer has to stay hovered on a item before it is selected or opens a pop-up.
Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the changes.
*Note:* This will show you how to change the delay time, in milliseconds, that the mouse pointer has to stay hovered on a item before it is selected or opens a pop-up in Windows 7. For example, how long it takes for a taskbar open window button before to display it's thumbnail preview while hovering the mouse pointer over it. If you have the Animations in the taskbar and Start Menu option checked in Visual Effects, then you may not see much or any difference. You will need to uncheck this option first before doing the tutorial below.The lower the number, the faster the response time. If you use an entry of 0, there is no delay before the taskbar thumbnail preview opens. However it is not recommended to use 0 though since it may be hard to navigate through the thumbnails at that speed.
*Disable the Unwanted Visual Effects:*

For this right click on Computer and select Properties from the right click menu.
Click on Advanced System Settings from the left pane to open up the System Properties window.
Select the Advanced tab from it. Then Under Performance click Settings . Choose Custom: Options From it.
Now just logoff your system and turn logon.
*Note:* The ones in the pic are the ones I check and uncheck.


----------



## Crabby654

So, I really want to format my computer today. But out of curiosity is there any other way to get a GPT partition to work without using a USB drive, some other way perhaps? I only ask cause I really don't want to go to best buy and piss money away on a USB drive...although I'm not sure if it would be too expensive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


So, I really want to format my computer today. But out of curiosity is there any other way to get a GPT partition to work without using a USB drive, some other way perhaps? I only ask cause I really don't want to go to best buy and piss money away on a USB drive...although I'm not sure if it would be too expensive.


You can use your Install disc no problem


----------



## Crabby654

Oh...wait a second..so I only need the USB if I don't have a Windows 7 CD? /punchself


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *crabby654*


oh...wait a second..so i only need the usb if i don't have a windows 7 cd? /punchself


lol, that is why you read everything slowly.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


lol, that is why you read everything slowly.


I do tend to get excited while reading and fly through things. :|


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


I do tend to get excited while reading and fly through things. :|


lol, I added a better guide on Intel SRT to the second post and changed pagefile recommended size to 400MB.


----------



## xandypx

Here's some interesting info. Sean had asked about a RAID installation guide. not quite ready to write one up yet, but some interesting stuff. The only thing I can glean from this at the moment, is never...never...NEVER...*NEVER* let windows do your partitioning for GPT on a RAID 0 Array. It does seem however, that window 7 install does do a good job at aligning partitions like Microsoft claims it will.

The benchmarks were run using 2 Corsair Performance 3, 128GB drives attached to an Intel P67; SATA 6gb/s ports.

I have a lot of these, as each install was done 5 times and the AS SSD benchmark was run immediately after a windows install. I noted no discernible difference between the benchmarks with the same type of install and stripe size. You will see the minimal (I believe a standard margin of error) variance between most of the benches, other than as noted on the GPT sequential write). The RAID was broken, and the drives secure erased with Parted magic between each install. For the Windows alignment, windows 7 was installed to a blank unallocated disk, and the install program handled the partitioning and formatting.

Look at the sequential writes on a GPT disk. This was consistant regardless of stripe size.

GPT Partitions RAID 0; 64K stripe:

*Windows aligned*









*4096 aligned*









MBR partition RAID 0; 128K stripe

This gets a little hairy, because a windows aligned drive consistently produced better results at all stripe sizes ranging from 8K to 128K (the Intel oprom max stripe size is 128K). I think the differences of windows alignment vs. manual alignment is substantial enough to call it outside the standard deviation, so I'm not convinced (at this point) that manual alignment is the way to go on a RAID 0 Array. More testing/ analysis is still needed.

*Windows aligned*









*4096 aligned*









*8192 aligned*


----------



## firestorm1

relink the pics.


----------



## firestorm1

so it looks like a MBR disk is better overall.


----------



## Sean Webster

SO this is or isn't windows aligned? I see it says 1024k, that usually is a manual alignment...


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


SO this is or isn't windows aligned? I see it says 1024k, that usually is a manual alignment...


Depends if he used it as OS drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *XSCounter*


Depends if he used it as OS drive.










i forgot

EDIT: BUT HE SAID THEY WERE DONE AFTER EACH INSTALL.

stupid caps lock lol


----------



## breenemeister

Sean, thanks for the guide. I have most of this info scattered throughout lots of other guides I've found, but you've put it all together and added a thing or two.

*One question*, I'm just about to reinstall windows because of a motherboard and cpu upgrade. I'm looking at the alignment issue. I think I let Windows align it last time. I would like to try the 4096 alignment this time. However, I have another ssd and two mechanical hard drives in the system. Will those be OK? Or will they need realignment? Thanks, and +rep.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *breenemeister*


Sean, thanks for the guide. I have most of this info scattered throughout lots of other guides I've found, but you've put it all together and added a thing or two.

*One question*, I'm just about to reinstall windows because of a motherboard and cpu upgrade. I'm looking at the alignment issue. I think I let Windows align it last time. I would like to try the 4096 alignment this time. However, I have another ssd and two mechanical hard drives in the system. Will those be OK? Or will they need realignment? Thanks, and +rep.


Thanks!









They will be fine, you don't need to align them.


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Thanks!









They will be fine, you don't need to align them.










Thanks for the quick reply, +rep. One more thing, I put my user profiles on another partition on a mechanical drive. I assume that's fine, too?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *breenemeister*


Thanks for the quick reply, +rep. One more thing, I put my user profiles on another partition on a mechanical drive. I assume that's fine, too?


You can set it up how ever you want. I have my user folders like the pictures, documents, videos, and such on my mechanical drive.

If you followed the guide by another member on here to move the whole folder itself during install that is fine too. I prefer to have my appdata folder on the SSD though.


----------



## Nocturin

whelp i just got done with the reinstall... and now i realize I've got about 6 different copies of the same files, over 1tb worth of space.

can anyone link me to a program that will help with the predicament?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Nocturin*


whelp i just got done with the reinstall... and now i realize I've got about 6 different copies of the same files, over 1tb worth of space.

can anyone link me to a program that will help with the predicament?


























What is it exactly?


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*

























What is it exactly?



I have multiple duplicate files, in many different folders buried in many "need to organize" folders.

Particularly my music collections. After 4 "back-up sessions" I need assistance finding, moving, and deleting the duplicate folders. I'll probally be able to save around 400-500gb this way







.

I'm a digital hoarder.... what can i say?


----------



## Crabby654

Hmmm, well I just followed the guide to a T, with the GPT partition formatting. And for some reason my SSD is only being recognized as Sata 3Gb/s while my other HDD is recognized as Sata 6Gb/s hmm, any idea?


----------



## Sean Webster

http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/win...ew-68748.shtml

Try that


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Hmmm, well I just followed the guide to a T, with the GPT partition formatting. And for some reason my SSD is only being recognized as Sata 3Gb/s while my other HDD is recognized as Sata 6Gb/s hmm, any idea?


Is it in the correct port? And what says it is at 3GB/s?


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Is it in the correct port? And what says it is at 3GB/s?


Yep same ports, didn't change any. Intel RST is showing the speed for my drives. Also I ran AS SSD and it was about 250 seq/read speed.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Yep same ports, didn't change any. Intel RST is showing the speed for my drives. Also I ran AS SSD and it was about 250 seq/read speed.


What the hell did you do to it? lol Double check it

Try reinstalling Intel drivers.


----------



## Crabby654

Ok, for some weirdo reason I had to unplug it the SSD and plug it back in and it works now, it was even the same ports, weird weird. BUT ANYWAY.

Ok so here is my comparison of the M4 changes.

M4, 1024 Alignment, MBR









M4, 4096 Alignment, GPT









Now to me it looks like an overall improvment with the partition changes. Right? Also how come on the 4096 alignment it gives a funky number for alignment?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Ok, for some weirdo reason I had to unplug it the SSD and plug it back in and it works now, it was even the same ports, weird weird. BUT ANYWAY.

Ok so here is my comparison of the M4 changes.

M4, 1024 Alignment, MBR









M4, 4096 Alignment, GPT









Now to me it looks like an overall improvment with the partition changes. Right? Also how come on the 4096 alignment it gives a funky number for alignment?


Wow, I never had a difference in performance!







Nice, I guess there is always potential for others!









Not sure, but it is 4k aligned and you are good.


----------



## Crabby654

I'm actually surprised at the write speed increase and the 4k-64Thrd kind of nutty. Even the overall AS SSD score went up by almost 100, super wacky. But I'll allow it!

PS - The Windows Experience Index did not turn off superfetch or prefetch. But it did make it so it would not defrag my SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Omg i figured out the offset and all the #'s!

It is the spacaing before the OS/partition on the drive you are testing!

the 2xxxxx is because there is a 4096k offset and added to it is the MSR partition and the other efi partition!

That is why when windows aligns your drive to 1024k and makes the MSR partition as well it shows as 1xxxxx!

And with the guide I have the MSR partition isn't made on the MBR partitioning so the 4096k offset shows 4096k.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Omg i figured out the offset and all the #'s!

It is the spacaing before the OS/partition on the drive you are testing!

the 2xxxxx is because there is a 4096k offset and added to it is the MSR partition and the other efi partition!

That is why when windows aligns your drive to 1024k and makes the MSR partition as well it shows as 1xxxxx!

And with the guide I have the MSR partition isn't made on the MBR partitioning so the 4096k offset shows 4096k.











So is AS SSD testing the wrong partition?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


So is AS SSD testing the wrong partition?


Nope! It is testing the proper one.


----------



## firestorm1

hey crabby, how long did it take you to install the OS on that drive?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


hey crabby, how long did it take you to install the OS on that drive?


Takes me ~ 8 min or less









usb ftw!


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


hey crabby, how long did it take you to install the OS on that drive?


From the Windows 7 cd, like legit when I clicked install after I did the partition stuff. Maybe 5-10 minutes, for the install/expand files.


----------



## firestorm1

ok. was just wondering if doing the gbt partition over letting windows do it increased the install time or remained more or less the same.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


ok. was just wondering if doing the gbt partition over letting windows do it increased the install time or remained more or less the same.


Yea, it's about the same, just those few extra steps in CMD.


----------



## Crabby654

Ok so earlier today I did the restart test 5 times, and assuming my computer didn't give me an OC error, the average restart time was 27 seconds with MBR + 1024 Alignment.

I just did it 5 times in a row with GPT + 4096 Alignment:

1. 30 sec
2. 30 sec
3. 30 sec
4. 30 sec
5. 30 sec

I'm pretty surprised there was literally no fluctuation in times, it might be 3 seconds longer to reboot BUT the other advantages in my case make it worth it. Faster write speeds and faster 4k-64Thrd read time. I'll take it!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654;15596465*
> Ok so earlier today I did the restart test 5 times, and assuming my computer didn't give me an OC error, the average restart time was 27 seconds with MBR + 1024 Alignment.
> 
> I just did it 5 times in a row with GPT + 4096 Alignment:
> 
> 1. 30 sec
> 2. 30 sec
> 3. 30 sec
> 4. 30 sec
> 5. 30 sec
> 
> I'm pretty surprised there was literally no fluctuation in times, it might be 3 seconds longer to reboot BUT the other advantages in my case make it worth it. Faster write speeds and faster 4k-64Thrd read time. I'll take it!


Did you disable stuff in the bios (See mine)or use auto runs and check out BlackViper yet?









you will drop 3 sec at least.


----------



## Crabby654

I did do Blackvipers list and yes I turned off what I usually do for my start up programs. It's not a huge deal really, still more of a positive than negative going to GPT with 4096


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654;15596581*
> I did do Blackvipers list and yes I turned off what I usually do for my start up programs. It's not a huge deal really, still more of a positive than negative going to GPT with 4096


Cool, did you do anything to optimize your UEFI?

I didn't do the BlackViper thing yet XD

How was it?


----------



## Crabby654

I love it, I've always gone with the "Safe" settings only because I get paranoid if I turn off to many things. But I would def do it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *crabby654;15596595*
> i love it, i've always gone with the "safe" settings only because i get paranoid if i turn off to many things. But i would def do it.


lol, do it, if you have a question on any feature let me know. Make sure you disable the marvell ports...i think you have them.

do you want to see all my "Stock" Settings?


----------



## huga

Should you only enable AHCI mode if you're using a SDD or is this something you can do with a regular HDD? Fairly new builder haven't touched BIOS all that much other then memory profiles.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *huga;15597098*
> Should you only enable AHCI mode if you're using a SDD or is this something you can do with a regular HDD? Fairly new builder haven't touched BIOS all that much other then memory profiles.


For both use AHCI, anything else?


----------



## huga

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15597117*
> For both use AHCI, anything else?


No thats about it =D. Thanks for the fast reply.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15595559*
> http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Easy-Duplicate-Finder-Review-68748.shtml
> 
> Try that


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15597117*
> For both use AHCI, anything else?


Thanks for the program







. I'll give it shot and let you know









---

Darnit, I forgot to see if my MB had AHCI. Is it true that you cannot change IDE to AHCI after the disc(s) have data on them? I don't remeber.


----------



## Sean Webster

Read the second post under tips and tricks and help lol

*Change it to AHCI mode from IDE:*

Exit all Windows-based programs.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type *Regedit* there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window. (If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.)
Locate and then click the following registry sub key:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci


In the right pane right-click Start in the Name column and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
Restart your computer
Go to BIOS and enable AHCI, Save & Reboot
Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.


----------



## Sean Webster

Just added this:

*Change from AHCI to IDE Mode after Installation:*

Exit all Windows-based programs.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Pciide


In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
Restart your computer
Go to BIOS and enable IDE, Save & Reboot
Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.
*Enable RAID Mode after Installation:*

Exit all Windows-based programs.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor


In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
Restart your computer
Go to BIOS and enable RAID, Save & Reboot
Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.

Now I am looking into a RAMDisk tut.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15597838*
> Just added this:
> 
> Now I am looking into a RAMDisk tut.


ve heard doing one of those is somewhat faster than an actual drive. definitely interested in that tut.


----------



## Slappy Mcgee

Thank you for this thread. Subbed

+Rep for you when I get home


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15597972*
> ve heard doing one of those is somewhat faster than an actual drive. definitely interested in that tut.


I finished
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Slappy Mcgee;15597991*
> Thank you for this thread. Subbed
> 
> +Rep for you when I get home


Thanks


----------



## pioneerisloud

I'd be interested in a RAMDisk section. DataRAM RAMDisk is limited to 4GB though, makes me very sad. I want to use an 8-12GB RAM Disk.


----------



## Joell28

is it safe to do everything u sayed with a harddrive ?


----------



## Sean Webster

*Installing RAM Disk:*

*Information:*
RAMDisk is a program that takes a portion of your system memory and uses it as a disk drive. What is the benefit? In a word: SPEED! An additional feature of a RAMDisk is that it will never wear out. You can access it at maximum bandwidth 24/7/365 without fear of mechanical failure, or fragmentation (a RAMDisk can become fragmented just like any other disk, but it does not take a performance hit like a physical disk does when it becomes fragmented). A RAMDisk operating at maximum bandwidth does not produce excessive heat, noise or vibrations.

*Most users use RAMDisk to speed up applications like:*

Databases
Internet Explorer and Firefox cache for faster web surfing
Audio and Video editing
CAD programs
Photoshop Scratch Disk
Speeding up CD duplication
Games
SETI processing
TEMP files
Swap space
Web server cache
Custom applications with high I/O, high bandwidth, or high security requirements
You can download Dataram RAMDisk Here

*Instructions:*

Download the RAMdisk and install it to your system.
Once installed you can copy my system here which uses a 4092 MB Ram Disk. You may set a smaller or larger drive to use. This is up to you.
Set what you see in the screen shot below. Notice the drive is set to Unformatted. You will see why in a moment.
















Once you have set what you see in the above pic go back to the Settings tab and hit Start RAMDisk
Wait while it loads the driver.
Then you need to mount the drive and format it.
Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management
Here you should now be greeted with a prompt that you have a new drive.
Mount the drive and quick format it NTFS or FAT32, give the name RamDrive and assign letter R.
Once the drive is formatted navigate to My Computer, you should now see the RamDrive.
Click to open the RamDrive.
Once you have done this close down My Computer.
It's now time to reboot the PC to make sure the RamDisk is working correctly.
You can manually close the RamDisk window now [it has saved your settings] and all other apps you may have open and proceed to reboot.
*Note:* Now shutdown should take a little longer than normal, this is due to the image of data on the RamDisk being written to the SSD drive. On boot the machine should also take a few seconds longer than normal, this is due to the Ramdisk being formatted then the image that was written to the SSD is mounted on the RamDisk. So where you left off is where you restart.
Navigate back to my computer, you should see the RamDisk looking like a standard hard drive. If its not there you need to go back to the Ramdisk App settings and check its configured correctly.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud;15598123*
> I'd be interested in a RAMDisk section. DataRAM RAMDisk is limited to 4GB though, makes me very sad. I want to use an 8-12GB RAM Disk.


lol see my tut








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Joell28;15598126*
> is it safe to do everything u sayed with a harddrive ?


If it says ssd/hdd it is safe.

Anything in particular?


----------



## Joell28

edited


----------



## Joell28

nvm i now saw later in ur post u added Applies to SSD/HDD etc
still does the first part still count for hdd ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Joell28;15598153*
> Before you begin check your UEFI/BIOS for these settings:
> Check if AHCI mode is enabled, if not enable it.
> Note: If you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT use RAID Mode instead.
> Check to see if S1 and S3 sleep are supported in bios, I set it to S3, but S1 should be OK also.
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.
> Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of you SSD and update if necessary.
> Note: Check the next post in the thread for the downloads section, use the newest firmware unless instructed to do different.
> To avoid having the boot sector placed on a secondary drive, disconnect all other drives.
> 
> i dont know these terms so it whas beter for me to ask so i dont ruin my harddrive ^^ anyway il try it out after i installed windows 7 agean wich shud be in 30min or so ^^


Yep everything before "*Immediately after installing Windows*" applies to both SSD's and HDD's.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Joell28;15598184*
> nvm i now saw later in ur post u added Applies to SSD/HDD etc
> still does the first part still count for hdd ?


it works for both hdd and ssd.


----------



## BradleyW

were is that quote of me saying why 4k is the best option?


----------



## firestorm1

EDIT:

nevermiind.


----------



## BradleyW

nvm i found it lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW;15598870*
> were is that quote of me saying why 4k is the best option?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW;15598891*
> nvm i found it lol.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15598912*


----------



## Sean Webster

OK, so I made a 4GB RAM drive and...I want more RAM!


----------



## firestorm1

OMG


----------



## Joell28

+repped gained 20% preformace on my harddrive!


----------



## Joell28

what happends if u use a pagefile or virtual memory on that ramdisk?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Joell28;15599837*
> +repped gained 20% preformace on my harddrive!


Thanks, glad it helped out








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Joell28;15599844*
> what happends if u use a pagefile or virtual memory on that ramdisk?


hmmm, idk, try it out? you may not notice a difference.


----------



## firestorm1

what programs are you going to put on that ram drive?


----------



## Joell28

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15599886*
> Thanks, glad it helped out
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hmmm, idk, try it out? you may not notice a difference.


how do i benchmark pagefile/virtual memory =P?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


what programs are you going to put on that ram drive?


IDK yet lol...maybe a scratch disk for photoshop?

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


how do i benchmark pagefile/virtual memory =P?


no idea







sorry

But you can bench your RAM with maxx mem and RAMDisk with AS SSD.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


IDK yet lol...maybe a scratch disk for photoshop?


that could be useful. as fast as that ram drive it, photoshop will be a breeze.


----------



## Joell28

used maxx mem dint show any preformance chances anyway used crystaldiskmark and read/writes on ramdisk is 3k or so ^^


----------



## Joell28

using readyboost on it now^^


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15600132*
> that could be useful. as fast as that ram drive it, photoshop will be a breeze.


OMG! lightroom 3 cache!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


using readyboost on it now^^


hows that working for you? haha


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *xandypx*


Here's some interesting info. Sean had asked about a RAID installation guide. not quite ready to write one up yet, but some interesting stuff. The only thing I can glean from this at the moment, is never...never...NEVER...*NEVER* let windows do your partitioning for GPT on a RAID 0 Array. It does seem however, that window 7 install does do a good job at aligning partitions like Microsoft claims it will.

The benchmarks were run using 2 Corsair Performance 3, 128GB drives attached to an Intel P67; SATA 6gb/s ports.

I have a lot of these, as each install was done 5 times and the AS SSD benchmark was run immediately after a windows install. I noted no discernible difference between the benchmarks with the same type of install and stripe size. You will see the minimal (I believe a standard margin of error) variance between most of the benches, other than as noted on the GPT sequential write). The RAID was broken, and the drives secure erased with Parted magic between each install. For the Windows alignment, windows 7 was installed to a blank unallocated disk, and the install program handled the partitioning and formatting.

Look at the sequential writes on a GPT disk. This was consistant regardless of stripe size.

GPT Partitions RAID 0; 64K stripe:

*Windows aligned*









*4096 aligned*









MBR partition RAID 0; 128K stripe

This gets a little hairy, because a windows aligned drive consistently produced better results at all stripe sizes ranging from 8K to 128K (the Intel oprom max stripe size is 128K). I think the differences of windows alignment vs. manual alignment is substantial enough to call it outside the standard deviation, so I'm not convinced (at this point) that manual alignment is the way to go on a RAID 0 Array. More testing/ analysis is still needed.

*Windows aligned*









*4096 aligned*









*8192 aligned*










I'm assusming that this doesn't apply to single SSD OS drives, right? It is still best to go with a manula 4096 alignment with a GPT partition with a single SSD OS drive, correct?

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Omg i figured out the offset and all the #'s!

It is the spacaing before the OS/partition on the drive you are testing!

the 2xxxxx is because there is a 4096k offset and added to it is the MSR partition and the other efi partition!

That is why when windows aligns your drive to 1024k and makes the MSR partition as well it shows as 1xxxxx!

And with the guide I have the MSR partition isn't made on the MBR partitioning so the 4096k offset shows 4096k.











Lol, yeah. From the word "Offset" it is where the OS partition starts.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


lol, do it, if you have a question on any feature let me know. Make sure you disable the marvell ports...i think you have them.

do you want to see all my "Stock" Settings?


You can also shove a few seconds off of your boot time by disabling the "Full Screen Logo" and when an option appears after disabling that (forgot that specific option's name) change to it from 5 sec. to 1 sec.

Change "Option ROM Messages" from "Force BIOS" to "Kepp Current" also.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


*Installing RAM Disk:*

*Information:*
RAMDisk is a program that takes a portion of your system memory and uses it as a disk drive. What is the benefit? In a word: SPEED! An additional feature of a RAMDisk is that it will never wear out. You can access it at maximum bandwidth 24/7/365 without fear of mechanical failure, or fragmentation (a RAMDisk can become fragmented just like any other disk, but it does not take a performance hit like a physical disk does when it becomes fragmented). A RAMDisk operating at maximum bandwidth does not produce excessive heat, noise or vibrations.

*Most users use RAMDisk to speed up applications like:*
Databases
Internet Explorer and Firefox cache for faster web surfing
Audio and Video editing
CAD programs
Photoshop Scratch Disk
Speeding up CD duplication
Games
SETI processing
TEMP files
Swap space
Web server cache
Custom applications with high I/O, high bandwidth, or high security requirements
You can download Dataram RAMDisk Here

*Instructions:*
Download the RAMdisk and install it to your system.
Once installed you can copy my system here which uses a 4092 MB Ram Disk. You may set a smaller or larger drive to use. This is up to you.
Set what you see in the screen shot below. Notice the drive is set to Unformatted. You will see why in a moment.
















Once you have set what you see in the above pic go back to the Settings tab and hit Start RAMDisk
Wait while it loads the driver.
Then you need to mount the drive and format it.
Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management
Here you should now be greeted with a prompt that you have a new drive.
Mount the drive and quick format it NTFS or FAT32, give the name RamDrive and assign letter R.
Once the drive is formatted navigate to My Computer, you should now see the RamDrive.
Click to open the RamDrive.
Once you have done this close down My Computer.
It's now time to reboot the PC to make sure the RamDisk is working correctly.
You can manually close the RamDisk window now [it has saved your settings] and all other apps you may have open and proceed to reboot.
*Note:* Now shutdown should take a little longer than normal, this is due to the image of data on the RamDisk being written to the SSD drive. On boot the machine should also take a few seconds longer than normal, this is due to the Ramdisk being formatted then the image that was written to the SSD is mounted on the RamDisk. So where you left off is where you restart.
Navigate back to my computer, you should see the RamDisk looking like a standard hard drive. If its not there you need to go back to the Ramdisk App settings and check its configured correctly.


Please take note that saving the RAMDisk image before shutdown and loading it during startup will increase the shutdown time and startup time, respectively.

I will link a forum in the OCZ tehcnology forum ASAP because their site is down currently.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


what happends if u use a pagefile or virtual memory on that ramdisk?


Do not put a pagefile when a RAMDisk is used. It defeats the purpose of having a RAMDisk. A pagefile is only used when there is insufficient RAM available. Putting a pagefile in a RAMDisk is kind of looping its purpose. Do you get what I mean? Sorry for not explaining it properly.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


OK, so I made a 4GB RAM drive and...I want more RAM!











This is exactly why I upgraded from 4GB to 8GB of RAM, mainly to use RAMDisk for Internet browser cache.


----------



## Joell28

going to run bf3 in 5min to see if i gain anything ^^


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


going to run bf3 in 5min to see if i gain anything ^^


Are you going ot install BF3 on the RAMDisk?


----------



## Joell28

Do not put a pagefile when a RAMDisk is used. It defeats the purpose of having a RAMDisk. A pagefile is only used when there is insufficient RAM available. Putting a pagefile in a RAMDisk is kind of looping its purpose. Do you get what I mean? Sorry for not explaining it properly.[/QUOTE]

yea^^ used it for virtual memory ( no preformace gain) using it for readyboost atm)


----------



## Joell28

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15600289*
> Are you going ot install BF3 on the RAMDisk?


nah i wud need more ram for that =P wud be like 0 ms loading screens rofl


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


what programs are you going to put on that ram drive?


If I was still playing WoW, I'd put it on RAM drive!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Joell28;15600295*
> Do not put a pagefile when a RAMDisk is used. It defeats the purpose of having a RAMDisk. A pagefile is only used when there is insufficient RAM available. Putting a pagefile in a RAMDisk is kind of looping its purpose. Do you get what I mean? Sorry for not explaining it properly.


yea^^ used it for virtual memory ( no preformace gain) using it for readyboost atm)[/QUOTE]

Oh ok. I'm guessing you aren't using an SSD?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Joell28;15600310*
> nah i wud need more ram for that =P wud be like 0 ms loading screens rofl


So you're testing BF3 because of the possible speed increase of readyboost?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter;15600398*
> If I was still playing WoW, I'd put it on RAM drive!


Good to know you quit....I couldn't befriends with you if you played that game.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Good to know you quit....I couldn't befriends with you if you played that game.










But but but I play







...until ToR...or GW2


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


But but but I play







...until ToR...or GW2




















What's worst than playing WoW is that I don't even know those games! I smite thee!


----------



## Joell28

used a 1gig readyboost runnign almost with 100mb free ram playing bf3 with 65-70 fps (high settings) sig rig no stutering wich i did have on windows 8 anyway time for me to buy more ram!


----------



## PB4UGO

i just set up my RAMdisk just for fun with your exact settings...pretty awesome for Corsair XMS 3 RAM running stock at 1600. This thread is just great Sean, excellent and thorough job!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *PB4UGO*


i just set up my RAMdisk just for fun with your exact settings...pretty awesome for Corsair XMS 3 RAM running stock at 1600. This thread is just great Sean, excellent and thorough job!










Nice, and thanks!


----------



## firestorm1

makes me want to invest in 32gb of ram lol


----------



## Joell28

http://www.alternate.nl/html/shop/pr...artno=ieif57j6
16gig 1.6mhz 9-9-9-9 and that for only 80$


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


makes me want to invest in 32gb of ram lol


Same.


----------



## Pigeon

Disabling the hibernation file freed up 5GB on my puny 30GB SSD! Now I have 8GB to use, also realized how helpful RAMDisk is. I need to add more RAM to make it feasible to use.

Also, there's a way to move data and create 'network' shortcuts to the data, like if I had Steam installed on my mechanical hard drive, I could move the game data to the SSD and create placeholder folders that link to that data. There are programs that do this, I think one of them is called SSD Boost Manager, but it's written in French.


----------



## Sean Webster

Yay!









*Sticky!*


----------



## PB4UGO

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15600598*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yay!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Sticky!*


very well deserved Sean, congrats!


----------



## Joell28

wtb 100gb ram so we can trow away our harddrives/ssd and run our os @ our ram!


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15600598*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yay!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Sticky!*


awesome.


----------



## PB4UGO

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


wtb 100gb ram so we can trow away our harddrives/ssd and run our os @ our ram!


well, with the tidbits of info available for windows 8 regarding RAM, that's gonna be fun, because W8 is aiming for more efficient (read: less) RAM usage. so while RAM is getting cheaper, the whole idea opens up rediculous possibilities.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


wtb 100gb ram so we can trow away our harddrives/ssd and run our os @ our ram!


I was thinking of that...now how do we create a bootable RAMDisk? hehe

*Idea: *
Pre OS operating system/boot loader
boots data to ram from HDD
then then is somehow boot into the OS
Then when OS shuts down .img saves to HDD


----------



## firestorm1

almost 10k views and over 40 pages in less than a week


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


wtb 100gb ram so we can trow away our harddrives/ssd and run our os @ our ram!


And how much are you willing to pay for that?

SSDs' price aren't too low right now. How do you think will a 128GB RAM cost? Lol.


----------



## kevindd992002

Here's a good read regarding RAMDisk: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...mp-Utilities-*


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*


Here's a good read regarding RAMDisk: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...mp-Utilities-*


I swear I didn't get my RAM guide from there


----------



## Joell28

been thinking about buying and ssd =P but now thinking about buying ram idk gues ssd is still the way to go since my old 130mb read/write harddrive with its 30sec loading screens new ssd will give more preformance then more ram i think^^


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *joell28*


been thinking about buying and ssd =p but now thinking about buying ram idk gues ssd is still the way to go since my old 130mb read/write harddrive with its 30sec loading screens new ssd will give more preformance then more ram i think^^


ssd > ram


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:



Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*


And how much are you willing to pay for that?

SSDs' price aren't too low right now. How do you think will a 128GB RAM cost? Lol.


im not going to say cheap, but they are well priced


----------



## Joell28

m4 64gb is still the best for around 80-100$ budget right ?


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*









Yay!









*Sticky!*


Congratz


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


m4 64gb is still the best for around 80-100$ budget right ?


Do it and you won't look back


----------



## Joell28

awsome


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15600758*
> Do it and you won't look back


^this.

after owning a ssd, i could never go back to a hdd. it would be like getting rid of my fios internet and going back to dial up. i would just die


----------



## Joell28

edit


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


I swear I didn't get my RAM guide from there










Lol, didn't notice that.









Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


ssd > ram










In terms of speed, RAM>SSD but SSD is still the way to go right now







RAMDisk is kind of just a "plus" to our systems.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


therory: if u raid0 u make 2 hdd's work like one right? 
does it mater if there not the same?

if so cant they make a partition raid0 so u raid0 with ur ramdisk and get overal higher write/read


Yes, it does matter if they are not the same. Generally, as long as you have two disks with the same size (even with different brands) you can do that but for optimal performance two drives of the same brand and size are still recommended.

Your RAMDisk isn't recognize until you boot to Windows, how do you plan on putting it in a RAID0 array then?


----------



## Joell28

edit


----------



## Joell28

edit


----------



## Joell28

edit


----------



## Joell28

edit


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Joell28*


ok i created a working raid with ramdisk+ a 80gb laptop hardrive i had laying around gone test raids


lol wow...post test results...if any


----------



## infected rat

Congrats on the sticky, awesome to have a current and maintained guide up there. Now you're on full view for all to see perhaps you'd like to edit the title to remove the errant apostrophes?

This is a highly pedantic point and for that I apologise but the plural os SSD is SSDs. The plural of HDD is HDDs. No apostrophes in sight. If you use an apostrophe the meaning is different. When you are talking about many of a thing and adding an 's' to the end of the word to express that, you never add an apostraphe.


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:



Originally Posted by *infected rat*


Now you're on full view for all to see perhaps you'd like to edit the title to remove the errant apostrophes?


Hehe I also noticed apostrophes thing







I was nagged at a lot about proper use of apostrophes during my economics course in uni.. had to write a lot of essays


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *infected rat*


Congrats on the sticky, awesome to have a current and maintained guide up there. Now you're on full view for all to see perhaps you'd like to edit the title to remove the errant apostrophes?

This is a highly pedantic point and for that I apologise but the plural os SSD is SSDs. The plural of HDD is HDDs. No apostrophes in sight. If you use an apostrophe the meaning is different. When you are talking about many of a thing and adding an 's' to the end of the word to express that, you never add an apostraphe.


















Quote:



Originally Posted by *XSCounter*


Hehe I also noticed apostrophes thing







I was nagged at a lot about proper use of apostrophes during my economics course in uni.. had to write a lot of essays










Changing the title now, when i'm home I'll read though and fix everything else.









I have dyslexia so I often write improperly. lol


----------



## Nocturin

woot! awesome1

You update so quick I'm not able to keep up!

Question about the RAMdisk, on the screenshot of the program you can only made a 4gb RamDisk (4096 Maximum), have you been able to create a larger "drive"?

If you figure out how to boot the OS into RAMDisk, you will officially win the internet!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin;15603891*
> woot! awesome1
> 
> You update so quick I'm not able to keep up!
> 
> Question about the RAMdisk, on the screenshot of the program you can only made a 4gb RamDisk (4096 Maximum), have you been able to create a larger "drive"?
> 
> If you figure out how to boot the OS into RAMDisk, you will officially win the internet!


You need to pay $15 to make a bigger one.

And a way to make one would be to run a vm off it


----------



## Remix65

subs.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Remix65;15603992*
> subs.


----------



## Canis-X

Congrats on the sticky Sean!!


----------



## Sean Webster

*New Guide!
*

*How to have steam on the SSD while having the games on either the SSD or HDD:*

Delete everything in the Steam folder except for the "steam.exe" and the "steamapps" folder
Have the "steam.exe" to a folder made on the C:\ drive (C:\Users\Sean\Steam)
Have the "steamapps" folder on the HDD you want to store your games (D:\User\Program Files\Steam\steamapps)
Make a junction from the "steamapps" folder to the SSD folder with the "steam.exe" in it
Open the "steam.exe" and it will reconfigure steam
Logged in and BAM! All your games are recognized and steam is on the SSD and the games on the other drive.
Now, you can put what ever games you want on the SSD with Steam Mover (or junctions)
Create another folder on the C:\ drive and name it (C:\Users\Sean\Steam Games)
Run Steam Mover and have it move the game to that location and you are done!
Now go play the games you want!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canis-X;15608839*
> Congrats on the sticky Sean!!


Thanks!


----------



## Slappy Mcgee

Sean more rep is coming your way man


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Slappy Mcgee;15609639*
> Sean more rep is coming your way man


Awesome







lol


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Slappy Mcgee;15609639*
> Sean more rep is coming your way man


*Cough* Don't forget me *cough* 4k Alignment *cough*.


----------



## Slappy Mcgee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW;15609790*
> *Cough* Don't forget me *cough* 4k Alignment *cough*.


*Cough* Rep to you *cough* for the 4096 *cough* alignment information *cough*


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Slappy Mcgee*


*Cough* Rep to you *cough* for the 4096 *cough* alignment information *cough*


----------



## firestorm1

well my other ssd finally showed up. stupid ups making me the last stop









anyways, i have a problem. im trying to update the firmware on the new drive and for some reason when i launch the flash program, its not detecting it. it shows my 1st ssd, but not the new one.

when i first plugged it in i had to go into disk management to first set it up. formatted it, yada yada. im able to transfer files from one drive to another, no problem. in my computer, it shows up as drive H: but like i said, the corsair firmware program isnt detecting the drive at all. ive done everything i can think of. hopefully you can figure it out what im not doing because im scratching my head on this one.

thanks.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Slappy Mcgee*


*Cough* Rep to you *cough* for the 4096 *cough* alignment information *cough*











*cough* thank you *cough*


----------



## BradleyW

Just want to clear something up.
Might wanna add to OP in my message via FQA section

Ok alignment can be 1024 or 4096. (4096 will provide better speeds in real world environments whilst 1024 will show slightly better results via benchmarks).

Allocation Unit size MUST be 4096 no matter what! Even if your alignment is at 1024!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW;15611027*
> Just want to clear something up.
> Might wanna add to OP in my message via FQA section
> 
> Ok alignment can be 1024 or 4096. (4096 will provide better speeds in real world environments whilst 1024 will show slightly better results via benchmarks).
> 
> Allocation Unit size MUST be 4096 no matter what! Even if your alignment is at 1024!


Isn't the allocation size 4096 the default anyways?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *firestorm1*


well my other ssd finally showed up. stupid ups making me the last stop









anyways, i have a problem. im trying to update the firmware on the new drive and for some reason when i launch the flash program, its not detecting it. it shows my 1st ssd, but not the new one.

when i first plugged it in i had to go into disk management to first set it up. formatted it, yada yada. im able to transfer files from one drive to another, no problem. in my computer, it shows up as drive H: but like i said, the corsair firmware program isnt detecting the drive at all. ive done everything i can think of. hopefully you can figure it out what im not doing because im scratching my head on this one.

thanks.


Same drive? Did you read the instructions? You may need to use a older firmware for it first maybe...

Also try disconnecting all the drives and plug that one in port 0 or 1 on the mobo and be in IDE mode.


----------



## firestorm1

You sure ide will be fine? The insctuctions on corsairs site say to be in ahci. ill give it a go and report back. Oh btw, switching ports had no effect.


----------



## Sean Webster

Hmm, maybe not IDE mode, not sure


----------



## firestorm1

Nope no dice. Still the same thing. Maybe it just wasnt meant to be lol. Ok, time to raid these bad bad boys. bbialw


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:



Originally Posted by *BradleyW*


Just want to clear something up.
Might wanna add to OP in my message via FQA section

Ok alignment can be 1024 or 4096. (4096 will provide better speeds in real world environments whilst 1024 will show slightly better results via benchmarks).

Allocation Unit size MUST be 4096 no matter what! Even if your alignment is at 1024!


Hehe, I'm glad I confirmed about this in my PM to you. It seems that your explanation last week about 4096 allocation unit size was taken as the 4096 alignment by most readers here (including me, initially).

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


Isn't the allocation size 4096 the default anyways?


Yes, 4096 is the default allocation unit size for Windows 7.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15612111*
> Nope no dice. Still the same thing. Maybe it just wasnt meant to be lol. Ok, time to raid these bad bad boys. bbialw


Post them up whenever, i'm off to bed.


----------



## breenemeister

Having serious issues with the new mobo/chip and installing Windows 7 Pro. Since I have a new mobo, I'm installing a new Windows 7 Pro OEM and my wife will be getting Ultimat that I had on the other motherboard. Followed the guide with setup in diskpart, etc. Looks just like your screenshots. However, after installing drivers and what not, I shutdown, reconnect the other 3 drives and then Windows won't boot. The Windows logo pops, then I get two runs of the white bar at the bottom showing Windows in Loading Files, then just black screen with cursor in the upper lefthand corner. I tried doing a repair with the disk, but Windows says it can't fix it due to a missing driver. If I disconnect the other three drives, Windows boots fine. In device manager, there is one unkown device, but I can't figure out what it is. However, it's hosing everything up apparently. I tried just connecting different drives and was able to get it to boot normally once with all but my WD Caviar Black 1TB. Unfortunately, that's the only drive that really matters as that is where the user profiles and data is. Anyway, I can't get it to boot everytime with any of the disks connected. I tried another re-install, but still no dice.

I have a couple of theories:

1. Changing over to GPT has screwed things up. Regardless, my old version of Ghost won't work anymore with GPT, which sucks.

2. The disk alignment is causing problems switching to 4096 on just the boot drive? Doesn't seem likely.

3. Because the 3 other drives were authored using Windows Ultimate, Windows Pro can't handle it. (This better not be the case.)

What do you guys think?


----------



## Sean Webster

Anything else I should add? I am out of ideas!!! Lol


----------



## Indilinx

thanks for the guide. I was hesitant on SSDs until i saw a deal for the M4 ($104) so i jumped on it and used this guide to set things up. im extremely happy with the purchase. thank you once again!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *breenemeister;15617181*
> Having serious issues with the new mobo/chip and installing Windows 7 Pro. Since I have a new mobo, I'm installing a new Windows 7 Pro OEM and my wife will be getting Ultimat that I had on the other motherboard. Followed the guide with setup in diskpart, etc. Looks just like your screenshots. However, after installing drivers and what not, I shutdown, reconnect the other 3 drives and then Windows won't boot. The Windows logo pops, then I get two runs of the white bar at the bottom showing Windows in Loading Files, then just black screen with cursor in the upper lefthand corner. I tried doing a repair with the disk, but Windows says it can't fix it due to a missing driver. If I disconnect the other three drives, Windows boots fine. In device manager, there is one unkown device, but I can't figure out what it is. However, it's hosing everything up apparently. I tried just connecting different drives and was able to get it to boot normally once with all but my WD Caviar Black 1TB. Unfortunately, that's the only drive that really matters as that is where the user profiles and data is. Anyway, I can't get it to boot everytime with any of the disks connected. I tried another re-install, but still no dice.
> 
> I have a couple of theories:
> 
> 1. Changing over to GPT has screwed things up. Regardless, my old version of Ghost won't work anymore with GPT, which sucks.
> 
> 2. The disk alignment is causing problems switching to 4096 on just the boot drive? Doesn't seem likely.
> 
> 3. Because the 3 other drives were authored using Windows Ultimate, Windows Pro can't handle it. (This better not be the case.)
> 
> What do you guys think?


I'll be home in a half hour. I'll help then, but this is an odd issue. We should. Be able to to it still fix it though


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Indilinx;15617223*
> thanks for the guide. I was hesitant on SSDs until i saw a deal for the M4 ($104) so i jumped on it and used this guide to set things up. im extremely happy with the purchase. thank you once again!


Glad it helped


----------



## Sean Webster

Breenemeister, do you have the UEFI set to boot from windows boot manger?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *breenemeister;15617181*
> Having serious issues with the new mobo/chip and installing Windows 7 Pro. Since I have a new mobo, I'm installing a new Windows 7 Pro OEM and my wife will be getting Ultimat that I had on the other motherboard. Followed the guide with setup in diskpart, etc. Looks just like your screenshots. However, after installing drivers and what not, I shutdown, reconnect the other 3 drives and then Windows won't boot. The Windows logo pops, then I get two runs of the white bar at the bottom showing Windows in Loading Files, then just black screen with cursor in the upper lefthand corner. I tried doing a repair with the disk, but Windows says it can't fix it due to a missing driver. If I disconnect the other three drives, Windows boots fine. In device manager, there is one unkown device, but I can't figure out what it is. However, it's hosing everything up apparently. I tried just connecting different drives and was able to get it to boot normally once with all but my WD Caviar Black 1TB. Unfortunately, that's the only drive that really matters as that is where the user profiles and data is. Anyway, I can't get it to boot everytime with any of the disks connected. I tried another re-install, but still no dice.
> 
> I have a couple of theories:
> 
> 1. Changing over to GPT has screwed things up. Regardless, my old version of Ghost won't work anymore with GPT, which sucks.
> 
> 2. The disk alignment is causing problems switching to 4096 on just the boot drive? Doesn't seem likely.
> 
> 3. Because the 3 other drives were authored using Windows Ultimate, Windows Pro can't handle it. (This better not be the case.)
> 
> What do you guys think?


I take it from the post that you installed win7 (ie you didn't image it from a backup)? MBR imaged to a GPT disk can be a problem. You need to reset the disk ID, and this can cause problems.

Ghost 15 will work for back-up, just the internal crash restore (i think it's called lights out?) won't work on a GPT disk, as I don't think you can gets its entry into the bootloader, and even if you do, it won't see the 3 partitions necessary to complete an entire "crashed disk' restore. That's the problem I had indicated with using MBR disk programs with GPT. Maybe in Ghost 16. Although it may be possible to Image the entire disk in one shot, and restore an image. I don't know if Nortons does this with GPT... I know Acronis has problems with GPT.

If I were to take a wild stab... Does one of your disks contain the "old" BCD files from the MBR?

When you attach the other drives, are you sure that your UEFI is still booting from the Boot Manager, and not picking up one of the newly attached drives. Does one of your "old" drives contain your old OS installation? Sometimes a UEFI can be too smart for its own good, and it will find the old OS, and not know what to do. You can ensure this does not happen, by making sure you have disabled all of the newly attached Disks in your Boot device list in the UEFI. GPT won't boot from a disk anyway, only the boot manager.

Another though... you didn't use Ghost to replace the EFI (ESP) partiton? This is where the GPT bootloader is located. From what you describe, the UEFI is hanging while trying to pass controll to the OS. You really shouldn't be seeing the Windows "white bars" loading files. It sounds like you are still booting from the install disk, or I think you see the same thing from Ghosts crash recovery, which should not be loading.

I know.. just a lot of information for troubleshooting with no real answer.


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15617302*
> Breenemeister, do you have the UEFI set to boot from windows boot manger?


Yes, I don't think it will boot at all otherwise.


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx;15617445*
> I take it from the post that you installed win7 (ie you didn't image it from a backup)? MBR imaged to a GPT disk can be a problem. You need to reset the disk ID, and this can cause problems.
> 
> Ghost 15 will work for back-up, just the internal crash restore (i think it's called lights out?) won't work on a GPT disk, as I don't think you can gets its entry into the bootloader, and even if you do, it won't see the 3 partitions necessary to complete an entire "crashed disk' restore. That's the problem I had indicated with using MBR disk programs with GPT. Maybe in Ghost 16. Although it may be possible to Image the entire disk in one shot, and restore an image. I don't know if Nortons does this with GPT... I know Acronis has problems with GPT.
> 
> If I were to take a wild stab... Does one of your disks contain the "old" BCD files from the MBR?
> 
> When you attach the other drives, are you sure that your UEFI is still booting from the Boot Manager, and not picking up one of the newly attached drives. Does one of your "old" drives contain your old OS installation? Sometimes a UEFI can be too smart for its own good, and it will find the old OS, and not know what to do. You can ensure this does not happen, by making sure you have disabled all of the newly attached Disks in your Boot device list in the UEFI. GPT won't boot from a disk anyway, only the boot manager.
> 
> Another though... you didn't use Ghost to replace the EFI (ESP) partiton? This is where the GPT bootloader is located. From what you describe, the UEFI is hanging while trying to pass controll to the OS. You really shouldn't be seeing the Windows "white bars" loading files. It sounds like you are still booting from the install disk, or I think you see the same thing from Ghosts crash recovery, which should not be loading.
> 
> I know.. just a lot of information for troubleshooting with no real answer.


I haven't used ghost on this yet. My version of ghost is 2003, and I run it from a thumb drive, so it will never work. The only windows installation I have is on the ssd that I wipe and installed to. I do have my old user folders on one of the disks, but I can't see that being the problem. The three non os disks were created with an mbr system. How could I tell if they had bcd files from the mbr?

I may start over tonight and go for an mbr system. I don't see myself ever booting from a 3 tb disk. I hope I can make it work.


----------



## Sean Webster

Have you tried plugging in 1 drive at a time? And have you disabled the option to boot from the disks in UEFI....double check each time you boot up


----------



## saiyanzzrage

wow, thanks for the great thread! rated 5 stars and repped sir!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *saiyanzzrage;15617926*
> wow, thanks for the great thread! rated 5 stars and repped sir!


Thanks


----------



## Nocturin

I agree, this thread and the collaborator (of the thread) are aweomes!!!!!


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15617758*
> Have you tried plugging in 1 drive at a time? And have you disabled the option to boot from the disks in UEFI....double check each time you boot up


I will try this tonight, thanks.


----------



## koulaid

Thanks. Used all the tips in tweaks in this thread!! Very helpful.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin;15618207*
> I agree, this thread and the collaborator (of the thread) are aweomes!!!!!











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *breenemeister;15618620*
> I will try this tonight, thanks.


Ok, don't do a reinstall till I say so!















Quote:


> Originally Posted by *koulaid;15619587*
> Thanks. Used all the tips in tweaks in this thread!! Very helpful.










Awesome, me too!


----------



## Crabby654

Having a couple Issues with RamDisk, this is my first time ever using it.

1. I followed the guide for it here and I set the size to 256Mb and its only 222Mb. Also when I opened the Disk management it asked if I wanted to set the ramdisk to GPT or MBR and it was auto selected to the GPT so I left it on that, not sure if that is correct or not.

2. After I formatted the ramdisk, on the disk management page it shows me this:










What is with the 2Mb partition? Just curious if that is normal also.

3. For some reason I also can not get AS SSD benchmark to work on it either. This is the error I am getting:










So I'm just curious if I set anything up weird or not. I literally followed the Guide here completely. The only thing that wasn't described in the guide was selecting a GPT or MBR partition for the new "disk" in disk management.


----------



## Sean Webster

IDK, I did the same as you and left it auto and just checked continue. I would back up the data on there if you even want to and start again.


----------



## Sean Webster

Crucial free space trimmer
Quote:


> I should point out that most people won't even ever need this! To function, it requires that you have trim working. If you already have trim working then by definition your free space is already trimmed by your past file deletes!
> 
> This is aimed at people who are in a position where they need to 'clean' the drive for performance reasons. The only reason to do this is if you've done a lot of writes in an environment that doesn't support trim and return to an environment that does. For example:
> 
> People that dual boot between Windows 7 and an OS that doesn't support trim.
> Someone that has just re-installed Windows.
> Someone that has just moved from a controller or driver that didn't support trim to one that does.
> Even under those circumstances Garbage Collection will sort you out over time. So this is really only for people that have a need for it. It's not intended to fulfill a need you didn't know you had kind of thing!


----------



## firestorm1

well its taking a little longer to get back. im having issues getting raid 0 set up on my motherboard. so windows is refusing to install. if anyone has any pointers, please redirect them to my thread.
http://www.overclock.net/amd-motherboards/1163380-asus-sabertooth-990fx-raid-0-issue.html

i will name my first born after you if you get this going


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15622336*
> well its taking a little longer to get back. im having issues getting raid 0 set up on my motherboard. so windows is refusing to install. if anyone has any pointers, please redirect them to my thread.
> http://www.overclock.net/amd-motherboards/1163380-asus-sabertooth-990fx-raid-0-issue.html
> 
> i will name my first born after you if you get this going


Why couldn't you just have an intel system? lol

Anyways, maybe you should try not installing Windows via GPT and use MBR?


----------



## firestorm1

I am using mbr lol


----------



## Crabby654

Grr still having the same issues with my RamDisk, maybe I should try to jack up the size of it to get AS SSD to work?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654;15623128*
> Grr still having the same issues with my RamDisk, maybe I should try to jack up the size of it to get AS SSD to work?


2GB works fine for me, try 512MB, then 768, them 1GB till it works lol


----------



## Crabby654

Ok I got it to work, have it set to 512Mg and I think when formatted as GPT it's something like 477Mb's recognized. But the problem is AS SSD tried to write more data than the size of the RamDisk was so it wouldn't work. Just ran CrystalDiskMark and got a cool 7400 seq/read


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Crabby654*


Ok I got it to work, have it set to 512Mg and I think when formatted as GPT it's something like 477Mb's recognized. But the problem is AS SSD tried to write more data than the size of the RamDisk was so it wouldn't work. Just ran CrystalDiskMark and got a cool 7400 seq/read










nice,


----------



## firestorm1

Ok, I finally got windows installed. Which took less than 7 min to do. I went with the mbr instead of the gpt this go around but I still aligned it to 4096. So I should have some benches of these ssd up in a little while.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15626266*
> Ok, I finally got windows installed. Which took less than 7 min to do. I went with the mbr instead of the gpt this go around but I still aligned it to 4096. So I should have some benches of these ssd up in a little while.










Finally!


----------



## Crabby654

I want to say this is just a Placebo effect of going from MBR to GPT, but since I went to GPT and Aligned to 4096, it feels a little snappier. My icons on my desktop do not show a blank icon and then load to the icon anymore, they are just there.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654;15626531*
> I want to say this is just a Placebo effect of going from MBR to GPT, but since I went to GPT and Aligned to 4096, it feels a little snappier. My icons on my desktop do not show a blank icon and then load to the icon anymore, they are just there.


I know what you mean, the same thing with me!









I think it may just be all the optimizations combined...

Oh, and someone doesn't like everything in the guide. What's not to like? Everything I say is the safest and most efficient way to set up the OS!


----------



## guyladouche

I started playing with RAMDisk--at the moment, I'm kinda stumped as to what it's useful for (other than staggeringly blisteringly fast benchmarks!).

FF cache, Photoshop scratch file--anything else?

Is there much of a purpose to it for systems running windows 7 with 8GB of ram and a SSD?


----------



## firestorm1

here is the as ssd bench. a question though. why are my writes so low on the right screen shot and higher on the left one?









heres the bench from atto


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *guyladouche;15628226*
> I started playing with RAMDisk--at the moment, I'm kinda stumped as to what it's useful for (other than staggeringly blisteringly fast benchmarks!).
> 
> FF cache, Photoshop scratch file--anything else?
> 
> Is there much of a purpose to it for systems running windows 7 with 8GB of ram and a SSD?


I use it for photo editing, also my friend uses it for ps2 game emulators and it runs smoothly.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15628248*
> here is the as ssd bench. a question though. why are my writes so low on the right screen shot and higher on the left one?
> 
> heres the bench from atto


Odd, I would just go by the ATTO scores.

IDK whats going on lol. Sandforce controllers are wierd


----------



## firestorm1

Ok. I was just wondering. Adding that second ssd just made things twice as fast


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1;15628460*
> Ok. I was just wondering. Adding that second ssd just made things twice as fast


I'm thinking of getting a bigger one for my desktop and putting this one in my lappy...idk though, still $ lol


----------



## Crabby654

Part of me wants to get 16Gb of ram and have an 8Gb temp file drive 

Because honestly I have a 512Mb RamDisk all for FF Cache and it is SO worth it. Everything snap loads its unreal.


----------



## Sean Webster

I'm using my guide right now to install Windows on my lappy


----------



## guyladouche

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15628806*
> I'm using my guide right now to install Windows on my lappy


Don't forget to +rep yourself!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *guyladouche;15628890*
> Don't forget to +rep yourself!


I've tried many times, this is what I get. I don't know if it is just me or not.


















Wait it worked!


----------



## kevindd992002

Hmmm, just a thought and no pun intended or whatsoever







This guide is growing very big again and is starting to be similar like previous guides? I thought the purpose of having this is to simplify things as minimal as possible?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15628949*
> Hmmm, just a thought and no pun intended or whatsoever
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This guide is growing very big again and is starting to be similar like previous guides? I thought the purpose of having this is to simplify things as minimal as possible?


Hmm, I'll add spoilers. Actually if you can see the edits, it was so I could have a quick to go to post to copy paste the most common issues with helping people pertaining to windows and storage!


----------



## Sean Webster

Betterish? lol

I can't seem to be able to make a spoiler in a spoiler!


----------



## Flying Toilet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster;15629139*
> Betterish? lol
> 
> I can't seem to be able to make a spoiler in a spoiler!


SPOILERCEPTION

Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk


----------



## Sean Webster

I got it









Edit: no I don't









look this works, but in the guide it wont

*Configure a drive as a boot drive using UEFI and GPT*


Spoiler: Click here to see how!






Spoiler: blah



blaghfoqwg


1
2
3


----------



## Nocturin

Spoiler: look at me






Spoiler: in a box



like a boxx








PHP:


[SPOILER=look at me]
[SPOILER=in a box]
[SPOILER=like a boxx]
[SPOILER=on a log]woof[/SPOILER]
[/SPOILER]
[/SPOILER]
[/SPOILER]




Spoiler: moAr






Spoiler: in a box






Spoiler: like a boxx






Spoiler: on a log



woof












EDIT: Not enough space for the post after the box in a box maybe?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin;15629376*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: look at me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: in a box
> 
> 
> 
> like a boxx
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PHP:
> 
> 
> [SPOILER=look at me]
> [SPOILER=in a box]
> [SPOILER=like a boxx]
> [SPOILER=on a log]woof[/SPOILER]
> [/SPOILER]
> [/SPOILER]
> [/SPOILER]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: moAr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: in a box
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: like a boxx
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: on a log
> 
> 
> 
> woof
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: Not enough space for the post after the box in a box maybe?


OMG I think it is the "" I haven't been using them!

BRB


----------



## Sean Webster

Ok, spoilers are gone lol


----------



## kevindd992002

Lol, sorry, did I seem to be a burden for you Sean that I've added more work to your great guide.


----------



## Intel4Life

Thanks for this I just got my new ssd in the mail (crucial m4) and I have been waiting for overclock.net to come back up so I can print out some info.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Lol, sorry, did I seem to be a burden for you Sean that I've added more work to your great guide.


Lol, now I need to redo the structure with the new forum set up...I am so afraid to even mess with teh first and second post now!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Intel4Life*
> 
> Thanks for this I just got my new ssd in the mail (crucial m4) and I have been waiting for overclock.net to come back up so I can print out some info.


Cool, glad I could help


----------



## XSCounter

Wow, I kept jumping to the last post each time I check this thread but now I finally had a look at the OP. Great job, Sean! Really well done







Really makes me want to reinstall Windows although I just did a few weeks ago. Will try the RAMdisk tonight


----------



## Sean Webster

Cool, thanks.









I just reinstalled on 3 computer yesterday









Stupid windows home group fails.


----------



## adridu59

Sean, please don't mix up UEFI and EFI. My mainboard has traditional BIOS and EFI. I can use GPT as UEFI users can.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adridu59*
> 
> Sean, please don't mix up UEFI and EFI. My mainboard has traditional BIOS and EFI. I can use GPT as UEFI users can.


Alright thanks, I'll put in that some mobo's have a BIOS and a EFI booting option.

That good?


----------



## adridu59

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Alright thanks, I'll put in that some mobo's have a BIOS and a EFI booting option.
> That good?


Well, I was mainly referring to the section : "Info on GPT and why to use it!"

I would just replace "UEFI" with "EFI".


----------



## iSeries

Hi Sean,

Regarding the alignment guide (MBR specifically, I'm not going to bother with GPT so haven't read it too thoroughly), step 2 says to click on 'Repair your computer', then 'System recovery options' etc to get to a command prompt. Isn't it possible to just press shift-F10 at the 'Install Now' screen to get a command prompt? After all, some people (ie me!) might not have a current installation to repair.

Also, I'll be erasing my HD using Parted Magic prior to starting, so is step 10 ('Clean') necessary?

And sorry one more thing, is 4096 alignment suitable for regular HDDs as well (in my case a 1tb Samsung F3)? Or better to stick to default 1024? EDIT!! Just found out The Samsung F3 HD103SJ drive is not an advanced format drive so will stick to the defaults for this.

Thanks!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSeries*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> Regarding the alignment guide (MBR specifically, I'm not going to bother with GPT so haven't read it too thoroughly), step 2 says to click on 'Repair your computer', then 'System recovery options' etc to get to a command prompt. Isn't it possible to just press shift-F10 at the 'Install Now' screen to get a command prompt? After all, some people (ie me!) might not have a current installation to repair.
> Also, I'll be erasing my HD using Parted Magic prior to starting, so is step 10 ('Clean') necessary?
> And sorry one more thing, is 4096 alignment suitable for regular HDDs as well (in my case a 1tb Samsung F3)? Or better to stick to default 1024? EDIT!! Just found out The Samsung F3 HD103SJ drive is not an advanced format drive so will stick to the defaults for this.
> Thanks!


Yes, 4096 is also the optimal alignment for HDDs like the Samsung F3 HD103SJ.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSeries*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> Regarding the alignment guide (MBR specifically, I'm not going to bother with GPT so haven't read it too thoroughly), step 2 says to click on 'Repair your computer', then 'System recovery options' etc to get to a command prompt. Isn't it possible to just press shift-F10 at the 'Install Now' screen to get a command prompt? After all, some people (ie me!) might not have a current installation to repair.
> 
> Also, I'll be erasing my HD using Parted Magic prior to starting, so is step 10 ('Clean') necessary?
> 
> And sorry one more thing, is 4096 alignment suitable for regular HDDs as well (in my case a 1tb Samsung F3)? Or better to stick to default 1024? EDIT!! Just found out The Samsung F3 HD103SJ drive is not an advanced format drive so will stick to the defaults for this.
> 
> Thanks!


Yep, all you need to do is hit shift + F10, I just have been busy and the site was down and I am still trying to figure the new layout out lol. Everything will be adjusted thank you for pointing that out.









And like kevin said 4096 is fine for the HDD too.









And the "clean" doesn't need to be performed if you clean erase, I don't think. All it does is get rid of the partitions.
Quote:


> clean [all]
> 
> Use the clean command to remove partition or volume formatting from the current in-focus disk by zeroing sectors. By default, only the MBR or GPT partitioning information and any hidden sector information on MBR disks is overwritten. If you specify the all parameter, each and every sector can be zeroed, and all data that is contained on the drive can be deleted.


----------



## iSeries

Thanks guys!

Are you definitely sure about the 4k alignment for the Samsung F3 HD103SJ? All I have read so far tells me that this is not 4k sector advanced format drive and so I probably should not format it as such?

E.g. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1600059


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSeries*
> 
> Thanks guys!
> 
> Are you definitely sure about the 4k alignment for the Samsung F3 HD103SJ? All I have read so far tells me that this is not 4k sector advanced format drive and so I probably should not format it as such?
> 
> E.g. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1600059


Yep, it doesn't matter as long as the # is an integer and something else. But yea, I have my grandma's old 6 year HDD using 4k alignment and it works fine, no performance loss or gain, but seems snappier lol

And remember though your HDD is 512byte sectors, Windows 7 default aligns to 1024. lol


----------



## BradleyW

Hey sean, threads looking good mate!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Hey sean, threads looking good mate!


Thanks, still in the never ending process of editing the looks and info in it lol.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Thanks, still in the never ending process of editing the looks and info in it lol.


Any word on the rep stuff? I should be at 433?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Thanks, still in the never ending process of editing the looks and info in it lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any word on the rep stuff? I should be at 433?
Click to expand...

Here you go









http://www.overclock.net/t/1164360/missing-rep-will-be-back


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Here you go
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1164360/missing-rep-will-be-back


My rip is looking better now!


----------



## StarDestroyer

getting a m4 128 next week for OS and games

I have a Bios style z68xp-ud4

do I have to do the MBR partion step before installing win7, whats the advantage and what size is it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StarDestroyer*
> 
> getting a m4 128 next week for OS and games
> 
> I have a Bios style z68xp-ud4
> 
> do I have to do the MBR partion step before installing win7, whats the advantage and what size is it?


It aligns the SSD optimally and installs the OS without the system reserve partition (not needed for BIOS booting)


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iSeries*
> 
> Thanks guys!
> Are you definitely sure about the 4k alignment for the Samsung F3 HD103SJ? All I have read so far tells me that this is not 4k sector advanced format drive and so I probably should not format it as such?
> E.g. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1600059


"Formatting" is different from "aligning", FYI. So 4096 is still the best "alignment" and "allocation cluster size" for the drive.


----------



## tehRealChaZZZy

Thank you! +rep


----------



## firestorm1

my my. how 52 pages just crept out of nowhere.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *iSeries*
> 
> Thanks guys!
> Are you definitely sure about the 4k alignment for the Samsung F3 HD103SJ? All I have read so far tells me that this is not 4k sector advanced format drive and so I probably should not format it as such?
> E.g. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1600059
> 
> 
> 
> "Formatting" is different from "aligning", FYI. So 4096 is still the best "alignment" and "allocation cluster size" for the drive.
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing that out, I forgot to








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tehRealChaZZZy*
> 
> Thank you! +rep


No problem








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> my my. how 52 pages just crept out of nowhere.


LOL, I am at 11, I have it set to display 50 posts per thread


----------



## Cyclonicks

uhm.. I can't download the files to do the ''Make a bootable USB device for UEFI and GPT'' ?? what am I doing wrong? lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyclonicks*
> 
> uhm.. I can't download the files to do the ''Make a bootable USB device for UEFI and GPT'' ?? what am I doing wrong? lol


Sorry about that, with the new migration I need to re-upload them. Give me a min









Here you go:

Bootable USB Files.zip 705k .zip file


----------



## Cyclonicks

all right! that's how I like my customer service









ty it's very appreciated...

quick question since you are here.. I did put my windows 7 install on a usb drive but formatted with ntfs..

Can I copy the files from my usb drive, format to fat32 with the guide you provide and then copy back my files? Feels like it should work when reading the guide but I'd like to be sure


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyclonicks*
> 
> all right! that's how I like my customer service
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ty it's very appreciated...
> 
> quick question since you are here.. I did put my windows 7 install on a usb drive but formatted with ntfs..
> 
> Can I copy the files from my usb drive, format to fat32 with the guide you provide and then copy back my files? Feels like it should work when reading the guide but I'd like to be sure


lol









Yep, just take the files, back tehm up to the HDD then format the USB/ follow the guide and copy back the files from the HDD to the USB.









If you run into any problems let me know, I will be on for a while lol


----------



## Cyclonicks

all right! so far so good! transferring back the windows 7 files right now


----------



## majin662

Wow. good read and popped up at just the right time for me. About to make the plunge into SSd's this weekend. After reading your guide I have a better understanding of what i'll need to do.
Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *majin662*
> 
> Wow. good read and popped up at just the right time for me. About to make the plunge into SSd's this weekend. After reading your guide I have a better understanding of what i'll need to do.
> Thanks


Awesome, glad you like it!


----------



## XSCounter

Any tip on where to get RAMdisk program?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Any tip on where to get RAMdisk program?


I Have a link to it in the guide under "Installing RAM Disk!" lol


Here


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I Have a link to it in the guide under "Installing RAM Disk!" lol
> 
> Here


Lol checked it twice and never saw it







thx!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I Have a link to it in the guide under "Installing RAM Disk!" lol
> 
> Here
> 
> 
> 
> Lol checked it twice and never saw it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thx!
Click to expand...

I guess I need to put it in bold now!


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I guess I need to put it in bold now!


Nah it's fine. I was just blind







Works awesomely, Sean! Loving your guide more and more each day! Now tell me how to move Firefox cache to RAM drive. Slap me if it's already in your guide!

Also AS SSD keeps crashing each time I try to bench RAM drive







It crashes when it reaches 4k-64Thrd









CrystalDisk says insufficient capacity









*Edit*: Nvm the CrystalMark. It's coz AS SSD left a lot of test files there.. Running again in a moment









So disappointed that I learned about RAM drive only now.. Would be awesome to get 24 gigs of RAM and put WoW folder on it!!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I guess I need to put it in bold now!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nah it's fine. I was just blind
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Works awesomely, Sean! Loving your guide more and more each day! Now tell me how to move Firefox cache to RAM drive. Slap me if it's already in your guide!
> 
> Also AS SSD keeps crashing each time I try to bench RAM drive
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It crashes each time it reaches 4k-64Thrd
Click to expand...

yea, that is one thing I omitted from it, I didn't get it working after trying it









I'll point you in the right direction though, if you get it working let me know!








Quote:


> Firefox Cache Tweak
> 
> Information:
> You will need to add a single command string into Firefox to make it store temporary internet files and all cache data to the RamDrive.
> 
> *Instruction:*
> 
> Open up Firefox. In the address bar type about:config
> Click the I'll be careful I promise button.
> Right click anywhere in the values in the lower portion of the screen and choose New -> String.
> Type in browser.cache.disk.parent_directory into the "Preference name"
> Click OK
> Type in R:\FF_Cache in the "string value" [if R: is the RamDisk and you created a folder called FF_Cache].
> Click OK.
> Restart Firefox.
> That's it. Now all browser cache from Firefox will go to the RamDrive and save writing over and over to your SSD saving the number of writes.
> Internet Explorer Cache Tweak
> 
> Information:
> You will need to move Temporary Internet Files folder of Internet Explorer to make it store temporary internet files and all cache data to the RamDrive.
> 
> *Instruction:*
> 
> Open Internet Options.
> On the General tab look for "Temporary Internet files" or "Browsing history" and hit Settings.
> Set the box size to 50 MB.
> Then hit Move folder and point to the Cache folder you made on the RamDisk, e.g. R:\IE_Cache
> Click OK.
> Chrome Cache
> 
> How to Move Disk Cache Location
> 
> A) Right click on the desired chrome shortcut and click Properties.
> B) Next to the Target: you will see the path for the chrome.exe location; after chrome.exe type in --disk-cache-dir="S:\\TempFiles\\Chrome Cache"
> 
> *NOTE: S:\\TempFiles\\Chrome Cache is an example, you would enter in where you want the chrome cache to be stored on your computer.
> 
> How Change Disk Cache Size
> 
> A) Right click on the desired chrome shortcut and click Properties.
> B) Next to the Target: you will see the path for the chrome.exe location; after chrome.exe type in --disk-cache-size=1 --media-cache-size=1". This will change the maximum cache to 25mb.
> 
> *NOTE: If you want to edit Chrome to change the directory and cache size, it would look like this: --disk-cache-dir="S:\\TempFiles\\Chrome Cache --disk-cache-size=1 --media-cache-size=1"


Also, how big is your RAMDisk? And how did you format it? I think it needs to be at least 512MB free


----------



## XSCounter

Awesome stuff!









A little comparison now:


*HDD* - WD Caviar Black 1 TB


*SSD* - Crucial C300 64GB on SATA 3Gb/s Controller


*RAM Disk* - Corsair 8GB 1600MHz

Thanks again for tips, Sean!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Awesome stuff!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again for tips, Sean!


No problem


----------



## koulaid

Hmm. i'm having a bit of a trouble on my ssd. It's shrinkiing by the day. i was at 19gigs yesterday and today im at 15.2 gigs. All i did was run prime95 and play battlefield 3. Narrowed it down to the windows folder, it gained 4 gigs somehow. Please help?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *koulaid*
> 
> Hmm. i'm having a bit of a trouble on my ssd. It's shrinkiing by the day. i was at 19gigs yesterday and today im at 15.2 gigs. All i did was run prime95 and play battlefield 3. Narrowed it down to the windows folder, it gained 4 gigs somehow. Please help?


Hmm. Run ccleaner?

Maybe it is BF3 updates or maps
Temp files from internet and such
System protection?
Page file?
Hibernation?
Any windows updates or updates in general?


----------



## DarkrReign2049

Check the "winsxs" folder. I have had to clean this on my previous Windows 7 installationr and again when I re-installed for my ssd. It is a windows side by side folder for drivers and such.
Try running this command in the command prompt as Administrator
"dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded"
I did this and it removed 4-5 GB.


----------



## sixor

i did that, and did nothing

service pack cleanup can´t proceed, no service pack found bla blab bla, yes i have win7 sp1 ready


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DarkrReign2049*
> 
> Check the "winsxs" folder. I have had to clean this on my previous Windows 7 installationr and again when I re-installed for my ssd. It is a windows side by side folder for drivers and such.
> Try running this command in the command prompt as Administrator
> "dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded"
> I did this and it removed 4-5 GB.


Hmm, did nothing for me.


----------



## DarkrReign2049

How big is your winsxs folder?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DarkrReign2049*
> 
> How big is your winsxs folder?


This BIG:


----------



## DarkrReign2049

That's about normal. Make sure you never delete anything manually, you may have to re-install windows. I'll have to look into this more and see if there are any other ways to shrink this folder.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DarkrReign2049*
> 
> That's about normal. Make sure you never delete anything manually, you may have to re-install windows. I'll have to look into this more and see if there are any other ways to shrink this folder.


Alright, I think it is just for people updating to SP1 if their install disk didn't have it integrated.


----------



## DarkrReign2049

I am thinking the same thing. Oh well. There's gotta be a way to make that folder smaller. I'll do some looking this evening.


----------



## Sean Webster

Anyone got some good downloads to add to the "Downloads" section?


----------



## bigkahuna360

I tried making a bootable UEFI USB and I followed all the steps but whenever I tried to boot from it it kept on saying bootmgr.efi is missing or corrupt so I looked into it and it was there and I doubt it was corrupt what am I doing wrong?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigkahuna360*
> 
> I tried making a bootable UEFI USB and I followed all the steps but whenever I tried to boot from it it kept on saying bootmgr.efi is missing or corrupt so I looked into it and it was there and I doubt it was corrupt what am I doing wrong?


What motherboard are you using? I see in your sig rig it is an X58 mobo...you can't install that way.

Is the USB formatted to FAT32?


----------



## bigkahuna360

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What motherboard are you using? I see in your sig rig it is an X58 mobo...you can't install that way.
> Is the USB formatted to FAT32?


Yep formatted to FAT32 but what do you mean I can't install that way? My BIOS has an option to only boot UEFI devices/drives (don't remember which).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigkahuna360*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What motherboard are you using? I see in your sig rig it is an X58 mobo...you can't install that way.
> Is the USB formatted to FAT32?
> 
> 
> 
> Yep formatted to FAT32 but what do you mean I can't install that way? My BIOS has an option to only boot UEFI devices/drives (don't remember which).
Click to expand...

Hmm, I would just try using a DVD to boot. All you would need to do is select the UEFI: DVD drive option.

Let me test something out though.


----------



## bigkahuna360

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Hmm, I would just try using a DVD to boot. All you would need to do is select the UEFI: DVD drive option.
> Let me test something out though.


Thanks for helping me out with this dilemma


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigkahuna360*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Hmm, I would just try using a DVD to boot. All you would need to do is select the UEFI: DVD drive option.
> Let me test something out though.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for helping me out with this dilemma
Click to expand...

No problem, to be honest, I haven't tried to install via USB for GPT, my friend did and gave me the guide, I am going to test it in a few minutes, but if you can just use a DVD to boot off of.


----------



## bigkahuna360

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No problem, to be honest, I haven't tried to install via USB for GPT, my friend did and gave me the guide, I am going to test it in a few minutes, but if you can just use a DVD to boot off of.


Checking back in in the morning g'night


----------



## Sean Webster

Well, I apparently made a mix up on the bootable USB tut for GPT lol. I showed you how to make a bootable usb in general for runing apps off of, ex. SSD firmware updates.

Here is what you should do for Windows installation:

*Make a bootable USB device for UEFI and GPT:*

Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*
Type *select disk 4* (or whichever number your USB drive gets) and press Enter
Type *clean*
Type *create partition primary
*
Type *active*
Type *format quick fs=fat32*
Type *assign*
Type *exit*
Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).
*Note:* If you are doing UEFI and GPT follow the steps for that as well.


----------



## Sean Webster

Updated op...also, I think for the USB I can just upload the files so you guys don't have to move/make them manually. Anyone want to try who has a UEFI?


----------



## Blameless

Quote:


> Check turnoff windows write-caching buffer flushing
> Note: SSDs have no cache, thus no reason to have enabled on the SSD. Also, do a before and after test with this, some drives may suffer performance loss, others will gain performance. I use AS SSD Benchmark personally.


This option does not turn off any cache (indeed without write caching the option is not available), it disables the periodic flushing of the write cache. This writes whatever is in the cache to disk at a regular interval so there is less chance of data being lost if the power fails.

Also, there are many SSDs with integrated cache.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blameless*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Check turnoff windows write-caching buffer flushing
> Note: SSDs have no cache, thus no reason to have enabled on the SSD. Also, do a before and after test with this, some drives may suffer performance loss, others will gain performance. I use AS SSD Benchmark personally.
> 
> 
> 
> This option does not turn off any cache (indeed without write caching the option is not available), it disables the periodic flushing of the write cache. This writes whatever is in the cache to disk at a regular interval so there is less chance of data being lost if the power fails.
> 
> Also, there are many SSDs with integrated cache.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I started to think about that before, but put it off lol. I adjusted it now.









Edit: waiting for a PM, I am so confused lol, all I know is that you get better performance having enable write caching for HDDs/SSDs and having write cache buffer off for SSDs


----------



## sequoia464

Just taking a wild shot here, but as there has been a bit of discussion on raid - I thought it might be worthwhile asking.

Does anyone know how, in AMD's RAIDXpert, to set the read and write Cache status options?? They can be found under the logical drive area - settings - in RAIDXpert. I can not enable them to the correct settings, just wondering if anyone knows what I'm doing wrong, or possibly not doing?

This is an important step in getting the best performance from AMD raid - especially with SSD's, yet no one seems to know how to enable it - (that I have found anyway).

I have asked this question in quite a few different places - no answer yet.

EDIT: Specifically, I'm trying to enable 'READ AHEAD' and 'WRITE BACK'


----------



## firestorm1

ahhhhh that ram disk has made my internet browsing 1000 times better.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> ahhhhh that ram disk has made my internet browsing 1000 times better.


Awesome!


----------



## kikkO

I generally instal Intel Chipset drivers and IRST immediately after a fresh install before doing anything else. After installing IRST it will ask you to restart twice, once when you initially install IRST and once more after you load into Windows.

I would skip step 15, install AV software as that tends to add seconds to your boot time. I personally recommend installing a imaging program like Acronis or Ghost after you have fully updated, installed and configured all your programs. Saves user the hassle of clean installing and reconfiguring everyone again.

I would also skip step 11, turn off defrag on SSD drive. I would disable defrag in services.msc all together since archive drives do not tend to get defragmented as quickly as the boot drive.


----------



## XSCounter

For some reason after moving the cache to RAM Disk, GMail stopped working properly.. All messages appear blank







Even after removing Cache from there, still blank







dunno what to do..


----------



## Sagman76

Hi Sean

Great guide and has helped with setting up my new m4. As I only have 64GB version i changed the user folder location which is fine but when I tried to change it back it tells me folder redirection failed and access denied. Do you know how to get around this?

Thanks

Stuart


----------



## koulaid

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DarkrReign2049*
> 
> Check the "winsxs" folder. I have had to clean this on my previous Windows 7 installationr and again when I re-installed for my ssd. It is a windows side by side folder for drivers and such.
> Try running this command in the command prompt as Administrator
> "dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded"
> I did this and it removed 4-5 GB.


did this and it says i don't have a DISM folder in the correct location. So sorta lost now.


----------



## Axiology

I have a P8Z68V-Pro and when I try and install Windows on the GPT partition it won't allow me? What gives?


----------



## Axiology

Booting from a CD btw.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kikkO*
> 
> I generally instal Intel Chipset drivers and IRST immediately after a fresh install before doing anything else. After installing IRST it will ask you to restart twice, once when you initially install IRST and once more after you load into Windows.
> 
> I would skip step 15, install AV software as that tends to add seconds to your boot time. I personally recommend installing a imaging program like Acronis or Ghost after you have fully updated, installed and configured all your programs. Saves user the hassle of clean installing and reconfiguring everyone again.
> 
> I would also skip step 11, turn off defrag on SSD drive. I would disable defrag in services.msc all together since archive drives do not tend to get defragmented as quickly as the boot drive.


I agree with making the system image, I do that after I do the steps, it is in the guide to









I like freeware like clonezilla, todos backup, or windows system image creator.









I have a pc that is used by the family and there is no way I would let it got without antivirus, I had to reinstall 3 times in 1 moth b/c of my dad alone going on random websites lol

And I do a lot of heavy file transfers on my secondary drives so I need disk defrag enabled.









Glad you are adjusting the guide to the way you like though, I meant for it to be like that.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> For some reason after moving the cache to RAM Disk, GMail stopped working properly.. All messages appear blank
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Even after removing Cache from there, still blank
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> dunno what to do..


Reinstall the browser?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sagman76*
> 
> Hi Sean
> 
> Great guide and has helped with setting up my new m4. As I only have 64GB version i changed the user folder location which is fine but when I tried to change it back it tells me folder redirection failed and access denied. Do you know how to get around this?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Stuart


Did you make the folder recently after the install? If it was made before you need to "unlock it" by just opening up the folder manually.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *koulaid*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *DarkrReign2049*
> 
> Check the "winsxs" folder. I have had to clean this on my previous Windows 7 installationr and again when I re-installed for my ssd. It is a windows side by side folder for drivers and such.
> Try running this command in the command prompt as Administrator
> "dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded"
> I did this and it removed 4-5 GB.
> 
> 
> 
> did this and it says i don't have a DISM folder in the correct location. So sorta lost now.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> I have a P8Z68V-Pro and when I try and install Windows on the GPT partition it won't allow me? What gives?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> Booting from a CD btw.


In the UEFI you need to select boot from "UEFI: "


----------



## Sean Webster

If you are booting from a CD for GPT this is what it should look like:

Before: You need it to boot from the UEFI: DVD drive


After Install: You need it to boot from the windows boot manager


If you are booting from a USB for GPT this is what it should look like:

Before: You need it to boot from the UEFI: USB device


After Install: You need it to boot from the windows boot manager


----------



## firestorm1

hey sean, i have a question. the image for the ram disk, is it susposed to save to the image itself or make a backup? im just wondering why theres an extra gig of space taken with that .bak file.


----------



## Axiology

That is helpful, but how did you get the UEFI prefix?


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> That is helpful, but how did you get the UEFI prefix?


itll detect weather or not its uefi bootable when you boot into bios.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> hey sean, i have a question. the image for the ram disk, is it susposed to save to the image itself or make a backup? im just wondering why theres an extra gig of space taken with that .bak file.


That is the "Create TEMP directory" file, I don't know how to explain it lol. But you can delete it and uncheck that option in the ramdisk configuration utility.


----------



## firestorm1

ah ok. if its not needed, thats an extra gig i get back.


----------



## Axiology

So windows 7 DVD isn't bootable in UEFI? It isn't decrying mine atleast.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> So windows 7 DVD isn't bootable in UEFI? It isn't decrying mine atleast.


It should be. Do you see this? You should click under the Boot override "UEFI: Your DVD drive"


----------



## shnur

Great guide; I do most of these things automatically, but I definitely learned a thing of two by it !









Comments:
As far as WEI goes; as soon as it detects you're on an SSD, it will automatically shut off some HDD-specific features such as prefetch, indexing, etc.
It is definitely a good idea to check if they were disabled thought. I just trust windows on it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> Great guide; I do most of these things automatically, but I definitely learned a thing of two by it !
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Comments:
> *As far as WEI goes; as soon as it detects you're on an SSD, it will automatically shut off some HDD-specific features such as prefetch, indexing, etc.
> It is definitely a good idea to check if they were disabled thought. I just trust windows on it.*


Thanks!









You would be surprised, I thought that to, but it turned out that Windows did not turn the features off that I put to check for! Only the disk defragmentation for the SSD was disabled!








I even did multiple installs and verified it with others.


----------



## shnur

That's post SP1 or Pre-SP1? I know I had some success and some failures with it... I think it's more random than anything lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's post SP1 or Pre-SP1? I know I had some success and some failures with it... I think it's more random than anything lol


Actually it is both, I had a non sp1 boot disk and installed with that a few times, still didn't. Then I got an updated SP1 disk from MSDNAA and the same thing, didn't disable the features.

I have checked about 20 or so times on each, and it always did the same.

I told you I have a lot of experience with Windows 7 installation lol


----------



## Axiology

It only shows P1 and not an option for UEFI. Maybe because I have a Blu-Ray Rewriter? Wouldn't think so though.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> It only shows P1 and not an option for UEFI. Maybe because I have a Blu-Ray Rewriter? Wouldn't think so though.


Maybe, idk for sure, have you updated the bios?

You could just try using a USB instead though. I have the how to in the steps.

Or you can just install the OS like normal with the MBR guide.


----------



## Sean Webster

I added pictures to the secure erase guide, any requests for me to make better?


----------



## Axiology

Ended up working! Btw, I guess you don't support the robocopy for Program Files and etc. What is the best way to move those around?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> Ended up working! Btw, I guess you don't support the robocopy for Program Files and etc. What is the best way to move those around?


Awesome!

You can't really move them around, they are tied into the registry. You can back up the installers and preferences though. If you want to back up your PC how it is I suggest you make a system image though. Clonezilla is good even though I haven't used it yet, everyone suggests it.


----------



## kevindd992002

Why again do we need to remove all HDDs when installing the OS on an SSD?

Also, Sean can you confirm if imaging programs work properly on GPT partition style systems? I read somewhere that they don't.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Why again do we need to remove all HDDs when installing the OS on an SSD?
> 
> Also, Sean can you confirm if imaging programs work properly on GPT partition style systems? I read somewhere that they don't.


You don't need to, but I have accidentally formatted the wrong disk before and another time for a strange reason I installed and the MSR partition ended up on my second drive lol.

I need to check that out, I will try tomorrow or something...unless you can confirm it or not.


----------



## Axiology

Without being able to move program files, how else could you safe big program files? It'd be useless to do all this and still have to save to the SSD.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> So windows 7 DVD isn't bootable in UEFI? It isn't decrying mine atleast.


I see you got it working, but I suspect that you didn't have your install DVD in the drive when you first powered on the computer. The UEFI needs to recognise the DVD drive as a UEFI device when it polls the hardware. The only way it can do this is if the install software is in the drive. Without the software, it only picks the drive up as a standard DVD drive.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Why again do we need to remove all HDDs when installing the OS on an SSD?
> 
> Also, Sean can you confirm if imaging programs work properly on GPT partition style systems? I read somewhere that they don't.


When imaging a drive under GPT, it is important that the drive be imaged as a whole, EFI, MSR, and GPT partition. The problem with most existing imaging software, is that they were designed for MBR disks, and they try to image the partitions individually. During an image restore, the programs tend to put the partitions back on the disk incorrectly (the MSR is often missed). I don't stay on top of all of the disk imaging programs, but I do know it is/was being addressed by the software developers, so there may be programs that can now image a GPT disk properly. Apple has been doing it for years, unfortunately, "Microsoft enabled" software is slightly behind the times.

Regardless, it is important (currently) with GPT to never image a disk "bit for bit", as this can cause a loss (reset) of the unique "disk" identifyer. The G in GPT stands for the acronym GUID, and means "globally unique identifier". This is a key aspect of GPT and its redundency/security. The GUID 32-character hexadecimal string that is stored as a 128-bit integer at the begining of each "logical" disk, must be unique (not the same) as any other disk identifyer. Imaging under MBR doesn't care about this information, but without it in GPT, a disk won't boot.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> It only shows P1 and not an option for UEFI. Maybe because I have a Blu-Ray Rewriter? Wouldn't think so though.


Are you sure you're using a Windows 7 x64 installation DVD? x86 isn't UEFI-compatible.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to, but I have accidentally formatted the wrong disk before and another time for a strange reason I installed and the MSR partition ended up on my second drive lol.
> I need to check that out, I will try tomorrow or something...unless you can confirm it or not.


I remmeber Twocables mentioning in this thread the reason why we need to remove HDDs first when installing OS on SSDs, I forgot what page is that in this thread but I'm sure he explained that.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> I see you got it working, but I suspect that you didn't have your install DVD in the drive when you first powered on the computer. The UEFI needs to recognise the DVD drive as a UEFI device when it polls the hardware. The only way it can do this is if the install software is in the drive. Without the software, it only picks the drive up as a standard DVD drive.
> When imaging a drive under GPT, it is important that the drive be imaged as a whole, EFI, MSR, and GPT partition. The problem with most existing imaging software, is that they were designed for MBR disks, and they try to image the partitions individually. During an image restore, the programs tend to put the partitions back on the disk incorrectly (the MSR is often missed). I don't stay on top of all of the disk imaging programs, but I do know it is/was being addressed by the software developers, so there may be programs that can now image a GPT disk properly. Apple has been doing it for years, unfortunately, "Microsoft enabled" software is slightly behind the times.
> Regardless, it is important (currently) with GPT to never image a disk "bit for bit", as this can cause a loss (reset) of the unique "disk" identifyer. The G in GPT stands for the acronym GUID, and means "globally unique identifier". This is a key aspect of GPT and its redundency/security. The GUID 32-character hexadecimal string that is stored as a 128-bit integer at the begining of each "logical" disk, must be unique (not the same) as any other disk identifyer. Imaging under MBR doesn't care about this information, but without it in GPT, a disk won't boot.


Thanks for the info. Why would a "bit by bit image process" potentially mess with the GUID when that is only a read process? I'm not sure on this but I think it is?


----------



## Sean Webster

Kevin, read this for info, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc765951%28WS.10%29.aspx, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749064%28WS.10%29.aspx. Just some info, I don't understand it atm b/c I am tired lol.


----------



## Axiology

So, if you cannot move all of these folders, is there a way to redirect the folders from your ssd to point to your hdd? Including folders like users and program files? I just don't want files and etc auto downloaded to my ssd


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> So, if you cannot move all of these folders, is there a way to redirect the folders from your ssd to point to your hdd? Including folders like users and program files? I just don't want files and etc auto downloaded to my ssd


You can change where they install to upon install by doing a custom install. What programs are you talking about? From a previous install? I am confused.

Also to change folder locations you can do this. This will allow your downloads to go to your secondary disk.
*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*

Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
Click Properties
Click the Location tab
Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
Note: Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)


----------



## Axiology

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can change where they install to upon install by doing a custom install. What programs are you talking about? From a previous install? I am confused.
> Also to change folder locations you can do this. This will allow your downloads to go to your secondary disk.
> *Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
> 
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab
> Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> Note: Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)


I am doing this from a clean install of Windows.

Two questions:

Do you click move after you change the path or one of the other options?
Do you prefer the programs to be installed on the SSD and the rest of the data on the HDD?

You have been too helpful man!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can change where they install to upon install by doing a custom install. What programs are you talking about? From a previous install? I am confused.
> Also to change folder locations you can do this. This will allow your downloads to go to your secondary disk.
> *Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
> 
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab
> Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> Note: Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am doing this from a clean install of Windows.
> 
> Two questions:
> 
> Do you click move after you change the path or one of the other options?
> Do you prefer the programs to be installed on the SSD and the rest of the data on the HDD?
> 
> You have been too helpful man!
Click to expand...

1. Yes, move path:





2. Programs including appdata on SSD and all personal files on the HDD.

*Including:*

pics
videos
music
documents
installers
games
Desktop
Downloads
And other random stuff


----------



## Axiology

I know I am asking too many questions, but does it matter if my HDD is Disk 0 and my SSD is Disk 1? Should I swap that around?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> I know I am asking too many questions, but does it matter if my HDD is Disk 0 and my SSD is Disk 1? Should I swap that around?


Questions are good!









I am not sure on that though. You shouldn't have any issues that I know of. You can swap them if you want though.


----------



## Axiology

Check to see if S1 and S3 sleep are supported in UEFI/BIOS, I set it to S3, but S1 should be OK also.
Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.

How do you check this?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> Check to see if S1 and S3 sleep are supported in UEFI/BIOS, I set it to S3, but S1 should be OK also.
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.
> 
> How do you check this?


Look in the bios, your mobo might not have the ACPI 2.0 setting b/c it should have it default anyways so don't worry. As for sleep, don't worry either, but it is there to change.


----------



## Axiology

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Look in the bios, your mobo might not have the ACPI 2.0 setting b/c it should have it default anyways so don't worry. As for sleep, don't worry either, but it is there to change.


Ah, thanks man I was wondering why I couldn't find it. Strange thing has been happening though while I am following the guide (with my HDD unplugged). BIOS loads up twice when I turn my PC on. First it says, No data drives were found than it loads again and finds the Solid State. It seems that it is looking for my HDD first than my SDD. How can I make it just find my SDD so my boot time is faster?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Look in the bios, your mobo might not have the ACPI 2.0 setting b/c it should have it default anyways so don't worry. As for sleep, don't worry either, but it is there to change.
> 
> 
> 
> Ah, thanks man I was wondering why I couldn't find it. Strange thing has been happening though while I am following the guide (with my HDD unplugged). BIOS loads up twice when I turn my PC on. First it says, No data drives were found than it loads again and finds the Solid State. It seems that it is looking for my HDD first than my SDD. How can I make it just find my SDD so my boot time is faster?
Click to expand...

I know there is a double boot issue with your board, that may be it. (You have the pro right? Can you fillout your system specs in rig builder?) Also, are you plugged into the intel port?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Kevin, read this for info, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc765951%28WS.10%29.aspx, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749064%28WS.10%29.aspx. Just some info, I don't understand it atm b/c I am tired lol.


Links seem to not work?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Kevin, read this for info, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc765951%28WS.10%29.aspx, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749064%28WS.10%29.aspx. Just some info, I don't understand it atm b/c I am tired lol.
> 
> 
> 
> Links seem to not work?
Click to expand...

Let me fix it...that is strange lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Here there is some info in this section read though it and try to understand it lol, I haven't the time ATM

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766450%28WS.10%29.aspx


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Here there is some info in this section read though it and try to understand it lol, I haven't the time ATM
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766450%28WS.10%29.aspx


"Trying" to understand it as of the moment, lol.


----------



## Axiology

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I know there is a double boot issue with your board, that may be it. (You have the pro right? Can you fillout your system specs in rig builder?) Also, are you plugged into the intel port?


In all honesty, I am not sure if I used the intel port. I'll post my build in a second, just want your opinion on 64GB SSD and 128GB SSD. Which would you prefer for a beginner who is into gaming?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I know there is a double boot issue with your board, that may be it. (You have the pro right? Can you fillout your system specs in rig builder?) Also, are you plugged into the intel port?
> 
> 
> 
> In all honesty, I am not sure if I used the intel port. I'll post my build in a second, just want your opinion on 64GB SSD and 128GB SSD. Which would you prefer for a beginner who is into gaming?
Click to expand...

The more space the better, but I have ~30GB free with all my apps and such. I want at least 128GB for my next SSD though. Also, seeing how prices for HDDs are so high atm, you should just get a 128GB drive unless you have a goo secondary already.


----------



## trebor31

Great guide btw , subbed and +rep to you buddy









This will come in very handy when I receive my Crucial M4 later this week,

Thank you..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *trebor31*
> 
> Great guide btw , subbed and +rep to you buddy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This will come in very handy when I receive my Crucial M4 later this week,
> 
> Thank you..


No problem


----------



## N3WB

Quote:


> Booting, partitioning and alignment of MBR for Windows and BIOS:
> 
> Boot from the Windows 7 installation DVD/USB
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type diskpart
> Type list disk and press Enter
> Type select disk 0 (or whichever number your SSD gets) and press Enter
> If you want to be sure you have the right one selected, then type list partition and press Enter
> Once you know you have the right drive selected, type clean and press Enter.
> Type create partition primary align=4096 and press Enter (1024 Is default)
> Type format quick fs=ntfs and press Enter
> It will appear like it's going to take forever, but then it suddenly finishes about 5-10 seconds after it starts.
> Type active and press Enter
> Type list partition and press Enter to see your creation.
> Type exit and press Enter
> Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
> Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it.


I found this guide after I have already installed my SSD....does this step (mostly the primary align=4096 instead of 1024) really make a huge difference? Is it worth reformatting so I can enter this? Reformatting isnt a huge deal for me because i have all of my files on another drive so all I need to do is reinstall games. Just dont want to do it if this step only gets you minor gains.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N3WB*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Booting, partitioning and alignment of MBR for Windows and BIOS:
> 
> Boot from the Windows 7 installation DVD/USB
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type diskpart
> Type list disk and press Enter
> Type select disk 0 (or whichever number your SSD gets) and press Enter
> If you want to be sure you have the right one selected, then type list partition and press Enter
> Once you know you have the right drive selected, type clean and press Enter.
> Type create partition primary align=4096 and press Enter (1024 Is default)
> Type format quick fs=ntfs and press Enter
> It will appear like it's going to take forever, but then it suddenly finishes about 5-10 seconds after it starts.
> Type active and press Enter
> Type list partition and press Enter to see your creation.
> Type exit and press Enter
> Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
> Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it.
> 
> 
> 
> I found this guide after I have already installed my SSD....does this step (mostly the primary align=4096 instead of 1024) really make a huge difference? Is it worth reformatting so I can enter this? Reformatting isnt a huge deal for me because i have all of my files on another drive so all I need to do is reinstall games. Just dont want to do it if this step only gets you minor gains.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it, it is not needed. There really is no performance difference. All that part does is make it install without the MSR partition that isn't needed.

Just start from "Now the fun stuff! Optimization!" and "Further Optimizations!"


----------



## Sean Webster

*Guys, ImDisk works as a RAMDisk, but it is free and you can make 4GB+ disks!!!







*

Download here

I will make a guide soon, but it is very simple to figure out lol


----------



## Nocturin

Sweet! If it works well I'm gonna get 16gb of ram and install my game of the day ^_^ when I finally get to build a new rig.

...or my emulators

>.>

<.<

I would be interested to find out if this would make a difference to gaming benchmarks.


----------



## Sean Webster

LOL

I don't think it would make a difference in game benches, but stuff will load a whole lot faster, especially emulators...I am buying 8 GB more RAM brb lol


----------



## pioneerisloud

Is that the program thats fully manual? Or can the RAM disk be loaded at startup, and saved on shutdown like with DataRAM?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> Is that the program thats fully manual? Or can the RAM disk be loaded at startup, and saved on shutdown like with DataRAM?


Manually, though if we find someone good at programing on the forum we can have them maybe make it boot at start up and save at shut down


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Manually, though if we find someone good at programing on the forum we can have them maybe make it boot at start up and save at shut down


wouldn't a .bat file or something be able to do that?

Similar to launching a minecraft server maybe?

EDIT:: throwing something in the start-up folder maybe?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> wouldn't a .bat file or something be able to do that?
> 
> Similar to launching a minecraft server maybe?
> 
> EDIT:: throwing something in the start-up folder maybe?


IDK, lets see you put something together!


----------



## Sean Webster

Guide!

*Instructions for ImDisk:* 4+GB RAMDisks!

Download ImDisk here
Install
Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *ImDisk* and chose the Icon under Control Panel
Once open click "Mount new&#8230;"
Name it if you like
Set a drive letter
Set size to what you want
Image file offset can be left alone
You can set any of the other parameters if you like
Click "OK"
A popup will appear shortly, click Format Disk
Adjust what you like, then click "Start"
Click "OK"
Click "OK"
You are done! Now enjoy your RAMDisk!


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> IDK, lets see you put something together!


heh, i'm just throwing idea's out there .

If I had the time (family) or the RAM (2gb) I would totally go: challenge accepted!


----------



## Axiology

What is ImDisk and RAMDisk? Like, what is the benefit?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Axiology*
> 
> What is ImDisk and RAMDisk? Like, what is the benefit?


*
Information:*
RAMDisk is a program that takes a portion of your system memory and uses it as a disk drive. What is the benefit? In a word: SPEED! An additional feature of a RAMDisk is that it will never wear out. You can access it at maximum bandwidth 24/7/365 without fear of mechanical failure, or fragmentation (a RAMDisk can become fragmented just like any other disk, but it does not take a performance hit like a physical disk does when it becomes fragmented). A RAMDisk operating at maximum bandwidth does not produce excessive heat, noise or vibrations.

*Most users use RAMDisk to speed up applications like:*

Databases
Internet Explorer and Firefox cache for faster web surfing
Audio and Video editing
CAD programs
Photoshop Scratch Disk
Speeding up CD duplication
Games
SETI processing
TEMP files
Swap space
Web server cache
Custom applications with high I/O, high bandwidth, or high security requirements


----------



## Axiology

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *
> Information:*
> RAMDisk is a program that takes a portion of your system memory and uses it as a disk drive. What is the benefit? In a word: SPEED! An additional feature of a RAMDisk is that it will never wear out. You can access it at maximum bandwidth 24/7/365 without fear of mechanical failure, or fragmentation (a RAMDisk can become fragmented just like any other disk, but it does not take a performance hit like a physical disk does when it becomes fragmented). A RAMDisk operating at maximum bandwidth does not produce excessive heat, noise or vibrations.
> *Most users use RAMDisk to speed up applications like:*
> 
> Databases
> Internet Explorer and Firefox cache for faster web surfing
> Audio and Video editing
> CAD programs
> Photoshop Scratch Disk
> Speeding up CD duplication
> Games
> SETI processing
> TEMP files
> Swap space
> Web server cache
> Custom applications with high I/O, high bandwidth, or high security requirements


Oh, so basically you could have 16GB ram and use 4GB (or more) and use that for storage which is faster than an SSD. Thats pretty neat ha.


----------



## Sean Webster

Yep,









I heard it is very useful for emulators.


----------



## firestorm1

hey sean. how you do you move folders over to a particular drive? when i click properties on the main documents folder, theres nothing in the document properties that lets me move it.

see here:


----------



## Sean Webster

That is a library folder lol

You need to click start > user > my documents


----------



## firestorm1

haha. my bad. thanks. what other folders can be moved to another drive?


----------



## Sean Webster

Any really, but if you can't change the location in the properties you will have to use a junction there is a guide in the second post...2 or 3 actually lol


----------



## NguyenAdam

Helpful guide is helpful. Would have never known any of these things without this guide!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NguyenAdam*
> 
> Helpful guide is helpful. Would have never known any of these things without this guide!


Glad to help









Fixed some links, anyone have suggestions? Downloads? links? tweaks?


----------



## firestorm1

hey sean. having an issue on my other computer with a 1TB western digital caviar black hdd. i wrote zeros to it, like ive done a million times to my other drives. i used the data diag tools that wd provides. now once the zero write was completed, i rebooted and went back into the diag tool to run a full test on the drive, like i do every time i zero write a drive. i didnt even get 4 seconds in before i got an error code. it said Error Code: 0220 Drive is locked. ive been using this program forever and this is the first time that happened. i can do absolutely nothing to this drive now. parted magic nor ultimate boot disk will not recognize the drive. neither will disk management is windows. it works, i can hear the platters spinning but like i said nothing recognizes the dirve.

so how in the hell can i unlock this drive without taking it to a shop? i have tried everything. i contacted WD and they pretty much told me that any alterations to the drive , including zero writes, viods the warranty. the dude i talked to said theres a chance it broke during the write and did a force lock. so needless to say, im out a hard drive. its no biggie, i have 4 others. but still, thats 1tb less space i have









wel hopefully you know of a trick or something, cuz i could really use it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Glad you got it fixed firestorm1, now you need to let me know all the details! lol


----------



## firestorm1

am i allowed to post that info on here?


----------



## Sean Webster

PM me


----------



## firestorm1

ygpm


----------



## Sean Webster

Thanks, I appreciate it


----------



## Sean Webster

Anybody help me out who I didn't put in "The Credits!" section?


----------



## Rage19420

I think I may take the plunge a nab an 128gb M4. Hopefully the guide here will make it less painfull. Just not looking forward to reinstalling everything.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> I think I may take the plunge a nab an 128gb M4. Hopefully the guide here will make it less painfull. Just not looking forward to reinstalling everything.


Do it, you will be blown away! SSDs are soo fast!









And if you have any questions I am always happy to answer


----------



## magnite

First, awesome guide +rep, second I have a silly/potentially easy question. I am doing a new system build this weekend but am wondering if I should set my drives to AHCI or RAID for the initial install. Currently the plan is to use a 120GB Force 3 for my boot drive, a WD 256GB SSD for Steam/Apps and 2 x F3s in Raid 1 for important data. My original plan was to just set it to RAID, install on the Force 3, then bring the other drives online once I am sure the system is stable, but after reading the Corsair firmware flash guide, it seems that it can only be applied when the controller is in AHCI mode, is this true or more of a 'this is what worked best for us' kinda thing? Also is there any potential problems in installing with AHCI, doing updates/firmware updates, then swapping back to RAID, the Intel download page was pretty adamant about not doing ti after the OS has been installed.


----------



## tlxxxsracer

I currently have a vertex 2 as my boot drive and a HDD for games/files/prgrams.I also had moved the location which "my documenets, downloads, pictures, etc" are stored so theyre on the HDD not the SSD.

I just ordered a 120gb vertex 3 which I'll use then as a boot drive and install CAD, and other applications.. Whats the best way to keep my OS and installed programs. I guess is there a program which will mirror the OS from the vertex 2 to the vertex 3? so then I can wipe the vertex 2 and use to have a few games installed


----------



## jcfsusmc

After several days of using my computer formatted with your guide, I am truly amazed at the speed, increased OC ability, and all of the tips that Windows has provided all this time that most of us have actually paid some "company" that work first time around.

Great job Sean - and to all of those whose writings were compiled and used by Sean to make this guide so fantastic.

This is BY FAR, the best "How To..." guide on OCN.

Period.


----------



## Sean Webster

Sorry about the late replies, lol I was in class








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *magnite*
> 
> First, awesome guide +rep, second I have a silly/potentially easy question. I am doing a new system build this weekend but am wondering if I should set my drives to AHCI or RAID for the initial install. Currently the plan is to use a 120GB Force 3 for my boot drive, a WD 256GB SSD for Steam/Apps and 2 x F3s in Raid 1 for important data. My original plan was to just set it to RAID, install on the Force 3, then bring the other drives online once I am sure the system is stable, but after reading the Corsair firmware flash guide, it seems that it can only be applied when the controller is in AHCI mode, is this true or more of a 'this is what worked best for us' kinda thing? Also is there any potential problems in installing with AHCI, doing updates/firmware updates, then swapping back to RAID, the Intel download page was pretty adamant about not doing ti after the OS has been installed.


Thanks.

Hmmm, I am not sure with your drive, I will ask a friend. RAID mode is basically AHCI mode with extra support, I don't see why having the drive in RAID mode vs AHCI would make a difference, though like I said, I haven't used either of your drives.

Can't you boot the firmware from a CD?

With my Crucial M4 all I need to do is burn an .iso image of the newest firmware to a disc, put my SATA mode to IDE and boot off the disc. Then run the update, restart, switch back to RAID or AHCI and then I'm good.

Can you put the drives in your system you have atm and update them that way? Then you won't need to worry about switching the modes. Then you just make the new build and use RAID.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tlxxxsracer*
> 
> I currently have a vertex 2 as my boot drive and a HDD for games/files/prgrams.I also had moved the location which "my documenets, downloads, pictures, etc" are stored so theyre on the HDD not the SSD.
> 
> I just ordered a 120gb vertex 3 which I'll use then as a boot drive and install CAD, and other applications.. Whats the best way to keep my OS and installed programs. I guess is there a program which will mirror the OS from the vertex 2 to the vertex 3? so then I can wipe the vertex 2 and use to have a few games installed


Clonezilla should be good. I always use windows built in backup and restore to make a system image myself.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jcfsusmc*
> 
> After several days of using my computer formatted with your guide, I am truly amazed at the speed, increased OC ability, and all of the tips that Windows has provided all this time that most of us have actually paid some "company" that work first time around.
> 
> Great job Sean - and to all of those whose writings were compiled and used by Sean to make this guide so fantastic.
> 
> This is BY FAR, the best "How To..." guide on OCN.
> 
> Period.












Thanks you very much, I appreciate it!


----------



## newbrevolution

Very nice guide!


----------



## magnite

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Sorry about the late replies, lol I was in class
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks.
> Hmmm, I am not sure with your drive, I will ask a friend. RAID mode is basically AHCI mode with extra support, I don't see why having the drive in RAID mode vs AHCI would make a difference, though like I said, I haven't used either of your drives.
> Can't you boot the firmware from a CD?
> With my Crucial M4 all I need to do is burn an .iso image of the newest firmware to a disc, put my SATA mode to IDE and boot off the disc. Then run the update, restart, switch back to RAID or AHCI and then I'm good.
> Can you put the drives in your system you have atm and update them that way? Then you won't need to worry about switching the modes. Then you just make the new build and use RAID.


It looks like Corsair has a custom flash program that is meant to be used from within Windows. (http://forum.corsair.com/v3/attachment.php?attachmentid=9348&d=1317420252 for their guide). The guide doesn't explicitly state that you need to use AHCI, but for best results it is recommended. The 1.3.3 update on the other hand has the following to say, "Our latest testing is only with Intel and AMD drive controllers. The update may not work with 3rd party drive controllers. The update will not work on a controller that is in RAID mode. This applies to SATA2 and SATA3 controllers." (http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=100162). I am going to do a bit more research on what swapping controller modes does to a windows install, but your suggestion might be the cleanest, just do the flash on my current system and install as RAID on my new one.

*Update* Instead of bothering with MIR and potential headaches, I am just going to pick up a Crucial M4, thanks again Sean for the awesome guide.


----------



## kevindd992002

What is the latest firmware version for the Crucial M4?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> What is the latest firmware version for the Crucial M4?


0009

link in OP

I'll just link you anyways









http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *magnite*
> 
> *Update* Instead of bothering with MIR and potential headaches, I am just going to pick up a Crucial M4, thanks again Sean for the awesome guide.


LOL, ok, T the M4 is awesome!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *newbrevolution*
> 
> Very nice guide!


thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

never mind


----------



## Sean Webster

Made a video to clear things up ^_^


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 0009
> link in OP
> I'll just link you anyways
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx
> LOL, ok, T the M4 is awesome!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thanks!


Thanks!


----------



## harryt

I'm still having issues deciding if I should use UEFI and GPT or MBR?

I have an asus z68 pro.


----------



## H_C_L

Just read the first post and I have a question, is it *necessary* to use GPT with a boot drive when you have UEFI?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *H_C_L*
> 
> Just read the first post and I have a question, is it *necessary* to use GPT with a boot drive when you have UEFI?


It is NOT necessary but I personally recommend you do simply because it offers a lot of advantages over the traditional MBR. And besides, GPT is the future


----------



## sixor

hey i have some other tweaks to free space

go to crogramdata

and delete (this are just setup files, not important apps)

adobe 131mb adobe reader
apple 30mb itunes
apple compu 43mb itunes
avgsetup 99mb avg
codemasters 1.85gb replay files for any codemaster racing game, they will re appear when you launch the game again
installations 190mb crap

also
c:msocache 900mb (office 2010 setup files)


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sixor*
> 
> hey i have some other tweaks to free space
> go to crogramdata
> and delete (this are just setup files, not important apps)
> adobe 131mb adobe reader
> apple 30mb itunes
> apple compu 43mb itunes
> avgsetup 99mb avg
> codemasters 1.85gb replay files for any codemaster racing game, they will re appear when you launch the game again
> installations 190mb crap
> also
> c:msocache 900mb (office 2010 setup files)


+rep for you sir









i agree with this. the stuff in that programdata folder is just taking up space. no harm in deleting the stuff inside.

EDIT:

forgot to mention that some of those files cant be deleted. just skip those and get rid of everything else.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *magnite*
> 
> First, awesome guide +rep, second I have a silly/potentially easy question. I am doing a new system build this weekend but am wondering if I should set my drives to AHCI or RAID for the initial install. Currently the plan is to use a 120GB Force 3 for my boot drive, a WD 256GB SSD for Steam/Apps and 2 x F3s in Raid 1 for important data. My original plan was to just set it to RAID, install on the Force 3, then bring the other drives online once I am sure the system is stable, but after reading the Corsair firmware flash guide, it seems that it can only be applied when the controller is in AHCI mode, is this true or more of a 'this is what worked best for us' kinda thing? Also is there any potential problems in installing with AHCI, doing updates/firmware updates, then swapping back to RAID, the Intel download page was pretty adamant about not doing ti after the OS has been installed.


You shouldn't have any problem installing windows in AHCI, an then switching the RAID controller on after you attach the F3s. The RAID is not your OS, so windows shouldn't balk at all.
When you set up the RAID 1 on the F3s in the INTEL Storage manager, the two SSDs will just show up as "Non-Member" disks.


----------



## HothBase

My PC wont boot into Windows properly if I have an external HDD powered on and connected to my motherboard's eSATA port.
It'll just show a blank screen with a "_" after POST, until I power the external HDD off, at which point Windows will load fine.

Might it have anything to do with the fact that I did the GPT steps in this guide?
I kinda doubt it but I figured it's still worth to check. I have no idea if was working "before" following this guide, because this is actually my first install on this board.

The eSATA port is not using the native Intel controller by the way, it uses a Marvell 88SE9120 6Gbps.


----------



## Nocturin

Is there an OS/bootloader on the external drive?


----------



## HothBase

Nope, there used to be, but I suspected that might be the problem so I wiped the entire drive. At the moment there's only a bunch of pictures and stuff on it.

Edit: I actually managed to fix it. I was running the "latest" drivers from ASRocks support, but it apparently works fine now after installing even newer drivers that I found elsewhere.


----------



## Nocturin

Firmware FTW!

Glad you got it fixed


----------



## magnite

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> You shouldn't have any problem installing windows in AHCI, an then switching the RAID controller on after you attach the F3s. The RAID is not your OS, so windows shouldn't balk at all.
> When you set up the RAID 1 on the F3s in the INTEL Storage manager, the two SSDs will just show up as "Non-Member" disks.


Good to know, thank you.


----------



## H_C_L

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> It is NOT necessary but I personally recommend you do simply because it offers a lot of advantages over the traditional MBR. And besides, GPT is the future


Okay, thanks. I'll do just that.


----------



## firestorm1

im thinking about getting another ssd. 2 just isnt fast enough for me.

damn you OCN. i was doing just fine with my old stuff until i came here. man this place is like crack. its like i cant stop upgrading my stuff


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> im thinking about getting another ssd. 2 just isnt fast enough for me.
> 
> damn you OCN. i was doing just fine with my old stuff until i came here. man this place is like crack. its like i cant stop upgrading my stuff


What the heck are you smoking? LOL You want 3 now!?!

I say it's a waste personally...maybe get one for another PC in you house instead?


----------



## firestorm1

yea your right. i think ive pissed off enough money already.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> yea your right. i think ive pissed off enough money already.


Nahh, you haven't...yet. Toss me a SSD, I need one for my laptop. It takes 3 minutes to boot lol. I'm a poor college student, come on.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> yea your right. i think ive pissed off enough money already.
> 
> 
> 
> Nahh, you haven't...yet. Toss me a SSD, I need one for my laptop. It takes 3 minutes to boot lol. I'm a poor college student, come on.
Click to expand...

3? That's it?

I'll kindly accept any gracious donations of any SSD as a poor family man







.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> yea your right. i think ive pissed off enough money already.
> 
> 
> 
> Nahh, you haven't...yet. Toss me a SSD, I need one for my laptop. It takes 3 minutes to boot lol. I'm a poor college student, come on.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 3? That's it?
> 
> I'll kindly accept any gracious donations of any SSD as a poor family man
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
Click to expand...

Got any info on GPT imaging/cloning in your giant MS book?


----------



## harryt

So i need some help.. got a asus z68.. looking to go the gpt root.

I dont see the option in the bios on uefi and I am a bit confused with the instructions.

Are there 2 ways to do this? with the usb and with a disc?

I have a windows 7 disc.


----------



## Sean Webster

I am saying there are two ways to do it. One with a USB and one with the DVD.

Just use the disc.

Look at this post: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-guide-optimization-for-ssds-hdds/560#post_15666372

I will also make the op clearer


----------



## harryt

Well the instructions are clear.. though the problem I am having is when I go into the boot section my drives are not listed as UEFI.. I just see P2 and P5, which are my DVD drive and SSD.

But like your image I don't see the UEFI part with the drive name? Am I forgetting to do something?


----------



## Sean Webster

I think it may be your DVD drive. Someone else was having that issue.

But first, can you try updating your UEFI? Or are there none?


----------



## harryt

Also i now noticed after a restart uefi shows up for the dvd drive as a boot drive.

So I guess I should be okay now to load windows installation correct?

and uefi doesn't and wont show up for the ssd right?

only the dvd drive has to boot in uefi mode


----------



## Sean Webster

lol, glad to hear it shows up now.

heres how to update it...the quick explanation lol

Go to the asus support site and download the newest bios for your mobo
get a usb formatted in fat32
extract the bios and put it on the usb
restart and go into the UEFI
go to the tools tab
go to ASUS ez flash 2 utility
from there just follow the steps on the screen


----------



## harryt

weird.. i followed the whole tutorial till the install step where you select partition 3 SYSTEM and it says it can't install it because it is a GPT partition?

I see 3 paritions

partition 1 -ESP (type: system)
parition 2 - (type: MSR)
partition 3 SYSTEM - (type: Primary)

do i have to restart the pc and try booting as uefi on the dvd drive once again? and i assume i don't have to do the dos stuf anymore straight to the custom installation for windows?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *harryt*
> 
> weird.. i followed the whole tutorial till the install step where you select partition 3 SYSTEM and it says it can't install it because it is a GPT partition?
> 
> I see 3 paritions
> 
> partition 1 -ESP (type: system)
> parition 2 - (type: MSR)
> partition 3 SYSTEM - (type: Primary)


Ok, so you selected the DVD drive that said "UEFI: (DRIVE NAME HERE)"
Then you followed this:

*Booting, partitioning and alignment of GPT for Windows and UEFI:*

Boot from the Windows 7 install media (You must initiate this boot from a device labeled as a UEFI device, or the installation of Windows 7 will produce an error that the OS cannot be installed to a GPT partition) These UEFI boot devices will have a prefix *UEFI:* , and show as a boot option in your UEFI (BIOS).
After booting to the UEFI device, and selecting your language, when you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
At the Diskpart prompt, Type *list disk* , press Enter
Type *select disk 0* (or whichever number your SSD gets), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *convert gpt*, press Enter
Type *create partition efi size=100*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=fat32 label="ESP"*, press Enter
Type *create partition msr size=128*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary align=4096* , press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs label="SYSTEM"*, press Enter
Type *assign letter=C noerr*, press Enter
Type *Exit*, press Enter
Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
Proceed to install Windows 7 on the GPT partition labeled "System" using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it."

Then it said that?

That is usually an error you get when you don't select the UEFI: drive to boot from. There might have been something done wrong. Double check.

And you need to select the 3rd partition "System" to install on.


----------



## harryt

did that exactly.. selected UEFI as the boot with the dvd drive.

after i selected the language (which led me to the page to accept the agreement) I ran dos and did the commands then accepted agreement and clicked custom installation and it said I can't install it due to it being a GPT parition

If i reboot.. I don't have to re-run all the dos commands now right since ive done it once. I assume I would just go straight o the custom installation?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *harryt*
> 
> did that exactly.. selected UEFI as the boot with the dvd drive.
> 
> after i selected the language (which led me to the page to accept the agreement) I ran dos and did the commands then accepted agreement and clicked custom installation and it said I can't install it due to it being a GPT parition
> 
> If i reboot.. I don't have to re-run all the dos commands now right since ive done it once. I assume I would just go straight o the custom installation?


You shouldn't have to, I would anyways. If it still doesn't work try using a USB. if not just install it using MBR method.


----------



## harryt

I think it worked.. i basically exited the installation and the pc rebooted itself and I went into the bios again disabled all boot devices except the dvd drive but i clicked on the UEFI boot at the boot overide and it seems to have worked just waiting for it to install and see how it goes.

I think the best way is to use the boot override method.. seems to go straight to it rather than reboot and then access the forst boot device.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *harryt*
> 
> I think it worked.. i basically exited the installation and the pc rebooted itself and I went into the bios again disabled all boot devices except the dvd drive but i clicked on the UEFI boot at the boot overide and it seems to have worked just waiting for it to install and see how it goes.
> 
> I think the best way is to use the boot override method.. seems to go straight to it rather than reboot and then access the forst boot device.


That's what I do, though I press F8 for the boot menu


----------



## Sean Webster

Hey guys, what parts of the guide would you like to see in video form? I have camtasia studio now so I want to make some video tuts!


----------



## harryt

totally forgot about that LOL but noticed something odd? does windows 7 take 30GB?

It shows I have 84GB out of 119GB?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *harryt*
> 
> totally forgot about that LOL but noticed something odd? does windows 7 take 30GB?
> 
> It shows I have 84GB out of 119GB?


About, now follow the whole guide and it will only take up ~10 or less.









Most of it is taken up by your page file and hibernation file.


----------



## harryt

oh right.. will follow the est of the guide and tell ya how it goes. Thanks again for the help and tutorial. Really appreciate it a lot! many reps for you!


----------



## Sean Webster

Hehe, thanks man, I appreciate it.


----------



## firestorm1

pagefile, hibernation file and your system restore take up about 18gb of space. and thats from a fresh install.


----------



## Sean Webster

I just did a system reimage with windows restore and it worked perfectly. So GPT is covered with windows 7 pro and up for imaging software.


----------



## Celoth

Followed the guide, worked great overall, thanks! Already repped









I left system restore on, and because my Services list is in Danish, it was a pain to compare it to BlackViper's list (different words, so listed in different order), so I dropped it for now.

Speaking of language differences, I know most people following this guide probably aren't complete newbs at working with a PC, but the part where you suggest typing in "Disk Management" (to enable caching), that probably only works in english windows and might confuse people. Actual executables can be typed in, like "cmd", "regedit", "services.msc" regardless of language (I think). Might be better to simply ask people to right click the drive in explorer/computer and select properties and go from there.

For the control panel stuff, unless there's an executable people can type in, I guess there's no way around them having to translate themselves. It's fairly easy to see what's what in most cases for intermediate to experienced users at least.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just did a system reimage with windows restore and it worked perfectly. So GPT is covered with windows 7 pro and up for imaging software.


You mean the stock Windows 7 Imaging Software works well with GPT?









Does Win7 Ultimate also have this software?


----------



## firestorm1

yes


----------



## Sequences

Nice guide, worked well for me. I just have one question: Do I put it in AHCI mode in the BIOS? Your guide says I should, but then says that I should put it in RAID configuration if I'm using RAID or if I'll be using Intel SRT. Your guide then goes on to suggest I should install Intel's SATA drivers (which turn out to be SRT). Since I don't run any kind of RAID configuration, do I leave it in AHCI and not install SRT?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sequences*
> 
> Nice guide, worked well for me. I just have one question: Do I put it in AHCI mode in the BIOS? Your guide says I should, but then says that I should put it in RAID configuration if I'm using RAID or if I'll be using Intel SRT. Your guide then goes on to suggest I should install Intel's SATA drivers (which turn out to be SRT). Since I don't run any kind of RAID configuration, do I leave it in AHCI and not install SRT?


The big key to that statement is *IF* you are using RAID. If you have no RAIDed drives, you don't need to switch to RAID, and you don't necessarily need to install IRST.

There may be /(often is), a benefit to your system using the Intel storage driver over Microsoft's.
Installing IRST does not force you into RAID mode (It is only a storage driver), and in many instances can help the performance of SSDs.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Got any info on GPT imaging/cloning in your giant MS book?


I dunno, I'll check monday @ work. If it does you may already have passed the level of technical knowledge with this partitioning styles than what's contained in the "training book"







.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just did a system reimage with windows restore and it worked perfectly. So GPT is covered with windows 7 pro and up for imaging software.
> 
> 
> 
> You mean the stock Windows 7 Imaging Software works well with GPT?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Does Win7 Ultimate also have this software?
Click to expand...

Yep, I Windows 7 pro, ultimate and enterprise editions have the ability to do it perfectly. No need to 3rd party software if you have either.









http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Got any info on GPT imaging/cloning in your giant MS book?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I dunno, I'll check monday @ work. If it does you may already have passed the level of technical knowledge with this partitioning styles than what's contained in the "training book"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
Click to expand...

Well refer to the info above, but I did read something about doing it in command prompt.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep, I Windows 7 pro, ultimate and enterprise editions have the ability to do it perfectly. No need to 3rd party software if you have either.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html
> Well refer to the info above, but I did read something about doing it in command prompt.


So what was all the fuzz about stock image recovery softwares not working with GPT? Why did it work properly for you this time?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep, I Windows 7 pro, ultimate and enterprise editions have the ability to do it perfectly. No need to 3rd party software if you have either.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html
> Well refer to the info above, but I did read something about doing it in command prompt.
> 
> 
> 
> So what was all the fuzz about stock image recovery softwares not working with GPT? Why did it work properly for you this time?
Click to expand...

IDK, I think I was just reading too much into other programs and I didn't try Windows in the first place lol.Only a few programs can though, like I said in teh op. If someone is using home edition then they need acronis or test out clonezilla.


----------



## Sean Webster

Just wanted to show you guys how I have my system set up like,


----------



## XSCounter

Backup overkill







I only use external HDD for backup and never had to use it to recover data))


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Backup overkill
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I only use external HDD for backup and never had to use it to recover data))


LOL, I lost data on 2 of my 1TB drives one time and couldn't recover it. It made me do that I swear.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just wanted to show you guys how I have my system set up like,


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Backup overkill
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I only use external HDD for backup and never had to use it to recover data))


You just haven't been running your HDD enough.









It only takes once. You can never have enough back-ups. As in back-ups of back-ups. I have stuff from 15years ago on my HDD. If it weren't for back-ups, all would have been lost when my house got robbed 4 years ago, and the PC was never seen again.


----------



## Sean Webster

Bored again lol

Suggest a video walk though for a step you find slightly confusing or something!


----------



## .Sup

Very nice Sean, thanks! The RAM disk looks especially intriguing and I might try it when I have more than 4Gb of ram in my system.


----------



## firestorm1

someone should start a raid guide.

*cough* HINT HINT *cough*


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *.Sup*
> 
> Very nice Sean, thanks! The RAM disk looks especially intriguing and I might try it when I have more than 4Gb of ram in my system.


Thanks!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> someone should start a raid guide.
> 
> *cough* HINT HINT *cough*


You can *cough* HINT HINT *cough*


----------



## firestorm1

lol. me and guides dont do so well. itll become a massive train wreck.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> lol. me and guides dont do so well. itll become a massive train wreck.


Perfect, pm me when it done!


----------



## firestorm1

lol thanks. dont expect a pm anytime soon though.


----------



## shnur

I am expecting one from you! I have two systems to build on RAID0 and I have no idea how...


----------



## firestorm1

i just lost my raid 0 array. not sure what happened. everything was fine earlier when i shutdown my computer. i just booted it back up and i got the NTLDR is missing thingy. i think thats what it said. either way i have to reload everything again. luckly i have an image of everything backed up to a blu-ray. i just have to reinstall all my games. thats the downside to raid 0, even on new ssd's, it can fail. but on a side note, i cant stress enough to people about making image backups. it will save you ALOT of time. so this is a must. i still believe raid 0 is worth it, even though this sort of thing can happen.


----------



## Sean Webster

Wow, I blame the sand force controller! LOL









Thanks btw, and goodluck!


----------



## SweFox

Hi, I just wanted to say thanks to you Sean for this absolutely amazing guide! Helped me lots.

Yesterday I installed my first SSD ever which was an Samsung 830 256GB. I did a benchmark but don't really know if the scores are good or not, as I said, I'm new to SSD and this is my first one.








It's been on for 15 hours now and haven't had any problems, no BSOD, no performance drop, freeze or whatever. Tested several games for a couple hours and it just works.

Sucks that SSD Life can't read Health Status but it's not a big deal.
Thanks again.


----------



## Sean Webster

Thanks! Glad I could help.









Looks to me like the scores are about right. I am not sure 100% with that drive but, maybe someone else can tell for sure.


----------



## firestorm1

thats spot on. samsung uses their own controller, dram cache and mlc nand falsh. afaik, there havent been any reports like what sandforce has been experiencing. so thats a definite plus for this sdd.


----------



## eroz

Hi Sean, I'm looking to build a new computer this weekend. It will be an i7-2600k, p8z68-v Pro Gen3, OCZ 120GB Vertex 3.

Do I skip the first 11 steps and start at this one, *Booting, partitioning and alignment of GPT for Windows and UEFI:* ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Yep, if your not using a USB that is.


----------



## shnur

I'm about to build two identical rigs, both in RAID 0. Imaging software would work with that right? Since it'll be the same stuff.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> I'm about to build two identical rigs, both in RAID 0. Imaging software would work with that right? Since it'll be the same stuff.


Yes as long as the hardware is the same it should work. I use the built in system imager in windows 7 pro.

If you are using GPT disks then you should be using windows 7 pro or ultimate imo. If you are using MBR disks then most cloning software should work for you. I know for sure Easus ToDo Back up supports RAID 0. Just a heads up.


----------



## dennyb

So, I'm thinking of getting a 64gb M4 and I already have an up to date image from Windows own imaging feature of my C drive. It consists of W7 Pro and installed apps configured to my liking. Nothing else on the C drive partition.

Is their any/much downside to just installing that image onto the SSD ? Then doing some of the tweaks in your guide? I want to have a snappy system but it doesn't need to be so quick that only software apps can tell the difference. Thanks and here's another Rep for all of your hard work....much appreciated


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *dennyb*
> 
> So, I'm thinking of getting a 64gb M4 and I already have an up to date image from Windows own imaging feature of my C drive. It consists of W7 Pro and installed apps configured to my liking. Nothing else on the C drive partition.
> 
> Is their any/much downside to just installing that image onto the SSD ? Then doing some of the tweaks in your guide? I want to have a snappy system but it doesn't need to be so quick that only software apps can tell the difference. Thanks and here's another Rep for all of your hard work....much appreciated


Yeah, you can, no downside really. Just go through all the steps and make sure defrag is disabled on the SSD!


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *breenemeister*
> 
> I will try this tonight, thanks.


It seems that no matter what I do, the Caviar Black doesn't want to work with my system at all. I've spent a lot of time reinstalling Windows. I've reformatted the boot drive with the gpt settings at the top of this guide to no avail. I've checked BIOS on each reboot and made sure that the Caviar Black is disabled for booting. I can plug other drives in, but as soon as I plug in the WD Caviar Black (where all my data is by the way) Windows fails to boot. I can put the Windows disk in and attempt to repair and I get a message that it can't be repaired. I unplug the Caviar Black and then it boots fine. I even tried reinstalling Windows on the SSD while the Caviar Black was attached just to check. During the first reboot of the installation, it boots with an error and recommends trying again with the disk. Try a repair and it's unrepairable, remove the Caviar Black and it works fine. This doesn't make any sense to me. There is one partition on that drive that's formatted to FAT32. I had reserved it for Linux. Maybe the UEFI is seeing that one partition and thinking it's got the boot info? I'm going to try formatting it to something else in diskpart and see what happens. I'll report back. Hey typing this out helped me realize a potential problem....go figure.

EDIT: Reformatted that partition to NTFS. Didn't work. When Windows is loading, I still get two quick bars of "Windows is loading files" then a black screen with blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner. I guess I'm going to have to put that freaking drive into another PC, copy all the data, then reformat it to see if that makes a difference. It better, I'm going to be really mad if I go to all that trouble and the disk still hoses the system....


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *breenemeister*
> 
> It seems that no matter what I do, the Caviar Black doesn't want to work with my system at all. I've spent a lot of time reinstalling Windows. I've reformatted the boot drive with the gpt settings at the top of this guide to no avail. I've checked BIOS on each reboot and made sure that the Caviar Black is disabled for booting. I can plug other drives in, but as soon as I plug in the WD Caviar Black (where all my data is by the way) Windows fails to boot. I can put the Windows disk in and attempt to repair and I get a message that it can't be repaired. I unplug the Caviar Black and then it boots fine. I even tried reinstalling Windows on the SSD while the Caviar Black was attached just to check. During the first reboot of the installation, it boots with an error and recommends trying again with the disk. Try a repair and it's unrepairable, remove the Caviar Black and it works fine. This doesn't make any sense to me. There is one partition on that drive that's formatted to FAT32. I had reserved it for Linux. Maybe the UEFI is seeing that one partition and thinking it's got the boot info? I'm going to try formatting it to something else in diskpart and see what happens. I'll report back. Hey typing this out helped me realize a potential problem....go figure.
> EDIT: Reformatted that partition to NTFS. Didn't work. When Windows is loading, I still get two quick bars of "Windows is loading files" then a black screen with blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner. I guess I'm going to have to put that freaking drive into another PC, copy all the data, then reformat it to see if that makes a difference. It better, I'm going to be really mad if I go to all that trouble and the disk still hoses the system....


Time to opt for the warranty


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *breenemeister*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *breenemeister*
> 
> I will try this tonight, thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> It seems that no matter what I do, the Caviar Black doesn't want to work with my system at all. I've spent a lot of time reinstalling Windows. I've reformatted the boot drive with the gpt settings at the top of this guide to no avail. I've checked BIOS on each reboot and made sure that the Caviar Black is disabled for booting. I can plug other drives in, but as soon as I plug in the WD Caviar Black (where all my data is by the way) Windows fails to boot. I can put the Windows disk in and attempt to repair and I get a message that it can't be repaired. I unplug the Caviar Black and then it boots fine. I even tried reinstalling Windows on the SSD while the Caviar Black was attached just to check. During the first reboot of the installation, it boots with an error and recommends trying again with the disk. Try a repair and it's unrepairable, remove the Caviar Black and it works fine. This doesn't make any sense to me. There is one partition on that drive that's formatted to FAT32. I had reserved it for Linux. Maybe the UEFI is seeing that one partition and thinking it's got the boot info? I'm going to try formatting it to something else in diskpart and see what happens. I'll report back. Hey typing this out helped me realize a potential problem....go figure.
> 
> EDIT: Reformatted that partition to NTFS. Didn't work. When Windows is loading, I still get two quick bars of "Windows is loading files" then a black screen with blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner. I guess I'm going to have to put that freaking drive into another PC, copy all the data, then reformat it to see if that makes a difference. It better, I'm going to be really mad if I go to all that trouble and the disk still hoses the system....
Click to expand...

Try turning "Hot swapping" on for the SATA connector you are using for the WD Black. Boot to windows on your SSD installation without the Black attached. Once in windows, attach the Black to the SATA port. See what happens. I suspect that the FAT 32 partition you have (now NTFS, but that doesn't matter) is marked as an MBR record, and that is what is causing your problem. You can not have GPT and MBR records on drives attached to the same system under GPT. there was an earlier post by someone else having the same problem. using this methold, you may be able to transfer the data off this drive to another, but I think you are going to need to destroy (delete) the partition that you created for Linux anyway you cut it.
.
Alternatively, since you have reformatted that partition and there is nothing there anyway... You can try to just delete the partition from the WD Black, leaving it as unallocated space. this should destroy the MBR record for the partition, and possibly not confuse the UEFI. As I mentioned in an earlier post, sometimes the UEFI can be too smart for its own good, and it finds things that you don't intend it to find. if this works, in disk management, you can reclaim the space in a different partition on the Black, by extending an existing partiton with the unallocated space.


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Try turning "Hot swapping" on for the SATA connector you are using for the WD Black. Boot to windows on your SSD installation without the Black attached. Once in windows, attach the Black to the SATA port. See what happens. I suspect that the FAT 32 partition you have (now NTFS, but that doesn't matter) is marked as an MBR record, and that is what is causing your problem. You can not have GPT and MBR records on drives attached to the same system under GPT. there was an earlier post by someone else having the same problem. using this methold, you may be able to transfer the data off this drive to another, but I think you are going to need to destroy (delete) the partition that you created for Linux anyway you cut it.
> .
> Alternatively, since you have reformatted that partition and there is nothing there anyway... You can try to just delete the partition from the WD Black, leaving it as unallocated space. this should destroy the MBR record for the partition, and possibly not confuse the UEFI. As I mentioned in an earlier post, sometimes the UEFI can be too smart for its own good, and it finds things that you don't intend it to find. if this works, in disk management, you can reclaim the space in a different partition on the Black, by extending an existing partiton with the unallocated space.


Man, great minds think alike. After I posted last night, I went in, enabled hot swapping and plugged the drive in after windows booted. I copied all of my data over to my Raptor. Thanks for the affirmation of my actions. +rep In disk management, the drive looked no different than any other drive I have attached. I think I'll try deleting that one partition like you mentioned, but I never booted from that drive as far as I can remember. Aren't there applications out there that you can use to view/modify MBRs without wiping out whole disks? Regardless, at this point, all the data is copied, so I could just nuke the disk and start over. It's less than 100GBs of data, so the copying isn't too bad.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *breenemeister*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Try turning "Hot swapping" on for the SATA connector you are using for the WD Black. Boot to windows on your SSD installation without the Black attached. Once in windows, attach the Black to the SATA port. See what happens. I suspect that the FAT 32 partition you have (now NTFS, but that doesn't matter) is marked as an MBR record, and that is what is causing your problem. You can not have GPT and MBR records on drives attached to the same system under GPT. there was an earlier post by someone else having the same problem. using this methold, you may be able to transfer the data off this drive to another, but I think you are going to need to destroy (delete) the partition that you created for Linux anyway you cut it.
> .
> Alternatively, since you have reformatted that partition and there is nothing there anyway... You can try to just delete the partition from the WD Black, leaving it as unallocated space. this should destroy the MBR record for the partition, and possibly not confuse the UEFI. As I mentioned in an earlier post, sometimes the UEFI can be too smart for its own good, and it finds things that you don't intend it to find. if this works, in disk management, you can reclaim the space in a different partition on the Black, by extending an existing partiton with the unallocated space.
> 
> 
> 
> Man, great minds think alike. After I posted last night, I went in, enabled hot swapping and plugged the drive in after windows booted. I copied all of my data over to my Raptor. Thanks for the affirmation of my actions. +rep In disk management, the drive looked no different than any other drive I have attached. I think I'll try deleting that one partition like you mentioned, but I never booted from that drive as far as I can remember. Aren't there applications out there that you can use to view/modify MBRs without wiping out whole disks? Regardless, at this point, all the data is copied, so I could just nuke the disk and start over. It's less than 100GBs of data, so the copying isn't too bad.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to indicate to nuke the whole drive.. just the small partition you reserved for Linux.
Use diskpart from within windows on the wd black. you're looking to see if there happens to be anything hidden on the disk, that's not showing up in disk management. you also want to make sure that nothing on the black is marked as "ACTIVE".


----------



## Rage19420

Forgive me if this isnt the place to ask, but im about to pull the trigger on a Crucial M4 128 and I noticed that my mobo (MSI Pro-E x58) is SATAII and the M4 is SATAIII.

I assume this will still work? Just slower?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> Forgive me if this isnt the place to ask, but im about to pull the trigger on a Crucial M4 128 and I noticed that my mobo (MSI Pro-E x58) is SATAII and the M4 is SATAIII.
> 
> I assume this will still work? Just slower?


Yes it will work just fine on SATA 2. There really won't be a difference b/w the 2 in real world use. I didn't notice it anyways. lol


----------



## kevindd992002

I was trying hard to remember how Windows dealt with alignment and partitioning during UEFI installation and I'm pretty sure that the default offset/alignment of 1024K was applied to the first partition (out of the three for GPT). Why is that so? I thought the alignment is to be applied to the PRIMARY partition? So why is that when letting Win7 automatically align and make partitions, it does the alignment on the first partition?


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> I didn't mean to indicate to nuke the whole drive.. just the small partition you reserved for Linux.
> Use diskpart from within windows on the wd black. you're looking to see if there happens to be anything hidden on the disk, that's not showing up in disk management. you also want to make sure that nothing on the black is marked as "ACTIVE".


Cool, I know you didn't mean to nuke the whole disk, I was just saying that I could do so at this point and I'd probably be just fine. I will check for "ACTIVE" first. I have already looked at the drive in diskpart and nothing seems out of the ordinary. I'm anal about setting stuff like this up, so I'll most likely end up nuking it anyway and re-partitioning the drive using GPT anyway. Thanks again.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> I was trying hard to remember how Windows dealt with alignment and partitioning during UEFI installation and I'm pretty sure that the default offset/alignment of 1024K was applied to the first partition (out of the three for GPT). Why is that so? I thought the alignment is to be applied to the PRIMARY partition? So why is that when letting Win7 automatically align and make partitions, it does the alignment on the first partition?


I had posted about this earlier in the thread, but a quick recap.

The EFI partition (the first on the drive) aligns at 1024 (windows standard) as a precaution against any disk program potentionally (inadvertantly) writing to the disk label and protective MBR. This information resides in sectors 0 through 33 of a GPT "Logical Disk". If this information is altered/overwritten with incorrect information, the GPT disk will no longer be "self identifying", and important aspect of GPT. In order to write information to this area of a GPT disk, you must use a GPT "aware" disk program. The "Protective MBR" always resides at sector 0 of a GPT disk. If you recall, the protective MBR tells any MBR disk program that it cannot make changes to the disk.

An example of this is window's own repair ulility when it is not started from a UEFI device. If the utility is started from a BIOS on a GPT disk, the repair utility responds with an error that the disk cannot be repaired. This is because all BIOSs can only initiate the instruction that resides at sector 0 of any disk.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> I had posted about this earlier in the thread, but a quick recap.
> The EFI partition (the first on the drive) aligns at 1024 (windows standard) as a precaution against any disk program potentionally (inadvertantly) writing to the disk label and protective MBR. This information resides in sectors 0 through 33 of a GPT "Logical Disk". If this information is altered/overwritten with incorrect information, the GPT disk will no longer be "self identifying", and important aspect of GPT. In order to write information to this area of a GPT disk, you must use a GPT "aware" disk program. The "Protective MBR" always resides at sector 0 of a GPT disk. If you recall, the protective MBR tells any MBR disk program that it cannot make changes to the disk.
> An example of this is window's own repair ulility when it is not started from a UEFI device. If the utility is started from a BIOS on a GPT disk, the repair utility responds with an error that the disk cannot be repaired. This is because all BIOSs can only initiate the instruction that resides at sector 0 of any disk.


Gotcha. Sorry, I just forgot because of the long wait I made to have the Crucial M4. So if I understand right, when you don't include the align switch when using diskpart, 1024 is the default setting. So it's simple as creating the three necessary GPT partitions with alignment of 4096 before the PRIMARY partition, correct?

And 0 to 33 sectors equlas 1024K bytes of data?


----------



## Zyther

i have a crucial m4 128gb
I will be using windows 7 on the drive aswell as my games (battlefield 3 mainly)

should i set the align to 1024 or 4096?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zyther*
> 
> i have a crucial m4 128gb
> I will be using windows 7 on the drive aswell as my games (battlefield 3 mainly)
> 
> should i set the align to 1024 or 4096?


4096.









Now if you already installed don't worry about it.


----------



## Rage19420

My project this weekend!


----------



## Rage19420

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Zyther*
> 
> i have a crucial m4 128gb
> I will be using windows 7 on the drive aswell as my games (battlefield 3 mainly)
> 
> should i set the align to 1024 or 4096?
> 
> 
> 
> 4096.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now if you already installed don't worry about it.
Click to expand...

4096? Whats the difference/benefit over 1024?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> 4096? Whats the difference/benefit over 1024?


Congrats!

4k is more optimal for the drive. Read the info in the clicky thing below.










Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Quote:


> Q: Why 4096 alignment vs. 1024?
> A:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *esocid;15530789*
> I believe the 4096 thing is with the change in sector size of disks from 512 to 4096. So basically 4096 is the "new" first sector, rather than 512x2 (1024). If this is HDD or SSD specific, I am not positive.
> 
> http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-4kb-sector-disks/index.html?ca=dgr-lnxw074KB-Disksdth-LX
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *BradleyW;15533065*
> Ok it's about time we got this sorted.
> 
> 1. You don't need to run AHCI when using a SSD. By this, I mean you can run HDD's in raid with a SSD on its own. Whichever drives are not selected as raid will run in AHCI although the bios reports raid mode.
> 
> 2. 4096 is the correct allocation size for newer storage devices. Why?
> A hard drive or SSD is a chunk of free space (Let's talk in digital terms). So this free space needs to be divided into segments. By setting 1024, 1024 small little chunks can be help within a segment. By setting 4096, you can hold over 3072 more chunks per segment.
> 
> 3. So yeah....why is this better?
> Firstly we need to look at how information is stored and read on the hard drive. Let's take a file. It's saved as small chunks that fit into a segment. If you use 1024 allocation size and the file will need 2000 chunks, the file will become split up. So the first 1024 chunks will be stored in the 1st segment whilst the remaining is stored into the next segment. Because the file is divided, it takes longer for the HDD/SSD and/or the OS to read/write the file. The file that requires 2000 chunks of a segment can fit into a 4096 segment. The file and information does not become scattered around. Of course, no matter what you do, chunks will become split up over time as you add and delete things on the computer and gaps in the structure appear and get filled by new files. The new files just become scattered to fill the gaps between the empty chunks that appear from previous files becoming deleted by software or the user.
> 
> 4. Why to not use an allocation size higher than 4096?
> Because if the units that hold tiny segments become too large of an open space, it will take the OS and the hardware far too long to find and interpret the information. It will also reduce the amount of formatted free space available to the OS and the user.
> 
> Hope this helps!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *BradleyW;15611027*
> Just want to clear something up.
> Might wanna add to OP in my message via FQA section
> 
> Ok alignment can be 1024 or 4096. (4096 will provide better speeds in real world environments whilst 1024 will show slightly better results via benchmarks).
> 
> Allocation Unit size MUST be 4096 no matter what! Even if your alignment is at 1024!
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


----------



## Zyther

Quote:


> Ok alignment can be 1024 or 4096. (4096 will provide better speeds in real world environments whilst 1024 will show slightly better results via benchmarks).
> 
> Allocation Unit size MUST be 4096 no matter what! Even if your alignment is at 1024!


Ok so to set the align to 4096 you do:
create partition primary align=4096

But how do you set the allocation unit size to 4096?

Also seeing as I want to do a clean install on my M4, is it best to run part magic secure erase?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zyther*
> 
> Ok so to set the align to 4096 you do:
> create partition primary align=4096
> 
> But how do you set the allocation unit size to 4096?
> 
> Also seeing as I want to do a clean install on my M4, is it best to run part magic secure erase?


Default allocation size is 4k so don't worry about that.

You can secure erase if you want, but you don't need to. Just follow the steps and you'll be golden.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> I had posted about this earlier in the thread, but a quick recap.
> The EFI partition (the first on the drive) aligns at 1024 (windows standard) as a precaution against any disk program potentionally (inadvertantly) writing to the disk label and protective MBR. This information resides in sectors 0 through 33 of a GPT "Logical Disk". If this information is altered/overwritten with incorrect information, the GPT disk will no longer be "self identifying", and important aspect of GPT. In order to write information to this area of a GPT disk, you must use a GPT "aware" disk program. The "Protective MBR" always resides at sector 0 of a GPT disk. If you recall, the protective MBR tells any MBR disk program that it cannot make changes to the disk.
> An example of this is window's own repair ulility when it is not started from a UEFI device. If the utility is started from a BIOS on a GPT disk, the repair utility responds with an error that the disk cannot be repaired. This is because all BIOSs can only initiate the instruction that resides at sector 0 of any disk.
> 
> 
> 
> Gotcha. Sorry, I just forgot because of the long wait I made to have the Crucial M4. So if I understand right, when you don't include the align switch when using diskpart, 1024 is the default setting. So it's simple as creating the three necessary GPT partitions with alignment of 4096 before the PRIMARY partition, correct?
> 
> And 0 to 33 sectors equlas 1024K bytes of data?
Click to expand...

Basically yes, but then again... not exactly. Trying not to get too technical, as it can be rather confusing.... Unfortunately the terminology used to explain how this works is pretty bad. There's just no "good" way to explain it because of the history of the term "Sectors". "Sectors" in discussing storage media is actually a standard that manufacturers adhere to just like a USB standard, a PCIe standard, a memory standard, or any other type of "standard" that ensures inter-operability of different components manufactured by different companies. It used to be that 63 "sectors" made up a single track of a spinning HDD.

The reason we talk about using a 4096 alignment, is because NOW, most newer HDD/SSD have a 4K "sector" Advanced format standard. The term "Sector" when talking about a spinning disk, used to refer to a space of approximately 512 bytes. The standard sector size of 512 bytes for magnetic disks, was replaced with certain media, to 1024 byte sectors with the introduction of media players and camera storage. Now we have 4096; the new 2011 standard, "Advanced Format" sectors, so now a "sector" is considered 4096 bytes.

A better way to explain the first "33" pieces of information on a GPT drive, is by looking at them as "Logical Blocks" of data on the drive. GPT drives, like most modern spinning hard disks, use logical block addressing (LBA) in place of cylinder-head-sector (CHS) addressing. As I mentioned earlier, the protective MBR of a GPT drive is contained in "LBA" ("sector") 0, the GPT header is in "LBA" 1, and the partition table of the drive follows that. Windows reserve the first 16,384 bytes (33 "sectors"/LBAs) for the GUID Partition Table, leaving LBA 34 as the first usable sector of the drive.

Windows 7 uses a default 1024 alignment for the first partition so that it does not cause a problem with misalignment of the entire drive. If it weren't for discussions and guides like this thread, most people would just opt to let windows installation perform the action of alignment. Prior to Windows 7, major alignment issues were common place, although few end users really noticed. Without the 1024 alignment of the first partition, a misalignment would occur because any partition placed immediately after the GUID partition table (the first 33 LBAs), would be placed at block LBA 34, without a specified offset. This also occurred with MBR, so GPT is not unique with this potential problem. A MBR occupies the first 512 bytes of any MBR drive, and the same problem occurs when a first partition is placed immediately after the MBR. this location falls in the middle of a sector boundry. just what is trying to be avoided by alignment.

On an "advanced format" 4KiB drive (SSDs, and most new magnetic HDDs), the next 4KiB sector boundary begins at LBA 40. By using a 1024 Offset, windows ensure that your first partition starts at what should be the beginning of a 4KiB sector boundary.

Hopefully not too confusing.


----------



## Sean Webster

^My head hurts.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ^My head hurts.


Welcome to MY world!


----------



## Sean Webster

You and I are going to be good friends, I just have that feeling!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Basically yes, but then again... not exactly. Trying not to get too technical, as it can be rather confusing.... Unfortunately the terminology used to explain how this works is pretty bad. There's just no "good" way to explain it because of the history of the term "Sectors". "Sectors" in discussing storage media is actually a standard that manufacturers adhere to just like a USB standard, a PCIe standard, a memory standard, or any other type of "standard" that ensures inter-operability of different components manufactured by different companies. It used to be that 63 "sectors" made up a single track of a spinning HDD.
> The reason we talk about using a 4096 alignment, is because NOW, most newer HDD/SSD have a 4K "sector" Advanced format standard. The term "Sector" when talking about a spinning disk, used to refer to a space of approximately 512 bytes. The standard sector size of 512 bytes for magnetic disks, was replaced with certain media, to 1024 byte sectors with the introduction of media players and camera storage. Now we have 4096; the new 2011 standard, "Advanced Format" sectors, so now a "sector" is considered 4096 bytes.
> A better way to explain the first "33" pieces of information on a GPT drive, is by looking at them as "Logical Blocks" of data on the drive. GPT drives, like most modern spinning hard disks, use logical block addressing (LBA) in place of cylinder-head-sector (CHS) addressing. As I mentioned earlier, the protective MBR of a GPT drive is contained in "LBA" ("sector") 0, the GPT header is in "LBA" 1, and the partition table of the drive follows that. Windows reserve the first 16,384 bytes (33 "sectors"/LBAs) for the GUID Partition Table, leaving LBA 34 as the first usable sector of the drive.
> Windows 7 uses a default 1024 alignment for the first partition so that it does not cause a problem with misalignment of the entire drive. If it weren't for discussions and guides like this thread, most people would just opt to let windows installation perform the action of alignment. Prior to Windows 7, major alignment issues were common place, although few end users really noticed. Without the 1024 alignment of the first partition, a misalignment would occur because any partition placed immediately after the GUID partition table (the first 33 LBAs), would be placed at block LBA 34, without a specified offset. This also occurred with MBR, so GPT is not unique with this potential problem. A MBR occupies the first 512 bytes of any MBR drive, and the same problem occurs when a first partition is placed immediately after the MBR. this location falls in the middle of a sector boundry. just what is trying to be avoided by alignment.
> On an "advanced format" 4KiB drive (SSDs, and most new magnetic HDDs), the next 4KiB sector boundary begins at LBA 40. By using a 1024 Offset, windows ensure that your first partition starts at what should be the beginning of a 4KiB sector boundary.
> Hopefully not too confusing.


Thanks for the clarification.


----------



## ocz200

nice guide will try soon


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Basically yes, but then again... not exactly. Trying not to get too technical, as it can be rather confusing.... Unfortunately the terminology used to explain how this works is pretty bad. There's just no "good" way to explain it because of the history of the term "Sectors". "Sectors" in discussing storage media is actually a standard that manufacturers adhere to just like a USB standard, a PCIe standard, a memory standard, or any other type of "standard" that ensures inter-operability of different components manufactured by different companies. It used to be that 63 "sectors" made up a single track of a spinning HDD.
> The reason we talk about using a 4096 alignment, is because NOW, most newer HDD/SSD have a 4K "sector" Advanced format standard. The term "Sector" when talking about a spinning disk, used to refer to a space of approximately 512 bytes. The standard sector size of 512 bytes for magnetic disks, was replaced with certain media, to 1024 byte sectors with the introduction of media players and camera storage. Now we have 4096; the new 2011 standard, "Advanced Format" sectors, so now a "sector" is considered 4096 bytes.
> A better way to explain the first "33" pieces of information on a GPT drive, is by looking at them as "Logical Blocks" of data on the drive. GPT drives, like most modern spinning hard disks, use logical block addressing (LBA) in place of cylinder-head-sector (CHS) addressing. As I mentioned earlier, the protective MBR of a GPT drive is contained in "LBA" ("sector") 0, the GPT header is in "LBA" 1, and the partition table of the drive follows that. Windows reserve the first 16,384 bytes (33 "sectors"/LBAs) for the GUID Partition Table, leaving LBA 34 as the first usable sector of the drive.
> Windows 7 uses a default 1024 alignment for the first partition so that it does not cause a problem with misalignment of the entire drive. If it weren't for discussions and guides like this thread, most people would just opt to let windows installation perform the action of alignment. Prior to Windows 7, major alignment issues were common place, although few end users really noticed. Without the 1024 alignment of the first partition, a misalignment would occur because any partition placed immediately after the GUID partition table (the first 33 LBAs), would be placed at block LBA 34, without a specified offset. This also occurred with MBR, so GPT is not unique with this potential problem. A MBR occupies the first 512 bytes of any MBR drive, and the same problem occurs when a first partition is placed immediately after the MBR. this location falls in the middle of a sector boundry. just what is trying to be avoided by alignment.
> On an "advanced format" 4KiB drive (SSDs, and most new magnetic HDDs), the next 4KiB sector boundary begins at LBA 40. By using a 1024 Offset, windows ensure that your first partition starts at what should be the beginning of a 4KiB sector boundary.
> Hopefully not too confusing.


One of the clearest explanations I've seen. Once again, +rep


----------



## kill

I followed the guide to a . EXCEPT!!!!!!! i didnt do all of the preformatting... i just did the plain windows install/format. if i reinstall with the different stuff will i see better performance?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kill*
> 
> I followed the guide to a . EXCEPT!!!!!!! i didnt do all of the preformatting... i just did the plain windows install/format. if i reinstall with the different stuff will i see better performance?


You will be good, you don't need to do that part anyways.


----------



## s-f-r-j

Okay, as you know i am new to this and i am little bit confused.

Please if you could explain me few things: ( one for now, i will be back asking for more probably and i am sorry about that







)

1)
Check to see if the TRIM command is being issued: Applies to SSD only ( *This should ne enabled or disabled?*)

Thanks,
s-f-r-j


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *s-f-r-j*
> 
> Okay, as you know i am new to this and i am little bit confused.
> Please if you could explain me few things: ( one for now, i will be back asking for more probably and i am sorry about that
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )
> 1)
> Check to see if the TRIM command is being issued: Applies to SSD only ( *This should ne enabled or disabled?*)
> Thanks,
> s-f-r-j


if your only using one ssd with windows 7, it should be enabled by default. if for some odd reason its not enabled, just fix it. that why the commands were listed. but like i said, it _should_ be enabled by default.

now with raid setups. even though the trim commands are enabled, trim is not available. from what ive been reading, intel is working on a fix that will be for all ssd, not just their own.


----------



## s-f-r-j

Thank you!


----------



## firestorm1

yw


----------



## s-f-r-j

Aftrer installing intel drivers from their website (Rapid storage Technology) i noticed this in AS SSD program:

*iaStor*, what is this?










Is this normal? Is my SSD \ HDDs working full speed and as it should?

Regards


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *s-f-r-j*
> 
> Aftrer installing intel drivers from their website (Rapid storage Technology) i noticed this in AS SSD program:
> 
> *iaStor*, what is this?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is this normal? Is my SSD \ HDDs working full speed and as it should?
> 
> Regards


No your SSD is going to now corrupt and maybe even fry your PC now.

LOL JK

It is Intel's storage driver being used rather than the stock M$ one.


----------



## s-f-r-j

Ah, thats the reason for the smoke i see from my PC ?









Thank you


----------



## Munkypoo7

Probably have said this already, but just for good measure, wanted to say thanks again Sean for the guide. Got this little Force 3 alive and kicking, I see now why SSDs are so revered!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *s-f-r-j*
> 
> Ah, thats the reason for the smoke i see from my PC ?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you


LOL
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Munkypoo7*
> 
> Probably have said this already, but just for good measure, wanted to say thanks again Sean for the guide. Got this little Force 3 alive and kicking, I see now why SSDs are so revered!


Your welcome guys, glad I could help!


----------



## Rage19420

I am starting the process and updated the SSD firmware. It said that the SSD should be in SATA 1-3. Is that true are does it not really matter?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> I am starting the process and updated the SSD firmware. It said that the SSD should be in SATA 1-3. Is that true are does it not really matter?


Just unplug your drives and make sure the SSD is in one of the first ports. The updater can have issues and not run properly if not.

Then when done put everything back to how it was.


----------



## Rage19420

Too late I just ran it anyways and it seemed to update just fine.







Now im having to update the Mobo Bios to the latest. For some reason im not seeing things like this:
Quote:


> Next check your UEFI/BIOS for these settings:
> 
> Check if AHCI mode is enabled, if not enable it.
> Note: If you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT use RAID Mode instead.
> Check to see if S1 and S3 sleep are supported in UEFI/BIOS, I set it to S3, but S1 should be OK also.
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.
> Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of you SSD and update if necessary.
> Note: Check the next post in the thread for the downloads section for firmware links.
> To avoid having the boot sector placed on a secondary drive, disconnect all other drives.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> Too late I just ran it anyways and it seemed to update just fine.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now im having to update the Mobo Bios to the latest. For some reason im not seeing things like this:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Next check your UEFI/BIOS for these settings:
> 
> Check if AHCI mode is enabled, if not enable it.
> Note: If you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT use RAID Mode instead.
> Check to see if S1 and S3 sleep are supported in UEFI/BIOS, I set it to S3, but S1 should be OK also.
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.
> Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of you SSD and update if necessary.
> Note: Check the next post in the thread for the downloads section for firmware links.
> To avoid having the boot sector placed on a secondary drive, disconnect all other drives.
Click to expand...

Cool, like I said, it may have given an issue lol

What exactly are you referring too?

AHCI?
Sleep Mode?
ACPI?


----------



## Rage19420

These two options I see nothing in the bios
Quote:


> Check to see if S1 and S3 sleep are supported in UEFI/BIOS, I set it to S3, but S1 should be OK also.
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> These two options I see nothing in the bios
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Check to see if S1 and S3 sleep are supported in UEFI/BIOS, I set it to S3, but S1 should be OK also.
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about them.

Though, my x58 board had the ability to choose them, search through. If you can't find them forget it.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> These two options I see nothing in the bios
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Check to see if S1 and S3 sleep are supported in UEFI/BIOS, I set it to S3, but S1 should be OK also.
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.
Click to expand...

If they are not shown in the BIOS, they are enabled by default so no need to worry


----------



## Rage19420

I updated the bios on my mobo and it did show the option for S1 and S3. Tomorrow I will go ahead and load the OS!


----------



## Rage19420

Im stuck. I did the following steps
Quote:


> Booting, partitioning and alignment of GPT for Windows and UEFI:
> Boot from the Windows 7 install media (You must initiate this boot from a device labeled as a UEFI device, or the installation of Windows 7 will produce an error that the OS cannot be installed to a GPT partition) These UEFI boot devices will have a prefix UEFI: , and show as a boot option in your UEFI (BIOS).
> After booting to the UEFI device, and selecting your language, when you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type diskpart, press Enter
> At the Diskpart prompt, Type list disk , press Enter
> Type select disk 0 (or whichever number your SSD gets), press Enter
> Type clean, press Enter
> Type convert gpt, press Enter
> Type create partition efi size=100, press Enter
> Type format quick fs=fat32 label="ESP", press Enter
> Type create partition msr size=128, press Enter
> Type create partition primary align=4096 , press Enter
> Type format quick fs=ntfs label="SYSTEM", press Enter
> Type assign letter=C noerr, press Enter
> Type Exit, press Enter
> Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
> Proceed to install Windows 7 on the GPT partition labeled "System" using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it."


And this happen:


----------



## Sean Webster

You need to make sure you boot off the EUFI: device in the EUFI. If you just boot via normal device it will give you that error.

Also, if you are using your X58 board you can't install via GPT, only MBR....


----------



## Rage19420

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need to make sure you boot off the EUFI: device in the EUFI. If you just boot via normal device it will give you that error.
> 
> Also, if you are using your X58 board you can't install via GPT, only MBR....


Oh.









Then I presume I move onto the next step: "Configure a drive as a boot drive using BIOS and MBR"?


----------



## Sean Webster

Yep


----------



## Rage19420

Success! Windows is installed and now moving on to the optimization steps! Thanks for all this info Sean!


----------



## Rage19420

Ok im done (i think) I still have to map the pic, doc folders etc.

Is this ok? It seems slower then some of the other benchies, maybe due to I have SATA II mobo?


----------



## ar3f

Sean,
I just bought an Intel SSD 80GB Gen. 3 which I will pair in raid 0 with my present Intel SSD 80 GB Gen 2.
Gen 2 is 32nm while G3 is 22nm but controller is the same on each with some improvements on Gen 3.
My plan, untill SSD Raid 0 Trim will be out, is:
1. make a current SSD image of the Win7Ultimate 64 bit already installed.
2. install the 2nd SSD (G3) and initiate the Raid 0 array - I can use either the Marvel 6GB controller or the Intel 3 GB controller on my Asus Rampage 3 formula... not sure which one to use but most likely I'll go with Intel since the G2 is 3GB speed.
3. create an OS partition using the Win 7 install disk of 120GB and leave the rest (guess around 30GB) unallocated. I think of making a 9 GB (1.5x6GB installed RAM) partition for the page file... dunno.
4. restore the Win 7 image on the Raid 0 120GB partition
5. disable prefetch and defrag in Win7.
6. Done!

Any suggestions where I can go wrong?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> Ok im done (i think) I still have to map the pic, doc folders etc.
> 
> Is this ok? It seems slower then some of the other benchies, maybe due to I have SATA II mobo?


Use AS SSD and ATTO if you want, it seems good to me. What SSD do you have exactly? If you mentioned it before sry. lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ar3f*
> 
> Sean,
> I just bought an Intel SSD 80GB Gen. 3 which I will pair in raid 0 with my present Intel SSD 80 GB Gen 2.
> Gen 2 is 32nm while G3 is 22nm but controller is the same on each with some improvements on Gen 3.
> My plan, untill SSD Raid 0 Trim will be out, is:
> 1. make a current SSD image of the Win7Ultimate 64 bit already installed.
> 2. install the 2nd SSD (G3) and initiate the Raid 0 array - I can use either the Marvel 6GB controller or the Intel 3 GB controller on my Asus Rampage 3 formula... not sure which one to use but most likely I'll go with Intel since the G2 is 3GB speed.
> 3. create an OS partition using the Win 7 install disk of 120GB and leave the rest (guess around 30GB) unallocated. I think of making a 9 GB (1.5x6GB installed RAM) partition for the page file... dunno.
> 4. restore the Win 7 image on the Raid 0 120GB partition
> 5. disable prefetch and defrag in Win7.
> 6. Done!
> 
> Any suggestions where I can go wrong?


Make sure your system image is set up with RAID enabled rather than AHCI.

Use the Intel controller for the drives

Page file doesn't need to be large. You can keep it smaller unless programs force you to keep it larger. I have mine disabled.

Once up and running; run WEI. Then go through the whole guide checking over everything. So defrag may be disabled for the SSD array once you run WEI, but I am not sure on it.

I would just set up the array then start over with a new install. Do your plan first, but make sure all your data is backed up too. If you run into issues then just do a reinstall.


----------



## Rage19420

Its a Crucial M4 128

Here's benchies in AS SSD and ATTO


----------



## Sean Webster

Yep, looks good


----------



## Rage19420

Oh yeah heres the WEI


----------



## shnur

I think it's time for you to upgrade your CPU


----------



## Rage19420

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> I think it's time for you to upgrade your CPU " rel="https://www.overclock.net/images/smilies/wink.gif">


I see what you did there!


----------



## Dezixn

Guide looks very helpful. I've had it bookmarked for weeks. My 160GB Intel 320 SSD will be here thursday or friday and I will definitely use this guide. While I'm here, is there any point in increasing windows 7 RAM usage when you have an SSD? I recently went from 8GB to 12GB and windows 7 barely touches it (a good thing I know!). I had briefly read about reducing or eliminating the virtual memory/paging file when using mechanical hard drives to take advantage of large amounts of RAM. I'm not even sure how useful this is with regular hard drives, let alone SSDs.

I see you included a bit on the paging file in your post... Whoops, didn't notice it until now. Still seems like a somewhat controversial decision, I haven't seen any solid info on it and couldn't find any when I was searching a few days ago.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dezixn*
> 
> Guide looks very helpful. I've had it bookmarked for weeks. My 160GB Intel 320 SSD will be here thursday or friday and I will definitely use this guide. While I'm here, is there any point in increasing windows 7 RAM usage when you have an SSD? I recently went from 8GB to 12GB and windows 7 barely touches it (a good thing I know!). I had briefly read about reducing or eliminating the virtual memory/paging file when using mechanical hard drives to take advantage of large amounts of RAM. I'm not even sure how useful this is with regular hard drives, let alone SSDs.


I have my pagefile disabled with 8GB of RAM. Back when I had 6GB I had no issue with that way and I didn't have my SSD either. Only certain programs will give you issues if you have it disabled. All it is is a buffer for application overflow if you are using a lot of RAM intensive programs and maxing it out and a place for programs to put parts of itself for quick retrieval into the RAM. And other stuff.

I never hit more than 3GB under normal use myself, but I have had my system crash when I maxed out my RAM when running a VM at 5GB and there was no left over.

Really it is up to you if you want it disabled or not. I notice no difference with it on or off, just I have a lot more free space on my drive.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Dezixn*
> 
> Guide looks very helpful. I've had it bookmarked for weeks. My 160GB Intel 320 SSD will be here thursday or friday and I will definitely use this guide. While I'm here, is there any point in increasing windows 7 RAM usage when you have an SSD? I recently went from 8GB to 12GB and windows 7 barely touches it (a good thing I know!). I had briefly read about reducing or eliminating the virtual memory/paging file when using mechanical hard drives to take advantage of large amounts of RAM. I'm not even sure how useful this is with regular hard drives, let alone SSDs.
> 
> 
> 
> I have my pagefile disabled with 8GB of RAM. Back when I had 6GB I had no issue with that way and I didn't have my SSD either. Only certain programs will give you issues if you have it disabled. All it is is a buffer for application overflow if you are using a lot of RAM intensive programs and maxing it out and a place for programs to put parts of itself for quick retrieval into the RAM. And other stuff.
> 
> I never hit more than 3GB under normal use myself, but I have had my system crash when I maxed out my RAM when running a VM at 5GB and there was no left over.
> 
> Really it is up to you if you want it disabled or not. I notice no difference with it on or off, just I have a lot more free space on my drive.
Click to expand...

if you do have any programs that balk at not having a page file, and you have enough memory that you don't actually think you'll use it... you can set up a page file on any other disk installed on your system, set it to a fixed size (so windows doesn't try to manage it), and it will do nothing but take up a small amount of space on your other drive.

In the rare instance that it actually needs to be used (Sean's VM as an example), or is required to be there to run an application (application demands a page file), it will be there. For programs that require a page file to run (and these are very rare these days), it will only be checked for availability at program startup, and then your memory is used. If you find, like in a VM, that you consistently use virtual memory, my suggestion would be to get more RAM, or leave the page file on the SSD.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Sean, new Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers (version 10.8.0.1003) are out:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?ProductID=2101&DwnldID=20624&lang=eng&iid=dc_rss

Not sure if it's been mentioned on here yet.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Sean, new Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers (version 10.8.0.1003) are out:
> 
> http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?ProductID=2101&DwnldID=20624&lang=eng&iid=dc_rss
> 
> Not sure if it's been mentioned on here yet.


Hasn't been mentioned, but I've had it since it has been out lol.

The next or next will have TRIM support for RAID 0 as well


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Hasn't been mentioned, but I've had it since it has been out lol.
> The next or next will have TRIM support for RAID 0 as well


Nice, I'm thinking about buying another 120GB Mushkin ssd to run in raid. Didn't know NewEgg had them on sale until I saw today. Almost $50 cheaper than what I originally paid for mine.
















Notice any performance difference over the last version?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Hasn't been mentioned, but I've had it since it has been out lol.
> The next or next will have TRIM support for RAID 0 as well
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice, I'm thinking about buying another 120GB Mushkin ssd to run in raid. Didn't know NewEgg had them on sale until I saw today. Almost $50 cheaper than what I originally paid for mine.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Notice any performance difference over the last version?
Click to expand...

Not really. It is the same I think lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Added this:
*How to: Initialize And Format A New Disk For Use In Windows!*



Spoiler: Click here for guide



*How To Initialize And Format A New Disk For Use In Windows:*

Install disk in your PC and boot up.
Once at the desktop open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *Disk Management* and press Enter
You should get a window popup like this:

If so choose either MBR or GPT and click OK.
*Note:* GPT allows you to create more than 4 partitions on the HDD and 2.2TB+ sized partitions as well.
If you didn't get the popup then right click and select initialize the newly added drive under where it says the *Disk #* shown below:

Now right click the unallocated space and click create a New Simple Volume shown below:

Follow the on screen wizard by clicking Next

Specify your volume size, default is fine, and now click Next

Assign a drive letter to the drive and click Next

Format the partition and name the volume, default settings are fine

Now click Finish and you are done





Currently adjusting a few guides such as the RAID set up guide.


----------



## shnur

GOGOGOGOGO RAID!


----------



## Rage19420

After a day installing the SSD getting it optimized, etc, im really enjoying the performance boost!

Thanks again Sean for this guide. It is invaluable!


----------



## Recipe7

Sean, it's me again, on a different thread =p.

I will be using the same SSD that Rage19420 is using (albeit 64gb), and I am also on a X58 MB. His performance based on crystalmark is much better than the score I got for my Agility.

My question is, did he achieve this through a clean installation based on your guide? Will I be able to reach this performance by just by cloning my drive to the new Crucial M4 SSD?


----------



## bryce

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Install newest SATA drivers:* Applies to SSD/HDD
> For AMD systems, use the newest AMD driver.
> For Intel systems, use the newest Intel RST driver
> *Note:* This is to ensure your SSD will function properly.


Just to clarify, even if I'm not running a raid setup with my SSDs I still need to download this or what?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Recipe7*
> 
> Sean, it's me again, on a different thread =p.
> 
> I will be using the same SSD that Rage19420 is using (albeit 64gb), and I am also on a X58 MB. His performance based on crystalmark is much better than the score I got for my Agility.
> 
> My question is, did he achieve this through a clean installation based on your guide? Will I be able to reach this performance by just by cloning my drive to the new Crucial M4 SSD?


Your agility is just slower, wait till you get eh M4 and have it set up, then we'll go from there.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Install newest SATA drivers:* Applies to SSD/HDD
> For AMD systems, use the newest AMD driver.
> For Intel systems, use the newest Intel RST driver
> *Note:* This is to ensure your SSD will function properly.
> 
> 
> 
> Just to clarify, even if I'm not running a raid setup with my SSDs I still need to download this or what?
Click to expand...

Technically you don't need to, (not b/c you're not using RAID) but you should download and install them. They better drivers for your SATA chipset than the standard M$ ones.


----------



## bryce

I did install them, just wanted to clarify that part some more.


----------



## =Tac=

Thanks for the guide! Made setting up the SSD in my laptop a breeze!


----------



## BradleyW

Hey Sean, threads looking good!

btw i am the king of 4096! (Inside joke)


----------



## Nocturin

all hail the king FLYNN!


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Currently adjusting a few guides such as the RAID set up guide.


Looking forward to the raid guide. I'm expecting my second Mushkin ssd to arrive soon.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Currently adjusting a few guides such as the RAID set up guide.
> 
> 
> 
> Looking forward to the raid guide. I'm expecting my second Mushkin ssd to arrive soon.
Click to expand...

Done yesterday lol


----------



## jagz

This Guide









Up and running good. Oh, I'm on an 2600k now.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Done yesterday lol


You're too damn quick. lol I have a question:
Quote:


> 7.) Choose your raid Block size (Default or 128KB is fine)


So no 4096 alignment for raid?


----------



## StarDestroyer

got my M4 128GB sata3 running, it did the align=4096 thing

now I'm waiting for BF3 to DL, hope it speeds up the load times for that and a few other games


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Done yesterday lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You're too damn quick. lol I have a question:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> 7.) Choose your raid Block size (Default or 128KB is fine)
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> So no 4096 alignment for raid?
Click to expand...

I just know 64 or 128 stripe size is best for the OS partition, Idk about the interaction with alignment when it comes to RAID though. I will have to research.


----------



## Rage19420

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StarDestroyer*
> 
> got my M4 128GB sata3 running, it did the align=4096 thing
> 
> now I'm waiting for BF3 to DL, hope it speeds up the load times for that and a few other games


Trust me. It will! I have the same M4 128gb SSD that I slapped in a few days ago. Got it up and running in no time (thanks to Sean) and enoy BF3 loading almost instantly!


----------



## N2Gaming

Great write up. +1









Kind of makes me wonder if there is a way to have all the games that are stored on the mechanical drives to temporarily move the whole game folder over to the SSD drives while playing the game in an effort to keep the game running super fast







.

Possibly another app that could control the game folder locations wihle in storage mode on mechanical drives. Then the same app could transfer any game folders required to run a game over to the SSD drive while the game is in use. Last the same app would transfer the game folders back to the mechanical storage area's when the game was no longer in use or being played.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> Great write up. +1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kind of makes me wonder if there is a way to have all the games that are stored on the mechanical drives to temporarily move the whole game folder over to the SSD drives while playing the game in an effort to keep the game running super fast
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
> 
> Possibly another app that could control the game folder locations while in storage mode on mechanical drives. Then the same app could transfer any game folders required to run a game over to the SSD drive while the game is in use. Last the same app would transfer the game folders back to the mechanical storage area's when the game was no longer in use or being played.


Thanks, and if you have steam then the program that your thinking of is steam mover...in a way. You can do exactly that, move steam games to the SSD and when you are done you can move them back.

http://www.overclock.net/t/853462/ssd-owners-must-have-app

I'm pretty sure you can do the same thing with junctions and non steam games.


----------



## Sean Webster

**Extreme Beta* Guide on using current HDD as storage drive after installing a SSD.*

If your personal data is backed up to another media just right click the HDD in Windows when you are done installing the new OS and click format.

If you can't save your personal data to another medium you can do...

*Option 1:* Okay option
Once you have windows installed you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files that may be on there as well)

*Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.

Shrink the old HDD OS partition
Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space
Then move the personal files to the new partition
When done moving your files delete the older OS partition
Then expand the new partition into the left over free space
Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.


----------



## Rage19420

I found it extremely easy just to install the programs/apps onto the same ssd and all the user doc/pic/music etc folders onto an HDD. Even after I installed the OS, apps and games I use most often, I still have about 57gigs left on my 128 M4.

If I need to retrieve something off my previous HDD install I just reboot into a separate saved bios preset and get it from there. Was useful to export certain settings. Once its done I reboot back into a saved preset for the SSD.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> **Extreme Beta* Guide on using current HDD as storage drive after installing a SSD.*
> If your personal data is backed up to another media just right click the HDD in Windows when you are done installing the new OS and click format.
> If you can't save your personal data to another medium you can do...
> *Option 1:* Okay option
> Once you have windows installed you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files that may be on there as well)
> *Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.
> 
> Shrink the old HDD OS partition
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space
> Then move the personal files to the new partition
> When done moving your files delete the older OS partition
> Then expand the new partition into the left over free space
> Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.


What is the difference of this with just reformatting the whole storage HDD after installation of OS in SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> What is the difference of this with just reformatting the whole storage HDD after installation of OS in SSD?


What if the person can't back up their data? That 1 HDD is their only source. If they format they will lose everything.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What if the person can't back up their data? That 1 HDD is their only source. If they format they will lose everything.


Hmmm, makes sense


----------



## kevindd992002

Another thing, why do we always have to manually move and rename the bootx64.efi when installing from a USB flash drive UEFI mode? Why is that when we use the DVD installation of Windows 7, it automatically boots with UEFI?

I mean the USB drive boots at UEFI mode even without the \EFI\Boot\BOOTX64.EFI file present in it. So why is it needed?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Another thing, why do we always have to manually move and rename the bootx64.efi when installing from a USB flash drive UEFI mode? Why is that when we use the DVD installation of Windows 7, it automatically boots with UEFI?
> 
> I mean the USB drive boots at UEFI mode even without the \EFI\Boot\BOOTX64.EFI file present in it. So why is it needed?


I can't boot the USB unless I do that step. Are you sure you can? I only needed to do it one time. I have a flash drive dedicated to windows.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Another thing, why do we always have to manually move and rename the bootx64.efi when installing from a USB flash drive UEFI mode? Why is that when we use the DVD installation of Windows 7, it automatically boots with UEFI?
> 
> I mean the USB drive boots at UEFI mode even without the \EFI\Boot\BOOTX64.EFI file present in it. So why is it needed?


Newer Windows 7 DVD media contains the proper directory structure to boot under UEFI.

The "need" to do this all depends on where you got the USB install program from. For the purpose of the guide, it would have been too confusing to determine what installation media the install program you have on your USB drive came from (downloaded vs. DVD vs build, version etc.. )

By creating the folder and copying/renaming the EFI bootloader, no one gets stuck not being able to install under UEFI. For those that don't need it, it doesn't take long to ensure that it works the first time.


----------



## jamor

My SSD is on the way and I'm going to use this guide!

How many gigs approximately will Windows 7 64 Bit take up on the SSD? I scanned OP & Q&A but didn't see anything.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jamor*
> 
> My SSD is on the way and I'm going to use this guide!
> 
> How many gigs approximately will Windows 7 64 Bit take up on the SSD? I scanned OP & Q&A but didn't see anything.


One time after installing Windows 7 Pro 64-bit I had ~38/59GB at first. Then after removing the pagefile, hibernation file, disabling system protection, turning off drive indexing, and turning off unused Windows 7 features I had ~52/59GB free. That is with out updates and drivers.

Now after the whole optimization guide and leaving system protection on I have ~48/59GB free when finished.

So basically Windows will take up ~ 7-11GB after the guide.


----------



## jamor

Great news thanks. this should leave me plenty of room for Games/Programs/Apps for a long time.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Newer Windows 7 DVD media contains the proper directory structure to boot under UEFI.
> The "need" to do this all depends on where you got the USB install program from. For the purpose of the guide, it would have been too confusing to determine what installation media the install program you have on your USB drive came from (downloaded vs. DVD vs build, version etc.. )
> By creating the folder and copying/renaming the EFI bootloader, no one gets stuck not being able to install under UEFI. For those that don't need it, it doesn't take long to ensure that it works the first time.


Thanks for the info.

What is the difference between these two fields (Boot Option Priority and Hard Disk BBS Priority) in a P8Z68-V/GEN3 BIOS/UEFI?

I see that you can set the boot prioirity in both but which is far more important?

Also, why can I not see the icon without the UEFI strip in my BIOS/UEFI when I select the boot priority? I can only see the one with the UEFI strip. Although in BBS Priority section, I can only see the one without but I can't see the one with.


----------



## Tk7331

I just got an SSD and what I'm wondering is that my motherboard is the p6x58d-e which has the marvel on it. So can I download and use the intel rst?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tk7331*
> 
> I just got an SSD and what I'm wondering is that my motherboard is the p6x58d-e which has the marvel on it. So can I download and use the intel rst?


Please don't use the Marvell ports. Use the Intel ones. Your SSD will perform better.

If you have the SSD plugged into the Marvell port the Intel drivers will do nothing in relation to the SSD. They will only work if it is in the Intel ports.


----------



## Tk7331

It is not plugged in to the marvel ports. So I just download and install the intel controller then?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tk7331*
> 
> It is not plugged in to the marvel ports. So I just download and install the intel controller then?


Yea,


----------



## Tk7331

Awesome thanks a lot


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Newer Windows 7 DVD media contains the proper directory structure to boot under UEFI.
> The "need" to do this all depends on where you got the USB install program from. For the purpose of the guide, it would have been too confusing to determine what installation media the install program you have on your USB drive came from (downloaded vs. DVD vs build, version etc.. )
> By creating the folder and copying/renaming the EFI bootloader, no one gets stuck not being able to install under UEFI. For those that don't need it, it doesn't take long to ensure that it works the first time.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the info.
> 
> What is the difference between these two fields (Boot Option Priority and Hard Disk BBS Priority) in a P8Z68-V/GEN3 BIOS/UEFI?
> 
> I see that you can set the boot prioirity in both but which is far more important?
> 
> *Also, why can I not see the icon without the UEFI strip in my BIOS/UEFI when I select the boot priority? I can only see the one with the UEFI strip. Although in BBS Priority section, I can only see the one without but I can't see the one with.*
Click to expand...

What I bolded above, is a confusing statement/question... I'm not exactly sure what you're asking.

To answer your first question:

The Boot Option Priority is actually what you were used to under a standard BIOS. It tops the BBS priority in the hierarchy of things.

Assume you have set up nothing in these two settings, and you are prepare for the first boot of your PC. You would go through the following steps:

In the Hard Drive BBS Priorities you would enter a submenu that presents you all of the drives connected to the system. Here you can define the boot order for all the connected Hard disks. For example you can specify your SDD as the first priority (Boot Option #1) and a HDD as the second priority (Boot Option #2). This implies that the system will first try to boot from the SSD and if this fail, it will try to boot from the HDD. The same prioritization procedure would then be used for the CD/DVD as well as for any bootable Network devices.

Once you have defined the ordering for each type of devices you then specify an overall priority. This is done in the Boot Option Priorities section of the Boot Menu. think pf the Boot Option prioriy as more of a catagory of boot devices (HDD, Optical, USB)

For example you can define to use (all) the CD/DVDs first; (Boot Option #1) and then to use (all) the HDDs; (Boot Option #2). the confusing part is that in this menu, you will only see the device with the highest priority for a specific type (the device you specified in the BBS Priority as option #1) ie HDD, Optical or Network. If you have several HDDs (using the example above for BBS) you will only see the HDD you set with the highest priority (the SDD)., even though a boot will go through the entire list before moving to the next catagory.

Say your SSD is set as Option #1 in the HDD BBS menu, and HDD set as Option #2. Your DVD drive is set as Option #1 in your optical drive BBS. In your Boot options priority, you have set SSD; Option #1, and DVD; Option #2, a boot would proceed as follows.

The system would first attempt to boot from the SSD. Failing that, an attempt to boot from your HDD (option #2), and then your DVD drive.

*Boot options under UEFI differ from a legacy BIOS.*

Unlike BIOS which is booting a device (hardware), the UEFI boot option revolves around software:
the UEFI "firmware", specifies the location of a file on a device as boot target (vs. an actual device under BIOS). This file is coded to firmware, or is automatically created by the OS during installation and points to the location of the actual boot file. The UEFI also has a predetermined boot path for all your removable devices. The reason an EFI file needs to be in the proper place (directory; ie bootx64.efi)

During initialization/ POST, the UEFI looks for UEFI boot files on removable devices DVD, USB drives. This is why media must be inserted into the PC prior to powering it up for UEFI devices to show in the Boot/BBS priority menus. No efi file = no UEFI boot device.

If the UEFI finds a device containing an appropriate efi file in the correct directory, the device containing the media will appear in the Boot Option Priorities section. The name of the devices is prefixed with a "UEFI:" string.

For example if you have inserted a Windows7 X64 installation disk in your DVD drive before powering the system on, when you look in the UEFI, you will now have two entries for the DVD drive. The second entry will be prefixed with "UEFI:". Selecting the first one will boot the system in BIOS mode while selecting the second one will boot the system in UEFI mode.

After an install of Windows 7, the OS will also add an additional UEFI "device" when an installation is done to a GPT disk. A "Windows Boot Manager" entry appears as an option. If you were to also install Ubuntu, you may end up with an entry such as "Ubuntu Boot Manager".

In UEFI mode the BBS priorities are totally ignored, since the order of the boot sequence is now defined by the EFI boot manager. Specifically with Windows Boot Manager, the order of the actual boot Hardware is defined in the "BCD store". If you'd like to see these entries, you can use the BCDedit tool from a command prompt: *bcdedit /enum firmware*. Under MBR, this tool is not very useful, as all it will show is that the OS should boot from the C drive.


----------



## Tk7331

I just realized I did not enable ACPI 2.0 support. Is there a way I can enable it without having to re-install windows? Is it even that important?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tk7331*
> 
> I just realized I did not enable ACPI 2.0 support. Is there a way I can enable it without having to re-install windows? Is it even that important?


Don't worry about it.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> What I bolded above, is a confusing statement/question... I'm not exactly sure what you're asking.
> To answer your first question:
> The Boot Option Priority is actually what you were used to under a standard BIOS. It tops the BBS priority in the hierarchy of things.
> Assume you have set up nothing in these two settings, and you are prepare for the first boot of your PC. You would go through the following steps:
> In the Hard Drive BBS Priorities you would enter a submenu that presents you all of the drives connected to the system. Here you can define the boot order for all the connected Hard disks. For example you can specify your SDD as the first priority (Boot Option #1) and a HDD as the second priority (Boot Option #2). This implies that the system will first try to boot from the SSD and if this fail, it will try to boot from the HDD. The same prioritization procedure would then be used for the CD/DVD as well as for any bootable Network devices.
> Once you have defined the ordering for each type of devices you then specify an overall priority. This is done in the Boot Option Priorities section of the Boot Menu. think pf the Boot Option prioriy as more of a catagory of boot devices (HDD, Optical, USB)
> For example you can define to use (all) the CD/DVDs first; (Boot Option #1) and then to use (all) the HDDs; (Boot Option #2). the confusing part is that in this menu, you will only see the device with the highest priority for a specific type (the device you specified in the BBS Priority as option #1) ie HDD, Optical or Network. If you have several HDDs (using the example above for BBS) you will only see the HDD you set with the highest priority (the SDD)., even though a boot will go through the entire list before moving to the next catagory.
> Say your SSD is set as Option #1 in the HDD BBS menu, and HDD set as Option #2. Your DVD drive is set as Option #1 in your optical drive BBS. In your Boot options priority, you have set SSD; Option #1, and DVD; Option #2, a boot would proceed as follows.
> The system would first attempt to boot from the SSD. Failing that, an attempt to boot from your HDD (option #2), and then your DVD drive.
> *Boot options under UEFI differ from a legacy BIOS.*
> Unlike BIOS which is booting a device (hardware), the UEFI boot option revolves around software:
> the UEFI "firmware", specifies the location of a file on a device as boot target (vs. an actual device under BIOS). This file is coded to firmware, or is automatically created by the OS during installation and points to the location of the actual boot file. The UEFI also has a predetermined boot path for all your removable devices. The reason an EFI file needs to be in the proper place (directory; ie bootx64.efi)
> During initialization/ POST, the UEFI looks for UEFI boot files on removable devices DVD, USB drives. This is why media must be inserted into the PC prior to powering it up for UEFI devices to show in the Boot/BBS priority menus. No efi file = no UEFI boot device.
> If the UEFI finds a device containing an appropriate efi file in the correct directory, the device containing the media will appear in the Boot Option Priorities section. The name of the devices is prefixed with a "UEFI:" string.
> For example if you have inserted a Windows7 X64 installation disk in your DVD drive before powering the system on, when you look in the UEFI, you will now have two entries for the DVD drive. The second entry will be prefixed with "UEFI:". Selecting the first one will boot the system in BIOS mode while selecting the second one will boot the system in UEFI mode.
> After an install of Windows 7, the OS will also add an additional UEFI "device" when an installation is done to a GPT disk. A "Windows Boot Manager" entry appears as an option. If you were to also install Ubuntu, you may end up with an entry such as "Ubuntu Boot Manager".
> In UEFI mode the BBS priorities are totally ignored, since the order of the boot sequence is now defined by the EFI boot manager. Specifically with Windows Boot Manager, the order of the actual boot Hardware is defined in the "BCD store". If you'd like to see these entries, you can use the BCDedit tool from a command prompt: *bcdedit /enum firmware*. Under MBR, this tool is not very useful, as all it will show is that the OS should boot from the C drive.


Thank you very very much for a very detailed explanation









Now I understand the difference between those two fields in my original question though I still have some concerns that I need to clear up:

1.) Say I already have Windows Boot Manager after installing Windows 7 in a GPT-partitioned drive and booting in UEFI mode. I then want to replace that OS drive with a brand new drive. How do I "reset" the NVRAM to clear the BCD Store of all the efi file path that it remembered previously? Is it as simple as clearing the CMOS with the CMOS jumper/removing the battery?

2.) Regarding the part that you made bold and was confusing, this is what I meant: with a USB Win7 installation drive, shouldn't I get two entries (one with "UEFI:" and the order without) in the Boot Option Priorities section just like installing from a DVD drive? Because with mine, I only get one entry and that is the one with "UEFI:" prefix. This means that if I use this specific USB installation drive (formatted as FAT32 and containing latest Enterprise version of Win7 x64), I can only do a UEFI installation and not an MBR (BIOS) installation. What is the explanation behind this?

Thanks for your help.


----------



## kevindd992002

I'm really really having a hard time installing Win7 UEFI-based using a USB Flash disk here. I tried yesterday without manually doing bootx64.efi file but I just found out that even if the UEFI shows that UEFI: Flash Disk, it doesn't actually boot to UEFI since when I let Windows partition my HDD, it only does two partitions (System and Primary). I then followed step by step the guide in the OP except for making the USB Flash drive active (since I think it is not needed) but it presents me with the Windows Boot Manager error when I try to boot from the USB Flash Disk.

What's wrong?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> I'm really really having a hard time installing Win7 UEFI-based using a USB Flash disk here. I tried yesterday without manually doing bootx64.efi file but I just found out that even if the UEFI shows that UEFI: Flash Disk, it doesn't actually boot to UEFI since when I let Windows partition my HDD, it only does two partitions (System and Primary). I then followed step by step the guide in the OP except for making the USB Flash drive active (since I think it is not needed) but it presents me with the Windows Boot Manager error when I try to boot from the USB Flash Disk.
> 
> What's wrong?


Are you trying to completely reinstall?

Follow the guide exactly, don't deviate from it. The drive does need to be marked active or else it won't be bootable.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Are you trying to completely reinstall?
> Follow the guide exactly, don't deviate from it. The drive does need to be marked active or else it won't be bootable.


I'm doing a fresh install on an unformatted hdd..

I've redone the steps in the guide as exact as possible and it still gives me a status error of 0xc000000f when booting,


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> 1.) Say I already have Windows Boot Manager after installing Windows 7 in a GPT-partitioned drive and booting in UEFI mode. I then want to replace that OS drive with a brand new drive. How do I "reset" the NVRAM to clear the BCD Store of all the efi file path that it remembered previously? Is it as simple as clearing the CMOS with the CMOS jumper/removing the battery?
> 
> 2.) Regarding the part that you made bold and was confusing, this is what I meant: with a USB Win7 installation drive, shouldn't I get two entries (one with "UEFI:" and the order without) in the Boot Option Priorities section just like installing from a DVD drive? Because with mine, I only get one entry and that is the one with "UEFI:" prefix. This means that if I use this specific USB installation drive (formatted as FAT32 and containing latest Enterprise version of Win7 x64), I can only do a UEFI installation and not an MBR (BIOS) installation. What is the explanation behind this?
> 
> Thanks for your help.


This is probably going to be a _very_ long post.

Very good question... hopefully an understandable answer.

Question #1:

It's easier to explain with a specific BCD file, because I could show specific examples, but in essence no. Clearing the CMOS will not remove duplicate entries from the BCD store, although it will clear the entries from the NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory; for those that may not know what this is).

The NVRAM is on the CMOS chip. The BCD store is a file on the HDD.

The "Hard coded" portion of the CMOS (as I indicated in my previous post) has certain defined locations it looks to for efi information. If it finds the appropriate efi file in a proper location, it creates an entry in NVRAM for that location, and in turn presents that location to you in the UEFI as a "boot option". As the system POSTS, the UEFI compares entries in NVRAM with those in the BCD store, and creates additional entries in NVRAM based on what is in the BCD store, if it finds an appropriate efi file in that location. It works the other way also, where entries are created in the BCD store for locations that are stored in NVRAM. The information in the BCD store always remains there, as it only gets appended (added to) as additional entries are found.

I think what you are getting at is that you can end up with multiple entries in the BCD store that may/do not exist anymore, or are duplicates of already existing entries. What you won't see in the UEFI (as boot options) are the duplicate or invalid entries. The UEFI will only present you the options where a valid efi file exists, but you are correct, that the BCD store can get rather "clogged" with entries.

In order to remove entries from the BCD store you need to manually edit it. This is where it can get a little hairy (not for the faint of heart), I know of no easy way to do it. It used to be that programs like EasyBCD (NeoSmart Technologies; freeware) would give you a nice, user friendly GUI for editing a BCD store. Unfortunately, until/unless an update is written for UEFI, EasyBCD will not work with a uefi system.

Using BCDedit from a command prompt can be used to edit the BCD store (BCDedit will also edit the entries in NVRAM, so you need to be careful you don't make your OS non-bootable). As with any command line utility, it's not pretty.

BDCedit is the utility, and is used with "switches" to accomplish what you want to do.
I mentioned the switch */enum*, in the last post. This will show you all of the potential boot locations that have been written to the BCD store. They will be first listed in an "order" with a numerical "identifier", which can be cross referenced to the actual device in the lower portion of the output. Here is where you would see multiple entries for the same "device" if they exist. For example a duplicate entry for a CDROM would look like this:

*Firmware Application (101fffff)*

*identifier {93cee840-f524-11db-af62-aa767141e6b3}*
*description Primary Master CDROM*

*Firmware Application (101fffff)*

*identifier {8b87c5a0-f2f2-11db-9717-f87ee6ea6002}*
*description Primary Master CDROM*

*Note that the same device has two different identifiers, and the reason why multiple entries end up being created. This is because under UEFI, each device must have a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier)

You would remove the duplicate device (from both the BCD store, and NVRAM) by using multiple BCDedit commands.

Using the example of the CDROMs, you would do the following (the files that you create, following the below instructions will be created in the directory that you are working in (Usually C:\windows\system32, so you want to note the temporary files for later deletion:

First, in windows open an elevated command prompt. Click your start orb and type CMD in the search pane. At the top, right click CMD.exe, and select "run as administrator". Accept the UAC security warning.

1.) Next, save a copy of the current BCD store. If you make a mistake, you can use this file to recover a non-booting computer:
*bcdedit /export savebcd*

2.) Make a copy of this file to use for the "delete" operation:
*Copy savebcd newbcd*

3.) Create a text file of the BCD store based on the /enum output information you saw when you ran that command:
*bcdedit /enum > enumfw.txt*

4.) Find the text file (enumfw.txt), and open it with notepad. Here it is important that you know which entries you need to leave. You are about to write a command script to remove the duplicate entries contained in the BCD store. Always leave the uppermost entry, deleting duplicate below it. Never remove the entry for Windows Boot Manager *{bootmgr}*. For the devices that are listed and enumerated by the CMOS/EFI firmware, deleting all of them creates no problem, as on first post with efi media inserted, a new entry will be created in NVRAM.

5.) Open a new blank Notepad file. Name and save this file as "Removedups.cmd". Make sure the file name is not appended with the .txt extension.

6.) Add a command line instruction to delete the duplicate GUID device from the copy of the BCD store you created in step #2:
*bcdedit /store newbcd /delete {8b87c5a0-f2f2-11db-9717-f87ee6ea6002}*
The number in brackets corresponds to the GUID for the duplicate device (the second entry for the CDROM noted above).

7.) Type the same command in the notepad file for each duplicate entry you want to remove.

8.) When you are done adding entries, add a final command to the file that will clear the entries from NVRAM, so that the NVRAM will only contain the entries you left untouched during your edit.
*bcdedit /import newbcd /clean*

9.) save the file.

10.) Run the new file in your command window by typing "Removedups.cmd" and pressing ENTER.

11.) reboot the system, start a command prompt, type *bcdedit /enum* to verify the deletion of the duplicate entries.

12.) go into your system32 directory and delete the temporary files you created during the process.

13.) if you messed anything up, and can't boot your computer, you can get your old BCD store back by booting to your windows installation media, select the option to get to a command prompt. Change directory to C:\windows\system32, and run the command *bcdedit /import savebcd*. this will restore you back to where you started.

Oh yea, another question&#8230;. But a least a simple answer:

I suspect that you already are using GPT/UEFI. You cannot mix MBR with GPT. It's one or the other. The Protective MBR on a GPT disk prevents a new installation as MBR. For an MBR installation, you would need to clean the disk and reset it to MBR.


----------



## Sean Webster

Edit: OMG to the post above!









UPDATE!

RAID guide finished, alignment adjustment
Comments added
Updated The installation of Windows 7! part a little for GPT and MBR install
Added more links to downloads, will add more soon as well
Added
*Beta* How to: Use current OS HDD as a data drive after installing a SSD!
How to: Initialize And Format A New Disk For Use In Windows!
And I added download links to the OP for Windows








*First:*

Do you need a legitimate copy of windows 7?
Have you lost your disc or is it damaged yours beyond use?
Are you getting Error messages with you installer?
Do you want a copy of Windows 7 with SP1 pre-installed?



Spoiler: Click here for download links



*Windows 7 Home Premium:*
32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium x86 SP1
64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1

*Windows 7 Professional:*
32-bit Windows 7 Professional x86 SP1
64-bit Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1

*Windows 7 Ultimate:*
32-bit Windows 7 Ultimate x86 SP1
64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1


----------



## Sander H

What else can I do to keep my SSD clean? I've enabled/disabled several settings specifically for SSD's mentioned in this guide. So far it's all clear, also I've tuned some settings in the 830 software and there's a temporary file cleanup which is also in the 830 software. Is that enough, together with ccleaner for example or are there still some more tweaks/programs to keep it clean and make it last longer?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sander H*
> 
> What else can I do to keep my SSD clean? I've enabled/disabled several settings specifically for SSD's mentioned in this guide. So far it's all clear, also I've tuned some settings in the 830 software and there's a temporary file cleanup which is also in the 830 software. Is that enough, together with ccleaner for example or are there still some more tweaks/programs to keep it clean and make it last longer?


I just use ccleaner and disk cleanup (part of windows)

Nothin else is needed.


----------



## Sander H

Great, thanks


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> This is probably going to be a _very_ long post.
> Very good question... hopefully an understandable answer.
> Question #1:
> It's easier to explain with a specific BCD file, because I could show specific examples, but in essence no. Clearing the CMOS will not remove duplicate entries from the BCD store, although it will clear the entries from the NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory; for those that may not know what this is).
> The NVRAM is on the CMOS chip. The BCD store is a file on the HDD.
> The "Hard coded" portion of the CMOS (as I indicated in my previous post) has certain defined locations it looks to for efi information. If it finds the appropriate efi file in a proper location, it creates an entry in NVRAM for that location, and in turn presents that location to you in the UEFI as a "boot option". As the system POSTS, the UEFI compares entries in NVRAM with those in the BCD store, and creates additional entries in NVRAM based on what is in the BCD store, if it finds an appropriate efi file in that location. It works the other way also, where entries are created in the BCD store for locations that are stored in NVRAM. The information in the BCD store always remains there, as it only gets appended (added to) as additional entries are found.
> I think what you are getting at is that you can end up with multiple entries in the BCD store that may/do not exist anymore, or are duplicates of already existing entries. What you won't see in the UEFI (as boot options) are the duplicate or invalid entries. The UEFI will only present you the options where a valid efi file exists, but you are correct, that the BCD store can get rather "clogged" with entries.
> In order to remove entries from the BCD store you need to manually edit it. This is where it can get a little hairy (not for the faint of heart), I know of no easy way to do it. It used to be that programs like EasyBCD (NeoSmart Technologies; freeware) would give you a nice, user friendly GUI for editing a BCD store. Unfortunately, until/unless an update is written for UEFI, EasyBCD will not work with a uefi system.
> Using BCDedit from a command prompt can be used to edit the BCD store (BCDedit will also edit the entries in NVRAM, so you need to be careful you don't make your OS non-bootable). As with any command line utility, it's not pretty.
> 
> BDCedit is the utility, and is used with "switches" to accomplish what you want to do.
> I mentioned the switch */enum*, in the last post. This will show you all of the potential boot locations that have been written to the BCD store. They will be first listed in an "order" with a numerical "identifier", which can be cross referenced to the actual device in the lower portion of the output. Here is where you would see multiple entries for the same "device" if they exist. For example a duplicate entry for a CDROM would look like this:
> *Firmware Application (101fffff)*
> 
> *identifier {93cee840-f524-11db-af62-aa767141e6b3}*
> *description Primary Master CDROM*
> *Firmware Application (101fffff)*
> 
> *identifier {8b87c5a0-f2f2-11db-9717-f87ee6ea6002}*
> *description Primary Master CDROM*
> *Note that the same device has two different identifiers, and the reason why multiple entries end up being created. This is because under UEFI, each device must have a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier)
> You would remove the duplicate device (from both the BCD store, and NVRAM) by using multiple BCDedit commands.
> Using the example of the CDROMs, you would do the following (the files that you create, following the below instructions will be created in the directory that you are working in (Usually C:\windows\system32, so you want to note the temporary files for later deletion:
> First, in windows open an elevated command prompt. Click your start orb and type CMD in the search pane. At the top, right click CMD.exe, and select "run as administrator". Accept the UAC security warning.
> 1.) Next, save a copy of the current BCD store. If you make a mistake, you can use this file to recover a non-booting computer:
> *bcdedit /export savebcd*
> 2.) Make a copy of this file to use for the "delete" operation:
> *Copy savebcd newbcd*
> 3.) Create a text file of the BCD store based on the /enum output information you saw when you ran that command:
> *bcdedit /enum > enumfw.txt*
> 4.) Find the text file (enumfw.txt), and open it with notepad. Here it is important that you know which entries you need to leave. You are about to write a command script to remove the duplicate entries contained in the BCD store. Always leave the uppermost entry, deleting duplicate below it. Never remove the entry for Windows Boot Manager *{bootmgr}*. For the devices that are listed and enumerated by the CMOS/EFI firmware, deleting all of them creates no problem, as on first post with efi media inserted, a new entry will be created in NVRAM.
> 5.) Open a new blank Notepad file. Name and save this file as "Removedups.cmd". Make sure the file name is not appended with the .txt extension.
> 6.) Add a command line instruction to delete the duplicate GUID device from the copy of the BCD store you created in step #2:
> *bcdedit /store newbcd /delete {8b87c5a0-f2f2-11db-9717-f87ee6ea6002}*
> The number in brackets corresponds to the GUID for the duplicate device (the second entry for the CDROM noted above).
> 7.) Type the same command in the notepad file for each duplicate entry you want to remove.
> 8.) When you are done adding entries, add a final command to the file that will clear the entries from NVRAM, so that the NVRAM will only contain the entries you left untouched during your edit.
> *bcdedit /import newbcd /clean*
> 9.) save the file.
> 10.) Run the new file in your command window by typing "Removedups.cmd" and pressing .
> 11.) reboot the system, start a command prompt, type *bcdedit /enum* to verify the deletion of the duplicate entries.
> 12.) go into your system32 directory and delete the temporary files you created during the process.
> 13.) if you messed anything up, and can't boot your computer, you can get your old BCD store back by booting to your windows installation media, select the option to get to a command prompt. Change directory to C:\windows\system32, and run the command *bcdedit /import savebcd*. this will restore you back to where you started.
> Oh yea, another question&#8230;. But a least a simple answer:
> I suspect that you already are using GPT/UEFI. You cannot mix MBR with GPT. It's one or the other. The Protective MBR on a GPT disk prevents a new installation as MBR. For an MBR installation, you would need to clean the disk and reset it to MBR.


What a very informative answer there, you really know what you're doing









In essence though, would a clogged up BCD store file degrade overall performance? If so, what do we need to do to avoid this clogging up?

What would completely remove any information about BCD in the system? Just clean the original OS file to get rid of the BCD store file?

Regarding your question, I was using GPT/UEFI with my previous SSD and yes I know about not mixing MBR with GPT. Last time, I used an installation DVD to install Win7 as UEFI-based. What I'm actually trying to accomplish right now is doing the same in another computer (new board, new SSD, new everything) but this time using a USB Flash Disk. As I've mentioned above, I'm really having a headache now in accomplishing this. When I simply format the flash disk to fat32 and copy from the installation files from the Win7 x64 enterprise iso file, I got a UEFI entry under Boot Options section but when I reboot and boot from it, I only get a blinking dash in the upper left of the screen. When I follow this guide by looking for the appropriate bootx64.efi file, I end getting a Windows Boot Manager error when it boots up. So I'm really lost here.


----------



## weebeast

Thanks Sean Webster


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> What a very informative answer there, you really know what you're doing
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In essence though, would a clogged up BCD store file degrade overall performance? If so, what do we need to do to avoid this clogging up?
> 
> Regarding your question, I was using GPT/UEFI with my previous SSD and yes I know about not mixing MBR with GPT. Last time, I used an installation DVD to install Win7 as UEFI-based. What I'm actually trying to accomplish right now is doing the same in another computer (new board, new SSD, new everything) but this time using a USB Flash Disk. As I've mentioned above, I'm really having a headache now in accomplishing this. When I simply format the flash disk to fat32 and copy from the installation files from the Win7 x64 enterprise iso file, I got a UEFI entry under Boot Options section but when I reboot and boot from it, I only get a blinking dash in the upper left of the screen. When I follow this guide by looking for the appropriate bootx64.efi file, I end getting a Windows Boot Manager error when it boots up. So I'm really lost here.


Extra BCD store entries don't necessaily create a great impact on performance... to a point. The UEFI does need to compare NVRAM entries and BCD entries at each POST, so theoretically this takes time, fewer entries take less time, but the UEFI processes the entries pretty quickly.

The blinking cursor you are experiening is typically cause by the UEFI being unable to hand control of the system to the OS (in this case the install media). I know you said x64, but are you absolutly sure it is an x64 iso? Has the .iso file you have ever been burned to disk and installed? The reason I ask, if the iso was downloaded, it is not uncommon for downloaded isos to become corrupt in the download process (I've even seen this with download content from MSDN and MSDN-AA, which link to the [microsoft approved] digitalriver download site), and sometimes may not even boot when burned. If this is the case, try re-downloading the .iso, and try again.

If you are sure the .iso is good, double check all of the files contained in the **:\EFI\Boot* directory to make sure that you have copied all of the files from the *efi\microsoft\boot* directory. the bootx64.efi file is enough to make the USB show up as a UEFI device, but the other files are required to actually boot.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Extra BCD store entries don't necessaily create a great impact on performance... to a point. The UEFI does need to compare NVRAM entries and BCD entries at each POST, so theoretically this takes time, fewer entries take less time, but the UEFI processes the entries pretty quickly.
> The blinking cursor you are experiening is typically cause by the UEFI being unable to hand control of the system to the OS (in this case the install media). I know you said x64, but are you absolutly sure it is an x64 iso? Has the .iso file you have ever been burned to disk and installed? The reason I ask, if the iso was downloaded, it is not uncommon for downloaded isos to become corrupt in the download process (I've even seen this with download content from MSDN and MSDN-AA, which link to the [microsoft approved] digitalriver download site), and sometimes may not even boot when burned. If this is the case, try re-downloading the .iso, and try again.
> If you are sure the .iso is good, double check all of the files contained in the **:\EFI\Boot* directory to make sure that you have copied all of the files from the *efi\microsoft\boot* directory. the bootx64.efi file is enough to make the USB show up as a UEFI device, but the other files are required to actually boot.


Ok. How do you delete the BCD store file? And where exactly is it located? In the OS HDD? Would deleting all partitions in that OS HDD remove all BCD store information?

Nevermind, I know what was wrong with my USB drive.I "cut" the file from \efi\microsoft\boot and pasted them in \efi\boot instead of just copying them. My bad, sorry. Everything is working fine now. I can confirm that I still need that bootx64.efi file to boot from UEFI properly. Without it, the USB flash disk boots to MBR-based Win7 installation

I also converted my usb installation disk to GPT, does that have an effect at all?

What is the purpose of Step 13 (assign letter=C noerr) ? Why do you need to assign a letter to the partition right away?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok. How do you delete the BCD store file? And where exactly is it located? In the OS HDD? Would deleting all partitions in that OS HDD remove all BCD store information?
> 
> Nevermind, I know what was wrong with my USB drive.I "cut" the file from \efi\microsoft\boot and pasted them in \efi\boot instead of just copying them. My bad, sorry. Everything is working fine now. I can confirm that I still need that bootx64.efi file to boot from UEFI properly. Without it, the USB flash disk boots to MBR-based Win7 installation
> 
> I also converted my usb installation disk to GPT, does that have an effect at all?
> 
> What is the purpose of Step 13 (assign letter=C noerr) ? Why do you need to assign a letter to the partition right away?


Not that you should ever delete the BCD store, it is located on the HDD. Deleting the BCD store on a working system will reder the OS un-bootable.

On a BIOS-based operating systems (MBR), the BCD registry file is located at \Boot\Bcd on the active partition.
On an EFI-based operating systems, the BCD registry file is located in the \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\ folder on the EFI system partition.

You don't need to assign the drive letter, but in some instances, it ensures that your main OS partition is assigned the drive letter C:\, which is also why the "no error" switch... it guarantees letter C:\ to the drive you just partitioned, even if some other part of the system thinks letter C: is already assigned, (ie you left your old OS drive C: attached to the system during your install, and the install program identified it with drive letter C.

I have no idea what affect GPT on a USB drive would do... or not do for that matter.


----------



## ajresendez

Just got my intel 320 SSD in. I just have a quick question. Do i update the firmware on the SSD before or after I install the OS on it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ajresendez*
> 
> Just got my intel 320 SSD in. I just have a quick question. Do i update the firmware on the SSD before or after I install the OS on it?


You should before.


----------



## ajresendez

ok how do i do it before







, I don't think you mention it in your guide. Sorry if I missed it in advance.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ajresendez*
> 
> ok how do i do it before
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , I don't think you mention it in your guide. Sorry if I missed it in advance.


It was lol









*Next check your UEFI/BIOS for these settings:
*
Check if AHCI mode is enabled, if not enable it.
Note: If you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT use RAID Mode instead.
Check to see if ACPI 2.0 is in the UEFI/BIOS and enabled.
*Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of you SSD and update if necessary.
Note: Check the next post in the thread for the downloads section for firmware links.*
To avoid having the boot sector placed on a secondary drive, disconnect all other drives.
If you have are using a SSD use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, do NOT use the Marvell ports for your SSD, they do not support TRIM, they are capped at ~375MB/s and deliver very poor 4K read and write performance compared to the Intel and AMD SATA 3Gb/s and SATA 6Gb/s ports. I also would suggest you not use the Marvell ports for your HDD either. Only the DVD drive if anything. If not just disable it in the UEFI/BIOS to cut 2-3 seconds off your boot.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Not that you should ever delete the BCD store, it is located on the HDD. Deleting the BCD store on a working system will reder the OS un-bootable.
> On a BIOS-based operating systems (MBR), the BCD registry file is located at \Boot\Bcd on the active partition.
> On an EFI-based operating systems, the BCD registry file is located in the \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\ folder on the EFI system partition.
> You don't need to assign the drive letter, but in some instances, it ensures that your main OS partition is assigned the drive letter C:\, which is also why the "no error" switch... it guarantees letter C:\ to the drive you just partitioned, even if some other part of the system thinks letter C: is already assigned, (ie you left your old OS drive C: attached to the system during your install, and the install program identified it with drive letter C.
> I have no idea what affect GPT on a USB drive would do... or not do for that matter.


Ok. So when you plug in devices that are capable of UEFI-boot, the BCD store is updated and populated accordingly?

Ok, but without anything attached to the computer except the USB drive, the OS drive will surely be assigned as letter C?

Also, I still don't think that making the USB installation disk as active is needed since it is not an OS drive and it has no MBR in it, is this correct? I cannot confirm because my USB disk is in GPT format and doesn't need the active command.


----------



## SMK

Hey Sean W, what do you mean by the Note in step 17 of setting up a GPT partition? Set to windows boot manager?

I'm confused...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SMK*
> 
> Hey Sean W, what do you mean by the Note in step 17 of setting up a GPT partition? Set to windows boot manager?
> 
> I'm confused...


Ooops, I mean if you can't boot after the install you need to make sure the boot is set to Windows Boot Manager in the UEFI.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok. So when you plug in devices that are capable of UEFI-boot, the BCD store is updated and populated accordingly?
> 
> Ok, but without anything attached to the computer except the USB drive, the OS drive will surely be assigned as letter C?
> 
> Also, I still don't think that making the USB installation disk as active is needed since it is not an OS drive and it has no MBR in it, is this correct? I cannot confirm because my USB disk is in GPT format and doesn't need the active command.


The BCD is updated only if the "device" and location are not already there. if the location exists already, that information is presented in the UEFI.

As a general rule, for a USB drive to be bootable, it must have an active partition.

When you boot to windows install media, you are in fact booting to an OS. It is a minimal OS, but an OS none-the-less. That is why you sit there and watch the white bar "loading windows", Your system loads a minimal set of files that is an Operating System that you use to install windows with. Back in the windows 95/98 days, you first needed to load MS DOS (a basic OS) to system memory before you could even think about placing the Windows install CD into the CD drive. Your bootable USB does indeed contain an MBR. At least a "normal" one does. When you first boot to the USB drive, your UEFI/BIOS looks at this MBR, to locate the active partition, and then executes the bootstrap code from that location.

You are slowly making your point&#8230; No I don't have all the answers&#8230; your questions are delving into areas I have never explored before.

I need to do some research, (maybe some experimentation), to see exactly what happens in a GPT formatted USB... (which I presume contains a protective MBR)... but I would also presume you cannot boot this device in BIOS mode... or can you?

Normally, under EFI, the UEFI firmware reads (and understands) drive information it gets directly from the GPT partition table. It then runs the EFI compatible code directly from the drive. Maybe on a USB drive, the MBR can be ignored? I have to assume something is in the MBR location of the USB, for it to be bootable. Then again, under GPT, does the USB drive even need to be bootable as the UEFI itself understands and can read directly from a GPT formatted drive. The UEFI does not require additional bootstrap code (like NTLDR under BIOS) to initiate a boot. The EFI already contains its own boot services.

Now you have me thinking as to how this actually this works with a GPT-USB drive. So to answer your question... I don't have an answer... just questions myself.


----------



## Avngl

Read through it.

Very nice guide. I learny quite a few things from your guide above.

Just a question . I'll be getting an Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z gen3 motherboard soon, and a Corsair Force 90GB SSD to go along with it. Currently I have a 1TB samsung HDD that would function as a data drive while the SSD, an OS drive.

My question is, I should follow the GPT for Windows and UEFI guide for installing Windows 7 right? My previous experience was simply putting in the Disc and installing windows 7. But that was on a conventional HDD. The guide serves only for SSD, am i correct in assuming this? I'll be installing using a USB flashdrive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Avngl*
> 
> Read through it.
> 
> Very nice guide. I learny quite a few things from your guide above.
> 
> Just a question . I'll be getting an Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z gen3 motherboard soon, and a Corsair Force 90GB SSD to go along with it. Currently I have a 1TB samsung HDD that would function as a data drive while the SSD, an OS drive.
> 
> My question is, I should follow the GPT for Windows and UEFI guide for installing Windows 7 right? My previous experience was simply putting in the Disc and installing windows 7. But that was on a conventional HDD. The guide serves only for SSD, am i correct in assuming this? I'll be installing using a USB flashdrive.


It is up to you, you can use either. Do you ever make system images as aback up? If so you can only use limited software for GPT.

I use GPT, it really isn't needed. Only if you are experimenting like I am, using a 2.2TB+ HDDs, or are using a bucnch of partitions.

If you want just use MBR. It boots faster anyways lol


----------



## Avngl

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is up to you, you can use either. Do you ever make system images as aback up? If so you can only use limited software for GPT.
> I use GPT, it really isn't needed. Only if you are experimenting like I am, using a 2.2TB+ HDDs, or are using a bucnch of partitions.
> If you want just use MBR. It boots faster anyways lol


Hmm. Now i'm confused









My previous install via a USB drive was done in accordance to this site : http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/

No special UEFI files was required to be copied over. Just the standard files that are in the .iso of windows 7. I installed it and didn't encounter any errors.

However, the installation onto a SSD requires the extra UEFI files to be copied over to the USB drive correct?

Btw there will not be any partition on the SSD. I plan to install windows 7 onto the whole 90GB. I'll use a 1TB HDD for data storage.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Avngl*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is up to you, you can use either. Do you ever make system images as aback up? If so you can only use limited software for GPT.
> I use GPT, it really isn't needed. Only if you are experimenting like I am, using a 2.2TB+ HDDs, or are using a bucnch of partitions.
> If you want just use MBR. It boots faster anyways lol
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm. Now i'm confused
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My previous install via a USB drive was done in accordance to this site : http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/
> 
> No special UEFI files was required to be copied over. Just the standard files that are in the .iso of windows 7. I installed it and didn't encounter any errors.
> 
> However, the installation onto a SSD requires the extra UEFI files to be copied over to the USB drive correct?
> 
> Btw there will not be any partition on the SSD. I plan to install windows 7 onto the whole 90GB. I'll use a 1TB HDD for data storage.
Click to expand...

The UEFI part is only if you install via GPT formatted disk. I you use a MBR formatted disk you don't need the EFI part.

Also, that guide has an extra part to it you don't need. Just do this...
*Configure a drive as a boot drive using BIOS and MBR*



Spoiler: Click here to see guide!



*Guide if you to use a bootable Windows 7 USB:* If not then skip to Booting, partitioning and alignment of MBR for Windows and BIOS:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



*Make a bootable Windows 7 USB for MBR and BIOS:*

Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk 4* (or whichever number your USB drive gets), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *active*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=fat32*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter
Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).




*Booting, partitioning and alignment of MBR for Windows and BIOS:*

Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk 0* (or whichever number it turns out to be), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary align=4096* (1024 is default), press Enter
*Note:* If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *active*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter
Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it.

Special thanks to *TwoCables* for creating the mini guide above



Then in windows follow the rest of the guide.


----------



## Avngl

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> The UEFI part is only if you install via GPT formatted disk. I you use a MBR formatted disk you don't need the EFI part.
> Also, that guide has an extra part to it you don't need. Just do this...
> *Configure a drive as a boot drive using BIOS and MBR*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Click here to see guide!
> 
> 
> 
> *Guide if you to use a bootable Windows 7 USB:* If not then skip to Booting, partitioning and alignment of MBR for Windows and BIOS:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> *Make a bootable Windows 7 USB for MBR and BIOS:*
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk 4* (or whichever number your USB drive gets), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *active*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=fat32*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).
> 
> 
> 
> *Booting, partitioning and alignment of MBR for Windows and BIOS:*
> 
> Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk 0* (or whichever number it turns out to be), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary align=4096* (1024 is default), press Enter
> *Note:* If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *active*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
> Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it.
> Special thanks to *TwoCables* for creating the mini guide above
> 
> 
> Then in windows follow the rest of the guide.


I see. How do i determine if my disk is MBR formatted or not?


----------



## Sean Webster

When you are in diskpart and type *list disk* it will have a * under a column marking it as GPT.

I am 100% sure you SSD is MBR formatted so you are good.


----------



## Avngl

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> When you are in diskpart and type *list disk* it will have a * under a column marking it as GPT.
> I am 100% sure you SSD is MBR formatted so you are good.


So even if my USB is GPT formatted, it'll be able to install windows 7 flawlessly onto the MBR ssd? And there wouldn't be any performance loss or issues?

Oh btw, This is all that I have to follow right?

Make a bootable Windows 7 USB for MBR and BIOS:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Open the Start Menu, type diskpart, press Enter
Type list disk, press Enter
Type select disk 4 (or whichever number your USB drive gets), press Enter
Type clean, press Enter
Type create partition primary, press Enter
Type active, press Enter
Type format quick fs=fat32, press Enter
Type assign, press Enter
Type exit, press Enter
Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> The BCD is updated only if the "device" and location are not already there. if the location exists already, that information is presented in the UEFI.
> As a general rule, for a USB drive to be bootable, it must have an active partition.
> When you boot to windows install media, you are in fact booting to an OS. It is a minimal OS, but an OS none-the-less. That is why you sit there and watch the white bar "loading windows", Your system loads a minimal set of files that is an Operating System that you use to install windows with. Back in the windows 95/98 days, you first needed to load MS DOS (a basic OS) to system memory before you could even think about placing the Windows install CD into the CD drive. Your bootable USB does indeed contain an MBR. At least a "normal" one does. When you first boot to the USB drive, your UEFI/BIOS looks at this MBR, to locate the active partition, and then executes the bootstrap code from that location.
> You are slowly making your point&#8230; No I don't have all the answers&#8230; your questions are delving into areas I have never explored before.
> I need to do some research, (maybe some experimentation), to see exactly what happens in a GPT formatted USB... (which I presume contains a protective MBR)... but I would also presume you cannot boot this device in BIOS mode... or can you?
> 
> Normally, under EFI, the UEFI firmware reads (and understands) drive information it gets directly from the GPT partition table. It then runs the EFI compatible code directly from the drive. Maybe on a USB drive, the MBR can be ignored? I have to assume something is in the MBR location of the USB, for it to be bootable. Then again, under GPT, does the USB drive even need to be bootable as the UEFI itself understands and can read directly from a GPT formatted drive. The UEFI does not require additional bootstrap code (like NTLDR under BIOS) to initiate a boot. The EFI already contains its own boot services.
> Now you have me thinking as to how this actually this works with a GPT-USB drive. So to answer your question... I don't have an answer... just questions myself.


Myself too. Basically, I was able to use a GPT-formatted USB disk to install Windows 7 x64 UEFI-based. The weird thing is that I only created a primary partition in my USB disk for this purpose and it booted without any problems (so much for the three partitions needed to make a drive bootable?).


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Avngl*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> When you are in diskpart and type *list disk* it will have a * under a column marking it as GPT.
> I am 100% sure you SSD is MBR formatted so you are good.
> 
> 
> 
> So even if my USB is GPT formatted, it'll be able to install windows 7 flawlessly onto the MBR ssd? And there wouldn't be any performance loss or issues?
> 
> Oh btw, This is all that I have to follow right?
> 
> Make a bootable Windows 7 USB for MBR and BIOS:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type diskpart, press Enter
> Type list disk, press Enter
> Type select disk 4 (or whichever number your USB drive gets), press Enter
> Type clean, press Enter
> Type create partition primary, press Enter
> Type active, press Enter
> Type format quick fs=fat32, press Enter
> Type assign, press Enter
> Type exit, press Enter
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).
Click to expand...

For the purpose of this guide, MBR/GPT has to do with the partitioning of the SSD, not the USB install media.

Following the above steps, you will end up with an MBR formatted USB drive (this is what you want).
There is no need (and possibly some consequences/ the "big" question) to formatting a USB stick to GPT.

Following the above just gets the USB drive to the point where it contains the necessary installation files for windows 7 for a MBR/BIOS install.
If you choose to format your SSD to GPT, and install using UEFI Boot, you will need to follow the extra steps of ensuring the proper .efi code is placed in the proper directory of your USB media.

It is then up to you on whether you install windows 7 to a MBR or GPT partitioned SSD.

*@kevindd992002:* This may not be the best place for the discussion on GPT formatted USB drives.
The USB info in the last few posts, is beyond the scope of this install guide, and by going OT the way we have, may confuse others that have come to this guide for the basics/not so basic necessities of installing Windows to an SSD. Others may pick up this information, and confuse it with necessary steps for installation as it appears Avngl has.

In response to your last post, the three partitions don't come into play for making a drive "bootable", or are not the reason that you can boot to the USB drive. The install program wouldn't use the "extra" partitions during an install.

After an install of windows 7, the efi uses the first partition the "ESP/EFI" partition for when it needs additional space beyond it's NVRAM, and as a backup for it (GPT redundancy). The msr partition is used by windows for disk operations. Your USB install device doesn't need these, but a full blown windows installation does. Try to run certain disk tasks without the MSR, and windows will present you plenty of BSODs.


----------



## axipher

Great guide, tried installing the AMD SATA driver, had a nice jump in Read Performance, but took a major hit to Write Performance as seen below.

The Windows driver delivers better Write performance across the board while the AMD driver delivers better READ performance across the board


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Avngl*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> When you are in diskpart and type *list disk* it will have a * under a column marking it as GPT.
> I am 100% sure you SSD is MBR formatted so you are good.
> 
> 
> 
> So even if my USB is GPT formatted, it'll be able to install windows 7 flawlessly onto the MBR ssd? And there wouldn't be any performance loss or issues?
> 
> Oh btw, This is all that I have to follow right?
> 
> Make a bootable Windows 7 USB for MBR and BIOS:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type diskpart, press Enter
> Type list disk, press Enter
> Type select disk 4 (or whichever number your USB drive gets), press Enter
> Type clean, press Enter
> Type create partition primary, press Enter
> Type active, press Enter
> Type format quick fs=fat32, press Enter
> Type assign, press Enter
> Type exit, press Enter
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> For the purpose of this guide, MBR/GPT has to do with the partitioning of the SSD, not the USB install media.
> 
> Following the above steps, you will end up with an MBR formatted USB drive (this is what you want).
> There is no need (and possibly some consequences/ the "big" question) to formatting a USB stick to GPT.
> 
> Following the above just gets the USB drive to the point where it contains the necessary installation files for windows 7 for a MBR/BIOS install.
> If you choose to format your SSD to GPT, and install using UEFI Boot, you will need to follow the extra steps of ensuring the proper .efi code is placed in the proper directory of your USB media.
> 
> It is then up to you on whether you install windows 7 to a MBR or GPT partitioned SSD.
> 
> *@kevindd992002:* This may not be the best place for the discussion on GPT formatted USB drives.
> The USB info in the last few posts, is beyond the scope of this install guide, and by going OT the way we have, may confuse others that have come to this guide for the basics/not so basic necessities of installing Windows to an SSD. Others may pick up this information, and confuse it with necessary steps for installation as it appears Avngl has.
> 
> In response to your last post, the three partitions don't come into play for making a drive "bootable", or are not the reason that you can boot to the USB drive. The install program wouldn't use the "extra" partitions during an install.
> 
> After an install of windows 7, the efi uses the first partition the "ESP/EFI" partition for when it needs additional space beyond it's NVRAM, and as a backup for it (GPT redundancy). The msr partition is used by windows for disk operations. Your USB install device doesn't need these, but a full blown windows installation does. Try to run certain disk tasks without the MSR, and windows will present you plenty of BSODs.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. One last thing though, would it benefit me if I was to parition my internal storage and usb 3.0 external storage drives to GPT as well?


----------



## chazzz

So i was following this guide up until the point where i reached clicking the SYSTEM partition for installing windows 7 . Now i receive an error stating Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style. ????????? Help


----------



## ajresendez

Ok so I have my SSD up and running with most if not all of the optimizations done. Thanks Sean

Got one questoins my data drive still has all my programs installed from the last windows install. Is there A way I can reuse some of those files like my steam and origin apps so I don't have to go back and redownload them?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chazzz*
> 
> So i was following this guide up until the point where i reached clicking the SYSTEM partition for installing windows 7 . Now i receive an error stating Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style. ????????? Help


This occurs when you have formatted your SSD with GPT partitioning, but you started the install of windows 7 from a BIOS device. You must initiate a GPT install from a "device" listed in your UEFI with the prefix *UEFI:*.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Gotcha. One last thing though, would it benefit me if I was to parition my internal storage and usb 3.0 external storage drives to GPT as well?


I don't really see any benefit in it if they are only to be used as storage drives.


----------



## Avngl

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> For the purpose of this guide, MBR/GPT has to do with the partitioning of the SSD, not the USB install media.
> Following the above steps, you will end up with an MBR formatted USB drive (this is what you want).
> There is no need (and possibly some consequences/ the "big" question) to formatting a USB stick to GPT.
> Following the above just gets the USB drive to the point where it contains the necessary installation files for windows 7 for a MBR/BIOS install.
> If you choose to format your SSD to GPT, and install using UEFI Boot, you will need to follow the extra steps of ensuring the proper .efi code is placed in the proper directory of your USB media.
> It is then up to you on whether you install windows 7 to a MBR or GPT partitioned SSD.
> *@kevindd992002:* This may not be the best place for the discussion on GPT formatted USB drives.
> The USB info in the last few posts, is beyond the scope of this install guide, and by going OT the way we have, may confuse others that have come to this guide for the basics/not so basic necessities of installing Windows to an SSD. Others may pick up this information, and confuse it with necessary steps for installation as it appears Avngl has.
> In response to your last post, the three partitions don't come into play for making a drive "bootable", or are not the reason that you can boot to the USB drive. The install program wouldn't use the "extra" partitions during an install.
> After an install of windows 7, the efi uses the first partition the "ESP/EFI" partition for when it needs additional space beyond it's NVRAM, and as a backup for it (GPT redundancy). The msr partition is used by windows for disk operations. Your USB install device doesn't need these, but a full blown windows installation does. Try to run certain disk tasks without the MSR, and windows will present you plenty of BSODs.


Thank you. I think I get what I should do now. Basically, install windows 7 just like i do on a conventional drive after formating the usb drive which defaults to MBR.

Just for the record, the drive that i plan on getting is a Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD.

Thank you and Sean as well for answering my question/s.


----------



## weebeast

I installed my new ssd and i had some questions
Quote:


> Change power options: Applies to SSD/HDD
> Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type Power Options and press Enter
> Select the High performance power plan
> Click "change plan settings"
> Click "change advanced power settings"
> Expand the Hard disk option and change setting to "never"
> Expand the Sleep option and change setting to "never"
> Click OK
> Note: I recommend at least setting to high performance, for laptops it is up to you.


Does that need to be changed or not because i got 2 other HDD and isn't it better if they went to sleep when i don't need them?

SuperFetch and Prefetch where enabled on my windows 7 installation. Is there a reason for this?

By the way i disabled SuperFetch in Services.msc but it was still enabled in
Quote:


> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters


So i changed "EnableSuperfetcher" to 0 it was a 3, is that oke?

Thanks!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> This occurs when you have formatted your SSD with GPT partitioning, but you started the install of windows 7 from a BIOS device. You must initiate a GPT install from a "device" listed in your UEFI with the prefix *UEFI:*.
> I don't really see any benefit in it if they are only to be used as storage drives.


So if you were me, it is better to go with MBR for storage drives or GPT wouldn't hurt (with one primary partition)?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Avngl*
> 
> Thank you. I think I get what I should do now. Basically, install windows 7 just like i do on a conventional drive after formating the usb drive which defaults to MBR.
> Just for the record, the drive that i plan on getting is a Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD.
> Thank you and Sean as well for answering my question/s.


I recommend the Crucial M4 over the Corsair Force 3







Or if you really want a Sandforce drive, the Force GT is better/more stable than the Force 3


----------



## ajresendez

ok so how do i know that my applications I am installing are indeed being installed in my data drive? only reason I ask is because when I designate install location I put the apps/games in the F:/ drive which is my data drive. I just noticed though that I went from 134gb free on my ssd to 127gb free after installing some of my apps, my data drive has files in it but its hardly moved storage space wise. I'm a bit confused.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ajresendez*
> 
> Ok so I have my SSD up and running with most if not all of the optimizations done. Thanks Sean
> 
> Got one questoins my data drive still has all my programs installed from the last windows install. Is there A way I can reuse some of those files like my steam and origin apps so I don't have to go back and redownload them?


Try, if you get an error you can't.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *weebeast*
> 
> I installed my new ssd and i had some questions
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Change power options: Applies to SSD/HDD
> Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type Power Options and press Enter
> Select the High performance power plan
> Click "change plan settings"
> Click "change advanced power settings"
> Expand the Hard disk option and change setting to "never"
> Expand the Sleep option and change setting to "never"
> Click OK
> Note: I recommend at least setting to high performance, for laptops it is up to you.
> 
> 
> 
> Does that need to be changed or not because i got 2 other HDD and isn't it better if they went to sleep when i don't need them?
> 
> SuperFetch and Prefetch where enabled on my windows 7 installation. Is there a reason for this?
> 
> By the way i disabled SuperFetch in Services.msc but it was still enabled in
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> So i changed "EnableSuperfetcher" to 0 it was a 3, is that oke?
> 
> Thanks!
Click to expand...

Change the power settings, it is beneficial. The otehr 2 drives will go into sleep when you aren't using them, mine do.

And yes setting them to 0 is good, they are enabled i my OS as well, that is why you need to check them and see.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ajresendez*
> 
> ok so how do i know that my applications I am installing are indeed being installed in my data drive? only reason I ask is because when I designate install location I put the apps/games in the F:/ drive which is my data drive. I just noticed though that I went from 134gb free on my ssd to 127gb free after installing some of my apps, my data drive has files in it but its hardly moved storage space wise. I'm a bit confused.


Data from the program isn't only installed in the folder you locate it too. It is also in the AppData folder and maybe others as well. The main portion is on the location you set it to though, like teh actuall .exe and such.


----------



## weebeast

Thanks Sean! Awesome guide, i also got steam running using link shell


----------



## Sean Webster

Awesome!


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> So if you were me, it is better to go with MBR for storage drives or GPT wouldn't hurt (with one primary partition)?


For storage.. either way will work.. I don't think there is a real big advantage or disadvantage to either.

Well maybe one. GPT can provides greater reliability because of the use of replication and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table.
That has the potential to give you more time for recovery/back-up, in the rare occasion of a drive failure, but that's all I can think of.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> For storage.. either way will work.. I don't think there is a real big advantage or disadvantage to either.
> Well maybe one. GPT can provides greater reliability because of the use of replication and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table.
> That has the potential to give you more time for recovery/back-up, in the rare occasion of a drive failure, but that's all I can think of.


Ok. And with regards to using a USB disk to install Win7, partitioning with MBR is still more recommended than GPT?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> For storage.. either way will work.. I don't think there is a real big advantage or disadvantage to either.
> Well maybe one. GPT can provides greater reliability because of the use of replication and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table.
> That has the potential to give you more time for recovery/back-up, in the rare occasion of a drive failure, but that's all I can think of.
> 
> 
> 
> Ok. And with regards to using a USB disk to install Win7, partitioning with MBR is still more recommended than GPT?
Click to expand...

(at least right now, without further testing), yes, only because (I think), it alows the USB drive to be "universal". With MBR partitioning, it can be used to install under either MBR or GPT. As I questioned before, I'm not sure if an MBR install can be initiated from a USB drive that has been partitioned with GPT on a BIOS only, (or EFI for that matter) based computer. This is the testing that needs to be done before a definitive answer can be determined.


----------



## General Disarray

I used quite a few of these recommendations, thanks!

I wasn't quite willing to give up my system restore, but most of the rest of your recommendations were very helpful. Removing hibernation and shrinking my page file freed up a ton of space! I'm sure some of your other suggestions have added significant speed.


----------



## Germanian

very good guide ty rep

fixed my other problem earlier too


----------



## Avngl

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> So if you were me, it is better to go with MBR for storage drives or GPT wouldn't hurt (with one primary partition)?
> I recommend the Crucial M4 over the Corsair Force 3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Or if you really want a Sandforce drive, the Force GT is better/more stable than the Force 3


You're right. I was reading over and just went to newegg to read the experience of users, and the one from the Force GT seems promising. Read 2 pages and didn't find any comments on the driving BSOD'ing or malfunctioning. Getting the 120GB version tomorrow


----------



## _TRU_

followed most of your guide. has me sitting at a 15GB install. sweet +rep


----------



## Milamber

I have a gigabyte ud3p z68 mobo and my SSD uses Intel sata 3 controller but my wd green drive uses Marvell sata 3, would you still advise not using the Marvell?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Milamber*
> 
> I have a gigabyte ud3p z68 mobo and my SSD uses Intel sata 3 controller but my wd green drive uses Marvell sata 3, would you still advise not using the Marvell?


If you have a free Intel port (SATA 2or 3) then I would.

Then disable the Marvell controller in the UEFI/BIOS and you should boot slightly faster as well.

You get no benefit from SATA 3 anyhow with your HDD, max reads/writes are far lower than even SATA 2 lol


----------



## Milamber

thanks

I don't have efi bios, so not sure if I can turn it off' this might explain why I get a massive pause on starting windows screen before the colored balls merge


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Milamber*
> 
> thanks
> 
> I don't have efi bios, so not sure if I can turn it off' this might explain why I get a massive pause on starting windows screen before the colored balls merge


I had the ability to turn it off in my older Asus X58 mobo...maybe just look for a JMircron or similar keyword in the advanced tab/section


----------



## breenemeister

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *breenemeister*
> 
> Cool, I know you didn't mean to nuke the whole disk, I was just saying that I could do so at this point and I'd probably be just fine. I will check for "ACTIVE" first. I have already looked at the drive in diskpart and nothing seems out of the ordinary. I'm anal about setting stuff like this up, so I'll most likely end up nuking it anyway and re-partitioning the drive using GPT anyway. Thanks again.


Yep, ended up nuking the drive. Deleting partitions didn't help. Windows would still refuse to boot no matter what I did. I could always hot swap the drive in after boot. I deleted all partitions, reformatted and everything is working fine again. Thanks for all the advice and thanks for the guide.


----------



## ajresendez

so looks like changing the file paths in the registry does mess with some things







, for instance shortcuts created on desktop break after you shutdown or restart :/ , some programs I had to go in and change the target source back to original for instance ie. I would't recommend doing this unless you really want to avoid doing any more than you have to on the ssd at this point everything I install goes straight to the HDD nothing is being installed on the SSD anymore. It's ok by me so far as I don't do anything but game so everything else I install at the moment will be games.

I foresee a problem though if I have to install updates to my os programs or actually do want to install anything on the ssd.


----------



## SMK

Hey guys, I just followed Sean's guide, and ran some initial benches on my RAID array, hoping you guys could decipher my results and give me a thumbs up or down?



Thanks


----------



## PROX1MI7Y

I have installed my new ssd according to Seams guide (Thanks!)

When you mention "now redirect" the user folder to storage drive how would you go about doing that?


----------



## Milamber

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I had the ability to turn it off in my older Asus X58 mobo...maybe just look for a JMircron or similar keyword in the advanced tab/section


Ok









Which one is it from these screenshots I took, GSATA3 perhaps?


----------



## earwig1990

bsod on mobo install


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Milamber*
> 
> Ok
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Which one is it from these screenshots I took, GSATA3 perhaps?


Looks like it to me.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *earwig1990*
> 
> bsod on mobo install


Usually that is from a bad installer disc or iso; it may be corrupt in some way. try to download one of the ones linked in the OP and install if you are still having trouble.


----------



## _TRU_

how do these results measure up?


i was comparing mine to weebeast's. As you can see mine is slower, could this be cause he has a 128gb drive? i read somewhere that bigger drives run faster.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> how do these results measure up?
> 
> i was comparing mine to weebeast's. As you can see mine is slower, could this be cause he has a 128gb drive? i read somewhere that bigger drives run faster.


Yea the bigger drive has higher write speeds, that is why his scores higher. Your scores look good.


----------



## _TRU_

sweet. ty. now to do the steam install. to diff HD only game i'm having on my ssd is swtor.

btw what i did with my marvell controllers was to make all other sata AHCI, disable the marvell sata iii HD controller, & only enable the marvell esata controller when i'm transferring files from / to my 2TB external.

my system is up w firefox open before my ethernet has a chance to make a stable interwebz connection lol

upadte: Sweet, it worked! steam on ssd, games on data hdd


----------



## mylilpony

Quote:


> Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:
> 
> 1. Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> 2. Click Properties
> 3. Click the Location tab
> 4. Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> Note: Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)


I just did a clean install w/ SSD on a laptop Windows 7 Home Premium. Which files do i migrate over...can I delete any from my SSD once I move them over to HDD?

Using samsung 830 64 gb and seagate 500gb on laptop


----------



## shnur

Are there any advantages for going RAID 0 for 2 120gb SSD's and then split them in two 120gb partitions...?


----------



## Hogwasher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> Are there any advantages for going RAID 0 for 2 120gb SSD's and then split them in two 120gb partitions...?


increased speed but you will lose TRIM which will hit your write speed over time. Here's a thread i just started with bench of my ssd raid 0 http://www.overclock.net/t/1178802/1-year-running-raid-0-no-trim

If you are getting say 200mbs seq reads with one you will get 400 mbs in Raid 0 but start ups take a hit since you have to wait on the Raid controller to do it's thing before the OS can take off, unless anyone knows a fix for this because I would be interested


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mylilpony*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:
> 
> 1. Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> 2. Click Properties
> 3. Click the Location tab
> 4. Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> Note: Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
> 
> 
> 
> I just did a clean install w/ SSD on a laptop Windows 7 Home Premium. Which files do i migrate over...can I delete any from my SSD once I move them over to HDD?
> 
> Using samsung 830 64 gb and seagate 500gb on laptop
Click to expand...

When you change the directory they are automatically moved to that location set.

What do you mean? Can you explain a little clearer?








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> Are there any advantages for going RAID 0 for 2 120gb SSD's and then split them in two 120gb partitions...?


Partitions do nothing on SSDs towards performance.


----------



## mylilpony

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> When you change the directory they are automatically moved to that location set.
> What do you mean? Can you explain a little clearer?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Partitions do nothing on SSDs towards performance.


Sorry if i wasn't clear.

Like so if i make a my documents/my "...." into my 2ndary drive from my SSD, can i delete those fiolders from my SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mylilpony*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> When you change the directory they are automatically moved to that location set.
> What do you mean? Can you explain a little clearer?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Partitions do nothing on SSDs towards performance.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry if i wasn't clear.
> 
> Like so if i make a my documents/my "...." into my 2ndary drive from my SSD, can i delete those fiolders from my SSD?
Click to expand...

Kinda lol

If there are two of the same folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive.


----------



## Rage19420

I just did the "move" thing and it emptied the C drive onto my F drive that I allocated to use.


----------



## PROX1MI7Y

So I've installed my Samsung 830 last night and Ive just been all over the place with my programs.

Im getting broken links randomly. Not really sure what going on. Also whenever I reboot or cold boot my bios shows the splash screen twice. Any idea why that is?

To verify I simply install all programs and apps on the ssd? Also, Sean mentions to move the users folder to the storage drive however I'm not really sure how to go about this.

Thanks ahead of time and sorry for all the questions


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PROX1MI7Y*
> 
> So I've installed my Samsung 830 last night and Ive just been all over the place with my programs.
> 
> To verify I simply install all programs and apps on the ssd?


Yes
Quote:


> Also, Sean mentions to move the users folder to the storage drive however I'm not really sure how to go about this.


You mean this?

*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*

Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
Click Properties
Click the Location tab
Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
*Note:* Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)


----------



## shnur

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hogwasher*
> 
> increased speed but you will lose TRIM which will hit your write speed over time. Here's a thread i just started with bench of my ssd raid 0 http://www.overclock.net/t/1178802/1-year-running-raid-0-no-trim
> If you are getting say 200mbs seq reads with one you will get 400 mbs in Raid 0 but start ups take a hit since you have to wait on the Raid controller to do it's thing before the OS can take off, unless anyone knows a fix for this because I would be interested


I think it's in the works... but no updates yet from Intel.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Partitions do nothing on SSDs towards performance.


Hum, I guess my question would be; would I keep the performance of RAID 0. Because C will only have OS/basic apps and D will have the read/write intensive apps.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> I think it's in the works... but no updates yet from Intel.
> 
> Hum, I guess my question would be; would I keep the performance of RAID 0. Because C will only have OS/basic apps and D will have the read/write intensive apps.


Yeah, you should be keeping the performance lol.

I don't see how separating the partitions will slow the drive down.


----------



## PROX1MI7Y

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, Sean mentions to move the users folder to the storage drive however I'm not really sure how to go about this.
> 
> 
> 
> You mean this?
> *Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
> 
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab
> Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> *Note:* Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
Click to expand...

Thanks Sean

edit:
Im getting broken links randomly. Not really sure what going on. Also whenever I reboot or cold boot my bios shows the splash screen twice. Any idea why that is?


----------



## mylilpony

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, Sean mentions to move the users folder to the storage drive however I'm not really sure how to go about this.
> 
> 
> 
> You mean this?
> *Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
> 
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab
> Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> *Note:* Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
Click to expand...

Should I use norton ghost or just copy/paste?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mylilpony*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, Sean mentions to move the users folder to the storage drive however I'm not really sure how to go about this.
> 
> 
> 
> You mean this?
> *Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
> 
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab
> Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> *Note:* Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Should I use norton ghost or just copy/paste?
Click to expand...

What do you mean? Do what with Norton ghost? or just copy paste?


----------



## mylilpony

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What do you mean? Do what with Norton ghost? or just copy paste?


When moving "My...." folders from C to D. Does it matter?


----------



## fstop

What is the expected amount of gigs you're suppose to end up with after following this guide? I went through the entire thing and with Home Premium I'm ending up with Win7 + drivers taking up 20 gigs. That seems like a lot, especially considering I only bought a 64 gb (60 gb real use) Samsung 830.


----------



## godftw

i did some of the things in this guide after updates / no installed programs my usage is about 18.5 GB


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hogwasher*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> Are there any advantages for going RAID 0 for 2 120gb SSD's and then split them in two 120gb partitions...?
> 
> 
> 
> increased speed but you will lose TRIM which will hit your write speed over time. Here's a thread i just started with bench of my ssd raid 0 http://www.overclock.net/t/1178802/1-year-running-raid-0-no-trim
> 
> If you are getting say 200mbs seq reads with one you will get 400 mbs in Raid 0 but start ups take a hit since you have to wait on the Raid controller to do it's thing before the OS can take off, unless anyone knows a fix for this because I would be interested
Click to expand...

I don't believe you can make this statement about all SSDs. In a PM to Sean about a week ago, I commented just the opposite about my RAID 0. I have 2 - Corsair P3 128GB drives that prior to my testing of different RAID offsets/stripe sizes, had shown absolutely no signs of degradation after 9 months of continuous use. I had screen shots of the initial install back in February that I used for comparison purposes. Read and Writes were consistant between 9 months ago, and right before I broke the RAID to do the testing I did, so not ALL RAID 0 Arrays suffer the problem.

I think that the actual SSD controller has a lot to do with it, and how the controller implements/utilizes garbage collection. FWIW, the P3's have a Marvel controller.


----------



## HothBase

I had W7 installed on my SSD and installed another instance of W7 on my F3.
Now my SSD won't boot, even if I disconnect the F3. Did my F3 install mess up the SSD boot files? I thought they were independent of each other since I used two physically separate drives.


----------



## SMK

Can someone look at post 879 and give me a verdict?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mylilpony*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What do you mean? Do what with Norton ghost? or just copy paste?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When moving "My...." folders from C to D. Does it matter?
Click to expand...

ummm just use my guide....don't use norton ghost, I have no experience with it and don't know what the command in it does exactly...all I am telling you to do is change the default folder location.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fstop*
> 
> What is the expected amount of gigs you're suppose to end up with after following this guide? I went through the entire thing and with Home Premium I'm ending up with Win7 + drivers taking up 20 gigs. That seems like a lot, especially considering I only bought a 64 gb (60 gb real use) Samsung 830.


Did you shrink page file to ~1GB? Disable hibernation?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HothBase*
> 
> I had W7 installed on my SSD and installed another instance of W7 on my F3.
> Now my SSD won't boot, even if I disconnect the F3. Did my F3 install mess up the SSD boot files? I thought they were independent of each other since I used two physically separate drives.


Make a new thread...I can't help with that atm, hopefully I can later, but I can't right now.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SMK*
> 
> Can someone look at post 879 and give me a verdict?


Looks good to me.


----------



## _TRU_

weird. my whole istall was +/- 15 GB w progs after following guide. now for some odd reason my windows folder ALONE is 18GB!!! i remember i was in my room and saw my screen flash, turns out it did an autoupdate. but dunno why its all of a sudden 2 - 4 GB larger. seems odd to me.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> weird. my whole istall was +/- 15 GB w progs after following guide. now for some odd reason my windows folder ALONE is 18GB!!! i remember i was in my room and saw my screen flash, turns out it did an autoupdate. but dunno why its all of a sudden 2 - 4 GB larger. seems odd to me.


run disk clean up and ccleaner


----------



## InD3cisive

Hey Sean,

does formatting your SSD multiple times damage it?

I used your guide to install Windows 7 64 bit pro and my computer froze at "Completing Installation ..." I've had to redo your guide three times from beginning to end due to faulty motherboards (remake USB to boot as UEFI and re-format SSD into GPT) and was concerned about wearing out the SSD by formatting it multiple times.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *InD3cisive*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> does formatting your SSD multiple times damage it?
> 
> I used your guide to install Windows 7 64 bit pro and my computer froze at "Completing Installation ..." I've had to redo your guide three times from beginning to end due to faulty motherboards (remake USB to boot as UEFI and re-format SSD into GPT) and was concerned about wearing out the SSD by formatting it multiple times.


I've read doing full formats aren't good for your SSD, but the quick formats I instruct to do in the guide are fine.

You may want to secure erase before your next install. Guide for that in the second post.


----------



## InD3cisive

the "secure erase" you're referring to is the "clean all" command in diskpart?


----------



## fstop

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Did you shrink page file to ~1GB? Disable hibernation?


Just shrinked page file to 1gig, had hibernation off, but leaving system restore on for now.

That brings me to about 14-15gigs for windows. That sounds about right then? If I disable system restore, should I be expected to save ~5gigs. Personally want to save this feature for now since it saves me from a headache quite often, especially when initially installing a bunch of programs and drivers.


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> run disk clean up and ccleaner


ran it. down to 17.9 lol. can u send me your config file fir ccleaner? maybe im not using all the options i could be


----------



## ar3f

Just set up Raid0 with 2x 80 GB SSD's (G2&G3), see sig rig.

615 points in AS SSD Benchmark v 1.5.37x:

Seq Read 497 MB/s Write 165 MB/s
4K Read 12 67
4K-64Thrd249 76
Latency .140ms .035 ms
Score 311 160

Issues:
Dual boot moved primary OS to Vista 32bit which is on a RAID0 of 2x200 GB Seagates.
Checked BCD, both OS's were assigned same letter, D:
Fired up Easy BCD and in 2 reboots I was ready to go - with Win7 as primary OS

Conclusion: SSD in Raid0 are sweet; programs open instantly!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *InD3cisive*
> 
> the "secure erase" you're referring to is the "clean all" command in diskpart?


Nope, there is a guide on how to secure erase the disk in the second post....it basically resets your NAND memory to factory performance.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fstop*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Did you shrink page file to ~1GB? Disable hibernation?
> 
> 
> 
> Just shrinked page file to 1gig, had hibernation off, but leaving system restore on for now.
> 
> That brings me to about 14-15gigs for windows. That sounds about right then? If I disable system restore, should I be expected to save ~5gigs. Personally want to save this feature for now since it saves me from a headache quite often, especially when initially installing a bunch of programs and drivers.
Click to expand...

Yea, it does now that I think about it. I think when I had my HDD as an OS drive system restore took up 10GB, check what yours is set to.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> run disk clean up and ccleaner
> 
> 
> 
> ran it. down to 17.9 lol. can u send me your config file fir ccleaner? maybe im not using all the options i could be
Click to expand...

Did you shrink page file to ~1GB? Disable hibernation? Do you have system restore enabled?
Also here are my CCleaner settings:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ar3f*
> 
> Just set up Raid0 with 2x 80 GB SSD's (G2&G3), see sig rig.
> 
> 615 points in AS SSD Benchmark v 1.5.37x:
> 
> Seq Read 497 MB/s Write 165 MB/s
> 4K Read 12 67
> 4K-64Thrd249 76
> Latency .140ms .035 ms
> Score 311 160
> 
> Issues:
> Dual boot moved primary OS to Vista 32bit which is on a RAID0 of 2x200 GB Seagates.
> Checked BCD, both OS's were assigned same letter, D:
> Fired up Easy BCD and in 2 reboots I was ready to go - with Win7 as primary OS
> 
> Conclusion: SSD in Raid0 are sweet; programs open instantly!


Congrats!


----------



## andrecc

Hey Sean,

New user here, I haven't even introduced myself in the proper forum, however I have a question that I could definitely use help with at the moment. I was following your guide for installing windows using gpt and everything was going well, however when I got to this point:
Quote:


> 13.Type assign letter=C noerr, press Enter


I get a message stating:

Virtual disk service error: The specified drive letter is not free to be assigned

Could you or anyone here help me out regarding this issue?

Thanks,

Andre


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *andrecc*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> New user here, I haven't even introduced myself in the proper forum, however I have a question that I could definitely use help with at the moment. I was following your guide for installing windows using gpt and everything was going well, however when I got to this point:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> 13.Type assign letter=C noerr, press Enter
> 
> 
> 
> I get a message stating.
> Virtual disk service error: The specified drive letter is not free to be assigned
> Could you or anyone here help me out regarding this issue?
> Thanks,
> Andre
Click to expand...

I think I got that error before. Can you restart and try the whole process over again?

If it happens again just skip that part and exit, you should be able to continue the install.


----------



## andrecc

If I restart the whole process is the drive already going to have the first two partitions created, or by restarting the process will it do away with those partitions and I should retype everything as I did the first time?

Thanks,

Andre


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *andrecc*
> 
> If I restart the whole process is the drive already going to have the first two partitions created, or by restarting the process will it do away with those partitions and I should retype everything as I did the first time?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Andre


Just start from the beginning, the clean command deletes the partitions, thus you need to do the whole process again.

If you want to before you restart it you can try installing right now with out restarting.


----------



## godftw

Sean this doesn't have anything to do with your guide but i cant get my SSD to boot through the SATA3 port, and im not sure what else to try


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *godftw*
> 
> Sean this doesn't have anything to do with your guide but i cant get my SSD to boot through the SATA3 port, and im not sure what else to try


Are you trying to boot up a preinstalled system that was on another port?

Are you installing fresh on the port?

In your sig rig? Is your SATA 3 port a add-on card? Or is it Marvell?

if it is a Marvell port use the SATA 2.

I can't really help atm, I am studying for finals now and going to bed in a few, but you can have me help you all you want tomorrow after 6pm if you can wait.

Try to give me as much detail about the issue that you can and I will look into it, maybe someone else can too.


----------



## godftw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Are you trying to boot up a preinstalled system that was on another port?
> Are you installing fresh on the port?
> In your sig rig? Is your SATA 3 port a add-on card? Or is it Marvell?
> if it is a Marvell port use the SATA 2.
> I can't really help atm, I am studying for finals now and going to bed in a few, but you can have me help you all you want tomorrow after 6pm if you can wait.
> Try to give me as much detail about the issue that you can and I will look into it, maybe someone else can too.


yes its the rig in my sig its been using a HDD, i just picked up an SSD and plugged it into the normal sata port and installed Windows 7 and did some of the things in your guide(other drive was disconnected ).. the drive seemed a little slow ( i realized it wasnt plugged into the Sata3 port) when i plugged it in to the SATA3 port if only booted as far as the splash screen for the MOBO then froze ( it posts *single beep* and i can get to the post screen, but not the bios) ... if i go into the post details screen it says 'IDE CHANNEL 0 : SSD' not sure if that's how its supposed to be displayed

the Sata3 port is on the MOBO and it is a marvell port


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *godftw*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Are you trying to boot up a preinstalled system that was on another port?
> Are you installing fresh on the port?
> In your sig rig? Is your SATA 3 port a add-on card? Or is it Marvell?
> if it is a Marvell port use the SATA 2.
> I can't really help atm, I am studying for finals now and going to bed in a few, but you can have me help you all you want tomorrow after 6pm if you can wait.
> Try to give me as much detail about the issue that you can and I will look into it, maybe someone else can too.
> 
> 
> 
> yes its the rig in my sig its been using a HDD, i just picked up an SSD and plugged it into the normal sata port and installed Windows 7 and did some of the things in your guide(other drive was disconnected ).. the drive seemed a little slow ( i realized it wasnt plugged into the Sata3 port) when i plugged it in to the SATA3 port if only booted as far as the splash screen for the MOBO then froze ( it posts *single beep* and i can get to the post screen, but not the bios) ... if i go into the post details screen it says 'IDE CHANNEL 0 : SSD' not sure if that's how its supposed to be displayed
> 
> the Sata3 port is on the MOBO and it is a marvell port
Click to expand...

I have a feeling you may have to reinstall on the Marvell port if you want to use it, though I HIGHLY recommend you don't your 4k reads will be lower, you may experience stuttering, and you sequential will only max at ~370MB/s anyways. Just keep it on the native sata 2 port.

If you want to use the Marvell still change the Marvell port to AHCI from IDE in the BIOS. It may be in advanced settings.

That's all I got for you atm, I'm off to bed for now.


----------



## Dezixn

Excellent guide man. I received my Intel 320 160GB SSD last week and finally have my system back to how I like it. I followed your guide all the way through and it was great. Some real good tips and tricks in there. I'm only on SATA2 (SATA2 SSD anyways) but I'm loving it. BIOS takes the longest when booting, the AHCI stuff scans all my SATA ports and takes up several seconds but Windows 7 boots to desktop in maybe 5-7 seconds. From there I can immediately get to work. Not to mention this thing was $280 with a $120 MIR and a BF3 code that I can sell for maybe $40. That's almost a $120 for a 160GB SSD.
If you're not getting paid for that guide then you should be! I'm sure there's a way lol.

Had to include Luffy in my screen shot. Goes great with my clean desktop.


----------



## PROX1MI7Y

My only issue now is that sometimes when my computer reboots My mouse will freeze and I have to unplug, then plug it back in.


----------



## godftw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I have a feeling you may have to reinstall on the Marvell port if you want to use it, though I HIGHLY recommend you don't your 4k reads will be lower, you may experience stuttering, and you sequential will only max at ~370MB/s anyways. Just keep it on the native sata 2 port.
> If you want to use the Marvell still change the Marvell port to AHCI from IDE in the BIOS. It may be in advanced settings.
> That's all I got for you atm, I'm off to bed for now.


if you see this tommorow -

not really sure what all that means(marvell controllers = bad) could i use different drivers or something?? atm my boot speed is faster than it was with a HDD (granted this is an empty OS) but it seems a bit slow for an SSD, and when im inside the OS it seems like im getting a slow down when i do somethings... like theres just small spikes of delay...

i took some screen shots of things
First 3 show the marvell controller and something else as unidentified
fourth shows that there is no errors in the drivers
fifth and sixth is a comparision between my benchmark(60gb Vertex3 Vs 120gb Vertex3) vs benchmark i found online using a marvell controller same drive just different size


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!







[/URL




As a side note.. i plugged in the HDD to the sata3 and that also doesnt boot when plugged into the sata3.... curious


----------



## HothBase

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Make a new thread...I can't help with that atm, hopefully I can later, but I can't right now.


Nah, can't be bothered. It's okay since I was planning on reinstalling Windows anyway, now that I've got my OC stable and a new GPU installed.









By the way, I found an error in the OP:
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *If you have are using a SSD* use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, do *NOT* use the Marvell ports for your SSD [...]


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dezixn*
> 
> Excellent guide man. I received my Intel 320 160GB SSD last week and finally have my system back to how I like it. I followed your guide all the way through and it was great. Some real good tips and tricks in there. I'm only on SATA2 (SATA2 SSD anyways) but I'm loving it. BIOS takes the longest when booting, the AHCI stuff scans all my SATA ports and takes up several seconds but Windows 7 boots to desktop in maybe 5-7 seconds. From there I can immediately get to work. Not to mention this thing was $280 with a $120 MIR and a BF3 code that I can sell for maybe $40. That's almost a $120 for a 160GB SSD.
> If you're not getting paid for that guide then you should be! I'm sure there's a way lol.
> 
> Had to include Luffy in my screen shot. Goes great with my clean desktop.


Thanks! Congrats on the good deal, glad I could help with the guide!









I wish I could get some $ off it somehow, it would be nice...








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PROX1MI7Y*
> 
> My only issue now is that sometimes when my computer reboots My mouse will freeze and I have to unplug, then plug it back in.


Make a thread, maybe others can help you out, I never had that issue.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *godftw*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I have a feeling you may have to reinstall on the Marvell port if you want to use it, though I HIGHLY recommend you don't your 4k reads will be lower, you may experience stuttering, and you sequential will only max at ~370MB/s anyways. Just keep it on the native sata 2 port.
> If you want to use the Marvell still change the Marvell port to AHCI from IDE in the BIOS. It may be in advanced settings.
> That's all I got for you atm, I'm off to bed for now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> if you see this tommorow -
> 
> not really sure what all that means(marvell controllers = bad) could i use different drivers or something?? atm my boot speed is faster than it was with a HDD (granted this is an empty OS) but it seems a bit slow for an SSD, and when im inside the OS it seems like im getting a slow down when i do somethings... like theres just small spikes of delay...
> 
> i took some screen shots of things
> First 3 show the marvell controller and something else as unidentified
> fourth shows that there is no errors in the drivers
> fifth and sixth is a comparision between my benchmark(60gb Vertex3 Vs 120gb Vertex3) vs benchmark i found online using a marvell controller same drive just different size
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As a side note.. i plugged in the HDD to the sata3 and that also doesnt boot when plugged into the sata3.... curious
Click to expand...

One more reason not to use the Marvell ports is b/c they don't support TRIM. (marvell controllers = bad)

Can you post a screen shot of AS SSD with your drive?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HothBase*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Make a new thread...I can't help with that atm, hopefully I can later, but I can't right now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nah, can't be bothered. It's okay since I was planning on reinstalling Windows anyway, now that I've got my OC stable and a new GPU installed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By the way, I found an error in the OP:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *If you have are using a SSD* use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, do *NOT* use the Marvell ports for your SSD [...]
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

What are you talking about, there is not error...


----------



## HothBase

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *HothBase*
> 
> By the way, I found an error in the OP:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *If you have are using a SSD* use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, do *NOT* use the Marvell ports for your SSD [...]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> What are you talking about, there is not error...
Click to expand...

Something fishy going on here.









By the way, I think this info should definitely be added to the guide, a lot of people are using Intel SSDs including me:
What's The Deal With Write-Cache Buffer Flushing?

They take a massive performance hit unlike drives from other brands.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HothBase*
> 
> What are you talking about, there is not error...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Something fishy going on here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By the way, I think this info should definitely be added to the guide, a lot of people are using Intel SSDs including me:
> What's The Deal With Write-Cache Buffer Flushing?
> 
> They take a massive performance hit unlike drives from other brands.


Yea I know, that is why it is stated it is not universal lol. It is already linked there too...


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea I know, that is why it is stated it is not universal lol. It is already linked there too...


So the Intel drives only experience a conflict with disabling write-cache buffer flushing?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea I know, that is why it is stated it is not universal lol. It is already linked there too...
> 
> 
> 
> So the Intel drives only experience a conflict with disabling write-cache buffer flushing?
Click to expand...

I know the G2 ones did, not sure on the new ones.


----------



## godftw

not looking too hot... looks like 50% of what it should be across the board


----------



## Avngl

Just received my Force GT 120GB SSD. Will be following this thread and guide and i'll post my results in 2 days time, when i have the time to build my system.


----------



## HothBase

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *HothBase*
> 
> What are you talking about, there is not error...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Something fishy going on here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By the way, I think this info should definitely be added to the guide, a lot of people are using Intel SSDs including me:
> What's The Deal With Write-Cache Buffer Flushing?
> 
> They take a massive performance hit unlike drives from other brands.
> 
> 
> 
> Yea I know, that is why it is stated it is not universal lol. It is already linked there too...
Click to expand...

You either had the link somewhere else where I missed it, or you're playing tricks on me.








Thanks again for the guide, it's been very helpful today.


----------



## gotasavage2

I think i did something wrong... i just installed windows 7 following your guide and have not done any optimizations yet and I've used up 35.4GB of my 64GB Samsung 830 SSD what did i do wrong?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gotasavage2*
> 
> I think i did something wrong... i just installed windows 7 following your guide and have not done any optimizations yet and I've used up 35.4GB of my 64GB Samsung 830 SSD what did i do wrong?


You have 16GB of RAM, that gives you a 16GB page file first off, then the Hibernation file needs to be delete or shrunk. You are good. Just continue the guide.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *godftw*
> 
> not looking too hot... looks like 50% of what it should be across the board


You can try installing the proper sata drivers for your board, but overall sandforce drives suck on AS SSD lol.


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *gotasavage2*
> 
> I think i did something wrong... i just installed windows 7 following your guide and have not done any optimizations yet and I've used up 35.4GB of my 64GB Samsung 830 SSD what did i do wrong?
> 
> 
> 
> You have 16GB of RAM, that gives you a 16GB page file first off, then the Hibernation file needs to be delete or shrunk. You are good. Just continue the guide.
Click to expand...

This. But do NOT install the Intel RSD driver.







What a pile that driver is.....









Random stuttering with my RAID0 (whole system stutter), and idle BSOD's with my SSD. Removed Intel RSD (format, didn't install it)...haven't had a problem since. Oh, before it was a fresh install too, just the Intel RSD and GPU drivers were installed.

Go ahead and try it out if you don't believe me...but just know that I had these problems. It could have been because I run RAID too.


----------



## gotasavage2

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You have 16GB of RAM, that gives you a 16GB page file first off, then the Hibernation file needs to be delete or shrunk. You are good. Just continue the guide.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> This. But do NOT install the Intel RSD driver.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What a pile that driver is.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Random stuttering with my RAID0 (whole system stutter), and idle BSOD's with my SSD. Removed Intel RSD (format, didn't install it)...haven't had a problem since. Oh, before it was a fresh install too, just the Intel RSD and GPU drivers were installed.
> Go ahead and try it out if you don't believe me...but just know that I had these problems. It could have been because I run RAID too.


Thanks

I'm looking much better now with 7GB used out of 59.6GB









Alright thanks i will take that into account when updating stuff.


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gotasavage2*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You have 16GB of RAM, that gives you a 16GB page file first off, then the Hibernation file needs to be delete or shrunk. You are good. Just continue the guide.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> This. But do NOT install the Intel RSD driver.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What a pile that driver is.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Random stuttering with my RAID0 (whole system stutter), and idle BSOD's with my SSD. Removed Intel RSD (format, didn't install it)...haven't had a problem since. Oh, before it was a fresh install too, just the Intel RSD and GPU drivers were installed.
> Go ahead and try it out if you don't believe me...but just know that I had these problems. It could have been because I run RAID too.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thanks
> 
> I'm looking much better now with 7GB used out of 59.6GB
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Alright thanks i will take that into account when updating stuff.
Click to expand...

Like I said, my problems COULD be because I run two different RAID arrays too. Not entirely sure. I just know the Intel RSD was screwing my system up pretty badly. The generic Windows AHCI driver is working absolutely flawlessly for me though, and I get the proper speeds from my SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> This. But do NOT install the Intel RSD driver.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What a pile that driver is.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Random stuttering with my RAID0 (whole system stutter), and idle BSOD's with my SSD. Removed Intel RSD (format, didn't install it)...haven't had a problem since. Oh, before it was a fresh install too, just the Intel RSD and GPU drivers were installed.
> 
> Go ahead and try it out if you don't believe me...but just know that I had these problems. It could have been because I run RAID too.


First you mean RST right?

Second for real? Wow, I never had an issue. Maybe it was from the RAID 0 array.


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> This. But do NOT install the Intel RSD driver.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What a pile that driver is.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Random stuttering with my RAID0 (whole system stutter), and idle BSOD's with my SSD. Removed Intel RSD (format, didn't install it)...haven't had a problem since. Oh, before it was a fresh install too, just the Intel RSD and GPU drivers were installed.
> 
> Go ahead and try it out if you don't believe me...but just know that I had these problems. It could have been because I run RAID too.
> 
> 
> 
> First you mean RST right?
> 
> Second for real? Wow, I never had an issue. Maybe it was from the RAID 0 array.
Click to expand...

Yes I do. My appologies. I thought it was Intel "Rapid Storage Driver". Not "Rapid Storage Technology" (driver outside of the letters).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> This. But do NOT install the Intel RSD driver.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What a pile that driver is.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Random stuttering with my RAID0 (whole system stutter), and idle BSOD's with my SSD. Removed Intel RSD (format, didn't install it)...haven't had a problem since. Oh, before it was a fresh install too, just the Intel RSD and GPU drivers were installed.
> 
> Go ahead and try it out if you don't believe me...but just know that I had these problems. It could have been because I run RAID too.
> 
> 
> 
> First you mean RST right?
> 
> Second for real? Wow, I never had an issue. Maybe it was from the RAID 0 array.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes I do. My apologies. I thought it was Intel "Rapid Storage Driver". Not "Rapid Storage Technology" (driver outside of the letters).
Click to expand...

Hmm, I'll add this note to the guide, maybe someone else can verify the problem as well. I will be running RAID 0 with two performance pros most likely, I want to see about this.


----------



## gotasavage2

Another question,

Is there anyway i can make my samsung spinpoint F3 1TB harddrive as my main drive? like make everything save there by default? and use my ssd mainly as a boot drive.


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gotasavage2*
> 
> Another question,
> 
> Is there anyway i can make my samsung spinpoint F3 1TB harddrive as my main drive? like make everything save there by default? and use my ssd mainly as a boot drive.


Whenever you install a program or something, just use the custom install option (you should anyway), and tell it to install there. So instead of "C:\Program Files\Program Name" You would change the drive letter to "D:\" (assuming your F3 is drive D).

And you would want to make new folders on the F3 for your pictures and documents (any of those type of folders that you use). And change the location of those folders to the F3.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> Yes I do. My appologies. I thought it was Intel "Rapid Storage Driver". Not "Rapid Storage Technology" (driver outside of the letters).


Weird, you're the first member that I saw recommending not using Intel RST. Every SSD thread that I've read here recommends updating the Intel RST drivers to the latest version since they do help a lot in with the performance of the drives either as a single drive or in a RAID0 array. When I had my two Spinpoint F3's in RAID0, I never had problems with Intel RST anyway.


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> Yes I do. My appologies. I thought it was Intel "Rapid Storage Driver". Not "Rapid Storage Technology" (driver outside of the letters).
> 
> 
> 
> Weird, you're the first member that I saw recommending not using Intel RST. Every SSD thread that I've read here recommends updating the Intel RST drivers to the latest version since they do help a lot in with the performance of the drives either as a single drive or in a RAID0 array. When I had my two Spinpoint F3's in RAID0, I never had problems with Intel RST anyway.
Click to expand...

Could also just be that I have my F3's in RAID0, and my WD Greens in a RAID1, plus the SSD. It's too hard to tell. I just know that Intel RST screws up my rig.


----------



## godftw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> One more reason not to use the Marvell ports is b/c they don't support TRIM. (marvell controllers = bad)
> Can you post a screen shot of AS SSD with your drive?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *godftw*
> 
> not looking too hot... looks like 50% of what it should be across the board


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can try installing the proper sata drivers for your board, but overall sandforce drives suck on AS SSD lol.


not sure what this means O.O , arnt the proper drivers already installed??


----------



## Tatakai All

Sub'd. I'm getting my Samsung 830 in tomorrow and I'm going to need this thread.


----------



## Nemesis158

So tomorrow im going to reformat mine when the patch for BF3 gets released, ill have to try to run to town to get the patch downloaded anyways (2GB takes up too much time when you're on 1.5mbs).....
hopefully my benchmark scores will improve afterwards.


----------



## trumpet-205

Just installed my Intel 320 80GB SSD, and I must I say I'm impressed. Computer boot up time is significantly reduced. I put a Japanese game (ATC3) in the SSD since I frequently play it and its load time is reduced by a couple seconds as well. WEI went from 5.9 to 7.7.

However it is not mind blowing, my WD Caviar Blue also boots quite fast. However that's because I don't have a lot of start up programs and I do defragment on regular basis.

So next time when I buy another SSD (either Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 128GB), I'll only buy it when either one does a deal like $1 per GB. Don't feel like paying $2 per GB on SSD.

Followed your guide and they work like a charm. Oh Sean I love you!









Let's just hope Intel doesn't burn me with rejection of its rebate.


----------



## Nynn

I did these steps. But mine says "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style.

Whats happening?

i am using my CD drive with a Windows 7 disk inside.

My bios lists this:

BIOS boot function [Enabled]

>Select UEFI file to boot from.

When I click on that and choose my CD drive, it says "There isnt any bios file in this usb key(root folder). Please copy BIOS file to this USB key(root folder).


----------



## trumpet-205

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nynn*
> 
> I did these steps. But mine says "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style.
> Whats happening?
> i am using my CD drive with a Windows 7 disk inside.
> My bios lists this:
> BIOS boot function [Enabled]
> >Select UEFI file to boot from.
> When I click on that and choose my CD drive, it says "There isnt any bios file in this usb key(root folder). Please copy BIOS file to this USB key(root folder).


Connect SSD and ODD only. You need to boot into something like [UEFI]:"Your DVD drive".


----------



## Nynn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *trumpet-205*
> 
> Connect SSD and ODD only. You need to boot into something like [UEFI]:"Your DVD drive".


Dang. It says "FS1: HP DVD Writer 1270t" . Is my CD/DVD drive not eligible? or am I doing something wrong. +rep'd for ur help

EDIT: Hmm I may have been in the wrong section. I think I found the UEFI: HP DVD Writer 1270t. Thanks for ur help ^


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *godftw*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> One more reason not to use the Marvell ports is b/c they don't support TRIM. (marvell controllers = bad)
> Can you post a screen shot of AS SSD with your drive?
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *godftw*
> 
> not looking too hot... looks like 50% of what it should be across the board
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can try installing the proper sata drivers for your board, but overall sandforce drives suck on AS SSD lol.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> not sure what this means O.O , arnt the proper drivers already installed???
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Use the AMD SATA drivers in the download section of the guide, you are using the MS ones atm.


----------



## godftw

amd drivers didnt help the benchmark speeds any( actually worse ) but i think it smoothed out the spikes i was getting havent tried the sata 3 port yet


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nynn*
> 
> Dang. It says "FS1: HP DVD Writer 1270t" . Is my CD/DVD drive not eligible? or am I doing something wrong. +rep'd for ur help
> EDIT: Hmm I may have been in the wrong section. I think I found the UEFI: HP DVD Writer 1270t. Thanks for ur help ^


Ignore the message that you encountered in the partition screen of windows 7 installation. It's a common error message which doesn't practically mean anything. I bet you can click "Next", am I correct?


----------



## _TRU_

Sean, i dunno if you have something like this already, but i changed my win 7 default prog install folder. some progs don't give you the option. so this is easier, don't need to monitor ssd storage so much now







check it out. if you have 64-bit _*use the last set of instructions.*_


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> Sean, i dunno if you have something like this already, but i changed my win 7 default prog install folder. some progs don't give you the option. so this is easier, don't need to monitor ssd storage so much now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> check it out. if you have 64-bit _*use the last set of instructions.*_


Thanks, I think there was a reason I didn't put it in before, I forgot it though lol. I will have to check it out again.

Let me know if you run into any issues.


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Thanks, I think there was a reason I didn't put it in before, I forgot it though lol. I will have to check it out again.
> Let me know if you run into any issues.


i ran into one. be CAREFUL which one you change. the default INSTALL & the default DIRECTORY. i had changed the wrong one and windows, was saying progs "weren't installed"


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> i ran into one. be CAREFUL which one you change. the default INSTALL & the default DIRECTORY. i had changed the wrong one and windows, was saying progs "weren't installed"


ewww,

so can you make a small guide (I can edit it id needed) for it for me to add?


----------



## trumpet-205

Sean,

For Firefox RAMDisk I have seen two approaches. One is through Firefox config (the guide), and the other is establishing a link with AppData to RAMDisk. Which one do you prefer?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *trumpet-205*
> 
> Sean,
> For Firefox RAMDisk I have seen two approaches. One is through Firefox config (the guide), and the other is establishing a link with AppData to RAMDisk. Which one do you prefer?


I don't do either lol. So it is up to you.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I don't do either lol. So it is up to you.


So you don't use RAMDisk for Firefox?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> So you don't use RAMDisk for Firefox?


Nope, I use it for adobe lightroom 3


----------



## gotasavage2

Do these numbers look right to you?










You guide says to not connect to SATA 6Gb/s if they are marvel. So idk... thats all i have.
Heres the link to my mobo _Link_

I'm currently connected to the blue SATA 3.0Gb/s ports, should i change it?


----------



## trumpet-205

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gotasavage2*
> 
> Do these numbers look right to you?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You guide says to not connect to SATA 6Gb/s if they are marvel. So idk... thats all i have.
> Heres the link to my mobo _Link_
> I'm currently connected to the blue SATA 3.0Gb/s ports, should i change it?


Marvell doesn't support TRIM so you'll take penalty in writing performance. On SATA 3.0 Gbps that looks about right.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gotasavage2*
> 
> Do these numbers look right to you?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You guide says to not connect to SATA 6Gb/s if they are marvel. So idk... thats all i have.
> Heres the link to my mobo _Link_
> I'm currently connected to the blue SATA 3.0Gb/s ports, should i change it?


I'm pretty sure you are connected to the Intel ports...
Quote:


> Intel® P55 Express Chipset built-in
> 6 xSATA 3.0 Gb/s ports
> Intel Matrix Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
> JMicron® JMB363 PATA and SATA controller
> 1 xUltraDMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices
> 1 xExternal SATA 3Gb/s port
> 1 xSATA 3Gb/s port (black)
> Marvell® PCIe SATA6Gb/s controller:*
> - 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (Gray)
> * These SATA ports are for data hard drives only. ATAPI devices are not supported.


You dont want to be plugged into the black and grey ones.


----------



## Recipe7

Hey Sean!

So it's been a good amount of days since you last helped me with my SSD problem. I've done ev-er-ee-thing and nothing has helped, unfortunately.

Yesterday, my crucial finally came in the mail. I popped it in, followed your guide, and after optimizing and installing the programs I want on my SSD, it's time to move on to my secondary hard drive (my bulk drive).

First, I will be coping over files to an external which I need; Pictures, Documents, Game Saves, etc.

After this is done, I want to format it and use it as my bulk drive. Basically I want to make it the recipient of anything I install on to the computer (unless I deem it necessary on my SSD). Essentially the same as it was before my SSD crash.

My question is, is a normal (slow) format of my 2nd HDD enough? What do you suggest?

Finally, after formatting, how do I configure the drive so that all downloads go to that drive, especially user based downloads such as pictures, documents, and anything going to the desktop folder?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Recipe7*
> 
> *My question is, is a normal (slow) format of my 2nd HDD enough? What do you suggest?*


Yea any format of the HDD is fine, just not for SSDs. Once your data is backed up to this to ensure everything in the drive is cleaned:

Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your HDD drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary align=4096* , press Enter
Type *format quick fs=NTFS*, press Enter
Type *active*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter
Quote:


> Finally, after formatting, how do I configure the drive so that all downloads go to that drive, especially user based downloads such as pictures, documents, and anything going to the desktop folder?


*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*

Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
Click Properties
Click the Location tab
Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
Note 1: Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
Note 2: If there are two of the same folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive.


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ewww,
> so can you make a small guide (I can edit it id needed) for it for me to add?


i can take a screeny of my regedit


----------



## eus105454

Sean,

Is there a benefit to formatting to 4KB (when you type the command "create partition primary align=4096") as opposed to going with the default (1KB = 1024)? Thx.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eus105454*
> 
> Sean,
> Is there a benefit to formatting to 4KB (when you type the command "create partition primary align=4096") as opposed to going with the default (1KB = 1024)? Thx.


it is more optimal for the HDD/SSD and the OS. More info in the faq's section.


----------



## eus105454

Quote:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by eus105454 View Post
> 
> Sean,
> Is there a benefit to formatting to 4KB (when you type the command "create partition primary align=4096") as opposed to going with the default (1KB = 1024)? Thx.
> 
> it is more optimal for the HDD/SSD and the OS. More info in the faq's section.


Thanks! Navigated to the FAQ's section and found it. Outstanding guide - keep up the good work!!! +rep


----------



## Recipe7

Thanks for the advice Sean. Now, only if there were a program to automatically transfer exactly what I need in a click


----------



## vikingred

Hey I appreciate this guide but I am having problems, and was hoping someone wouldn't mind giving me a hand. I am doing a new build with an ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z and a Crucial M4 64gig, Win 7 ultimate (fresh untouched ISO). I am using a USB drive and have successfully got Win7 copied to the drive per instructions for the GPT method via UEFI. USB stick boots to UEFI and Win7 setup starts fine, I do the Booting, partitioning and alignment of GPT for Windows and UEFI steps just fine and then proceed with the install, and I get the following ERROR MESSAGE:

"A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now."

So, I re-did everything again, tried a different Win7 ISO, tried a different USB stick. It always comes back to that error and "Next" is grayed out so you cannot proceed. I can hit browse and rescan, and I've searched through for different drivers but nothing works.

I did some research and found that it may be looking for the SATA/AHCI drivers for my board/chipset. So I tried putting those but it just doesn't work at all. It finds "Intel(R) Desktop/Workstation/Server Express Chipset SATA AHCI Controller" and I click next and it looks like it's loading and then I get "No new devices could be found. Make sure the driver files are correct and located on the driver installation media". Well I can't get them on the stick because when it boots it's like an "X:" drive and it doesn't see other stuff on the root of the USB drive.

This is maddening. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and forgive me if this has been already answered, I just couldn't find it here.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## solsamurai

EDIT: per post below mine is no longer relevant.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *vikingred*
> 
> Hey I appreciate this guide but I am having problems, and was hoping someone wouldn't mind giving me a hand. I am doing a new build with an ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z and a Crucial M4 64gig, Win 7 ultimate (fresh untouched ISO). I am using a USB drive and have successfully got Win7 copied to the drive per instructions for the GPT method via UEFI. USB stick boots to UEFI and Win7 setup starts fine, I do the Booting, partitioning and alignment of GPT for Windows and UEFI steps just fine and then proceed with the install, and I get the following ERROR MESSAGE:
> 
> "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now."
> 
> So, I re-did everything again, tried a different Win7 ISO, tried a different USB stick. It always comes back to that error and "Next" is grayed out so you cannot proceed. I can hit browse and rescan, and I've searched through for different drivers but nothing works.
> 
> I did some research and found that it may be looking for the SATA/AHCI drivers for my board/chipset. So I tried putting those but it just doesn't work at all. It finds "Intel(R) Desktop/Workstation/Server Express Chipset SATA AHCI Controller" and I click next and it looks like it's loading and then I get "No new devices could be found. Make sure the driver files are correct and located on the driver installation media". Well I can't get them on the stick because when it boots it's like an "X:" drive and it doesn't see other stuff on the root of the USB drive.
> 
> This is maddening. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and forgive me if this has been already answered, I just couldn't find it here.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Did you use one of the .iso's from the OP? Have you tried burning one to a CD and trying the MBR guide?

Do the above and it should work for you.

GPT isn't needed, just fr testing and such and 2.2TB+ partitions to boot off of to me really.


----------



## vikingred

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Just gotta ask....when you say ISO you're not talking about pirated software right? If you are this is the wrong site to be asking these questions. If you're talking about something else I'm obviously not familiar with please except my apologies.


No, I'm not talking about pirated software. Wow. You took the time to answer, just to scold me on the outside chance I mean ISO was pirated. Really? Give me a break dude. If you look on page 1 of Sean's Guide, he's got links to several Win7 ISO's. Of course I have a valid serial I paid for. Wow, net cops.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *vikingred*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Just gotta ask....when you say ISO you're not talking about pirated software right? If you are this is the wrong site to be asking these questions. If you're talking about something else I'm obviously not familiar with please except my apologies.
> 
> 
> 
> No, I'm not talking about pirated software. Wow. You took the time to answer, just to scold me on the outside chance I mean ISO was pirated. Really? Give me a break dude. If you look on page 1 of Sean's Guide, he's got links to several Win7 ISO's. Of course I have a valid serial I paid for. Wow, net cops.
Click to expand...

LOL, I replied to your previous post. Try to burn a CD and try the MBR method.


----------



## harryt

hmmm I ran through most of it last day and I still had about 29GB being used. I don't think I noticed a difference at all in terms of a decrease in my windows 7 size.

What parts in particular would reduce size?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *harryt*
> 
> hmmm I ran through most of it last day and I still had about 29GB being used. I don't think I noticed a difference at all in terms of a decrease in my windows 7 size.
> 
> What parts in particular would reduce size?


Turn off hibernation file and shrink your pagefile to 1GB.

Run CCleaner as well.


----------



## harryt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Turn off hibernation file and shrink your pagefile to 1GB.
> Run CCleaner as well.


hmm I'll double check it, but I am sure I already turned off hibernation file.

But I'll double check it.


----------



## exzacklyright

Can anyone with an Asrock extreme7 gen3 mobo or something similar walk me through some of this? I'm completely clueless on UEFI and a lot of this stuff :[


----------



## _TRU_

is pagefile really needed? i have 8gb ram so i just turned it off


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> Can anyone with an Asrock extreme7 gen3 mobo or something similar walk me through some of this? I'm completely clueless on UEFI and a lot of this stuff :[


LOL. Just use teh MBR guide and boot of the disc or USB like normal.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> is pagefile really needed? i have 8gb ram so i just turned it off


I do a ton of multitasking and notice my system is "smoother" with a 1GB pagefile.


----------



## mdd1986

I just wanted to let people know some of the issues I ran into.

Basically I wasn't able to get the drive to show up as a UEFI drive. This was because the EFI boot file was missing from the EFI folder on the windows 7 disk. I know others were having this issue so I figured I would pass it along. If its not showing up a UEFI drive, be sure to check the files on the disk.


----------



## trumpet-205

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> Can anyone with an Asrock extreme7 gen3 mobo or something similar walk me through some of this? I'm completely clueless on UEFI and a lot of this stuff :[


For ASRock set UEFI DVD drive at first in boot order.


----------



## Canis-X

Hey Sean.....what's the good word? I ran across the article below and thought that it might be a good reference piece for your thread for those that were wondering. I know it's from Tom's Hardware....bla bla bla, but good information none-the-less.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-ntfs-compression,3073.html


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> LOL. Just use teh MBR guide and boot of the disc or USB like normal.
> I do a ton of multitasking and notice my system is "smoother" with a 1GB pagefile.


Is 1GB the general consensus of the necessary size for pagefile?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canis-X*
> 
> Hey Sean.....what's the good word? I ran across the article below and thought that it might be a good reference piece for your thread for those that were wondering. I know it's from Tom's Hardware....bla bla bla, but good information none-the-less.
> 
> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-ntfs-compression,3073.html


Ah yea, I forgot about that, thanks.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> LOL. Just use teh MBR guide and boot of the disc or USB like normal.
> I do a ton of multitasking and notice my system is "smoother" with a 1GB pagefile.
> 
> 
> 
> Is 1GB the general consensus of the necessary size for pagefile?
Click to expand...

Pretty much lol

The minimum 400MB works good too.


----------



## Sean Webster

If you guys ever get an issue with a system recovery look at this.

*Issue arose:*

I did a secure erase and when I tried to restore the system it won't restore.
I booted from my UEFI install USB and chose the system repair.
Went to restore the previous system image and I got this when it was about to restore it.
Quote:


> The system image restore failed.
> 
> Error details: The parameter is incorrect. (0x80070057)


*I finally fixed the problem:*
The problem must have been one of 3 things I think.

Either you can not restore from a image located on another GPT disk.
There was a file corruption when I extracted the back up the first time. (I 7zip my system images)
You are not able to restore to a secure erased drive (RAW format) and need to make it GPT first or you have to have the OS installed and then restore.

_*How I went though and ended up fixing the issue:*_

I secure erased the SSD to begin
Then I tried to restore to the SSD and it gave me errors
Then I went into diskpart and converted the RAW SSD to a GPT disk, tried to restore and it still didn't work
I then tried doing the proper partitioning as if I were installing the OS again, loaded the image and it still didn't work
Then I finally just reinstalled the OS all over again
Re extracted the system image again but onto my MBR formatted external USB drive not my secondary GPT formatted internal drive
Rebooted to the recovery and chose the recovery from the external drive and it worked flawlessly


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ah yea, I forgot about that, thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pretty much lol
> The minimum 400MB works good too.


The recommended size should be in the powers of 2 (512MB, 1024MB, etc.) also, right?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ah yea, I forgot about that, thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pretty much lol
> The minimum 400MB works good too.
> 
> 
> 
> The recommended size should be in the powers of 2 (512MB, 1024MB, etc.) also, right?
Click to expand...

IDK if that matters or not, you can set it to what ever you want I think. Just windows needs 400 minimum for certain things.


----------



## graphixa

Hi Sean,

my first posting on this forum









Just wanted to say that this is a fantastic guide and I'll hopefully being using it tomorrow for my Windows 7 Pro install onto my new 64Gb Crucial M4!.

One quick question though. I've seen a few threads about moving user data over to a separate mechanical drive, either by using temporary installation user accounts, or during the actual installation process itself. Is this a good thing, and if so any guidance and / or advice as the guides I have read all seem to be a little incomplete?

Once again thanks for this fantastic resource.

Cheers,

Graf.


----------



## sixor

add this

ccleaner + this (http://majorgeeks.com/CCEnhancer_d6547.html)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *graphixa*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> my first posting on this forum
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just wanted to say that this is a fantastic guide and I'll hopefully being using it tomorrow for my Windows 7 Pro install onto my new 64Gb Crucial M4!.
> 
> Once again thanks for this fantastic resource.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Graf.


Welcome








Quote:


> One quick question though. I've seen a few threads about moving user data over to a separate mechanical drive, either by using temporary installation user accounts, or during the actual installation process itself. Is this a good thing, and if so any guidance and / or advice as the guides I have read all seem to be a little incomplete?


The temporary account method plain out sucks. Don't do that.

There is another method during the install like you said, but pieces of it were lost. I will try to contact the creator to get it fixed.

For me what I do with my user data is this:

*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*

Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
Click Properties
Click the Location tab
Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
Note 1: Recommended, I do it for my user folders(ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
Note 2: If there are two of the same folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sixor*
> 
> add this
> 
> ccleaner + this (http://majorgeeks.com/CCEnhancer_d6547.html)


I think i'm in love!









1000th post!


----------



## graphixa

Sean thanks for the welcome, and thanks for the information









I think it would be really useful if the other method could be fully reinstated, not just for me, but for other users as well who I noticed have asked the same thing.

For now I'll hang on to see if it gets updated.

Cheers,

Graf


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> Can anyone with an Asrock extreme7 gen3 mobo or something similar walk me through some of this? I'm completely clueless on UEFI and a lot of this stuff :[


it's all good. i went with good ol MBR


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I think i'm in love!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1000th post!


duuude. i added it and ran ccleaner before i installed it. it picked up 6MB, closed ccleaner then used the extra rules, reran ccleaner and it picked up 500MB!


----------



## Faraz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you are booting from a CD for GPT this is what it should look like:
> 
> Before: You need it to boot from the UEFI: DVD drive


I seem to be having a problem at this step. It says "*AHCI*: P2: ASUS..." for my DVD drive instead of UEFI. Same for my SSD. Any ideas what could be the issue?

Nevermind. Updating the BIOS seems to have sorted it out.


----------



## Andrewboon

I am wondering what to set my GSATA 3 Ctrl Mode to and my PCH SATA Control mode to. They have RAID, IDE, or AHCI choices. I am going to install WIndows 7 to my Crucial SSD and then use my HDD for storage. Would that mean to use raid? I'm really nooby at this and I'd aprpeciate your help. Thanks.

This is my Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512

Using a Crucial M4 64GB SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Andrewboon*
> 
> I am wondering what to set my GSATA 3 Ctrl Mode to and my PCH SATA Control mode to. They have RAID, IDE, or AHCI choices. I am going to install WIndows 7 to my Crucial SSD and then use my HDD for storage. Would that mean to use raid? I'm really nooby at this and I'd aprpeciate your help. Thanks.


It won't be RAID with 2 drives that are independent of each other. So just set to AHCI.


----------



## harryt

well still showing about 30GB on my SSD after going through the optimizations.

Even with the shrinking and all.


----------



## Andrewboon

Okay and one more question. I have my brand new SSD ready to install Windows 7 onto. My old hard drive has been backed up, and I'm okay with deleting everything on it (including Windows 7 installed on it currently). I'm about to insert my Windows 7 CD into my DVD drive. Should I unplug my hard drive SATA cable? Or should I format the hard drive during Windows 7 installation partitioning? I understand that if I don't unplug it there might be a boot sector or something that won't load to the right drive, I'm not really sure. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *harryt*
> 
> well still showing about 30GB on my SSD after going through the optimizations.
> 
> Even with the shrinking and all.


You sure the page file is set to 1GB and hibernation is disabled?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Andrewboon*
> 
> Okay and one more question. I have my brand new SSD ready to install Windows 7 onto. My old hard drive has been backed up, and I'm okay with deleting everything on it (including Windows 7 installed on it currently). I'm about to insert my Windows 7 CD into my DVD drive. Should I unplug my hard drive SATA cable? Or should I format the hard drive during Windows 7 installation partitioning? I understand that if I don't unplug it there might be a boot sector or something that won't load to the right drive, I'm not really sure. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!


Load up the install disc with only the HDD connected and do this:

Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your HDD drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary align=4096*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *active*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter
Then shut down, unplug the HDD and plug in your SSD like normal and start the guide


----------



## Andrewboon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You sure the page file is set to 1GB and hibernation is disabled?
> Load up the install disc with only the HDD connected and do this:
> 
> Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your HDD drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary align=4096*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *active*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> Then shut down, unplug the HDD and plug in your SSD like normal and start the guide


Can I do this backwards? Install Windows 7 to SSD first then do the first steps you said? I was in a rush and am already in the installation process lol. I need to get to sleep but have to finish this before I sleep, so was hurrying.


----------



## harryt

I'll double check and my bad I am using 16GB on the SSD now and not 30GB. I was mixing up the free space instead of used.


----------



## harryt

Well my page file was set to none for the C: (ssd) drive. I changed it now to 1GB.

Hibernation is also turned off.

is 16GB still a lot to use up?


----------



## exzacklyright




----------



## sockpirate

i know this is a silly question, but how do i know if i am using the right cables for my HDD/SSD and how do i know if i am using the correct ports on my mobo?


----------



## exzacklyright

*RAID to ACHI:*

1 )Regedit

2) Change each of the "start" values in the registry keys below from 3 to 0 and this will allow you to change between the different modes by just changing the option in your bios each time you reboot.

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\pciide

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\msahci

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\iaStorV

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\iaStor

3) You might not have the last registry key (iastor) as this is installed in the registry with the intel raid drivers, the default windows 7 raid driver uses the iastorV key.


----------



## exzacklyright

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sockpirate*
> 
> i know this is a silly question, but how do i know if i am using the right cables for my HDD/SSD and how do i know if i am using the correct ports on my mobo?


Don't worry. I'm a noob too. Check your motherboard manual! It's most likely going to be a SATA3 port. There are various kinds of SATA ports these days though.


----------



## trumpet-205

Anyone know how to change Media Center Live TV buffer location? I tried it on MC settings but for some reason it still saves on SSD.


----------



## axipher

In "Settings > TV > Recorder Storage" I believe, I just switched mine over last week to an old external 160 GB HDD. Then I have WHS 2011 set to archive them so 160 GB is more than enough.


----------



## mdd1986

Does anyone know of a Back-Up application that will image or clone the disk on a GPT Formatted drive? I have used Todo Backup in the past which is great but will not clone or image the drive when its GPT formatted. I know in theory that GPT is more reliable and less prone to becoming corrupt. I'm running 2 SSDs in RAID 0 and worry about the drives failing.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> *RAID to ACHI:*
> 
> 1 )Regedit
> 
> 2) Change each of the "start" values in the registry keys below from 3 to 0 and this will allow you to change between the different modes by just changing the option in your bios each time you reboot.
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\pciide
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\msahci
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\iaStorV
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\iaStor
> 
> 3) You might not have the last registry key (iastor) as this is installed in the registry with the intel raid drivers, the default windows 7 raid driver uses the iastorV key.


Thanks
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mdd1986*
> 
> Does anyone know of a Back-Up application that will image or clone the disk on a GPT Formatted drive? I have used Todo Backup in the past which is great but will not clone or image the drive when its GPT formatted. I know in theory that GPT is more reliable and less prone to becoming corrupt. I'm running 2 SSDs in RAID 0 and worry about the drives failing.


Acronis will. But that is $

Windows built in one will work with GPT disks.


----------



## Ironman517

Sean changed his avatar due to the quote in my sig


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ironman517*
> 
> Sean changed his avatar due to the quote in my sig


----------



## Ironman517

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


ok fine, I used your guide to help improve my SSD!


----------



## godftw

Sean i still have the same issue with my Sata3 ports not working ... if i unplug all drives and load the OS Install -> then plug back in the drive... it shows up on the drive selection but gives me this message when i select it

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk this computers hardware may not support booting to this disk, ensure that the disks controller is enabled in the computers bios menu"

any idea what this means ? or what setting its talking about


----------



## trumpet-205

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *axipher*
> 
> In "Settings > TV > Recorder Storage" I believe, I just switched mine over last week to an old external 160 GB HDD. Then I have WHS 2011 set to archive them so 160 GB is more than enough.


That's what I did, but MC still saves the buffer at SSD.


----------



## mdd1986

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Thanks
> Acronis will. But that is $
> Windows built in one will work with GPT disks.


On the Acronis web site it says that true image home plus does not support GPT disk cloning. I'm thinking that Acronis will just back up the files and not actually image the drive. If not then, I will defiantly purchase it.

The windows based back-up utilities are pretty limited and not reliable in my opinion. It will just back up files rather than imaging the drive. I would much rather use a free version of TODO backup over the windows based solution.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *godftw*
> 
> Sean i still have the same issue with my Sata3 ports not working ... if i unplug all drives and load the OS Install -> then plug back in the drive... it shows up on the drive selection but gives me this message when i select it
> 
> "Windows cannot be installed to this disk this computers hardware may not support booting to this disk, ensure that the disks controller is enabled in the computers bios menu"
> 
> any idea what this means ? or what setting its talking about


Nope









I would just use the sata 2 ports on your mobo. :/
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mdd1986*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Thanks
> Acronis will. But that is $
> Windows built in one will work with GPT disks.
> 
> 
> 
> On the Acronis web site it says that true image home plus does not support GPT disk cloning. I'm thinking that Acronis will just back up the files and not actually image the drive. If not then, I will defiantly purchase it.
> 
> The windows based back-up utilities are pretty limited and not reliable in my opinion. It will just back up files rather than imaging the drive. I would much rather use a free version of TODO backup over the windows based solution.
Click to expand...

Ah I see now that I look into it I think that is what it meant, it only backs up the files, not the image.

The Windows tool will work fine. I have used it 3 times already with GPT set ups. 2 times on my system I successfully restored my OS and anther time on my fathers PC. One time I had an issue on mine, but I found out the problem was something unrelated to windows.

Todo doesn't support it yet.









Windows seems like the only choice atm. So if you have used the GPT format then just use windows to image the disk. If you haven't installed yet just use MBR.


----------



## axipher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *trumpet-205*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *axipher*
> 
> In "Settings > TV > Recorder Storage" I believe, I just switched mine over last week to an old external 160 GB HDD. Then I have WHS 2011 set to archive them so 160 GB is more than enough.
> 
> 
> 
> That's what I did, but MC still saves the buffer at SSD.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I'll have to check when I get home tonight


----------



## mdd1986

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would just use the sata 2 ports on your mobo. :/
> Ah I see now that I look into it I think that is what it meant, it only backs up the files, not the image.
> The Windows tool will work fine. I have used it 3 times already with GPT set ups. 2 times on my system I successfully restored my OS and anther time on my fathers PC. One time I had an issue on mine, but I found out the problem was something unrelated to windows.
> Todo doesn't support it yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Windows seems like the only choice atm. So if you have used the GPT format then just use windows to image the disk. If you haven't installed yet just use MBR.


Yea I went the GPT route at first, but then reformatted to MBR. I thought the windows utility only backed up files not image the disk. Maybe I was wrong. Ether way, there in't a point of using GPT if you clone the disk often which I will be doing eveyr week.

Yea I wish TODO supported GPT cloning. Someone should find a way to do it. I guess its not as much of an issue if you are running a regular HDD. I have had way to many SSDs fail on me before.

BTW killer avatar, I didn't realize who I was talking to at first lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mdd1986*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would just use the sata 2 ports on your mobo. :/
> Ah I see now that I look into it I think that is what it meant, it only backs up the files, not the image.
> The Windows tool will work fine. I have used it 3 times already with GPT set ups. 2 times on my system I successfully restored my OS and anther time on my fathers PC. One time I had an issue on mine, but I found out the problem was something unrelated to windows.
> Todo doesn't support it yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Windows seems like the only choice atm. So if you have used the GPT format then just use windows to image the disk. If you haven't installed yet just use MBR.
> 
> 
> 
> Yea I went the GPT route at first, but then reformatted to MBR. I thought the windows utility only backed up files not image the disk. Maybe I was wrong. Ether way, there in't a point of using GPT if you clone the disk often which I will be doing eveyr week.
Click to expand...

I do every two weeks lol

But I have all my personal data backup up nightly too.
Quote:


> Yea I wish TODO supported GPT cloning. Someone should find a way to do it. I guess its not as much of an issue if you are running a regular HDD. I have had way to many SSDs fail on me before.


I know! If M$ can do it why can't other companies? All it is is backing up 3 partitions and putting them back on a disk...how freaking hard is that? lol
Quote:


> BTW killer avatar, I didn't realize who I was talking to at first lol.


Haha, I am starting to get that a lot now.


----------



## Bobotheklown

Dude amazing guide! Going to +rep you once I do this with my new system.

I'm sorry if this question was already posted, but should/can I perform these optimizations on my other drives?
I have a 120gb intel 520 series(win7 and primary games), 80gb intel ssd that I will use for srt caching with my samsung f3(secondary games), I also have a 640gb WD black(program files) and 2tb samsung f4(storage).

Obviously some of them I won't do for my hdds, such as the "windows write-caching buffer flushing"
And is it fine to install all software/drivers to a different drive than the os? Or should I throw them all on my os ssd?
Also is there a srt optimization guide? Or do I do the same thing as my win7 ssd?

Thanks Sean!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bobotheklown*
> 
> Dude amazing guide! Going to +rep you once I do this with my new system.
> 
> I'm sorry if this question was already posted, but should/can I perform these optimizations on my other drives?
> I have a 120gb intel 520 series(win7 and primary games), 80gb intel ssd that I will use for srt caching with my samsung f3(secondary games), I also have a 640gb WD black(program files) and 2tb samsung f4(storage).


This is for the OS, so you can do it to your other systems.
Quote:


> Obviously some of them I won't do for my hdds, such as the "windows write-caching buffer flushing"
> 
> Also is there a srt optimization guide? Or do I do the same thing as my win7 ssd?
> 
> Thanks Sean!


Same thing, do different.


----------



## Bobotheklown

Great, thanks man!

I don't think you caught the last sentence I edited in there,

Is it wise to keep program files on another hard drive and not on the ssd? To conserve space and such.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bobotheklown*
> 
> Great, thanks man!
> 
> I don't think you caught the last sentence I edited in there,
> 
> Is it wise to keep program files on another hard drive and not on the ssd? To conserve space and such.


I like having my apps on only the SSD. Anything OS/system related is on it.

I have portable apps on my secondary HDD though as well as my steam folder for games.

Use the SSD as much as you want, it doesn't matter how much you fill it up to a point. Though at ~80-90% fullness the write speeds may slow a little.


----------



## Bobotheklown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I like having my apps on only the SSD. Anything OS/system related is on it.
> I have portable apps on my secondary HDD though as well as my steam folder for games.
> Use the SSD as much as you want, it doesn't matter how much you fill it up to a point. Though at ~80-90% fullness the write speeds may slow a little.


Sweet. K sounds like I'll keep drivers and a few select programs on the ssd and throw the extras (media players etc) on a hdd.

Thanks

Edit: Oh shoot, reading up on steam mover atm, it says that it's not compatible with fat32 O_O Was planning on doing the GPT for UEFI, but the guide has the ssd format to fat32.
Quote:


> Type format quick fs=fat32 label="ESP", press Enter


Can I use "ntfs" there or no?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bobotheklown*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I like having my apps on only the SSD. Anything OS/system related is on it.
> I have portable apps on my secondary HDD though as well as my steam folder for games.
> Use the SSD as much as you want, it doesn't matter how much you fill it up to a point. Though at ~80-90% fullness the write speeds may slow a little.
> 
> 
> 
> Sweet. K sounds like I'll keep drivers and a few select programs on the ssd and throw the extras (media players etc) on a hdd.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Edit: Oh shoot, reading up on steam mover atm, it says that it's not compatible with fat32 O_O Was planning on doing the GPT for UEFI, but the guide has the ssd format to fat32.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Type format quick fs=fat32 label="ESP", press Enter
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Can I use "ntfs" there or no?
Click to expand...

No you can not use ntfs for that partition. That is the EFI partition, not your system partition. Just follow the guide as instructed and everything will work out lol.

As you can see it in fact makes you format your OS partition to NTFS here, steam mover ill work fine.
Quote:


> Type create partition primary align=4096 , press Enter
> Type format quick fs=ntfs label="SYSTEM", press Enter


----------



## Bobotheklown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No you can not use ntfs for that partition. That is the EFI partition, not your system partition. Just follow the guide as instructed and everything will work out lol.
> As you can see it in fact makes you format your OS partition to NTFS here, steam mover ill work fine.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Type create partition primary align=4096 , press Enter
> Type format quick fs=ntfs label="SYSTEM", press Enter
Click to expand...

Ok









Really going to take this quote in your sig to heart:
Quote:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by malikq86
> 
> ^ Do what Sean says....in Sean we Trust.


You rock man!


----------



## Sean Webster




----------



## Dark Wanderer

I just read the first post and there is something I'd like to ask:

I've come accross some details about usb booting for uefi install of windows that seem to be missing. Is it because they are not necessary?

Check out the first post of this thread: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=209045

Thanks for your great guide Sean!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would just use the sata 2 ports on your mobo. :/
> Ah I see now that I look into it I think that is what it meant, it only backs up the files, not the image.
> The Windows tool will work fine. I have used it 3 times already with GPT set ups. 2 times on my system I successfully restored my OS and anther time on my fathers PC. One time I had an issue on mine, but I found out the problem was something unrelated to windows.
> Todo doesn't support it yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Windows seems like the only choice atm. So if you have used the GPT format then just use windows to image the disk. If you haven't installed yet just use MBR.


What do you mean that your previous problem is not Windows related? So what was it?


----------



## malikq86

why can't a mod sticky this thread already? it keeps floating around the first page for a month now.


----------



## Water Cooled

Sean, +rep!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> why can't a mod sticky this thread already? it keeps floating around the first page for a month now.


+1


----------



## awing

This has been properly answered already or probably dumb question:

I always use CCleaner before i shut off my pc for the day; I get up to 900MB or 900000kb on IE temp internet files and on Google internet cache; do I uncheck them or is it ok to clear them everyday on my SSD?

Do they count as "writes" on the disk?


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> why can't a mod sticky this thread already? it keeps floating around the first page for a month now.


What? It's been sticky since the second or third day of new forum.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dark Wanderer*
> 
> I just read the first post and there is something I'd like to ask:
> 
> I've come accross some details about usb booting for uefi install of windows that seem to be missing. Is it because they are not necessary?
> 
> Check out the first post of this thread: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=209045
> 
> Thanks for your great guide Sean!


What is missing? Basically the same thing as my guide lol. I know I need to streamline the text part though.
Quote:


> Instructions:
> 
> In the root of your USB drive, there is the \efi\microsoft\boot directory. Copy this directory one level up so the files also reside under \efi\boot.
> Copy the bootmgfw.efi file to \efi\boot, and rename it to bootx64.efi.
> Test the USB drive in a UEFI system. It should automatically boot with the UEFI method, but you may have to specifically choose UEFI boot depending on your system.
> That's it!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would just use the sata 2 ports on your mobo. :/
> Ah I see now that I look into it I think that is what it meant, it only backs up the files, not the image.
> The Windows tool will work fine. I have used it 3 times already with GPT set ups. 2 times on my system I successfully restored my OS and anther time on my fathers PC. One time I had an issue on mine, but I found out the problem was something unrelated to windows.
> Todo doesn't support it yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Windows seems like the only choice atm. So if you have used the GPT format then just use windows to image the disk. If you haven't installed yet just use MBR.
> 
> 
> 
> What do you mean that your previous problem is not Windows related? So what was it?
Click to expand...

i compress my images with 7 zip and when I extracted it the first time I'm pretty sure it messed up, the second extraction worked fine...nothing Windows related imo.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> why can't a mod sticky this thread already? it keeps floating around the first page for a month now.


It is lol, it has been a sticky since the first week it was out!
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Water Cooled*
> 
> Sean, +rep!


Thanks!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> why can't a mod sticky this thread already? it keeps floating around the first page for a month now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> +1
Click to expand...

It is lol, it has been a sticky since the first week it was out!
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *awing*
> 
> This has been properly answered already or probably dumb question:
> 
> I always use CCleaner before i shut off my pc for the day; I get up to 900MB or 900000kb on IE temp internet files and on Google internet cache; do I uncheck them or is it ok to clear them everyday on my SSD?
> 
> Do they count as "writes" on the disk?


Deleting them doesn't count as writes, but when they go back on the drive it does...it really doesn't matter though, your drive is going to last a while.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> why can't a mod sticky this thread already? it keeps floating around the first page for a month now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What? It's been sticky since the second or third day of new forum.
Click to expand...

Thank you!


----------



## Water Cooled

Your welcome, you deserve it!


----------



## kevindd992002

So that means that a normal restoration process of the GPT image will work flawlessly?


----------



## Sean Webster

@ Water Cooled









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> So that means that a normal restoration process of the GPT image will work flawlessly?


Exactly...but if you ever have issues I can fix it most likely.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

I figure I'll just ask this here...

I get my first ever SSD in like a week... So do I just unplug my HDD, plug in the new SSD, do the guide and install windows and that's it? My SSD will be plug n' play? Its the Samsung 830. Not sure if I have to download any special software or drivers for it...? I'm a mega noob when it comes to SSDs...if you couldn't tell.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> I figure I'll just ask this here...
> 
> I get my first ever SSD in like a week... So do I just unplug my HDD, plug in the new SSD, do the guide and install windows and that's it? My SSD will be plug n' play? Its the Samsung 830. Not sure if I have to download any special software or drivers for it...? I'm a mega noob when it comes to SSDs...if you couldn't tell.


NOOOOB! LOL

Yea, plug n' play.


----------



## firestorm1

i noticed you changed the alignment size for raid. is there any particular reason for that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> i noticed you changed the alignment size for raid. is there any particular reason for that?


Yea, for MBR RAID 0 my friend got better results from 1024 over than the 4096...if you want you can test it out.


----------



## firestorm1

nah, ill pass. not in the mood to reload everything again lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> nah, ill pass. not in the mood to reload everything again lol.


LOL, I'm taking my rig apart right now, need to remount the cooler


----------



## firestorm1

i guess i could do a fresh image install.

how much of a performance difference did your friend say it was between the 4096 vs 1024 alignment? not really trying to kills an hour and a half if im only going to gain like 40mb/s read/write.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> i guess i could do a fresh image install.
> 
> how much of a performance difference did your friend say it was between the 4096 vs 1024 alignment? not really trying to kills an hour and a half if im only going to gain like 40mb/s read/write.


Umm, don't remember really lol. Reads were about the same ans writes were higher. Honestly don't bother until you really want to reinstall.


----------



## firestorm1

im just wondering, thats all. if i loose my raid array again, ill have no choice. thats twice in less that 3 weeks. not sure whats causing it. either the ssd's or sata controller is messing up. but if it happens again, im sendng all three in for rma.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> im just wondering, thats all. if i loose my raid array again, ill have no choice. thats twice in less that 3 weeks. not sure whats causing it. either the ssd's or sata controller is messing up. but if it happens again, im sendng all three in for rma.


Wow, that sucks...I had that issue with my F3s when they were in RAID 0, I think a separate controller is best to get....though very expensive.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> i guess i could do a fresh image install.
> 
> how much of a performance difference did your friend say it was between the 4096 vs 1024 alignment? not really trying to kills an hour and a half if im only going to gain like 40mb/s read/write.


The big difference was in sequential writes. It was quite substantial, almost a 650% (yep... no typo.. six hundred fifty) improvement (on average 55-65 MB/s aligned @ 4096 vs. 375 to 385 MB/s @1024). All other benches showed slight write improvemnt, but nothing spectacular. (<5%). Read speeds were unaffected.

Unless you are consistantly writing large files to the drive, wait until you "need" to reinstall. If you are using the PC in a capacity where you consistantly write large files (video editing as an example), don't wait... the improvement is that dramatic.


----------



## firestorm1

well thats nice to know.


----------



## kevindd992002

Yeah Sean, please remount your SA and use the minimal amount of thermal paste, as big as the @ sign in your keyboard (assuming you have a standard one)







You will be baffled that temps will go lower.

My two F3's in RAID0 with my Gigabyte EP45-UD3P board before had no problems or whatsoever. I never lost my array.

So for single drives, 4096 is still the most recommended alignment?


----------



## GuardianDuo

Hi, sorry if this question has been asked before, but I've just followed the guide up to the middle of the optimizations part.

I plugged my HDD back in, and am wondering, what happens to the Windows 7 on my HDD? Do I have to wipe the HDD? Are all the installed programs and stuff useless on it?

I'm a bit hesitant to reinstall everything. And will programs (like non-steam games) install to the HDD or the SSD?

Should I just do this part?
Quote:


> **Beta* How to: Use current OS HDD as a data drive after installing a SSD!*
> 
> Option 2: Better option to me, will take longer.
> Shrink the old HDD OS partition
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space
> Then move the personal files to the new partition
> When done moving your files delete the older OS partition
> Then expand the new partition into the left over free space
> 
> Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.


And for redirecting user folders, should I use this guide? http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization/0_100


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> Hi, sorry if this question has been asked before, but I've just followed the guide up to the middle of the optimizations part.
> 
> I plugged my HDD back in, and am wondering, what happens to the Windows 7 on my HDD? Do I have to wipe the HDD? Are all the installed programs and stuff useless on it?


The previously install programs will most likely not work. and you should wipe the windows part of the drive.
Quote:


> I'm a bit hesitant to reinstall everything. And will programs (like non-steam games) install to the HDD or the SSD?


Any programs previously installed will need to be reinstall. Install programs and games wherever you wish. It is up to you.
Quote:


> Should I just do this part?
> **Beta* How to: Use current OS HDD as a data drive after installing a SSD!*
> 
> Option 2: Better option to me, will take longer.
> Shrink the old HDD OS partition
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space
> Then move the personal files to the new partition
> When done moving your files delete the older OS partition
> Then expand the new partition into the left over free space


Up to you, do what ever you want to/need to.
Quote:


> Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.
> And for redirecting user folders, should I use this guide? http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization/0_100


Don't you dare use that dreadful guide! lol I did it before and had to reinstall after...I tried it twice and it sux so much to me. Just right click the folders and click the location tab and change the location to wherever you want.


----------



## GuardianDuo

Whew, it's a good thing you warned me about that! By the right-click + location tab thing, do you mean this? http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Redirect-a-folder-to-a-new-location

And do you know of any good back-up software I could use? Or should I just find a cheap external drive and copy all my important files onto it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Whew, it's a good thing you warned me about that! By the right-click + location tab thing, do you mean this? http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Redirect-a-folder-to-a-new-location


Yep that exactly.
Quote:


> And do you know of any good back-up software I could use?


Freefilesync
Microsoft SyncToy
Easus Todo back up
Easus Disk Copy
Clonezilla
AceBackup
FBackup
GenieTimeline Free
PureSync
Toucan
Paragon Backup & Recovery (Advanced) Free
SyncBackSE
Macrium Reflect or Windows Backup and Restore
GFI Backup
Back It Up!
Cobian Backup
Comodo Backup

....just to name a few

I like Freefilesync, Microsoft SyncToy, Easus Todo back up. I personally do this rather than use one of those programs though.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1125994/seans-data-backup-guide-using-robocopy
Quote:


> Or should I just find a cheap external drive and copy all my important files onto it?


Well, you need a second drive to back the data up to any ways lol


----------



## exzacklyright

For the changing of SATA modes, I created a registry script that you can just click on to turn the 4 registry keys "start" values to 0.

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\pciide

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\msahci

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\iaStorV

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\iaStor

Reg File: Allow changing of SATA modes

I double checked it but someone can check to make sure it's right that's more proficient with coding.


Here's another tweak that sort of falls under the same category as UAC:

Remove the message - This publisher could not be verified when trying to install/run a new program.

Use this .reg file:

Disable "This publisher could not be verified when trying to install/run a new program." in Windows 7


Or do this:

You can turn off all of these messages by doing as follows:
Open up internet Explorer
Tools -> Internet options
Click on Security tab
Click on custom level button
Under "Launching applications and unsafe files" click enable

Now the security warnings are gone. However, Internet Explorer will complain everytime you open it by displaying an error page with a yellow information bar.

To get rid of it: (You must be running windows 7 Professional (or higher) ---> thanks xandypx)

Run "gpedit.msc"
Under "Computer Configuration"
Select "Administrative Templates"
"Windows Components"
"Internet Explorer"
Change "Turn off the Security Settings Check feature" to "Enabled"

Diable UAC via WIN+R:

Code:



Code:


C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f


----------



## Sean Webster

Thanks exzacklyright, I'll check this out and add it.

Also, from the Crucial forums this is what targetbsp told me about Indexing.
Quote:


> Indexing service is used to speed up searching within Outlook. And You can REALLY tell the difference between it on and off. Presumably other apps and/or Windows would also benefit from it so I wouldn't turn it off on the C300/M4 as they have ushc long life expectancies anyway. It's probably a different matter on the older M225's where they will benefit from reduced writes.


So basically I am taking the part on removing indexing out of the guide, so if you want just recheck the feature on your SSD's properties and allow it to be indexed.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> -snip-
> 
> Now the security warnings are gone. However, Internet Explorer will complain everytime you open it by displaying an error page with a yellow information bar.
> 
> To get rid of it:
> 
> Run "gpedit.msc"
> Under "Computer Configuration"
> Select "Administrative Templates"
> "Windows Components"
> "Internet Explorer"
> Change "Turn off the Security Settings Check feature" to "Enabled"
> 
> Diable UAC via WIN+R:
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f


Just a heads up for anyone wanting to use the Group Policy Editor snap in.

You must be running windows 7 Professional (or higher). The Group Policy Editor is not an included component of Windows 7 Home Edition.


----------



## GuardianDuo

Is there any point/is it even possible to install drivers and such to an HDD while the OS is installed on the SSD?


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Thanks exzacklyright, I'll check this out and add it.
> Also, from the Crucial forums this is what targetbsp told me about Indexing.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Indexing service is used to speed up searching within Outlook. And You can REALLY tell the difference between it on and off. Presumably other apps and/or Windows would also benefit from it so I wouldn't turn it off on the C300/M4 as they have ushc long life expectancies anyway. It's probably a different matter on the older M225's where they will benefit from reduced writes.
> 
> 
> 
> So basically I am taking the part on removing indexing out of the guide, so if you want just recheck the feature on your SSD's properties and allow it to be indexed.
Click to expand...

Sean, do you have any other recent updates you can tell me about? Its a pain to go back and look through the thread.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Sean, do you have any other recent updates you can tell me about? Its a pain to go back and look through the thread.


Ummm, raid 0?

If you are using MBR use 1024 offset GPT 4096 Offset.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ummm, raid 0?
> If you are using MBR use 1024 offset GPT 4096 Offset.


lol Got the raid 0 but had an issue with my mobo so it's been shipped to Asus.

Here's a couple ATTO benchmarks I did before wiping everything and packing the motherboard up. The first is with the latest Intel RST version 10.8.0.1003 but I made a mistake at aligning the raid in 4096kb sectors, as oppose to 1024kb which I did for the 2nd benchmark.


And one with the Intel RST 11.5.0.1109 Alpha drivers. It gave me more solid uniform speeds, even though being a bit slower.


----------



## firestorm1

damn. sure wish i could hit that speed. im lucky if i can get over 820mb/s read/write. crappy amd controller cant handle 2 ssd lol.
i still cant find a raid controller that does not require me handing over a kidney.


----------



## StormXLR

Hey guys







so i got my SSD all setup installed all the drivers etc ( Thanks Sean for amazing guide! )
I wanted to ask about performance and speed though
my boot time is 64 seconds ._. isnt that kinda slow? I do have 2 hdds in raid 0 so it takes a lil to load up the drivers but still
Here is AS-SSD bench, how are the numbers ?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> Hey guys
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> so i got my SSD all setup installed all the drivers etc ( Thanks Sean for amazing guide! )
> I wanted to ask about performance and speed though
> my boot time is 64 seconds ._. isnt that kinda slow? I do have 2 hdds in raid 0 so it takes a lil to load up the drivers but still
> Here is AS-SSD bench, how are the numbers ?


I don't know for sure, but it seems a little "off", even for the SB850. I would have expected the seq reads to be in the mid to high 400's. Also, I think your 4K-64 thread score also seems low. I would have expected the overall score to be higher, but that may be a result of the reads seemingly low.

It is very possible you had alot of drive activity (besides the benchmark) going on when you ran the bench. Do you consistantly get the same results?

Do you have the latest firmware on the SSD. I also understand that if you enable NCQ, (Native Command Queuing), in RAID expert (even with the single drive) that these scores improve. May be something to look at.

But then again... I may be completely off base.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> damn. sure wish i could hit that speed. im lucky if i can get over 820mb/s read/write. crappy amd controller cant handle 2 ssd lol.
> i still cant find a raid controller that does not require me handing over a kidney.


That's just one reason why I moved from AMD to Intel after a brief stint with AMD.


----------



## CattleCorn

Wow, amazing guide! I have my first SSD incoming. I was wondering if the guide on page 1 is up-to-date, or whether it's necessary to read every page of this thread to know the latest and greatest tips. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Bobotheklown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CattleCorn*
> 
> Wow, amazing guide! I have my first SSD incoming. I was wondering if the guide on page 1 is up-to-date, or whether it's necessary to read every page of this thread to know the latest and greatest tips. Thanks in advance.


The guide has been updated. (Multiple times I'd assume)

I just used it a few days ago and everything went flawlessly.

Good luck with the optimizations!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CattleCorn*
> 
> Wow, amazing guide! I have my first SSD incoming. I was wondering if the guide on page 1 is up-to-date, or whether it's necessary to read every page of this thread to know the latest and greatest tips. Thanks in advance.


Thanks!









Yea it is always up to date








Whether it is a typo or a new step I always will have it up to date as long as I am active on the site.
I usually let everyone know about a new step or something as well in a update post so just subscribe to always be in the know









As for reading it, I would suggest your read over everything first, usually a lot of issues are solved b/c the answer is already in the guide, if you have any specific q's feel free to ask


----------



## shnur

Ok. So I just got these, how do you install OS via RAID? It is asking for drivers


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> Ok. So I just got these, how do you install OS via RAID? It is asking for drivers


First of all you ship one or two to me, then...

I'm pretty sure you put this on a flash drive and choose it when it asks you to load the drivers (Link)


----------



## shnur

Says there's no drivers for this computer 

Its an X79 board.


----------



## Sean Webster

Try using your mobo Disc, they should be on there.


----------



## shnur

Tried already, no success


----------



## Sean Webster

All drives are plugged in the Intel ports and you have the RAID 0 array created already correct?


You pop in the install disc, boot up.
Go to custom install and no drives show up.
open dvd tray
swap the install disc with the mobo disc
Click load drivers
click browse
manually select the drivers on the disc
and it wont work?


----------



## KeyBoard_Ninja

Heya,

wonder if anyone can help me. I recently purchased a SSD (OCZ agility 3) and last night i did the install. i disconnected all my HDD's and only had the SSD in. Upon boot up, i went in the BIOS and switched to AHCI, saved and exit and i get this message " Sata 1 drive - atapi incompatible, Press F1 to continue". Any idea what the issue is? I went on to install windows and followed the guide and everything is fine in the OS environment and the DVD(SATA) drive picks up in the BIOS as well. HELP please!!!!


----------



## exzacklyright

Removing shortcut extension:



Just run this reg file: http://www.mediafire.com/?w5mxq6ct214aead

Manually in Registry Editor:

1) win+r --> regedit --> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer --> right click on link and click on Modify. ---> Change the value to 00 00 00 00 and click on OK.
_NOTE: To change the value, press the Delete (Del) key once and type 00._

Another random tweak that saves time. I just found actually.... after using windows for how long?









Basically it sets the view settings for all folders in your system so that you don't have to change it a million times.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KeyBoard_Ninja*
> 
> Heya,
> 
> wonder if anyone can help me. I recently purchased a SSD (OCZ agility 3) and last night i did the install. i disconnected all my HDD's and only had the SSD in. Upon boot up, i went in the BIOS and switched to AHCI, saved and exit and i get this message " Sata 1 drive - atapi incompatible, Press F1 to continue". Any idea what the issue is? I went on to install windows and followed the guide and everything is fine in the OS environment and the DVD(SATA) drive picks up in the BIOS as well. HELP please!!!!


Try installing in IDE mode, update the SSDs firmware, then use the guide on changing sata modes to change to AHCI.


----------



## KeyBoard_Ninja

hey Sean,

I just realized that i had the SSD connected to the Sata 3 6gb/s port which from what i gather runs of the Marvell® PCIe 9128 controller : - . do you advise i just change the connection to the 3gb/s port?!!! I'm fairly new to SSD's and just dont want to do a new install if it is un-necessary. Thoughts if that could be a possible issue as well?!


----------



## XSCounter

Avoid Marvell like plague. Plug your SSD to Intel Sata 3Gb/s port and enjoy. You won't notice a speed difference between 3Gb/s and 6Gb/s ports.


----------



## Cloudpost

I installed windows without reading your guide







and installed window under IDE. I'm deciding to do a fresh install with all the optimization! I have a question though. Can i clone the ssd now to a HDD and re clone when im done with the fresh install or will it be detrimental since windows is now installed under AHCI and not IDE?


----------



## StormXLR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> I don't know for sure, but it seems a little "off", even for the SB850. I would have expected the seq reads to be in the mid to high 400's. Also, I think your 4K-64 thread score also seems low. I would have expected the overall score to be higher, but that may be a result of the reads seemingly low.
> It is very possible you had alot of drive activity (besides the benchmark) going on when you ran the bench. Do you consistantly get the same results?
> Do you have the latest firmware on the SSD. I also understand that if you enable NCQ, (Native Command Queuing), in RAID expert (even with the single drive) that these scores improve. May be something to look at.
> But then again... I may be completely off base.


Yes i was comparing my numbers with some other scores ive seen here and on crucial forums, and my Seq read and 4k-64 read both are REALLY LOW especially 4k-64 that one is just beyond low XD








my drive activite was at null, I only had the benchmark running at that time and yes i ran it 4 times and got about the same numbers.
I have the latest firmware , chipset and ncq enabled .


----------



## KeyBoard_Ninja

Thanks dude, will give it a shot when i get home


----------



## XSCounter

There is an easy way to switch to AHCI without reinstalling. Although I am a bit lazy to find a guide. It's all over so google is the way to go. After that you can clone your Windows. Should work just fine.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> Yes i was comparing my numbers with some other scores ive seen here and on crucial forums, and my Seq read and 4k-64 read both are REALLY LOW especially 4k-64 that one is just beyond low XD
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> my drive activite was at null, I only had the benchmark running at that time and yes i ran it 4 times and got about the same numbers.
> I have the latest firmware , chipset and ncq enabled .


Unfortunately, after doing some research (looking at some reviews from 2010)... It seems that to some extent, the SATA 6Gb/s implentation on the ASUS CH4 was done pretty poorly. I don't know if there was ever a fix with updated drivers. There may be a few things you may want to check.

Last year (2010) with the SB850, a BIOS update was required to get the most out of an SSD (the fix was for the 6Gb/s interface). Are you updated to the latest BIOS for your board? Are you using the latest RAID driver V3.2.1540.24 ? Have you run a bench with CnQ (Cool & Quiet) turned off. After that... I'm stumped on how to get improvement.

You may want to look through the AMD motherboard forum, and see if anyone came up with a way to improve HDD (SSD) performance with your Motherboard. From what I've seen on the webz, SATA 6Gb/s is/was a problem, but most of what I saw was from 2010.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cloudpost*
> 
> I installed windows without reading your guide
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and installed window under IDE. I'm deciding to do a fresh install with all the optimization! I have a question though. Can i clone the ssd now to a HDD and re clone when im done with the fresh install or will it be detrimental since windows is now installed under AHCI and not IDE?


Don't bother reinstalling, just do the optimizations if you want.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> There is an easy way to switch to AHCI without reinstalling. Although I am a bit lazy to find a guide. It's all over so google is the way to go. After that you can clone your Windows. Should work just fine.


It is in the second post under "How to: Change SATA Mode after installation!" -_-

Y U NO READ GUIDE! ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ


----------



## axipher

+1 to avoiding Marvell Controller, they work great for HDD's, that's about it. I got lucky on my ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX board, the Marvell controller is used solely for eSata on the back I/O panel, the 6 Sata 3 ports are all AMD so I just simply disabled the Marvell completely.


----------



## StormXLR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Unfortunately, after doing some research (looking at some reviews from 2010)... It seems that to some extent, the SATA 6Gb/s implentation on the ASUS CH4 was done pretty poorly. I don't know if there was ever a fix with updated drivers. There may be a few things you may want to check.
> Last year (2010) with the SB850, a BIOS update was required to get the most out of an SSD (the fix was for the 6Gb/s interface). Are you updated to the latest BIOS for your board? Are you using the latest RAID driver V3.2.1540.24 ? Have you run a bench with CnQ (Cool & Quiet) turned off. After that... I'm stumped on how to get improvement.
> You may want to look through the AMD motherboard forum, and see if anyone came up with a way to improve HDD (SSD) performance with your Motherboard. From what I've seen on the webz, SATA 6Gb/s is/was a problem, but most of what I saw was from 2010.


Yeah I got latest RAID drivers installed and my CnQ is always disabled. I just installed newest bios to check and the performance has not improved in any way.
I will try to find some info on that but so far googling have not came up with anything at all...
its so sad my Seq Read (is almost as fast) and write is faster on my Raid 0 Re4 compared to my M4 ssd so sad T_T i want to cry... kill me for buying 200 usd ssd...

SEAN help me out pl0x!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Unfortunately, after doing some research (looking at some reviews from 2010)... It seems that to some extent, the SATA 6Gb/s implentation on the ASUS CH4 was done pretty poorly. I don't know if there was ever a fix with updated drivers. There may be a few things you may want to check.
> Last year (2010) with the SB850, a BIOS update was required to get the most out of an SSD (the fix was for the 6Gb/s interface). Are you updated to the latest BIOS for your board? Are you using the latest RAID driver V3.2.1540.24 ? Have you run a bench with CnQ (Cool & Quiet) turned off. After that... I'm stumped on how to get improvement.
> You may want to look through the AMD motherboard forum, and see if anyone came up with a way to improve HDD (SSD) performance with your Motherboard. From what I've seen on the webz, SATA 6Gb/s is/was a problem, but most of what I saw was from 2010.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah I got latest RAID drivers installed and my CnQ is always disabled. I just installed newest bios to check and the performance has not improved in any way.
> I will try to find some info on that but so far googling have not came up with anything at all...
> its so sad my Seq Read (is almost as fast) and write is faster on my Raid 0 Re4 compared to my M4 ssd so sad T_T i want to cry... kill me for buying 200 usd ssd...
> 
> SEAN help me out pl0x!
Click to expand...









You and a few others have the same issue with that mobo. IDK what's up, xandypx is more knowledgeable on this than I.


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> Yeah I got latest RAID drivers installed and my CnQ is always disabled. I just installed newest bios to check and the performance has not improved in any way.
> I will try to find some info on that but so far googling have not came up with anything at all...
> its so sad my Seq Read (is almost as fast) and write is faster on my Raid 0 Re4 compared to my M4 ssd so sad T_T i want to cry... kill me for buying 200 usd ssd...
> SEAN help me out pl0x!


the ch4 isnt the only board that has problems with ssd in raid. amd just has a crappy raid/sata controller and no ammount of driver/bios updates with fix this. it bottlenecks both of my ssd in raid. im barely getting over 800mb/s read-write on my board. if i add my 3rd ssd, i get maybe 100mb/s extra. so A) i donate a kidney and get a raid card or B) sell my rig and go intel.


----------



## StormXLR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> Yeah I got latest RAID drivers installed and my CnQ is always disabled. I just installed newest bios to check and the performance has not improved in any way.
> I will try to find some info on that but so far googling have not came up with anything at all...
> its so sad my Seq Read (is almost as fast) and write is faster on my Raid 0 Re4 compared to my M4 ssd so sad T_T i want to cry... kill me for buying 200 usd ssd...
> SEAN help me out pl0x!
> 
> 
> 
> the ch4 isnt the only board that has problems with ssd in raid. amd just has a crappy raid/sata controller and no ammount of driver/bios updates with fix this. it bottlenecks both of my ssd in raid. im barely getting over 800mb/s read-write on my board. if i add my 3rd ssd, i get maybe 100mb/s extra. so A) i donate a kidney and get a raid card or B) sell my rig and go intel.
Click to expand...

I have SINGLE SSD its just i got 2x RE4s in RAID 0 so i had to run ports all ports in RAID mode
I see so if I get a raid card and put my SINGLE SSD on it , it will work? Or put my 2 RE4s on raid card and switch the mobo to AHCI ?
BTW arent there some cheap/decent raid cards?
....
on the second note i just checked newegg and " MOTHER OF GOD" why are those raid cards so bloody expansive O_O you can buy a whole new setup for that much i5/new mobo

this one seems like cheapest most decent one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816101358


----------



## firestorm1

i would use single ssd on the motherboard and use the re4s on the raid card.


----------



## gotasavage2

What is the best way i can perform a clean install from a system image? Just use the win 7 disk and do the below steps again and then restore from system image?

Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, Type diskpart, press Enter
Type list disk, press Enter
Type select disk X (where X is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type clean, press Enter
Type create partition primary align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
Note: If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
Type format quick fs=ntfs, press Enter
Type active, press Enter
Type exit, press Enter
Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it.


----------



## shnur

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> All drives are plugged in the Intel ports and you have the RAID 0 array created already correct?
> 
> You pop in the install disc, boot up.
> Go to custom install and no drives show up.
> open dvd tray
> swap the install disc with the mobo disc
> Click load drivers
> click browse
> manually select the drivers on the disc
> and it wont work?


9. You are correct.

I built the array and it should be there, first time I'm doing it so probably not doing it right.

There's no "custom install" I don't even get there, just clicking install and brings me to the nothingness...

I can't manually select drivers because disk doesn't show up.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gotasavage2*
> 
> What is the best way i can perform a clean install from a system image? Just use the win 7 disk and do the below steps again and then restore from system image?
> 
> Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type diskpart, press Enter
> Type list disk, press Enter
> Type select disk X (where X is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type clean, press Enter
> Type create partition primary align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
> Note: If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
> Type format quick fs=ntfs, press Enter
> Type active, press Enter
> Type exit, press Enter
> Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
> Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it.


Yea that will do fine.
Quote:


> 9. You are correct.
> I built the array and it should be there, first time I'm doing it so probably not doing it right.
> There's no "custom install" I don't even get there, just clicking install and brings me to the nothingness...
> I can't manually select drivers because disk doesn't show up.


Odd...:/ can't really think of anything.


----------



## OutlawII

Just got my M4 up and running just wanted to give Sean a big thanks for this guide. Folowed it to the end and everything workining flawless!!!


----------



## shnur

Me neither


----------



## KeyBoard_Ninja

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Try installing in IDE mode, update the SSDs firmware, then use the guide on changing sata modes to change to AHCI.


Worked like a charm dude!!!!!! thanks a stack!


----------



## StormXLR

If the problem is in RAID drivers, would running the SSD in AHCI and ditching my raid 0 array(until i switch to intel or get raid card) solve the problem ?


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> If the problem is in RAID drivers, would running the SSD in AHCI and ditching my raid 0 array(until i switch to intel or get raid card) solve the problem ?


that would be the way to go for now.


----------



## luke-hoare

Really good walk through! Really help me out with my first SSD!
Thanks mate!


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> If the problem is in RAID drivers, would running the SSD in AHCI and ditching my raid 0 array(until i switch to intel or get raid card) solve the problem ?


Probably not, but you could always try&#8230; It certainly couldn't hurt as a test.
Single drives that are not part of an ARRAY, even though managed by the RAID controller, operate in AHCI mode (or at least are supposed to). The controller should be using an AHCI driver that is incorporated into the RAID driver for the single drive.

With AMD, it may be possible to garner a little extra from the SSD if the controller also does not need to manage the ARRAY (less controller overhead).

Rather than a complete reinstall for the test, initially why don't you try disconnecting the two RE4s to see if just having the SSD attached shows improvement. The controller without the extra drives attached should require less overhead. If you see no (or some for that matter) improvement, you could always reinstall after that to see if further improvements can be seen.

But either way, let us know your results... You've peaked my curiosity.


----------



## kevindd992002

I would recommend updating the OP to just install Winodows while BIOS/UEFI is set to "RAID" mode even for single SSD/HDD drives. This is in fact the same as running the drive in AHCI mode just with the added benefit of potential use of RAID in the future.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> I would recommend updating the OP to just install Winodows while BIOS/UEFI is set to "RAID" mode even for single SSD/HDD drives. This is in fact the same as running the drive in AHCI mode just with the added benefit of potential use of RAID in the future.


Meh, you can always change it and boot is slightly slower in RAID mode lol.


----------



## shnur

I gave up on RAID...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> I gave up on RAID...










I guess you need to give me some of them...


----------



## GuardianDuo

Sorry to bother you again, but is it possible to move the ENTIRE Users folder to a secondary HDD? Not just the My Documents and stuff, but the whole folder (including AppData)?

Should I try the NTFS junction stuff? And if so, should I use the same method for Program Files?

http://lifehacker.com/5467758/move-the-users-directory-in-windows-7

Thanks in advance!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> Sorry to bother you again, but is it possible to move the ENTIRE Users folder to a secondary HDD? Not just the My Documents and stuff, but the whole folder (including AppData)?
> 
> Should I try the NTFS junction stuff? And if so, should I use the same method for Program Files?
> 
> http://lifehacker.com/5467758/move-the-users-directory-in-windows-7
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Make a system image first!

It should work if you follow that guide. Let us know how it goes.

Though I suggest you keep your appdata folder on the SSD b/c there are a bunch of program files in there and the same with the programs folder; the whole point of an SSD is so that the OS and programs open quickly...why do you want to move the programs folder in the first place?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Meh, you can always change it and boot is slightly slower in RAID mode lol.


Really? Because it needs to go through the RAID firmware first?

I just got the suggestion of using RAID instead of AHCI from a renowned guy in HardForum when updating the Intel RAID OROM.


----------



## StormXLR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> If the problem is in RAID drivers, would running the SSD in AHCI and ditching my raid 0 array(until i switch to intel or get raid card) solve the problem ?
> 
> 
> 
> Probably not, but you could always try&#8230; It certainly couldn't hurt as a test.
> Single drives that are not part of an ARRAY, even though managed by the RAID controller, operate in AHCI mode (or at least are supposed to). The controller should be using an AHCI driver that is incorporated into the RAID driver for the single drive.
> 
> With AMD, it may be possible to garner a little extra from the SSD if the controller also does not need to manage the ARRAY (less controller overhead).
> 
> Rather than a complete reinstall for the test, initially why don't you try disconnecting the two RE4s to see if just having the SSD attached shows improvement. The controller without the extra drives attached should require less overhead. If you see no (or some for that matter) improvement, you could always reinstall after that to see if further improvements can be seen.
> 
> But either way, let us know your results... You've peaked my curiosity.
Click to expand...

I tried disconnecting the RE4s and all other hard drives and it does give me a slight boost in Seq reads by 20mb/s but thats really not much of improvement. I just got a deal to sell my cpu and mobo for 500 bucks so i am getting a UD7 and 2500k








I will shoot myself if it performs crappy on intel , mark my words.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Really? Because it needs to go through the RAID firmware first?
> I just got the suggestion of using RAID instead of AHCI from a renowned guy in HardForum when updating the Intel RAID OROM.


Yeah Raid drivers take 4ever to boot up and it always is inconstant, can take anywhere from 5 to 20 seconds to load them up.
Logically it is better to run it in RAID but if you know and you wont have it there is no point.


----------



## GuardianDuo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> Sorry to bother you again, but is it possible to move the ENTIRE Users folder to a secondary HDD? Not just the My Documents and stuff, but the whole folder (including AppData)?
> 
> Should I try the NTFS junction stuff? And if so, should I use the same method for Program Files?
> 
> http://lifehacker.com/5467758/move-the-users-directory-in-windows-7
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> 
> 
> Make a system image first!
> 
> It should work if you follow that guide. Let us know how it goes.
> 
> Though I suggest you keep your appdata folder on the SSD b/c there are a bunch of program files in there and the same with the programs folder; the whole point of an SSD is so that the OS and programs open quickly...why do you want to move the programs folder in the first place?
Click to expand...

Well, not all my games are from Steam, and I have a large amount of programs that I use occasionally and that don't require fast opening.
Can I have two Program Files folders? Like, one for Microsoft Office and a few games on the SSD, and the other for all my other junk?

And I'll try it tomorrow and post results.


----------



## TomcatV

Please skip to question @ bottom if long winded details are annoying









Hi gang, Black Friday inspired me to become the proud owner of an Extreme4 Gen3 mobo/2500K/8gb (2x4) GSkill RJX 1600 cl9! Long painful story short, I was waiting for funds to add a Crucial M4 and an H100, that hasn't happened yet, I could wait no longer and used a clean HDD for a 1st boot/test bench trial before in box installation.

Following *Sean's excellent Win7 install & optimization guide* i got just to the point of installing the mobo drivers (that's another ? later). At that point I had a Win7 home64bit OEM installed on a clean 150GB Velociraptor with a 40gb partition for the OS using only 15.1GB's! Note: I got confused with the GPT vs MBR and just went with a regular install (1024/MBR?-"Low MMIO Align 1024m" to quote bios from UEFI setup/Advanced/North Bridge Configuration) since this is a trial run until I get my SSD.

I'm a greedy nOOb and here's where things got ****y







I had to see if my previous rigs HDD (1TB F3) would be readable to transfer all my games etc later. With both HDD's installed, after some trial n error, I got it to boot to the new OS on the Raptor (not the old OS) but the install had grown to 24.5GB's :O ... so I redid the hibernation/sys restore optimizations and a few others and the install has now grown "NOT Shrunk" to 31.7GB's and I haven't even loaded the mobo/vga drivers/update Win7, etc yet so I decided to try a new "clean" re-install ... Finally my 1st question, and you think my X was long winded









*QUESTIONS ...*

1) In the ASRock UEFI Bios/Boot/Boot Option #1 ... which option do I choose to have Win7 intall disk boot from? I have 2 kinds of choices for only "One" connected DVD drive?

a) *UEFI: Optiarc DVD* ... OR

b) *AHCI: P5: Optiarc DVD* ...

Keeping it to 1 question for now I apologize for the long winded inquiry, but I find it helpful for others to fully understand the circumstances, so they don't make the same "dumb" mistakes! Thanks in advance for info comments


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> -Super snip-
> *QUESTIONS ...*
> 
> 1) In the ASRock UEFI Bios/Boot/Boot Option #1 ... which option do I choose to have Win7 intall disk boot from? I have 2 kinds of choices for only "One" connected DVD drive?
> 
> a) *UEFI: Optiarc DVD* ... OR
> 
> b) *AHCI: P5: Optiarc DVD* ...


Just use the the MBR guide and use the *"AHCI: P5: Optiarc DVD"* to boot from.


----------



## TomcatV

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just use the the MBR guide and use the *"AHCI: P5: Optiarc DVD"* to boot from.


Thanks Sean ... I hope your Karma meter (stockings) are full for x-mas! I would've guessed wrong and used the UEFI dvd option :I ... what is that for?
AND I assume I should use the GPT/ 4096 install for best performance once I do officially get my SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Thanks Sean ... I hope your Karma meter (stockings) are full for x-mas!


I wish








Quote:


> I would've guessed wrong and used the UEFI dvd option :I ... what is that for?


It wouldn't have been wrong, but it is really only if you are installing on a GPT formatted drive.
Quote:


> AND I assume I should use the GPT/ 4096 install for best performance once I do officially get my SSD?


Stick with the MBR still, GPT is mainly for people installing on drive partitions over 2.2TB and others that want to "experiment" with it.


----------



## BradleyW

Ok Sean as requested i will try and get some useful info into this thread for you, just like my 4096 alignment information! I'm so jelly bro!


----------



## TomcatV

[/QUOTE]
Stick with the MBR still, GPT is mainly for people installing on drive partitions over 2.2TB and others that want to "experiment" with it.
[/quote]

Thanks! now I'm back here again (MBR/4096 - 15.1MB total install!) ...

Restart for the first time: Applies to SSD/HDD 1.Open the Start Menu
2.Click the arrow next to Shut down
3.Click Restart
*Note: Plug in any secondary drives,* if so, just click Shut down instead of restart. This applies all the changes.

When I add my 1TB F3 (secondary drive) back in do I need to delete my old Win7 OS off of there 1st (it's on it's own partition within that drive) so things don't go wonky again or should it be OK and I just missed something last time? I want to save all the games etc, or I'd just wipe the whole drive and it's 3 partions. Just want to get this cleared up as I'll be doing the same thing with the SSD hopefully after x-mas







... And the secondary F3 I'm sure was originally (default) aligned @1024 will that be a problem now? and/or later with the SSD if I also format that MBR/4096?

Thanks again for all your help, sorry for so many questions.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Thanks! now I'm back here again (MBR/4096 - 15.1MB total install!) ...
> 
> Restart for the first time: Applies to SSD/HDD 1.Open the Start Menu
> 2.Click the arrow next to Shut down
> 3.Click Restart
> *Note: Plug in any secondary drives,* if so, just click Shut down instead of restart. This applies all the changes.
> 
> When I add my 1TB F3 (secondary drive) back in do I need to delete my old Win7 OS off of there 1st (it's on it's own partition within that drive) so things don't go wonky again or should it be OK and I just missed something last time? I want to save all the games etc, or I'd just wipe the whole drive and it's 3 partions. Just want to get this cleared up as I'll be doing the same thing with the SSD hopefully after x-mas
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


in disk management there should show you a 100mb partition on the secondary drive, delete it if you see it. if there is one on your OS disk do not delete that one.

as for the when whole windows you can delete it no problem as well
Quote:


> And the secondary F3 I'm sure was originally (default) aligned @1024 will that be a problem now? and/or later with the SSD if I also format that MBR/4096?
> 
> Thanks again for all your help, sorry for so many questions.


no need to change it.


----------



## BradleyW

I will add stuff to your buyer guide in the afternoon Sean.


----------



## _TRU_

figured out my free space reporting prob. w trim the os takes a min to do a complete awareness of total space.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Thanks! now I'm back here again (MBR/4096 - 15.1MB total install!) ...
> 
> Restart for the first time: Applies to SSD/HDD 1.Open the Start Menu
> 2.Click the arrow next to Shut down
> 3.Click Restart
> *Note: Plug in any secondary drives,* if so, just click Shut down instead of restart. This applies all the changes.
> 
> When I add my 1TB F3 (secondary drive) back in do I need to delete my old Win7 OS off of there 1st (it's on it's own partition within that drive) so things don't go wonky again or should it be OK and I just missed something last time? I want to save all the games etc, or I'd just wipe the whole drive and it's 3 partions. Just want to get this cleared up as I'll be doing the same thing with the SSD hopefully after x-mas
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...
> 
> 
> 
> in disk management there should show you a 100mb partition on the secondary drive, delete it if you see it. if there is one on your OS disk do not delete that one.
> 
> as for the when whole windows you can delete it no problem as well
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> And the secondary F3 I'm sure was originally (default) aligned @1024 will that be a problem now? and/or later with the SSD if I also format that MBR/4096?
> 
> Thanks again for all your help, sorry for so many questions.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> no need to change it.
Click to expand...

Before you delete the entire Windows partition from the "Old" install, check your "Users" folders under your Main login name on the old drive, especially the hidden directory "App Data". You will more than likely find all of your saved games information in this directory. Copy these files to a safe place, retaining the directory structure. That way, you can recopy them back to the same directories under your new "User" directory after your Windows 7 installation to the SSD, and not lose any saved game information.


----------



## Baasha

Hope someone can help me with this ASAP!

I just installed my two brand new SSDs (Corsair Force GT 120GB) for the very first time. I turned the computer on and now it won't boot into Windows!









When I go into the BIOS, only the Corsair Force GTs and my 1TB Samsung HDD show up in the Boot Device menu! My OS is currently installed on my "old" SSDs (2 G-SKILL 32GB in RAID-0). I have both the old SSDs and the new Corsair SSDs plugged into a 4-drive SSD cage (with one cable that has 4 SATA connections and one Molex connector for power). Why are my "old" SSDs not being recognized?

I tried switching the "Storage Configuration" to AHCI (From RAID) and that didn't help. I set it back to RAID mode to no avail.

Please help!

The motherboard I have is the Asus P6T7 WS SuperComputer with the latest BIOS.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Baasha*
> 
> Hope someone can help me with this ASAP!
> I just installed my two brand new SSDs (Corsair Force GT 120GB) for the very first time. I turned the computer on and now it won't boot into Windows!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When I go into the BIOS, only the Corsair Force GTs and my 1TB Samsung HDD show up in the Boot Device menu! My OS is currently installed on my "old" SSDs (2 G-SKILL 32GB in RAID-0). I have both the old SSDs and the new Corsair SSDs plugged into a 4-drive SSD cage (with one cable that has 4 SATA connections and one Molex connector for power). Why are my "old" SSDs not being recognized?
> I tried switching the "Storage Configuration" to AHCI (From RAID) and that didn't help. I set it back to RAID mode to no avail.
> Please help!
> The motherboard I have is the Asus P6T7 WS SuperComputer with the latest BIOS.


Baasha, your motherboard has 6 Sata ports running off the Intel controller. I've never used one of those cages you described, but if you have enough extra sata cables laying around, try connecting each drive to the ports (and power connector) individually, instead of using that cage. See if they get recognized that way first.


----------



## Kyronn94

So I'll be getting my Crucial M4 a week today as a Christmas present, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing









As far as I can tell, all I need to do is:

Set drive mode to AHCI in the BIOS.
Install windows with only the SSD connected to my primary SATA Port.
Disable hibernation and disk defrag.
Download all windows updates.
Restart.
Connect second HDD and move the 'Users' and 'Program Files (x86)' to the second HDD, using the 'Location' tab under 'Properties'

And I should be good to go?

Thanks


----------



## Baasha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Baasha, your motherboard has 6 Sata ports running off the Intel controller. I've never used one of those cages you described, but if you have enough extra sata cables laying around, try connecting each drive to the ports (and power connector) individually, instead of using that cage. See if they get recognized that way first.


It turned out that I hadn't plugged in the SATA connectors to the back of the SSD cage properly! Doh! I just had to push it in (that's what she said) and it worked great! Now, I'm stuck with trying to update the Firmware on the Force GTs because apparently one has to be in AHCI mode but my current OS is 2 G-SKILL SSDs in RAID-0! This means that I can boot into Windows ONLY in RAID mode so I'm not sure how to update the Corsairs! Any ideas on this? HELP!


----------



## Baasha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Baasha, your motherboard has 6 Sata ports running off the Intel controller. I've never used one of those cages you described, but if you have enough extra sata cables laying around, try connecting each drive to the ports (and power connector) individually, instead of using that cage. See if they get recognized that way first.


It turned out that the SATA ports on the SSD cage weren't plugged in properly! I just had to push it in (that's what she said







) and it worked great right away!

Now, I'm stuck with updating the Firmware on the Corsair SSDs because apparently one has to be in AHCI mode but the OS is currently installed on 2 G-SKILL SSDs in RAID-0! This means that I cannot boot into Windows unless I am in RAID mode and that means that I can't update the Firmware! How do I update the firmware (from 1.3.2 to 1.3.3) given my situation? Any ideas? HELP!


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Baasha*
> 
> It turned out that the SATA ports on the SSD cage weren't plugged in properly! I just had to push it in (that's what she said
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) and it worked great right away!
> Now, I'm stuck with updating the Firmware on the Corsair SSDs because apparently one has to be in AHCI mode but the OS is currently installed on 2 G-SKILL SSDs in RAID-0! This means that I cannot boot into Windows unless I am in RAID mode and that means that I can't update the Firmware! How do I update the firmware (from 1.3.2 to 1.3.3) given my situation? Any ideas? HELP!


lol Glad to see you fixed it!

And for your 2nd issue: Hook the Corsair ssd's into the Marvell Sata controller (black).


----------



## stubass

will always recomend these REP+


----------



## BradleyW

I need some help please.
I really cannot get into Parted Magic.
I made the USB Bootable, then i extracted the parted magic PXE files onto the UBS and tried booting via the EUFI MOD and MOD options. Nothing... Can't get it.

Any help please?

I've completely followed all the instructions and tried various methods. I can't get this guide to work Sean.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> I need some help please.
> I really cannot get into Parted Magic.
> I made the USB Bootable, then i extracted the parted magic PXE files onto the UBS and tried booting via the EUFI MOD and MOD options. Nothing... Can't get it.
> 
> Any help please?
> 
> I've completely followed all the instructions and tried various methods. I can't get this guide to work Sean.


Version of parted Magic? If 5.3, you can only boot using unetbootin from a "Live" usb drive.

guide HERE


----------



## BradleyW

Hang on, if this tool installs files to my C drive, when i go to clean the C drive, parted magic will just crash won't it?

Edit: Just tried it and still can't boot?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Hang on, if this tool installs files to my C drive, when i go to clean the C drive, parted magic will just crash won't it?
> 
> Edit: Just tried it and still can't boot?


You shouldn't have to install any files to your HDD/SSD. Install to the USB drive. Don't use the "frugal" install methold. That methold is where you will end up with files on the C:\ drive. Also, the USB will not boot in UEFI mode, only BIOS.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> You shouldn't have to install any files to your HDD/SSD. Install to the USB drive. Don't use the "frugal" install methold. That methold is where you will end up with files on the C:\ drive. Also, the USB will not boot in UEFI mode, only BIOS.


How do i boot it directly from the BIOS?
Thank you.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> You shouldn't have to install any files to your HDD/SSD. Install to the USB drive. Don't use the "frugal" install methold. That methold is where you will end up with files on the C:\ drive. Also, the USB will not boot in UEFI mode, only BIOS.
> 
> 
> 
> How do i boot it directly from the BIOS?
> Thank you.
Click to expand...

Once you have UNetbootin installed, and a copy of the Parted magic .iso , run UNetbootin selecting the option to create the USB drive from a "disk image". point the USB creator to the Parted magic .iso, and create the "live" parted magic USB drive.

When you are ready to boot to the USB drive, select it as the first boot device in your BIOS/UEFI. Alternatively with your ASUS motherboard, you can select the USB drive directly from the "Boot" screen of the UEFI as a "boot override" option provided that the USB with the Parted magic installation is the first USB device listed in the "Boot priority" screen for USB devices.


----------



## Sean Webster

Easiest thing to do is burn the .iso to a cd then boot from that.


----------



## Kyronn94

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kyronn94*
> 
> So I'll be getting my Crucial M4 a week today as a Christmas present, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As far as I can tell, all I need to do is:
> Set drive mode to AHCI in the BIOS.
> Install windows with only the SSD connected to my primary SATA Port.
> Disable hibernation and disk defrag.
> Download all windows updates.
> Restart.
> Connect second HDD and move the 'Users' and 'Program Files (x86)' to the second HDD, using the 'Location' tab under 'Properties'
> And I should be good to go?
> Thanks


Bump


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kyronn94*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Kyronn94*
> 
> So I'll be getting my Crucial M4 a week today as a Christmas present, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As far as I can tell, all I need to do is:
> Set drive mode to AHCI in the BIOS.
> Install windows with only the SSD connected to my primary SATA Port.
> Disable hibernation and disk defrag.
> Download all windows updates.
> Restart.
> *Connect second HDD and move the 'Users' and 'Program Files (x86)' to the second HDD, using the 'Location' tab under 'Properties'*
> And I should be good to go?
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> Bump
Click to expand...

Y move the x86 folder?

Also,
Install Motherboard Drivers
Install newest SATA drivers
Run Windows Experience Index Assessment
check for TRIM
Change power options
And anti virus

basically steps 1,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,14,and 15.
and whatever else in teh second part of optimizations you want.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Once you have UNetbootin installed, and a copy of the Parted magic .iso , run UNetbootin selecting the option to create the USB drive from a "disk image". point the USB creator to the Parted magic .iso, and create the "live" parted magic USB drive.
> When you are ready to boot to the USB drive, select it as the first boot device in your BIOS/UEFI. Alternatively with your ASUS motherboard, you can select the USB drive directly from the "Boot" screen of the UEFI as a "boot override" option provided that the USB with the Parted magic installation is the first USB device listed in the "Boot priority" screen for USB devices.


I repped you for the help but i still can't get this to run. Could be the USB. It has been playing up now and again.


----------



## Kyronn94

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Y move the x86 folder?
> Also,
> Install Motherboard Drivers
> Install newest SATA drivers
> Run Windows Experience Index Assessment
> check for TRIM
> Change power options
> And anti virus
> basically steps 1,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,14,and 15.
> and whatever else in teh second part of optimizations you want.


Thanks for the quick reply









I've made me a list so I don't forget anything.

Program Files x86 is the default on my current system, is it not supposed to be?
I'm still on an OEM install of Windows if that means anything.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kyronn94*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Y move the x86 folder?
> Also,
> Install Motherboard Drivers
> Install newest SATA drivers
> Run Windows Experience Index Assessment
> check for TRIM
> Change power options
> And anti virus
> basically steps 1,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,14,and 15.
> and whatever else in teh second part of optimizations you want.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the quick reply
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've made me a list so I don't forget anything.
> 
> Program Files x86 is the default on my current system, is it not supposed to be?
> I'm still on an OEM install of Windows if that means anything.
Click to expand...

The x86 folder is supposed to be on the C: drive. leave it there that is where a bunch of your program files go.


----------



## BradleyW

Sean, you might wanna try out those steps yourself for the bootable USB and booting parted magic for future reference to see if your guide needs changing in that section or if it's just my USB being a bugger.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Sean, you might wanna try out those steps yourself for the bootable USB and booting parted magic for future reference to see if your guide needs changing in that section or if it's just my USB being a bugger.


I use parted magic on a CD and it works fine. the bootable usb works fine as well for dos .exe programs as well. Just not .isofiles like parted magic. You need to do what andy said http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ That ways works fine as well.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

On Parted Magic's website I believe he says starting with version 5.3 and up, PM will not be compatible by booting with a usb unless you want to take extra steps. I find it easiest to use by burning it to a dvd. The latest version 11.24 is perfect.


----------



## Djstorm100

Whats the purpose of "create partition primary align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
Note: If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance."

I've got my m4 in my machine

I updated the bios using my old HHD RAID0

completely shut down

powered back up went in to bios and set everything to defalut but I set the legancy support enable

powered down again

inserted the windows disk and I'm at the load screen

Just stuck about why I want to create a partition. Newbie here, sorry if this is a stupid question.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Djstorm100*
> 
> Whats the purpose of "create partition primary align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
> Note: If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance."
> 
> I've got my m4 in my machine
> 
> I updated the bios using my old HHD RAID0
> 
> completely shut down
> 
> powered back up went in to bios and set everything to defalut but I set the legancy support enable
> 
> powered down again
> 
> inserted the windows disk and I'm at the load screen
> 
> Just stuck about why I want to create a partition. Newbie here, sorry if this is a stupid question.


To install windows onto lol.


----------



## Djstorm100

I'm saying whats the point in going from 1024 to 4096? Why do you have to do it like this vs just going to the menu on windows?

Sean, thank you for all your help in all this. Really Just trying to learn.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Djstorm100*
> 
> I'm saying whats the point in going from 1024 to 4096? Why do you have to do it like this vs just going to the menu on windows?
> 
> Sean, thank you for all your help in all this. Really Just trying to learn.


There is a whole thing about it on the facts section in the second post.

Basically it is just more optimal for the drive over 1024.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I use parted magic on a CD and it works fine. the bootable usb works fine as well for dos .exe programs as well. Just not .isofiles like parted magic. You need to do what andy said http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ That ways works fine as well.


I did use unetbootin.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I use parted magic on a CD and it works fine. the bootable usb works fine as well for dos .exe programs as well. Just not .isofiles like parted magic. You need to do what andy said http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ That ways works fine as well.
> 
> 
> 
> I did use unetbootin.
Click to expand...

Use a CD then. Or even better...don't even worry about the secure erase lol.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Use a CD then. Or even better...don't even worry about the secure erase lol.


I mean...does secure erease even boost performance?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Use a CD then. Or even better...don't even worry about the secure erase lol.
> 
> 
> 
> I mean...does secure erease even boost performance?
Click to expand...

Older drives it does, newer ones however you don't need to. I noticed no increase before after a secure erase...except when I had an odd issue.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I use parted magic on a CD and it works fine. the bootable usb works fine as well for dos .exe programs as well. Just not .isofiles like parted magic. You need to do what andy said http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ That ways works fine as well.
> 
> 
> 
> I did use unetbootin.
Click to expand...

Bradley... it's not UNetbootin... It's the downloaded Distro of parted magic 2011_11_24. I created a new USB drive with UNetbootin using the new download. Although parted magic does load.. you can watch it, it reaches a point where the video driver turns off. Blank black screen. I haven't yet burned this iso to disk to see if it will boot all the way from CD. I usually just use a CD. Bradley why did you make me try a USB drive...







I'll try later to see if i can figure out what's wrong with the distro.

I ran the same procedure with the .iso from parted magic 6.0. booted to the USB.. bang, right into Parted Magic. So, if you choose to run from a USB drive, use an older version of Parted magic.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I use parted magic on a CD and it works fine. the bootable usb works fine as well for dos .exe programs as well. Just not .isofiles like parted magic. You need to do what andy said http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ That ways works fine as well.
> 
> 
> 
> I did use unetbootin.
Click to expand...

Bradley... it's not UNetbootin... It's the downloaded Distro of parted magic 2011_11_24. I created a new USB drive with UNetbootin using the new download. Although parted magic does load.. you can watch it, it reaches a point where the video driver turns off. Blank black screen. I haven't yet burned this iso to disk to see if it will boot all the way from CD. I usually just use a CD. Bradley why did you make me try a USB drive...







I'll try later to see if i can figure out what's wrong with the distro.

I ran the same procedure with the .iso from parted magic 6.0. booted to the USB.. bang, right into Parted Magic. So, if you choose to run from a USB drive, use an older version of Parted magic.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Use a CD then. Or even better...don't even worry about the secure erase lol.
> 
> 
> 
> I mean...does secure erease even boost performance?
Click to expand...

Only necessary if you are having problems with the drive, or if you see performance degrdation that does not clear up by itself (Garbage collection/TRIM cycle finally runs).


----------



## BradleyW

I'm concerned. I clicked delete on the SSD upon windows install and went on new and then next. Will that help remove any sort of TRIM or garbage issue? As far as i am aware, i don't have such issues.
Here are my benchmark results.
Do they lookas they should for my SSD inperticular?


----------



## BradleyW

Just to add.
found this
Sequential: 166.74 MB/s Read, 72.43 MB/s Write
•4k: 15.85 MB/s Read (4057 iops), 48.21 MB/s Write (12341 iops)
•4K-64Thread: 50.81 MB/s Read (13007 iops), 70.35 MB/s Write (18010 iops)
•Access Time: .157ms Read, .317ms Write
http://compreviews.about.com/od/storage/gr/OCZ-Agility-3-60GB.htm

I got better reads on all but my writes are lower?
Then again, my SSD is 3/4 full.










So what is the verdict?


----------



## mcg75

Here's the product link for the Agility 3 from OCZ.

http://www.ocztechnology.com/res/manuals/OCZ_Agility3_Product_sheet.pdf

Everything looks good. The writes are a little low but that may have to do with the drive getting closer to full. But even then, they aren't that far off.


----------



## arcilux

Is this all the same for a completely new build? Or are there differences? Mainly things like the disconnect all drives except the SSD. I will be building from scratch and both the HDD and SSD (as well as all other components) will be brand new. Would just be as simple as: Put computer together. Set AHCI in BIOS, put Windows 7 disk in the ODD, install?


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mcg75*
> 
> Here's the product link for the Agility 3 from OCZ.
> http://www.ocztechnology.com/res/manuals/OCZ_Agility3_Product_sheet.pdf
> Everything looks good. The writes are a little low but that may have to do with the drive getting closer to full. But even then, they aren't that far off.


Thanks. I was talking to ACHILEE5. He has 2 identical SSD's. The writes are much lower on one of them because the OS is installed on that drive.


----------



## mcg75

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *arcilux*
> 
> Is this all the same for a completely new build? Or are there differences? Mainly things like the disconnect all drives except the SSD. I will be building from scratch and both the HDD and SSD (as well as all other components) will be brand new. Would just be as simple as: Put computer together. Set AHCI in BIOS, put Windows 7 disk in the ODD, install?


Yes, that is basically the essentials of what you need to do.

One you get that far and get windows loaded, use Sean's guide for tweaks.


----------



## mcg75

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Thanks. I was talking to ACHILEE5. He has 2 identical SSD's. The writes are much lower on one of them because the OS is installed on that drive.


Makes sense. Your drive should still feel really fast because reads are not effected by being full though.

The 4k-64thrd mark basically tells us how fast the drive would respond to 64 write requests by the OS. Realistically, most desktop users see a max of 10 or less requests at one time.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *arcilux*
> 
> Is this all the same for a completely new build? Or are there differences? Mainly things like the disconnect all drives except the SSD. I will be building from scratch and both the HDD and SSD (as well as all other components) will be brand new. Would just be as simple as: Put computer together. Set AHCI in BIOS, put Windows 7 disk in the ODD, install?


It doesn't matter if it is a new build install or a reinstall it will always be the same. Just pop in the SSD, make the SATA mode AHCI, and install the OS.


----------



## arcilux

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It doesn't matter if it is a new build install or a reinstall it will always be the same. Just pop in the SSD, make the SATA mode AHCI, and install the OS.


Should I still leave the storage HDD out until the OS has been installed?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *arcilux*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It doesn't matter if it is a new build install or a reinstall it will always be the same. Just pop in the SSD, make the SATA mode AHCI, and install the OS.
> 
> 
> 
> Should I still leave the storage HDD out until the OS has been installed?
Click to expand...

Yep


----------



## mcg75

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *arcilux*
> 
> Should I still leave the storage HDD out until the OS has been installed?


Yes. This will prevent Windows from accidently putting anything on it.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mcg75*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *arcilux*
> 
> Should I still leave the storage HDD out until the OS has been installed?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes. This will prevent Windows from accidently putting anything on it.
Click to expand...

Actually.. with the 2nd HDD attached... Windows install will do it on purpose.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Actually.. with the 2nd HDD attached... Windows install will do it on purpose.


haha I hate that


----------



## GuardianDuo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kyronn94*
> 
> So I'll be getting my Crucial M4 a week today as a Christmas present, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As far as I can tell, all I need to do is:
> 
> Set drive mode to AHCI in the BIOS.
> Install windows with only the SSD connected to my primary SATA Port.
> Disable hibernation and disk defrag.
> Download all windows updates.
> Restart.
> Connect second HDD and *move the 'Users' and 'Program Files (x86)' to the second HDD, using the 'Location' tab under 'Properties'*
> 
> And I should be good to go?
> 
> Thanks


Actually, there is no location tab for the Users and Program Files folders - that is why I was seeking an alternative method to move them.
You can use the location tab method for the folders inside of Users\YourUsername *except for the AppData folder,* which will slowly grow as you use more programs or stuff.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Kyronn94*
> 
> So I'll be getting my Crucial M4 a week today as a Christmas present, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As far as I can tell, all I need to do is:
> 
> Set drive mode to AHCI in the BIOS.
> Install windows with only the SSD connected to my primary SATA Port.
> Disable hibernation and disk defrag.
> Download all windows updates.
> Restart.
> Connect second HDD and *move the 'Users' and 'Program Files (x86)' to the second HDD, using the 'Location' tab under 'Properties'*
> 
> And I should be good to go?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, there is no location tab for the Users and Program Files folders - that is why I was seeking an alternative method to move them.
> You can use the location tab method for the folders inside of Users\YourUsername *except for the AppData folder,* which will slowly grow as you use more programs or stuff.
Click to expand...

You actually can "relocate" the Programs Files and Program Files (x86); to a different location through a registry hack... but do you really want to? What you are actually doing through the hack, is changing the default location for installing new programs, so you are not actually moving programs you have already installed.

This can still allow you to install some programs (the ones that allow you to specify an install location through a custom install; not all do), onto your SSD if that is where you want them. All others will install to the default location that you specify in the registry change.

Windows doesn't care where it loads program information from, as long as it knows the location&#8230; Programs can load from an SSD, secondary HDD, or both depending on how you installed them in the first place. One of the key benefits of an SSD is fast program load times. Programs that are installed to a secondary HDD don't benefit from the speed of the SSD. This technique can be useful for a small SSD where you only need to have your most commonly used programs on the SSD.

You unfortunately just can't move the installed programs&#8230; That requires too many registry changes, as each program writes its executable location/working files location in the registry, based on information that existed when the program was first installed. Also the App Data for each program, as you indicate, still remains on the SSD, where it should. You would need to reinstall all of the programs that you want to move off the SSD after the registry change.

TwoCables and I posted a thread on how to do this some time ago. I'll see if I can find it, and edit this post accordingly.

*EDIT: I hate that the search function is not working, so here's a write up:*

You will require a single registry edit on 32 bit installations, or 2 edits on a 64 bit installation, as indicated below:

First, after installing Windows, create a directory on your D:\ drive called "Program Files" (or whatever drive letter is associated with your secondary HDD). If you are running a 64bit version of Windows, also create a directory called "Program Files (x86)".
*DO NOT* delete these directories from your C:\ drive (the SSD). You will ultimately use these for programs you want on your SSD.

Next, open registry editor by pushing your windows key +R. In the run dialog box, type "regedit" (without the quotes).

Before making any changes, I always recommend "exporting" the entire current registry to a file on your desktop, in case you make a mistake. You can restore the original registry you changed with this exported copy. The export command is located in the "File" menu.

Once you have exported the current registry,

expand: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion, by clicking on the arrows to expand the individual keys.

Make sure you click on CurrentVersion (it should be highlighted). On the right side, double click on ProgramFilesDir (this is the value that sets the default install location for programs).

Change its "value data" to D:\Program Files ("D" or whatever drive letter your HDD is)

With an x64 OS: There is an additional entry for ProgramFilesDir (x86). This "value data" should be changed to D:\Program Files (x86).

Just for reference, (this happens automatically&#8230; no user input required):

In a 32 bit installation, all programs are installed to the "Program Files" directory.
In a 64 bit installation, 64bit applications are installed to "Program Files", and 32 bit applications are installed to "Program Files (x86)"

After the registry change, all program install routines will install their programs onto the secondary HDD by default. If you want a program to install to the SSD, you will need to do a "custom" install, and specify the location; (Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)") on your C:\ drive (the SSD). If you don't specifically specify a location, the program will end up on your secondary HDD. There are a few exceptions where an installer will force the program onto your C:\ drive (the SSD). Microsoft is notorious for this.


----------



## BradleyW

Well thank you everyone for the help. My results look better than fine as it would seem.


----------



## jamor

My last CPU piece comes in today!

*"Next check your UEFI/BIOS for these settings:"*

I am building the CPU from scratch (my first time) - does this STILL come before installing Windows or just do it after installing windows?

And I see we are configuring the SSD as a boot drive. Will this also mean it can be used for programs and anything else you want?

I'm using the SSD as a boot drive & all programs/apps


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jamor*
> 
> My last CPU piece comes in today!
> 
> *"Next check your UEFI/BIOS for these settings:"*
> 
> I am building the CPU from scratch (my first time) - does this STILL come before installing Windows or just do it after installing windows?


Yes always comes b4 lol
Quote:


> And I see we are configuring the SSD as a boot drive. Will this also mean it can be used for programs and anything else you want?


Why wouldn't it?


----------



## BradleyW

Yep it will just work like a hard drive would. You can boot from an SSD with an OS installed plus you may install programs and games as normal


----------



## jamor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Yep it will just work like a hard drive would. You can boot from an SSD with an OS installed plus you may install programs and games as normal


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes always comes b4 lol
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> And I see we are configuring the SSD as a boot drive. Will this also mean it can be used for programs and anything else you want?
> 
> 
> 
> Why wouldn't it?
Click to expand...

Thanks







Just getting the dumbest questions out of the way


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jamor*
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just getting the dumbest questions out of the way


We all have to start somewhere when we are learning about something new.


----------



## intelfan

My SSD is supposed to arrive tomorrow, I have a quick question. Is it possible to move/mirror the OS form the HDD to the SSD or do I need to do a fresh install? Thanks.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> My SSD is supposed to arrive tomorrow, I have a quick question. Is it possible to move/mirror the OS form the HDD to the SSD or do I need to do a fresh install? Thanks.


I used software to do this ages ago called clonedrive i believe.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> My SSD is supposed to arrive tomorrow, I have a quick question. Is it possible to move/mirror the OS form the HDD to the SSD or do I need to do a fresh install? Thanks.


easus Todo backup should do it.


----------



## intelfan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> easus Todo backup should do it.


I'm not familiar with the program, is it possible to back up the OS and other critical files? Other programs I can reinstall. How is the backup gonna work exactly? I don't understand. Usually I drag my photos and documents and files on a flash drive and reinstall everything. How is this different?


----------



## UltraHoboLord

I have the SAMSUNG 470 Series 256GB on my laptop are there any benches for it?


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> I'm not familiar with the program, is it possible to back up the OS and other critical files? Other programs I can reinstall. How is the backup gonna work exactly? I don't understand. Usually I drag my photos and documents and files on a flash drive and reinstall everything. How is this different?


This is what am talking about. I was able to directly copy everything from drive 1 to drive 2, then unplug drive 1 and use the PC as normal!
http://www.slysoft.com/en/virtual-clonedrive.html


----------



## StormXLR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *UltraHoboLord*
> 
> I have the SAMSUNG 470 Series 256GB on my laptop are there any benches for it?


You can use AS-SSD and ATTTO Disk Benchmark
http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-guide-optimization-for-ssds-hdds check first page under downloads

______________________________________

Hey *Sean* I got my Intel board and cpu







Got my RE4s under Raid on intel chipset (not marvell)
check out this sexy benchmarks !
Also here is my M4 on intel











Now i wanted to ask how do you decrease boot up time? Takes 4ever to boot up 55-65 seconds! Bios takes ~25-30 but loading screen and windows welcome take incredible long T_T ive seen boot ups in 8-15 seconds WITH bios...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> easus Todo backup should do it.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not familiar with the program, is it possible to back up the OS and other critical files? Other programs I can reinstall. How is the backup gonna work exactly? I don't understand. Usually I drag my photos and documents and files on a flash drive and reinstall everything. How is this different?
Click to expand...

There is a system image backup option. You can back up your C: drive as it is atm then restore it to the new SSD.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> I'm not familiar with the program, is it possible to back up the OS and other critical files? Other programs I can reinstall. How is the backup gonna work exactly? I don't understand. Usually I drag my photos and documents and files on a flash drive and reinstall everything. How is this different?
> 
> 
> 
> This is what am talking about. I was able to directly copy everything from drive 1 to drive 2, then unplug drive 1 and use the PC as normal!
> http://www.slysoft.com/en/virtual-clonedrive.html
Click to expand...

Also, clonezilla, macrium reflect, and driveimage xml are other options.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> Hey *Sean* I got my Intel board and cpu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Got my RE4s under Raid on intel chipset (not marvell)
> check out this sexy benchmarks !
> Also here is my M4 on intel


Congrats!
Quote:


> Now i wanted to ask how do you decrease boot up time? Takes 4ever to boot up 55-65 seconds! Bios takes ~25-30 but loading screen and windows welcome take incredible long T_T ive seen boot ups in 8-15 seconds WITH bios...


-.- Time to optimize your BIOS...and do you have any USB devices connected?


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> There is a system image backup option. You can back up your C: drive as it is atm then restore it to the new SSD.
> Also, *clonezilla, macrium reflect, and driveimage xml* are other options.
> Congrats!
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Now i wanted to ask how do you decrease boot up time? Takes 4ever to boot up 55-65 seconds! Bios takes ~25-30 but loading screen and windows welcome take incredible long T_T ive seen boot ups in 8-15 seconds WITH bios...
> 
> 
> 
> -.- Time to optimize your BIOS...and do you have any USB devices connected?
Click to expand...

I just found clonedrive very easy many years ago


----------



## intelfan

Thanks guys. One last question. Is it possible to copy the OS and certain programs? Right now, I only have one hard drive with about 100GBs full while the SSD has a smaller capacity than it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> Thanks guys. One last question. Is it possible to copy the OS and certain programs? Right now, I only have one hard drive with about 100GBs full while the SSD has a smaller capacity than it.


Make sure you uninstall any programs you can, disable hibernation, Run CCleaner and windows built in disk cleanup, maove any and all personal files to another drive if possible. Any back up game saves and uninstall games.

That should get you to the proper size. Though I suggest you do a fresh install anyways.


----------



## GreekElite

hello sean, my old hdd was dual booting but this one isnt? SSd is configured in AHCI whereas HDD is configured as IDE is that a problem to why my computer is not booting with both connected?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GreekElite*
> 
> hello sean, my old hdd was dual booting but this one isnt? SSd is configured in AHCI whereas HDD is configured as IDE is that a problem to why my computer is not booting with both connected?


Most likely if you are booting the HDD in AHCI mode and you haven't done the registry edit to AHCI first.


----------



## GreekElite

what registry editing do i need to do to get my hdd to boot with ahci ???


----------



## Sean Webster

Set the bios to IDE, have only the HDD in and boot up. Then do this:

*Change to AHCI from IDE Mode after Installation:*

Exit all Windows-based programs.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type *Regedit* there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window. (If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.)
Locate and then click the following registry sub key:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci


In the right pane right-click Start in the Name column and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
Restart your computer
Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable AHCI, Save & Reboot
Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.


----------



## Ulric

Hello. Nice guide Sean. I have a question about it though. It says to set power settings to have the computer never automatically go to sleep. What sort of benefit does this have? If I leave it on will this cause any problems with the SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ulric*
> 
> Hello. Nice guide Sean. I have a question about it though. It says to set power settings to have the computer never automatically go to sleep. What sort of benefit does this have? If I leave it on will this cause any problems with the SSD?


No problems will occur, it just lets the PC run garbage collection when the PC has idle time. You can use sleep whenever you want. I use it all the time lol. I just don't like my PC shutting off when I don't set it to.


----------



## Djstorm100

Does GC still work when in sleep or does the PC have to be fully booted up and at full power?


----------



## StormXLR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Now i wanted to ask how do you decrease boot up time? Takes 4ever to boot up 55-65 seconds! Bios takes ~25-30 but loading screen and windows welcome take incredible long T_T ive seen boot ups in 8-15 seconds WITH bios...
> 
> 
> 
> -.- Time to optimize your BIOS...and do you have any USB devices connected?
Click to expand...

Yeah, my keyboard, mouse, cam, bluetooth dongle, high speed usb cable


----------



## jamor

Fantastic guide. I didn't get much sleep last night just playing around. This has been so valuable.

Hibernation saved me 6 GBs! I don't have the courage to delete system restore yet.. Perhaps when I get a little more advanced. 5% (5+ GBs) is a lot of space though so I will probably end up deleting it in the future. I could change it to 1% - does that make system restore kind of useless?

I created a system Image onto USB drive - it asked me to create a system disc and I said no (I didn't have a blank disc). Can I still create a system disc later? Also, how big of a Disc do we need? I don't have Blu-Ray and the file was 22 GBs (I imaged before optimization).

What's wrong with having a Recycle Bin on SSD - Does deleting it in RB not delete it permanently? I used it to delete a bunch of space off my USB drive so I could create a system Image. I disabled RB after.

Hiccups so far:

I could not find ACPI 2.0 option in BIOS (advanced mode). Searched forever.

I could not figure out how to update my SSD firmware in BIOS. Did not see any options.


----------



## BradleyW

Getting another agility 3 for xmas for mega raid speeds! yay!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Djstorm100*
> 
> Does GC still work when in sleep or does the PC have to be fully booted up and at full power?


Not in sleep, only in idle when the SSD is on.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormXLR*
> 
> Yeah, my keyboard, mouse, cam, bluetooth dongle, high speed usb cable


Unplug everything but the KB and Mouse and see if it loads faster. Also some KB and Mice can cause a hang as well.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jamor*
> 
> Fantastic guide. I didn't get much sleep last night just playing around. This has been so valuable.
> 
> Hibernation saved me 6 GBs! I don't have the courage to delete system restore yet.. Perhaps when I get a little more advanced. 5% (5+ GBs) is a lot of space though so I will probably end up deleting it in the future. I could change it to 1% - does that make system restore kind of useless?


I use 3% on my drive which is 1.78GB and get like 4-6 restore times.
Quote:


> I created a system Image onto USB drive - it asked me to create a system disc and I said no (I didn't have a blank disc). Can I still create a system disc later? Also, how big of a Disc do we need? I don't have Blu-Ray and the file was 22 GBs (I imaged before optimization).


Repair disc is fine with a 700MB CD. You can make one when ever you want. It should be an option above the create a system image option.
Quote:


> What's wrong with having a Recycle Bin on SSD - Does deleting it in RB not delete it permanently? I used it to delete a bunch of space off my USB drive so I could create a system Image. I disabled RB after.


Having the recycle bin on the SSD drive just adds writes to it since it moves data from where you deleted it on the drive to the recycle bin. And When you delete it in the recycle bin it still does delete it permanently.
Quote:


> Hiccups so far:
> I could not find ACPI 2.0 option in BIOS (advanced mode). Searched forever.


New board don't have that option b/c it is enabled at default.
Quote:


> I could not figure out how to update my SSD firmware in BIOS. Did not see any options.


Got to your SSD manufacturers website and see what the newest one is. I have links in the downloads section.
Also SSDlife tool will tell you your firmware.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Getting another agility 3 for xmas for mega raid speeds! yay!


----------



## jamor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> What's wrong with having a Recycle Bin on SSD - Does deleting it in RB not delete it permanently? I used it to delete a bunch of space off my USB drive so I could create a system Image. I disabled RB after.
> 
> 
> 
> Having the recycle bin on the SSD drive just adds writes to it since it moves data from where you deleted it on the drive to the recycle bin. And When you delete it in the recycle bin it still does delete it permanently.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing all of that up.

Does disabling the Trash Bin permanently delete those 'trash deleted files' or do I need to do this manually. Was about 10 GB of songs.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jamor*
> 
> Thanks for clearing all of that up.
> Does disabling the Trash Bin permanently delete those 'trash deleted files' or do I need to do this manually. Was about 10 GB of songs.


If you have the trash bin disabled for your C drive anything delete from your C drive will be permanently deleted when you delete it.


----------



## jamor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you have the trash bin disabled for your C drive anything delete from your C drive will be permanently deleted when you delete it.


Right. What I meant is that I dumped 10GB of music from an attached USB drive onto my C: Recycle Bin (and emptied it) so that I could fit the SYSTEM IMG on the USB (before I disabled the Trash Bin).

I probably shouldn't worry about something so frivolous though.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jamor*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you have the trash bin disabled for your C drive anything delete from your C drive will be permanently deleted when you delete it.
> 
> 
> 
> Right. What I meant is that I dumped 10GB of music from an attached USB drive onto my C: Recycle Bin (and emptied it) so that I could fit the SYSTEM IMG on the USB (before I disabled the Trash Bin).
> 
> I probably shouldn't worry about something so frivolous though.
Click to expand...

LOL, IF IT ISN'T IN THE TRASH BIN AND NOT IN THE OLD LOCATION IT IS DELETED.


----------



## 45nm

Sean thanks for your guide it was very helpful during my post Windows 7 64bit SP1 installation. You have managed to combine both the OCZ and the G.Skill guide and simplify it and make it effective.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *45nm*
> 
> Sean thanks for your guide it was very helpful during my post Windows 7 64bit SP1 installation. You have managed to combine both the OCZ and the G.Skill guide and simplify it and make it effective.


Np, glad you like it.









There is a OCZ and the G.Skill guide?

*BTW. I am uploading videos for the steps in the guide so it is even easier to follow now!







*


----------



## intelfan

Sean, followed your guide and I must say, it was easy even for a novice like me.









Can you please expand on this?

Shrink the old HDD OS partition
Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space
Then move the personal files to the new partition
When done moving your files delete the older OS partition
Then expand the new partition into the left over free space

How do you shrink the old OS? Thanks in advance.

Also, what do people mean when they use different controllers Marvel vs Sandforce. Which one would I be using? I have a UD3P and I enabled ACHI mode in BIOS. How would you switch?


----------



## kevindd992002

Is the 4096 alignment needed when creating the Windows 7 installation USB-drive? Is 4096 beneficial for flash disks?

Also, when installing the OS on the SSD with the storage HDD removed, what part will you put back the storage HDD?


----------



## Djstorm100

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you have the trash bin disabled for your C drive anything delete from your C drive will be permanently deleted when you delete it.



So can you have the Recycle bin (assuming you are referring to it as the trash bin) for other drives? I have SSD and then 1tb HD for data and 500gb for Back up *EDIT: You can select with drive use Recycle bin*
Also if I wanted to raid 0 my data HD (I would put two 500 and use 1tb as backup, as this was my old setup) Would I just setup the raid just like your normally would? Unplug the SSD go in to bio, change ti raid, restart bios go in and set up the raid, restart bio and shut off, hook up SSD and goo to go?








Also Hiberation is S4 correct? I only see in my bios for S1 S3 and then S1 and S3. But under windows shut up screen I have option to hibernate if wanted to. Didn't know if disabling it even though I can't choose it in bio would still free up space. *EDIT: I must of skipped over it original as you said Hibernation is totally different than Sleep, so I did it and save 5GB*
When i get my new board after xmas and 2500k or 2600k I can just plug my SSD with OS and just go or need to clean install it again?
When doing this step
Remove start up programs and other things:

Download autouns and run
Uncheck the items you wish to disable
Note: This is one of my favorite apps lol
** unchecking them in the program "autoruns" it will disable them correct? Just uncheck them and once done close the program, there is not "apply" button to hit? From reading the help file its just uncheck and go. But since I run fire fox will its program features still be under the explorer or internet explorer? *EDIT: after reading the help file more it applies this way. Is there a program that tell you what is not need on boot up or services?*
Even at 4.2 ghz on my I7 950 I'm getting 7.7 on my WEI score. Sounds silly just trying to get 7.9







Data transfer was 7.8 but I think thats because of me being on a SATA 2 port vs SATA 3

The Ram Disk I think would be helpful for me since I built this computer mostly for CAD (my profession other than being a mechanic) How much room am I suppose to set a side (all my ram)? I have 6gb of ram installed and is it reversible?


Sorry for all the question but some of the question has zero search hits.

Your guide has helped me out soo much and I still find my self trying to find little ways to improve the performance under further optimization ! Thank you!


----------



## Baasha

Sean, I followed your guide and set up my brand new Corsair Force GT (120GB) x2 in RAID-0.

Installed Windows 7 x64 and ran some tests. I am on an X58 board (Asus P6T7 WS SuperComputer) so I only have SATA 2 ports.

Are these scores for these SSDs (2 of them in RAID-0) pretty good for SATA 2?

Also, I tried installing the new NVidia Beta drivers (290.53) and it didn't allow me to enable 4-way SLI. Whenever I clicked on "Span Displays with Surround" or "Maximize 3D Performance", it kept showing "SLI" instead of "4-Way SLI".

When I reverted back to the 285.62 WHQL drivers, however, it works fine. The reason I brought this up is that I read on the NVidia forums that apparently people with SandForce based SSDs (as the Corsair Force GT is one of them) and X58 motherboards are having issues with the new NVidia beta drivers (290.XX). Apparently for many, the driver just seems to uninstall itself after restarting the PC. I didn't have that happen to me but I am unable to enable 4-Way SLI. I have tried numerous uninstalls and reinstalls of the beta drivers to no avail. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Here are the SSD RAID-0 benchmarks:


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> Sean, followed your guide and I must say, it was easy even for a novice like me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Can you please expand on this?
> Shrink the old HDD OS partition
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space
> Then move the personal files to the new partition
> When done moving your files delete the older OS partition
> Then expand the new partition into the left over free space
> How do you shrink the old OS? Thanks in advance.


Will do soon, but you can shrink the partition in disk management and adjust the partition size and such there as well. Ill do a video on it soon







Quote:


> Also, what do people mean when they use different controllers Marvel vs Sandforce. Which one would I be using? I have a UD3P and I enabled ACHI mode in BIOS. How would you switch?


Marvell vs Sandforce is for SSDs

Marvell vs Native Intel or AMD SATA ports is what you mean.

Marvell suck and Native = 100000000 times better.

Use your mobo manual and make sure your drive is in the right port. It should be if you installed the newest sata driver for it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is the 4096 alignment needed when creating the Windows 7 installation USB-drive? Is 4096 beneficial for flash disks?


No point don't worry about it.
Quote:


> Also, when installing the OS on the SSD with the storage HDD removed, what part will you put back the storage HDD?


??? Says in step 3 lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Djstorm100*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you have the trash bin disabled for your C drive anything delete from your C drive will be permanently deleted when you delete it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So can you have the Recycle bin (assuming you are referring to it as the trash bin) for other drives? I have SSD and then 1tb HD for data and 500gb for Back up *EDIT: You can select with drive use Recycle bin*
Click to expand...

Yep
Quote:


> [*] Also if I wanted to raid 0 my data HD (I would put two 500 and use 1tb as backup, as this was my old setup) Would I just setup the raid just like your normally would? Unplug the SSD go in to bio, change ti raid, restart bios go in and set up the raid, restart bio and shut off, hook up SSD and goo to go?


Raid 0 for backup = not good idea

And make the array with the SSD in and you will be fine.
Quote:


> [*] Also Hiberation is S4 correct? I only see in my bios for S1 S3 and then S1 and S3. But under windows shut up screen I have option to hibernate if wanted to. Didn't know if disabling it even though I can't choose it in bio would still free up space. *EDIT: I must of skipped over it original as you said Hibernation is totally different than Sleep, so I did it and save 5GB*


Never used or had hibernation so i do not know. lol
Quote:


> [*] When i get my new board after xmas and 2500k or 2600k I can just plug my SSD with OS and just go or need to clean install it again?


I suggest you reinstall








Quote:


> [*] When doing this step
> Remove start up programs and other things:
> 
> Download autouns and run
> Uncheck the items you wish to disable
> Note: This is one of my favorite apps lol
> ** unchecking them in the program "autoruns" it will disable them correct? Just uncheck them and once done close the program, there is not "apply" button to hit? From reading the help file its just uncheck and go. But since I run fire fox will its program features still be under the explorer or internet explorer?


Uncheck and go









I love it! and firefox is not supported by it so i will not be affected

Quote:


> *EDIT: after reading the help file more it applies this way. Is there a program that tell you what is not need on boot up or services?*


you really don't need any of the boot up stuff, just choose what you want. I just leave most of it enabled honestly, like skype, teamviewer, msn, virus software, audio driver, etc.
Quote:


> [*] Even at 4.2 ghz on my I7 950 I'm getting 7.7 on my WEI score. Sounds silly just trying to get 7.9
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Data transfer was 7.8 but I think thats because of me being on a SATA 2 port vs SATA 3


I had the same as you when i had my i7 930 @ 4.2 lol
Quote:


> [*] The Ram Disk I think would be helpful for me since I built this computer mostly for CAD (my profession other than being a mechanic) How much room am I suppose to set a side? I have 6gb of ram installed and is it reversible?


I would grab like 24GB of ram, download the full copy of dataram ramdisk for $15 and get playing with it. And yes it is reversible as in you can turn it off and on whenever, you just need to experiment.
Quote:


> Sorry for all the question but some of the question has zero search hits.
> 
> Your guide has helped me out soo much and I still find my self trying to find little ways to improve the performance under further optimization ! Thank you!


NP








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Baasha*
> 
> Sean, I followed your guide and set up my brand new Corsair Force GT (120GB) x2 in RAID-0.
> 
> Installed Windows 7 x64 and ran some tests. I am on an X58 board (Asus P6T7 WS SuperComputer) so I only have SATA 2 ports.
> 
> Are these scores for these SSDs (2 of them in RAID-0) pretty good for SATA 2?


looks good to me.
Quote:


> Also, I tried installing the new NVidia Beta drivers (290.53) and it didn't allow me to enable 4-way SLI. Whenever I clicked on "Span Displays with Surround" or "Maximize 3D Performance", it kept showing "SLI" instead of "4-Way SLI".
> 
> When I reverted back to the 285.62 WHQL drivers, however, it works fine. The reason I brought this up is that I read on the NVidia forums that apparently people with SandForce based SSDs (as the Corsair Force GT is one of them) and X58 motherboards are having issues with the new NVidia beta drivers (290.XX). Apparently for many, the driver just seems to uninstall itself after restarting the PC. I didn't have that happen to me but I am unable to enable 4-Way SLI. I have tried numerous uninstalls and reinstalls of the beta drivers to no avail. Any ideas on how to fix this?


Nope sorry


----------



## Djstorm100

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Will do soon, but you can shrink the partition in disk management and adjust the partition size and such there as well. Ill do a video on it soon
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, what do people mean when they use different controllers Marvel vs Sandforce. Which one would I be using? I have a UD3P and I enabled ACHI mode in BIOS. How would you switch?
> 
> 
> 
> Marvell vs Sandforce is for SSDs
> Marvell vs Native Intel or AMD SATA ports is what you mean.
> Marvell suck and Native = 100000000 times better.
> Use your mobo manual and make sure your drive is in the right port. It should be if you installed the newest sata driver for it.
> NP
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> looks good to me.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, I tried installing the new NVidia Beta drivers (290.53) and it didn't allow me to enable 4-way SLI. Whenever I clicked on "Span Displays with Surround" or "Maximize 3D Performance", it kept showing "SLI" instead of "4-Way SLI".
> When I reverted back to the 285.62 WHQL drivers, however, it works fine. The reason I brought this up is that I read on the NVidia forums that apparently people with SandForce based SSDs (as the Corsair Force GT is one of them) and X58 motherboards are having issues with the new NVidia beta drivers (290.XX). Apparently for many, the driver just seems to uninstall itself after restarting the PC. I didn't have that happen to me but I am unable to enable 4-Way SLI. I have tried numerous uninstalls and reinstalls of the beta drivers to no avail. Any ideas on how to fix this?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Nope sorry
Click to expand...

Already bought the Ramdisk full verison!

24 GB of ram? Really? lol Holly **** I won't have a problem with the chip set? I could of sworn I read on evga forums they had problems with that much ram. How much should I set in ram disk all? I don't really understand how it works or what it does really. From my understanding it takes ram and turns it in to a driver (save data) but its like a partition correct? If I Ramdisk 2gb I will only have 4gb to use as memory?

**** found this The amount of memory reserved by RAMDisk for the OS is 512 MB. Therefore, the maximum
size RAMDisk you can create = Installed RAM - 512 MB.****

Ramdisk said that I only have 5536mb to use even though I have 6gb of ram?

How would I set it up to make CAD programs faster? I image there is a tweet like the one use for Firefox.

What would be some fast ram for the money? I have this ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145286 and this board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Djstorm100*
> 
> Already bought the Ramdisk full verison!











Quote:


> 24 GB of ram? Really?


Oh yea buddy!








Quote:


> lol Holly **** I won't have a problem with the chip set? I could of sworn I read on evga forums they had problems with that much ram.


Hmm...IDK, I would make sure to see what you can get for sure. maybe 12 will be fine, but 6 is pushing it.
Quote:


> How much should I set in ram disk all?


As much as you want/need
Quote:


> I don't really understand how it works or what it does really.


And you already bought it? lol
Quote:


> From my understanding it takes ram and turns it in to a driver (save data) but its like a partition correct?


Yea, makes the RAM you allocate to it a super fast disk for your data to be put on.
You can use it as a scratch disk, temp file save location, whatever and have no lag from it. The CPU is a bottle neck to it b/c it is so fast XD
Quote:


> If I Ramdisk 2gb I will only have 4gb to use as memory?


Yep
Quote:


> How would I set it up to make CAD programs faster? I image there is a tweet like the one use for Firefox.


Google and be creative with it. I may be able to give you ideas, but it is late now and i am too tired to think lol

What CAD software you use? I've used AutoCAD and 3DS Max.
Quote:


> What would be some fast ram for the money? I have this ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145286 and this board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039


Just get another set of that if you can or a 3x4GB set to start off with

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%20600006050%20600006078%20600000261%20600006127&IsNodeId=1&name=DDR3%201600%20%28PC3%2012800%29

I like G.Skill and Mushkin, but any will do.

Also, you better have pagefile on with your system!


----------



## Djstorm100

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> 24 GB of ram? Really?
> 
> 
> 
> Oh yea buddy!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> lol Holly **** I won't have a problem with the chip set? I could of sworn I read on evga forums they had problems with that much ram.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Hmm...IDK, I would make sure to see what you can get for sure. maybe 12 will be fine, but 6 is pushing it.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> How much should I set in ram disk all?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> As much as you want/need
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't really understand how it works or what it does really.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> And you already bought it? lol
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> From my understanding it takes ram and turns it in to a driver (save data) but its like a partition correct?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yea, makes the RAM you allocate to it a super fast disk for your data to be put on.
> You can use it as a scratch disk, temp file save location, whatever and have no lag from it. The CPU is a bottle neck to it b/c it is so fast XD
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> If I Ramdisk 2gb I will only have 4gb to use as memory?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yep
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> How would I set it up to make CAD programs faster? I image there is a tweet like the one use for Firefox.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Google and be creative with it. I may be able to give you ideas, but it is late now and i am too tired to think lol
> What CAD software you use? I've used AutoCAD and 3DS Max.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> What would be some fast ram for the money? I have this ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145286 and this board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Just get another set of that if you can or a 3x4GB set to start off with
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%20600006050%20600006078%20600000261%20600006127&IsNodeId=1&name=DDR3%201600%20%28PC3%2012800%29
> I like G.Skill and Mushkin, but any will do.
> Also, you better have pagefile on with your system!
Click to expand...

Pagefile?

I use autocad 2012, Pro-E, Revit mostly.

Do I just install the software on to the Ramdisk? Is that how/what you are suppose to do?

Hey! it was only 15 bucks lol

Am I going to notice a different between Cas Latency of 8/9?

I see alot of opinion for 9 9 9 9 24 But don't know which is the best (money not being a major concern)

These are the ones I'm looking at

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233189

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231464

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231358


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Pagefile?


Yea! LOL, just don't disable it that is all.
Quote:


> I use autocad 2012, Pro-E, Revit mostly.


I'll look into optimizing workflow for those tomorrow or something if you want.
Quote:


> Do I just install the software on to the Ramdisk? Is that how/what you are suppose to do?


nah, you put your files you are working with on there mostly.
Quote:


> Hey! it was only 15 bucks lol


haha


----------



## Djstorm100

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Pagefile?
> 
> 
> 
> Yea! LOL, just don't disable it that is all.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I use autocad 2012, Pro-E, Revit mostly.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I'll look into optimizing workflow for those tomorrow or something if you want.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Do I just install the software on to the Ramdisk? Is that how/what you are suppose to do?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> nah, you put your files you are working with on there mostly.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Hey! it was only 15 bucks lol
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> haha
Click to expand...

I did a quick search to see what Pagefile is and kept getting people say "Don't disable it!" Never told what it does/what it is for.

That be awesome if you could see in to optimizing the workflow, whenever you have time.

So put the drawing files that I'm using on it or my templates (for cad)

For games what (say BF2) what you put on the Ramdisk what files exactly?


----------



## Sean Webster

Ok, last round of q's for the night, i need to sleep.







lol
Quote:


> I did a quick search to see what Pagefile is and kept getting people say "Don't disable it!" Never told what it does/what it is for.


You didn't see wiki? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paging

basically a file set on the HDD/SSD for programs if you have memory (RAM) overflow and need more space. Just leave it enabled and shrink if you want, i have tut in guide lol.
Quote:


> That be awesome if you could see in to optimizing the workflow, whenever you have time.
> 
> So put the drawing files that I'm using on it or my templates (for cad)


Yep like save them there when working on them and then when your done copy them to the main storage media.
Quote:


> For games what (say BF2) what you put on the Ramdisk what files exactly?


...use symbolic links and drag the who BF2 folder on a large ramdisk lol, instant map loads








I'll teach you how later, but there is a tut linked in my guide...actually 3 or so lol


----------



## kevindd992002

@Sean Webster and Andy

Technically speaking though, what is the best alignment and allocation unit sizes for flash disks?


----------



## jamor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> LOL, IF IT ISN'T IN THE TRASH BIN AND NOT IN THE OLD LOCATION IT IS DELETED.


LOL. DIDN'T KNOW THAT. I THOUGHT THAT YOU SAID IF YOU DELETE IT THROUGH RECYCLE BIN, ITS NOT PERMANENTLY DELETED.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @Sean Webster and Andy
> 
> Technically speaking though, what is the best alignment and allocation unit sizes for flash disks?


It doesn't really matter, flash drives are limited, not by the alignment of the drive, but rather by the USB's interface/controller. USB 2 devices max at 480Mb/s (yep mega bits; the limitation of USB2). Due to overhead, the flash drives actually perform slower than this. USB 3 devices are limited by the controller on the drive itself, not by the USB 3.0 interface, and can't perform anywhere near the bandwidth that USB 3.0 would allow. Also, the memory on most USB flash drives is EEPROM (helps keeps the cost down). Aligning, or not aligning a flash drive will not realize any real performance differences. They are not like an SSD that is designed for performance.


----------



## darksun20

Hey Sean,

Just bought my first SSD, wanted to come in here and thank you for you guide. System is screaming fast, I shall never use a mechanical drive again!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> It doesn't really matter, flash drives are limited, not by the alignment of the drive, but rather by the USB's interface/controller. USB 2 devices max at 480Mb/s (yep mega bits; the limitation of USB2). Due to overhead, the flash drives actually perform slower than this. USB 3 devices are limited by the controller on the drive itself, not by the USB 3.0 interface, and can't perform anywhere near the bandwidth that USB 3.0 would allow. Also, the memory on most USB flash drives is EEPROM (helps keeps the cost down). Aligning, or not aligning a flash drive will not realize any real performance differences. They are not like an SSD that is designed for performance.


Thanks. That clears it up.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jamor*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> LOL, IF IT ISN'T IN THE TRASH BIN AND NOT IN THE OLD LOCATION IT IS DELETED.
> 
> 
> 
> LOL. DIDN'T KNOW THAT. I THOUGHT THAT YOU SAID IF YOU DELETE IT THROUGH RECYCLE BIN, ITS NOT PERMANENTLY DELETED.
Click to expand...

lolol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *darksun20*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> Just bought my first SSD, wanted to come in here and thank you for you guide. System is screaming fast, I shall never use a mechanical drive again!


No problem


----------



## Super Saiyan

I have a quick question.

I'm building my new computer from the ground up, so should I build it all ONLY with the SSD first? So it installs windows and everything on the SSD. Then after should I go back and install my HDD and move the folders and what no there?

Thank you!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Super Saiyan*
> 
> I have a quick question.
> 
> I'm building my new computer from the ground up, so should I build it all ONLY with the SSD first? So it installs windows and everything on the SSD. Then after should I go back and install my HDD and move the folders and what no there?
> 
> Thank you!


Yea, install with only the SSD. Then when done put in the HDD and change the user folders locations to the HDD.


----------



## Super Saiyan

Great thanks for your help!


----------



## qbical

I looked all over and I hate to ask, but I am at the install part of my SSD install (GPT) and I am getting the "specified drive letter is not free to be assigned" when trying to assign letter C. I did a disk detail and it shows 2 volumes, but no letters at all. any help would be greatly appreciated. i want to get back to gaming









EDIT: i changed my boot order in the BIOS and now i am seeing that the thumb drive is getting assigned C. i am looking up now how to change drive letters in the prompt, but if anyone has a link feel free to post it. ty

found it: thanks anyways. and for those if they ever need it http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc757491%28WS.10%29.aspx


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qbical*
> 
> I looked all over and I hate to ask, but I am at the install part of my SSD install (GPT) and I am getting the "specified drive letter is not free to be assigned" when trying to assign letter C. I did a disk detail and it shows 2 volumes, but no letters at all. any help would be greatly appreciated. i want to get back to gaming


I know how to fix it. lol

(Try this first!) You can either try ignoring that and continue with the install or...

You need to make the C volume in the system a different drive letter first.

Make sure there are no other drives in the system...

Do you want me to go over the process? lol It is just hard to explain easily atm. haha


----------



## qbical

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I know how to fix it. lol
> (Try this first!) You can either try ignoring that and continue with the install or...
> You need to make the C volume in the system a different drive letter first.
> Make sure there are no other drives in the system...
> Do you want me to go over the process? lol It is just hard to explain easily atm. haha


thanks for the speedy response, but I just plugged thru and everything worked out okay. the guide here overall is just wonderful so thanks for posting it and all the hard work.

My only outstanding question is when i first set-up the drive it showed 83GB not 90GB in the beginning. whatever, assumed there be some loss like a reg HDD, but after my windows install I only had like 52GB free. What happened to all my space?


----------



## firestorm1

pagefile, hybernation file, and system restore file is taking up ~ 20gb of space. id delece them to free up the space.


----------



## qbical

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> pagefile, hybernation file, and system restore file is taking up ~ 20gb of space. id delece them to free up the space.


i turned off the system restore and did about 90% of what the guide said. I will go back and see if those are in there and try them out, ty. idk why, but I was quite surprised to see DOS showing only 83GB fresh out of the box with nothing done to it. why would 7GB not be showing?


----------



## myerz635

seriously awesome guide man, appreciate all of the time and effort that went into creating this!


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qbical*
> 
> i turned off the system restore and did about 90% of what the guide said. I will go back and see if those are in there and try them out, ty. idk why, but I was quite surprised to see DOS showing only 83GB fresh out of the box with nothing done to it. why would 7GB not be showing?


because they don't use the same maths as your operating system. an operating systems work on 1024 while HDD/SSD work on 1000. so according to your SSD it has 90GB but that's in 1000 bytes to a kilobyte. Your operating system works on 1024 bytes to a kilobyte and so on. imo, they do it to make you think there is more space than there is, but if you actually read the fine print it will tell you that there "may be less space than advertised". Its pretty silly but its been like that as long as i can remember.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qbical*
> 
> thanks for the speedy response, but I just plugged thru and everything worked out okay. the guide here overall is just wonderful so thanks for posting it and all the hard work.


NP








Quote:


> My only outstanding question is when i first set-up the drive it showed 83GB not 90GB in the beginning. whatever, assumed there be some loss like a reg HDD,


Read below:
Quote:


> Why is my hard drive smaller than its advertised size?
> There is probably nothing wrong. Imagine a world where a "foot" was 12 inches to one person and 11 to another. The only thing common to the two people with yard sticks would be the size of the inch. Their yard sticks placed side to side would be different. There are two gigabytes, two megabytes, and two kilobytes, each meaning something slightly different then its counterpart. It so happens that 2 ^10th power is almost 1000 (it's 1024) and 2 ^20th power is almost 1 million (it's 1,048,576) and 2 ^30th power is almost 1 billion ( it's 1,073,741,824). A kilobyte is 1000 bytes to person counting in decimal and 1024 bytes to a person using the binary representations. The only thing common to the two measurement systems is the size of a byte.
> 
> Your operating system uses both binary and decimal representations of hard drive space depending on where you look. The hard drive manufacturers use the decimal representation. I've seen people complain that HD manufacturers are using the most beneficial numbers to rate their products, but I don't agree with this. If you use the decimal system you know exactly how many bytes your hard drive will hold without having to think about it. If you use the binary representation, you have to do a calculation to figure the exact number of bytes your hard drive will hold.
> 
> Let's use the example of an 80 gigabyte hard drive. A typical 80 gig will have 80,048,390,144, but Windows will report that as 74.5GB in some places. If we calculate 80,048,390,144/1,048,576 we get roughly 74.55, (binary) gigabytes. A 160 GB drive would be 160,000,000,000/1,073,741,824 or 149.0116119 (binary) gigabytes. To get the values in (binary) megabytes simply divide by 1,048,576.


Quote:


> but after my windows install I only had like 52GB free. What happened to all my space?


Yep, like firestorm1 said, pagefile, hibernation file are killers. Just shrink pagefile down to 1024MB min and max and disable hibernation.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *myerz635*
> 
> seriously awesome guide man, appreciate all of the time and effort that went into creating this!


Thanks








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> because they don't use the same maths as your operating system. an operating systems work on 1024 while HDD/SSD work on 1000. so according to your SSD it has 90GB but that's in 1000 bytes to a kilobyte. Your operating system works on 1024 bytes to a kilobyte and so on. imo, they do it to make you think there is more space than there is, but if you actually read the fine print it will tell you that there "may be less space than advertised". Its pretty silly but its been like that as long as i can remember.


Yep lol


----------



## LivingChampion

Thanks for the tutorial +REP.

Probably should have read it instead of rushing through my installation first. Hehe. Installed my SSD on IDE by accident, but found a easy answer to that.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LivingChampion*
> 
> Thanks for the tutorial +REP.
> 
> Probably should have read it instead of rushing through my installation first. Hehe. Installed my SSD on IDE by accident, but found a easy answer to that.


lol. I hope you saw that the fix was in my guide as well


----------



## Djstorm100

When should or is ok to shrink the page file?

Multitasking as in having a lot of programs open at once? Trying to free up as much space on my SSD as possible.

also going back to RamDisk. If I wanted autocad (the program not the drawing) to open blazing fast I would need to install autocad on to ram disk. The draw them selves open up fast once autocad is loaded up.

I followed you link on how to set up and the firefox way for cache. I haven't don it yet as I'm waiting for after Christmas to get the ram.

Am I going to notice a different between Cas Latency of 8/9?

I see alot of opinion for 9 9 9 9 24 But don't know which is the best (money not being a major concern)

These are the ones I'm looking at

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233189

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231464

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231358


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Djstorm100*
> 
> When should or is ok to shrink the page file?


When you are not maxing out your RAM 24/7. Shrink it to what you feel the need for. Say you have 12GB RAM. You don't need a 12GB pagefile. Shrink it say 1GB-6GB depending on how much RAM your programs use.
Quote:


> Multitasking as in having a lot of programs open at once? Trying to free up as much space on my SSD as possible.


??? That is what multitasking is, is it not? lol
Quote:


> also going back to RamDisk. If I wanted autocad (the program not the drawing) to open blazing fast I would need to install autocad on to ram disk. The draw them selves open up fast once autocad is loaded up.


Yea, if you wanted to you can. Putting it on an SSD is fine for me lol.
Quote:


> I followed you link on how to set up and the firefox way for cache. I haven't don it yet as I'm waiting for after Christmas to get the ram.


Meh, i don't do it lol, some pple do. I really see no real point to it.
Quote:


> Am I going to notice a different between Cas Latency of 8/9?


IDK for sure, but you shouldn't notice it at all, only in synthetic benches.
Quote:


> I see alot of opinion for 9 9 9 9 24 But don't know which is the best (money not being a major concern)
> These are the ones I'm looking at
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233189
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231464
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231358


I'm always partial to G.SKILL lol. Get the Ripjaws or Snipers....all those will perform the same.

Of to bed again lol peace. Fell free t reply and I'll reply in the morning


----------



## kevindd992002

@xandyx

How do I remove the "Windows Boot Manager" entry in UEFI if I want to? Resetting the NVRAM by using the jumper did not do anything. It seems that my motherboard have a backup of all the settings even if you remove the CMOS battery or use the jumper cap. How do I remove that entry?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @xandyx
> 
> How do I remove the "Windows Boot Manager" entry in UEFI if I want to? Resetting the NVRAM by using the jumper did not do anything. It seems that my motherboard have a backup of all the settings even if you remove the CMOS battery or use the jumper cap. How do I remove that entry?


yep.. It's on the SSD, not necessarily on the motherboard. That's that GPT redundency thing.









I made a rather lengthy post on this topic back a few pages (remember the "clogged BCD store" Post?)... I'll wish you luck now.. follow the instructions explicitly. And don't forget to back up your current BCD store first, in case you make a mistake.

here's the post: Clear NVRAM/BCD Store

*EDIT:* kevin, I just realized that you are using GPT... if you remove the Windows Boot manager entry, you won't be able to boot your computer without jumping through hoops. just a heads up.


----------



## qbical

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> because they don't use the same maths as your operating system. an operating systems work on 1024 while HDD/SSD work on 1000. so according to your SSD it has 90GB but that's in 1000 bytes to a kilobyte. Your operating system works on 1024 bytes to a kilobyte and so on. imo, they do it to make you think there is more space than there is, but if you actually read the fine print it will tell you that there "may be less space than advertised". Its pretty silly but its been like that as long as i can remember.


right on, thanks for the info. i know i read something like this a while ago but i just didnt think it would have THAT much inpact on the end capacity.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> NP
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> My only outstanding question is when i first set-up the drive it showed 83GB not 90GB in the beginning. whatever, assumed there be some loss like a reg HDD,
> 
> 
> 
> Read below:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Why is my hard drive smaller than its advertised size?
> There is probably nothing wrong. Imagine a world where a "foot" was 12 inches to one person and 11 to another. The only thing common to the two people with yard sticks would be the size of the inch. Their yard sticks placed side to side would be different. There are two gigabytes, two megabytes, and two kilobytes, each meaning something slightly different then its counterpart. It so happens that 2 ^10th power is almost 1000 (it's 1024) and 2 ^20th power is almost 1 million (it's 1,048,576) and 2 ^30th power is almost 1 billion ( it's 1,073,741,824). A kilobyte is 1000 bytes to person counting in decimal and 1024 bytes to a person using the binary representations. The only thing common to the two measurement systems is the size of a byte.
> Your operating system uses both binary and decimal representations of hard drive space depending on where you look. The hard drive manufacturers use the decimal representation. I've seen people complain that HD manufacturers are using the most beneficial numbers to rate their products, but I don't agree with this. If you use the decimal system you know exactly how many bytes your hard drive will hold without having to think about it. If you use the binary representation, you have to do a calculation to figure the exact number of bytes your hard drive will hold.
> Let's use the example of an 80 gigabyte hard drive. A typical 80 gig will have 80,048,390,144, but Windows will report that as 74.5GB in some places. If we calculate 80,048,390,144/1,048,576 we get roughly 74.55, (binary) gigabytes. A 160 GB drive would be 160,000,000,000/1,073,741,824 or 149.0116119 (binary) gigabytes. To get the values in (binary) megabytes simply divide by 1,048,576.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> but after my windows install I only had like 52GB free. What happened to all my space?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yep, like firestorm1 said, pagefile, hibernation file are killers. Just shrink pagefile down to 1024MB min and max and disable hibernation.
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yep lol
Click to expand...

I did everything you said in your guide in regards to turning off recycle bin, page file, etc, etc and still end up with barely any left over drive space. o well its a good thing i found someone on CL selling Velociraptors. i might just get one of those as a backup or whatever.
thanks again for all your help guys you RULE!!!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> yep.. It's on the SSD, not necessarily on the motherboard. That's that GPT redundency thing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I made a rather lengthy post on this topic back a few pages (remember the "clogged BCD store" Post?)... I'll wish you luck now.. follow the instructions explicitly. And don't forget to back up your current BCD store first, in case you make a mistake.
> here's the post: Clear NVRAM/BCD Store
> *EDIT:* kevin, I just realized that you are using GPT... if you remove the Windows Boot manager entry, you won't be able to boot your computer without jumping through hoops. just a heads up.


oh ok. well, i want to start from scratch. I mean when I installed my motherboard in my case, there isn't any Windows Boot Manager entry in the UEFI. Does that mean it isn't present? Is it different from deleting through BCDedit?

I want to start clean as in delete everything on my SSD. doing a "clean" command in diskpart; would it delete the entry?

@Sean

Is indexing not recommended to be disabled on an SSD?

How about increasing the number of processors under Boot->Advanced Options of msconfig, won't that boost startup speed?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> yep.. It's on the SSD, not necessarily on the motherboard. That's that GPT redundency thing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I made a rather lengthy post on this topic back a few pages (remember the "clogged BCD store" Post?)... I'll wish you luck now.. follow the instructions explicitly. And don't forget to back up your current BCD store first, in case you make a mistake.
> here's the post: Clear NVRAM/BCD Store
> *EDIT:* kevin, I just realized that you are using GPT... if you remove the Windows Boot manager entry, you won't be able to boot your computer without jumping through hoops. just a heads up.
> 
> 
> 
> oh ok. well, i want to start from scratch. I mean when I installed my motherboard in my case, there isn't any Windows Boot Manager entry in the UEFI. Does that mean it isn't present? Is it different from deleting through BCDedit?
> 
> I want to start clean as in delete everything on my SSD. doing a "clean" command in diskpart; would it delete the entry?
> 
> @Sean
> 
> Is indexing not recommended to be disabled on an SSD?
> 
> How about increasing the number of processors under Boot->Advanced Options of msconfig, won't that boost startup speed?
Click to expand...

If you start with a "clean" SSD, the BCD store does not exist yet. The BCD Store is created during Windows Installation. The BCD Store is placed on the EFI partition under GPT. With an MBR installation, It ends up on the Windows "system/recovery" partition (if you allow the system partiton to be created during install), or if you pre-format the entire drive prior to install, it will be put on the primary partition along with the OS.

The BCD store is one of the things that ends up ultimately being installed to another drive if you have more than one Drive attached to the PC during a windows install. That's why it's recommended to disconnect all other drives execpt for where you intend to install the OS.

To ensure no remnants, you can execute a "clean" command in Diskpart, shut down the computer, and clear your NVRAM. This will ensure that the NVRAM can't pick up possible "stray" entries that may have existed in the BCD store, when the UEFI re-initializes.

Indexing is not required for an SSD. Indexing helps the OS to locate certain files more quickly on HDDs. Not necessary with the speed of an SSD. Although indexing can be benefitial on other drives on your system that store your DATA, so it is up to you on whether you index those drives. Indexing can be enabled/disabled on a drive by drive basis through the drives "properties" dialogue.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @Sean
> 
> Is indexing not recommended to be disabled on an SSD?


No need to disable it, actually some programs get benefit from it such as m$ outlook.
Quote:


> How about increasing the number of processors under Boot->Advanced Options of msconfig, won't that boost startup speed?


nope not at all.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

Quick Q....I know im a noob.

Got my SS 830...

So I've got this mobo http://us.msi.com/product/mb/P67A-C43--B3-.html

I believe it is 'BIOS"

So when I'm looking to create the partition or install it I use the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" or "Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format"????????? Which one?

I got my win 7 CD here and just waitin on what to do...?

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> Quick Q....I know im a noob.
> 
> Got my SS 830...
> 
> So I've got this mobo http://us.msi.com/product/mb/P67A-C43--B3-.html
> 
> I believe it is 'BIOS"
> 
> So when I'm looking to create the partition or install it I use the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" or "Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format"????????? Which one?
> 
> I got my win 7 CD here and just waitin on what to do...?
> 
> Thanks


lol, look how fast I reply! 11 seconds after your post lol.

Your mobo is UEFI, but just use the MBR one still.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

Well REP for you! Thanks man! Can't wait to get this puppy runnin!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> yep.. It's on the SSD, not necessarily on the motherboard. That's that GPT redundency thing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I made a rather lengthy post on this topic back a few pages (remember the "clogged BCD store" Post?)... I'll wish you luck now.. follow the instructions explicitly. And don't forget to back up your current BCD store first, in case you make a mistake.
> here's the post: Clear NVRAM/BCD Store
> *EDIT:* kevin, I just realized that you are using GPT... if you remove the Windows Boot manager entry, you won't be able to boot your computer without jumping through hoops. just a heads up.
> 
> 
> 
> oh ok. well, i want to start from scratch. I mean when I installed my motherboard in my case, there isn't any Windows Boot Manager entry in the UEFI. Does that mean it isn't present? Is it different from deleting through BCDedit?
> 
> I want to start clean as in delete everything on my SSD. doing a "clean" command in diskpart; would it delete the entry?
> 
> @Sean
> 
> Is indexing not recommended to be disabled on an SSD?
> 
> How about increasing the number of processors under Boot->Advanced Options of msconfig, won't that boost startup speed?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> If you start with a "clean" SSD, the BCD store does not exist yet. The BCD Store is created during Windows Installation. The BCD Store is placed on the EFI partition under GPT. With an MBR installation, It ends up on the Windows "system/recovery" partition (if you allow the system partiton to be created during install), or if you pre-format the entire drive prior to install, it will be put on the primary partition along with the OS.
> 
> The BCD store is one of the things that ends up ultimately being installed to another drive if you have more than one Drive attached to the PC during a windows install. That's why it's recommended to disconnect all other drives execpt for where you intend to install the OS.
> 
> To ensure no remnants, you can execute a "clean" command in Diskpart, shut down the computer, and clear your NVRAM. This will ensure that the NVRAM can't pick up possible "stray" entries that may have existed in the BCD store, when the UEFI re-initializes.
> 
> Indexing is not required for an SSD. Indexing helps the OS to locate certain files more quickly on HDDs. Not necessary with the speed of an SSD. Although indexing can be benefitial on other drives on your system that store your DATA, so it is up to you on whether you index those drives. Indexing can be enabled/disabled on a drive by drive basis through the drives "properties" dialogue.
Click to expand...

Ok, I will try that. Clearing the NVRAM is just as simple as using the jumper method, right?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @Sean
> 
> Is indexing not recommended to be disabled on an SSD?
> 
> 
> 
> No need to disable it, actually some programs get benefit from it such as m$ outlook.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> How about increasing the number of processors under Boot->Advanced Options of msconfig, won't that boost startup speed?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> nope not at all.
Click to expand...

Ok. What do you think of the comment on Andy regarding Indexing? How does Indexing help, for you, in an SSD?

So what is the purpose of increasing the number of cores in that section if it doesn't help boot time at all?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok. What do you think of the comment on Andy regarding Indexing?


He is completely right.
Quote:


> How does Indexing help, for you, in an SSD?


M$ outlook runs better And I don't need to mess with the indexing options any lol.
Quote:


> So what is the purpose of increasing the number of cores in that section if it doesn't help boot time at all?


IDK, Windows should detect the # of cores automatically upon boot.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> He is completely right.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> How does Indexing help, for you, in an SSD?
> 
> 
> 
> M$ outlook runs better And I don't need to mess with the indexing options any lol.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> So what is the purpose of increasing the number of cores in that section if it doesn't help boot time at all?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> IDK, Windows should detect the # of cores automatically upon boot.
Click to expand...

Ok, and MS Outlook is installed in your SSD, right?

How were you able to test if it is working better with Indexing enabled?

@xandyx

I've tried cleaning my SSD and clearing the NVRAM by using the jumper and I still have that Windows Boot Manager entry. And one more thing with these ASUS boards, even though you clear the NVRAM (either by removing the CMOS battery or using the jumper) you always have a "backup" of your settings which when you turn on the computer (after resetting the CMOS) will kick in without giving you any choice. So technically there is no way to clear the settings because they always "come back" no matter what.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok, and MS Outlook is installed in your SSD, right?


Yea
Quote:


> How were you able to test if it is working better with Indexing enabled?


Just in use, it is better overall.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok, and MS Outlook is installed in your SSD, right?
> 
> 
> 
> Yea
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> How were you able to test if it is working better with Indexing enabled?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Just in use, it is better overall.
Click to expand...

Thanks. How about Prefetch and Superfetch, are they confirmed to really produce better results when they are disabled than enabled?

Also, here is the first AS-SSD test for my Crucial M4 128GB in my Sager NP8130 laptop:










I'm comparing the results in the AS-SSD benchmark thread but why is my "4K" speeds lower than normal? For other tests (seq, 4k-64Thrd, Acc.time) they seem to be on par with others.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

Alllrightt.... Got this puppy up and running... Format took ALL night on the HDD...ug. Now time for a fun few days reinstalling everything and getting it back to normal...

Prelim results:


I'm pretty happy with the SS 830....Look good?

Windows used about 12GB.... updates KILLed me...Office is installed on the HDD...

Gained some on the HDD too!


When I formatted the HDD, my 2nd drive, I list that on the 4096k alignment right? And also list it as active? Thats what I did...seems fine...

Might have an issue here...

PC boots in like 8 seconds... I don't even see my bios screen....uh... its that fast...


----------



## jdip

Great guide, thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Thanks. How about Prefetch and Superfetch, are they confirmed to really produce better results when they are disabled than enabled?
> Also, here is the first AS-SSD test for my Crucial M4 128GB in my Sager NP8130 laptop:
> I'm comparing the results in the AS-SSD benchmark thread but why is my "4K" speeds lower than normal? For other tests (seq, 4k-64Thrd, Acc.time) they seem to be on par with others.


Yes the prefetch and superfetch are better off, at least from my actual testing, and I have tested reboot time with those on and off multiple times and off was always the fastest boot.

Laptops give lower scores for 4K, if you disable all hardware power options (C1E, Speedstep, etc.) and change the windows power options to high performance then you should get better results. If you still don't it is either the laptop still or if you can test it in your rig.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> Alllrightt.... Got this puppy up and running... Format took ALL night on the HDD...ug. Now time for a fun few days reinstalling everything and getting it back to normal...
> Prelim results:
> I'm pretty happy with the SS 830....Look good?
> Windows used about 12GB.... updates KILLed me...Office is installed on the HDD...
> Gained some on the HDD too!
> When I formatted the HDD, my 2nd drive, I list that on the 4096k alignment right? And also list it as active? Thats what I did...seems fine...
> Might have an issue here...
> PC boots in like 8 seconds... I don't even see my bios screen....uh... its that fast...


Looks good, and the HDD is good with 4K.







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jdip*
> 
> Great guide, thanks!


Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

I put the indexing step back up...idk lol it is there for those of you who want to do it


----------



## Kyronn94

Installed my M4 earlier, and using this guide, it was a piece of cake!

Cheers Sean for a great guide









I may only be using SATA 2, but so far it's performing incredibly









Cheers.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kyronn94*
> 
> Installed my M4 earlier, and using this guide, it was a piece of cake!
> 
> Cheers Sean for a great guide
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I may only be using SATA 2, but so far it's performing incredibly
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers.


Thanks!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes the prefetch and superfetch are better off, at least from my actual testing, and I have tested reboot time with those on and off multiple times and off was always the fastest boot.
> Laptops give lower scores for 4K, if you disable all hardware power options (C1E, Speedstep, etc.) and change the windows power options to high performance then you should get better results. If you still don't it is either the laptop still or if you can test it in your rig.
> Looks good, and the HDD is good with 4K.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks


Thanks, I already did all of that except disabling C1E and Speedstep since the BIOS of my laptop doesn't have that option. I guess it's in the laptop, yes, but 4k-64kthrd is the most important score anyway, right? I'll be testing another M4 in my rig if I get to buy another one for a decent price and compare.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I put the indexing step back up...idk lol it is there for those of you who want to do it


What do you mean indexing step? I thought it is better not to turn it off for MS Outlook? Lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes the prefetch and superfetch are better off, at least from my actual testing, and I have tested reboot time with those on and off multiple times and off was always the fastest boot.
> Laptops give lower scores for 4K, if you disable all hardware power options (C1E, Speedstep, etc.) and change the windows power options to high performance then you should get better results. If you still don't it is either the laptop still or if you can test it in your rig.
> Looks good, and the HDD is good with 4K.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, I already did all of that except disabling C1E and Speedstep since the BIOS of my laptop doesn't have that option. I guess it's in the laptop, yes, but 4k-64kthrd is the most important score anyway, right? I'll be testing another M4 in my rig if I get to buy another one for a decent price and compare.
Click to expand...

I recently found these kinda lol

*Speed up your SSD in a laptop:*
http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/517916-how-improve-ssd-performance-intel-series-4-5-965-chipsets-stamatisx-tweak.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/517917-how-improve-ssd-performance-intel-series-4-5-965-chipsets-jjb-tweak.html
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I put the indexing step back up...idk lol it is there for those of you who want to do it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What do you mean indexing step? I thought it is better not to turn it off for MS Outlook? Lol.
Click to expand...

Yea, but others may like it disabled lol.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I recently found these kinda lol
> *Speed up your SSD in a laptop:*
> http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/517916-how-improve-ssd-performance-intel-series-4-5-965-chipsets-stamatisx-tweak.html
> http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/517917-how-improve-ssd-performance-intel-series-4-5-965-chipsets-jjb-tweak.html
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> What do you mean indexing step? I thought it is better not to turn it off for MS Outlook? Lol.
> 
> 
> 
> Yea, but others may like it disabled lol.
Click to expand...

Although my laptop has the Intel 6 series chipset, I just asked them if it's also effective with this chipset. I have the HM65 chipset in my laptop. Thanks for the links though









Oh ok, lol.


----------



## fritx

is there anyway to maintain an ssd? or we don't do anything about it


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fritx*
> 
> is there anyway to maintain an ssd? or we don't do anything about it


Go here: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide

read the second post.

I only use CCleaner and that is for any drive lol.


----------



## fritx

Thanks bro


----------



## kevindd992002

When the computer is idle, do you really need to log it off for GC to work properly? Or is GC not effective now?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> When the computer is idle, do you really need to log it off for GC to work properly? Or is GC not effective now?


I honestly don't know for sure whether or not you "need" to log off, but I have read that over at a OCZ's and Crucial's forums.

Also, I currently am still learning about GC, TRIM, and Wear leveling. I will hopefully be able to answer you with near full knowledge soon.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> When the computer is idle, do you really need to log it off for GC to work properly? Or is GC not effective now?
> 
> 
> 
> I honestly don't know for sure whether or not you "need" to log off, but I have read that over at a OCZ's and Crucial's forums.
> 
> Also, I currently am still learning about GC, TRIM, and Wear leveling. I will hopefully be able to answer you with near full knowledge soon.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks!

I read about that info somewhere and I'm against it since it's just not normal to log off your computer everytime even if you use it 24/7. With regards to TRIM, it would be better to really turn off recycle bin for the SSD since it signals TRIM to activate instantly upon deletion of file in the SSD. That saves the delay that TRIM usually has.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok, thanks!
> I read about that info somewhere and I'm against it since it's just not normal to log off your computer everytime even if you use it 24/7.


I agree! I don't think you have to, but it is a safe say b/c what about random softwares or something constantly not letting the system idle? Just one less thing to trouble shoot i think.
Quote:


> With regards to TRIM, it would be better to really turn off recycle bin for the SSD since it signals TRIM to activate instantly upon deletion of file in the SSD. That saves the delay that TRIM usually has.


Wait disable or keep enabled? I read a few things about that and I am confused on it myself. It really is true?
Links!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok, thanks!
> I read about that info somewhere and I'm against it since it's just not normal to log off your computer everytime even if you use it 24/7.
> 
> 
> 
> I agree! I don't think you have to, but it is a safe say b/c what about random softwares or something constantly not letting the system idle? Just one less thing to trouble shoot i think.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> With regards to TRIM, it would be better to really turn off recycle bin for the SSD since it signals TRIM to activate instantly upon deletion of file in the SSD. That saves the delay that TRIM usually has.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Wait disable or keep enabled? I read a few things about that and I am confused on it myself. It really is true?
> Links!
Click to expand...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok, thanks!
> I read about that info somewhere and I'm against it since it's just not normal to log off your computer everytime even if you use it 24/7.
> 
> 
> 
> I agree! I don't think you have to, but it is a safe say b/c what about random softwares or something constantly not letting the system idle? Just one less thing to trouble shoot i think.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> With regards to TRIM, it would be better to really turn off recycle bin for the SSD since it signals TRIM to activate instantly upon deletion of file in the SSD. That saves the delay that TRIM usually has.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Wait disable or keep enabled? I read a few things about that and I am confused on it myself. It really is true?
> Links!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Kevin? Did you forget to post links or type your reply? lol


----------



## kaivorth

Now if I wanted to, could i.....

Plug in SSD as a secondary drive
Update the SSD and everything else I need from here
Unplug both, plug in only SSD Drive to install Windows
Tweak and optimize Windows to my hearts content
plug in hard drive as secondary drive
Set SSD as primary
Copy over everything I need from HD
If SSD fails or I have to RMA just set primary to HD?
You seem knowledgeable in SSD's. Vertex 3 or Corsair Force GT 90gb SATA III


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Kevin? Did you forget to post links or type your reply? lol


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok, thanks!
> I read about that info somewhere and I'm against it since it's just not normal to log off your computer everytime even if you use it 24/7.
> 
> 
> 
> I agree! I don't think you have to, but it is a safe say b/c what about random softwares or something constantly not letting the system idle? Just one less thing to trouble shoot i think.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> With regards to TRIM, it would be better to really turn off recycle bin for the SSD since it signals TRIM to activate instantly upon deletion of file in the SSD. That saves the delay that TRIM usually has.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Wait disable or keep enabled? I read a few things about that and I am confused on it myself. It really is true?
> Links!
Click to expand...

Sorry for the blank message in my previous post, my Internet connection acted weird, lol.

Anyway, regarding GC, many say that it's not needed in today's modern SSDs so I think that's the reason they're saying that logging off is not necessary nowadays.

Keep recycle bin disabled. In that way, the file is instantly deleted and TRIM is activated right away.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Kevin? Did you forget to post links or type your reply? lol
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok, thanks!
> I read about that info somewhere and I'm against it since it's just not normal to log off your computer everytime even if you use it 24/7.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I agree! I don't think you have to, but it is a safe say b/c what about random softwares or something constantly not letting the system idle? Just one less thing to trouble shoot i think.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> With regards to TRIM, it would be better to really turn off recycle bin for the SSD since it signals TRIM to activate instantly upon deletion of file in the SSD. That saves the delay that TRIM usually has.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Wait disable or keep enabled? I read a few things about that and I am confused on it myself. It really is true?
> Links!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sorry for the blank message in my previous post, my Internet connection acted weird, lol.
> 
> Anyway, regarding GC, many say that it's not needed in today's modern SSDs so I think that's the reason they're saying that logging off is not necessary nowadays.
> 
> Keep recycle bin disabled. In that way, the file is instantly deleted and TRIM is activated right away.
Click to expand...

All newer SSDs run GC, they are designed to... it's built into their firmware's code. That's why certain GC routines works better than others. The SSD manufacturer "decides" how the GC cycle is implemented by the SSD in the firmware coding. The manufacturer decides this based on what they want to accomplish as average performance for their drives. The things that are predomenantly taken into account in developing how the actual GC routine will run are TRIM, backround garbage collection and write amplification.

TRIM by itself does nothing for the SSD's data. A TRIM command from the OS only tells the SSD, that data on the SSD is no longer required by the OS, nothing more.

This may help in understanding what TRIM is, and what it is not.

As you are already aware, when you delete a file on your computer, the OS doesn't actually delete it. The OS, in its file allocation table, only marks the area as free, to be re-used when needed again. This means the data associated with this area of the SSD (or HDD) is no longer considered valid by the OS. The problem is that the drive doesn't know that the OS did this. Remember, with an SSD, (unlike a magnetic HDD) it is the drive's controller that actually manages the data on the drive, not the OS. With a magnetic HDD, it's not important that the HDD knows what the OS did, because it is the OS that manages the HDD's data allocation units. The OS has the ability to tell the HDD to write over the data whenever/whereever it wants.

Step in SSD... The OS no longer has control as to where data is written. All it can do is send data to be written, to the SSD. The SSD then becomes responsible for the data's location on the drive. Even though you have deleted a file, and the OS considers the file deleted, has freed the location in it's data map...etc, the SSD still considers the data valid.

When the SSD initiates its Garbage Collection cycle (as mentioned before, as it nears idle), the SSD begins to consolidate blocks of data to free up space. With or without TRIM, The SSD must copy all of the data it considers valid to a new block, before it can erase the current block it is working on. The TRIM command that had been previously sent to the SSD from the OS, helps the SSD to "get on the same page" with the OS. Without the TRIM command being sent to the SSD, it typically would not know a page is considered invalid by the OS, unless the LBA associated with it had been previously rewritten by the SSD.

Trim is simply the function of the operating system telling the drive that a page is no longer valid. It does not delete files, or clear pages.

But TRIM does help SSDs in a few ways. Usually the GC routine won't have to compare it's entire file data table to that in the OS's. This helps to reduce write amplification (the number of times an SSDs cells are written to), because during GC, the SSD will not/does not need to copy invalid (deleted) pages. There will also be fewer pages for the SSD to copy, which speeds up the process of freeing up partially valid blocks.

Again, this is a function of the SSD's GC routine, not TRIM. Garbage collection will also work without TRIM. How effectively is based on the SSDs Firmware. Without TRIM, the GC cycle usually takes a little longer, is slightly less effective, but for other than benchmarks, will usually produce nearly the same results (un-noticable to the end user). This was not always the case with older SSDs.


----------



## jinxjx

Nice guide. I have a question thought. Maybe a dumb question. In the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format". Is this for a new windows 7 install with a new harddrive? And what is the advantage of doing this step? ......thank you


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kaivorth*
> 
> Now if I wanted to, could i.....
> 
> Plug in SSD as a secondary drive
> Update the SSD and everything else I need from here
> Unplug both, plug in only SSD Drive to install Windows
> Tweak and optimize Windows to my hearts content
> plug in hard drive as secondary drive
> Set SSD as primary
> Copy over everything I need from HD
> If SSD fails or I have to RMA just set primary to HD?


Yea basically.
Quote:


> You seem knowledgeable in SSD's. Vertex 3 or Corsair Force GT 90gb SATA III


Corsair Force GT is usually faster in the benches.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jinxjx*
> 
> Nice guide. I have a question thought. Maybe a dumb question. In the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format". Is this for a new windows 7 install with a new harddrive? And what is the advantage of doing this step?......thank you


Both new and old. It is for a completely clean install of the OS. So you need to back up any data you want to save first if it is an older system.

The OD partition will be aligned on the drive correctly and increase performance and you will have a clean install and no extra 100MB partition most likely.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

odd....reformatted my external HDD using the method used to align to 4096... oddly got a missing bootmngr error when I restarted... restarted again...it was gone....hmmmm.....

Seems fine now.... Probably just tried to boot from the external drive since I listed it as active...whops


----------



## milespeed

hello Sean and esteemed....setting up new system and devouring your awesome tutorials.. i got hung up at windows install saying i cant put the Win7 on a GPT partition... i can see my USB image ( i added the required files to it in new boot directory) as UEFI in boot sequence but not in boot override...also i cannot 'assign letter=C noerr.' after multiple tries....so i exited from there ....only the M4 is hooked up besides the dvd burner

asus p8Z68=v pro gen3
evga570
8gb vengence ram
I5 2500
M4 128

thanx in advance for guidance as to where i am and what i should do next to continue


----------



## Kreeker

*EDIT* Never mind, when I checked my bios I noticed that I had only changed the eSata controller method, not the sata controller method...

What could be the reason for getting the message "This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software" when trying to install the Intel RST driver?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> odd....reformatted my external HDD using the method used to align to 4096... oddly got a missing bootmngr error when I restarted... restarted again...it was gone....hmmmm.....
> 
> Seems fine now.... Probably just tried to boot from the external drive since I listed it as active...whops


Yea, i think it was b/c it was booting off the wrong drive too.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> hello Sean and esteemed....setting up new system and devouring your awesome tutorials.. i got hung up at windows install saying i cant put the Win7 on a GPT partition... i can see my USB image ( i added the required files to it in new boot directory) as UEFI in boot sequence but not in boot override


Bot overide? As in you can't boot from the UEFI?
Quote:


> ...also i cannot 'assign letter=C noerr.' after multiple tries....so i exited from there ....only the M4 is hooked up besides the dvd burner


You can ignore that and just continue and you should be fine. Tho another directory is assigned C that is why, I need to think of an easy way to fix it tho.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kreeker*
> 
> *EDIT* Never mind, when I checked my bios I noticed that I had only changed the eSata controller method, not the sata controller method...
> 
> What could be the reason for getting the message "This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software" when trying to install the Intel RST driver?


You are either in IDE mode or your drive is hooked up to the Marvell controller


----------



## milespeed

well.. after going round in circles til the sun came up ... i walked away..napped and went golfing..all the while rerunning in my head what i coulda done wrong in the configuration or set up..so golf game sucked.. hehehe..anywho....booted bios...made sure all was stock speeds and i had (as before) UEFI USB selected and it ran flawlessly this time..OS is up and running and downloading newest drivers now... then new Bios if not latest (will that change any settings and make my new system unhappy?)........then on to plugging in the rest of the drives and RAID configuring and i should be ready to install Photoshop and finish these jobs fast as i can create...you all RAWK.. thanx so much...even if this time all i needed was a mentla crutch knowing ya'll are out there


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> The OD partition will be aligned on the drive correctly and increase performance and you will have a clean install and no extra 100MB partition most likely.
> 
> 
> 
> What's the 'OD' partition?
> 
> Why will there be no extra 100MB partition? Isn't that 100MB partition there for a reason? Without it there will be no access to repair console on the F8 menu?
> 
> I have a 1TB drive and I only want to use 100GB of it (short stroke). Your instructions only show how to create a partition using all available space on the disk. Where do I specify partition size?
Click to expand...

You can specify the partition size while in the command window using diskpart.

When you issue the command to "create partition primary", add to that the size you want. In your scenario, wanting a 100GB partition, the syntax would be:
*Create Partition Primary size=100000*. The 100000 is equivalent to 100GB.

The WinRe (windows recovery environment) console is not actually in the 100MB partition. At 160MB, it wouldn't fit anyway. If I recall correctly, Microsoft's original intent was to place it there, and was going to require a 200MB recovery partition. Somewhere between one of the Betas and the RC, the partition shrunk to 100MB, and winre.wim was move onto the same primary partition as the windows directory (your C:\ drive). Elimination of the 100MB partition does not affect access to the Windows RE console. Without the 100MB partition, the boot files (BCD) also end up on the same partition as the OS.

EDIT: I may be wrong, but I think if you leave space (the extra 900GB) of your 1TB drive as unallocated when you create the 100GB partition, windows is going to create the 100MB system reservered partition anyway during install, strickly because the space to do so is there.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Sooooooo







is there a definitive answer on what block size your RAID 0 setup should be? I set mine at 128k.


----------



## Aventadoor

Hey guys!

So I got my Kingston HyperX ssd today and I had my first BSOD possible duo the SSD...
I use it on my very old PC so I dont have 6gb sata ports and such tho.
But how can I check which firmware it got?
I went on the kingston site to check for new firmware but I couldent find any...

Oh, and yes I followed the guide pretty much. Some stuff I dident do.

NOTE! I did buy the upgrade bundle kit, but it seems like the CD that came with it is just for Install guide and if you want to clone.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Sooooooo
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> is there a definitive answer on what block size your RAID 0 setup should be? I set mine at 128k.


128k is fine. I found no discernable performance differences between stripe sizes below 128k when I ran my tests.


----------



## GuardianDuo

Hi Sean, I was about to delete my old OS partition on my HDD (F and expand my new partition with the new programs and data (D when I noticed the System Reserved partition. My HDD was not connected when I installed Windows 7 to the SSD, so is this System Reserved partition from my previous Windows 7 installation? It had 100MB out of 100MB free a few days ago but now it's 37.8MB free. Should I delete it?

Also, my Windows folder seems to have expanded to 22.2GB... could this have been from updates?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Sean, I was about to delete my old OS partition on my HDD (F and expand my new partition with the new programs and data (D when I noticed the System Reserved partition. My HDD was not connected when I installed Windows 7 to the SSD, so is this System Reserved partition from my previous Windows 7 installation? It had 100MB out of 100MB free a few days ago but now it's 37.8MB free. Should I delete it?
> 
> Also, my Windows folder seems to have expanded to 22.2GB... could this have been from updates?


You can find out rather quickly if windows is by chance (I suspect it may be, based on its size change) using the system reserved partition on your secondary drive. Have your windows install media available just in case you can't reboot.

You can do one of two things:

1: Disconnect the drive, and attempt to boot windows. If windows boots, it's not being used, and you can then shut down reattach the HDD and (I think because it's not being used) delete the partition with Diskpart. You would need to mark the partition as "Inactive" before it can be deleted. If the system does not boot, with an error, "No operating system found", the BCD has been relocated by windows into this partition. There are steps that can be done to get the BCD information back onto the SSD. If you find this to be the case, repost and I'll provide the info. Reattaching the drive will allow you to reboot the system as normal.

or...

2: after booting into windows, start an elevated command promt (just like when you installed windows), and start the diskpart utility.

Type LIST DISK
Type SELECT DISK n (where n is the number of the drive that has the 100MB partition)
Type LIST PARTITION
Type SELECT PARTITION n (where n is the number of the 100MB partition)
Type INACTIVE
Type EXIT to exit DISKPART
Type EXIT again to exit the command prompt
Reboot

With the 100MB partition "inactive", the system won't boot if it is being used. This is where you would need the installation media. If the PC won't boot, you will need to boot from the install media, and get to the part where you can initiate a CMD window. Follow the steps above but type "Active" rather than inactive when you get to that instruction.

The problem you have if this partition is being used by windows, is that there is no way to delete it without doing a complete cleaning of the drive. the only command that will remove the partition is the diskpart "clean" command, and that will destroy all other data on the drive. The "delete partition" command in Diskpart can not be used to delete a system partition, boot partition, or any partition that contains the active paging file or crash dump information. I'm not even 100% sure that the instruction posted above (for if it is not being used) will actually allow you to delete the partition.

If you are able to delete the partition, you can then expand the additional 100MB of space into one of the other partitions on the drive through Disk management under windows.


----------



## GuardianDuo

Thanks for the detailed response!

If the System Reserved partition turns out to be in use by the Windows 7 on the SSD, are there any performance drawbacks to keeping it on the HDD?
And am I safe to delete the other partition, "F:"?


----------



## Cakewalk_S

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> Thanks for the detailed response!
> If the System Reserved partition turns out to be in use by the Windows 7 on the SSD, are there any performance drawbacks to keeping it on the HDD?
> And am I safe to delete the other partition, "F:"?


Why not just completely reformat the HDD? I did on mine... Thankfully I had a backup external HDD so I either backed up data on my SSD and copied it back or used the external drive. Used a full format instead of quick format. Took a few hours to format. Just let it run overnight.
I had the same issue. Installed my OS on the SSD then still had win 7 on my old HDD. You should be able to delete that 100MB partition, however I don't think you can merge it with the rest of the drive...not sure about that.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> 128k is fine. I found no discernable performance differences between stripe sizes below 128k when I ran my tests.


Thanks for the reply.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> Thanks for the detailed response!
> 
> If the System Reserved partition turns out to be in use by the Windows 7 on the SSD, are there any performance drawbacks to keeping it on the HDD?
> And am I safe to delete the other partition, "F:"?


Not a major performance difference "per-se", but it may slow the boot time slightly. Once you're into windows, there should be no difference as the OS will not regularly access this partition. the slight slowdown will occur because your BIOS will need to read the BCD info from a HDD, rather than an SSD, so there's the hit. Your screen shot above shows the boot files for your current windows installation on the SSD, so I'm not 100% sure what you've got going on. Only trial and error will determine that.

The Partition listed as F:\ should be easily deleted. You can even do that in disk management. Then you can extend your D:\ partition to use the extra space.
Just remember, before you do delete it, make sure you reclaim the files that you need from the "old" OS installation. Especially the info in Users/"your user name"/appdata, that you might be looking for later. This directory is hidden, but may contain some information that you want to save, such as saved games and configuration settings for programs you will reinstall.

Didn't quote the post by Cakewalk_S, but if you are able to delete the 100MB partition, and it becomes unallocated space, this space without a doubt can also be extended into your D:/ partition.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> 128k is fine. I found no discernable performance differences between stripe sizes below 128k when I ran my tests.


Yeah 128k Is the default and best option.


----------



## GuardianDuo

Kk, thanks, Cakewalk and xandypx, I'll just delete F:\ and extend D:\ into the new space and figure out E:\ (System Reserved) later.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> not just completely reformat the HDD? I did on mine... Thankfully I had a backup external HDD so I either backed up data on my SSD and copied it back or used the external drive.


I don't have a second HDD to backup stuff to. I merely shrunk the old OS partition and created a new partition (aptly named Noah's Ark







) for the personal data that was to be saved (like the AppData save files and Minecraft worlds, and my homework and stuff).

Random question, but is "short-stroking" just shrinking the OS partition of a HDD to, say, 300GB, and leaving the rest of the space unallocated?


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GuardianDuo*
> 
> Kk, thanks, Cakewalk and xandypx, I'll just delete F:\ and extend D:\ into the new space and figure out E:\ (System Reserved) later.
> I don't have a second HDD to backup stuff to. I merely shrunk the old OS partition and created a new partition (aptly named Noah's Ark
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) for the personal data that was to be saved (like the AppData save files and Minecraft worlds, and my homework and stuff).
> Random question, but *is "short-stroking" just shrinking the OS partition of a HDD to, say, 300GB, and leaving the rest of the space unallocated*?


Yes.
You may also create additional partitions on the same drive.


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Why does it say 4096 alignment but 1024 for RAID? Does this apply to both GPT and MBR?
> *Is it OK to have some disks at 4096 and others at 1024 in the same system*?


As long as you don't raid a 1024 with a 4096 HDD together, yes..it is fine


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Why does it say 4096 alignment but 1024 for RAID? Does this apply to both GPT and MBR?
> 
> Is it OK to have some disks at 4096 and others at 1024 in the same system?


Some of the RAID benchmarking showed pretty poor results with a 4096 alignment on a RAID 0 with 2 SSDs, so the statement only applies when using 2 drives. I did not test with more than 2 (only 2 6GB/s SATA on 1155), so results with additional drives may be different. Yes it applies to both GPT and MBR.

The alignment of 4096 or 1024 only places the begining of the primary partition you are creating in that particular location, so different drives can be aligned in any fashion necessary to improve performance. The OS/SSD does not care if it does not address an empty/partially empty page preceding the partition placement, as it is not part of the partition. It is the partition(s) itself that the SSD/OS works with.


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Some of the RAID benchmarking showed pretty poor results with a 4096 alignment on a RAID 0 with 2 SSDs...
> 
> 
> 
> What about mechanical HDD RAID?
Click to expand...

can't tell you... didn't test


----------



## Citra

Did i derp hard when I forgot to change primary alignment to 4096?


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Did i derp hard when I forgot to change primary alignment to 4096?


Nah your fine
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> The guide states some of the benefits of GPT, but shouldn't there be a warning of the downsides? For example, isn't some backup software incompatible with GPT, like Macrium Reflect free?


Yea I stated that it says so before anything...
*The installation of Windows 7!*

Now here you can either use MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table). Normally you would use MBR, but for motherboards with UEFI you can use GPT. Some advantages of GPT is that sleep to wake is faster and making 2.2TB+ bootable partitions. So in all, you can decide to use either if you have a UEFI motherboard. If you have a BIOS use MBR. Below are guides for each.
*
One thing I need to state is that you do not need to use GPT! MBR is fine for most people, you should only use GPT if you want a 3TB+ HDD to have Windows boot off it or if you want to test it out! Also, currently the only image software that can image GPT drives properly is Windows 7 built in system image from what I know of, clonezilla is being worked on and should fully support it soon. Also, if you guys ever get an issue with a system image restoration look at this. (link)*


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## Citra

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Did i derp hard when I forgot to change primary alignment to 4096?
> 
> 
> 
> Nah your fine
Click to expand...

Thanks.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> You can specify the partition size while in the command window using diskpart.
> When you issue the command to "create partition primary", add to that the size you want. In your scenario, wanting a 100GB partition, the syntax would be:
> *Create Partition Primary size=100000*. The 100000 is equivalent to 100GB.
> 
> 
> 
> So does 'create partition primary size=xxxxxxx' come before or after 'create part primary align=4096'
Click to expand...

my bad again; all part of the same command. *create partition primary size=100000 align=4096*


----------



## Kreeker

I use ps3 media server almost everyday.

Does trans-coding put excessive/unnecessary wear on a SSD?


----------



## kevindd992002

Is it better to keep the 100MB partition in an MBR installation?

Sean, regarding the Outlook "data" file, is it recommended to stay on the SSD or is it OK to stay on the storage HDD? This file is growing very big every day.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

So I changed my page file size to 1024 and 1024mb...tabbed out of bf3 a little bit ago and got a strange error that closed my game...I didn't get a SS of it but it had GTX560 on it and said something like it needed 512MB of dedicated memory or something...? uh ok.... Never got that error and haven't gotten it since...hmm...I'll keep an eye on this...
Who knows what my PC is doing since I'm basically playing with no memory left in the system...ug. can't wait for 8gb of memory...

nvrmind... out of system memory errors...whops....need 4more gig BAD


----------



## Nonehxc

Decided to bite the bullet and bought an SSD(Samsung 830 Sata3 128gb). Of course, it was installed following your guide, Sean!!!

Here's my AS SSD bench...any advice? Or it's as good as it could get?



Currently following system tweaks and all that paraphernalia


----------



## SgtMunky

Is it worth moving the default user files (downloads/pictures etc) rather than just re-listing their location? I tried just changing the folder location before but it got messed up.

It would be cool to have programs that install to default install on the d: drive


----------



## Recipe7

If you follow Sean's directions correctly regarding the movement of user default folders, you won't have a problem with a majority of file saves.

You just have to be mindful, especially when you install new programs, just change the C to D, or whatever letter you have as your bulk drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kreeker*
> 
> I use ps3 media server almost everyday.
> 
> Does trans-coding put excessive/unnecessary wear on a SSD?


Only when you write to the drive.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is it better to keep the 100MB partition in an MBR installation?
> 
> Sean, regarding the Outlook "data" file, is it recommended to stay on the SSD or is it OK to stay on the storage HDD? This file is growing very big every day.


Not 100% on the 100MB partition, but I read it isn't needed. Andy should be able to explain more.

I leave everything default so what ever it is I leave it and I don't really pay attention to it lol. You can do what you want with it tho.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> So I changed my page file size to 1024 and 1024mb...tabbed out of bf3 a little bit ago and got a strange error that closed my game...I didn't get a SS of it but it had GTX560 on it and said something like it needed 512MB of dedicated memory or something...? uh ok.... Never got that error and haven't gotten it since...hmm...I'll keep an eye on this...
> Who knows what my PC is doing since I'm basically playing with no memory left in the system...ug. can't wait for 8gb of memory...
> 
> nvrmind... out of system memory errors...whops....need 4more gig BAD


lol, I told you in teh guide that if you have 4GB do not delete or shrink it lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nonehxc*
> 
> Decided to bite the bullet and bought an SSD(Samsung 830 Sata3 128gb). Of course, it was installed following your guide, Sean!!!
> Here's my AS SSD bench...any advice? Or it's as good as it could get?
> 
> Currently following system tweaks and all that paraphernalia


Looks good, IDK if it could be better b/c i have not seen results on AMD systems with that drive.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> Is it worth moving the default user files (downloads/pictures etc) rather than just re-listing their location? I tried just changing the folder location before but it got messed up.
> It would be cool to have programs that install to default install on the d: drive


Just moving the folders does nothing, they will not work correctly unless you use junctions or do the change location in properties.

Idk what you did before, but you should not have had an issue.


----------



## SgtMunky

Yeah I'm not sure what I did, but I re-installed anyway because I started getting a BSOD.

Just finished going through it, and I don't know if I'm just tired, but now I can't see the 'Location' tab for my documents/pictures etc. Could you put together a quick vid if/when you have time?









Awesome guide none the less though, as I said before. And this SSD is snappy!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> Yeah I'm not sure what I did, but I re-installed anyway because I started getting a BSOD.
> 
> Just finished going through it, and I don't know if I'm just tired, but now I can't see the 'Location' tab for my documents/pictures etc. Could you put together a quick vid if/when you have time?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Awesome guide none the less though, as I said before. And this SSD is snappy!


Actually thanks for reminding me, I'll make one now...it should be up in in less than an hour, i'll PM you when it is up


----------



## Nonehxc

Thanks for eyeing my benchmark, Sean. It's all good, seems AMD has sorted their AHCI drivers in a year. Also, seems that next firmware update will sort everything unsorted at release date.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is it better to keep the 100MB partition in an MBR installation?
> 
> Sean, regarding the Outlook "data" file, is it recommended to stay on the SSD or is it OK to stay on the storage HDD? This file is growing very big every day.


It depends on who you talk to. Microsoft designed the 100MB "recovery" partition back with Vista, as a way to minimize time spent on support calls for both MS, and their partners (read "partners" as the major computer builders).

The rational behind it being its own partition, is that if the OS partition were to become corrupt, the average user, by booting to Windows media (windows 7 installation disk as an example), could initiate a repair without a support call... or at the very worst, could easily be talked through inserting a disk, and initiating a repair.

Without the added partition, if the BCD gets damaged (since it would be on a partition that see alot of activity [the OS partition]), there is no chance of just a simple repair. How many of you have disconnected the "extra" drive that was attached when windows was 1st installed, only to be presented with "No Operating System Found", and then even booting to install media, a repair cannot be done, because nothing can find the windows installation? The information necessary to locate the OS on the physical drive, is contained in the BCD (Boot Configuration Data). Without the 100MB partition, the BCD ends up on the main partition (C:\ - drive). Microsoft figured that it would be safer somewhere else.

Microsoft even took it a step further. What if the whole drive the OS is on gets corrupt? That is why windows installs the recovery partitoon to a secondary drive, when one is available. Now, both the OS drive and the seconday drive would both need to get damaged for a technitian on the other end of a phone call, not to know what's going on with a non-bootable system.

I think you see where I'm going here. and not that any of it really helped.

My opinion, the 100MB partition is not necessary... Then again, I'm not the average user, nor do I think that many members on this site are either... I back-up my data, I have disk images... if a drive fries, I loose nothing but a small amount of time. DAMN the partition... full speed ahead!


----------



## Nocturin

Lovin' the new avatar Sean

rawr


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Lovin' the new avatar Sean
> rawr











LOL, thanks


----------



## aar0nsky

not sure if this has been brought up yet, or maybe its just something im doing wrong.
I followed the guide, everything is working amazing and I appreciate the work that went into the guide., but.....

windows experience index thinks a different drive is my primary hard disk when running the hard disk tests. I have everything setup the same was as the guide with ssd as my os drive and old hard disk with my user folder and program files.

Anyone know how to solve this?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aar0nsky*
> 
> not sure if this has been brought up yet, or maybe its just something im doing wrong.
> I followed the guide, everything is working amazing and I appreciate the work that went into the guide., but.....
> 
> windows experience index thinks a different drive is my primary hard disk when running the hard disk tests. I have everything setup the same was as the guide with ssd as my os drive and old hard disk with my user folder and program files.
> 
> Anyone know how to solve this?


How is it detecting the wrong drive? How do you know? lol

Make sure your SSD is not in IDE mode too.

You can try this:

*Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:*

Go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT and delete the winsat.txt
Then go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore and delete all the files in there.
Now restart W.E.I.
*Note:* The scores should be the proper score now.


----------



## rseiler

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes the prefetch and superfetch are better off, at least from my actual testing, and I have tested reboot time with those on and off multiple times and off was always the fastest boot.


Thanks for the best guide out there on SSDs.

Apologies if you already addressed this, and I have no doubt you've seen it, but do you think it might be worth noting in the guide the following snippet from MS's FAQ? If someone didn't have an adequate SSD, then it seems like it might be best not to countermand Windows' evaluation of the situation.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/2009/05/05/support-and-q-a-for-solid-state-drives-and.aspx
Quote:


> If the system disk is an SSD, and the SSD performs adequately on random reads and doesn't have glaring performance issues with random writes or flushes, then Superfetch, boot prefetching, application launch prefetching, ReadyBoost and ReadDrive will all be disabled.
> 
> Initially, we had configured all of these features to be off on all SSDs, but we encountered sizable performance regressions on some systems. In root causing those regressions, we found that some first generation SSDs had severe enough random write and flush problems that ultimately lead to disk reads being blocked for long periods of time. *With Superfetch and other prefetching re-enabled, performance on key scenarios was markedly improved*.


BTW, I think it might be misleading to look at EnableSuperfetch=3 and EnablePrefetcher=3 and assume they're not disabled. I notice on my system, which is set this way by default, that the Superfetch _service_ is set to Manual and never starts. Also, \windows\prefetch only has a couple files in it dating back to when I first installed. I really don't think either is in effect despite the above values. I wonder if there's some other higher control of this that Windows has set.


----------



## SgtMunky

I too had the problem of windows experience seeing my mechanical drive as primary, even though the SSD is C drive. If the SSD is the only drive plugged in when you do this assessment, all is fine :s


----------



## SgtMunky

It works! YES! Thanks Sean

Now to deal with this random crashing problem







If it keeps happening, I'll poke around in event viewer and try a mem test

SO glad I have an SSD at last lol. Although I can't tell if the snappiness is the SSD or Sandy Bridge









Edit: Shame we can't just move location of Program Files


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rseiler*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes the prefetch and superfetch are better off, at least from my actual testing, and I have tested reboot time with those on and off multiple times and off was always the fastest boot.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the best guide out there on SSDs.
> 
> Apologies if you already addressed this, and I have no doubt you've seen it, but do you think it might be worth noting in the guide the following snippet from MS's FAQ? If someone didn't have an adequate SSD, then it seems like it might be best not to countermand Windows' evaluation of the situation.
> 
> http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/2009/05/05/support-and-q-a-for-solid-state-drives-and.aspx
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> If the system disk is an SSD, and the SSD performs adequately on random reads and doesn't have glaring performance issues with random writes or flushes, then Superfetch, boot prefetching, application launch prefetching, ReadyBoost and ReadDrive will all be disabled.
> 
> Initially, we had configured all of these features to be off on all SSDs, but we encountered sizable performance regressions on some systems. In root causing those regressions, we found that some first generation SSDs had severe enough random write and flush problems that ultimately lead to disk reads being blocked for long periods of time. *With Superfetch and other prefetching re-enabled, performance on key scenarios was markedly improved*.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> BTW, I think it might be misleading to look at EnableSuperfetch=3 and EnablePrefetcher=3 and assume they're not disabled. I notice on my system, which is set this way by default, that the Superfetch _service_ is set to Manual and never starts. Also, \windows\prefetch only has a couple files in it dating back to when I first installed. I really don't think either is in effect despite the above values. I wonder if there's some other higher control of this that Windows has set.
Click to expand...

Yea i read that a few times, I guess I should lol.

And just to be safe I disable them in the services and the registry.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> It works! YES! Thanks Sean
> Now to deal with this random crashing problem
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If it keeps happening, I'll poke around in event viewer and try a mem test
> SO glad I have an SSD at last lol. Although I can't tell if the snappiness is the SSD or Sandy Bridge
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: Shame we can't just move location of Program Files


You can move the program folder via junctions...i'll make a guide,but there are others in the sources section of my thread.

What SSD do you have? If you have a sandforce drive you need the most up to date firmware.


----------



## miniterror

wow first off,
verry sweet guide
i tried to follow it and i hope i have done it correctly
could you guys take a look at this and see if its good
thnak you verry much

Knipsel.PNG 1077k .PNG file


----------



## aar0nsky

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> How is it detecting the wrong drive? How do you know? lol
> Make sure your SSD is not in IDE mode too.
> You can try this:
> *Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:*
> 
> Go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT and delete the winsat.txt
> Then go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore and delete all the files in there.
> Now restart W.E.I.
> *Note:* The scores should be the proper score now.


I will try this when I return to my dwelling later tonight. I know it is reporting the wrong one because before i plugged in the other hard drives i had a over a 7.0 score with my ssd and it went back to a 5.9. It is also reporting it as having 300gb+ of free space and I have only a 60gb ssd with windows on it.
I went into the "details" after i did the w.e.i.
But I will go ahead and try the solution you provided and ill report back.
Also thank you very much for the guide.


----------



## SgtMunky

I got a Crucial M4 mate. Anyways, the best way for me to change the installation folders, is to replicate the Users/SgtMunky/Program Files (x86) folders on the secondary drive. This way, the path is the exact same as the default apart from the initial drive letter

That way, instead of browsing to my secondary drive and choosing/making the right folder, I just change the letter at the start of the 'install to' window









You might have said this somewhere though, ignore me if so


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aar0nsky*
> 
> I will try this when I return to my dwelling later tonight. I know it is reporting the wrong one because before i plugged in the other hard drives i had a over a 7.0 score with my ssd and it went back to a 5.9. It is also reporting it as having 300gb+ of free space and I have only a 60gb ssd with windows on it.
> I went into the "details" after i did the w.e.i.
> But I will go ahead and try the solution you provided and ill report back.
> Also thank you very much for the guide.


Weird, maybe b/c your SSD is not in the first SATA port on the mobo?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> I got a Crucial M4 mate. Anyways, the best way for me to change the installation folders, is to replicate the Users/SgtMunky/Program Files (x86) folders on the secondary drive. This way, the path is the exact same as the default apart from the initial drive letter
> 
> That way, instead of browsing to my secondary drive and choosing/making the right folder, I just change the letter at the start of the 'install to' window
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You might have said this somewhere though, ignore me if so


edit, misread completely wow lol...read below.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> I got a Crucial M4 mate. Anyways, the best way for me to change the installation folders, is to replicate the Users/SgtMunky/Program Files (x86) folders on the secondary drive. This way, the path is the exact same as the default apart from the initial drive letter
> 
> That way, instead of browsing to my secondary drive and choosing/making the right folder, I just change the letter at the start of the 'install to' window
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You might have said this somewhere though, ignore me if so


Just be careful with that. The "programs files" and "programs files (x86)" directories are on the root of your OS drive (typically C:\), not in the "Users" directory.


----------



## kevindd992002

@sean

For the Oulook data file, if I have it my storage HDD would it not slow down things? What indexing will work then, indexing for the SSD or the HDD? Is the data file the one being indexed?

So when can you shrink your pagefile, if you have more than 4GB or RAM?

Regarding the guide, why is that most of the time when I click any of the "click to show" links I am directed to the top part of the page? I have to click any link over and over for the guides to show properly. Is this because of Firefox?

@xandyx

so basically, the 100MB partition is a "recovery" partition and nothing else? without the secondary hdd plugged in during windows 7 install, the recovery partition will be installed in the primary ssd? With it plugged, it will be installed in it? Am I correct?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @sean
> 
> For the Oulook data file, if I have it my storage HDD would it not slow down things? What indexing will work then, indexing for the SSD or the HDD? Is the data file the one being indexed?
> 
> So when can you shrink your pagefile, if you have more than 4GB or RAM?
> 
> Regarding the guide, why is that most of the time when I click any of the "click to show" links I am directed to the top part of the page? I have to click any link over and over for the guides to show properly. Is this because of Firefox?
> 
> @xandyx
> 
> so basically, the 100MB partition is a "recovery" partition and nothing else? without the secondary hdd plugged in during windows 7 install, the recovery partition will be installed in the primary ssd? With it plugged, it will be installed in it? Am I correct?


Assuming you only have the SSD attached when you install windows, if you start with an "unallocated" drive, windows will create a 100MB "recovery" partition, and the primary data partition. the BCD information for the OS will be written into the 100MB partition, and the OS installed on the primary. If you manually create the primary partition before the installation begins, using all of the space on the drive, windows will create and install a BCD directory on the primary partition.

If you have a secondary drive attached that has unallocated space, Windows will always attempt to create the 100MB partition on the secondary drive.

The 100MB (often labeled "system reserved") partiton is only currently used for the BCD information, and (under windows 7) the pre-windows memory test program.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Assuming you only have the SSD attached when you install windows, if you start with an "unallocated" drive, windows will create a 100MB "recovery" partition, and the primary data partition. the BCD information for the OS will be written into the 100MB partition, and the OS installed on the primary. If you manually create the primary partition before the installation begins, using all of the space on the drive, windows will create and install a BCD directory on the primary partition.
> If you have a secondary drive attached that has unallocated space, Windows will always attempt to create the 100MB partition on the secondary drive.
> The 100MB (often labeled "system reserved") partiton is only currently used for the BCD information, and (under windows 7) the pre-windows memory test program.


So with a secondary hard disk drive attached, there will be no 100MB partition in the SSD?

Things will be different with GPT because the 100MB partition is necessary, right?


----------



## aar0nsky

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Weird, maybe b/c your SSD is not in the first SATA port on the mobo?
> edit, misread completely wow lol...read below.


it is in the second port and my dvd drive is in the first port. or maybe its vice versa. its in 1 or 2. no hard drives in front of it in the port order. but it used the ssd for the experience index before i plugged the other 2 in when following your guide. its not a huge deal i just wanted to have a nice pretty score. but i am still going to try what you posted. does it have anything to do with change drive letter paths in the registry? is there a registry entry for w.e.i. to have the primary disk? if so i couldve changed that when switching my default program files directories and user directories. theyre in ahci also btw.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Assuming you only have the SSD attached when you install windows, if you start with an "unallocated" drive, windows will create a 100MB "recovery" partition, and the primary data partition. the BCD information for the OS will be written into the 100MB partition, and the OS installed on the primary. If you manually create the primary partition before the installation begins, using all of the space on the drive, windows will create and install a BCD directory on the primary partition.
> If you have a secondary drive attached that has unallocated space, Windows will always attempt to create the 100MB partition on the secondary drive.
> The 100MB (often labeled "system reserved") partiton is only currently used for the BCD information, and (under windows 7) the pre-windows memory test program.
> 
> 
> 
> So with a secondary hard disk drive attached, there will be no 100MB partition in the SSD?
> 
> Things will be different with GPT because the 100MB partition is necessary, right?
Click to expand...

Usually no, but only if the secondary drive has unallocated space. If the secondary drive is fully partitioned and formatted, windows can't create a new partition on the secondary drive, and the reserved partition will still end up on the SSD if it hasn't been pre-partitioned.

With GPT, basicially the same thing applies. You don't *have* to have the 100MB partition, but it is not adviseable to remove it. Only because it is used (written to) by the UEFI, during POST, as the UEFI polls the system and finds hardware changes. Under MBR, the recovery partition, after it has all the information required for a typical boot, is not written to, unless a major change to the OS is made (ie... a windows update that changes something related to the BCD [Win7 SP1 as an example]).

With GPT, it is possible to get the BCD information onto the primary partition (just like MBR), but eventually the information written by the UEFI ends up scattered all over the primary partition, which may cause later problems. The only "real" requirement of GPT (under windows), is that the free space for the MSR cannot be removed, for windows to function with GPT.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @sean
> 
> For the Oulook data file, if I have it my storage HDD would it not slow down things? What indexing will work then, indexing for the SSD or the HDD? Is the data file the one being indexed?


ummmm idk lol sorry I'm just going off what i heard and it seemed to improve performance a little.
Quote:


> So when can you shrink your pagefile, if you have more than 4GB or RAM?


yea, over 4GB then you can consider shrinking.
Quote:


> Regarding the guide, why is that most of the time when I click any of the "click to show" links I am directed to the top part of the page? I have to click any link over and over for the guides to show properly. Is this because of Firefox?


I know! I have that same issue! It is a annoying!

Quote:


> it is in the second port and my dvd drive is in the first port. or maybe its vice versa. its in 1 or 2. no hard drives in front of it in the port order. but it used the ssd for the experience index before i plugged the other 2 in when following your guide. its not a huge deal i just wanted to have a nice pretty score. but i am still going to try what you posted. does it have anything to do with change drive letter paths in the registry? is there a registry entry for w.e.i. to have the primary disk? if so i couldve changed that when switching my default program files directories and user directories. theyre in ahci also btw.


I am not sure. See what you can find


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Usually no, but only if the secondary drive has unallocated space. If the secondary drive is fully partitioned and formatted, windows can't create a new partition on the secondary drive, and the reserved partition will still end up on the SSD if it hasn't been pre-partitioned.
> With GPT, basicially the same thing applies. You don't *have* to have the 100MB partition, but it is not adviseable to remove it. Only because it is used (written to) by the UEFI, during POST, as the UEFI polls the system and finds hardware changes. Under MBR, the recovery partition, after it has all the information required for a typical boot, is not written to, unless a major change to the OS is made (ie... a windows update that changes something related to the BCD [Win7 SP1 as an example]).
> With GPT, it is possible to get the BCD information onto the primary partition (just like MBR), but eventually the information written by the UEFI ends up scattered all over the primary partition, which may cause later problems. The only "real" requirement of GPT (under windows), is that the free space for the MSR cannot be removed, for windows to function with GPT.


Thanks. About my question a few days ago, why is that I already deleted all partitions in my OS drive and then used the jumper to reset the CMOS/NVRAM of my board but upon booting I still see that pesky Windows Boot Manager icon?


----------



## drawoh kcirtap

Sorry if this was in the guide, but what do I do if I have windows and all of my other things installed on my hard drive?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *drawoh kcirtap*
> 
> Sorry if this was in the guide, but what do I do if I have windows and all of my other things installed on my hard drive?


Are you installing on a SSD or the same HDD?
**Beta* How to: Use current OS HDD as a data drive after installing a SSD!*



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



If your personal data is backed up to another media just right click the HDD in Windows when you are done installing the new OS and click format.

or the better way...

Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *active*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter
If you can't save your personal data to another medium you can do...

*Option 1:* Okay option
Once you have windows installed you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files and partitions that may be on there as well)

*Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.

Shrink the old HDD OS partition
Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space
Then move the personal files to the new partition
When done moving your files delete the older OS partition
Then expand the new partition into the left over free space
Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.


----------



## drawoh kcirtap

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Are you installing on a SSD or the same HDD?
> **Beta* How to: Use current OS HDD as a data drive after installing a SSD!*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> If your personal data is backed up to another media just right click the HDD in Windows when you are done installing the new OS and click format.
> or the better way...
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *active*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> If you can't save your personal data to another medium you can do...
> *Option 1:* Okay option
> Once you have windows installed you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files and partitions that may be on there as well)
> *Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.
> 
> Shrink the old HDD OS partition
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space
> Then move the personal files to the new partition
> When done moving your files delete the older OS partition
> Then expand the new partition into the left over free space
> Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.


I'm installing on the ssd


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *drawoh kcirtap*
> 
> I'm installing on the ssd


Once you have windows installed you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files and partitions that may be on there as well) And make sure you have all the data backed up including game saves


----------



## BWG

Anyway you may consider adding something to show people a few ways to free up space when their drives are nearly full? Maybe a program showing the size of folder contents or something like that? Very nice job on the thread.


----------



## csm725

Try TreeSize Free.


----------



## kevindd992002

With all things done in the guide plus all the drivers and Microsoft Office, approximately how big should I expect is the used space in my SSD?


----------



## miniterror

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> With all things done in the guide plus all the drivers and Microsoft Office, approximately how big should I expect is the used space in my SSD?


i just redone my setup and approx 18-20gb
i have a couple of extra apps installed thtas why i take the 2gb marge
also at sean.
im not native english so i dont understand what you mean with do not use the marvel poorts.
could you explain it please a little bit in simpler words for my noobishm
ive i use them it should give bad 4k readings from what i understand
i did the benches could you please take alook if its ok or if im using the marvel poort for my ssd?
system specs are in my sig.
thanks you for reading

Knipsel.PNG 1136k .PNG file


edit: i know its offtopic but im new and dunno where to find it:S
where can i adjust my rig thats in my sig?
when i go there in profiles its all blank and says i dont have a rig:s


----------



## kevindd992002

Is it just me or are people with the crucial m4 in their system losing also the "windows 7 startup sound" every time we boot up our system? It seems that the boot is so fast that it doesn't play that infamous startup sound.


----------



## silvrr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> With all things done in the guide plus all the drivers and Microsoft Office, approximately how big should I expect is the used space in my SSD?


Im using up 18 GB with windows, office, firefox and lightroom installed on the SSD.

Thanks for writing the guide Sean, helped me get mine setup and its was easy as pie.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Usually no, but only if the secondary drive has unallocated space. If the secondary drive is fully partitioned and formatted, windows can't create a new partition on the secondary drive, and the reserved partition will still end up on the SSD if it hasn't been pre-partitioned.
> With GPT, basicially the same thing applies. You don't *have* to have the 100MB partition, but it is not adviseable to remove it. Only because it is used (written to) by the UEFI, during POST, as the UEFI polls the system and finds hardware changes. Under MBR, the recovery partition, after it has all the information required for a typical boot, is not written to, unless a major change to the OS is made (ie... a windows update that changes something related to the BCD [Win7 SP1 as an example]).
> With GPT, it is possible to get the BCD information onto the primary partition (just like MBR), but eventually the information written by the UEFI ends up scattered all over the primary partition, which may cause later problems. The only "real" requirement of GPT (under windows), is that the free space for the MSR cannot be removed, for windows to function with GPT.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. About my question a few days ago, why is that I already deleted all partitions in my OS drive and then used the jumper to reset the CMOS/NVRAM of my board but upon booting I still see that pesky Windows Boot Manager icon?
Click to expand...

Sorry, now i remember you asking that question.

Since you followed the steps to clear everything, the Windows Boot Manager entry is hard coded to your UEFI. If you recall the explanation of how the UEFI works on POST, the NVRAM contains certain entries that have been coded directly to the chip. This is not unusual in a UEFI, as the code writers attempt to pick up every potential boot device that the UEFI may see to keep POST time to a minimum. Windows Boot Manager is a fairly generic entry, as it can cover quite a few boot locations, but is usually a direct link to the BCD, whereever it be located.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Sorry, now i remember you asking that question.
> Since you followed the steps to clear everything, the Windows Boot Manager entry is hard coded to your UEFI. If you recall the explanation of how the UEFI works on POST, the NVRAM contains certain entries that have been coded directly to the chip. This is not unusual in a UEFI, as the code writers attempt to pick up every potential boot device that the UEFI may see to keep POST time to a minimum. Windows Boot Manager is a fairly generic entry, as it can cover quite a few boot locations, but is usually a direct link to the BCD, whereever it be located.


Ok. So at this point, I can never get rid of that Windows Boot Manager? Would it even add up to the total performance of the system if I delete and recreate this Windows Boot Manager? I swear that there was a single time that it was gone after a clear CMOS procedure and I had to use the Win7 setup disk for repairing the BCD info for my SSD to be able to boot.


----------



## aar0nsky

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok. So at this point, I can never get rid of that Windows Boot Manager? Would it even add up to the total performance of the system if I delete and recreate this Windows Boot Manager? I swear that there was a single time that it was gone after a clear CMOS procedure and I had to use the Win7 setup disk for repairing the BCD info for my SSD to be able to boot.


not sure if you tried it but, does flashing the CMOS get rid of it? If not I would take every disk out except the one you want to install windows on and do a fresh install. thats what I had to do and I had a similar problem.


----------



## overclocker23578

Just got my SSD, and it's mindblowingly fast







, managed to free up 13GB of space thanks to your guide Sean


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BWG*
> 
> Anyway you may consider adding something to show people a few ways to free up space when their drives are nearly full? Maybe a program showing the size of folder contents or something like that? Very nice job on the thread.


Like CSM said and also there is this: http://windirstat.info/
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> With all things done in the guide plus all the drivers and Microsoft Office, approximately how big should I expect is the used space in my SSD?


I have ~11GB used up after everything done. Then the programs get installed and I have ~35GB used. Then after a month I have ~30GB used lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miniterror*
> 
> i just redone my setup and approx 18-20gb
> i have a couple of extra apps installed thtas why i take the 2gb marge
> also at sean.
> im not native english so i dont understand what you mean with do not use the marvel poorts.
> could you explain it please a little bit in simpler words for my noobishm
> ive i use them it should give bad 4k readings from what i understand


Well that is what they are called, they are the Marvell SATA 3 ports. Use your Manual for your mobo.
Quote:


> i did the benches could you please take alook if its ok or if im using the marvel poort for my ssd?
> system specs are in my sig.
> thanks you for reading
> 
> Knipsel.PNG 1136k .PNG file


You are plugged into the AMD port, you are fine.








Quote:


> edit: i know its offtopic but im new and dunno where to find it:S
> where can i adjust my rig thats in my sig?
> when i go there in profiles its all blank and says i dont have a rig:s


Top right in sig builder or at the bottom of your profile page.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is it just me or are people with the crucial m4 in their system losing also the "windows 7 startup sound" every time we boot up our system? It seems that the boot is so fast that it doesn't play that infamous startup sound.


I have it lol, try editing the sound settings sor smething? Maybe it is the Windows theme you have on? Try a different Windows theme.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *silvrr*
> 
> Im using up 18 GB with windows, office, firefox and lightroom installed on the SSD.
> Thanks for writing the guide Sean, helped me get mine setup and its was easy as pie.


No problem, glad you liked it!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overclocker23578*
> 
> Just got my SSD, and it's mindblowingly fast
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , managed to free up 13GB of space thanks to your guide Sean


Sweet! Congrats!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aar0nsky*
> 
> not sure if you tried it but, does flashing the CMOS get rid of it? If not I would take every disk out except the one you want to install windows on and do a fresh install. thats what I had to do and I had a similar problem.


Did that also, nothing. I removed everything from the motherboard and did a CMOS reset, CMOS flash, name it and it is still there.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Like CSM said and also there is this: http://windirstat.info/
> I have ~11GB used up after everything done. Then the programs get installed and I have ~35GB used. Then after a month I have ~30GB used lol.
> Well that is what they are called, they are the Marvell SATA 3 ports. Use your Manual for your mobo.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> i did the benches could you please take alook if its ok or if im using the marvel poort for my ssd?
> system specs are in my sig.
> thanks you for reading
> 
> Knipsel.PNG 1136k .PNG file
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You are plugged into the AMD port, you are fine.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> edit: i know its offtopic but im new and dunno where to find it:S
> where can i adjust my rig thats in my sig?
> when i go there in profiles its all blank and says i dont have a rig:s
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Top right in sig builder or at the bottom of your profile page.
> I have it lol, try editing the sound settings sor smething? Maybe it is the Windows theme you have on? Try a different Windows theme.
> No problem, glad you liked it!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sweet! Congrats!
Click to expand...

Oh ok, I have 20GB used with Microsoft Office installed and all Windows updates. You think it's normal?

Weird, because I have the default theme of Win7? Why don't I have that sound. It's the first time that happened to me. Do you have GUI boot enabled or disabled? I have mine disabled.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Oh ok, I have 20GB used with Microsoft Office installed and all Windows updates. You think it's normal?


Do you have system protection enabled, hibernation on, what size pagefile, indexing enabled?
Quote:


> Weird, because I have the default theme of Win7? Why don't I have that sound. It's the first time that happened to me. Do you have GUI boot enabled or disabled? I have mine disabled.


Mine works fine.


----------



## grassh0ppa

So much info...thanks for creating this thread.

I will be getting a new SSD sometime soon... I was kinda hoping to just be able to move the OS and a few other things over to the HDD, but I guess a fresh install is recommended/easier to do? I'm a little confused about this; after making a fresh install on the SSD we take a "system image" from the HDD and put it on the SSD? Or will I have to just reinstall everything and wipe my HDD?

Sorry if these questions are ******ed...I seem to have underestimated how difficult installing an SSD/HDD combo (SSD for OS and some games and HDD for everything else) would be.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> So much info...thanks for creating this thread.
> 
> I will be getting a new SSD sometime soon... I was kinda hoping to just be able to move the OS and a few other things over to the HDD, but I guess a fresh install is recommended/easier to do?


Yes a fresh install is best.
Quote:


> I'm a little confused about this; after making a fresh install on the SSD we take a "system image" from the HDD and put it on the SSD? Or will I have to just reinstall everything and wipe my HDD?


No, no, no. You make a system image of the OS on the SSD. This allows you to have an exact back up of your system before you do anything else so you can easily revert to it and not have to reinstall in case of the need. I will make a small guide and video for it soon.








Quote:


> Sorry if these questions are ******ed...I seem to have underestimated how difficult installing an SSD/HDD combo (SSD for OS and some games and HDD for everything else) would be.


lol, no question is ******ed, what is ******ed is not asking any questions and then screwing something up that could have been prevented.









Basically all OS files, drivers, programs, games, anything you want you put on the SSD.

All personal files like music, photos, video, games, downloads put on the HDD if you can't fit them on the SSD.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do you have system protection enabled, hibernation on, what size pagefile, indexing enabled?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Weird, because I have the default theme of Win7? Why don't I have that sound. It's the first time that happened to me. Do you have GUI boot enabled or disabled? I have mine disabled.
> 
> 
> 
> Mine works fine.
Click to expand...

System protection is disabled, hibernation disable, 400MB pagefile, and indexing enabled.

I don't know what's wrong with my Windows 7 startup sound. Do you have GUI boot enabled or disabled?

BTW, one comment on the guide, I think it would be better if you put the step where you changed the power setting of the system to 'High Performace' BEFORE running WEI assessment. In this way you are sure that you're running your system to the fullest.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do you have system protection enabled, hibernation on, what size pagefile, indexing enabled?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Weird, because I have the default theme of Win7? Why don't I have that sound. It's the first time that happened to me. Do you have GUI boot enabled or disabled? I have mine disabled.
> 
> 
> 
> Mine works fine.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> System protection is disabled, hibernation disable, 400MB pagefile, and indexing enabled.
> 
> I don't know what's wrong with my Windows 7 startup sound. Do you have GUI boot enabled or disabled?
Click to expand...

It is disabled idk what's up with yours...

right click the speaker in the taskbar click sounds and go from there maybe?
Quote:


> BTW, one comment on the guide, I think it would be better if you put the step where you changed the power setting of the system to 'High Performace' BEFORE running WEI assessment. In this way you are sure that you're running your system to the fullest.


Thanks, good point


----------



## Blindrage606

I did a quick skim of the guide and didn't see mention of any enabling/disabling "compress this drive to save disk space" of an SSD w/in SSD properties.

Im on limited space, so is it best to enable this feature...?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blindrage606*
> 
> I did a quick skim of the guide and didn't see mention of any enabling/disabling "compress this drive to save disk space" of an SSD w/in SSD properties.
> 
> Im on limited space, so is it best to enable this feature...?


You can if you want, if uses up CPU power lol.

Here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-ntfs-compression,3073.html


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is disabled idk what's up with yours...
> right click the speaker in the taskbar click sounds and go from there maybe?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> BTW, one comment on the guide, I think it would be better if you put the step where you changed the power setting of the system to 'High Performace' BEFORE running WEI assessment. In this way you are sure that you're running your system to the fullest.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, good point
Click to expand...

I have already checked the sound properties and "play windows startup sound" is checked.


----------



## Nocturin

Sean,

Quote:


> I dub thee :
> 
> "Sage Storage Maharishi"


----------



## [email protected]

Hi i would love some advice and expert suggestions for beginners. Sure i could read all that contraption but my head hurts and i wanna get started lol







Yea i'm lazy but honestly i can read it all but i want to hear from all of you first before proceeding anything. I got my very FIRST SSD from Best Buy. Yes Best Buy. I took an advantage of it because they were stupid to price it. It was supposed to be 149.96 but i got it for a 100 dollars. a Intel 320 Series 80gb hard drive. You heard me right. Not only that it's a good thing i held onto that 10 dollar gift card from BB a year ago from buying Crysis 2 as a pre-order. Forgot i had it so i used it and basically i saved a lot of money. I am actually glad i pulled the trigger cuz it's cheaper and BB is so stupid enough to price it wrong! MUAHAH.. ok *ahem*

Let's be serious here and get back to the moot point. Since this is my first one. What is the main thing i should be doing? Plug it in or do i need to install firmware or anything? Maybe Windows Update will look it up for me. However i still wonder if i should install OS in it or just BF3? This is one also good reason to have. I wanted a SSD so my games can load faster and not only that i wanted a excuse to bring my Windows Index Experience to a higher score for the first time. I'm done with looking at that low score.

Not only that i want the load boot to be faster than i ever done. Should i keep the Windows login password or disable so i can get in faster? Doesn't bother me much and i like my security cuz i don't want anyone getting in. So please advise me what is the very first thing i should do with a SSD? Is it mainly for RAID or a regular data drive? What is the most recommended suggestion i should do? I really want Battlefield 3 in it too.

Wouldn't Windows 7 be cramped into a 80 gb SSD? I told myself i should had gotten the 120 since it was on sale too. Idiot me







I might get it next week or just hold it off







Advice?!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> -snip-
> 
> Let's be serious here and get back to the moot point. Since this is my first one. What is the main thing i should be doing?


Follow posts 1 and 2 in this thread.
Quote:


> Plug it in or do i need to install firmware or anything?


Plug it in your pc now, install intels toolbox for intel SSDs and see if you can update the firmware.
Quote:


> However i still wonder if i should install OS in it or just BF3?


Both, 80 is plenty I have 60GB and i have 30GB free for what ever.
Quote:


> Should i keep the Windows login password or disable so i can get in faster?


Up to you. I don't have a pass, yet i have the PC to myself in my room.
Quote:


> So please advise me what is the very first thing i should do with a SSD?


Install it in your PC as a secondary drive and see if you can update the firmware.
Quote:


> Is it mainly for RAID or a regular data drive?


?????

Read here: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread
Quote:


> What is the most recommended suggestion i should do?


Follow the guide and read it thoroughly as you go along, probably reading it before would be good too.
Quote:


> Wouldn't Windows 7 be cramped into a 80 gb SSD?


Nope, did you not see the 1st post? Windows takes up 7-15GB depending on how much of the guide you do. (In post 2)
Quote:


> I told myself i should had gotten the 120 since it was on sale too. Idiot me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I might get it next week or just hold it off
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Advice?!


Shut up and enjoy your SSD


----------



## Rage19420

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Let's be serious here and get back to the moot point. Since this is my first one. What is the main thing i should be doing? Plug it in or do i need to install firmware or anything?


Plug it in first and install any firmware updates.
Quote:


> Maybe Windows Update will look it up for me. However i still wonder if i should install OS in it or just BF3?


Yes on both.
Quote:


> Not only that i want the load boot to be faster than i ever done. Should i keep the Windows login password or disable so i can get in faster? Doesn't bother me much and i like my security cuz i don't want anyone getting in.


You can do that.
Quote:


> So please advise me what is the very first thing i should do with a SSD? Is it mainly for RAID or a regular data drive? What is the most recommended suggestion i should do? I really want Battlefield 3 in it too.


See 1st post for steps. Read through first then just do it. Its easy. Done it on two rigs already.
Quote:


> Wouldn't Windows 7 be cramped into a 80 gb SSD?


No not really. I have W7 and BF3 + some other games loaded all under 60 gb
Quote:


> I told myself i should had gotten the 120 since it was on sale too.


Yes you should have.


----------



## [email protected]

In my BIOS I see AcPI 2.0 support disabled but my acpi apical support is enabled. Should they've enabled? And should onboard devices have achieve mode on for j- micron esata/pata controller set to achieve mode correct? Making sure I don't overlook anything before I disconnect my HD and install the add. Advice sir?


----------



## [email protected]

Stupid Droid corrected the spelling I'm talking abt Ahci
Also should sata configuration be on ahci instead of die mode? Look up my minor BIOS if you need to. Greatly would appreciate it..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> In my BIOS I see AcPI 2.0 support disabled but my acpi apical support is enabled. Should they've enabled? And should onboard devices have achieve mode on for j- micron esata/pata controller set to achieve mode correct? Making sure I don't overlook anything before I disconnect my HD and install the add. Advice sir?


Enable ACPI 2.0
idk about the other, it is personal preference...google that







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Stupid Droid corrected the spelling I'm talking abt Ahci
> Also should sata configuration be on ahci instead of die mode? Look up my minor BIOS if you need to. Greatly would appreciate it..


Too tired to, been up all night.









Just enable AHCI and be set. And have the SSD in an Intel SATA 2 port. You are too nervous, calm down lol.


----------



## Super Saiyan

I installed my SSD and downloaded and intalled quite a few things to it. Which part of your guide do I follow to move everything to my HDD? And just use my SSD for boot.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Super Saiyan*
> 
> I installed my SSD and downloaded and intalled quite a few things to it. Which part of your guide do I follow to move everything to my HDD? And just use my SSD for boot.


This?

*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*

Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
Click Properties
Click the Location tab
Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
*Note 1:* Recommended, I do this myself for my user folders (ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
*Note 2:* If there are two of the same folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it)
*Note 3:* If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.

*Video Tut:*


----------



## Super Saiyan

What about Program files and Program files (x86)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Super Saiyan*
> 
> What about Program files and Program files (x86)


Those stay on the SSD.









Why move them? Besides, I don't know how without looking it up or experimenting on it.


----------



## Super Saiyan

What do you mean, they must be moved :O

It will keep growing I have steam and other programs in there. Why would I use my SSd for that. the space is extremely limited. Already have 16gb left out of 120gb :S


----------



## Sean Webster

Take the steam folder, move to HDD. Use steam mover to put games you chose on the SSD...Instant huge amount of room back.

Why the heck would you not use your SSD for programs?


----------



## Super Saiyan

Sorry I didn't mean all programs in general I meant stuff like Origin, Steam, etc.

And also can;t I just simply move my Users folder to my HDD? Or will that create problems?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Super Saiyan*
> 
> Sorry I didn't mean all programs in general I meant stuff like Origin, Steam, etc.


Steam is portable so it is simply drag and drop. Origin may be as well, but I am not 100% sure. When you install programs just change teh drive letter to the HDD's.
Quote:


> And also can;t I just simply move my Users folder to my HDD? Or will that create problems?


Nope, there is the AppData folder hidden in it. If you move the User folder things will not work right. Also, besides that the folder locations to teh OS would still be considered to be on the C drive. You need to do them individually.


----------



## Super Saiyan

Alright thanks.


----------



## grassh0ppa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> So please advise me what is the very first thing i should do with a SSD?
> 
> 
> 
> Install it in your PC as a secondary drive and see if you can update the firmware.
Click to expand...

Is that in the 1st post? Should we do this or should we unplug the HHD and do a fresh install of windows?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> So please advise me what is the very first thing i should do with a SSD?
> 
> 
> 
> Install it in your PC as a secondary drive and see if you can update the firmware.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Is that in the 1st post? Should we do this or should we unplug the HHD and do a fresh install of windows?
Click to expand...

If you haven't installed yet plug the SSD in your system and see if you can update the firmware. Then proceed with the install.


----------



## [email protected]

Been told it's not a good idea to have Steam on SSD cuz i heard it causes problems but is it ok to install Steam directly to my second hard drive? Any other games too? My OS is on my SSD however. I just wanted to know if i wanted to install DRIVERS for Razer mouse and keyboard. Would i HAVE to install directly in SSD or second HD? Just wanted to be sure. The Windows update does take up a bit space but it's not so bad. Wait til i install BF3 lol. However i may consider pulling a trigger on a 120gb drive or bigger


----------



## [email protected]

I am currently using INtel 320 Series 80 gib 2.5 drive and i can't be too sure WHICH drivers to install? I get a little confused what i need. I ain't running RAID though.


----------



## [email protected]

OK i downloaded Firmware tool and the iso file thing for the SSD specific drive. However i wanted to know if this is needed at all? http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology

I'm not running RAID but is this a requirement anyways? How can i know if i have updated drivers? Checking device controls in case.

Also how do i know what firmware version i have? Isn't there a program that can check and see if it has the newest firmware or not? Just wondered.


----------



## [email protected]

Why is my firmware update showing GREYED out on the firmware INtel tool? Am i missing something here? I have no idea what to do with the firmware ISO file i downloaded. Am i supposed to be doing something here?


----------



## [email protected]

Looks like i don't need to use firmware update. I think i'm ok. Thanks.

Can someone tell me please if it's ok to install Steam on my second hard drive cuz i notice BF3 takes a lot of space on my 80gb SSD. Would i be able to play games just fine on my 1TB Hard Drive without an OS? My OS is fully installed in SSD anyways. Am i ok? Can someone please clarify if this is ok? I wanna be sure to be able to game on another drive instead of my SSD. May consider getting 120gb perhaps.


----------



## [email protected]

ok this is my final comment of all. So much spam







LOL. I figured it out all on my own. Thanks to this thread and the power of google and friends on Battlelog lol. Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Looks like i don't need to use firmware update. I think i'm ok. Thanks.
> 
> Can someone tell me please if it's ok to install Steam on my second hard drive cuz i notice BF3 takes a lot of space on my 80gb SSD. Would i be able to play games just fine on my 1TB Hard Drive without an OS? My OS is fully installed in SSD anyways. Am i ok? Can someone please clarify if this is ok? I wanna be sure to be able to game on another drive instead of my SSD. May consider getting 120gb perhaps.


Steam is on my HDD lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> ok this is my final comment of all. So much spam
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LOL. I figured it out all on my own. Thanks to this thread and the power of google and friends on Battlelog lol. Thanks!


lol, cool. Yea, I told you I was asleep.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

Sean, Maybe add something on the OP about "cleaning" your system restore points. For me, when I did a fresh install of win7 and had to go through a good 1GB+ of windows updates, every time windows would create another restore point. Then after everything was reinstalled, drivers and all, it was basically pointless to have those multiple restore points. CCleaner will show you as well and give you the option to delete previous outdated restore points, but when you do a disk cleanup, and head over to the tab "More Options" it will allow you to clean "System Restore and Shadow Copies." This saved me a good 1GB+ on my SSD.

It's probably 'safer' imo with using this cleanup feature rather than completely disabling system restore ability. Install bad Nvidia drivers and need to do a system restore and not having that ability to do so would be a huge pain to some.



New SSD is workin great! People on HDD don't know what they're missin...


----------



## TomcatV

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> Sean, Maybe add something on the OP about "cleaning" your system restore points. For me, when I did a fresh install of win7 and had to go through a good 1GB+ of windows updates, every time windows would create another restore point...


Sean does explain/mention this in his guide, very useful!

Hey Sean who the heck is that vixen in your avatar?







I can't quit starring at her LoL ... Hope that was your last image before going to sleep? :O ... or maybe not ...
Happy NEW YEAR, you sure helped mine!!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> Sean, Maybe add something on the OP about "cleaning" your system restore points. For me, when I did a fresh install of win7 and had to go through a good 1GB+ of windows updates, every time windows would create another restore point. Then after everything was reinstalled, drivers and all, it was basically pointless to have those multiple restore points. CCleaner will show you as well and give you the option to delete previous outdated restore points, but when you do a disk cleanup, and head over to the tab "More Options" it will allow you to clean "System Restore and Shadow Copies." This saved me a good 1GB+ on my SSD.
> 
> It's probably 'safer' imo with using this cleanup feature rather than completely disabling system restore ability. Install bad Nvidia drivers and need to do a system restore and not having that ability to do so would be a huge pain to some.
> 
> New SSD is workin great! People on HDD don't know what they're missin...


That space you got back will get used up again after a few restarts and program installs. Windows automatically deletes the out of date ones to make room for new restore points when it needs too.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Sean does explain/mention this in his guide, very useful!
> 
> Hey Sean who the heck is that vixen in your avatar?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't quit starring at her LoL ... Hope that was your last image before going to sleep? :O ... or maybe not ...
> Happy NEW YEAR, you sure helped mine!!!


I think she is candice swanepoel

lol happy new year!


----------



## celticguardian1

Are these good rates for a Crucial M4 64gb

CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/

* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 532.542 MB/s
Sequential Write : 107.723 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 430.015 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 108.420 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 30.137 MB/s [ 7357.5 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 79.131 MB/s [ 19319.0 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 268.920 MB/s [ 65654.3 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 104.921 MB/s [ 25615.4 IOPS]

Test : 1000 MB [C: 52.5% (31.3/59.5 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2012/01/01 17:20:03
OS : Windows 7 Home Premium Edition SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Sean, just to clear something up. I noticed you put the "disable indexing" back in the guide. So does this mean you and others have come to the conclusion that it's 'better' to disable it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *celticguardian1*
> 
> Are these good rates for a Crucial M4 64gb
> 
> CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
> Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
> 
> * MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
> 
> Sequential Read : 532.542 MB/s
> Sequential Write : 107.723 MB/s
> Random Read 512KB : 430.015 MB/s
> Random Write 512KB : 108.420 MB/s
> Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 30.137 MB/s [ 7357.5 IOPS]
> Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 79.131 MB/s [ 19319.0 IOPS]
> Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 268.920 MB/s [ 65654.3 IOPS]
> Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 104.921 MB/s [ 25615.4 IOPS]
> 
> Test : 1000 MB [C: 52.5% (31.3/59.5 GB)] (x5)
> Date : 2012/01/01 17:20:03
> OS : Windows 7 Home Premium Edition SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)


Yep.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> Sean, just to clear something up. I noticed you put the "disable indexing" back in the guide. So does this mean you and others have come to the conclusion that it's 'better' to disable it?


I put it there for now in case anyone wants to follow it b/c it doesn't need to be enabled, but on older SSDs it does and some programs are said to work better with it enabled, but we are going to see if it really matters or not.


----------



## lildimsum7

great guide, very thorough. you helped me out a lot for my first build. thanks!


----------



## finnsta

Sean is my hero,
thanks again.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I put it there for now in case anyone wants to follow it b/c it doesn't need to be enabled, but on older SSDs it does and some programs are said to work better with it enabled, but we are going to see if it really matters or not.


Sounds good. Looking forward to what you come up with.


----------



## c0ld

Will it really affect if I don't go back to stock clock on my CPU??


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *c0ld*
> 
> Will it really affect if I don't go back to stock clock on my CPU??


It caould, I had an issue before with what I thought was a stable overclock and it gave me errors with the install.

What is so hard to save your BIOS profile, set to stock clocks, set up system, and reload the overclocked BIOS set up? Takes like 2 min max.


----------



## cbrazeau1115

So while following the guide, while Win 7 was installing I got an error that something was unable to copy. How should I go about installing now? What do I need to do to format the SSD. When I look now right before installing, it says the drive is 59/59 GB but when I go through command prompt it is not the case.

Help?!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cbrazeau1115*
> 
> So while following the guide, while Win 7 was installing I got an error that something was unable to copy. How should I go about installing now? What do I need to do to format the SSD. When I look now right before installing, it says the drive is 59/59 GB but when I go through command prompt it is not the case.
> 
> Help?!


If you do the Diskpart of the guide you format your drive right before installation. Sounds like either bad ram, bad iso or a bad drive. Try using 1 stick of RAM, and use only the bare essentials to run your PC in the installation.


----------



## cbrazeau1115

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you do the Diskpart of the guide you format your drive right before installation. Sounds like either bad ram, bad iso or a bad drive. Try using 1 stick of RAM, and use only the bare essentials to run your PC in the installation.


I do in fact think I have 1 stick oj junky ram. Ill try with 1 stick. Ill try that and let you know how it goes!


----------



## c0ld

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It caould, I had an issue before with what I thought was a stable overclock and it gave me errors with the install.
> What is so hard to save your BIOS profile, set to stock clocks, set up system, and reload the overclocked BIOS set up? Takes like 2 min max.


Ohhh i can do that? Alright im dling all the drivers as we speak getting ready to install my SSD









It is soo tiny I thought it was gonna be bigger.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Ohhh i can do that? Alright im dling all the drivers as we speak getting ready to install my SSD


Yep








Quote:


> It is soo tiny I thought it was gonna be bigger.


That's what she said! lol

Yea, I know, I thought I didn't get my first one b/c the box felt empty it was so light.


----------



## c0ld

Cant find the ACPI 2.0 in UEFI bios hmmmm.


----------



## ironsurvivor

Just got my SSD and followed all these steps. This helped me so much. Much much much appriciated bud. +rep


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *c0ld*
> 
> Cant find the ACPI 2.0 in UEFI bios hmmmm.


New mobos have it enabled as a default. Or should so that is why








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ironsurvivor*
> 
> Just got my SSD and followed all these steps. This helped me so much. Much much much appriciated bud. +rep


No problem


----------



## c0ld

Alright how does my benchmark look? Or is it slow for the drive I have?


----------



## Sean Webster

Looks good to me.


----------



## c0ld

Awesome thanks man! Rep!









Disabled some marvel on bios and bios just flys though now, I used to have the marvel on and it took me through some more screens.

Gonna go through the optional optimization part


----------



## intelfan

Sean, I need some assistance. For some reason, my computer likes to turn off for no apparent reason. BIOS settings are stock. Out of the blue it turns off and the system time in Windows reverts back to 1/1/2008. Happened twice since I installed it. Any solutions?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> Sean, I need some assistance. For some reason, my computer likes to turn off for no apparent reason. BIOS settings are stock. Out of the blue it turns off and the system time in Windows reverts back to 1/1/2008. Happened twice since I installed it. Any solutions?


shouldn't turn your system off, but your CMOS battery is most likely dead. get a new battery.


----------



## grassh0ppa

I was also looking for ACPI 2.0... my mobo is relatively new, should I assume it is already enabled?

I also had a question about eSATA3 ctrl mode... Right now it had IDE, but with an option to change to AHCI. Since I just changed PCH SATA control mode to AHCI should I change this as well?


----------



## Clutchc

What a great guide! Thank you for putting all the work into such a fine guide. I don't know if you are still maintaining this post after all this time, but if so, I have a quick question. I ordered a 64GB SSD and will be installing it in a new build along with a HDD. In your setup guide for immediatly after installing Win7, you present the warning: "Be sure to see if the steps apply for either SSDs only or applies to both SSDs/HDDs." I was wondering if that meant I should ignore the steps for SSDs only and just do the steps for SSD/HDD? Or if I should do both? Pardon my thick headedness...
Again, thanks for the guide.


----------



## WeirdHarold

How would I go about using the Digital River Image files to create a bootable disc and not a USB drive?


----------



## grassh0ppa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Clutchc*
> 
> What a great guide! Thank you for putting all the work into such a fine guide. I don't know if you are still maintaining this post after all this time, but if so, I have a quick question. I ordered a 64GB SSD and will be installing it in a new build along with a HDD. In your setup guide for immediatly after installing Win7, you present the warning: "Be sure to see if the steps apply for either SSDs only or applies to both SSDs/HDDs." I was wondering if that meant I should ignore the steps for SSDs only and just do the steps for SSD/HDD? Or if I should do both? Pardon my thick headedness...
> Again, thanks for the guide.


i was wondering the same thing actually.

As of now, I plugged in the HDD along with the SSD, now I'm getting errors







telling me to do a system restore and that didn't work.

When I start it up it just goes from the widows loading screen back to bios - then to system restore again.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WeirdHarold*
> 
> How would I go about using the Digital River Image files to create a bootable disc and not a USB drive?


A program like imgBurn can burn a bootable DVD. Download Link


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> I was also looking for ACPI 2.0... my mobo is relatively new, should I assume it is already enabled?
> I also had a question about eSATA3 ctrl mode... Right now it had IDE, but with an option to change to AHCI. Since I just changed PCH SATA control mode to AHCI should I change this as well?


2.0 should be enabled on your new board.

You can even disable the eSATA 3 if you want.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Clutchc*
> 
> What a great guide! Thank you for putting all the work into such a fine guide. I don't know if you are still maintaining this post after all this time, but if so, I have a quick question. I ordered a 64GB SSD and will be installing it in a new build along with a HDD. In your setup guide for immediatly after installing Win7, you present the warning: "Be sure to see if the steps apply for either SSDs only or applies to both SSDs/HDDs." I was wondering if that meant I should ignore the steps for SSDs only and just do the steps for SSD/HDD? Or if I should do both? Pardon my thick headedness...
> Again, thanks for the guide.


items marked with SSD/HDD should be done to systems with the OS drive being a SSD or a HDD. Items marked with SSD only should only be done to the systems that have a SSD as the OS drive as well as the other stuff.

For example...

You install the OS onto a HDD, only do the steps marked SSD/HDD

You install the system on a SSD then do the steps marked SSD/HDD and SSD only.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WeirdHarold*
> 
> How would I go about using the Digital River Image files to create a bootable disc and not a USB drive?


Use this: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> i was wondering the same thing actually.
> As of now, I plugged in the HDD along with the SSD, now I'm getting errors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> telling me to do a system restore?


Umm, did you erase the previous install off the HDD?


----------



## intelfan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> shouldn't turn your system off, but your CMOS battery is most likely dead. get a new battery.


No go. Just happened again except the time remained current. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the SSD but nothing in my system has been changed other than that.


----------



## grassh0ppa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Umm, did you erase the previous install off the HDD?


uh no...









must have missed that. How can I do this?


----------



## fortunesolace

Great guide!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> shouldn't turn your system off, but your CMOS battery is most likely dead. get a new battery.
> 
> 
> 
> No go. Just happened again except the time remained current. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the SSD but nothing in my system has been changed other than that.
Click to expand...

Odd, usually it is the battery when the system clock gets reset, is the system overclocked? Are you running an intensive app? Could a program be shutting it down. Power surge?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Umm, did you erase the previous install off the HDD?
> 
> 
> 
> uh no...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> must have missed that. How can I do this?
Click to expand...

lol, delete the OS partition and the system reserve partition on the HDD, if you need to back up the data first then make a partition for the personal files in the drive and copy them over, then delete the old partitions on the HDD.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fortunesolace*
> 
> Great guide!


Thanks!


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> No go. Just happened again except the time remained current. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the SSD but nothing in my system has been changed other than that.


check the power cord too, switch it out or it may not be pushed in all the way and it got moved by the wind or something... and replace the CMOS just in case.

and delete the old OS install .


----------



## grassh0ppa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, delete the OS partition and the system reserve partition on the HDD, if you need to back up the data first then make a partition for the personal files in the drive and copy them over, then delete the old partitions on the HDD.
> Thanks!


Thanks again.

When I unplug the HDD, windows boots fine. When I unplug the SSD and plug in the HDD I get the same error mentioned above. So it's a problem with the HDD. I'll do some troubleshooting and see if it works.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, delete the OS partition and the system reserve partition on the HDD, if you need to back up the data first then make a partition for the personal files in the drive and copy them over, then delete the old partitions on the HDD.
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again.
> 
> When I unplug the HDD, windows boots fine. When I unplug the SSD and plug in the HDD I get the same error mentioned above. So it's a problem with the HDD. I'll do some troubleshooting and see if it works.
Click to expand...

Ok, here. Disconnect the SSD from the system, replug in the HDD. Then boot up the install disc. Then get to the formatting options under custom install. Then delete the system reserve partition on the HDD that way , then reset up your system again how you like it and you should be able to boot fine and have no issue from the HDD.


----------



## Clutchc

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 2.0 should be enabled on your new board.
> You can even disable the eSATA 3 if you want.
> items marked with SSD/HDD should be done to systems with the OS drive being a SSD or a HDD. Items marked with SSD only should only be done to the systems that have a SSD as the OS drive as well as the other stuff.
> For example...
> You install the OS onto a HDD, only do the steps marked SSD/HDD
> You install the system on a SSD then do the steps marked SSD/HDD and SSD only.
> Use this: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
> Umm, did you erase the previous install off the HDD?


Thanks for the quick response. So If I understand your answer correctly, in my case I do both steps because I will be installing the OS on the SSD and using the HDD for other storage. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Clutchc*
> 
> Thanks for the quick response. So If I understand your answer correctly, in my case I do both steps because I will be installing the OS on the SSD and using the HDD for other storage. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


Since the OS is going on your SSD yes you do both.


----------



## grassh0ppa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok, here. Disconnect the SSD from the system, replug in the HDD. Then boot up the install disc. Then get to the formatting options under custom install. Then delete the system reserve partition on the HDD that way , then reset up your system again how you like it and you should be able to boot fine and have no issue from the HDD.


System restore didn't work, but when I switched for ACHI to IDE the HDD worked (plugged in on its own, no ssd). So now I'm back on my computer and its like it was before I tired installing the SSD.

So now I'm going to remove Win 7 from the HDD and save whatever I need in a partition. Any useful links on how to do that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok, here. Disconnect the SSD from the system, replug in the HDD. Then boot up the install disc. Then get to the formatting options under custom install. Then delete the system reserve partition on the HDD that way , then reset up your system again how you like it and you should be able to boot fine and have no issue from the HDD.
> 
> 
> 
> System restore didn't work, but when I switched for ACHI to IDE the HDD worked (plugged in on its own, no ssd). So now I'm back on my computer and its like it was before I tired installing the SSD.
> 
> So now I'm going to remove Win 7 from the HDD and save whatever I need in a partition. Any useful links on how to do that?
Click to expand...

Do this:http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2672-partition-volume-shrink.html

Then this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2674-partition-volume-create-new.html


----------



## grassh0ppa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do this:http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2672-partition-volume-shrink.html
> Then this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2674-partition-volume-create-new.html


ok, so now that this is done. I can begin to move files from my C drive into my newly created partition? After I do this, do I delete the C drive containing the OS or is it deleted automatically somehow when I plug my SSD back in? I also have a "system reserve" partition, will that be deleted as well?


----------



## Sean Webster

When you install using diskpart you use a command called clean, this essentially marks as deleted the info on the SSD. Thus no partitions on the SSD. So just refollow the guide.

Once the OS is installed on the SSD, in disk management you need to plug back in your HDD and delete the reserved partition and old OS partition on the HDD.

Then you can expand the storage partition on the HDD (your back up) to get back the unallocated space and use it as your storage drive.


----------



## grassh0ppa

Well I already installed Windows on the SSD. Should I just reinstall over it and follow the guide?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Well I already installed Windows on the SSD. Should I just reinstall over it and follow the guide?


Hook up the drives in teh system (SSD as boot and HDD as secondary) make sure the BIOS is set to boot from the SSD and go into disk management and delete the reserved partition and old OS partition on the HDD after you backed up the data...

You should not have any issues with this lol


----------



## grassh0ppa

thanks so much! I'm sorry for being a total noob, I'm doing my best. Your patience is legendary. +reps


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> thanks so much! I'm sorry for being a total noob, I'm doing my best. Your patience is legendary. +reps


Keep the questions coming, I learn that way lol.


----------



## grassh0ppa

in that case I got another one for you.. maybe omre than one actually









Would it be wise to simply create a system image and put that on the partition? Would I be able to extract any necessary files from the system image or does it not work like that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> in that case I got another one for you.. maybe omre than one actually
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Would it be wise to simply create a system image and put that on the partition?


system image of what? are you reinstalling, not reinstalling, image of the SSD or OS on the HDD?
Quote:


> Would I be able to extract any necessary files from the system image or does it not work like that?


It can, but you need certain programs.


----------



## Rokabud

Hey Sean I have a SATA configuration question for you. My mobo has 2 marvell 6 gb/s ports (which I gather are bad so they're unoccupied.) 2 Intel 6 gb/s ports which i put two 500gb HDDs in RAID0 in, and 4 Intel 3 gb/s ports which I have my optical drive, front panel eSATA and SSD in. Would it be better to put the SSD on the 6 gb/s port and move the HDDs to the 3 gb/s ones? What would I do with the other 6 gb/s port in that case? I have SATA mode set to RAID

thanks

edit: also, would it be better to install Windows on the SSD or the RAID?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rokabud*
> 
> Hey Sean I have a SATA configuration question for you. My mobo has 2 marvell 6 gb/s ports (which I gather are bad so they're unoccupied.) 2 Intel 6 gb/s ports which i put two 500gb HDDs in RAID0 in, and 4 Intel 3 gb/s ports which I have my optical drive, front panel eSATA and SSD in. Would it be better to put the SSD on the 6 gb/s port and move the HDDs to the 3 gb/s ones? What would I do with the other 6 gb/s port in that case? I have SATA mode set to RAID
> thanks
> edit: also, would it be better to install Windows on the SSD or the RAID?


OS on SSD always.









Move the RAID array to the SATA 3GB/s ports, put the SSD on a Intel SATA 6GB/s port. Disable the Marvell controller if you can, you can speed up boot times that way.


----------



## grassh0ppa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> system image of what? are you reinstalling, not reinstalling, image of the SSD or OS on the HDD?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Would I be able to extract any necessary files from the system image or does it not work like that?
> 
> 
> 
> It can, but you need certain programs.
Click to expand...

a system image from the HDD. maybe Ill just forget aabout it. I really dont have too much on here anyway. relatively new system.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> system image of what? are you reinstalling, not reinstalling, image of the SSD or OS on the HDD?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Would I be able to extract any necessary files from the system image or does it not work like that?
> 
> 
> 
> It can, but you need certain programs.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> a system image from the HDD. maybe Ill just forget aabout it. I really dont have too much on here anyway. relatively new system.
Click to expand...

Yea, you will need to reinstall any programs too remember.

Just do like i said b4 and copy the important files to the new partition on the HDD and erase the old ones.


----------



## Rokabud

So, I'm getting ready to install Windows on my SSD. I'm going to be using the SSD for the OS and stuff and the two HDDs in RAID 0 for storage. Should I first format the SSD with the 4k alignment and then add the RAID "disk" in the OS from the SSD? Would that put it at 4k alignment? Is it possible to have disks formatted with different alignments?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rokabud*
> 
> So, I'm getting ready to install Windows on my SSD. I'm going to be using the SSD for the OS and stuff and the two HDDs in RAID 0 for storage. Should I first format the SSD with the 4k alignment and then add the RAID "disk" in the OS from the SSD? Would that put it at 4k alignment? Is it possible to have disks formatted with different alignments?


Unplug the RAID array, keep the SATA mode in RAID, follow the guide including the formatting in diskpart and all.

After you do the last step in the guide and install virus protection, install your RAID array. Make sure you boot up on the SSD and not the array.
Quote:


> Is it possible to have disks formatted with different alignments?


Yes


----------



## Rokabud

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Unplug the RAID array, keep the SATA mode in RAID, follow the guide including the formatting in diskpart and all.
> After you do the last step in the guide and install virus protection, install your RAID array. Make sure you boot up on the SSD and not the array.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Is it possible to have disks formatted with different alignments?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes
Click to expand...

So format the SSD with the 4k alignment and then just install the RAID in windows like it says in "How To Initialize And Format A New Disk For Use In Windows?" Do I need to change the alignment of the RAID after its installed to the one that's best for RAID 0 or will just installing it through Windows work?


----------



## Sean Webster

No, follow the guide starting with the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:" Then follow "Immediately after installing Windows:" Ignore where i say plug in the other drives in that section.

Once done hook up the RAID array.

If you have no data on the RAID array then sure, but if you do then you shouldn't format it, it should be detected fine after the system set up.


----------



## Rokabud

K, I went to do that but had to cancel the installation when I realized my mouse wasn't working. I had to grab an old mouse to get it to work in BIOS. But after I cancelled the installation, when I try to boot from the USB it says "BOOTMGR is missing press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart" and it just comes back after restarting.

edit: I went into BIOS and tried all the different boot options. there was a Sandisk (the USB I'm using) and a Sandusk UEFI listed. The UEFI, my SSD, and optical drive all gave me that error but the regular Sandisk option loaded Windows. I followed the formatting and installing for MBR guide and its extracting files right now









Is that error message anything to worry about though?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Is that error message anything to worry about though?


nope it is normal if you try installing via uefi and the usb is not set up properly for it


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rokabud*
> 
> K, I went to do that but had to cancel the installation when I realized my mouse wasn't working. I had to grab an old mouse to get it to work in BIOS. But after I cancelled the installation, when I try to boot from the USB it says "BOOTMGR is missing press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart" and it just comes back after restarting.
> 
> edit: I went into BIOS and tried all the different boot options. there was a Sandisk (the USB I'm using) and a Sandusk UEFI listed. The UEFI, my SSD, and optical drive all gave me that error but the regular Sandisk option loaded Windows. I followed the formatting and installing for MBR guide and its extracting files right now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is that error message anything to worry about though?


*EDIT: MY BAD. I answered the wrong question. The Boot Manager error was from attempting to boot from a UEFI device, without the proper EFI code on the device (or it's not where it is supposed to be) you were booting from. A "normal" error, and nothing to worry about, since you are installing with MBR.*

Assuming that your SSD boots with the new OS install... After shutting down and attaching the two 500gb drives of your RAID, after you push the power to restart the system, when you see the Intel RAID OPROM message, press -ctrl- & -I-. This will get you into the Intel RAID controller options Rom. Do you see the two 500gb drives as aprt of an ARRAY, and the SSD as a "non-member disk"? Don't make changes here, you could potentially wipe your RAID, loosing everything on it. You're just checking to see if the Intel controller sees your RAID array.

It sounds as if the system is attempting to boot from the ARRAY (assuming this is whee your old OS installation was). If the RAID looks right in the Intel OPROM, when you exit the OPROM, immediately hit -delete- to get into your UEFI. Go to the "boot" tab, make sure that your SSD is listed as the first boot device under the HDD BBS. In the BBS, clear any entry for the RAID array (disable anything but the SSD). This will define the order that the HDDs (SSD included) should boot. exit this screen to get you back to the main Boot tab. Under the Boot Option Priorities, make sure HDD is listed as the first Boot device (it should actually show your SSD).


----------



## kevindd992002

@xandypx

Do you still have any ideas on how to remove that windows boot manager entry?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @xandypx
> 
> Do you still have any ideas on how to remove that windows boot manager entry?


Unfortunately no. You already did what should have removed it, following my last post. The only thing I can think is that it is hard coded in the UEFI. If that's the case, you can't get it to go away.


----------



## PartyCracker

Got a new 32GB ssd from a friend for cheap. Wasn't planning on using an ssd but now I that I have one I may try to use it.

My question is, being the ssd is only 32GB, should I try to use it for Windows 7 install (using the space saving techniques shown here) or am I better off using it as a cache drive with this Smart Response I've been reading about (I do have a compatible mb)?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can give advice.


----------



## JPHL

well i really hate to say this given how inferior an os it is you might try installing xp on it. xp has a smaller footprint on the ssd


----------



## lildimsum7

when transferring user folders from ssd to hdd, could i just right click on my user folder itself or do i have to transfer everything individually? also, do you recommend transferring library folders as well?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PartyCracker*
> 
> Got a new 32GB ssd from a friend for cheap. Wasn't planning on using an ssd but now I that I have one I may try to use it.
> 
> My question is, being the ssd is only 32GB, should I try to use it for Windows 7 install (using the space saving techniques shown here) or am I better off using it as a cache drive with this Smart Response I've been reading about (I do have a compatible mb)?
> 
> Thanks in advance to anyone who can give advice.


Up to you really, I can run the 32Gb drive as an OS drive. You will just have very little room after a few programs and such.

I would just suggest using it as an cache if you have a Z68 motherboard.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JPHL*
> 
> well i really hate to say this given how inferior an os it is you might try installing xp on it. xp has a smaller footprint on the ssd


Ewww, XP, I can't stand that OS lol.
Quote:


> when transferring user folders from ssd to hdd, could i just right click on my user folder itself or do i have to transfer everything individually? also, do you recommend transferring library folders as well?


In the optimization steps i have a tut...rightclick say my doc's click location tab, adjust accordingly.

Library folders are tied to user folders.


----------



## Rokabud

ok, I attached the RAID and booted successfully from the SSD. The RAID wasn't showing up in My Computer but I found it in Disk Configuration. I partitioned and formatted it with 1096 alignment and it worked!







The drive showed up in My Computer as 1T of empty space.

But then I shut down and tried to boot again and POST is looping. I keep spamming delete to try to get in the BIOS and set the boot order but it just goes right past it. I can get into the RAID manager and everything seems fine there; two 500gb member disks and 1 100something non member SSD.

Is it trying to boot to the RAID? How can I change the boot order without getting in the BIOS? I can get in if I detach the RAID but then of course the RAID doesn't show up in the boot order.

Thanks +rep


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rokabud*
> 
> ok, I attached the RAID and booted successfully from the SSD. The RAID wasn't showing up in My Computer but I found it in Disk Configuration. I partitioned and formatted it with 1096 alignment and it worked!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The drive showed up in My Computer as 1T of empty space.
> 
> But then I shut down and tried to boot again and POST is looping. I keep spamming delete to try to get in the BIOS and set the boot order but it just goes right past it. I can get into the RAID manager and everything seems fine there; two 500gb member disks and 1 100something non member SSD.
> 
> Is it trying to boot to the RAID? How can I change the boot order without getting in the BIOS? I can get in if I detach the RAID but then of course the RAID doesn't show up in the boot order.
> 
> Thanks +rep


Sounds like it. You need to go into the BIOS to change the boot order. You need to try pressing ti more? lol like once the boot up "beep" sounds spam the delete button, as soon as you hear it. If not, see if you can hit F8 or F10 or F11 (forgot what one it is lol) to get the boot up device order options to show.


----------



## Rokabud

Hmm, I tried spamming Delete, F8 and F11 all through post but it wouldn't bring me to BIOS/a boot manager. The only thing I can access is the RAID configuration tool with Control + I. I tried removing the RAID, booting to BIOS, then installing the RAID to see if it would recognize it without a restart, but it did not. I discarded changes & exited and it resumed the loop lol

Is there a way to change the boot order in the OS? Otherwise I don't know how to stop this loop =/


----------



## Sean Webster

Make a thread b/c I don't know why you can't enter the the UEFI to change the boot order. Update?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> when transferring user folders from ssd to hdd, could i just right click on my user folder itself or do i have to transfer everything individually? also, do you recommend transferring library folders as well?
> 
> 
> 
> In the optimization steps i have a tut...rightclick say my doc's click location tab, adjust accordingly.
> 
> Library folders are tied to user folders
Click to expand...

Library folders in Windows 7 are actually dynamic links to other directories/file types scattered throughout your fixed disks. They are not "real" directories that can be moved.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rokabud*
> 
> Hmm, I tried spamming Delete, F8 and F11 all through post but it wouldn't bring me to BIOS/a boot manager. The only thing I can access is the RAID configuration tool with Control + I. I tried removing the RAID, booting to BIOS, then installing the RAID to see if it would recognize it without a restart, but it did not. I discarded changes & exited and it resumed the loop lol
> 
> Is there a way to change the boot order in the OS? Otherwise I don't know how to stop this loop =/


real quick in this thread.

Go into your UEFI with only the SSD attached. Turn everything on... marvel controller, e-sata (Jmicron), *FULL Screen LOGO (this ones important, as it will give you more time to get into the UEFI),* usb3 etc... this may slow down the transfer from the UEFI to the OS long enough to get into the UEFI. When you exit the UEFI after saving the changes, rather than let the system boot, when the monitor goes black... push and hold the power button until the system turns off. Reattach your RAID drives. When you next POST, hit "control-I" to go into the Intel OPROM when you see the screen. Don't make changes, but as soon as you exit, mash the delete key... The UEFI can be entered when you see the full screen ASUS logo, right after you exit the Intel OPROM. I think it may be happening too fast, and you're just missing it... or you are trying to get into the UEFI prior to the Intel screen.


----------



## mitchcook420

Well put together man awesome job


----------



## rabies229

Quick quesiton, If i installed my OS with the 1024 alignment instead of the 4096 is there a way to change it or do i have to reinstall everything?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Well put together man awesome job


Thanks
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rabies229*
> 
> Quick quesiton, If i installed my OS with the 1024 alignment instead of the 4096 is there a way to change it or do i have to reinstall everything?


Yep, but does it matter? Not really, not worth it in my opinion to do it.

if you want to then here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/205905-ssd-fix-misalignment.html


----------



## rabies229

Would it be wise to do on a HDD that is 90GB? therefore not divisible by 4?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rabies229*
> 
> Would it be wise to do on a HDD that is 90GB? therefore not divisible by 4?


The size of the drive doesn't matter....what do you mean?


----------



## rabies229

I'm not great with numbers, do i already have a 4096?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rabies229*
> 
> I'm not great with numbers, do i already have a 4096?


nope, yours is weird....did you use a migration software?

What drive is that? Are those two 2TB drives in RAID?


----------



## rabies229

No lol, I have one ocz vertex 3 90gb and a 2tb Storage HDD


----------



## Sean Webster

Alignment is separate for each disk first of all.

So post a screen shot of the SSD.


----------



## rabies229

i cant get it to display, is there a tool?


----------



## Sean Webster

Why not?

Use AS SSD. Post a screen shot, you don't need to run the benchmark.


----------



## rabies229

ohhhh okay, it says its set at a 4k cluster

Thank you very much for the help :]


----------



## PartyCracker

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Up to you really, I can run the 32Gb drive as an OS drive. You will just have very little room after a few programs and such.
> I would just suggest using it as an cache if you have a Z68 motherboard.
> Ewww, XP, I can't stand that OS lol.


Thanks for the replies. I think I will go with the cache for right now, I'm seeing that the 32 gb will be kind of tight.

From what I've read, I should activate RAID mode and set the SRT software for caching. Anything else i should know or is that it.

Awesome guide btw


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PartyCracker*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Up to you really, I can run the 32Gb drive as an OS drive. You will just have very little room after a few programs and such.
> I would just suggest using it as an cache if you have a Z68 motherboard.
> Ewww, XP, I can't stand that OS lol.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the replies. I think I will go with the cache for right now, I'm seeing that the 32 gb will be kind of tight.
> 
> From what I've read, I should activate RAID mode and set the SRT software for caching. Anything else i should know or is that it.
> 
> Awesome guide btw
Click to expand...

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/sb/CS-032826.htm?wapkw=%28smart+response%29


----------



## Cavi

So I bought a PCI-e controller for SATA 3 because I was in Micro Center and thought what the hey... it actually takes time to initialize, lengthening my boot! Is this thing not worth it at all? Am I even going to notice? I just got a combined score of 599 (233 read / 240 write) on the as ssd pass after following your guide. I am very happy thus far! Now I just need to tell windows where to look for my files on my spinpoint f3.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cavi*
> 
> So I bought a PCI-e controller for SATA 3 because I was in Micro Center and thought what the hey... it actually takes time to initialize, lengthening my boot! Is this thing not worth it at all? Am I even going to notice? I just got a combined score of 599 (233 read / 240 write) on the as ssd pass after following your guide. I am very happy thus far! Now I just need to tell windows where to look for my files on my spinpoint f3.


Yea, PCIe cards take time to initialize, that is just how it is. If you want a faster boot you need to use the native chipset. What does your AS SSD screenshot look like?


----------



## Cavi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, PCIe cards take time to initialize, that is just how it is. If you want a faster boot you need to use the native chipset. What does your AS SSD screenshot look like?


----------



## Sean Webster

That is SATA 2 speed. I thought you said you were on the SATA 3 controller?

Few things tho.

I don't think TRIM will work on the add on cards controller
You will most likely get less then the though put you expect unless it it a high end 4x PCIe card
I am not sure on how good your random and 4K reads will be.


----------



## Cavi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> That is SATA 2 speed. I thought you said you were on the SATA 3 controller?


Oh right, I took the expansion card out.

The reason I took it out, is that I noticed you guys said never to use Marvell ports. Well, it's a Marvell controller on the card. Should I just return it? Doesn't seem worth the $35 or so. I'm already impressed by the speed!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cavi*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> That is SATA 2 speed. I thought you said you were on the SATA 3 controller?
> 
> 
> 
> Oh right, I took the expansion card out.
> 
> The reason I took it out, is that I noticed you guys said never to use Marvell ports. Well, it's a Marvell controller on the card. Should I just return it? Doesn't seem worth the $35 or so. I'm already impressed by the speed!
Click to expand...

Yea, I'd only get it if I needed more slots for HDDs, even then I'd get a good LSi or intel one lol.


----------



## Cavi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, I'd only get it if I needed more slots for HDDs, even then I'd get a good LSi or intel one lol.


Nowhere on the package did it say which controller it was, I just saw it when it was initializing after POST. Glad I saw it though. Get my money back!


----------



## Cykososhull

Great thread. Followed this all the way through and my Crucial M4 64gb sdd is kickin' a$$. Thank you. +rep


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cykososhull*
> 
> Great thread. Followed this all the way through and my Crucial M4 64gb sdd is kickin' a$$. Thank you. +rep


Thanks bud


----------



## Lirik

Hey Sean thanks for the amazing guide, a couple of questions though...

I basically completely followed your guide and skipped only 1 or 2 optimization steps.

After restarting my Windows 7 still takes up about 20gb on my SSD. Did I miss something crucial?

I'm not really sure if there was something that completely eliminates a lot of space from Windows 7 after following the steps..

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lirik*
> 
> Hey Sean thanks for the amazing guide, a couple of questions though...
> 
> I basically completely followed your guide and skipped only 1 or 2 optimization steps.
> 
> After restarting my Windows 7 still takes up about 20gb on my SSD. Did I miss something crucial?
> 
> I'm not really sure if there was something that completely eliminates a lot of space from Windows 7 after following the steps..
> 
> Thanks!


Turn Off/Shrink the Hibernation File:
Turn Off/Shrink Page file:
Turn Off/Shrink System Protection:
Turn off drive indexing:

That is it really. Run CCleaner and disk cleanup as well


----------



## Aventadoor

How does my Kingston HyperX 120gb performance look like?
Isent it suppose to be faster? :S I run at a grey intel 6gb/s port on the Asus P8Z68 V-Pro gen 3...
Everything should be up to date as I just recently did a fresh install of W7 + updating RST and such


----------



## Lirik

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Turn Off/Shrink the Hibernation File:
> Turn Off/Shrink Page file:
> Turn Off/Shrink System Protection:
> Turn off drive indexing:
> That is it really. Run CCleaner and disk cleanup as well


I did some of those settings and I think I forgot to apply them properly! I restarted and freed up about 8-9 gigs









Quick question, do you recommend putting a browser like google chrome on the SSD? Does it potentially make the browser faster?

Also, this is what my SSD scores looks like after the tweaks









Crucial M4 64gb


----------



## intelfan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Odd, usually it is the battery when the system clock gets reset, is the system overclocked? Are you running an intensive app? Could a program be shutting it down. P


I reset the system to stock but it happened again. I tried to reseat the power and SATA cable but the system struggles to boot (black screen) so I opened the case and did a CMOS reset. I moved the SSD to a different drive bay. No problems yet.

I was playing Gunz and it shouldn't be intensive at all, The max GPU usage was 15%.


----------



## Rokabud

Thanks I'll try those tips to slow down the POST next time I hook up my RAID.

Kind of an unrelated question: what's the best way to check the alignment of a disk? I've heard Diskpart's lisk partition command can be innacurate? And that there's a way to check in msinfo.exe? What's the best way to check this?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lirik*
> 
> I did some of those settings and I think I forgot to apply them properly! I restarted and freed up about 8-9 gigs
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quick question, do you recommend putting a browser like google chrome on the SSD? Does it potentially make the browser faster?
> Also, this is what my SSD scores looks like after the tweaks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Crucial M4 64gb


Nice.

All programs and apps I have on my SSD, I don't see the point of having any program off the SSD unless it can not be installed.

Scores look good.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *intelfan*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Odd, usually it is the battery when the system clock gets reset, is the system overclocked? Are you running an intensive app? Could a program be shutting it down. P
> 
> 
> 
> I reset the system to stock but it happened again. I tried to reseat the power and SATA cable but the system struggles to boot (black screen) so I opened the case and did a CMOS reset. I moved the SSD to a different drive bay. No problems yet.
> I was playing Gunz and it shouldn't be intensive at all, The max GPU usage was 15%.
Click to expand...

Odd. Well hopefully that fixed it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rokabud*
> 
> Thanks I'll try those tips to slow down the POST next time I hook up my RAID.
> Kind of an unrelated question: what's the best way to check the alignment of a disk? I've heard Diskpart's lisk partition command can be innacurate? And that there's a way to check in msinfo.exe? What's the best way to check this?


Yea it can be. If you want just post a screenshot of AS SSD, it tells you if it is aligned properly in the top left corner.


----------



## legoman786

Just for fun, I reduced my paging file to 400MB. Yeah, EVERY THING complains now. :\


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *legoman786*
> 
> Just for fun, I reduced my paging file to 400MB. Yeah, EVERY THING complains now. :\


You have 4GB of RAM lol, that is why. You need more to shrink your pagefile.


----------



## Ghost23

I may have missed it, but what about TeraCopy? I've used it and love it for moving files [Steam games and such]


----------



## Rokabud

Daaaamn some of these optimizations are sweet, no more delay! Thanks a lot man +rep! I may need your help again when I get around to installing the RAID but I've missed having a working computer think I'm just goiing to relish it for a while lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ghost23*
> 
> I may have missed it, but what about TeraCopy? I've used it and love it for moving files [Steam games and such]


I don't like it, it gave me issues before...
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rokabud*
> 
> Daaaamn some of these optimizations are sweet, no more delay! Thanks a lot man +rep! I may need your help again when I get around to installing the RAID but I've missed having a working computer think I'm just going to relish it for a while lol












I'll help if you need it. I have a guide in the third post if you want to see the set up for RAID.


----------



## Citra

Which AMD Sata driver is it?

AHCI for Windows 7, South Bridge Driver or SB8xx RAID Driver for Windows 7?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> Which AMD Sata driver is it?
> 
> AHCI for Windows 7, South Bridge Driver or SB8xx RAID Driver for Windows 7?


Common sense....are you in RAID mode? If not do not download that driver.
Are you in ACHI mode? If so download the driver.
Do you have a AMD south bridge? If so download the driver.


----------



## Citra

I don't expect to install ATI Catalyst for an SSD.









Installed though so thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> I don't expect to install ATI Catalyst for an SSD.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Installed though so thanks.


----------



## c0ld

So my system is acting weird booted up fast and then I was noticing a slugish I right click on my desktop and gets stuck and I notice quite an activity with all cores I havent loaded anything and its taking forever to shut down and boot. When I turn on after the windows splash screen stays on Please Wait a while slower than my HDD. Any ideas? Did the SSD bencha nd getting same numbers.


----------



## Sean Webster

Windows updates?

Did you move the location of the desktop to the HDD? If so maybe moving ti back could help.

CCleaner?

Disk cleanup?


----------



## c0ld

I kinda messed up the whole desktop moving folder thing I think im going to reinstall windows. But it shouldnt give me any problems. Should I install CCleaner?

Whats weird its giving me same results in the benchmarks hmmm.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *c0ld*
> 
> I kinda messed up the whole desktop moving folder thing I think im going to reinstall windows.


How? That seems very hard to do...
Quote:


> But it shouldnt give me any problems. Should I install CCleaner?
> 
> Whats weird its giving me same results in the benchmarks hmmm.


Yea, run ccleaner. including the registry cleaner it has.

Maybe check windows updates if there are any more?


----------



## c0ld

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> How? That seems very hard to do...
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> But it shouldnt give me any problems. Should I install CCleaner?
> Whats weird its giving me same results in the benchmarks hmmm.
> 
> 
> 
> Yea, run ccleaner. including the registry cleaner it has.
> Maybe check windows updates if there are any more?
Click to expand...

Well I cant find the My downloads folder, and Desktop folder is replicated like 3 times its weird. I'll just do it all over.

Just one thing when I plugged in my HD it showed an extra partition System Reserved (E 70.3mb free of 99.9mb and the Local Disk (F of 931GB


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *c0ld*
> 
> Well I cant find the My downloads folder, and Desktop folder is replicated like 3 times its weird. I'll just do it all over.
> 
> Just one thing when I plugged in my HD it showed an extra partition System Reserved (E 70.3mb free of 99.9mb and the Local Disk (F of 931GB


well the system reserve should be deleted since you had the hdd disconnected when installing onto the ssd. So delete it.


----------



## kot0005

hello.. just got a new 256gig crucial m4, installed it as a 64gig caching drive for my 500gig hdd and installed games on the other 174gig and here are my wierd speeds..

can some 1 please tell me why the read speeds r so slow? its on sata 3 port btw.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kot0005*
> 
> hello.. just got a new 256gig crucial m4, installed it as a 64gig caching drive for my 500gig hdd and installed games on the other 174gig and here are my wierd speeds..
> 
> can some 1 please tell me why the read speeds r so slow? its on sata 3 port btw.


You are using it as a cache drive. I can't compare to anything I've seen b/c the drive is being used as a cache. It isn't like using a drive like normal.


----------



## kot0005

Shouldnt the non cached partition be working as normal?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kot0005*
> 
> Shouldnt the non cached partition be working as normal?


nope, it's all dependent on the software. btw...only 60GB of the drive is being cached, why not use the whole thing as a OS drive?


----------



## kot0005

hmm...i guess ill try that.


----------



## kevindd992002

Is it better to move the Desktop folder to the HDD?


----------



## csm725

No, if you do, there can be slow boot. Keep it on the SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is it better to move the Desktop folder to the HDD?


doesn't matter, mine is on the HDD and i boot in 33 sec, same as before moving it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *csm725*
> 
> No, if you do, there can be slow boot. Keep it on the SSD.


That was a weird issue you had ....


----------



## csm725

Still is weird.








Will just reinstall when I get my 560Ti.


----------



## kot0005

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kot0005*
> 
> Shouldnt the non cached partition be working as normal?
> 
> 
> 
> nope, it's all dependent on the software. btw...only 60GB of the drive is being cached, why not use the whole thing as a OS drive?
Click to expand...

+1 for the nice guide with vids and +1 for the quick reply mate. Re installed the os on the ssd and these are my new scores, 636 still seems low for a 256gig model, not sure wat am doing wrong here .



am not sure how the others here are getting 720+ on a 128 gig ;/

also how do i change the as ssd to english?
, the language option wont work.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kot0005*
> 
> +1 for the nice guide with vids and +1 for the quick reply mate. Re installed the os on the ssd and these are my new scores, 636 still seems low for a 256gig model, not sure wat am doing wrong here .
> 
> am not sure how the others here are getting 720+ on a 128 gig ;/
> also how do i change the as ssd to english?
> , the language option wont work.


Your scores are normal, check the others scores with the 256GB model. IDK why the larger drives are like that, but that is how it is. Still...you wouldn't notice the difference.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1145150/crucial-ssd-club

As for the language idk, some people have an issue with that and others don't.


----------



## legoman786

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You have 4GB of RAM lol, that is why. You need more to shrink your pagefile.


It used to be 1GB of paging file across all 3 drives. Yeah, that's not a typo. I shrunk it to 400MB to only my C: drive.


----------



## bwhiten

I am about to upgrade my 128GB Crucial M4 to a 256GB Crucial M4.
The 128 was setup using a clean Win 7 Pro 64-Bit install.
I would prefer not to go through that again after 6 months.
Would using the transfer kit that comes with M4s keep the alignment and such so a new install would not be necessary?
Thanks for the great guide.


----------



## WiL11o6

I've had my Corsair Force GT 120GB for a month now and it's been in IDE mode the whole time until I decided to benchmark it and it's slow at 300mb/s instead of the 500mb/s. I've asked around and was told that I needed to change IDE into AHCI mode, which I did but I couldn't boot to windows. After the switch to AHCI, it would just restart after the BIOs screen, and I would catch a glimpse of a blue screen for a millisecond before it restarts. I was told I needed do some reg edit of some sort without reformating my entire thing. Any help much appreciated thanks!


----------



## ssdNewUser1

Ok guys, I would really appreciate your help with these basic questions I have. I followed Sean's guide for installing my SSD drive but am running into some newb questions.









1) Before installing my SSD, I had 2 HDD's running in RAID 0. After installing the SSD , plugging in the HDD's, booting up in ACHI mode, when I go into windows my 2 HDD's show as 1 drive, not 2 separate HDD's. Are they still running in RAID? is so how do I disable the RAID? I wanted to format them anyway...will that do the trick?

2) Before I install a program onto the HDD, do I need to create a specific type of folder to install the program to, or will it run ok using any folder I chose? And after installing the program onto my HDD, do I just create a shortcut to it on my SSD drive in order to access it?

3) Some programs that you install or download (e.g. Vuze) will not let you chose which drive to install to, is there a way to get around this and properly direct them to install to my HDD instead of my SSD?

Thanks again for ANY help







...I know this has probably been covered at some point in the thread, but I cannot find it and am desperately searching for the answers!

Thanks!


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ssdNewUser1*
> 
> Ok guys, I would really appreciate your help with these basic questions I have. I followed Sean's guide for installing my SSD drive but am running into some newb questions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1) Before installing my SSD, I had 2 HDD's running in RAID 0. After installing the SSD , plugging in the HDD's, booting up in ACHI mode, when I go into windows my 2 HDD's show as 1 drive, not 2 separate HDD's. Are they still running in RAID? is so how do I disable the RAID? I wanted to format them anyway...will that do the trick?
> 
> 2) Before I install a program onto the HDD, do I need to create a specific type of folder to install the program to, or will it run ok using any folder I chose? And after installing the program onto my HDD, do I just create a shortcut to it on my SSD drive in order to access it?
> 
> 3) Some programs that you install or download (e.g. Vuze) will not let you chose which drive to install to, is there a way to get around this and properly direct them to install to my HDD instead of my SSD?
> 
> Thanks again for ANY help
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...I know this has probably been covered at some point in the thread, but I cannot find it and am desperately searching for the answers!
> 
> Thanks!


1. sounds like yes.. they are still RAIDed. When you first POST your computer, (you don't have your specs listed), you will see a RAID utility screen pop up. If Intel, hit the Ctrl & I buttons to enter the Options ROM, If AMD, I think it is Ctrl-F. You should "break" the RAID volume in this options menu. Alternatively, often you can just set the SATA type in your (BIOS/UEFI) to AHCI, and when windows boots, the RAID should not be recognized, although you may not see the two HDD when you click "Computer". If this is the case, "Disk management" should show two unallocated drive. The third possibility is you are running Intel RST, and IRST is putting your RAID together in windows. You can "break" the RAID in IRST by starting the program, selecting (highlighting) the RAID Array on the rignt, and selecting "Delete Volume" on the left under "Manage Volume". then you can format to your heart's delight.

2. You should for organizational reasons, but it's not absolutely necessary. yes, shortcuts will work across different drives.

3. See This post. And be carefull when editing the registry. it may or may not help depending on if the installer for vuze is encoded to install to the %system drive, or specifically just a drive indicator, so YMMV, as noted in the post


----------



## JrFreak

Man, I wish I had found this thread a couple weeks ago before I built my first PC and installed Win 7 Pro 64bit. Could I just start doing some of the items now on my current set-up or should I reinstall Windows on my SSD and start with this guide at the begining? It takes 43sec for my PC to get to the Windows login screen which seems very slow to me.

Doing a full reintall of Windows on my SSD good enough? Or should I completely wipe it first? I don't want to harm the longevity of the SSD.


----------



## BradleyW

Those who see less performance overtime, be sure to make a secure erease on the SSD then continue to install a fresh windows copy.


----------



## grassh0ppa

So any data we saved on partitions isn't usable after installing the SSD? I tried to move my bookmark.bak file (for chrome) from my partition to the SSD and it doesn't seem to be working.


----------



## ssdNewUser1

Thanks xandypx!

That cleared up all my questions, great informative summary.

Yes I am using the Intel RST, so that is probably where my issues lies.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *legoman786*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You have 4GB of RAM lol, that is why. You need more to shrink your pagefile.
> 
> 
> 
> It used to be 1GB of paging file across all 3 drives. Yeah, that's not a typo. I shrunk it to 400MB to only my C: drive.
Click to expand...

Just put the pagefile on 1 drive lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bwhiten*
> 
> I am about to upgrade my 128GB Crucial M4 to a 256GB Crucial M4.
> The 128 was setup using a clean Win 7 Pro 64-Bit install.
> I would prefer not to go through that again after 6 months.
> Would using the transfer kit that comes with M4s keep the alignment and such so a new install would not be necessary?
> Thanks for the great guide.


it should, but all you really need is this instead of the kit...

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx or http://download.cnet.com/Paragon-Backup-Recovery-Free/3000-2242_4-10972187.html
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WiL11o6*
> 
> I've had my Corsair Force GT 120GB for a month now and it's been in IDE mode the whole time until I decided to benchmark it and it's slow at 300mb/s instead of the 500mb/s. I've asked around and was told that I needed to change IDE into AHCI mode, which I did but I couldn't boot to windows. After the switch to AHCI, it would just restart after the BIOs screen, and I would catch a glimpse of a blue screen for a millisecond before it restarts. I was told I needed do some reg edit of some sort without reformating my entire thing. Any help much appreciated thanks!


look at the third post, see the part on how to change sata modes.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JrFreak*
> 
> Man, I wish I had found this thread a couple weeks ago before I built my first PC and installed Win 7 Pro 64bit. Could I just start doing some of the items now on my current set-up or should I reinstall Windows on my SSD and start with this guide at the begining? It takes 43sec for my PC to get to the Windows login screen which seems very slow to me.
> 
> Doing a full reintall of Windows on my SSD good enough? Or should I completely wipe it first? I don't want to harm the longevity of the SSD.


You can follow the guide now without the reinstall, lol, just go over everything, you can skip stuff too, you don't need to reinstall to do the guide.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> So any data we saved on partitions isn't usable after installing the SSD? I tried to move my bookmark.bak file (for chrome) from my partition to the SSD and it doesn't seem to be working.


Are you sure you did it right tho? I don't have chrome so idk what's up, but all data should be able to be moved...


----------



## kevindd992002

So if I had 8GB of RAM, it is ok to set the pagefile to 400MB?

Also, how do you interpret the scores in AS SSD? What is the top left, top right, and bottom scores represent?


----------



## kot0005

Updated my Sata driver from msahci to iaStor and the Score ramped up a bit..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> So if I had 8GB of RAM, it is ok to set the pagefile to 400MB?
> Also, how do you interpret the scores in AS SSD? What is the top left, top right, and bottom scores represent?


up to you, I had no page file at all for a while and had no repercussions...I only have mine enabled b/c I need it personally.
read this. http://www.overclock.net/t/1193401/why-it-is-bad-to-store-the-page-file-on-a-ram-disk

For AS SSD...what do you mean? It shows your speeds....
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kot0005*
> 
> Updated my Sata driver from msahci to iaStor and the Score ramped up a bit..


nice


----------



## grassh0ppa

Sean,

Somewhere along the line my install went awry... Now I am trying to reformat my SSD using HDDErase or partitionmagic...

I'm trying to create a bootable USB with partition magic on it, but it is in a zip file and I can't use winzip in safemode.

right now I have been followingthis up to step 5...Not sure where to go from there though.

I was thinking maybe I could just unplug my SSD, reinstall windows on the HDD then use HDDErase on the SSD. Then reinstall on the SSD, erase the HDD install and live happily ever after.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> Somewhere along the line my install went awry... Now I am trying to reformat my SSD using HDDErase or partitionmagic...
> 
> I'm trying to create a bootable USB with partition magic on it, but it is in a zip file and I can't use winzip in safemode.
> 
> right now I have been followingthis up to step 5...Not sure where to go from there though.
> 
> I was thinking maybe I could just unplug my SSD, reinstall windows on the HDD then use HDDErase on the SSD. Then reinstall on the SSD, erase the HDD install and live happily ever after.


You don't need to secure erase....just restart my guide lol.

btw...parted magic on usb...http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

and you can just extract the iso like normal by drag and drop....or use 7 zip...


----------



## grassh0ppa

Well I was actually able to use my SSD for a bit... Installing drivers and other things... Something went wrong with the drivers. I created another thread and got some help, but nothing was working so he finally suggested I just reformat.


----------



## Simonzi

Great, well written guide. Very helpful.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Well I was actually able to use my SSD for a bit... Installing drivers and other things... Something went wrong with the drivers. I created another thread and got some help, but nothing was working so he finally suggested I just reformat.


ok? like i said, just restart my guide from the beginning, everything is "wiped," when you reinstall.. You don't need to secure erase...
Quote:


> Great, well written guide. Very helpful.


Thanks


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> up to you, I had no page file at all for a while and had no repercussions...I only have mine enabled b/c I need it personally.
> read this. http://www.overclock.net/t/1193401/why-it-is-bad-to-store-the-page-file-on-a-ram-disk
> For AS SSD...what do you mean? It shows your speeds....
> nice


I mean the three scores that are highlighted blue? How do you interpret them?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> up to you, I had no page file at all for a while and had no repercussions...I only have mine enabled b/c I need it personally.
> read this. http://www.overclock.net/t/1193401/why-it-is-bad-to-store-the-page-file-on-a-ram-disk
> For AS SSD...what do you mean? It shows your speeds....
> nice
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I mean the three scores that are highlighted blue? How do you interpret them?
Click to expand...

I am not sure really...it seems to be some equation of sorts with the reads and writes in relationship to a points system that the guy who made it uses.

Generally I would just see how other scores compared to mine...

top left = total read score

top right = total write score

middle = total score


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I am not sure really...it seems to be some equation of sorts with the reads and writes in relationship to a points system that the guy who made it uses.
> Generally I would just see how other scores compared to mine...
> top left = total read score
> top right = total write score
> middle = total score


Oh ok thanks. So the middle one is really what's important.


----------



## grassh0ppa

Thank you, once again. I've followed your guide carefully, and installed needed drivers - everything seems to be going well.









Sorry for being a noob!









EDIT: Seems like my HDD isn't showing up in my computer. It shows up in BIOS though.

EDIT 2: Nvm it was an easy fix!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I am not sure really...it seems to be some equation of sorts with the reads and writes in relationship to a points system that the guy who made it uses.
> Generally I would just see how other scores compared to mine...
> top left = total read score
> top right = total write score
> middle = total score
> 
> 
> 
> Oh ok thanks. So the middle one is really what's important.
Click to expand...

Depends again...I go buy the actual #'s not the scores. More specifically, I go by the reads lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Thank you, once again. I've followed your guide carefully, and installed needed drivers - everything seems to be going well.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for being a noob!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: Seems like my HDD isn't showing up in my computer. It shows up in BIOS though.
> 
> EDIT 2: Nvm it was an easy fix!


LOL, seems like everything is good now?


----------



## kevindd992002

So deleting all the Windows Updates under C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download won't do anything bad?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> So deleting all the Windows Updates under C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download won't do anything bad?


Nope, completely safe, google it for yourself if you want









If you can find more folders too that would be nice lol


----------



## equlizer

Are there any folders i should move to a regular platter drive?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope, completely safe, google it for yourself if you want
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you can find more folders too that would be nice lol


Thanks! It's nice that you are looking for folders that could be safely deleted. I for one don't use programs that automatically cleans the computer like CCleaner because I simply don't trust them, lol. I want doing things manually.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *equlizer*
> 
> Are there any folders i should move to a regular platter drive?


Any you want really.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Thanks! It's nice that you are looking for folders that could be safely deleted. I for one don't use programs that automatically cleans the computer like CCleaner because I simply don't trust them, lol. I want doing things manually.


You should use CCleaner...I have used it for the past year or so and it has gotten to be a real asset to me lol. Default settings are "safe" for it, I have almost everything checked and more myself.

Oh and I need to definitely find more lol. I am adding a maintenance part to the guide, need more to add.


----------



## equlizer

Enable write cache...Do you have yours checked or unchecked?

for some reason my hdd light is going off a few times per second and im not sure if its the SSD or the platter drives.

sorry, im totally new to SSD stuff


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Any you want really.
> You should use CCleaner...I have used it for the past year or so and it has gotten to be a real asset to me lol. Default settings are "safe" for it, I have almost everything checked and more myself.
> Oh and I need to definitely find more lol. I am adding a maintenance part to the guide, need more to add.


What does CCleaner do anyway?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *equlizer*
> 
> Enable write cache...Do you have yours checked or unchecked?
> 
> for some reason my hdd light is going off a few times per second and im not sure if its the SSD or the platter drives.
> 
> sorry, im totally new to SSD stuff


I have them both checked.

It should be your OS drive causing the blink, mine goes off 1-2 times a second, don't think of it, it just blinks when it is being accessed.
Quote:


> What does CCleaner do anyway?


That's it get out of this thread now!

LOL

It clears your temp files and deletes old registry inputs etc...all safe from my use and keeps my system tidy. Can save a lot of room too by deleting the temp files and such. I've also had weird issues fixed by running it.


----------



## TomcatV

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Thanks! It's nice that you are looking for folders that could be safely deleted. I for one don't use programs that automatically cleans the computer like CCleaner because I simply don't trust them, lol. I want doing things manually.


I use to be like you years ago







... put a heck of a damper on my sim/gaming time and what was left of my social life







LoL
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You should use CCleaner...I have used it for the past year or so and it has gotten to be a real asset to me lol. Default settings are "safe" for it, I have almost everything checked and more myself.
> Oh and I need to definitely find more lol. I am adding a maintenance part to the guide, need more to add.


CCleaner might be one of the best free apps ever (besides Linux?) ... I've been using it so long, at least 6-7 years, I couldn't live without it. It "can" make you a hero with friends/family/clients in a matter of seconds!







along w/a good defrag program. Sean, for your list, you may want to look into "Revo Uninstall" (free), in addition to a very agressive uninstall program for troublesome apps, it has some neet tools like it's junk files cleaner (Kevin?) ... has nice options and saves me a ton of time


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> CCleaner might be one of the best free apps ever (besides Linux?) ... I've been using it so long, at least 6-7 years, I couldn't live without it. It "can" make you a hero with friends/family/clients in a matter of seconds!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> along w/a good defrag program. Sean, for your list, you may want to look into "Revo Uninstall" (free), in addition to a very aggressive uninstall program for troublesome apps, it has some neet tools like it's junk files cleaner (Kevin?) ... has nice options and saves me a ton of time


Yea, I have recently been using it and I like Revo Uninstaller so far, helps a lot, you just need to make sure you know what reg files you get rid of.









As for defrag...I never seen the need for anything other than the integrated Windows one, what do you say?

Any other stuff to add?


----------



## TomcatV

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> As for defrag...I never seen the need for anything other than the integrated Windows one, what do you say?


Since Win7 ... I tend to agree! In the past I used Auslogics/Iobit/ and settled on JK Defrag, but now i just use the native Win7 defrag tool and the overall consensous seems to be it's much much better than in the past, without being to "anal" I agree







Piraform (CCleaner) also has a nice defrag program "DeFraggler", the part I like is the "Quick DeFrag" drop down option that is quite fast and efficient if time "could/would" be a concern.

By the way, with your tips (and some minor bios tweaking), my "cold boot" time is down to *22 seconds* (push start/power button --> usable desktop







) on a 150GB Velociraptor HDD! ... I keep putting SSD's in other machines, and tell myself I gotta have one, and eventually I'll get that M4 ...but for now








Thanks again

EDIT: You know what I lied on boot-up time it's closer to *28-30s*, but still not bad


----------



## lildimsum7

thanks for the maintenance section!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, I have recently been using it and I like Revo Uninstaller so far, helps a lot, you just need to make sure you know what reg files you get rid of.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As for defrag...I never seen the need for anything other than the integrated Windows one, what do you say?
> Any other stuff to add?


Ok, sorry I didn't know about CCleaner until now, lol.

Anyway, is using CCleaner ONLY as a third-party cleaning software enough for everyday use?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> As for defrag...I never seen the need for anything other than the integrated Windows one, what do you say?
> 
> 
> 
> Since Win7 ... I tend to agree! In the past I used Auslogics/Iobit/ and settled on JK Defrag, but now i just use the native Win7 defrag tool and the overall consensous seems to be it's much much better than in the past, without being to "anal" I agree
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Piraform (CCleaner) also has a nice defrag program, the part I like is the "Quick DeFrag" drop down option that is quite fast and efficient if time "could/would" be a concern.
> 
> By the way, with your tips (and some minor bios tweaking), my "cold boot" time is down to 22 seconds (push start/power button --> usable desktop
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) on a 150GB Velociraptor HDD! ... I keep putting SSD's in other machines, and tell myself I gotta have one, and eventually I'll get that M4 ...but for now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again
Click to expand...

Crazy speed! lol








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lildimsum7*
> 
> thanks for the maintenance section!


No problem


----------



## kevindd992002

@xandypx

Without the system reserved partition, the BCD gets stored in the primary partition right? Does the BCD consume 100MB of the primary partition then?


----------



## Cakewalk_S

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Ok, sorry I didn't know about CCleaner until now, lol.
> Anyway, is using CCleaner ONLY as a third-party cleaning software enough for everyday use?


I love CCleaner. Works great! With the disk cleanup and registry fix features, its wonderful. I've had stuff in the past like a Punkbuster update download that was unable to be deleted by windows and CCleaner was able to remove the folder with the custom files and folders feature in the cleanup.

I run it every other day. Easily cleans up 200-400MB of cache from chrome and other things.

I've got 27GB free on my 64GB SS830. One happy camper! Got everything I need on there...hmm now what!


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @xandypx
> 
> Without the system reserved partition, the BCD gets stored in the primary partition right? Does the BCD consume 100MB of the primary partition then?


Yes the BCD info ends up on the main system partition with windows.

...And not even close. The BCD info takes up very little space... usually in the neighborhood of 5-10 MB. When you have the system reserved partition, the space actually used in the 100MB partition is usually around 35MB, since onther folders necessary to boot windows (that are redundant to windows 7) are also copied there. Without the reserved partition, the files copied into the OS installation are used for the boot process.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> I love CCleaner. Works great! With the disk cleanup and registry fix features, its wonderful. I've had stuff in the past like a Punkbuster update download that was unable to be deleted by windows and CCleaner was able to remove the folder with the custom files and folders feature in the cleanup.
> I run it every other day. Easily cleans up 200-400MB of cache from chrome and other things.
> I've got 27GB free on my 64GB SS830. One happy camper! Got everything I need on there...hmm now what!


Thanks for the info!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Yes the BCD info ends up on the main system partition with windows.
> ...And not even close. The BCD info takes up very little space... usually in the neighborhood of 5-10 MB. When you have the system reserved partition, the space actually used in the 100MB partition is usually around 35MB, since onther folders necessary to boot windows (that are redundant to windows 7) are also copied there. Without the reserved partition, the files copied into the OS installation are used for the boot process.


Great, nice to know! As always, thanks


----------



## Crabby654

I've been out of the overclock.net loop for awhile









But I'm still subbed to this thread! And I see people talking about CCleaner! CCleaner registry cleaner is great but another tool to check out that is also awesome is Auslogics Registry Cleaner, I've been using that for a long time. The only thing I do not have a check in is the bottom part (its unchecked by default) because it gets more in depth into registry cleaner than I'm comfortable with. But I would definitely check that tool out as well.


----------



## Ahanasis

Hi guys. I follow the steps of the following guide. The usb drive restarts normally but the windows installer interrupts with "missing files" message...

Code:



Code:


File: \windows\system32\boot\winload.efi 
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: The selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.

Any ideas??????

Trying to install Windows 7 64bit on SSD. Asus p8z68 deluxe motherboard i7 2600k intel processor.
Motherboard supports UEFI bios....

(I copy the \EFI\microsoft\boot folder or I cut copy (delete it). )

I follow the steps of the following guide before i get missing files reports....

Quote:


> Your USB drive must be bootable, and be formatted with a FAT32 File system. The UEFI is unable to identify a USB drive formatted with NTFS as a UEFI boot device.
> Make a bootable USB device for UEFI and GPT:
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type diskpart, press Enter
> Type lis dis, press Enter
> Type sel dis X (where X is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type cle, press Enter
> Type cre par pri, press Enter
> Type act, press Enter
> Type for quick fs=fat32, press Enter
> Type ass, press Enter
> Type exi, press Enter
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).
> 
> Your USB drive must also contain the directory and file: \EFI\Boot\BOOTX64.EFI. This is the EFI installation bootloader extension.
> If you do not have this directory, or file on your USB drive, fear not. This is how you create it.
> First, create a new directory called Boot inside the \EFI directory
> You will then need to copy all of the files from the \EFI\microsoft\boot directory, up one level into the directory you just created (\EFI\Boot).
> Next, use 7-Zip to open the archive located at: *:\sources\install.wim (* is the drive letter of your USB key that holds the Windows 7 installation files)
> Inside the archive, find the file located in folder "1" \Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgfw.efi.
> Copy this file to *:\EFI\Boot\ location you created earlier. (Not in 7-zip) (This file is also available from any current windows 7 installation). It is located in the C:\Windows\Boot\EFI directory.
> After copying the file to the EFI\Boot directory, rename the file in *:\EFI\Boot\bootmgfw.efi toBOOTX64.EFI. You should now have an EFI bootloader directory for Windows called *:\EFI\Boot\, with all of the files copied from the EFI\microsoft\Boot. Directory, and the newly named BOOTX64.EFI
> Your install media (DVD/USB) must be inserted into your PC prior to powering it up. This will allow your UEFI to register your device (DVD drive/USB drive) as a UEFI boot enabled device.


Also I should let you know that I cannot find the file the file \Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgfw.efi. when I Use 7-Zip to open the archive X:\sources\install.wim so I copy it from another normal windows 7 installtion (found in c:\Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgfw.efi.)

Thanks people


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ahanasis*
> 
> Hi guys. I follow the steps of the following guide. The usb drive restarts normally but the windows installer interrupts with "missing files" message...
> Thanks people


use the mbr instal guide.


----------



## Nonno Ken

OK, just spent last night and this morning reading the entire thread. AWESOME job. I am off to Fry's to get new board, cpu, mem and ssd. I'll start the build today. Thanks for giving me the confidence to do this, I'll keep you posted on the progress!


----------



## ijustjoinedlol

Hi Sean,
First, thanks very much for putting this together! I've been building machines for my boss for work and been using your guide for each one.
Question: Kinda confused about Intel RST. Clicking through the link and narrowing down my OS (Win7 64-bit), there are 4 downloads. Is Intel RST the appropriate one if I am using a non-Intel SSD, not in any sort of RAID? Also, I've been hearing about Marvel and Intel SATA ports... are these present on H67 boards and how do I find out?
Thanks again


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nonno Ken*
> 
> OK, just spent last night and this morning reading the entire thread. AWESOME job. I am off to Fry's to get new board, cpu, mem and ssd. I'll start the build today. Thanks for giving me the confidence to do this, I'll keep you posted on the progress!


cool









thanks
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ijustjoinedlol*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> First, thanks very much for putting this together! I've been building machines for my boss for work and been using your guide for each one.
> Question: Kinda confused about Intel RST. Clicking through the link and narrowing down my OS (Win7 64-bit), there are 4 downloads. Is Intel RST the appropriate one if I am using a non-Intel SSD, not in any sort of RAID? Also, I've been hearing about Marvel and Intel SATA ports... are these present on H67 boards and how do I find out?
> Thanks again


Use this driver: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/20624/eng/iata_enu_10.8.0.1003.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=20624&ProductID=2101&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology

as for the Marvell port, it should be in the mobo manual.


----------



## Ahanasis

I like these single long threads...

Hi sean back !!!

I have found out the the problem was due to the fact that I was using a publicly modified .ISO version so there were files missing.....

Now I got the ISO from the Original DVD and the things in your guide work like a charm......

(A "Paypal" button would get me to place my humble $1 contribution







even if your work e.g in a book or paid set of videos could worth even $99 fee !!!)

Take care
Happy new year.....With good profitable business !!! ALWAYS !!!


----------



## Ahanasis

If you have a USB3 stick then better place it on USB2 during installation. Lack of USB3 support using OS drivers caused errors for me.......

Stick it in USB2 port. It will be pretty quick anyway..... Took me 5 minute for installation on SSD....with boots included....NO JOKES.....


----------



## jetplane48

EDIT: lets hope this install works~


----------



## Arsonx

Question for you Sean.

I was planning on doing a 7 install with all the windows update already applied with RT7 Lite instead of having to do all the update manually.

Then, follow the steps from your guide.

Would all the optimization still be working fine ?

Thank you


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Arsonx*
> 
> Question for you Sean.
> I was planning on doing a 7 install with all the windows update already applied with RT7 Lite instead of having to do all the update manually.
> Then, follow the steps from your guide.
> Would all the optimization still be working fine ?
> Thank you


I don't see why it wouldn't


----------



## legoman786

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just put the pagefile on 1 drive lol.


It is on only one drive. Still complains of out of memory. :\


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *legoman786*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just put the pagefile on 1 drive lol.
> 
> 
> 
> It is on only one drive. Still complains of out of memory. :\
Click to expand...

Let windows setup pagefile automatically, or set it as 4096 min/max on 1 drive...


----------



## legoman786

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Let windows setup pagefile automatically, or set it as 4096 min/max on 1 drive...


I'll have to do that tonight. Still waiting for the ISP tech to connect my apartment to the node. >_< Every time I called, they'd ask if the router was malfunctioning. No... I just moved in Saturday (01/07/2012 or 07/01/2012) and the modem is not getting any signal.


----------



## exzacklyright

If any of you use Facebook... and want the chat to show only ONLINE contacts,

Install this script. http://userscripts.org/scripts/source/112792.user.js

I've gone through countless chrome extensions and they usually just end up breaking after a while. This still works though. Just a simple CSS change. Have fun.

(only works in Chrome, Opera, or Greasemonkey for Firefox)


----------



## legoman786

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> If any of you use Facebook...
> Install this script. http://userscripts.org/scripts/source/112792.user.js
> I've gone through countless chrome extensions and they usually just end up breaking after a while. This still works though. Just a simple CSS change. Have fun.
> (only works in Chrome, Opera, or Greasemonkey for Firefox)


Install how?


----------



## exzacklyright

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *legoman786*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> If any of you use Facebook... and want the chat to show only ONLINE contacts,
> Install this script. http://userscripts.org/scripts/source/112792.user.js
> I've gone through countless chrome extensions and they usually just end up breaking after a while. This still works though. Just a simple CSS change. Have fun.
> (only works in Chrome, Opera, or Greasemonkey for Firefox)
> 
> 
> 
> Install how?
Click to expand...

just click the link?


----------



## poppies

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/solid-state-drives/MZ-7PC064D/AM

samsung 830 firmware









Edit: Can't seem to install it


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *legoman786*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> If any of you use Facebook... and want the chat to show only ONLINE contacts,
> Install this script. http://userscripts.org/scripts/source/112792.user.js
> I've gone through countless chrome extensions and they usually just end up breaking after a while. This still works though. Just a simple CSS change. Have fun.
> (only works in Chrome, Opera, or Greasemonkey for Firefox)
> 
> 
> 
> Install how?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> just click the link?
Click to expand...

I don't get it either....
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *poppies*
> 
> http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/solid-state-drives/MZ-7PC064D/AM
> 
> samsung 830 firmware
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: Can't seem to install it


Thanks for the link


----------



## Deegan

bookmarked. I knew most of these tips already, but found some that really seemed to help out. Thx.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Deegan*
> 
> bookmarked. I knew most of these tips already, but found some that really seemed to help out. Thx.


no problem


----------



## bobni

Sean ,very usefull guide, + rep, this will help alot of people. I am presently building a system with a samsung ssd for the os and applications along with two hdd for raid 1 to hold my documents and pictures. The one point that has me confused concerns the raid drivers that windows 7 will utilize when doing a clean install of windows 7 on the ssd. If I understand correctly these will be microsoft drivers and I would get better performance if I used the latest Intel raid drivers. How could the latest intel raid drivers be loaded at the windows 7 installation when the load drivers option is available?


----------



## PyroTechNiK

Thank you very much! +1


----------



## Clutchc

Just finished my clean install of Win7x64 on a Crucial M4 64GB SATA3 SSD (new build). Following your excellent tutorial, Sean, everything went buttery smooth. Thanks again for all the help.

Perhaps you or someone could explain something to me. I have a Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P board (i5-2500K) with an Award BIOS. After the POST, I get the words "_Loading Operating System..._" alone on the black screen. Then there's about a 20 second wait as periods are printed across the screen. Nothing happens during that time, no drive light activity, nothing. Finally, the "Starting Windows" logo appears, the drive light flickers, and the O.S. loads up in record time thanks to the SSD. What can I do to get rid of the 20+ second delay? I have fast boot enabled in BIOS.

Btw, I have a similar Gigabyte board and Award BIOS in my AMD machine, and get the same "Loading Operating System..." message too. But there's no delay with that machine. It goes quickly into loading Windows. Any pointers would really be appreciated.


----------



## mcg75

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Clutchc*
> 
> Just finished my clean install of Win7x64 on a Crucial M4 64GB SATA3 SSD (new build). Following your excellent tutorial, Sean, everything went buttery smooth. Thanks again for all the help.
> Perhaps you or someone could explain something to me. I have a Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P board (i5-2500K) with an Award BIOS. After the POST, I get the words "_Loading Operating System..._" alone on the black screen. Then there's about a 20 second wait as periods are printed across the screen. Nothing happens during that time, no drive light activity, nothing. Finally, the "Starting Windows" logo appears, the drive light flickers, and the O.S. loads up in record time thanks to the SSD. What can I do to get rid of the 20+ second delay? I have fast boot enabled in BIOS.
> Btw, I have a similar Gigabyte board and Award BIOS in my AMD machine, and get the same "Loading Operating System..." message too. But there's no delay with that machine. It goes quickly into loading Windows. Any pointers would really be appreciated.


Is the Intel a new board or one that had a hdd before it?

If it had a hdd, cross the jumper or remove the battery to clear cmos and start fresh.

My asus board did a similar thing once and I cleared the cmos and it's been good since.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bobni*
> 
> Sean ,very usefull guide, + rep, this will help alot of people. I am presently building a system with a samsung ssd for the os and applications along with two hdd for raid 1 to hold my documents and pictures. The one point that has me confused concerns the raid drivers that windows 7 will utilize when doing a clean install of windows 7 on the ssd. If I understand correctly these will be microsoft drivers and I would get better performance if I used the latest Intel raid drivers. How could the latest intel raid drivers be loaded at the windows 7 installation when the load drivers option is available?


You only need to load the the RAID drivers upon install if your RAID array is what you are installing to and does not appear in the install window.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PyroTechNiK*
> 
> Thank you very much! +1


NP







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Clutchc*
> 
> Just finished my clean install of Win7x64 on a Crucial M4 64GB SATA3 SSD (new build). Following your excellent tutorial, Sean, everything went buttery smooth. Thanks again for all the help.
> 
> Perhaps you or someone could explain something to me. I have a Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P board (i5-2500K) with an Award BIOS. After the POST, I get the words "_Loading Operating System..._" alone on the black screen. Then there's about a 20 second wait as periods are printed across the screen. Nothing happens during that time, no drive light activity, nothing. Finally, the "Starting Windows" logo appears, the drive light flickers, and the O.S. loads up in record time thanks to the SSD. What can I do to get rid of the 20+ second delay? I have fast boot enabled in BIOS.
> 
> Btw, I have a similar Gigabyte board and Award BIOS in my AMD machine, and get the same "Loading Operating System..." message too. But there's no delay with that machine. It goes quickly into loading Windows. Any pointers would really be appreciated.


If you have any usb devices plugged in unplug them and see what you get, also disable legacy USB support. And disable any other features you do not need in the bios.


----------



## onoz

I need some help Sean...

I'm moving my Force3 from my laptop over to my desktop, and I'm trying to do a secure erase on it. I have the Magic Parted .iso file downloaded, and I have a USB formatted to be used as a bootable USB, but whenever I try to boot from the USB, it doesn't work. No error message. It's as if the USB doesn't have any files on it. I tried dragging and dropping the files from the .iso file over to my USB, but I don't think I'm dragging the correct files over. Am I supposed to be copying ALL of the files, or just certain folders over? There are a lot of folders...









What should I do?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *onoz*
> 
> I need some help Sean...
> 
> I'm moving my Force3 from my laptop over to my desktop, and I'm trying to do a secure erase on it. I have the Magic Parted .iso file downloaded, and I have a USB formatted to be used as a bootable USB, but whenever I try to boot from the USB, it doesn't work. No error message. It's as if the USB doesn't have any files on it. I tried dragging and dropping the files from the .iso file over to my USB, but I don't think I'm dragging the correct files over. Am I supposed to be copying ALL of the files, or just certain folders over? There are a lot of folders...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What should I do?


If you want the USB to work and boot parted magic off it you need to do this.

unetbootin.sourceforge.net


----------



## onoz

Thanks!


----------



## Clutchc

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mcg75*
> 
> Is the Intel a new board or one that had a hdd before it?
> If it had a hdd, cross the jumper or remove the battery to clear cmos and start fresh.
> My asus board did a similar thing once and I cleared the cmos and it's been good since.


Nope. Everything is brand new, never used. I may try the CMOS battery thing tho, just out of desparation.

Btw, how do you delete a post? My bad.


----------



## exzacklyright

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I don't get it either....


What's there not to get? Facebook chat by default shows people that are offline. This simple css script makes it so it only shows online users on your friends list.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I don't get it either....
> 
> 
> 
> What's there not to get? Facebook chat by default shows people that are offline. This simple css script makes it so it only shows online users on your friends list.
Click to expand...

I click link I get code...that's it...

How does this work in Firefox?


----------



## exzacklyright

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I click link I get code...that's it...
> How does this work in Firefox?


I think you need the "greasemonkey" scripts thing to install it.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/greasemonkey/


----------



## onoz

Sean (or any other SSD expert reading this),

I moved my Force3 from my dm1z to my desktop (my sig rig), and am getting much better read/writes overall, but I do have a question though... For my offset/alignment, why does it say *237568 K*? And why does it say my firmware is *1.3.*? When I had this installed in my dm1z, it clearly showed I had 1.3.3, and I haven't done anything since then. I'm worried that I might have set it up wrong...



Thank you in advance.


----------



## Derko1

Hello! I have a Vertex 3 120GB drive and pretty much did everything in your guide to get up and running. One thing that I totally didn't even think of was the Intel RST drivers... Would I benefit from installing Intel's RST? Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *onoz*
> 
> Sean (or any other SSD expert reading this),
> 
> I moved my Force3 from my dm1z to my desktop (my sig rig), and am getting much better read/writes overall,


Normal
Quote:


> but I do have a question though... For my offset/alignment, why does it say *237568 K*?


Apparently you followed the GPT guide? That is what mine is.
Quote:


> And why does it say my firmware is *1.3.*? When I had this installed in my dm1z, it clearly showed I had 1.3.3, and I haven't done anything since then. I'm worried that I might have set it up wrong...


No idea...update AS SSD and see what SSD life says.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Derko1*
> 
> Hello! I have a Vertex 3 120GB drive and pretty much did everything in your guide to get up and running. One thing that I totally didn't even think of was the Intel RST drivers... Would I benefit from installing Intel's RST? Thanks!


Yep, why wouldn't you?


----------



## Derko1

Installed it. No difference... how would I know it's installed properly? The driver for the ssd itself is from 2006... but I'm guessing I'm not looking at the right thing?

I am curious to know what you think of my results... Speeds seem good? I have disabled c3 and c6 in my BIOS to have a stable 4.8Ghz OC... so I lose around 25-30mb in the 4k writes.


----------



## Maynard46

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> [*] Make sure you have all you data backed up, ALL data on your OS drive will be deleted before installation.


Couldnt i just unhook my HDD...install windows 7 on the SSD, then hook back up the HDD and delete windows 7 from the HDD?

i would like the SSD to be drive C: and i have alot of videos, music ect that i dont want to have to store then move back onto the HDD


----------



## Maynard46

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> _*Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:*_
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Click here to see guide!
> 
> 
> 
> *Guide if you to use a bootable Windows 7 USB:* If not then skip to Booting and partitioning of MBR for Windows 7
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> *Make a bootable Windows 7 USB:*
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *lis dis*, press Enter
> Type *sel dis X* (where *X* is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *cle*, press Enter
> Type *cre par pri*, press Enter
> Type *act*, press Enter
> Type *for quick fs=fat32*, press Enter
> Type *ass*, press Enter
> Type *exi*, press Enter
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).
> *Video Tut:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Booting and partitioning of MBR for Windows 7:*
> 
> Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *lis dis*, press Enter
> Type *sel dis X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *cle*, press Enter
> Type *cre par pri align=4096* (1024 is default), press Enter
> *Note:* If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
> Type *for quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *act*, press Enter
> Type *exi*, press Enter
> Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
> Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it.
> *Video Tut:*
> 
> 
> 
> Special thanks to *TwoCables* for creating the guide above


the How To Install Windows 7 video is not using the same directions as the text....which instruction should i use?


----------



## Wkl01

This is a great thread. What do you think about splitting a 128 SSD one part for the win 7 and the other as srt cache on a HHD? The cache would be 64gb and the HHD would hold the user files and programs. Two other tb drives would be in a raid 0 to maximize the sequential reads for movies?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> [*] Make sure you have all you data backed up, ALL data on your OS drive will be deleted before installation.
> 
> 
> 
> Couldnt i just unhook my HDD...install windows 7 on the SSD, then hook back up the HDD and delete windows 7 from the HDD?
> 
> i would like the SSD to be drive C: and i have alot of videos, music ect that i dont want to have to store then move back onto the HDD
Click to expand...

you can
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> _*Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:*_
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Click here to see guide!
> 
> 
> 
> *Guide if you to use a bootable Windows 7 USB:* If not then skip to Booting and partitioning of MBR for Windows 7
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> *Make a bootable Windows 7 USB:*
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *lis dis*, press Enter
> Type *sel dis X* (where *X* is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *cle*, press Enter
> Type *cre par pri*, press Enter
> Type *act*, press Enter
> Type *for quick fs=fat32*, press Enter
> Type *ass*, press Enter
> Type *exi*, press Enter
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract first).
> *Video Tut:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Booting and partitioning of MBR for Windows 7:*
> 
> Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *lis dis*, press Enter
> Type *sel dis X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *cle*, press Enter
> Type *cre par pri align=4096* (1024 is default), press Enter
> *Note:* If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
> Type *for quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *act*, press Enter
> Type *exi*, press Enter
> Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
> Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. You do not have to manually format it.
> *Video Tut:*
> 
> 
> 
> Special thanks to *TwoCables* for creating the guide above
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> the How To Install Windows 7 video is not using the same directions as the text....which instruction should i use?
Click to expand...

they are both the same, the video is unabbreviated, the steps and everything is exactly the same.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wkl01*
> 
> This is a great thread. What do you think about splitting a 128 SSD one part for the win 7 and the other as srt cache on a HHD? The cache would be 64gb and the HHD would hold the user files and programs. Two other tb drives would be in a raid 0 to maximize the sequential reads for movies?


I don't think that is a good idea. And I am not sure ti would work either, i had issues with SRT when trying that.


----------



## Maynard46

actually they are not the same. your text instruction says you dont have to manually format the drive....but in the video you are formatting the drive. Also, in the text you use abbreviated text but in the video you type out the full terms.
I was looking for clarification for that.. I am new to this so i just want to be sure

thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> actually they are not the same. your text instruction says you dont have to manually format the drive....but in the video you are formatting the drive. Also, in the text you use abbreviated text but in the video you type out the full terms.
> I was looking for clarification for that.. I am new to this so i just want to be sure
> 
> thanks


It is exactly the exact same thing exactly. There is no difference at all, both format as well, i don't get where you see that it doesn't.

*They are EXACTLY the EXACT SAME THING*

I simply found a way that allows you to type less and do teh same thing, the steps are the same and the commands are the same in tehsame order. They are just abbreviated.

*lis dis* = list disk
*sel dis* = select disk
*cle* = clean
*cre par pri align=4096* = create partition primary align=4096
*for quick fs=ntfs* = format quick fs=ntfs
*act* = active
*exi* = exit


----------



## Maynard46

thanks sean...appreciate the info and the guide as well. great stuff
sorry i am such a noob, but im learning. i like to be 100% sure or at least try to minimize as much guess work as possible.

step 12 of the guide says:
Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. *You do not have to manually format it.*

in the video you are formatting it. maybe in the video you are auto formatting...i dont know

anyway...thanks for the info


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> thanks sean...appreciate the info and the guide as well. great stuff
> sorry i am such a noob, but im learning. i like to be 100% sure or at least try to minimize as much guess work as possible.
> step 12 of the guide says:
> Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. *You do not have to manually format it.*
> in the video you are formatting it. maybe in the video you are auto formatting...i dont know
> anyway...thanks for the info


That is different. In the installer you can manually format the partitions again...do not do that. That is why I wrote it as step 12, after the diskpart setup. That is completely different.


----------



## kevindd992002

It's up! Firmware 0309: http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx for the Crucial M4. This fixes the BSOD bug for users using the M4 for 5000+ hours.


----------



## Crabby654

Just a side note on the M4 0309 Firmware:

Double check your Disk Drive settings for the M4 in Device Manager because for me it removed the check mark for "Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing on the device". So after you do the update, may wanna double check this!


----------



## Wkl01

What kind of issues did you have? I installed Win 7 into a temp HHD enabled the cache. Rebooted and installed WIn 7 onto the remaining partition. The biggest down side is the drive is small if I use 64GB for the cache. Still loading up the system but your tips are great to shrink the size of Win 7. My thinking is that Win 7 always be on the SSD and the programs and data I use most will wind up on the cache. Am I missing something? The 2 1TB drives contain movies so I get the fast sequential reads from the raid.


----------



## exzacklyright

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654*
> 
> Just a side note on the M4 0309 Firmware:
> Double check your Disk Drive settings for the M4 in Device Manager because for me it removed the check mark for "Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing on the device". So after you do the update, may wanna double check this!


Mine was unchecked as well.


----------



## Maynard46

i am all up and running on the new ssd. but how do i remove windows from my hdd? there are files on their i dont want to lose.

i guess i could move them to the ssd then format the hdd then move them back....is that my only option?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wkl01*
> 
> What kind of issues did you have? I installed Win 7 into a temp HHD enabled the cache. Rebooted and installed WIn 7 onto the remaining partition. The biggest down side is the drive is small if I use 64GB for the cache. Still loading up the system but your tips are great to shrink the size of Win 7. My thinking is that Win 7 always be on the SSD and the programs and data I use most will wind up on the cache. Am I missing something? The 2 1TB drives contain movies so I get the fast sequential reads from the raid.


I tried enabling the cache after installing to the SSD...it erased my drive and i had to reinstall. I honestly have no idea how you can get your idea to work properly.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> i am all up and running on the new ssd. but how do i remove windows from my hdd? there are files on their i dont want to lose.
> 
> i guess i could move them to the ssd then format the hdd then move them back....is that my only option?


I have a guide in the third post...partition your HDD and move the data to the new partition and delete the old.


----------



## selluminis

I have gone through quite a bit of this thread. I have seen some benching of the SSD with tweaks. However, I am not seeing any bench marks showing stock Windows 7 install vs. Windows 7 with all of these tweaks. I would be interested in the space saved as well as the speed difference. Perhaps I have over looked it. Brain is fried after a 12 hour work day and all this wonderful data...


----------



## [email protected]

I'm really liking how the SSD shuts down my system so blazing fast and booting up. I am really glad i got one for a sucker deal that BB failed to notice their price







Now i'm so gonna save up for a BIGGER SSD which we all know are extremely a bit expensive but will be so worth it cuz i'm wanting to add a lot of games on it instead of being limited with 80gb which isn't considered too bad.

120gb and up will be totally so worth it. Amazing how 512gb is so fricking expensive you can afford a 500 series card lol.

Oh if i ever wanted to reformat my system. I can just reformat the regular way and reinstall Windows then tweak the commands again? Is that appropriate to use? Oh also is it safe to use DBAN Nuke on SSD? Just wanted to learn this in ahead advance for future reference in case i ever wanna start fresh again.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654*
> 
> Just a side note on the M4 0309 Firmware:
> Double check your Disk Drive settings for the M4 in Device Manager because for me it removed the check mark for "Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing on the device". So after you do the update, may wanna double check this!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> Mine was unchecked as well.


When the installed drive (any drive for this matter) is detected by Windows in the taskbar, that checkbox will always stay at its default value of unchecked








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I tried enabling the cache after installing to the SSD...it erased my drive and i had to reinstall. I honestly have no idea how you can get your idea to work properly.
> I have a guide in the third post...partition your HDD and move the data to the new partition and delete the old.


If you use an SSD as a cache drive for an HDD, you CANNOT use the remaining SSD space for OS installation. HDD-SSD caching (Intel SRT) requires you to install the OS in the HDD. So for example you have a 128GB SSD and you use 64GB as cache for your HDD (I think 64GB is the max capacity supported for caching), you will just waste the remaining 64GB of the SSD. FYI


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> _-snip-_
> 
> Oh also is it safe to use DBAN Nuke on SSD? Just wanted to learn this in ahead advance for future reference in case i ever wanna start fresh again.


No... First, it's not good for the drive, and second.. It wouldn't work properly anyway.

not good for the drive.. writes to the drive too many times.
wouldn't work properly... just like the OS, DBan cannot control where it writes to on the drive. The SSD's controller is responsible for that, and due to wear leveling algorithms, wouldn't get you the intended results.

With an SSD, all you need is to perform a "secure erase". The secure erase command flushes the stored electrons from the flash memory cells, effectively erasing the drive to an un-recoverable state.


----------



## Maynard46

some programs want to auto install to my C drive. fo example, google chrome. it doesnt have an option to set its destination and goes right to the C drive.
is there a way around this?


----------



## Wkl01

I tried these steps and got both the cache started and the OS loaded into the remaining partition of the SSD.
Just have the HDD hooked up
Install windows on the HDD that you be using with the cache, if you want a bootable HDD
install RST and initate the cache
It appears to give you two options 18GB or the max (64GB)
Disconnect the HDD hook up the SSD
Boot into windows from the USB or DVD
During the boot you'll see the cache is enabled
Install Windows on SSD, you will need the storage drivers
Shutdown and connect HDD
Reboot from the SSD and install the RST
Do all the optimizing Sean's guide.

The downside of this is only having ~55GD on the OS partiton. But you cache the much bigger HHD with 64GB. If it works as its touted, the most used items from the HDD will be in the cache. So I'm thinking having the cache bigger is better as I don't think the OS will need that much space thanks to Sean. My plan was to put the User data and other programs on the HDD anyhow so I think this gives me the best of both. Does leaving the installed OS on the HDD help me or hurt me in setting up the user directories, etc? I'm planning on setting up Raid 0 on 2 1TB drive for movies stream. It does give me the option of booting up into the HDD if something happens to the SSD. Also I can back up the SSD onto the HDD


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> some programs want to auto install to my C drive. fo example, google chrome. it doesnt have an option to set its destination and goes right to the C drive.
> is there a way around this?


Why would you want it on the HDD? lol

and yes, check Google.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wkl01*
> 
> I tried these steps and got both the cache started and the OS loaded into the remaining partition of the SSD.
> Just have the HDD hooked up
> Install windows on the HDD that you be using with the cache, if you want a bootable HDD
> install RST and initate the cache
> It appears to give you two options 18GB or the max (64GB)
> Disconnect the HDD hook up the SSD
> Boot into windows from the USB or DVD
> During the boot you'll see the cache is enabled
> Install Windows on SSD, you will need the storage drivers
> Shutdown and connect HDD
> Reboot from the SSD and install the RST
> Do all the optimizing Sean's guide.
> 
> The downside of this is only having ~55GD on the OS partiton. But you cache the much bigger HHD with 64GB. If it works as its touted, the most used items from the HDD will be in the cache. So I'm thinking having the cache bigger is better as I don't think the OS will need that much space thanks to Sean. My plan was to put the User data and other programs on the HDD anyhow so I think this gives me the best of both. Does leaving the installed OS on the HDD help me or hurt me in setting up the user directories, etc? I'm planning on setting up Raid 0 on 2 1TB drive for movies stream. It does give me the option of booting up into the HDD if something happens to the SSD. Also I can back up the SSD onto the HDD


It does not work like that, you need the OS to be active for the HDD to be cached to the SSD...

You are effectively doing absolutely nothing with that cached space.


----------



## Wkl01

I'm not sure I understand what you mean about the OS must be active. After I install the IRST on the SSD. It shows both the OS and the cache. being on the physical SSD. It shows the HDD as being accelerated. During the boot it shows the same thing. How can I tell if the SSD is actually accelerating the HDD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wkl01*
> 
> I'm not sure I understand what you mean about the OS must be active. After I install the IRST on the SSD. It shows both the OS and the cache. being on the physical SSD. It shows the HDD as being accelerated. During the boot it shows the same thing. How can I tell if the SSD is actually accelerating the HDD.


Run AS SSD two times on the HDD cache while booted from the SSD. And post a screen shot.


----------



## Maynard46

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why would you want it on the HDD? lol


i dont want google chrome on the hdd...i was just using that as an example. i want some apps to install on the hdd instead of the ssd. But they dont always have the option to choose the destination.....do you know of a work around that is specific to windows 7? or would google be the option for any of these apps


----------



## Sean Webster

Google it lol, I don't know...there is a way to change the default location...idk where it is tho you will have to find it yourself.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Google it lol, I don't know...there is a way to change the default location...idk where it is tho you will have to find it yourself.


Somewhere in this thread... LOL.. I posted it some time ago.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Google it lol, I don't know...there is a way to change the default location...idk where it is tho you will have to find it yourself.
> 
> 
> 
> Somewhere in this thread... LOL.. I posted it some time ago.
Click to expand...

I know XD, too lazy to look it up though lol


----------



## Wkl01

Here it is



The first run was similar Why two runs?


----------



## Jayyde

Should prefetch and superfetch be disabled if I keep a lot of programs on a HDD even though my OS is on an SSD?


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wkl01*
> 
> Here it is
> 
> The first run was similar Why two runs?


I think you need a format on that HDD to 1024 or 4096 allocation size.
Should not be 31k red.
Unless your using a raid type??


----------



## swarm87

this may sound like a stupid question but can i use a 128gb ssd for a boot device and use the z68 features to use a 64gb one for a cache for my other 3 hdds?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayyde*
> 
> Should prefetch and superfetch be disabled if I keep a lot of programs on a HDD even though my OS is on an SSD?


Doesn't matter, those are only to load up parts of programs upon boot, disabled is fine.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> this may sound like a stupid question but can i use a 128gb ssd for a boot device and use the z68 features to use a 64gb one for a cache for my other 3 hdds?


1 SSD to a drive I think, I am not sure.


----------



## Sean Webster

I just realized this thread finally hit 100,000 views! lol


----------



## Jayyde

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just realized this thread finally hit 100,000 views! lol


Grats!

Just curious, but any plans on making a vid for making a junction on steam?







I've tried it before, and got as far as making the junction, but I couldn't get steam mover to work for some reason.


----------



## Maynard46

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Somewhere in this thread... LOL.. I posted it some time ago.


found it.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-guide-optimization-for-ssds-hdds/1160_20#post_15989972

this is exactly what i was looking for. Really stupid that some programs dont allow you the choice to custom install

sidenote: the search function of this forum suck


----------



## LegitSticks

Is it recommended that after I built my PC only install my boot drive until I update all the drivers *THEN* do reinstall windows load my other drive on the PC as well?

Thanks!


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LegitSticks*
> 
> Is it recommended that after I built my PC only install my boot drive until I update all the drivers *THEN* do reinstall windows load my other drive on the PC as well?
> Thanks!


You want to install windows on 2 different hard drives on the same PC?


----------



## LegitSticks

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654*
> 
> You want to install windows on 2 different hard drives on the same PC?


Nope, I just want to know what I need to do because I have 2 SSDs.

Do I plug my 60GB SSD in and install Windows on it. After installing Windows then I plug my 128GB SSD into my computer?

Or do I plug both SSDs in when I first start up my computer?

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LegitSticks*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Crabby654*
> 
> You want to install windows on 2 different hard drives on the same PC?
> 
> 
> 
> Nope, I just want to know what I need to do because I have 2 SSDs.
> 
> Do I plug my 60GB SSD in and install Windows on it. After installing Windows then I plug my 128GB SSD into my computer?
> 
> Or do I plug both SSDs in when I first start up my computer?
> 
> Thanks!
Click to expand...

i replied to teh other thead. lol

60GB OS SSD plugged in during install, 128GB SSD game drive installed during step 5 of the *Immediately after installing Windows:* part.


----------



## BradleyW

Well it just took me 5 hours to Unfreeze my SSD's for secure delete lol!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Well it just took me 5 hours to Unfreeze my SSD's for secure delete lol!


What! really? WTH lol Wow, that sucks.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What! really? WTH lol Wow, that sucks.


I know. I tried all sorts man! It was tell.


----------



## p3zjb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Well it just took me 5 hours to Unfreeze my SSD's for secure delete lol!


I just learned about SecureErase in PartedMagic last night, thanks to Sean's guide. It took me about an hour to figure out the freezing issue. My solution was to hot swap my SSD post-boot.


----------



## Jocelyn84

I'm upgrading my m4 128gb to a 256gb, and now that my board supports/uses UEFI, I'd like to go with the GPT install method this time (fresh install). My guess is that I can use my current install to format the new drive directly in windows, but would it be better to use partition manager or should I stick to the diskpart method via CMD? If it is better to go with the diskpart method, is formatting within my current windows install via CMD an option? Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jocelyn84*
> 
> I'm upgrading my m4 128gb to a 256gb, and now that my board supports/uses UEFI, I'd like to go with the GPT install method this time (fresh install). My guess is that I can use my current install to format the new drive directly in windows, but would it be better to use partition manager or should I stick to the diskpart method via CMD? If it is better to go with the diskpart method, is formatting within my current windows install via CMD an option? Thanks!


You can do it before the install in your OS now. I would suggest just doing it when you are installing in diskpart.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *p3zjb*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Well it just took me 5 hours to Unfreeze my SSD's for secure delete lol!
> 
> 
> 
> I just learned about SecureErase in PartedMagic last night, thanks to Sean's guide. It took me about an hour to figure out the freezing issue. My solution was to hot swap my SSD post-boot.
Click to expand...

This is typically the solution that works for most "locked" drives, although sometimes the BIOS/UEFI can be stubborn and not let the drive go.


----------



## milespeed

Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:

Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
Click Properties
Click the Location tab.....

hello esteemed... got an issue.. i set up an HDD and moved my folders to it from my SSD with the OS... now i am removing that HDD drive to another system and want to move my folders to a different HDD on this system and DON'T have a 'Location" tab anymore.. i have searched and cant find an answer as to how to move the folders onto another HDD once i have moved them once already to an HDD...
thanx in advance and help please


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:
> 
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab.....
> 
> hello esteemed... got an issue.. i set up an HDD and moved my folders to it from my SSD with the OS... now i am removing that HDD drive to another system and want to move my folders to a different HDD on this system and DON'T have a 'Location" tab anymore.. i have searched and cant find an answer as to how to move the folders onto another HDD once i have moved them once already to an HDD...
> thanx in advance and help please


Never heard of that, I did a quick google search:

http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/74777-location-tab-lost-my-pictures-properties.html
http://www.vistax64.com/general-discussion/261897-lost-documents-folder-location-tab.html
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html

Make sure you are clicking the folders under your profile

C:\Users\User Name


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *p3zjb*
> 
> I just learned about SecureErase in PartedMagic last night, thanks to Sean's guide. It took me about an hour to figure out the freezing issue. My solution was to hot swap my SSD post-boot.


Even hot swapping and plugging in the ssd whilst powered up in windows did not work lol.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> found it.
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-guide-optimization-for-ssds-hdds/1160_20#post_15989972
> this is exactly what i was looking for. Really stupid that some programs dont allow you the choice to custom install
> sidenote: the search function of this forum suck


Is the sucky search function a product of the new OCN or was it like that even before the shift?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> found it.
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-guide-optimization-for-ssds-hdds/1160_20#post_15989972
> this is exactly what i was looking for. Really stupid that some programs dont allow you the choice to custom install
> sidenote: the search function of this forum suck
> 
> 
> 
> Is the sucky search function a product of the new OCN or was it like that even before the shift?
Click to expand...

idk, but The new search function id better for me...I never have an issue, you just need to type the right keywords.


----------



## Sprkd1

Just installed Windows 7 on my new build. I have a SSD for the OS and a 2 TB HDD for everything else. Now that I am in Windows, how do I format the HDD so that I can use it? I know it has something to do with the Disk Management program.


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Just installed Windows 7 on my new build. I have a SSD for the OS and a 2 TB HDD for everything else. Now that I am in Windows, how do I format the HDD so that I can use it? I know it has something to do with the Disk Management program.


If you goto your search bar in the taskbar, type disk part and the "Create and format disk partitions" and open that. From there you can see your drives and do what you want to them. Or you could just open up my computer and right click on the drive and click format and choose the settings you want.


----------



## Sprkd1

Sorry but I am a noob. I haven't even formatted the drive as it is brand new. It doesn't show up in My Computer, only in Disk Management as unallocated space.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Just installed Windows 7 on my new build. I have a SSD for the OS and a 2 TB HDD for everything else. Now that I am in Windows, how do I format the HDD so that I can use it? I know it has something to do with the Disk Management program.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crabby654*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Just installed Windows 7 on my new build. I have a SSD for the OS and a 2 TB HDD for everything else. Now that I am in Windows, how do I format the HDD so that I can use it? I know it has something to do with the Disk Management program.
> 
> 
> 
> If you goto your search bar in the taskbar, type disk part and the "Create and format disk partitions" and open that. From there you can see your drives and do what you want to them. Or you could just open up my computer and right click on the drive and click format and choose the settings you want.
Click to expand...

*Crabby654!*

Look! Read the thread, i have almost everything you need to know in it lol...

Third post of the thread: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-guide-optimization-for-ssds-hdds#post_15523325

*How to: Initialize And Format A New Disk For Use In Windows!*


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



*How To Initialize And Format A New Disk For Use In Windows:*

Install disk in your PC and boot up.
Once at the desktop open the Start Menu, in the search line, type *Disk Management* and press Enter
You should get a window popup like this:

If so choose either MBR or GPT and click OK.
*Note:* GPT allows you to create more than 4 partitions on the HDD and 2.2TB+ sized partitions as well.
If you didn't get the popup then right click and select initialize the newly added drive under where it says the *Disk #* shown below:

Now right click the unallocated space and click create a New Simple Volume shown below:

Follow the on screen wizard by clicking Next

Specify your volume size, default is fine, and now click Next

Assign a drive letter to the drive and click Next

Format the partition and name the volume, default settings are fine

Now click Finish and you are done


----------



## p3zjb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Even hot swapping and plugging in the ssd whilst powered up in windows did not work lol.


What was your solution? Maybe I'll run into it again, my new desktop build is arriving tomorrow -- I'll be working with a Crucial m4.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *p3zjb*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Even hot swapping and plugging in the ssd whilst powered up in windows did not work lol.
> 
> 
> 
> What was your solution? Maybe I'll run into it again, my new desktop build is arriving tomorrow -- I'll be working with a Crucial m4.
Click to expand...

You don't need to secure erase a new SSD...


----------



## milespeed

thanx Sean will research your research... perhaps i was unclear.. the original folders from.... C:\Users\User Name.....were moved to secondary HDD already from the OS hosting SSD... everything worked exactly as your awesome tutorials dictated....those folders now reside on that HDD and windows knows to download to them when i save pictures documents or videos.. flawlessly.. but i am pulling that HDD and want to point windows to the new location on a different HDD before i pull that drive i first set up... no location tab and no way to change location i can find ... mayb if i just pull the drive and make windows lost as to where to go with those system folders ? it might ask me to find them or create them on the OS SSD?
whatcha think?


----------



## p3zjb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to secure erase a new SSD...


Oops! I would of realized when I got it. Silly me. Thanks, Sean.


----------



## Sprkd1

Ok thanks. That worked for the HDD.

However, I have another problem. When I try to install the Intel RST driver, it says something along the lines of "This computer is not compatible" or something. I have AHCI enabled in the BIOS.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> thanx Sean will research your research... perhaps i was unclear.. the original folders from.... C:\Users\User Name.....were moved to secondary HDD already from the OS hosting SSD... everything worked exactly as your awesome tutorials dictated....those folders now reside on that HDD and windows knows to download to them when i save pictures documents or videos.. flawlessly.. but i am pulling that HDD and want to point windows to the new location on a different HDD before i pull that drive i first set up... no location tab and no way to change location i can find ... mayb if i just pull the drive and make windows lost as to where to go with those system folders ? it might ask me to find them or create them on the OS SSD?
> whatcha think?


I have no idea how they disappeared. You are going to need to figure it out unless someone else can help, I still have the location tab on the folders I moved.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Ok thanks. That worked for the HDD.
> 
> However, I have another problem. When I try to install the Intel RST driver, it says something along the lines of "This computer is not compatible" or something. I have AHCI enabled in the BIOS.


Double check...that issue is b/c of IDE mode being enabled over AHCI, atleast in my experience.

Post a screen shot of AS SSD real quick so i can verify. You don't need to run it, just post a screen shot of it open with your SSD showing.


----------



## Sprkd1

Attached a pic. Ran the benchmark too. How are the scores?


----------



## Sean Webster

About normal for your drive.

I don't get why they wont install...

These are the ones you are installing correct?

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/20624/eng/iata_enu_10.8.0.1003.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=20624&ProductID=2101&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology


----------



## Sprkd1

Yes they are the ones that I downloaded.

However, it's funny that the ones from the GIGABYTE Web site (for my motherboard) downloaded and installed fine during my first installation of Windows. I did a second installation of Windows to see if the ones from the Intel Web site would work but they didn't. Right now I don't have any of them installed.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Yes they are the ones that I downloaded.
> 
> However, it's funny that the ones from the GIGABYTE Web site (for my motherboard) downloaded and installed fine during my first installation of Windows. I did a second installation of Windows to see if the ones from the Intel Web site would work but they didn't. Right now I don't have any of them installed.


Although it should be in windows 7, double check in "Programs and Features" that Microsoft .NET framework 3.0 (or higher) is installed on your computer. If it's not, IRST won't install. if it's not there, running windows update will install/update it.

Also might be the x79 PCH... maybe Intel hasn't caught up yet, and the installer doesn't regognize it? Just a thought.

*EDIT: It's actually my second thought post. The x79 chipset uses the IRST enterprise 3.0 version of the driver. that's why the Gigabyte version worked for you. Intel's link Here*

I was just told that the full executable is easier to deal with than the "F6" driver.


----------



## Sprkd1

Thanks for that! I haven't tried installing it yet as it is late and I need to sleep. I'll try tomorrow. However, based on my benchmark of my SSD (few posts up), do I need to install the RST driver? What will I gain? My scores seem fine according to Sean as they are.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Thanks for that! I haven't tried installing it yet as it is late and I need to sleep. I'll try tomorrow. However, based on my benchmark of my SSD (few posts up), do I need to install the RST driver? What will I gain? My scores seem fine according to Sean as they are.


Maybe something, possibly nothing. The Intel driver is designed by Intel for their PCH. The Microsoft driver is a generic driver that operates pretty well across all platforms. I don't know enough about the subtleties of x79 to give you a definitive answer. IRST under the P67/z68 shows a very, very slight improvement over the MS driver. IRST enterprise was just updated after the release of X79 to incorporate the new PCH, so who knows... early drivers possibly? Although the SandyBridge-E is a server chip with a few cores turned off... maybe not so early with the drivers.

How's that for making a commitment?

Your scores are right at what your drive is capable of, so again... I'm not sure.


----------



## milespeed

just a quick update... by changing the drive letter of my new HDD to same as the one i took out...windows now knows to send saved items to that drive now..though it calls up an error still for some operations.. (trying to download a program from the internet) too early to be sure this works for most things ...also..window update had 13 new security/critical updates i needed to install and after a reboot.. i was able to move two of the folders before removing the drive because they had the location tab back......small issues and i will work around ...you got bigger fish to fry than this piddly ass ****t Sean... thanx


----------



## masscrazy

Quick question: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SATA 3 or Crucial M4 120GB? Both similar price today. People say speed wont be too dissimilar but specs say different. M4=415MB/s Write 175MB/s AND OCZ Vertx3 = Read 550MB/s Write 500MB/s.


----------



## XSCounter

m4 any day


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> just a quick update... by changing the drive letter of my new HDD to same as the one i took out...windows now knows to send saved items to that drive now..though it calls up an error still for some operations.. (trying to download a program from the internet) too early to be sure this works for most things ...also..window update had 13 new security/critical updates i needed to install and after a reboot.. i was able to move two of the folders before removing the drive because they had the location tab back......small issues and i will work around ...you got bigger fish to fry than this piddly ass ****t Sean... thanx


Cool, good luck.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Quick question: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SATA 3 or Crucial M4 120GB? Both similar price today. People say speed wont be too dissimilar but specs say different. M4=415MB/s Write 175MB/s AND OCZ Vertx3 = Read 550MB/s Write 500MB/s.


Eww, a Vertex 3 = POS

The M4 is faster anyways. New firmware makes it 20% faster.


----------



## milespeed

the new firmware process is scary looking , at least to read it .. i am sitting on the firmware fearing pulling the trigger on it... so tell me is it as potentially dangerous and as hard to do as it seems.. are their any easier ways to update the M4 firmware than the recipe listed with it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> the new firmware process is scary looking , at least to read it .. i am sitting on the firmware fearing pulling the trigger on it... so tell me is it as potentially dangerous and as hard to do as it seems.. are their any easier ways to update the M4 firmware than the recipe listed with it?


*Scary?* _*Hard?*_ *Dangerous?*

Not at all.

*How to update M4 firmware:*

Download 0309 firmware here: http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx
Burn the .iso to a CD.
Boot from the CD.
Type "*yes*" when prompted to.
Wait 30 sec.
When complete turn the PC off.
Turn said PC back on.
Boot from SSD.
Enjoy your *sexy*, *super fast*, *awesome* Crucial M4!


----------



## Nocturin

Any opinions on the Samsung 830 128gb SSD?


----------



## Nonehxc

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Any opinions on the Samsung 830 128gb SSD?


Flawless, reliable, quick as the Roadrunner on speed and cute







Been using one for almost one month and so far, I'm very satisfied with my self-presented christmas present







No problems at all, updated like a champ and TRIM/GC in idle time works like it should work. Awesome read/write speeds, pretty and functional toolbox, easiest way I've find to update something in a long time.Update CXM02B1Q has caused problems for a few users, usually solved by unplugging/plugging ssd sata and power cable, but hey, some had problems...next firmware version, which by the way, releases tomorrow(CXM03B1Q) is meant to improve update method+include the fixes in CXM02B1Q.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nonehxc*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Any opinions on the Samsung 830 128gb SSD?
> 
> 
> 
> Flawless, reliable, quick as the Roadrunner on speed and cute
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Been using one for almost one month and so far, I'm very satisfied with my self-presented christmas present
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No problems at all, updated like a champ and TRIM/GC in idle time works like it should work. Awesome read/write speeds, pretty and functional toolbox, easiest way I've find to update something in a long time.Update CXM02B1Q has caused problems for a few users, usually solved by unplugging/plugging ssd sata and power cable, but hey, some had problems...next firmware version, which by the way, releases tomorrow(CXM03B1Q) is meant to improve update method+include the fixes in CXM02B1Q.
Click to expand...

This^

Nocturin read this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#post_15860070


----------



## _AKIMbO_

I just finished the install of my ssd....optimized it and moved my steam.exe to the ssd along with a couple games. Thanks for the guide brah.....it helped tremendously.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_AKIMbO_*
> 
> I just finished the install of my ssd....optimized it and moved my steam.exe to the ssd along with a couple games. Thanks for the guide brah.....it helped tremendously.


No prob.


----------



## Icekilla

Is there any software to verify the integrity of those SP1 ISO's?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Icekilla*
> 
> Is there any software to verify the integrity of those SP1 ISO's?


I think this should work: http://www.istartedsomething.com/20090706/windows-7-iso-verifier/

I think it may have issues with SP1 iso's though, it reads mine as unrecognized. :/


----------



## Anth0789

Great work with these guides they are very useful for SSD owners and handy.

Not sure if this is good while using Sata II of coarse.


----------



## Icekilla

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I think this should work: http://www.istartedsomething.com/20090706/windows-7-iso-verifier/
> I think it may have issues with SP1 iso's though, it reads mine as unrecognized. :/


You're not the only one


----------



## _AKIMbO_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Anth0789*
> 
> Great work with these guides they are very useful for SSD owners and handy.
> Not sure if this is good while using Sata II of coarse.


Looks good to me. Just ran my 128gb Crucial M4 on sata ii.


----------



## grassh0ppa

Any links for optimizing SSD's on a ubuntu OS?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grassh0ppa*
> 
> Any links for optimizing SSD's on a ubuntu OS?


Nope, lol. Only a windows guy myself, I only mess with linux stuff in VMs and keep them stock. Maybe someone could help you in the Linux section of the OS section.


----------



## miniterror

Knipsel.PNG 55k .PNG file
hi sean,
thanks again for this sweet guide.
followed everything.
now i just found something and i dont know if it matters but it looks strange imo
i whas browsing the forum and found a post reffering to bootracer.
it took 16 sec:-o
also when i looked in system information it showed ide behind the sata drive.
is that wrong or am i missing something?
i turned on ahci in the bios so i geuss its using it.
also the starnge thing is i dont have ide poorts on my mobo, only sata afaik.
is there a way to check if ahci is really on?
thanks

edit: ohhh duuhhhhhhhhh maybe atach a pic of what i see in the program.
must be stoned or something


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nonehxc*
> 
> Flawless, reliable, quick as the Roadrunner on speed and cute
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Been using one for almost one month and so far, I'm very satisfied with my self-presented christmas present
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No problems at all, updated like a champ and TRIM/GC in idle time works like it should work. Awesome read/write speeds, pretty and functional toolbox, easiest way I've find to update something in a long time.Update CXM02B1Q has caused problems for a few users, usually solved by unplugging/plugging ssd sata and power cable, but hey, some had problems...next firmware version, which by the way, releases tomorrow(CXM03B1Q) is meant to improve update method+include the fixes in CXM02B1Q.


thank you
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This^
> Nocturin read this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#post_15860070


reading now







.

Want to go samsung because I haven't heard of any reliability (epidemic) issues and speed is consistant with most of the drives out now.

Now I'm figting between a x79 and z68 system. Priced the 3930k system yesterday, and with a 6950 and a 64 gb 830 = $1700 (still mATX YAY!) and z68= 2500k w/ 7970 and a 128 gb ssd = $1700 (mATX too)

Le sigh.
I want moar cores >








I can upgrade the gpu when I get my bonus next year if kepler is worth it's salt, or get another 6950 (prolly not want single gpu solutions)

yea... going away now so I don't hijack this thread anymore LD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Nonehxc*
> 
> Flawless, reliable, quick as the Roadrunner on speed and cute
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Been using one for almost one month and so far, I'm very satisfied with my self-presented christmas present
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No problems at all, updated like a champ and TRIM/GC in idle time works like it should work. Awesome read/write speeds, pretty and functional toolbox, easiest way I've find to update something in a long time.Update CXM02B1Q has caused problems for a few users, usually solved by unplugging/plugging ssd sata and power cable, but hey, some had problems...next firmware version, which by the way, releases tomorrow(CXM03B1Q) is meant to improve update method+include the fixes in CXM02B1Q.
> 
> 
> 
> thank you
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This^
> Nocturin read this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#post_15860070
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> reading now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
> 
> Want to go samsung because I haven't heard of any reliability (epidemic) issues and speed is consistant with most of the drives out now.
> 
> Now I'm figting between a x79 and z68 system. Priced the 3930k system yesterday, and with a 6950 and a 64 gb 830 = $1700 (still mATX YAY!) and z68= 2500k w/ 7970 and a 128 gb ssd = $1700 (mATX too)
> 
> Le sigh.
> I want moar cores >
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can upgrade the gpu when I get my bonus next year if kepler is worth it's salt, or get another 6950 (prolly not want single gpu solutions)
> 
> yea... going away now so I don't hijack this thread anymore LD.
Click to expand...

Get Z77 and a 3770K when it is out, I'm buying myself that...How the hell is a i5 + 7970 + mobo and SSD that much?


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Get Z77 and a 3770K when it is out, I'm buying myself that...How the hell is a i5 + 7970 + mobo and SSD that much?


I don't want to wait another few months to buy my system, other wards I'd be waiting for z77 too







.
7970 is 300-350 more than the 6950.

rounding system costs up for z68, down for x79 w/ a 2k budget.

linking the wishlist just to make it easier.

Z68
X79 (add the 3930k for 600 coming to 1840, but considering the 3820 which would put the pricing in line with the z68 system. add's 4 threads and might be able to still get the 7970)

isn't IB-E going to be compatible with x79?

edit: going with option 1(z68). I can get a rasa kit with the extra funds to WC the gpu







when block are out. (in the future)


----------



## EightBallCrnPkt

Hello:

IS it possible for me to add/enable the SRT function after Windows has been installed on the HDD? Basically I would like to setup Windows and add the SSD drive a little later to be used in SRT mode. The way I think I understand it right now is that I would need to re-install Windows in order to enable the SRT?

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EightBallCrnPkt*
> 
> Hello:
> 
> IS it possible for me to add/enable the SRT function after Windows has been installed on the HDD? Basically I would like to setup Windows and add the SSD drive a little later to be used in SRT mode. The way I think I understand it right now is that I would need to re-install Windows in order to enable the SRT?
> 
> Thanks!


Yep, actually that is how you set it up. Just need to make sure you have the Intel SATA driver installed with the control center and when you get the new SSD just plug it in and enable the SRT.


----------



## EightBallCrnPkt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep, actually that is how you set it up. Just need to make sure you have the Intel SATA driver installed with the control center and when you get the new SSD just plug it in and enable the SRT.


Thank you!
I'm also assuming that since I know I'll be setting up the SRT eventually, that I will need to change the SATA settings in BIOS first. Set main HDD to RAID and once I have the SSD ass AHCI?

Thanks again! (yes, I know I should start from pg1 of this thread, and I will)


----------



## Boomstick68

I need help. I cannot set up my raid array on my ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX. I have my SSD drives hooked up, SATA settings set to RAID. I am prompted to hit Ctrl+F to enter RAID setup but I don't get the RAID setup but something else. I'm about ready to throw my tower across the room. Anyone have any ideas. Below is the screen I get when I press Ctrl F.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EightBallCrnPkt*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep, actually that is how you set it up. Just need to make sure you have the Intel SATA driver installed with the control center and when you get the new SSD just plug it in and enable the SRT.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you!
> I'm also assuming that since I know I'll be setting up the SRT eventually, that I will need to change the SATA settings in BIOS first. Set main HDD to RAID and once I have the SSD ass AHCI?
> 
> Thanks again! (yes, I know I should start from pg1 of this thread, and I will)
Click to expand...

You can't do that individually, it is RAID or AHCI. And yes you need to set the SATA mode to RAID in order for the SRT option to appear so you can set it up. I have a guide in the third post.
Quote:


> I need help. I cannot set up my raid array on my ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX. I have my SSD drives hooked up, SATA settings set to RAID. I am prompted to hit Ctrl+F to enter RAID setup but I don't get the RAID setup but something else. I'm about ready to throw my tower across the room. Anyone have any ideas. Below is the screen I get when I press Ctrl F.


No idea. Reset the CMOS? Update the BIOS?


----------



## Boomstick68

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can't do that individually, it is RAID or AHCI. And yes you need to set the SATA mode to RAID in order for the SRT option to appear so you can set it up. I have a guide in the third post.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I need help. I cannot set up my raid array on my ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX. I have my SSD drives hooked up, SATA settings set to RAID. I am prompted to hit Ctrl+F to enter RAID setup but I don't get the RAID setup but something else. I'm about ready to throw my tower across the room. Anyone have any ideas. Below is the screen I get when I press Ctrl F.
> 
> 
> 
> No idea. Reset the CMOS? Update the BIOS?
Click to expand...

I loaded optimal defaults before hand and I already had the latest bios installed. Is there something that needs to done to the drives? I thought since I'm doing a clean install of windows on a raid setup they were ready to go.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Boomstick68*
> 
> I loaded optimal defaults before hand and I already had the latest bios installed. Is there something that needs to done to the drives? I thought since I'm doing a clean install of windows on a raid setup they were ready to go.


i don't know what the issue is with your rig, I never had an issue with setting up RAID. My RAID manager always loads fine.

Try changing the ports the drives are in? Is SATA mode set to RAID for sure? Optimized defaults makes it AHCI.


----------



## Boomstick68

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> i don't know what the issue is with your rig, I never had an issue with setting up RAID. My RAID manager always loads fine.
> Try changing the ports the drives are in? Is SATA mode set to RAID for sure? Optimized defaults makes it AHCI.


Set to RAID. Do the drives need formatted first?


----------



## Nonehxc

Herp Derp







Edited due to poor reading skills


----------



## Boomstick68

Well I give up. I've tried everything. I even went back to the 813 bios. All the SATA ports work. Drives show up properly both in bios and in Win 7.


----------



## Sprkd1

I have Superfetch and Prefetch disabled but the cached memory in Task Manager still creeps up slowly. Is this normal?


----------



## Sprkd1

One more thing! I opened regedit and it showed the following:

Name: ab (Default)
Type: REG_SZ
Data: (value not set)

What is this? Do I have to change anything?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> One more thing! I opened regedit and it showed the following:
> 
> Name: ab (Default)
> Type: REG_SZ
> Data: (value not set)
> 
> What is this? Do I have to change anything?


depending on which exact key you are in, the "ab" Name key (the data value) will usually be the name of an organization, the user name, the PC manufacturer's name, etc... You don't need to have any data in these keys. I would also suggest that you don't mess with the settings in the registry unless you know exactly what you are doing... that is unless you don't mind reinstalling windows when the OS won't load for you.


----------



## KGMoney

Just finished putting together my first rig. Found your tutorial very helpful. However, there is one issue that I am having trouble with.

I am using a SSD as my Win7/highly used program drive and a 2TB HDD Drive as my storage drive. I changed it to AHCI in the BIOS before I did the install. Everything went fine.

I did not plug the storage HDD into the SATA Port on the Mobo as stated in your tutorial.

After it all started up, I shut down and plugged the HDD in. EDIT - I did install the Mobo driver CD before plugging in the HDD

Nothing.

Not only does it not recognize the HDD but my SSD seems to run slightly slower on startup than it did without the HDD plugged in.

Am I just missing a driver?

Im sure this is an easy question but after all day of classes and setting this rig up im pretty beat.

Thanks for any responses

And here are my specs

MoBo - AsRock z68 Extreme4 Gen3
PSU - Corsair 650 W
Processor - i7 2600k
SSD - Corsair 120gb
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
RAM - 16gb GSkill


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Boomstick68*
> 
> Well I give up. I've tried everything. I even went back to the 813 bios. All the SATA ports work. Drives show up properly both in bios and in Win 7.


Well it works and that is all that matters
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> I have Superfetch and Prefetch disabled but the cached memory in Task Manager still creeps up slowly. Is this normal?


no idea.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KGMoney*
> 
> Just finished putting together my first rig. Found your tutorial very helpful. However, there is one issue that I am having trouble with.
> 
> I am using a SSD as my Win7/highly used program drive and a 2TB HDD Drive as my storage drive. I changed it to AHCI in the BIOS before I did the install. Everything went fine.
> 
> I did not plug the storage HDD into the SATA Port on the Mobo as stated in your tutorial.
> 
> After it all started up, I shut down and plugged the HDD in. EDIT - I did install the Mobo driver CD before plugging in the HDD
> 
> Nothing.
> 
> Not only does it not recognize the HDD but my SSD seems to run slightly slower on startup than it did without the HDD plugged in.
> 
> Am I just missing a driver?
> 
> Im sure this is an easy question but after all day of classes and setting this rig up im pretty beat.
> 
> Thanks for any responses
> 
> And here are my specs
> 
> MoBo - AsRock z68 Extreme4 Gen3
> PSU - Corsair 650 W
> Processor - i7 2600k
> SSD - Corsair 120gb
> HDD - Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
> RAM - 16gb GSkill


If you followed the guide to a "T" then you are not missing a driver. HDDs slow systems down a little on boot....

And third post How to: Initialize And Format A New Disk For Use In Windows!

that is to get your HDD working


----------



## Boomstick68

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Well it works and that is all that matters
> no idea.
> If you followed the guide to a "T" then you are not missing a driver. HDDs slow systems down a little on boot....
> And third post How to: Initialize And Format A New Disk For Use In Windows!
> that is to get your HDD working


True.


----------



## Sprkd1

I have an SSD for the OS and essential programs and a HDD for games and everything else. I disabled Indexing on the SSD and was wondering if I should disable Indexing on the HDD as well? Does keeping Indexing enabled on the HDD make it write things on the SSD?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> I have an SSD for the OS and essential programs and a HDD for games and everything else. I disabled Indexing on the SSD and was wondering if I should disable Indexing on the HDD as well? Does keeping Indexing enabled on the HDD make it write things on the SSD?


Keeping Indexing on the HDD is recommended because it will make your searches in the HDD faster. What do you mean write things on the SSD?


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Keeping Indexing on the HDD is recommended because it will make your searches in the HDD faster. What do you mean write things on the SSD?


I think what he means is the Indexing database that keeps getting written. I believe you can change the location of the database and where it is saved too tho in Indexing options.


----------



## Sprkd1

Correct. That is what I meant when I said writing to the SSD as it is the OS drive.

Since the HDD is only for programs and searching is not really that important, could I just disable Indexing on the HDD as well? Is Indexing only for improved searching speed?

I just checked the Indexing folder and it is located on the OS drive which is the SSD.


----------



## KGMoney

The HDD is not coming up in Disk Management. It is not even being recognized in the BOIS/UEFI. I have tried SATA II and SATA 3. It is a SATA3 drive so obviously that is what Id like to use. This seems to me to be a HDD hardware problem, no?

I can try and throw it in my roommates rig this afternoon to check and be sure it is working. But it seems to me and my slim knowledge of troubleshooting that it should at least appear in my BIOS


----------



## Crabby654

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Correct. That is what I meant when I said writing to the SSD as it is the OS drive.
> Since the HDD is only for programs and searching is not really that important, could I just disable Indexing on the HDD as well? Is Indexing only for improved searching speed?
> I just checked the Indexing folder and it is located on the OS drive which is the SSD.


Personally I always disable Indexing on all drives because I don't use the search function THAT often and when I do it's still pretty fast. You could most likely live without it enabled at all. But if you do want to keep it enabled on the HDD just type Index in the search box and click on Indexing Options -> Advanced -> Index Location box and click Select new.


----------



## Sprkd1

So disabling Indexing only makes searching slower and does not disable any other features?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KGMoney*
> 
> The HDD is not coming up in Disk Management. It is not even being recognized in the BOIS/UEFI. I have tried SATA II and SATA 3. It is a SATA3 drive so obviously that is what Id like to use. This seems to me to be a HDD hardware problem, no?
> 
> I can try and throw it in my roommates rig this afternoon to check and be sure it is working. But it seems to me and my slim knowledge of troubleshooting that it should at least appear in my BIOS


Try a different SATA port, maybe a different cable.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> So disabling Indexing only makes searching slower and does not disable any other features?


It disables the search on that drive completely.


----------



## Sprkd1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Try a different SATA port, maybe a different cable.
> It disables the search on that drive completely.


Then should I leave Indexing enabled on my SSD and HDD but move the Indexing location/folder to the HDD? Would that still require writes on the SSD? Right now it is disabled on the SSD and enabled on the HDD with the location on the SDD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Try a different SATA port, maybe a different cable.
> It disables the search on that drive completely.
> 
> 
> 
> Then should I leave Indexing enabled on my SSD and HDD but move the Indexing location/folder to the HDD? Would that still require writes on the SSD? Right now it is disabled on the SSD and enabled on the HDD with the location on the SDD.
Click to expand...

Disable on SSD enable on HDD for me, no need to move any thing. You should set your Indexing options manually as shown in my video.


----------



## Sprkd1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Disable on SSD enable on HDD for me, no need to move any thing. You should set your Indexing options manually as shown in my video.


Thanks. Watched the video. So there is no issue with leaving the Indexing location/folder on the SSD when having Indexing enabled on the HDD and disabled on the SSD? Will this result in writes on the SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Disable on SSD enable on HDD for me, no need to move any thing. You should set your Indexing options manually as shown in my video.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. Watched the video. So there is no issue with leaving the Indexing location/folder on the SSD when having Indexing enabled on the HDD and disabled on the SSD? Will this result in writes on the SSD?
Click to expand...

Your SSD will explode.

Are you really concerned about writes? Really?

Read this on lifespan: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#post_15860066


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Your SSD will explode.
> Are you really concerned about writes? Really?
> Read this on lifespan: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#post_15860066


There are people who are NOT overly concerned with writes but just optimizing their SSD. Even though you say that SSDs are not too much write-problematic nowadays, can't one opt to setup his system to minimize it? I think there's nothing wrong with what he likes to do right now.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> There are people who are NOT overly concerned with writes but just optimizing their SSD. Even though you say that SSDs are not too much write-problematic nowadays, can't one opt to setup his system to minimize it? I think there's nothing wrong with what he likes to do right now.


I see no point in going out of the way to move the indexing folder or any other system files to my HDD.

1. Because why should I? No point for me to do it if I don't have to. I like all my system files on the system drive, aka. on the SSD.
2. When I reinstall there will be hidden files I need to remember to erase on my HDD.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I see no point in going out of the way to move the indexing folder or any other system files to my HDD.
> 1. Because why should I? No point for me to do it if I don't have to. I like all my system files on the system drive, aka. on the SSD.
> 2. When I reinstall there will be hidden files I need to remember to erase on my HDD.


We have the same POV on this. I guess it really matters on our own opinions. I may suggest not doing what he's intending to do because it is not worth it but who knows if he's the kind of person who's very OC on things. But then again, we are here to help each other


----------



## Sprkd1

Haha. I am a "perfectionist" and like everything done "right" with the best optimizations. But if you say there is no need to move the Indexing location/folder (actually two of you) then I won't do it. Thanks anyway.


----------



## KGMoney

Ok, I have re started the entire process. I had an issue with the license of the copy of Win7 that I had. Got a new copy. Did a complete install. and followed the guide 101% exactly.

The system is STILL not recognizing the HDD.

Everything else runs great.

I can hear the HDD seeking on bootup and it slows boot time considerably compared to when it is not plugged in.

I have tried different SATA cables attached to different ports including the SATA 2, 3 and Marvel ports.

Still nothing.

When plugged into the Marvel port, I get a Marvel 88SE91xx initializing notice on startup.

In the BIOS the only SATA port that shows anything is the Corsair Force 3 SSD in my SATA3_1

I have both the Marvell SATA Operation Mode and the SATA Mode set to AHCI Mode

I am running in UEFI on a AsRock mobo

I have the DVD drive in the Marvell 1 port and it works fine

Any ideas? Im at a loss here. I even installed the SATA drivers as instructed in the guide

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

dead drive i think. if it doesnt show in the bios its gone... can you update your bios first though just to make sure there is no update? can you try another system?


----------



## Boomstick68

Ok, I have a new problem. I wanted to start over and reinstall Windows7 on a new array with different settings but I'm running into a problem setting up the SSD for Win install as follows:


----------



## Sean Webster

You need to load the RAID drivers then do that

Download on here:
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/raid_windows.aspx

then put them on a usb and load them

Then do diskpart


----------



## Boomstick68

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need to load the RAID drivers then do that
> Download on here:
> http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/raid_windows.aspx
> then put them on a usb and load them
> Then do diskpart


Ok, so after I load the drivers during install I run diskpart? I thought you had to do that at a certain screen at the beginning? Also, what should my cache mode be set to? write back or thru?


----------



## Sean Webster

I have no idea on cache mode. I only used Intel.


----------



## selluminis

Okay, so I tried moving the system folders to the d drive. They all disappeared from both my user account and the location on the d drive where I told it to move them.



How do I get them back? System repair?


----------



## selluminis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *selluminis*
> 
> Okay, so I tried moving the system folders to the d drive. They all disappeared from both my user account and the location on the d drive where I told it to move them.
> 
> How do I get them back? System repair?


NM, I did system restore and they are back.


----------



## [email protected]

System restore? I thought you are NOT supposed to use System restore for SSD? Suppose to be disabled?


----------



## XSCounter

Why not? Disable it if you want to save space but it's totally optional. I have it ON even though I only have 64GB Crucial. Just in case smth goes wrong.


----------



## JPHL

in case something goes wrong? that is why you make an image backup after you install your common programs


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> System restore? I thought you are NOT supposed to use System restore for SSD? Suppose to be disabled?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Why not? Disable it if you want to save space but it's totally optional. I have it ON even though I only have 64GB Crucial. Just in case smth goes wrong.


This^

Why do you not use it? It is a handy feature. It only takes up 2GB of space and I have used it quite a few times.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JPHL*
> 
> in case something goes wrong? that is why you make an image backup after you install your common programs


Yep, I do one before because say I don't want to install a program I have used b4, but I want do a reinstall I can easily do a back up from the beginning. And If I am just doing a reinstall b/c of a virus, or a corrupt something I can go back to the point at which I had all of my system backed up and don't need to reinstall my programs.


----------



## selluminis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> System restore? I thought you are NOT supposed to use System restore for SSD? Suppose to be disabled?


System restore helped. Good idea to leave it on. Ended up reformatting anyway and starting over.


----------



## LtStinger

I like the excuse to do a reformat, keeps everything cleaned up nice. All the data I would worry about is always on two different drives anyway.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> I like the excuse to do a reformat, keeps everything cleaned up nice. All the data I would worry about is always on two different drives anyway.


Yea, but with a system image i don't need to reinstall everything


----------



## selluminis

Okay, here is my question. I moved all of the user folders from my c: drive to my D: drive... All of the folders are still showing in both locations. Any time I make a change in my user view it changes in my D: drive folder. I am wondering if it is saving the item twice or if it is just showing in both locations because they are technically the same folder. Here is a pic to help make sense of what I just typed. It shows a pic that I save to my desktop. I have the user folder open selluminis. I also have the folder open on the D: drive.



Also, If I delete a folder in the user folder, it deletes it on the D: drive. I tried booting into safe mode, but cannot. When I reboot and hold down F8 after post, it just brings up a boot menu from bios.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Okay, here is my question. I moved all of the user folders from my c: drive to my D: drive... All of the folders are still showing in both locations. Any time I make a change in my user view it changes in my D: drive folder. I am wondering if it is saving the item twice or if it is *just showing in both locations because they are technically the same folder.*


There is your answer
Quote:


> Also, If I delete a folder in the user folder, it deletes it on the D: drive.


You want to know why? You are deleting the short cut to the D:/

Why are you doing that? You are not supposed to. Only delete duplicate folders if 2 appear in the USER FOLDER. Do not delete any other folders in the user folder!
Quote:


> I tried booting into safe mode, but cannot. When I reboot and hold down F8 after post, it just brings up a boot menu from bios. mad.gif[


press F8 after the bios ends and windows begins, or http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/force-windows-to-boot-into-safe-mode-without-using-the-f8-key/


----------



## Sprkd1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Attached a pic. Ran the benchmark too. How are the scores?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Although it should be in windows 7, double check in "Programs and Features" that Microsoft .NET framework 3.0 (or higher) is installed on your computer. If it's not, IRST won't install. if it's not there, running windows update will install/update it.
> Also might be the x79 PCH... maybe Intel hasn't caught up yet, and the installer doesn't regognize it? Just a thought.
> *EDIT: It's actually my second thought post. The x79 chipset uses the IRST enterprise 3.0 version of the driver. that's why the Gigabyte version worked for you. Intel's link Here*
> I was just told that the full executable is easier to deal with than the "F6" driver.


I just installed the Intel RST driver for X79 boards. Got a nice improvement. However, my boot times are taking a few seconds longer. Must be the drivers loading during boot?


----------



## selluminis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Okay, here is my question. I moved all of the user folders from my c: drive to my D: drive... All of the folders are still showing in both locations. Any time I make a change in my user view it changes in my D: drive folder. I am wondering if it is saving the item twice or if it is *just showing in both locations because they are technically the same folder.*
> 
> 
> 
> There is your answer
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, If I delete a folder in the user folder, it deletes it on the D: drive.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> You want to know why? You are deleting the short cut to the D:/
> Why are you doing that? You are not supposed to. Only delete duplicate folders if 2 appear in the USER FOLDER. Do not delete any other folders in the user folder!
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I tried booting into safe mode, but cannot. When I reboot and hold down F8 after post, it just brings up a boot menu from bios. mad.gif[
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> press F8 after the bios ends and windows begins, or http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/force-windows-to-boot-into-safe-mode-without-using-the-f8-key/
Click to expand...

Thanks! I was reading incorrectly and see that you only delete if there are dupes are in the same folder.

As for loading into safe mode. I was doing that. no matter when I hit the F8 key all it does is bring up the boot menu or it will do nothing and Windows will just load. I will keep messing with it at a later time.


----------



## MME1122

This is an awesome guide! 2 suggestions: Autoruns is misspelled under the Remove Startup Items and More section. Not criticizing, just trying to help proofread








Also, a utility I use that I find fantastic is Process Explorer. It's essentially an enhanced version of the task manager. I have it set to run at startup and display a tray icon with the current commit charge. You can also have tray icons for CPU usage, disk I/O, GPU usage, etc. There are 32 and 64 bit versions. It has an option for replacing the task manager, so instead of task manager you'll get process explorer when you type ctrl+shift+esc or ctrl+alt+del. I personally don't do this because I just let it run in the tray but It's a nice option.

Screenshot:


The main window is what you see in the foreground, the system information page is behind it. The pop-up menu and highlighted target is one of my favorite features. You can click and drag that target icon onto any window and it will highlight the process in process explorer. I've used it to diagnose pesky viruses and such when I work on my family/friends machines. You can also find handles and DLLs and get properties for each process, such as file path and whatnot.

Download link: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> I just installed the Intel RST driver for X79 boards. Got a nice improvement. However, my boot times are taking a few seconds longer. Must be the drivers loading during boot?


Very, very nice improvement in writes... 4K - 50% increase and 4K-64 thread.. a nice 15% jump.

I'm not sure on why the longer boot time, but it very possibly could be the drivers.. The enterprise driver is typically used for RAID arrays.

The X79 platform is too new for me to have delved very deeply into just yet. I still have to rely on my collegues for x79 info... They were the ones that told me about x79 and the enterprise driver.

As they say timing is everything.. and I just don't have enough of it, this time of the year.


----------



## MME1122

I also had a question about installing windows. I have a notebook that (I believe) had a factory image on the original hard disk. Can I install windows onto a new SSD using that? If so, that means both hard drives have to be connected, right? Is that a problem?


----------



## Boomstick68

How do I properly add a storage HDD to my SSD setup so that all the "junk" goes to the HDD. I have it already installed, formatted and assigned but what else needs done? I searched your guide but I didn't see anything or perhaps I missed it.


----------



## Sprkd1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Very, very nice improvement in writes... 4K - 50% increase and 4K-64 thread.. a nice 15% jump.
> I'm not sure on why the longer boot time, but it very possibly could be the drivers.. The enterprise driver is typically used for RAID arrays.
> 
> The X79 platform is too new for me to have delved very deeply into just yet. I still have to rely on my collegues for x79 info... They were the ones that told me about x79 and the enterprise driver.
> As they say timing is everything.. and I just don't have enough of it, this time of the year.


Thanks. But there seems to be a problem. Today I left the computer on and took a nap. When I woke up, I saw there was a message saying something along the lines of "Windows has recovered from an unexpected shut-down." It said the error was a blue screen. Could these X79 RST drivers be causing this? This never happened before I installed them.


----------



## milespeed

ack... it cant find my SSD... some note was in data pdf about not seeing drive if on a sata 6gb line.. iwonder if i need to unplug everything onboard and put SSd on a sata 3gb and try again... your thoughts ?...
it hangs on... 'looking for drives'... doesnt show any drives available..not even the HDD drives i have sata 3gb lines..... on multiple reboots etc.. so either it is only looking for a Crucial drive or something is whack


----------



## Sprkd1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Thanks. But there seems to be a problem. Today I left the computer on and took a nap. When I woke up, I saw there was a message saying something along the lines of "Windows has recovered from an unexpected shut-down." It said the error was a blue screen. Could these X79 RST drivers be causing this? This never happened before I installed them.


I asked about the BSOD on another forum and they were able to analyze the dump and found it was relating to RAM. Click the following link to have a look about the BSOD information:

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f299/first-bsod-625822.html

However, this NEVER happened prior to installing the Intel RST Enterprise X79 drivers and I've had the desktop running 24/7 for a week. I've been running Memtest86+ for 2 hours now with the second pass almost done and no errors found.

Do the signs points to the Intel RST Enterprise X79 drivers?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MME1122*
> 
> I also had a question about installing windows. I have a notebook that (I believe) had a factory image on the original hard disk. Can I install windows onto a new SSD using that? If so, that means both hard drives have to be connected, right? Is that a problem?


I have no idea if it would or not.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Boomstick68*
> 
> How do I properly add a storage HDD to my SSD setup so that all the "junk" goes to the HDD. I have it already installed, formatted and assigned but what else needs done? I searched your guide but I didn't see anything or perhaps I missed it.


What do you mean?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> ack... it cant find my SSD... some note was in data pdf about not seeing drive if on a sata 6gb line.. iwonder if i need to unplug everything onboard and put SSd on a sata 3gb and try again... your thoughts ?...
> it hangs on... 'looking for drives'... doesnt show any drives available..not even the HDD drives i have sata 3gb lines..... on multiple reboots etc.. so either it is only looking for a Crucial drive or something is whack


You didn't install the OS yet correct?

BIOS update?


----------



## SgtMunky

Sean I followed your instructions on moving the location of music/desktop etc, and that is all fine. However, whilst the original folders are in my User profile in C:\, when I download files they are defaulting to the download folder in said C:\ profile. How can I get them to default to the X:\ locations? Can I delete the originals?

Thanks in advance!

SgtMunky


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> Sean I followed your instructions on moving the location of music/desktop etc, and that is all fine. However, whilst the original folders are in my User profile in C:\, when I download files they are defaulting to the download folder in said C:\ profile. How can I get them to default to the X:\ locations? Can I delete the originals?
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> SgtMunky


...If you did what I said then your drives and folders are set to do that. In your user profile you see the downloads folder. Click the properties. In the general tab it says the location of the folder. It should say your drive location you set for it. The folders in you user folder are basically links. If the location says C still you didn't do it right. If you have two of the same folder in the user folder then you can delete the one On the C: drive. And in that case only the Pictures, Documents, Music, and Video folders are the ones that make a duplicate. The others don't.


----------



## SgtMunky

Ahh ok, saying they are links makes more sense to me, all is good then, cheers



So this is the result I just got


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> Ahh ok, saying they are links makes more sense to me, all is good then, cheers
> 
> 
> 
> So this is the result I just got


Nice scores...but

You skipped a step:

*Install newest SATA drivers:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs

For AMD systems, use the newest AHCI and the South Bridge driver. (Link)
For Intel systems, use the newest Rapid Storage Technology driver. (Link)
*Note:* This is to ensure your SSD/HDD will function properly and have max performance.


----------



## SgtMunky

Why would it say my system doesn't meet the requirements for installing that software :s

Never mind got it, let me just restart


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> Why would it say my system doesn't meet the requirements for installing that software :s


Do you have this installed?: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17851

It doesn't really matter much anyways. Some drives get a boost in performance tho.


----------



## SgtMunky

Got worse after the installation :s I could swear I was getting better than this last windows installation

Edit: I can't find a backup of my previous install's as-ssd run, so I'll have to have a look around to see where I stand


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SgtMunky*
> 
> 
> 
> Got worse after the installation :s I could swear I was getting better than this last windows installation
> 
> Edit: I can't find a backup of my previous install's as-ssd run, so I'll have to have a look around to see where I stand


Your good though. That is margin or error. The best, and I mean best I have ever gotten was 687. Normally I get like 640-660. Don't bother benching anymore either you just wear the drive for no reason. Leave as is. I think an older driver does perform better though. I forgot which one I used that performed the best.


----------



## Infernosaint

I have a strange issue going on with a machine here.

Fresh GBP install of Win7 64bit on a fresh Crucial M4. Also have a 1 TB storage drive. When I install the intel Rapid Storage drivers, the storage drive... Disappears.

Strange thing is, in the Intel Rapid Storage Technology window, it will see the HDD, but nowhere else. Disk management, or Computer, or anything like it. Not even device manager.

I then uninstall the Intel drivers, restart, so standard msAhci drivers are used. There the drive is again. Running in AHCI mode from beginning to end.

Any ideas why this is happening? Have tried different ports, the Matrix Storage utility have also been installed, with same results, gone HDD.

Specs:

Asus p8z68-V Pro with latest BIOS
Crucial M4 64GB 0309
Samsung spinpoint F3 1TB (the one that disappears)
i5 2500k


----------



## Sean Webster

You may have to format the drive. I had that issue before when I had an issue with SRT and I stopped it and reinstalled. I had to format the HDD when I had the msahci driver installed then install the intel one, then it worked fine.


----------



## Infernosaint

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You may have to format the drive. I had that issue before when I had an issue with SRT and I stopped it and reinstalled. I had to format the HDD when I had the msahci driver installed then install the intel one, then it worked fine.


Think it has anything to do with the GPT install? I did not encounter this problem last time I installed, on the exact same machine, just not with a GPT install.

Should I just format it, or delete the volume, and then make a new then format?

Just gonna back the drive up first.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Infernosaint*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You may have to format the drive. I had that issue before when I had an issue with SRT and I stopped it and reinstalled. I had to format the HDD when I had the msahci driver installed then install the intel one, then it worked fine.
> 
> 
> 
> Think it has anything to do with the GPT install? I did not encounter this problem last time I installed, on the exact same machine, just not with a GPT install.
> 
> Should I just format it, or delete the volume, and then make a new then format?
> 
> Just gonna back the drive up first.
Click to expand...

Idk, but in disk part run the clean command then format the HDD. Then it should work fine.


----------



## Infernosaint

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Idk, but in disk part run the clean command then format the HDD. Then it should work fine.


Sure, thanks. I'll update when done









Edit: Worked great, thanks for the help. Still don't get why that happened. Btw, I made it as a GPT drive as well, anything wrong with that? It's just a Storage/App drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Infernosaint*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Idk, but in disk part run the clean command then format the HDD. Then it should work fine.
> 
> 
> 
> Sure, thanks. I'll update when done
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: Worked great, thanks for the help. Still don't get why that happened. Btw, I made it as a GPT drive as well, anything wrong with that? It's just a Storage/App drive.
Click to expand...

Glad it worked out. And no problem with it being a GPT drive as well, all the drives in my system are GPT.


----------



## milespeed

ok solution ..for me....M4 firmware update to 0309 was a serious B*t*ch ..
unplug everything but optical and SSD..
make sure bios is set to IDE or ACHI
and make sure they are on the same sata driver ports.. not marvel controller dark blue
and not sata 6 gb...grey
be sure they are on sate ports 0-3..first 4 only..so for this MB only ports 3 and 4 work
.
10 hours of my life working every combo and reading every blog and tech notes to make it work...
hope this saves some of you time
P8Z68-V pro-gen3


----------



## milespeed

ok that weird... looking at my benchmark post i see it says i am on firmware 009... my M4 was at 002.. and i just did the update to 0309...need more caffeine and diging for answers .shhhesh


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> ok that weird... looking at my benchmark post i see it says i am on firmware 009... my M4 was at 002.. and i just did the update to 0309...need more caffeine and diging for answers .shhhesh


are you sure u used the 309 firmware? can you use the latest AS SSD version? I have 0309 on mine.


----------



## milespeed

yes Sean ..sorry i was unclear.. working system just built using your awesome guide.. all was AOK... found my M4 to be running 002 firmware and trying to get her to 0309 has been a serious challenge..
just found a way and posted bench and process.. unplugging everything and having only the optical and the M4 on the same sata driver ports, only using one of the first 4 ports for the SSD... so choices are sata 0-3...0 and 1 are the sata 6gb ports so cant use those (per guide) was able to update to 009 (though i swear i had the 0309 firmware on the dvd)... MB is P8Z68-V pro/gen3...so the only way it worked was on first 2 sata light blue ports with nothing else hooked up and bios set to IDE


----------



## milespeed

couldnt find anything but that german version of as/ssd test anywhere ... got a good link?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> couldnt find anything but that german version of as/ssd test anywhere ... got a good link?


 AS SSD.zip 258k .zip file

If you have 0309 installed it should say it.


----------



## milespeed

redid the cabling etc and installed 0309...much easier the bazillionth time around.... got your zip of AS SSD and it is same as mine...there is an english .dll file piggybacking with the other .exe in the folder but i dont know where to put it and i launch to the german version again (says it is up to date )


----------



## milespeed

got 0309
figured out how to add the english into the program.

numbers went down with 0309
tried again after making it english and
numbers went down some more.. mostly the 4K it looks like
oh well... any advice or ...not bad numbers over all ?
i read we shouldnt be doing this test too often so im leaving it alone
til i make some significant change
thanx Sean you rawk!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> 
> 
> got 0309
> figured out how to add the english into the program.
> 
> numbers went down with 0309
> tried again after making it english and
> numbers went down some more.. mostly the 4K it looks like
> oh well... any advice or ...not bad numbers over all ?
> i read we shouldnt be doing this test too often so im leaving it alone
> til i make some significant change
> thanx Sean you rawk!


First stop testing the drive lol. You don't need to test it anymore. Though your 4K reads dropped a lot forget about it for now, let the system just run like normal for a few weeks and then if you feel the need test it again. You don't need to worry about testing them all the time. Nor should you test them a lot. I think something just messed up in the program tho.


----------



## milespeed

coolimundo... thanx... am buttoning up the system and getting onto doing some work with it for now ..am a photographer and cant wait to use it for its intended ...jamming through photoshop and huge image files ...sad note.. during this process i lost a removable HDD a buffalo external with a WD 1 Tb on it.. began clicking on other system then came back when i first plugged it into this system and now just stares at me.. i think i may have lost over 2wo yrs of images including weddings... trying data recovery progs from Hirams tool CD and others but so far its not being recognized...its an IDE HDD so i need to rebuild an older system or get adapter (IDE>Sata) to try to frankenstein it direct, though no power issues with this external, just sounds like a lost arm looking for that first mark on the TOC , figure my best chance at recovery is having it directly plugged into a system


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> coolimundo... thanx... am buttoning up the system and getting onto doing some work with it for now ..am a photographer and cant wait to use it for its intended ...jamming through photoshop and huge image files ...sad note.. during this process i lost a removable HDD a buffalo external with a WD 1 Tb on it.. began clicking on other system then came back when i first plugged it into this system and now just stares at me.. i think i may have lost over 2wo yrs of images including weddings... trying data recovery progs from Hirams tool CD and others but so far its not being recognized...its an IDE HDD so i need to rebuild an older system or get adapter (IDE>Sata) to try to frankenstein it direct, though no power issues with this external, just sounds like a lost arm looking for that first mark on the TOC , figure my best chance at recovery is having it directly plugged into a system


OMG that is the worst feeling ever. I had the same thing happen to me last year. I lost all my info b/c my drive died .I didn't ever have a back up and my OS drive went out. I had no knowledge of the stuff I do now and now I have 4 backups of everything lol.

I hope you can get at least some data back. Maybe make a thread and someone may be able to help. I'm no that good at data recovery.


----------



## milespeed

yea i am an idiot....when i got it over to this system it was up and i saw all files and i figured a new usb cable and fresh power to it, and getting some dust off of her had made her 'ok'.... i concentrated on making this system stable and now it is gone... if only i had backed it up when i first saw it come back i would be a happy man and would use this thing for chocking tires when i work on cars







...alas... *sigh


----------



## Boomstick68

Thanks Sean for helping out. I finally have it setup. The "other" guides pertaining to moving the user folders did not work for me at all, so, I did it your way and now I have my Documents,Videos,Downloads,Music, Desktop, and Pictures all going to my HDD. The only thing I did "really" wrong during this whole ordeal is pick drives powered by SandForce SF-2200 controllers. I could have purchased two Crucial M4 drives for the same price I paid for these. I did the same thing when I bought my FX 4100 instead of the 1090. I'm still kicking myself.


----------



## Dai uy B

Thanks, Sean, for all the work for a very clear and comprehensive guide!








One question (so far) and a few typos I found.

First the question... In the checklist in step 6, you say to disconnect my HDD, which I did. But I didn't see when I am supposed to reconnect it. Searched this thread for "reconnect," but the hits didn't answer it. So I am going to assume that I reconnect once Win 7 is installed.

Now a few typos I found, not to be critical, but to try to be a little help to improve things.
1. in the "Why to follow..." section, it says "Please read the this..."
2. In the "First" section, it says "Have you lost your disc or is it damaged yours..."
3. In "The Checklist" section, it says "1. This saves you the hassle of asking which port it which..."
4. In the "You are done!" section, it says "Now that all that is over and you system is all set up..."


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dai uy B*
> 
> Thanks, Sean, for all the work for a very clear and comprehensive guide!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One question (so far) and a few typos I found.
> 
> First the question... In the checklist in step 6, you say to disconnect my HDD, which I did. But I didn't see when I am supposed to reconnect it. Searched this thread for "reconnect," but the hits didn't answer it. So I am going to assume that I reconnect once Win 7 is installed.


Step 5 in *Immediately after installing Windows:*
Restart for the first time: Applies to SSDs/HDDs

Open the Start Menu
Click the arrow next to Shut down
Click Restart
Note: *Plug in any secondary drives, if so, just click Shut down instead of restart. This applies all the changes and you should have a nice amount of free space now.*
Quote:


> Now a few typos I found, not to be critical, but to try to be a little help to improve things.
> 1. in the "Why to follow..." section, it says "Please read the this..."
> 2. In the "First" section, it says "Have you lost your disc or is it damaged yours..."
> 3. In "The Checklist" section, it says "1. This saves you the hassle of asking which port it which..."
> 4. In the "You are done!" section, it says "Now that all that is over and you system is all set up..."


Thanks fixed.









You earned your first rep


----------



## Masterchief3k

What if my motherboard only allow me to use RAID mode for all of my sata ports? I tried to set to AHCI but then it changed all ports to one or the other. Since i have 3 HDD's i want to keep in raid 0, it does work fine in all RAID, but my SSD is not detected by windows as an SSD, just a normal 60 GB HDD. But it gets a 6.8 WEI score. Am I doing something wrong all this time?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Thanks. But there seems to be a problem. Today I left the computer on and took a nap. When I woke up, I saw there was a message saying something along the lines of "Windows has recovered from an unexpected shut-down." It said the error was a blue screen. Could these X79 RST drivers be causing this? This never happened before I installed them.
> 
> 
> 
> I asked about the BSOD on another forum and they were able to analyze the dump and found it was relating to RAM. Click the following link to have a look about the BSOD information:
> 
> http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f299/first-bsod-625822.html
> 
> However, this NEVER happened prior to installing the Intel RST Enterprise X79 drivers and I've had the desktop running 24/7 for a week. I've been running Memtest86+ for 2 hours now with the second pass almost done and no errors found.
> 
> Do the signs points to the Intel RST Enterprise X79 drivers?
Click to expand...

Could be... anything is possible. The 0x109 is caused by data corruption.. usually points to memory, but can also often be caused by a driver... but could be any driver not necessarily the SATA driver. I probably wouldn't worry about it unless it happens again. A quick question though... You do have advanced power management set to never power down the HDD (actually your SSD)? Specifically the setting for: "Turn Off Hard Disk After". It should be set to "Never". I ask, because you said it happened while you were away from the computer (sleeping). You can get this error if the SSD is powered down, and doesn't respond to a "power up" instruction from the OS fast enough.

Regarding your question about the newer driver being listed on the Intel site, but not at the ASUS or GIGABYTE site... Intel will always have the newest drivers first.. They develop them... the motherboard manufacturers will usually post the newer drivers... well... when they get to it.

If you do see the BSOD again, as the tech on the other site suggested, remove the newer driver, and reinstall the old to see if the problem goes away. Just like graphic drivers, the newest isn't always the best for your system. They are supposed to be, but it is impossible to test new drivers under every scenario/motherboard/hardware configuration, so sometimes they can be buggy under certain conditions. I'm not implying that there is a definate problem with the enterprise drivers... but you never know.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Masterchief3k*
> 
> What if my motherboard only allow me to use RAID mode for all of my sata ports? I tried to set to AHCI but then it changed all ports to one or the other. Since i have 3 HDD's i want to keep in raid 0, it does work fine in all RAID, but my SSD is not detected by windows as an SSD, just a normal 60 GB HDD. But it gets a 6.8 WEI score. Am I doing something wrong all this time?


Any time you have any RAID array on your system, the selection for SATA mode must be set for RAID. This does not create any problem for drives that are not part of your ARRAY. The RAID drivers (both Intel and AMD) also contain the AHCI drivers that are used for any drive that is not part of the ARRAY. In a nutshell, your 3 - 500GB Blues are using the RAID driver, and your SSD is using the AHCI driver even though your driver "mode" is set to RAID.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say windows doesn't detect your SSD as an SSD. Which version of Windows?


----------



## LilScrappyD

hey sean, whats the easiest way to make an exact copy of my existing SSD which houses my os, drivers, and some software onto my new m4?
im trying to avoid reinstalling everything from scratch on my new ssd. THANKS!
anyone who can answer this please do as im sure mr. webster is quite busy!
+rep of course!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LilScrappyD*
> 
> hey sean, whats the easiest way to make an exact copy of my existing SSD which houses my os, drivers, and some software onto my new m4?
> im trying to avoid reinstalling everything from scratch on my new ssd. THANKS!
> anyone who can answer this please do as im sure mr. webster is quite busy!
> +rep of course!


Yea i am, can't stand college...IDK anymore

But any ways just make a system image with: http://www.todo-backup.com/products/home/free-backup-software.htm


----------



## WonderMutt

Actually Clonezilla would be a more efficient way of coping it to get an exact copy.


----------



## LilScrappyD

i feel you man, im 21 in the sunshine state too only im going to saint pete college atm planning to transfer to usf. you're at ucf if i dont recall correct?
anyways, thanks for the help! cheers!









edit:
Quote:


> Actually Clonezilla would be a more efficient way of coping it to get an exact copy.


didnt see your post lol. anyways, so this will give me a 100% copy?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LilScrappyD*
> 
> i feel you man, im 21 in the sunshine state too only im going to saint pete college atm planning to transfer to usf. you're at ucf if i dont recall correct?
> anyways, thanks for the help! cheers!


I'm at FAU. IDK, It really doesn't seem worth it to me. It is all a bunch of BS. Life it BS, I think i'm done.
Quote:


> edit:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually Clonezilla would be a more efficient way of coping it to get an exact copy.
> 
> 
> 
> didnt see your post lol. anyways, so this will give me a 100% copy?
Click to expand...

It should a lot of people rave about it.


----------



## Dai uy B

Oh, oh, I installed Win 7 x64 on my SSD, then was distracted for a moment while making a post to this thread, and Windows Update went ahead and started on step #8 of "Now It's Time for The System Setup!" even though I had not done steps 1-7. So I had several updates applied before I started with step #1, and step #5 (where I plug in the HDD). I hope this won't be a problem, so I am proceeding. Things seem to be working ok.

Will I be ok? Or time for a fresh install? If Sean has done it 100+ times, I guess I could start again!

Speaking of a fresh install, I have my SSD and HDD set on AHCI right now. If I decide later I want to install two more disks and put them in RAID, will I need to reinstall, or can I turn on RAID at that point? Maybe should have put all disks into RAID in the bios before the install?

Another question: for power options (step #9), I went to "advanced power settings" and set sleep to "never," but the "Put the computer to sleep:" still says 5 hours -- is that correct? Also, if the computer never sleeps, isn't my HDD going to keep spinning all the time?









btw, Sean, in the "Before you begin:" section, it says "Make sure you have all you data backed up"


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'm at FAU. IDK, It really doesn't seem worth it to me. It is all a bunch of BS. *Life it BS, I think i'm done.*
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> edit:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually Clonezilla would be a more efficient way of coping it to get an exact copy.
> 
> 
> 
> didnt see your post lol. anyways, so this will give me a 100% copy?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It should a lot of people rave about it.
Click to expand...

Don't make me come down there just to smack some sense into you, mister.

You could always end up in my situation, then your allowed to moan and groan about how difficult life is







.

<----so jelly that you're in college. _and single_.

(Do you know how many hot people of the opposite sex are located IN college? Especially hot nerds/geeks? Evil Stare x 100)


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dai uy B*
> 
> Oh, oh, I installed Win 7 x64 on my SSD, then was distracted for a moment while making a post to this thread, and Windows Update went ahead and started on step #8 of "Now It's Time for The System Setup!" even though I had not done steps 1-7. So I had several updates applied before I started with step #1, and step #5 (where I plug in the HDD). I hope this won't be a problem, so I am proceeding. Things seem to be working ok.
> Will I be ok? Or time for a fresh install? If Sean has done it 100+ times, I guess I could start again!
> Speaking of a fresh install, I have my SSD and HDD set on AHCI right now. If I decide later I want to install two more disks and put them in RAID, will I need to reinstall, or can I turn on RAID at that point? Maybe should have put all disks into RAID in the bios before the install?
> Another question: for power options (step #9), I went to "advanced power settings" and set sleep to "never," but the "Put the computer to sleep:" still says 5 hours -- is that correct? Also, if the computer never sleeps, isn't my HDD going to keep spinning all the time?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> btw, Sean, in the "Before you begin:" section, it says "Make sure you have all you data backed up"


You should be fine with the system updates, although I have no idea about the RAID set-up. It's been talked about somewhere in this thread, I'm sure if you searched you could find it!


----------



## WonderMutt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LilScrappyD*
> 
> i feel you man, im 21 in the sunshine state too only im going to saint pete college atm planning to transfer to usf. you're at ucf if i dont recall correct?
> anyways, thanks for the help! cheers!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> edit:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually Clonezilla would be a more efficient way of coping it to get an exact copy.
> 
> 
> 
> didnt see your post lol. anyways, so this will give me a 100% copy?
Click to expand...

Yes, I've used it before to upgrade HDDs w/out having to reinstall. Basically, I used Clonezilla to copy the drive (a 150GB to a 500GB) and then after it was cloaned and booted up, I used another piece of software to expand the drive (sorry, I don't remember what partintioning program I used). Hope this helps.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dai uy B*
> 
> Oh, oh, I installed Win 7 x64 on my SSD, then was distracted for a moment while making a post to this thread, and Windows Update went ahead and started on step #8 of "Now It's Time for The System Setup!" even though I had not done steps 1-7. So I had several updates applied before I started with step #1, and step #5 (where I plug in the HDD). I hope this won't be a problem, so I am proceeding. Things seem to be working ok.
> 
> Will I be ok? Or time for a fresh install? If Sean has done it 100+ times, I guess I could start again!


Your fine
Quote:


> Speaking of a fresh install, I have my SSD and HDD set on AHCI right now. If I decide later I want to install two more disks and put them in RAID, will I need to reinstall, or can I turn on RAID at that point? Maybe should have put all disks into RAID in the bios before the install?


If you need to enable RAID mode i have steps in the third post saying how to change your SATA mode to RAID.
Quote:


> Another question: for power options (step #9), I went to "advanced power settings" and set sleep to "never," but the "Put the computer to sleep:" still says 5 hours -- is that correct? Also, if the computer never sleeps, isn't my HDD going to keep spinning all the time?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> btw, Sean, in the "Before you begin:" section, it says "Make sure you have all you data backed up"


Watch the video on that one and do exactly as it says, or just for get about it. As long as teh power mode is high performance your good.


----------



## cpulord1

Sorry if this was already answered, I've tried to search the thread but not sure how to search this question... (and 179 pages is way too much to read every page)

1) "Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to, this avoids having the MSR partition placed on a secondary drive."
How important is this... ie: how much does this affect performance?

2) If I install windows7 on my new SSD with the other drives disconnected, at what point can I reconnect my other HDD's?

3) the "immediately after installing windows" section, if my system is installed on the SSD, but I will in fact still be adding secondary HDD's, do I still do the parts labelled "SSD Only"?

THANKS!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpulord1*
> 
> Sorry if this was already answered, I've tried to search the thread but not sure how to search this question... (and 179 pages is way too much to read every page)
> 1) "Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to, this avoids having the MSR partition placed on a secondary drive."
> How important is this... ie: how much does this affect performance?


Just do it. If you take out the drive in your system that gets the MSR put on it and it isn't the boot drive your system will not boot.
Quote:


> 2) If I install windows7 on my new SSD with the other drives disconnected, at what point can I reconnect my other HDD's?


step 5
Quote:


> 3) the "immediately after installing windows" section, if my system is installed on the SSD, but I will in fact still be adding secondary HDD's, do I still do the parts labelled "SSD Only"?


yes


----------



## Masterchief3k

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Could be... anything is possible. The 0x109 is caused by data corruption.. usually points to memory, but can also often be caused by a driver... but could be any driver not necessarily the SATA driver. I probably wouldn't worry about it unless it happens again. A quick question though... You do have advanced power management set to never power down the HDD (actually your SSD)? Specifically the setting for: "Turn Off Hard Disk After". It should be set to "Never". I ask, because you said it happened while you were away from the computer (sleeping). You can get this error if the SSD is powered down, and doesn't respond to a "power up" instruction from the OS fast enough.
> Regarding your question about the newer driver being listed on the Intel site, but not at the ASUS or GIGABYTE site... Intel will always have the newest drivers first.. They develop them... the motherboard manufacturers will usually post the newer drivers... well... when they get to it.
> If you do see the BSOD again, as the tech on the other site suggested, remove the newer driver, and reinstall the old to see if the problem goes away. Just like graphic drivers, the newest isn't always the best for your system. They are supposed to be, but it is impossible to test new drivers under every scenario/motherboard/hardware configuration, so sometimes they can be buggy under certain conditions. I'm not implying that there is a definate problem with the enterprise drivers... but you never know.
> Any time you have any RAID array on your system, the selection for SATA mode must be set for RAID. This does not create any problem for drives that are not part of your ARRAY. The RAID drivers (both Intel and AMD) also contain the AHCI drivers that are used for any drive that is not part of the ARRAY. In a nutshell, your 3 - 500GB Blues are using the RAID driver, and your SSD is using the AHCI driver even though your driver "mode" is set to RAID.
> I'm not sure what you mean when you say windows doesn't detect your SSD as an SSD. Which version of Windows?


I'm using windows 7 64 bit, and no programs i use seem to detect my vertex 2 as an SSD, and by default defragmentation is enabled for the drive when i gave it a fresh install a while back. I've tried a couple configurations, actually. I don't believe i've had problems with speed, but it's the little things that seem to bug me. The firmware updater for the drive also doesn't detect it, so i use this linux ISO built by someone from the OCZ community to update the firmware, and it works flawlessly.


----------



## Masterchief3k

Oh, nevermind, i went to the defrag schedule and noticed it wasn't listed among the other partitions of my RAID array!







I'm slow.


----------



## Sprkd1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Could be... anything is possible. The 0x109 is caused by data corruption.. usually points to memory, but can also often be caused by a driver... but could be any driver not necessarily the SATA driver. I probably wouldn't worry about it unless it happens again. A quick question though... You do have advanced power management set to never power down the HDD (actually your SSD)? Specifically the setting for: "Turn Off Hard Disk After". It should be set to "Never". I ask, because you said it happened while you were away from the computer (sleeping). You can get this error if the SSD is powered down, and doesn't respond to a "power up" instruction from the OS fast enough.
> Regarding your question about the newer driver being listed on the Intel site, but not at the ASUS or GIGABYTE site... Intel will always have the newest drivers first.. They develop them... the motherboard manufacturers will usually post the newer drivers... well... when they get to it.
> If you do see the BSOD again, as the tech on the other site suggested, remove the newer driver, and reinstall the old to see if the problem goes away. Just like graphic drivers, the newest isn't always the best for your system. They are supposed to be, but it is impossible to test new drivers under every scenario/motherboard/hardware configuration, so sometimes they can be buggy under certain conditions. I'm not implying that there is a definate problem with the enterprise drivers... but you never know.
> Any time you have any RAID array on your system, the selection for SATA mode must be set for RAID. This does not create any problem for drives that are not part of your ARRAY. The RAID drivers (both Intel and AMD) also contain the AHCI drivers that are used for any drive that is not part of the ARRAY. In a nutshell, your 3 - 500GB Blues are using the RAID driver, and your SSD is using the AHCI driver even though your driver "mode" is set to RAID.
> I'm not sure what you mean when you say windows doesn't detect your SSD as an SSD. Which version of Windows?


Thanks for the info. I have "Turn Off Hard Disk After" set to "Never." Ever since the BSOD, I haven't encountered it again or any problem for that matter. I build my desktop about a week ago and left it on 24/7. The day before the BSOD I turned it off for the night and turned it on in the morning. The BSOD occurred a few hours after I turned it on. Then, the see if I had a problem with cold boots, I turned the computer off last night and turned it on this morning. It's been running the whole day without any issue. Hope it stays this way!


----------



## 161029

I just want to make sure, does SSD cache lower the life span of a SSD?


----------



## Maynard46

sean, i had to install a new ssd...i had to do this entire process with a brand new samsung 830 128 drive.

For some reason this time around, windows does not see my hdd. Intel Rapid Storage sees the drive and so does my mobo....but it wont show up in my computer or anywhere else for that matter

any idea what is causing this?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HybridCore*
> 
> I just want to make sure, does SSD cache lower the life span of a SSD?


Idk
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> sean, i had to install a new ssd...i had to do this entire process with a brand new samsung 830 128 drive.
> 
> For some reason this time around, windows does not see my hdd. Intel Rapid Storage sees the drive and so does my mobo....but it wont show up in my computer or anywhere else for that matter
> 
> any idea what is causing this?


Go into disk management and assign it a drive letter.


----------



## Maynard46

it wont work. the only drive showing up is the C drive (SSD). in the lower pane it shows the HDD Unassigned, the my DVD Rom (D Drive).
If i right click on it the option to asign is not there.

If i right click on the C or D drives the option is there.....but nothing for the HDD


----------



## Maynard46

well, i got it...but i learned a hard lesson along the way....


----------



## Nonehxc

Code:



Code:


http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?271063-SSD-Write-Endurance-25nm-Vs-34nm/page138

Check this thread people. As of today, many testers form Xtremesystems are doing stress test on the Samsung 830 64gb. Seems our good Samsungs are, just plainly, the fastest SSDs in the market. With the exact same test, the sustained write output of the Samsung 830 64gb surpases every other drive. Time to knock Crucial M4s off their little throne


----------



## 161029

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Idk


Well, wouldn't it be like RAM where it would dump what's on the given space and load it all again?

Forgive me, I'm an absolute noob when it comes to cache.


----------



## Maynard46

why is it that my drive is a 128 gb sdd....but prior to installing anything it only reads as 119 gb?

i understand how a 1tb hdd is really only 930 gb....but idk why they list it at 128 when its really only 119. Where is that other 9 gb of space?


----------



## csm725

You have it spot on in your post.
128 GB acc. to manufacturers is 128,000,000,000 bytes.
Which is 125,000,000 kilobytes. (div. by 1024)
Which is ~122,070 megabytes. (div. by 1024)
Which is ~119.2 gigabytes. (div. by 1024)


----------



## LilScrappyD

Quote:


> You have it spot on in your post.
> 128 GB acc. to manufacturers is 128,000,000,000 bytes.
> Which is 125,000,000 kilobytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~122,070 megabytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~119.2 gigabytes. (div. by 1024)


im not stating you're wrong or anything, because you're completely correct.
i just thot it would be funny if someone wrote this out as an equation because it would make no sense lol.

128GB = 128,000,000,000 B = 128,000,000,000/1024 KB = (128,000,000,000/1024)/1024 MB = ((128,000,000,000/1024)/1024)/1024 GB

now of course in mathematics you can now state that

128GB = ((128,000,000,000/1024)/1024)/1024 GB,
128GB = 192.2GB <---?!!


----------



## csm725

Well what I neglected to mention is that a manufacturer's GB is base 10 - known as a gi_bi_byte - which is what *nix OSs such as Mac and Ubuntu use.
Windows uses gi_ga_bytes which are base 2, so 1024 instead of 1000.
128 gibibytes = 119.2 gigabytes.


----------



## JPHL

the open source community has started using gibi and mebi etc. for base two since HDD manufactures have corrupted traditional terminology by using it for base 10. so gibibytes are base 2 and gigabytes is either depending on the context. windows use base 2 a lot of other things use it for base 10.


----------



## sniper_13

I got a quick question as I'm about to re-install everything.

When i get to this part

"Type cre par pri align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
Note: If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance."

I am using only one SSD for my OS and then i got 2 other HDD's that i like to put into RAID 0 so should i use 4096 or 1024 for my SSD? and should i have my HDD's disconected while installing OS.


----------



## Hungi

Just formatted my new Corsair Performance Pro 128GB with GPT format and installed clean Windows 7 Ultimate through your guide. Works like a charm







Also your Buyer's guide helped me a lot to choose my SSD. Thx a lot for all your effort, amazing guides.

I connected my SSD through 6Gbps Intel Controller & did all the Windows 7 optimization settings u written down btw (also really liked your Windows settings







). So if you wanna see any benchmarks, loading time etc. just tell me







I'm not posting all the benchmarks i've done before atm cause they are not very different from the reviews on the forum and other sites


----------



## 161029

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *csm725*
> 
> You have it spot on in your post.
> 128 GB acc. to manufacturers is 128,000,000,000 bytes.
> Which is 125,000,000 kilobytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~122,070 megabytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~119.2 gigabytes. (div. by 1024)


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LilScrappyD*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> You have it spot on in your post.
> 128 GB acc. to manufacturers is 128,000,000,000 bytes.
> Which is 125,000,000 kilobytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~122,070 megabytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~119.2 gigabytes. (div. by 1024)
> 
> 
> 
> im not stating you're wrong or anything, because you're completely correct.
> i just thot it would be funny if someone wrote this out as an equation because it would make no sense lol.
> 128GB = 128,000,000,000 B = 128,000,000,000/1024 KB = (128,000,000,000/1024)/1024 MB = ((128,000,000,000/1024)/1024)/1024 GB
> now of course in mathematics you can now state that
> 128GB = ((128,000,000,000/1024)/1024)/1024 GB,
> 128GB = 192.2GB <---?!!
Click to expand...

Lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *csm725*
> 
> Well what I neglected to mention is that a manufacturer's GB is base 10 - known as a gi_bi_byte - which is what *nix OSs such as Mac and Ubuntu use.
> Windows uses gi_ga_bytes which are base 2, so 1024 instead of 1000.
> 128 gibibytes = 119.2 gigabytes.


I feel like I've been cheated for no reason.


----------



## WonderMutt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LilScrappyD*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> You have it spot on in your post.
> 128 GB acc. to manufacturers is 128,000,000,000 bytes.
> Which is 125,000,000 kilobytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~122,070 megabytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~119.2 gigabytes. (div. by 1024)
> 
> 
> 
> im not stating you're wrong or anything, because you're completely correct.
> i just thot it would be funny if someone wrote this out as an equation because it would make no sense lol.
> 128GB = 128,000,000,000 B = 128,000,000,000/1024 KB = (128,000,000,000/1024)/1024 MB = ((128,000,000,000/1024)/1024)/1024 GB
> now of course in mathematics you can now state that
> 128GB = ((128,000,000,000/1024)/1024)/1024 GB,
> 128GB = 192.2GB <---?!!
Click to expand...









This is making me crack up!!


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WonderMutt*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is making me crack up!!


The funniest part of the whole exchange is were talking about SSDs which have a "scratch" space to compensate for dead blocks.

thehehehehe.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nonehxc*
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?271063-SSD-Write-Endurance-25nm-Vs-34nm/page138
> 
> Check this thread people. As of today, many testers form Xtremesystems are doing stress test on the Samsung 830 64gb. Seems our good Samsungs are, just plainly, the fastest SSDs in the market. With the exact same test, the sustained write output of the Samsung 830 64gb surpases every other drive. Time to knock Crucial M4s off their little throne


The m4's were already knocked off by the Corsair Performance Pro.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HybridCore*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Idk
> 
> 
> 
> Well, wouldn't it be like RAM where it would dump what's on the given space and load it all again?
> 
> Forgive me, I'm an absolute noob when it comes to cache.
Click to expand...

'

Anything that is used a lot will be moved to the SSD like the boot files and such. I don't see how it would lower the life of the drive really.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> why is it that my drive is a 128 gb sdd....but prior to installing anything it only reads as 119 gb?
> 
> i understand how a 1tb hdd is really only 930 gb....but idk why they list it at 128 when its really only 119. Where is that other 9 gb of space?


What CSM said.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LilScrappyD*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *csm725*
> 
> You have it spot on in your post.
> 128 GB acc. to manufacturers is 128,000,000,000 bytes.
> Which is 125,000,000 kilobytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~122,070 megabytes. (div. by 1024)
> Which is ~119.2 gigabytes. (div. by 1024)
> 
> 
> 
> im not stating you're wrong or anything, because you're completely correct.
> i just thot it would be funny if someone wrote this out as an equation because it would make no sense lol.
> 
> 128GB = 128,000,000,000 B = 128,000,000,000/1024 KB = (128,000,000,000/1024)/1024 MB = ((128,000,000,000/1024)/1024)/1024 GB
> 
> now of course in mathematics you can now state that
> 
> 128GB = ((128,000,000,000/1024)/1024)/1024 GB,
> 128GB = 192.2GB <---?!!
Click to expand...

Scrappy...redo your math...you fail








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sniper_13*
> 
> I got a quick question as I'm about to re-install everything.
> 
> When i get to this part
> 
> "Type cre par pri align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
> Note: If you are using multiple disks in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance."
> 
> I am using only one SSD for my OS and then i got 2 other HDD's that i like to put into RAID 0 so should i use 4096 or 1024 for my SSD?


Alignment here pertains to the OS drive.
Quote:


> and should i have my HDD's disconected while installing OS.


it says to have any other drive disconnected but the OS drive when installing does it not?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hungi*
> 
> Just formatted my new Corsair Performance Pro 128GB with GPT format and installed clean Windows 7 Ultimate through your guide. Works like a charm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also your Buyer's guide helped me a lot to choose my SSD. Thx a lot for all your effort, amazing guides.
> 
> I connected my SSD through 6Gbps Intel Controller & did all the Windows 7 optimization settings u written down btw (also really liked your Windows settings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ). So if you wanna see any benchmarks, loading time etc. just tell me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not posting all the benchmarks i've done before atm cause they are not very different from the reviews on the forum and other sites


Congrats, hope you don't run into any issues!


----------



## sniper_13

Hey Sean thanks for the reply. So i finally got through all your optimizations and got windows running nice and clean. I am running into another problem where i go to plug in my 2 HDD's and i enable RAID(XHD) on my BIOS to setup my RAID and i go ahead and choose my raid and set everything up like it should be, but upon start up i encouter a BSOD very quickly and the PC restarts.

Any clue on what this could be?

Oh and when i take the RAID off and switch back to AHCI everything is fine.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sniper_13*
> 
> Hey Sean thanks for the reply. So i finally got through all your optimizations and got windows running nice and clean. I am running into another problem where i go to plug in my 2 HDD's and i enable RAID(XHD) on my BIOS to setup my RAID and i go ahead and choose my raid and set everything up like it should be, but upon start up i encouter a BSOD very quickly and the PC restarts.
> 
> Any clue on what this could be?
> 
> Oh and when i take the RAID off and switch back to AHCI everything is fine.


*Enable RAID Mode after Installation:*

Exit all Windows-based programs.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor


In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
Restart your computer
Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable RAID, Save & Reboot
Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.
Then after that make the array.


----------



## sniper_13

Once again Sean you fix my problem. Much obliged!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sniper_13*
> 
> Once again Sean you fix my problem. Much obliged!


----------



## 161029

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> The m4's were already knocked off by the Corsair Performance Pro.
> '
> Anything that is used a lot will be moved to the SSD like the boot files and such. I don't see how it would lower the life of the drive really.


Well, there aren't any 64GB Performance Pros and I just love Samsung and Crucial/Rendition.

I was thinking of it like RAM. So I guess cache is cleaned out just like how TRIM and GC clean a SSD?


----------



## sniper_13

Sorry to bother again guys but another quick question. On my last install i had pretty much the entire user folder allocated to my data HDD. Using Sean's method i only have the normal folders like downloads etc.. there, but what about the "AppData" folder because that one seems to grow exponentially especially with big games and apps and i wouldn't want that to fill up my ssd. Is there a safe or good way to bring that folder over to my HDD, i know there was something like using junctions but doesn't seem to be the most efficiant way.

Thanks and i appriciate any help.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HybridCore*
> 
> Well, there aren't any 64GB Performance Pros and I just love Samsung and Crucial/Rendition.
> 
> I was thinking of it like RAM. So I guess cache is cleaned out just like how TRIM and GC clean a SSD?


Ok, now you are confusing me....lol

Do you know what TRIM and GC work like? That is different than RAM being cleared.

Read here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#user_Maintenance

The data on the cached SSD is not cleared, once moved to the SSD it stays if you are using it as a cache drive.
Quote:


> Sorry to bother again guys but another quick question. On my last install i had pretty much the entire user folder allocated to my data HDD. Using Sean's method i only have the normal folders like downloads etc.. there, but what about the "AppData" folder because that one seems to grow exponentially especially with big games and apps and i wouldn't want that to fill up my ssd. Is there a safe or good way to bring that folder over to my HDD, i know there was something like using junctions but doesn't seem to be the most efficiant way.
> 
> Thanks and i appriciate any help.


Yes there is but i advise against it.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/124198-user-profiles-create-move-during-windows-7-installation.html


----------



## 161029

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok, now you are confusing me....lol
> Do you know what TRIM and GC work like? That is different than RAM being cleared.
> Read here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#user_Maintenance
> The data on the cached SSD is not cleared, once moved to the SSD it stays if you are using it as a cache drive.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry to bother again guys but another quick question. On my last install i had pretty much the entire user folder allocated to my data HDD. Using Sean's method i only have the normal folders like downloads etc.. there, but what about the "AppData" folder because that one seems to grow exponentially especially with big games and apps and i wouldn't want that to fill up my ssd. Is there a safe or good way to bring that folder over to my HDD, i know there was something like using junctions but doesn't seem to be the most efficiant way.
> Thanks and i appriciate any help.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes there is but i advise against it.
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/124198-user-profiles-create-move-during-windows-7-installation.html
Click to expand...

I know how it works. I wasn't really associating it with clearing RAM. I should probably word things better. Anyways, I was asking if what was cached is cleared like RAM when restarted or if it stays there and is removed when not in use through TRIM and GC.

I guess it would be the second. It stays until no longer needed.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HybridCore*
> 
> I know how it works. I wasn't really associating it with clearing RAM. I should probably word things better. Anyways, I was asking if what was cached is cleared like RAM when restarted or if it stays there and is removed when not in use through TRIM and GC.
> 
> I guess it would be the second. It stays until no longer needed.


Gahhh, your wording kills! I have a cold and can't think straight right now....

So you are asking if the cached data on the SSD is cleared when the system is rebooted?
If so then no. It is not deleted

The program in control of what goes on the cached SSD decides what is put on and off of it. Then it tells the OS to move it back to the HDD. Then the OS tells the SSD that the data was moved off the SSD so then the SSD can use GC to clean and prepare the previously used space for new data.


----------



## sniper_13

Sean, I see that you advise against it and trust your judgment but considering that i will have perhaps 4-5 games and maybe 15 apps installed would i realistically see a huge increase in size (i.e over 5gb?)

I mean if it won't be that much i will stick with the way it is, and i think you mentioned that to me last time as well.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sniper_13*
> 
> Sean, I see that you advise against it and trust your judgment but considering that i will have perhaps 4-5 games and maybe 15 apps installed would i realistically see a huge increase in size (i.e over 5gb?)
> 
> I mean if it won't be that much i will stick with the way it is, and i think you mentioned that to me last time as well.


App data folder is similar to your program folders, parts of programs you install locate parts of themselves in there including game saves, temp files, etc.

That is why I leave mine. Anything to do with m OS and apps stays on the SSD.

Plus it won;t get that much bigger, just use ccleaner every now and then anyways.


----------



## sniper_13

Thank's Sean, I'll leave it the way it is. So far everything is running real smooth. I ended up Short stroking my Raid 0 only using 300gb which i prob. will never use all. I got a server to save all my backups.


----------



## Maynard46

so here is my 1st ssd without the new firmware









here is the new ssd with the new firmware









I have no idea what most of this means...but i guess its good when compared to other benchmarks i see....still the 1st one was a bit better score

what do the columns on the right mean anyway? Seq, 4K, 4K-64, Acc Time......should i be bothered that my 1st score was 25 points better than the 2nd with the new firmware?


----------



## Jahensle

Anyone know why my write time is slow slow? I am using the intel sata III port. Thanks a ton!


----------



## miniterror

hi sean,
im trying youre guide on a old laptoppie.
when i do the mbr thing on the hdd i get a error message when pressing next to instal the windows on the hdd
i get the errorcode 0x80300024
do you have any idea why im getting that?
i typed everything exactly as the yt video shows and it all succeeds:S
thnaks for youre thoughts


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miniterror*
> 
> hi sean,
> im trying youre guide on a old laptoppie.
> when i do the mbr thing on the hdd i get a error message when pressing next to instal the windows on the hdd
> i get the errorcode 0x80300024
> do you have any idea why im getting that?
> i typed everything exactly as the yt video shows and it all succeeds:S
> thnaks for youre thoughts


Strange. That error usually occurs when there is a partitioning problem on the drive. You mentioned a laptop. Does the drive contain an OEM recovery partition? If so, did you wipe that clean also (ie. "clean" the entire drive) in Diskpart? If is does, and you didn't, the install location for windows may actually be listed as partition 0 or 2, which messes up the windows 7 installer.


----------



## miniterror

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Strange. That error usually occurs when there is a partitioning problem on the drive. You mentioned a laptop. Does the drive contain an OEM recovery partition? If so, did you wipe that clean also (ie. "clean" the entire drive) in Diskpart? If is does, and you didn't, the install location for windows may actually be listed as partition 0 or 2, which messes up the windows 7 installer.


it used to have one but i deleted it a long time ago with the windows install screen to make the entire disk one size(it only has a 60gb hdd)
i pressed renew on that screen and it started to instal:s
is there a command in cmd to check if its set to 4096?


----------



## 161029

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Gahhh, your wording kills! I have a cold and can't think straight right now....
> So you are asking if the cached data on the SSD is cleared when the system is rebooted?
> If so then no. It is not deleted
> The program in control of what goes on the cached SSD decides what is put on and off of it. Then it tells the OS to move it back to the HDD. Then the OS tells the SSD that the data was moved off the SSD so then the SSD can use GC to clean and prepare the previously used space for new data.


So technically, it would shorten the lifespan but won't make an enormous difference. Okay.

Well, I'm thinking about getting an Ivy Bridge laptop (or Trinity) and getting a Samsung M8 1TB and a Samsung 830 64GB, would you recommend installing the OS and maybe some apps and use most of the remaining space for cache or not?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HybridCore*
> 
> So technically, it would shorten the lifespan but won't make an enormous difference. Okay.
> 
> Well, I'm thinking about getting an Ivy Bridge laptop (or Trinity) and getting a Samsung M8 1TB and a Samsung 830 64GB, would you recommend installing the OS and maybe some apps and use most of the remaining space for cache or not?


OS, all programs/apps, and etc. on the SSD and have the HDD for all your personal data and whatever else you want.


----------



## 161029

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> OS, all programs/apps, and etc. on the SSD and have the HDD for all your personal data and whatever else you want.


SSD = everything
HDD = personal/important stuff

Got it.


----------



## Jahensle

Hey Sean, if you get a minute can you take a look at this benchmark for me? In ATTO, I get the advertised speeds from the compressed data but in AS SSD I'm getting these benchmarks. Thanks mate.

Kingston Hyper X 128 gig Sata III


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jahensle*
> 
> Hey Sean, if you get a minute can you take a look at this benchmark for me? In ATTO, I get the advertised speeds from the compressed data but in AS SSD I'm getting these benchmarks. Thanks mate.
> 
> Kingston Hyper X 128 gig Sata III


A little low compared to this. But it could be because you just installed the OS, give it a week or two and test again.


----------



## Jahensle

Alright will do, how did you know I just installed the OS! Appreciate the tip. + rep


----------



## Maynard46

sean, just wondering what you know about the magician software for the 830 series? do u recommend using its tools for anything?
here are a few screens of the app....the 2nd 2 show the optimizations....what bugs me is that i already did these things with your guide...do u think i should mess with them in this app too?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> sean, just wondering what you know about the magician software for the 830 series? do u recommend using its tools for anything?
> here are a few screens of the app....the 2nd 2 show the optimizations....what bugs me is that i already did these things with your guide...do u think i should mess with them in this app too?


Just leave them. I think it just completely disables those service (defrag and indexing) for even the other HDDs in a system and it just sets its own power scheme so don't worry about it.


----------



## cpulord1

quick question...
so what if i initially installed using the instructions for GPT

then I had issues when activating windows with it saying some error because it was having difficulty finding the active drive....I now want to try just doing the simpler MBR format....
do I follow the instructions as is? or are there extra steps to eliminate the old partitions that I made when setting it up for GPT?

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpulord1*
> 
> quick question...
> so what if i initially installed using the instructions for GPT
> 
> then I had issues when activating windows with it saying some error because it was having difficulty finding the active drive....I now want to try just doing the simpler MBR format....
> do I follow the instructions as is? or are there extra steps to eliminate the old partitions that I made when setting it up for GPT?
> 
> Thanks


I'd just follow the MBR guide as is because when you do it will wipe the data of the previous install. You just need to do the command *convert MBR* after the *clean* command (abbreviated as *cle* in the guide)in disk part.


----------



## cpulord1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'd just follow the MBR guide as is because when you do it will wipe the data of the previous install. You just need to do the command *convert MBR* after the *clean* command (abbreviated as *cle* in the guide)in disk part.


Hrmmm
well I ended up just trying to follow the normal MBR instructions and it seemed to work (with the extra command of convert mbr) and it seems to work fine....I'm guessing I'm losing some theoretically small space from that other partition (which I could still see when doing lis dis)

oh wells....thanks for your help! Next time I'll give GPT another shot if I have to reformat


----------



## cpulord1

Oh
and also out of curiosity....I noticed for my boot sequence in my UEFI, should I pick Windows Boot Manager as my boot priority or just the one labelled as the SSD?
which is faster?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpulord1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'd just follow the MBR guide as is because when you do it will wipe the data of the previous install. You just need to do the command *convert MBR* after the *clean* command (abbreviated as *cle* in the guide)in disk part.
> 
> 
> 
> Hrmmm
> well I ended up just trying to follow the normal MBR instructions and it seemed to work (with the extra command of convert mbr) and it seems to work fine....I'm guessing I'm losing some theoretically small space from that other partition (which I could still see when doing lis dis)
> 
> oh wells....thanks for your help! Next time I'll give GPT another shot if I have to reformat
Click to expand...

When you use the "List Disk" command, the results returned are the physical drives on the computer, not the partitions on the drives themselves. If you have only the SSD attached, you will only see 1 drive. I have a feeling what you may be seeing a USB drive attached to the system which will show up as a drive using the "List Disk" command.

On the otherhand, if you meant "List Partition", once you have selected the SSD, the "clean" command should get rid of any partition(s) that exist on the drive. How much space are you talking about?

*EDIT: Actually, I had a thought.. I've never tried, but it may be the leftover MSR partition from GPT... If that's the case, (and you can probably help this thread), maybe the "clean" command needs to be executed a second time after the "convert" command when converting back to MBR..*
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpulord1*
> 
> Oh
> and also out of curiosity....I noticed for my boot sequence in my UEFI, should I pick Windows Boot Manager as my boot priority or just the one labelled as the SSD?
> which is faster?


If you have an MBR "type" disk, boot directly to the SSD. There is no reason to use window's boot manager under MBR.


----------



## Mr.Eiht

Just wanted to say: *Thank you* for the guide - I and my M4 would be really sad without this guide! So







+rep and a kharma cookie!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.Eiht*
> 
> Just wanted to say: *Thank you* for the guide - I and my M4 would be really sad without this guide! So
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> +rep and a kharma cookie!


No problem, and mmmmm, that is one good karma cookie!


----------



## milespeed

hi sean..tried to make a system image of C drive of SSD.... set up with GTP.. as guided... and the tool EaseUS ToDo wont recognize that type of setup(GTP)... i just got hit with a Windows Not Genuine notice and weird things are happening all over my system so i want to clone my Cdrive and programs as fast as i can .. help please.. what should i use to clone my Cdrive ? thanx in advance !


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> hi sean..tried to make a system image of C drive of SSD.... set up with GTP.. as guided... and the tool EaseUS ToDo wont recognize that type of setup(GTP)... i just got hit with a Windows Not Genuine notice and weird things are happening all over my system so i want to clone my Cdrive and programs as fast as i can .. help please.. what should i use to clone my Cdrive ? thanx in advance !


...it is in the OP. Only windows can make a system image properly...I have a link to how to do it in windows too.

(link)

You still need to call M$ to make windows genuine or put in a product key...what other weird things?


----------



## kevindd992002

@xandypx

If I boot my system without the GPT-formatted OS SSD and then put it back, will I have problems with accessing Windows?


----------



## Hungi

Do it need to do these parts when converting any other HD drive instead of my Boot SSD drive to GPT?

Type cre par efi size=100, press Enter
Type for quick fs=fat32 label="ESP", press Enter
Type cre par msr size=128, press Enter
Type cre par pri align=4096 , press Enter


----------



## WhitePrQjser

Nice guide! Definitely going to use it next time I format my boot SSD


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @xandypx
> 
> If I boot my system without the GPT-formatted OS SSD and then put it back, will I have problems with accessing Windows?


You mean boot to a different disk that has a different copy of windows on it? I'm not exactly sure what you mean...
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hungi*
> 
> Do it need to do these parts when converting any other HD drive instead of my Boot SSD drive to GPT?
> 
> Type cre par efi size=100, press Enter
> Type for quick fs=fat32 label="ESP", press Enter
> Type cre par msr size=128, press Enter
> Type cre par pri align=4096 , press Enter


If the other drives are to be storage drives, they only need to be initialized as GPT drives. This can actually be done in "disk management" rather than through the Diskpart command line utility. The EFI partition is used by the UEFI for booting the system. The MSR partition is used by the OS. Neither is required on a storage drive.


----------



## Shotto

As a total SSD novice many thanks for the superb guide, just installed a Crucial M4 128GB drive and your detailed advice was invaluable. Only problem I have is updating the firmware, when I use the boot CD it does not recognize my drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shotto*
> 
> As a total SSD novice many thanks for the superb guide, just installed a Crucial M4 128GB drive and your detailed advice was invaluable. Only problem I have is updating the firmware, when I use the boot CD it does not recognize my drive.


What mobo do you have? It needs to be plugged into 1 of the first native SATA ports.


----------



## milespeed

BSOD! half dozen times since 0309 firmware.. just saying not blamin....cant open anything .. not even my computer...any desktop icon clicked or program tried to open it spins and eventually says server error .. windows was FAST to start gagging and handicapping me ..less than 24 hrs after the notice my serial was no good..flawless operation for the last week or so and since set up , updates etc.. no clue the serial was going to go blacklist... nother serial installed and said it wasnt jivign with bios ..so M$ gets my call and the link to the M$ way of backup i looked at and thought any way other than M$ would be my course... but if you say thats the only way to get it all, so be it.... thanx Sean you Rawk !


----------



## octowilli

Hi all, OCN and SSD newbie here with a question. I just purchased my first SSD, which is on its way, and I was wondering if updating the firmware is something I should do before or after I install an OS on it. Can it be done before hand by just plugging it in next to my current HDD setup? Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> BSOD! half dozen times since 0309 firmware.. just saying not blamin....cant open anything .. not even my computer...any desktop icon clicked or program tried to open it spins and eventually says server error .. windows was FAST to start gagging and handicapping me ..less than 24 hrs after the notice my serial was no good..flawless operation for the last week or so and since set up , updates etc.. no clue the serial was going to go blacklist... nother serial installed and said it wasnt jivign with bios ..so M$ gets my call and the link to the M$ way of backup i looked at and thought any way other than M$ would be my course... but if you say thats the only way to get it all, so be it.... thanx Sean you Rawk !


I'd just back up the data and not do a system image and reinstall completely.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *octowilli*
> 
> Hi all, OCN and SSD newbie here with a question. I just purchased my first SSD, which is on its way, and I was wondering if updating the firmware is something I should do before or after I install an OS on it. Can it be done before hand by just plugging it in next to my current HDD setup? Thanks!


Yep, do it when you get it, just plug it in your system as it is now and update as instructed by the manufacturer.


----------



## masscrazy

Just installed windows on my new 128GB m4, updated firmware and its all running fine.

Question is why do i only have 83GB free from 119GB, did windows take 35GB ?

EDIT 1 - scratch that,turned off hibernation and manually set 6gb page file,103GB free









EDIT 2 - How are these results?


----------



## Shotto

Quote:


> Originally Posted by Shotto View Post
> 
> As a total SSD novice many thanks for the superb guide, just installed a Crucial M4 128GB drive and your detailed advice was invaluable. Only problem I have is updating the firmware, when I use the boot CD it does not recognize my drive.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What mobo do you have? It needs to be plugged into 1 of the first native SATA ports.


Thanks for replying, my board is the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3, and I plugged it into the SATA3_0/1 port (SATA 6Gb/s - Controlled by Intel Z68 Chipset). Perhaps I should use the Marvell Controlled GSATA3_6/7 port though you advise against this I think?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> You mean boot to a different disk that has a different copy of windows on it? I'm not exactly sure what you mean...


What I mean is this:

1.) You remove your OS SSD from the computer (unplug the SATA cable)
2.) Turned ON the computer without the OS SSD and receive NO OS error after POST
3.) Plugged back in the OS SSD and boot the computer again

Will it have no problem booting it again? Won't Windows Boot Manager be confused when I do all these steps?


----------



## Mr.Eiht

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Just installed windows on my new 128GB m4, updated firmware and its all running fine.
> 
> Question is why do i only have 83GB free from 119GB, did windows take 35GB ?


I just installed it on my m4 and Windows 7 grabed ~25GB.
Did you check that you disabled system recovery (plus the other suggested tweaks)?
Because there are some things that take disk space. And you really dont want that.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> You mean boot to a different disk that has a different copy of windows on it? I'm not exactly sure what you mean...
> 
> 
> 
> What I mean is this:
> 
> 1.) You remove your OS SSD from the computer (unplug the SATA cable)
> 2.) Turned ON the computer without the OS SSD and receive NO OS error after POST
> 3.) Plugged back in the OS SSD and boot the computer again
> 
> Will it have no problem booting it again? Won't Windows Boot Manager be confused when I do all these steps?
Click to expand...

Nope, shouldn't have any problem at all.. when you plug the drive back in, the UEFI should find it again, and list it in the boot priority list.

Silly question, but why?


----------



## masscrazy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.Eiht*
> 
> I just installed it on my m4 and Windows 7 grabed ~25GB.
> Did you check that you disabled system recovery (plus the other suggested tweaks)?
> Because there are some things that take disk space. And you really dont want that.


Yep check the post again ^

Got 104GB free now with System Restore enabled.

Never liked the idea OF NOT having system restore and it came to use! I was having display driver issues with on board graphics. It would just conk out on windows boot. Had to use system restore 4 times to get the issue sorted, at least I was able to go back to where I first installed any drivers. Otherwise I would have had to reinstall windows. So i'm leaving system restore on, not taking too much space, total windows install and drivers is now only 16GB or so.

I have noticed one thing, booting up isnt as fast with 6 HDDs and an IDE writer attached


----------



## enri95

What should I do first thing when I get my Crucial m4 tomorrow? Not sure if it will have the latest firmware.


----------



## Mr.Eiht

Burn the firmware on a cd/dvd or use a usb flashdrive (<- I dont like `em







). Then reboot with the medium containing in place.
Before it updates the firmware it checks the version you already have. If it is the newest -> just type "no" and you are good to go.
If it is not the newest one type "yes". So it is very simple and you shouldn`t have problems.


----------



## masscrazy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *enri95*
> 
> What should I do first thing when I get my Crucial m4 tomorrow? Not sure if it will have the latest firmware.


Same thing I had to do yesterday. It came with Rev 009 (check back of the drive), as and as above has said already burned 0309 firmware onto disk, boot with it and thats it.


----------



## Sprkd1

I have an SSD for the OS and essential programs and an HDD for everything else. Is it okay to leave the page file on the SSD? Will it cause no extra wear on the SSD?


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> I have an SSD for the OS and essential programs and an HDD for everything else. Is it okay to leave the page file on the SSD? Will it cause no extra wear on the SSD?


It will cause slight usage on the SSD should i program require it, but leave it if you need it


----------



## masscrazy

LEAVE system restore! I've had to use it over a dozen times literally like 15 times. When setting User folder locations went wrong, when an install for a download manager didnt go right, also using ninite caused issues with MPC and codecs.

I'd say leave it on its will save you alot of headache!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> LEAVE system restore! I've had to use it over a dozen times literally like 15 times. When setting User folder locations went wrong, when an install for a download manager didnt go right, also using ninite caused issues with MPC and codecs.
> 
> I'd say leave it on its will save you alot of headache!


lol, I've learned to leave it on too b/c of stupid things like that. It is really a handy feature.


----------



## Sprkd1

I have an SSD for OS and HDD for games and stuff. I followed the video tutorial for formatting and aligning the SDD for 4K and everything. Then I plugged in my HDD after Windows was installed and started using it after a format. My question is, was I also suppose to 4K align the HDD? If I open AS SSD, it says it is 1024K for the HDD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> I have an SSD for OS and HDD for games and stuff. I followed the video tutorial for formatting and aligning the SDD for 4K and everything. Then I plugged in my HDD after Windows was installed and started using it after a format. My question is, was I also suppose to 4K align the HDD? If I open AS SSD, it says it is 1024K for the HDD.


You don't need to, I don't have my storage drives aligned 4K, I simply don't feel like going through the hassle to do so.


----------



## masscrazy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to, I don't have my storage drives aligned 4K, I simply don't feel like going through the hassle to do so.


Interesting you say that. What else do you think is not necessary from your guide?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to, I don't have my storage drives aligned 4K, I simply don't feel like going through the hassle to do so.
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting you say that. What else do you think is not necessary from your guide?
Click to expand...

Why is that interesting? lol 4K is mainly for newer HDDs and SSDs.

ummmm, nothing in my guide is necessary. It is simply what I do for my systems I deal with. It is the best way to go about installation from my experience and cuts user error.


----------



## kpo6969

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> I have an SSD for OS and HDD for games and stuff. I followed the video tutorial for formatting and aligning the SDD for 4K and everything. Then I plugged in my HDD after Windows was installed and started using it after a format. My question is, was I also suppose to 4K align the HDD? If I open AS SSD, it says it is 1024K for the HDD.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to, I don't have my storage drives aligned 4K, I simply don't feel like going through the hassle to do so.


I did since I put my user files (docs, pictures, vids, music) on my HDD. Was this wrong and or unnecessary?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Interesting you say that. What else do you think is not necessary from your guide?


Besides system restore that is. ?
Very good guide as I have spent many hours over the past week configuring my aging system.
This is why I posted and to say thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kpo6969*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> I have an SSD for OS and HDD for games and stuff. I followed the video tutorial for formatting and aligning the SDD for 4K and everything. Then I plugged in my HDD after Windows was installed and started using it after a format. My question is, was I also suppose to 4K align the HDD? If I open AS SSD, it says it is 1024K for the HDD.
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to, I don't have my storage drives aligned 4K, I simply don't feel like going through the hassle to do so.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I did since I put my user files (docs, pictures, vids, music) on my HDD. Was this wrong and or unnecessary?
Click to expand...

Nope, completely fine to have the partitions aligned @ 4K or 1K.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Interesting you say that. What else do you think is not necessary from your guide?
> 
> 
> 
> Besides system restore that is. ?
> Very good guide as I have spent many hours over the past week configuring my aging system.
> This is why I posted and to say thanks.
Click to expand...

No problem. And like I said before all is optional.


----------



## octowilli

Is GPT (GUID Partition Table) section relevant for SSDs, or is it for large HDDs only?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Nope, shouldn't have any problem at all.. when you plug the drive back in, the UEFI should find it again, and list it in the boot priority list.
> Silly question, but why?


Well, basically my plan is to have a "spare" OS HDD installed in my system in my system for overclocking purposes and my main OS SSD installed as well. I have to switch between those two drives when overclocking because I don't like to risk any BSOD in my main OS SSD.

So the only time I'll have problems is when I migrate that same OS SSD onto another system (board)?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *octowilli*
> 
> Is GPT (GUID Partition Table) section relevant for SSDs, or is it for large HDDs only?


Any drive really, but mainly for large drives atm. I have mine set to GPT. When I reinstall next I am switching to MBR b/c I remember it booting faster.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Nope, shouldn't have any problem at all.. when you plug the drive back in, the UEFI should find it again, and list it in the boot priority list.
> Silly question, but why?
> 
> 
> 
> Well, basically my plan is to have a "spare" OS HDD installed in my system in my system for overclocking purposes and my main OS SSD installed as well. I have to switch between those two drives when overclocking because I don't like to risk any BSOD in my main OS SSD.
> 
> So the only time I'll have problems is when I migrate that same OS SSD onto another system (board)?
Click to expand...

Sounds like a management nightmare to me. Updates/changes on one drive needing to be applied to the other drive etc...

It might not actually be a "problem" if you put the drive into a similar system. Any "problem" that might occur would be driver related... ie. drivers from the system where the OS was installed trying to load in a system that needs different drivers, drivers missing that are needed etc... Oh yea... and Windows activation on the second system... Windows will usually "know" that it is loading on a different system, and look to be reactivated.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Sounds like a management nightmare to me. Updates/changes on one drive needing to be applied to the other drive etc...
> It might not actually be a "problem" if you put the drive into a similar system. Any "problem" that might occur would be driver related... ie. drivers from the system where the OS was installed trying to load in a system that needs different drivers, drivers missing that are needed etc... Oh yea... and Windows activation on the second system... Windows will usually "know" that it is loading on a different system, and look to be reactivated.


What do you mean management problem? Well, it's not necessary to apply all updates/changes from one drive to another because all I need to do with OS HDD is to install Windows and current drivers and be done with it. Its purpose is only to take all BSODs I will have when overclocking without affecting the OS SDD because it is disconnected from the system.

Yes, I understand about the reactivation process about Windows but what I'm really concerned is how the system will treat the GPT format. I just though that when removing and inserting drives with a GPT format, you lose the BCD "path"? My understanding was that when you install Windows in a GPT-partitioned drive with a UEFI installation, you SHOULD NOT remove the drive from the system in any way because it will corrupt that path.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Sounds like a management nightmare to me. Updates/changes on one drive needing to be applied to the other drive etc...
> It might not actually be a "problem" if you put the drive into a similar system. Any "problem" that might occur would be driver related... ie. drivers from the system where the OS was installed trying to load in a system that needs different drivers, drivers missing that are needed etc... Oh yea... and Windows activation on the second system... Windows will usually "know" that it is loading on a different system, and look to be reactivated.
> 
> 
> 
> What do you mean management problem? Well, it's not necessary to apply all updates/changes from one drive to another because all I need to do with OS HDD is to install Windows and current drivers and be done with it. Its purpose is only to take all BSODs I will have when overclocking without affecting the OS SDD because it is disconnected from the system.
> 
> Yes, I understand about the reactivation process about Windows but what I'm really concerned is how the system will treat the GPT format. I just though that when removing and inserting drives with a GPT format, you lose the BCD "path"? My understanding was that when you install Windows in a GPT-partitioned drive with a UEFI installation, you SHOULD NOT remove the drive from the system in any way because it will corrupt that path.
Click to expand...

When I say managemnt problems, if you OC with one drive (and its OS), swapping out for another drive with (basically a "different" OS; although it's the exact same one), will not guarranty you stability. Although everything on the surface seems the same... they won't be exactly the same, in part, due to how win7 handles an SSD vs. a HDD, different services running, etc... I don't see how, in the long term, you can maintain two drives (with 2- OSs) that will do the exact same thing, each time you boot your system. just my









Actually that's one of the nice things about GPT. The drive is self identifying. As long as the EFI partition which contains the BCD information is on the same disk as the OS, there should be no problem. Even if it's not, after a few POSTs, the UEFI/Boot manager will catch up. Yes, the original UEFI will "lose" the disk when you disconnect it, but will find it again at POST, when it is reconnected. You may need to repoint your UEFI to where you want to boot from, (which may require two POST procedures; 1 for the drive to be recognized, and a second to go into the UEFI so that the UEFI also recognizes the boot manager change [usually entering and exiting the UEFI without any changes is enough]), but the drive itself will not change, and holds all of the information necessary to boot.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> When I say managemnt problems, if you OC with one drive (and its OS), swapping out for another drive with (basically a "different" OS; although it's the exact same one), will not guarranty you stability. Although everything on the surface seems the same... they won't be exactly the same, in part, due to how win7 handles an SSD vs. a HDD, different services running, etc... I don't see how, in the long term, you can maintain two drives (with 2- OSs) that will do the exact same thing, each time you boot your system. just my
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Actually that's one of the nice things about GPT. The drive is self identifying. As long as the EFI partition which contains the BCD information is on the same disk as the OS, there should be no problem. Even if it's not, after a few POSTs, the UEFI/Boot manager will catch up. Yes, the original UEFI will "lose" the disk when you disconnect it, but will find it again at POST, when it is reconnected. You may need to repoint your UEFI to where you want to boot from, (which may require two POST procedures; 1 for the drive to be recognized, and a second to go into the UEFI so that the UEFI also recognizes the boot manager change [usually entering and exiting the UEFI without any changes is enough]), but the drive itself will not change, and holds all of the information necessary to boot.


Thanks for the info. Hmmm, that is not the case though in the Sandy Stable Club. Overclocking is independent of the kind of drive you are using and technically how "different" the OS in different drives are. It simply boils down on how your CPU responds to overclocking. To my understanding, as long as you are Prime95 12-hour stable on one drive, you can use it on the same. This is why they recommend using a "dummy" drive for overclocking and then when your are stable already, either reinstall your OS on that same drive for it to be a permanent drive or if you have an SSD install Windows in it and you're good to go. Well, that's what I get from reading a LOT from that thread.


----------



## Shotto

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shotto*
> 
> Thanks for replying, my board is the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3, and I plugged it into the SATA3_0/1 port (SATA 6Gb/s - Controlled by Intel Z68 Chipset). Perhaps I should use the Marvell Controlled GSATA3_6/7 port though you advise against this I think?


I solved the issue of the CD firmware not recognizing my Crucial M4 SSD drive. Just in case anyone is having the same problem I changed the SATA BIOS from ACHI to IDE, the firmware then worked like a charm, changed it back to ACHI in BIOS and a reboot in W7


----------



## octowilli

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Any drive really, but mainly for large drives atm. I have mine set to GPT. When I reinstall next I am switching to MBR b/c I remember it booting faster.


Thanks Sean.


----------



## firestorm1

hey sean, is there any way you can add to the OP why you shouldnt do a low level format on a ssd and that the secure erase is a better alternative. i keep seeing threads pop up here and there asking whats the difference.


----------



## octowilli

Should I use "cre par pri align=" 4096 or 1024 for a SSD RAID? I'm not sure if by "multiple disks" you mean HDDs specifically or both HDDs and SSDs (in the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" section). Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> hey sean, is there any way you can add to the OP why you shouldnt do a low level format on a ssd and that the secure erase is a better alternative. i keep seeing threads pop up here and there asking whats the difference.


I have that in my SSD buyers guide and info thread:
Quote:


> *Quick vs. Full Formatting:*
> Here I explain what the difference b/w a quick and full format are and why you should only quick format your SSD.
> 
> 
> *A quick format* - is a formatting option that creates a new file table on a hard disk but does not fully overwrite or erase the disk. Quick formatting erases/rewites the FT (File Table) of the File System partition. So basically quick formatting just erases/rewrites anew what is essentially a directory that tells the operating system where files are and what spaces are free to write new data on.
> 
> *A full format* - is a formatting option that creates a new file table on a hard disk, but does not fully overwrite and erase the disk as well. A full format erases/rewrites the FT (File Table) of the File System partition and runs chkdsk. Chkdsk does one pass of writing zero's to the drive to ensure that the sectors are working properly. But the zero's are also rewritten with the previous 1 or 0. This is why full formats take so much longer. So basically a full format is quick format + Chkdsk.
> 
> You don't need to run chckdsk on your drive b/c all it does is check for bad sectors and checks file system integrity (SSDs don't have sectors) and it is not "good" for your SSD because all it does is cause add wear to the memory cells when you don't need it to.
> 
> *Erasing all the data on the SSD:*
> It is not safe to use DBAN Nuke on SSD. First, it's not good for the drive, and second, it wouldn't work properly anyway. Not good for the drive because it writes to the drive too many times. Wouldn't work properly because just like the OS, DBan cannot control where it writes to on the drive. The SSD's controller is responsible for that, and due to wear leveling algorithms, wouldn't get you the intended results. With an SSD, all you need is to perform a "secure erase". The secure erase command flushes the stored electrons from the flash memory cells, effectively erasing the drive's data to an unrecoverable state.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *octowilli*
> 
> Should I use "cre par pri align=" 4096 or 1024 for a SSD RAID? I'm not sure if by "multiple disks" you mean HDDs specifically or both HDDs and SSDs (in the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" section). Thanks!


If you have your drives in RAID 0 then use 1024.


----------



## firestorm1

i call HAXORZ. that wasnt there earlier. maybe it was and im just going blind lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> i call HAXORZ. that wasnt there earlier. maybe it was and im just going blind lol.


That has been there for weeks...LOL you're blind


----------



## firestorm1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> That has been there for weeks...LOL you're blind


HA. no argurment there.









also i passed on that revo drive. ill think ill hold on to that $400. IB is due in a couple months.


----------



## enri95

just installed my ssd. I didn't update firmware (gonna do that later).
How does this look?








Also how do you install the intel srt driver?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *enri95*
> 
> just installed my ssd. I didn't update firmware (gonna do that later).
> How does this look?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also how do you install the intel srt driver?


You download the driver and install it like any other program or driver...it is common sense and in step 7 of my guide...


----------



## Maynard46

hey sean just wondering if you know if any of the optimizations would cause Intel Rapid Storage Technology to not operate? it was working and then last night i noticed it was showing in the lower left corner as not running. I clicked to start it and the pop up said windows is troubleshooting why its not working. then the pop up went away with no explanation. I uninstalled and reinstalled and it still would not work. I am using the current version from Intel

Is Intel RST even needed and do you recommend it?

Do you know if any of the optimizations would prevent it from working? I did all the optimizations when i installed the SSD and had no trouble........as i am typing this i just remembered that the other day i changed Shrink Page File from 400mb to disabling it all together. I wonder if that is the cause?

I am away from that PC so i cant check but wonder what you think

thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> hey sean just wondering if you know if any of the optimizations would cause Intel Rapid Storage Technology to not operate? it was working and then last night i noticed it was showing in the lower left corner as not running. I clicked to start it and the pop up said windows is troubleshooting why its not working. then the pop up went away with no explanation. I uninstalled and reinstalled and it still would not work. I am using the current version from Intel
> 
> Is Intel RST even needed and do you recommend it?
> 
> Do you know if any of the optimizations would prevent it from working? I did all the optimizations when i installed the SSD and had no trouble........as i am typing this i just remembered that the other day i changed Shrink Page File from 400mb to disabling it all together. I wonder if that is the cause?
> 
> I am away from that PC so i cant check but wonder what you think
> 
> thanks


No the page file has nothing to do with it. But the RST manager in the taskbar has a delayed start, the driver works fine as well. You get better performance from the Intel drive3r over the old MSAHCI one.


----------



## Maynard46

hmmm...i wonder why it shows as not running. It sits there in the taskbar and when i hover it says its not running. when i click on it is when i get the pop up saying its troubleshooting.

you think the driver is still working though? its just an odd issue i never saw before.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> hmmm...i wonder why it shows as not running. It sits there in the taskbar and when i hover it says its not running. when i click on it is when i get the pop up saying its troubleshooting.
> 
> you think the driver is still working though? its just an odd issue i never saw before.


Yes the driver is working, if it wasn't working you couldn't boot windows lol. That is just the RST control center. It is not the driver.


----------



## enri95

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You download the driver and install it like any other program or driver...it is common sense and in step 7 of my guide...


lol oops, had downloaded a driver without exe


----------



## Sxcerino

Hello!

Thank you very much for this guide Sean, it really has been a tremendous help!

Just wondering however, which backup/cloning software would you recommend? Looking for one that preserves all 4k alignments/etc so I do not have to go through everything again







(Setting up multiple PCs with same hardware throughout).

Thanks a lot!


----------



## Sprkd1

What is the recommended method of formatting an SSD (that already as an OS installed on it) for a new fresh install of an OS?

Do I just do what this video said again or do I also have to do something else?


----------



## masscrazy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> What is the recommended method of formatting an SSD (that already as an OS installed on it) for a new fresh install of an OS?
> Do I just do what this video said again or do I also have to do something else?


Would also like to know.


----------



## Polarity

is my score good? thank you sean for the guide :]


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sxcerino*
> 
> Hello!
> 
> Thank you very much for this guide Sean, it really has been a tremendous help!
> 
> Just wondering however, which backup/cloning software would you recommend? Looking for one that preserves all 4k alignments/etc so I do not have to go through everything again
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (Setting up multiple PCs with same hardware throughout).
> 
> Thanks a lot!


Windows 7 has it built in, I use it all the time. Link is in the guide if you read it post #2.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> What is the recommended method of formatting an SSD (that already as an OS installed on it) for a new fresh install of an OS?
> 
> Do I just do what this video said again or do I also have to do something else?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> What is the recommended method of formatting an SSD (that already as an OS installed on it) for a new fresh install of an OS?
> Do I just do what this video said again or do I also have to do something else?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Would also like to know.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

[*]*If your personal data is backed up to another drive then:*

Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *active*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Polarity*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> is my score good? thank you sean for the guide :]


Yes, but you skipped step 7 in my guide...why is everyone doing that?


----------



## firestorm1

they are probably blind like me.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> they are probably blind like me.


lol


----------



## masscrazy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes, but you skipped step 7 in my guide...why is everyone doing that?


Whats that, using latest SATA drivers or using Intel ports?

I've not actually updated my SATA drivers (never knew there was such a thing or a need). The link you give, which are you suppose to install?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes, but you skipped step 7 in my guide...why is everyone doing that?
> 
> 
> 
> Whats that, using latest SATA drivers or using Intel ports?
> 
> I've not actually updated my SATA drivers (never knew there was such a thing or a need). The link you give, which are you suppose to install?
Click to expand...

OK, i don't know what is wrong with you guys....you need to learn to read I swear , it says right there under step # 7 pretty clearly.

*Install newest SATA drivers:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs

For AMD systems, use the newest AHCI and the South Bridge driver. (Link)
*For Intel systems, use the newest Rapid Storage Technology driver.* (Link)
*Note:* This is to ensure your SSD/HDD will function properly and have max performance.




*IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH?*


----------



## Nonehxc

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> OK, i don't know what is wrong with you guys....you need to learn to read I swear , it says right there under step # 7 pretty clearly.
> *Install newest SATA drivers:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
> 
> For AMD systems, use the newest AHCI and the South Bridge driver. (Link)
> *For Intel systems, use the newest Rapid Storage Technology driver.* (Link)
> *Note:* This is to ensure your SSD/HDD will function properly and have max performance.
> 
> 
> *IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH?*


not enough. need moar graphic tablet handwritting!!!!!!!!!!!! xDD


----------



## Polarity

what is step 7 sean is it the High Power Performace thing? because when i did that i dont think my asus xonar DX was powered on until i changed it back to balanced....


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> not enough. need moar graphic tablet handwritting!!!!!!!!!!!! xDD


LOL
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Polarity*
> 
> what is step 7 sean is it the High Power Performace thing? because when i did that i dont think my asus xonar DX was powered on until i changed it back to balanced....


*ARE YOU SERIOUS?

ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ*


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nonehxc*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> OK, i don't know what is wrong with you guys....you need to learn to read I swear , it says right there under step # 7 pretty clearly.
> *Install newest SATA drivers:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
> 
> For AMD systems, use the newest AHCI and the South Bridge driver. (Link)
> *For Intel systems, use the newest Rapid Storage Technology driver.* (Link)
> *Note:* This is to ensure your SSD/HDD will function properly and have max performance.
> 
> 
> *IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH?*
> 
> 
> 
> not enough. need moar graphic tablet handwritting!!!!!!!!!!!! xDD
Click to expand...


----------



## 161029




----------



## Polarity

IM LAUGHING SO HARD RIGHT NOW OMG Q-Q I GO DO THAT RIGHT NOW I MISSED THAT


----------



## 161029

I think you need to do it in neon green or hot pink so the image gets burned into my eyes because I don't know what to do anymore.


----------



## masscrazy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH?*


Chill...

It says "Once RAID has been enabled in BIOS and the operating system is installed, double-click the downloaded file to launch the installation."

Not everyone is using RAID!

Also -

This download is valid for the product(s) listed below.
Intel® 3 Series Chipsets
Intel® 4 Series Chipset
Intel® 5 Series Chipset
Intel® 5000P Chipset
Intel® 5000V Chipset
Intel® 5000X Chipset
Intel® 6 Series Chipset
Intel® 945 Express Chipset Family
Intel® 955X Express Chipset
Intel® 965 Express Chipset Family
Intel® 975X Express Chipset
Intel® E7230 Chipset
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
Intel® X58 Express Chipset
Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Mobile Intel® 5 Series Chipset
Mobile Intel® 6 Series Chipset
Mobile Intel® 910GML Express Chipset
Mobile Intel® 915 Express Chipset Family
Mobile Intel® 945 Express Chipset Family
Mobile Intel® 965 Express Chipset Family


----------



## Polarity

wow that step 7 is mad important my score just jumped

hehe thank you for the guy who asked sean how to install cuz i was lost too ^_^


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> OK, i don't know what is wrong with you guys....you need to learn to read I swear , it says right there under step # 7 pretty clearly.
> *Install newest SATA drivers:* Applies to SSDs/HDDs
> 
> For AMD systems, use the newest AHCI and the South Bridge driver. (Link)
> *For Intel systems, use the newest Rapid Storage Technology driver.* (Link)
> *Note:* This is to ensure your SSD/HDD will function properly and have max performance.
> 
> 
> *IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH?*


lol, i found this helpful!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH?*
> 
> 
> 
> Chill...
> 
> It says "Once RAID has been enabled in BIOS and the operating system is installed, double-click the downloaded file to launch the installation."
> 
> Not everyone is using RAID!
> 
> Also -
> 
> This download is valid for the product(s) listed below.
> Intel® 3 Series Chipsets
> Intel® 4 Series Chipset
> Intel® 5 Series Chipset
> Intel® 5000P Chipset
> Intel® 5000V Chipset
> Intel® 5000X Chipset
> *Intel® 6 Series Chipset*
> Intel® 945 Express Chipset Family
> Intel® 955X Express Chipset
> Intel® 965 Express Chipset Family
> Intel® 975X Express Chipset
> Intel® E7230 Chipset
> Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
> Intel® X58 Express Chipset
> Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family
> Mobile Intel® 5 Series Chipset
> Mobile Intel® 6 Series Chipset
> Mobile Intel® 910GML Express Chipset
> Mobile Intel® 915 Express Chipset Family
> Mobile Intel® 945 Express Chipset Family
> Mobile Intel® 965 Express Chipset Family
Click to expand...

What is your point? Your chip set is supported....if it wasn't it wouldn't work. It is the SATA driver.







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Polarity*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> wow that step 7 is mad important my score just jumped
> 
> hehe thank you for the guy who asked sean how to install cuz i was lost too ^_^


LOL, see why it is there now?







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> lol, i found this helpful!


hehe


----------



## masscrazy

How does this score thing work.

Result when first installed Windows


Results now 3 days on - not updated any sata drivers (yet)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> How does this score thing work.
> 
> Result when first installed Windows
> 
> Results now 3 days on - not updated any sata drivers (yet)


The higher the better...your drive improved b/c trim and GC went to work. Now if you install teh driver your score should go up higher b/c the newest drivers have better performance than the old MS one.

The Higher the Read Speeds the Faster the Drive.


----------



## Sxcerino

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows 7 has it built in, I use it all the time. Link is in the guide if you read it post #2.


Thanks! Thought I read something on my read through, then missed it.

When restoring, should I check the box for formatting the disk? Will that carry over the 4k alignment or should I align it first then restore the image?

Thanks again!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sxcerino*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows 7 has it built in, I use it all the time. Link is in the guide if you read it post #2.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! Thought I read something on my read through, then missed it.
> 
> When restoring, should I check the box for formatting the disk? Will that carry over the 4k alignment or should I align it first then restore the image?
> 
> Thanks again!
Click to expand...

ehh, up to you. I never have done the extra format option when doing it, if you want to go ahead.


----------



## Sxcerino

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ehh, up to you. I never have done the extra format option when doing it, if you want to go ahead.


Ah okay, I see. I guess my best bet is to align/format the drives first, then restore (I'm restoring an image to a fresh drive).


----------



## Dai uy B

Sean, still working my way through your setup guide -- thank you so much!

I have made my way to optimizations, and am at the "Enable windows write back caching and turnoff windows write-caching buffer flushing" step.
I read the instructions and watched the vid tut. Of course, there is more than one way to get to a particular place in Windows, but did you know the written instructions are not the same as the video? I was confused for a moment or two. But the reason I watched the video at all is because I was at step #7 in the written instructions where it says "Change settings" and I couldn't figure out what to do. I don't think that belongs there. I went directly from step #6 to step #8, just like the video did.

ps. Speaking of step #7, I did NOT skip step #7 in the "Immediately after Installing Windows" guide, as it appears several others did.








Maybe going so slowly that I am on day 7 of my install has something to be said for it!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dai uy B*
> 
> Sean, still working my way through your setup guide -- thank you so much!
> 
> I have made my way to optimizations, and am at the "Enable windows write back caching and turnoff windows write-caching buffer flushing" step.
> I read the instructions and watched the vid tut. Of course, there is more than one way to get to a particular place in Windows, but did you know the written instructions are not the same as the video? I was confused for a moment or two. But the reason I watched the video at all is because I was at step #7 in the written instructions where it says "Change settings" and I couldn't figure out what to do. I don't think that belongs there. I went directly from step #6 to step #8, just like the video did.
> 
> ps. Speaking of step #7, I did NOT skip step #7 in the "Immediately after Installing Windows" guide, as it appears several others did.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe going so slowly that I am on day 7 of my install has something to be said for it!


Thanks, took that out of there









Seems like seven is the lucky number today eh? lol


----------



## kpo6969

Sean,
These have been floating around about a month and are WHQL. Are they ok to use?

new Intel RST driver 11.0.0.1032 WHQL

Date
Driver Revision
Build Number
22 December 2011
11.0.0.1032 Production Version
1032

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2215900


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kpo6969*
> 
> Sean,
> These have been floating around about a month and are WHQL. Are they ok to use?
> 
> new Intel RST driver 11.0.0.1032 WHQL
> 
> Date
> Driver Revision
> Build Number
> 22 December 2011
> 11.0.0.1032 Production Version
> 1032
> 
> http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2215900


Never used them or heard much about them. You can use them if you want tho, they can always be uninstalled.


----------



## Wkl01

Just got a new Force GT 120gb drive. I want to update the firmware. But it says you can't use the update with the drives set to Raid. If I set the system to ACHI, then it won't boot. My other system is also setup in a Raid. What's the best option? Do I really have to yank all the dive and setup a drive and install Windows 7?


----------



## xDriftyy

thanks for the guide sean! used this and my drive is performing top notch and Windows only used around 12GB


----------



## chapman2012

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kpo6969*
> 
> Sean,
> These have been floating around about a month and are WHQL. Are they ok to use?
> new Intel RST driver 11.0.0.1032 WHQL
> Date
> Driver Revision
> Build Number
> 22 December 2011
> 11.0.0.1032 Production Version
> 1032
> http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2215900


wow what a fluke, just decided to read the last page of this thread and saw the LATER drivers.

Can anyone explain why these drivers are not found on intels actual site when doing search for RST and stuff?

I've been having problems with SSD freezing: http://www.overclock.net/t/1207382/help-new-intel-x25-m-ssd-freezing-stuttering/10 and maybe this is another option I can try (as mentioned above, I'll just uninstlal if they don't really work out.....)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wkl01*
> 
> Just got a new Force GT 120gb drive. I want to update the firmware. But it says you can't use the update with the drives set to Raid. If I set the system to ACHI, then it won't boot. My other system is also setup in a Raid. What's the best option? Do I really have to yank all the dive and setup a drive and install Windows 7?


You can take the drives and update them in another system or breaks the array and reinstall, or use a different drive to install the OS onto and then date them that way. Just disable RAID and flash the drives seperately with the Linux flasher, (if there is one) then enable RAID again. SandForce drives are terrible to update, I'm glad i didn't get one lol.


----------



## bobni

What is the relationship between the latest RST drivers and the RST OROM in a mobo specific bios? The RST release notes on some versions of RST state the need for a specific versions of RST OROM needed to obtain specific functionality of new RST drivers. It seems that installing the latest RST drivers may not allways give the added functionality expected unless a mobo RST OROM supports it. So it appears more complicated then a RST update, or is it?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bobni*
> 
> What is the relationship between the latest RST drivers and the RST OROM in a mobo specific bios? The RST release notes on some versions of RST state the need for a specific versions of RST OROM needed to obtain specific functionality of new RST drivers. It seems that installing the latest RST drivers may not allways give the added functionality expected unless a mobo RST OROM supports it. So it appears more complicated then a RST update, or is it?


When Intel releases a newer version of IRST, sometimes there is added functionality in the driver that is accessible through the OpRom. Up until reciently, most of the updates didn't affect, or should I say the OpROM that was running from your BIOS/UEFI didn't have problems with the different versions of IRST driver. Forget about just functionality loss. incompatiblities have caused major problems.

Intel will now (as you have seen) be posting, along with the IRST driver, the minimal OROM required to run the newer drivers. I see this as creating problems for end users (My Opinion), as it is the Motherboard manufacturers that have to update BIOS/UEFI to incorporate the newer OpROM requirements. There have been issues where end user have updated IRST drivers, and don't have the minimal OROM required to support them. Stories of being unable to "see" a fixed disk attached to a system, inability to partition or format a drive... real basic funcitionality loss, due to an incompatability between the IRST driver, and the Intel OpROM of the motherboard.


----------



## masscrazy

So this is probably a very silly question. I'm feeling particularly lazy so i'll just ask it.

The Rapid Storage Technology software I've installed. What has it done? All I see is a RST software program with my current status being "functioning normally".


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> So this is probably a very silly question. I'm feeling particularly lazy so i'll just ask it.
> 
> The Rapid Storage Technology software I've installed. What has it done? All I see is a RST software program with my current status being "functioning normally".


Probably nothing beyond giving you the best driver possible for your intel PCH. The problems that I've heard of, are not with the drivers themselves, but with how they interface with the configuration utility.

I should probably clarify my post above.

It seems that once a drive is configured, and the OS installed and operating, updating the Intel RST drivers (to even the latest "unofficial" v11.x) from a configuration standpoint, doesn't seem to harm/change an existing installation. The driver updates based on the existing configuration settings.

The problems I've heard of, (and I don't know how wide spread they are), have occured with, (I'll call them mismatched; _not technically correct; OpROM and IRST driver are not required to be the same version_), OpROM/Driver combos where the OpRom does not meet the minimum requirements, but a drive/system has yet to be set up.; (ie. the drive is not yet partitioned/formatted.) It is believed, (although unverified by Intel) that in this case, the IRST driver has no previous settings to apply from an "old" installation to the new. It also can not pull "default" settings from the Motherboards OpROM, because (without a compatable OpROM) the settings it wants don't match, or don't exist. So the installation becomes buggy.

How the driver can effectively update using existing "windows" settings (without the new funcitionallity settings) is anyones guess, but it seems to without issue. The reason I said both "system & drive", is because the problem of a "new" drive not showing up in windows, can occur with an intact/operating OS. When this particular problem occurs, with the addition of a "new" storage drive, the problem manifests itself just like when a drive is not initialized in Windows, and does not show up in "Computer". The IRST problem is worse, in that the drive will not show up in disk management either, so it's not an initialization thing.

That's about all I know of the "issue"... It's relatively new, so I'm pretty confident some code writer somewhere is attempting to loacte the bug. In a nutshell, it's something that will more than likely get worked out... but as I said before, not without a lot of end user headaches in the meantime.


----------



## Pikey

Just chipping in with a successful new Crucial M4 128G install here! Flying along nicely now!!

Done this basically ..

Disconnected current WD 500G drive
Check ACHI and ACPI2 in the BIOS
Upgraded to latest firmware for SSD
Install Win 7 64bit SP! following Seans guide for MBR format .. (nice one , new to me!!)
Installed latest AMD SATA drivers and other drivers ... oddly Win 7 doesn't install LAN drivers for my mobo so I had to sort that out!
connect 500 GB drive back up for other stuff ..

odd tweaks ..
Turned off Drive Indexing
Turned off Prefetch and Superfetch .. not done automatically in my case!
Got rid of the Hibernation feature
Change Power options .. sleep/never and Turn off Hard Drives/never

another thing I always do with a fresh install is to enable the 'real' Administrator account and use that instead of the one created at install (which I delete anyway)

Not done so far ..
moving user folders/temp files/similar tweaks .. I'm going to leave the OS/Application stuff where it is I think!

Thats it so far .. heres a benchie ...



Not a speedy as others I've seen around here , I'm on SATA II which probably makes a difference!
Maybe I'll do another run in a week or two , but I'm not normally into benchmarks and all that jazz!!

Anyhow, I'm happy with things so far , so thanks Sean for the guide , very useful and informative!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Pikey*
> 
> another thing I always do with a fresh install is to enable the 'real' Administrator account and use that instead of the one created at install (which I delete anyway)


Why is that? Just wondering.
Quote:


> Anyhow, I'm happy with things so far , so thanks Sean for the guide , very useful and informative!!


No problem


----------



## Pikey

Out of habit mostly I suppose!! I'm the only person using my my PC so there's no security issues , and I don't get pestered by UAC pop-ups so much with this account!

I know a lot of people think it's not a great idea these days , but I started doing it back in Vista installs and it's never been a problem for me!


----------



## Sean Webster

I just disable UAC, is there anything else that doing that does?


----------



## PhuriousGeorge

Awaiting the arrival of my 1st SSD this weekend. Appreciate this guide, will come back to it once it arrives!


----------



## masscrazy

Got my second M4 yesterday. RAID 0 time - now hows does one do this <---?


----------



## exzacklyright

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Got my second M4 yesterday. RAID 0 time - now hows does one do this <---?


just did it.

-update the firmware
-change the registry ( to allow the changing of SATA Modes)
-make a system image of your OS
-change the BIOS sata mode to RAID
- follow seans guide ^_^

If it comes up as an "allocated disk" on the right of the Primary drive after restoring your image in disk management just right click on the primary drive and expand it.


----------



## masscrazy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *exzacklyright*
> 
> just did it.
> 1) update the firmware
> 2) make a system image of your OS
> 3) change the registry ( to allow the changing of SATA Modes)
> 4) change the BIOS sata mode to RAID
> 5) follow seans guide ^_^
> If it comes up as an "allocated disk" on the right of the Primary drive after restoring your image in disk management just right click on the primary drive and expand it.


Is that for when you want to keep windows current install?

I want to reinstall windows...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PhuriousGeorge*
> 
> Awaiting the arrival of my 1st SSD this weekend. Appreciate this guide, will come back to it once it arrives!











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Got my second M4 yesterday. RAID 0 time - now hows does one do this <---?


3rd post in this guide I have how to set up raid....


----------



## Pikey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just disable UAC, is there anything else that doing that does?


Not really sure myself .. found this while searching around though!
Quote:


> *Do not disable UAC
> *
> It is recommended that UAC prompting not be turned off in Group Policy settings or by changing the slider setting.
> 
> Although the elevation prompt is the most visible part of UAC, UAC also provides the underlying components that allow for increased security with a minimal amount of disruption, especially for standard users. Two of these benefits include:
> 
> Protected Mode in Internet Explorer
> 
> File and registry virtualization


source ... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee679793%28WS.10%29.aspx

Meanwhile , I've done a bit more tweaking today!

I moved Internet Explore and Firefox caches to my second drive
Also moved temp files to second drive .. (Environment variables)


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Pikey*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just disable UAC, is there anything else that doing that does?
> 
> 
> 
> Not really sure myself .. found this while searching around though!
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *Do not disable UAC
> *
> It is recommended that UAC prompting not be turned off in Group Policy settings or by changing the slider setting.
> 
> Although the elevation prompt is the most visible part of UAC, UAC also provides the underlying components that allow for increased security with a minimal amount of disruption, especially for standard users. Two of these benefits include:
> 
> Protected Mode in Internet Explorer
> 
> File and registry virtualization
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> source ... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee679793%28WS.10%29.aspx
> 
> Meanwhile , I've done a bit more tweaking today!
> 
> I moved Internet Explore and Firefox caches to my second drive
> Also moved temp files to second drive .. (Environment variables)
> 
> Edit .. I've changed my rig info .. as below .. but it's not updating ... how do I force that through? ... does anyone know??
Click to expand...

For the most part, the major difference is UAC, but taken to a finer level. the "protected" mode in IE prevents certain code from running in a browser window, although selecting certain "prompts" that appear in IE can allow the code to run anyway... it just looks for user input. Protected mode will block "known" malicious code. Running in full administrator mode, you won't ever see the prompt... the code will just run. The file and registry virtualization is easier explained below as I explain why running the full administrator account all the time can be bad.

Running the "true" admin account in windows allows no account available in order to recover windows from a devastating crash or malware. When you are running a "users" account, even if you have given that user full administrative privledges, the user is still running on "copies" of the main registry, and file system that is stored in the "hidden" admin account. Think of it as somewhat "sandboxing" the OS. This means that if the "Users" version of the OS becomes corrupt due to a software glitch, drivers/malware...etc. The information in the Administrator account can be used to recover the computer, without having to do a complete reinstall. Think of it along the lines of "Safe Mode", but with working drivers for your hardware.


----------



## Pikey

Thanks xandypx! .. useful information!

Meanwhile here's a question for you folks!

I've turned off the indexing on both my drives , but now I've found that I can't share a folder across a network without turning it back on .. at least for the drive the folder is located on!

The scenario is .. I have 2 PCs basically , one running Win 7 with the new SSD + storage drive
The other is running the Win8 dev preview .. this is connected to my TV/surround Sound and I have it connected wvia wi-fi to the main PC
Usually I can play music via the Surround Sound by networking it across the room from Win 7 PC to Win 8 PC

It's all just for laffs really ...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Pikey*
> 
> Thanks xandypx! .. useful information!
> 
> Meanwhile here's a question for you folks!
> 
> I've turned off the indexing on both my drives , but now I've found that I can't share a folder across a network without turning it back on .. at least for the drive the folder is located on!
> 
> The scenario is .. I have 2 PCs basically , one running Win 7 with the new SSD + storage drive
> The other is running the Win8 dev preview .. this is connected to my TV/surround Sound and I have it connected wvia wi-fi to the main PC
> Usually I can play music via the Surround Sound by networking it across the room from Win 7 PC to Win 8 PC
> 
> It's all just for laffs really ...


In indexing options index the folder you are sharing only and see if that works.


----------



## Sprkd1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows 7 has it built in, I use it all the time. Link is in the guide if you read it post #2.
> Quote:
> [*]*If your personal data is backed up to another drive then:*
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *active*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> Yes, but you skipped step 7 in my guide...why is everyone doing that?


If I am trying to format my SSD that has the OS on it, shouldn't I be doing the formatting when I am outside of Windows? How do I format my SSD with the OS on it while I am in Windows? How would that work?


----------



## Pikey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> In indexing options index the folder you are sharing only and see if that works.


That's got it!
I had to re-start the indexing service which I'd previously disabled though.

I've also noticed the index storoge can also be moved off the SSD as well .. might be worth doing for some folks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows 7 has it built in, I use it all the time. Link is in the guide if you read it post #2.
> Quote:
> [*]*If your personal data is backed up to another drive then:*
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *active*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> Yes, but you skipped step 7 in my guide...why is everyone doing that?
> 
> 
> 
> If I am trying to format my SSD that has the OS on it, shouldn't I be doing the formatting when I am outside of Windows? How do I format my SSD with the OS on it while I am in Windows? How would that work?
Click to expand...

You are correct, you need to boot from the Windows 7 installer or similar to format the OS drive.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Pikey*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> In indexing options index the folder you are sharing only and see if that works.
> 
> 
> 
> That's got it!
> I had to re-start the indexing service which I'd previously disabled though.
> 
> I've also noticed the index storoge can also be moved off the SSD as well .. might be worth doing for some folks!
Click to expand...


----------



## Sprkd1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You are correct, you need to boot from the Windows 7 installer or similar to format the OS drive.


So there is no special way of formatting a used SSD that already has an OS on it? Those steps you mentioned are pretty much the same as formatting a new SSD (the one with the video).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sprkd1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You are correct, you need to boot from the Windows 7 installer or similar to format the OS drive.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So there is no special way of formatting a used SSD that already has an OS on it? Those steps you mentioned are pretty much the same as formatting a new SSD (the one with the video).
Click to expand...

Yep. And the only reason to do that way is to make sure all partitions on the drive (SSD or HDD) are wiped.


----------



## exzacklyright

If any of you are interested, I created a .reg script that :

1) Disables Prefetch/Superfetch
2) Disables the "Open File Security Warning"
3) Disables Window Snapping (Aero peek it's called I also believe)
4) Disables UAC
5) Removes the Shortcut Extension
6) Speeds Up Windows 7 Desktop and Shutdown

**** Make a backup before changing the registry via ccleaner just in case ****

http://www.mediafire.com/?r5gjz16b4pqoh2r

I haven't tested it VERY thoroughly but I'm pretty sure it changes each of the necessary registry settings. I made it for myself so that after a reformat I don't have to spend an hour going to each reg key. I plan on adding to it if I find something else









Bare in mind.. I'm on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit... so I'm not sure how or If it affects other windows versions.


----------



## leviathangod

If I have a system with a Nvidia Geforce GTX 3GB dedicated ram and 16 GB of DDR3 Ram, Can I just turn page filing off?


----------



## xDriftyy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *leviathangod*
> 
> If I have a system with a Nvidia Geforce GTX 3GB dedicated ram and 16 GB of DDR3 Ram, Can I just turn page filing off?


definitely. i wouldn't hesitate


----------



## leviathangod

Thank ya kindly sir


----------



## octowilli

Sean I followed your entire guide including the tweaks at the end and here is the AS SSD result with 2x128 RAID0. What's wrong with my 4k scores?


----------



## firestorm1

sean ygpm.


----------



## PatrickCrowely

This is a great Tut, will be reading it much more. Thank You


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *octowilli*
> 
> Sean I followed your entire guide including the tweaks at the end and here is the AS SSD result with 2x128 RAID0. What's wrong with my 4k scores?


I am no sure, your threaded are low too. I had an issue with low threaded scores and I had to secure erase my drive to get the speeds back.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PatrickCrowely*
> 
> This is a great Tut, will be reading it much more. Thank You


----------



## Nocturin

:wheee:I haven't upgrade the sig rig yet, but I got everything up and running off my new samsung 830 thanks to your guide







.

Now I just need to do a clean install and perform all the optimizations then ghost the image for ease of back-up. I wanted to make sure I got everything working first. I got lucky. Plugged the system in, nothing happened. Pushed the power cord in further and BAM! boot on first(ish) try.



























































+ Internez to you sir, Sage Storage Maharishi.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Probably nothing beyond giving you the best driver possible for your intel PCH. The problems that I've heard of, are not with the drivers themselves, but with how they interface with the configuration utility.
> I should probably clarify my post above.
> It seems that once a drive is configured, and the OS installed and operating, updating the Intel RST drivers (to even the latest "unofficial" v11.x) from a configuration standpoint, doesn't seem to harm/change an existing installation. The driver updates based on the existing configuration settings.
> The problems I've heard of, (and I don't know how wide spread they are), have occured with, (I'll call them mismatched; _not technically correct; OpROM and IRST driver are not required to be the same version_), OpROM/Driver combos where the OpRom does not meet the minimum requirements, but a drive/system has yet to be set up.; (ie. the drive is not yet partitioned/formatted.) It is believed, (although unverified by Intel) that in this case, the IRST driver has no previous settings to apply from an "old" installation to the new. It also can not pull "default" settings from the Motherboards OpROM, because (without a compatable OpROM) the settings it wants don't match, or don't exist. So the installation becomes buggy.
> How the driver can effectively update using existing "windows" settings (without the new funcitionallity settings) is anyones guess, but it seems to without issue. The reason I said both "system & drive", is because the problem of a "new" drive not showing up in windows, can occur with an intact/operating OS. When this particular problem occurs, with the addition of a "new" storage drive, the problem manifests itself just like when a drive is not initialized in Windows, and does not show up in "Computer". The IRST problem is worse, in that the drive will not show up in disk management either, so it's not an initialization thing.
> That's about all I know of the "issue"... It's relatively new, so I'm pretty confident some code writer somewhere is attempting to loacte the bug. In a nutshell, it's something that will more than likely get worked out... but as I said before, not without a lot of end user headaches in the meantime.


Can you explain this in a more simple manner to me?







Sorry, but I don't seem to understand some parts of it.

Will I have problems if I'm running an old RST OROM with the latest Intel RST software? Or are the problems only present the other way around, i.e. running the LATEST OROM with an OLD Intel RST software?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just disable UAC, is there anything else that doing that does?


As for my system, I'm using Shark007 codecs for my media files and it is recommended not to turn off UAC. So I keep it enabled.


----------



## octowilli

I fixed my RAID0 performance. Turns out I had c state settings enabled in the BIOS and my CPU was bottlenecking the SSDs. Oh well. I learned something new


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *octowilli*
> 
> I fixed my RAID0 performance. Turns out I had c state settings enabled in the BIOS and my CPU was bottlenecking the SSDs. Oh well. I learned something new


Wow, so you just disabled them and now it is fine, just C3 & C6?


----------



## octowilli

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wow, so you just disabled them and now it is fine, just C3 & C6?


I'm pretty sure that's the only thing that mattered in the end. Before that my CPU was sitting at 1.6GHz during the AS SSD tests according to CPU-Z. It would drop down into the sleep state, or however it works, I'm not entirely sure. As soon as I changed some BIOS settings to keep it up at full speed (4.6 GHz) the tests ran much better. It went from ~850 to this:


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *octowilli*
> 
> I'm pretty sure that's the only thing that mattered in the end. Before that my CPU was sitting at 1.6GHz during the AS SSD tests according to CPU-Z. It would drop down into the sleep state, or however it works, I'm not entirely sure. As soon as I changed some BIOS settings to keep it up at full speed (4.6 GHz) the tests ran much better. It went from ~850 to this:


You mean you also disabled Speedstep?


----------



## Crabby654

I have a question and I've actually yet to do this since I got my SSD last year.

For general computer health (possibly SSD?) would it be advisable to use the hibernate feature in Windows 7? I honestly have not used it since I first got Windows 7 a few years ago and I'm not sure if there's any new info on hibernation or if its good or bad. Whats the census on hibernate!


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Probably nothing beyond giving you the best driver possible for your intel PCH. The problems that I've heard of, are not with the drivers themselves, but with how they interface with the configuration utility.
> I should probably clarify my post above.
> It seems that once a drive is configured, and the OS installed and operating, updating the Intel RST drivers (to even the latest "unofficial" v11.x) from a configuration standpoint, doesn't seem to harm/change an existing installation. The driver updates based on the existing configuration settings.
> The problems I've heard of, (and I don't know how wide spread they are), have occured with, (I'll call them mismatched; _not technically correct; OpROM and IRST driver are not required to be the same version_), OpROM/Driver combos where the OpRom does not meet the minimum requirements, but a drive/system has yet to be set up.; (ie. the drive is not yet partitioned/formatted.) It is believed, (although unverified by Intel) that in this case, the IRST driver has no previous settings to apply from an "old" installation to the new. It also can not pull "default" settings from the Motherboards OpROM, because (without a compatable OpROM) the settings it wants don't match, or don't exist. So the installation becomes buggy.
> How the driver can effectively update using existing "windows" settings (without the new funcitionallity settings) is anyones guess, but it seems to without issue. The reason I said both "system & drive", is because the problem of a "new" drive not showing up in windows, can occur with an intact/operating OS. When this particular problem occurs, with the addition of a "new" storage drive, the problem manifests itself just like when a drive is not initialized in Windows, and does not show up in "Computer". The IRST problem is worse, in that the drive will not show up in disk management either, so it's not an initialization thing.
> That's about all I know of the "issue"... It's relatively new, so I'm pretty confident some code writer somewhere is attempting to loacte the bug. In a nutshell, it's something that will more than likely get worked out... but as I said before, not without a lot of end user headaches in the meantime.
> 
> 
> 
> Can you explain this in a more simple manner to me?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, but I don't seem to understand some parts of it.
> 
> Will I have problems if I'm running an old RST OROM with the latest Intel RST software? Or are the problems only present the other way around, i.e. running the LATEST OROM with an OLD Intel RST software?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just disable UAC, is there anything else that doing that does?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> As for my system, I'm using Shark007 codecs for my media files and it is recommended not to turn off UAC. So I keep it enabled.
Click to expand...

Basically, you might (but not always) run into a problem running the latest IRST drivers with an older OpROM. Reason being, the drivers may contain configuration settings not supported (values don't exist to change the settings) in the OpROM of your motherboard. The post above was just to show some of the problems that might occur in this scenario, and why they are believed to occur in the first place. If newer IRST drivers install without detrimental effect with an old OpROM, then there is nothing to worry about. You just won't be able to access certain "upgraded" features of the IRST driver, that are not supported by the OpROM you are using.

Clearer?


----------



## d3v0

I followed your guide step by step (le omgz, also did step 7!) and I am getting a rubbish AS score.










cliffs:
* 0302 firmware on M4
* marvell drivers installed
* plugged into sata 6.0gb/s port
* intel rapid storage 10.8 installed
* score doesnt change if C3/C6 in my bios are enabled or disabled.


----------



## csm725

Most likely an issue of the Marvell port. You should be connected to the Intel Sata 6 port.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d3v0*
> 
> I followed your guide step by step (le omgz, also did step 7!) and I am getting a rubbish AS score.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cliffs:
> * 0302 firmware on M4
> * marvell drivers installed
> * plugged into sata 6.0gb/s port
> * intel rapid storage 10.8 installed
> * score doesnt change if C3/C6 in my bios are enabled or disabled.


Plug it in the Intel SATA port.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *csm725*
> 
> Most likely an issue of the Marvell port. You should be connected to the Intel Sata 6 port.


This^


----------



## Jahensle

d3vo or anyone else,

any idea what I am seeing these scores? my board does not have marvel ports. asrock extreme 3 gen 3.

Kingston Hyper x 128 with an intel 2500k @ 4.2 THANKS!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jahensle*
> 
> d3vo or anyone else,
> 
> any idea what I am seeing these scores? my board does not have marvel ports. asrock extreme 3 gen 3.
> 
> Kingston Hyper x 128 with an intel 2500k @ 4.2 THANKS!!


That is average for your drive, give the drive a week or so and test again, your score should improve.

the best I've ever seem was this:


----------



## d3v0

doh. thanks for the fast replies. Ill report back with the results.


----------



## d3v0

BOOM.

Thanks guys. Everything loads so fast that steam gives me an error upon startup - the ethernet connection isnt even enabled fast enough before steam loads and checks for internet! AWESOME.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d3v0*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BOOM.
> 
> Thanks guys. Everything loads so fast that steam gives me an error upon startup - the ethernet connection isnt even enabled fast enough before steam loads and checks for internet! AWESOME.


Sweet!


----------



## milespeed

hello sean and esteemed , i am back... had to rebuild the SSD after a handful of BSOD's crash and burn due ( i think) to an unauthentic Win7 ultimate serial... it pulled my legs off handicapping me, within 20 hrs i was toast... ...so only issue now is it wont let me boot to RAID.. a quick flash of a BSOD during bios post..and restart.. over and over...the raid setup and the settings are the same as before when it worked as far as i can tell... i have control now over CTL/I raid bios (something i struggled with last time for a few days).. i set up system following guide tightly...ACHI mode for SSD setup in GPT ..which i did last time knowing i would setup 2wo drives as raid once all was done , and cursed myself then for not setting up as raid from the beginning.. but... got it working eventually and dont remember if i did any trick thing to get it to quit rebooting then and finally run in RAID..which it did and wont now... anything i missed obvious to any of ya'll?.....
drive is seen in disk management and needed to be initialized there (running in ACHI mode and shows as unallocated and no options highlighted to change that ..


----------



## milespeed

and now.. created a simple volume of the raid0 drive and named it .. it shows up and is usable.. but i am still in ASHI mode..what gives?

.....it boots again to BSOB and restart when set to RAID.. but is seen in my computer as storage of 931GB ..(2wo maxtors of 500GB each) in raid..device drivers sees it as one drive also...so does disk management.. IRST sees it as 2wo drives.. i am in ACHI mode... zooooom to the weird....


----------



## kpo6969

Anyone have a suggestion on the best Sata II ssd for a P45 board?
How bad is this with mine?
Specs in sig and Sean's guide used.
ACHI mode enabled.
Latest chipset drivers and RST (11.0.0.1032 WHQL).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> 
> 
> hello sean and esteemed , i am back... had to rebuild the SSD after a handful of BSOD's crash and burn due ( i think) to an unauthentic Win7 ultimate serial... it pulled my legs off handicapping me, within 20 hrs i was toast... ...so only issue now is it wont let me boot to RAID.. a quick flash of a BSOD during bios post..and restart.. over and over...the raid setup and the settings are the same as before when it worked as far as i can tell... i have control now over CTL/I raid bios (something i struggled with last time for a few days).. i set up system following guide tightly...ACHI mode for SSD setup in GPT ..which i did last time knowing i would setup 2wo drives as raid once all was done , and cursed myself then for not setting up as raid from the beginning.. but... got it working eventually and dont remember if i did any trick thing to get it to quit rebooting then and finally run in RAID..which it did and wont now... anything i missed obvious to any of ya'll?.....
> drive is seen in disk management and needed to be initialized there (running in ACHI mode and shows as unallocated and no options highlighted to change that ..


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> and now.. created a simple volume of the raid0 drive and named it .. it shows up and is usable.. but i am still in ASHI mode..what gives?


No idea, maybe you did a software RAID? IDK are the drives in the Intel Ports only?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kpo6969*
> 
> Anyone have a suggestion on the best Sata II ssd for a P45 board?
> How bad is this with mine?
> Specs in sig and Sean's guide used.
> ACHI mode enabled.
> Latest chipset drivers and RST (11.0.0.1032 WHQL).


Crucial M4 is $95 here: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/768798-REG/Crucial_Technology_CT064M4SSD2_64GB_m4_SSD_2_5_.html

It is the best buy for a 64GB boot drive atm.


----------



## milespeed

no software raid i am aware of.. the 2wo drives are on the intel jmicron 3.0gb ports side by side (light blue group of 6ix) P8Z68-V pro/gen3


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> no software raid i am aware of.. the 2wo drives are on the intel jmicron 3.0gb ports side by side (light blue group of 6ix) P8Z68-V pro/gen3


That is why you can be in raid with them and the other drives are in AHCI. The HDDs are in software RAID, they are not on the Intel ports.


----------



## milespeed

but but....noooo... i dont get it.. the set up is same as before and raid worked ,saw them as raid in RST ..and i do see them as raid in post/ raid bios (where i set them up).....what are the intel ports you speak of?... not the marvells? (the dark blues)... not the sata 6..0 (grey) where my SSD resides and the other fast Hitachi 10k spinner HDD.........oh..an idea..i think i had mentioned before and read that they had to be on the first 4 sata lines only 0-3...and they are on 3 and 5 respectively..(side by side as i said but not as the numbering goes... off to reboot and switch cableing ....will advise ...thanx... go watch football and leave your monster you created here alone for a while...


----------



## Maynard46

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> [*]How to get the Quick Launch toolbar
> [/LIST]


any idea ow to get this working? the link takes u to a post where the download to complete the 1st 7 steps is a dead link. so i followed the 1st 7 steps, but when i get to step 5

5 Copy paste the following into the dialog box that appears: %userprofile%\\AppData\\Roaming\\Microsoft\\Intern et Explorer\\Quick Launch

it says the folder name is not valid


----------



## milespeed

no luck switching sata drives or any other combo... switched drives back to non raid and yes they were in some software version for it took some doing to undo the imagined raid volume... when i boot in raid with no drives set to raid..it still blue screens and reboots... i have updates IRTS again just in case thinking maybe the raid drivers are whack... but hell with it.. i will use the drives as separate 500's ..safer anyway...its just that i am a pissed i cant make it work and need huge storage tanks for my images ....who's gonna win the game today?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> [*]How to get the Quick Launch toolbar
> [/LIST]
> 
> 
> 
> any idea ow to get this working? the link takes u to a post where the download to complete the 1st 7 steps is a dead link. so i followed the 1st 7 steps, but when i get to step 5
> 
> 5 Copy paste the following into the dialog box that appears: %userprofile%\\AppData\\Roaming\\Microsoft\\Intern et Explorer\\Quick Launch
> 
> it says the folder name is not valid
Click to expand...

lol, where is says "//" only use a single "/"


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> no luck switching sata drives or any other combo... switched drives back to non raid and yes they were in some software version for it took some doing to undo the imagined raid volume... when i boot in raid with no drives set to raid..it still blue screens and reboots... i have updates IRTS again just in case thinking maybe the raid drivers are whack... but hell with it.. i will use the drives as separate 500's ..safer anyway...its just that i am a pissed i cant make it work and need huge storage tanks for my images ....who's gonna win the game today?


So you are in AHCI now correct?

and you want to change to RAID mode right?

You changed to RAID in the Bios but now it BSODs on you.

Try this:

*Enable RAID Mode after Installation:*

Exit all Windows-based programs.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor


In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
Restart your computer
Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable RAID, Save & Reboot
Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.


----------



## Maynard46

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, where is says "//" only use a single "/"


thanks....i realized this right after i posted...my bad

now that i got this working, is there any way to get rid of the windows 7 taskbar? its really kind of annoying that the quick launch bar can only be moved over to the left so far so there is alwasy a gap between the 2 taskbars. plus the icon sizes dont match....and why oh why would MS limit what can and cant be attached to the W7 taskbar....makes no sense.


----------



## Sean Webster

No idea, I know you can minimize it lol.


----------



## Maynard46

yeah, but then that minimizes the quick launch too....oh well, i guess i will have to deal....lol


----------



## milespeed

and... THAT WAS IT!..... damn Sean.... you got skills!... thanx amigo..changing the registry values and viola! i have RAID


----------



## milespeed

well almost it... IRST reports my drives.. and the raid pair.. but all drives are '0' in size.. a healthy checkmark is by them... multiple reboots and assigning the unallocated drive and naming it in disk management (the new raid array ) was necessary.... but IRST sees all my drives as zero in size..correction... it freezes and closes .. wont show me the manage window..only help and preferences ..hit manage and it freezes and closes with errors... am i really in raid or am i on software again ?.....

..30 minutes later.... forgive me for showing up and crying every time i stub my toe... i reloaded the RST drivers ...rebooted.. and after it hung and thunk for a while saying that RST was not running (when you mouse over the bottom right system tray icon) ....she launched and is showing all drives/sizes/and states ..... thank you once again


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> well almost it... IRST reports my drives.. and the raid pair.. but all drives are '0' in size.. a healthy checkmark is by them... multiple reboots and assigning the unallocated drive and naming it in disk management (the new raid array ) was necessary.... but IRST sees all my drives as zero in size..correction... it freezes and closes .. wont show me the manage window..only help and preferences ..hit manage and it freezes and closes with errors... am i really in raid or am i on software again ?.....


Ok, now what you need to do is uninstall the Intel drivers on the control panel and reinstall them, that should fix the 0 capacity issue.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Basically, you might (but not always) run into a problem running the latest IRST drivers with an older OpROM. Reason being, the drivers may contain configuration settings not supported (values don't exist to change the settings) in the OpROM of your motherboard. The post above was just to show some of the problems that might occur in this scenario, and why they are believed to occur in the first place. If newer IRST drivers install without detrimental effect with an old OpROM, then there is nothing to worry about. You just won't be able to access certain "upgraded" features of the IRST driver, that are not supported by the OpROM you are using.
> Clearer?


Yes, clearer. But would Windows 7 uses the Intel OPRom if I'm not RAID-enabled anyway?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Basically, you might (but not always) run into a problem running the latest IRST drivers with an older OpROM. Reason being, the drivers may contain configuration settings not supported (values don't exist to change the settings) in the OpROM of your motherboard. The post above was just to show some of the problems that might occur in this scenario, and why they are believed to occur in the first place. If newer IRST drivers install without detrimental effect with an old OpROM, then there is nothing to worry about. You just won't be able to access certain "upgraded" features of the IRST driver, that are not supported by the OpROM you are using.
> Clearer?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, clearer. But would Windows 7 uses the Intel OPRom if I'm not RAID-enabled anyway?
Click to expand...

The Intel OpROM is the firmware coded into the motherboard's uefI/BIOS that loads when you have RAID enabled. The UI for the OpROM is what you see if you press ctrl & I at the begining of the PC's POST process. This option only appears if SATA "mode" is set to RAID in the BIOS/UEFI. Technically, windows doesn't use the OpROM at all, but the Intel Drivers that ultimately load into windows uses the settings from it. If you are not configured as RAID, AHCI drivers load for your drives, which you can't change settings for in the OpROM anyway, so if I understand your question correctly... The answer would be no.


----------



## bobni

I have an ssd and was looking at some of the benchmark programs that people use on this thread along with recommended third party applications. Downloaded CrystalDiskMark and ran it thru virustotal , got a hit on the Open Candy adware. Did research and it seems that CC Cleaner also slips it into the installer. AS SSD Benchmark was clean. How much trouble is this not so tasty Open Candy adware giving during and after installation? Read it scans your computer ,calls home and targets you to install unneeded software, they make $$ when you do. Is it worth eating the candy to get the free usefull program?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bobni*
> 
> I have an ssd and was looking at some of the benchmark programs that people use on this thread along with recommended third party applications. Downloaded CrystalDiskMark and ran it thru virustotal , got a hit on the Open Candy adware. Did research and it seems that CC Cleaner also slips it into the installer. AS SSD Benchmark was clean. How much trouble is this not so tasty Open Candy adware giving during and after installation? Read it scans your computer ,calls home and targets you to install unneeded software, they make $$ when you do. Is it worth eating the candy to get the free usefull program?


Crystal disk mark is not good for SSDs really, AS SSD and ATTO are.

As for your weird candy thing, I've never heard or encountered such a thing.


----------



## bobni

Google open candy, it is a company that supplies software installers with the add you see during installation of some programs sometimes hidden as an option to install a toolbar you don't need.. Seems they are not quite as bad as in the past when they got into the registry. Wish it was my candy thing , the guy makes millions off it. Anyway not as bad as first thought , should have started it as a new thread.


----------



## 161029

Sean's going to be sad when somebody says Intel's going Sandforce with their 25nm drives. I'm going to be that person.

They're going 25nm sandforce drives. It's in the news section. Go look.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HybridCore*
> 
> Sean's going to be sad when somebody says Intel's going Sandforce with their 25nm drives. I'm going to be that person.
> 
> They're going 25nm sandforce drives. It's in the news section. Go look.


....I've known months ago lol. A little late eh?

M4 still reads faster LOL.


----------



## 161029

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ....I've known months ago lol. A little late eh?
> M4 still reads faster LOL.


Well, it looks like I am. Forgive me.

lol! Win. Samsung, Crucial, and sometimes Corsair for life.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> The Intel OpROM is the firmware coded into the motherboard's uefI/BIOS that loads when you have RAID enabled. The UI for the OpROM is what you see if you press ctrl & I at the begining of the PC's POST process. This option only appears if SATA "mode" is set to RAID in the BIOS/UEFI. Technically, windows doesn't use the OpROM at all, but the Intel Drivers that ultimately load into windows uses the settings from it. If you are not configured as RAID, AHCI drivers load for your drives, which you can't change settings for in the OpROM anyway, so if I understand your question correctly... The answer would be no.


Thanks!


----------



## Maynard46

hey sean....im curious, what would be the point to using a raid setup? is it something that is needed for multiple SSD?

i have 1 ssd and 2 hdd. is there any benefit to using raid?


----------



## mcg75

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> hey sean....im curious, what would be the point to using a raid setup? is it something that is needed for multiple SSD?
> i have 1 ssd and 2 hdd. is there any benefit to using raid?


No. Ssd in raid improves sequential read and write but your 4k score doesn't change much.

4k is 95% of day to day usage.


----------



## milespeed

any tips or tricks to getting our 4k numbers up ?


----------



## milkbone

Sean thanks for the great tutorial, info and work you and others put into it. I did a search for this in the thread and couldn't find it or over looked it. You said to move Users folder to storage hd to save space on ssd. Can I create a Programs and Programs x86 folder in storage hd also and just change drive letter when installing to save more space on ssd, that don't need the speed of the ssd. If not is there a way to do this during install, or optimization?

Thanks


----------



## methos1525

Amazing guide. Thank you so much.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> any tips or tricks to getting our 4k numbers up ?


Nah, that is dependent of the drive.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milkbone*
> 
> Sean thanks for the great tutorial, info and work you and others put into it. I did a search for this in the thread and couldn't find it or over looked it. You said to move Users folder to storage hd to save space on ssd. Can I create a Programs and Programs x86 folder in storage hd also and just change drive letter when installing to save more space on ssd, that don't need the speed of the ssd. If not is there a way to do this during install, or optimization?
> 
> Thanks


I said to move the user folders, it is under "Optimizations after system setup:"
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *methos1525*
> 
> Amazing guide. Thank you so much.


No problem.


----------



## liltony817

My secondary hard drive does not show any space being taken up. Though I'm saving files in it, space is shown being taken up by the ssd. Here's what I mean:


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *liltony817*
> 
> My secondary hard drive does not show any space being taken up. Though I'm saving files in it, space is shown being taken up by the ssd. Here's what I mean:


How are you saving files to it? If you put them on the HDD then they will go to the HDD. refresh maybe? press F5.


----------



## bryce

Do I need to redo the trim process, etc everytime I reinstall Windows on my SSD? I just upgraded my system and doing a fresh install. Or is the trim, etc process only done once ever?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Do I need to redo the trim process, etc everytime I reinstall Windows on my SSD? I just upgraded my system and doing a fresh install. Or is the trim, etc process only done once ever?


Trim is usually automatically enabled, it is just to double check that the install actually enabled it b/c some have had it disabled before.


----------



## bryce

I went into my BIOS, enabled AHCI mode and saved and rebooted. It went straight to BIOS after setting boot to dvd and the dvd is in. But it doesn't detect my SSD. I'm using the first port (port the motherboard said to use for boots or whatever). Is that the Marvel port?

I got the system to detect my SSD in AHCI mode, but when I set the boot order to AHCI - dvd burner here, it boots right back into uefi. If I set it to UEFI - dvd burner here it still boots to uefi.

It won't even boot to my SSD in achi mode. I'm not using the marvel ports either.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> I went into my BIOS, enabled AHCI mode and saved and rebooted. It went straight to BIOS after setting boot to dvd and the dvd is in. But it doesn't detect my SSD. I'm using the first port (port the motherboard said to use for boots or whatever). Is that the Marvel port?
> 
> I got the system to detect my SSD in AHCI mode, but when I set the boot order to AHCI - dvd burner here, it boots right back into uefi. If I set it to UEFI - dvd burner here it still boots to uefi.
> 
> It won't even boot to my SSD in achi mode. I'm not using the marvel ports either.


Unless you have installed windows with a GPT partitioning scheme, don't boot to UEFI "anything"... boot directly to the SSD. Set HDD to the first boot priority, and make sure your SSD is the first disk drive shown in the HDD BBS priority list.

Or did I miss something in your post?


----------



## bryce

I'm trying to boot to the DVD so I can freakin ginstall Windows on my SSD, format it, etc.

I set the mode to AHCI and set ahci-dvd to 1st, ahci-ssd to 2nd. Save and reboot.

It doesn't boot to the damn DVD at all, it just auto comes up to BIOS/UEFI or whatever the hell it's called.


----------



## bryce

I disabled the marvel controller and it worked perfectly.

So much for sitting here for the past 5 hours trying to find a fix for it -_-


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> I disabled the marvel controller and it worked perfectly.
> 
> So much for sitting here for the past 5 hours trying to find a fix for it -_-


OMG, lol I didn't even see you posted again.









Glad you got it working tho.


----------



## bryce

Now I just need to figure out why there's a blinking white underscore before it boots and not the full logo like I have it set to show =/.

My last install on this SSD ended up with there being a weird line of like blue dotted stuff at the top before it would boot. Hope it's not like that this time.

And it seems like expanding windows files should go a lot fast that I have an i5 instead of a dual core now, it's still going the same speed -_-.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Now I just need to figure out why there's a blinking white underscore before it boots and not the full logo like I have it set to show =/.
> 
> My last install on this SSD ended up with there being a weird line of like blue dotted stuff at the top before it would boot. Hope it's not like that this time.
> 
> And it seems like expanding windows files should go a lot fast that I have an i5 instead of a dual core now, it's still going the same speed -_-.


The blue lines are when you disable the boot GUI.

The single white blinking line is when your PC is finding the OS.

The multiple white lines is when you configured your system with the GPT guide and the Windows boot manager is searching for the proper partition to boot from.


----------



## bryce

Ah. BTW, why does it have a green bar for the boot logo instead of the Windows 7 logo? Is that because I have a Upgrade edition of it or what?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Ah. BTW, why does it have a green bar for the boot logo instead of the Windows 7 logo? Is that because I have a Upgrade edition of it or what?


Maybe. After the install does it still have the green bar? Or the laminating Windows symbol?


----------



## bryce

Still has the green bar after installing. Not that big of a deal, but be nice to know why it puts that one instead of the win7 logo.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Now I just need to figure out why there's a blinking white underscore before it boots and not the full logo like I have it set to show =/.
> 
> My last install on this SSD ended up with there being a weird line of like blue dotted stuff at the top before it would boot. Hope it's not like that this time.
> 
> And it seems like expanding windows files should go a lot fast that I have an i5 instead of a dual core now, it's still going the same speed -_-.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Ah. BTW, why does it have a green bar for the boot logo instead of the Windows 7 logo? Is that because I have a Upgrade edition of it or what?
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe. After the install does it still have the green bar? Or the laminating Windows symbol?
Click to expand...

I like that "Laminating Windows Logo"...

Expanding files during install does a lot more than what you see in the progress bar. The installer at that point is also looking at your system hardware. If you listen closely, you'll hear your DVD drive "click/read" small files during the process. The DVD drive slows this process, so it is not solely dependant on your CPU.


----------



## liltony817

I'm saving files directly to the HDD, but they are not taking up any space. After installing the OS onto the SSD, I reconnected the hard drive and reformatted it. Maybe something went wrong between those two steps?


----------



## tiger187126

just wanted to throw my crucial m4 64gb's benchmark up here. i have no idea what's good or bad as far a benchmarks go, but if it's bad feel free to chime in and let me know what i can do to make it better.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *liltony817*
> 
> I'm saving files directly to the HDD, but they are not taking up any space. After installing the OS onto the SSD, I reconnected the hard drive and reformatted it. Maybe something went wrong between those two steps?


No idea what the issue is.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tiger187126*
> 
> just wanted to throw my crucial m4 64gb's benchmark up here. i have no idea what's good or bad as far a benchmarks go, but if it's bad feel free to chime in and let me know what i can do to make it better.


What port do you have the drive plugged into? If it is in the Marvell port then I see why there is a cap on the speed. If it is in the Intel Port install this: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/20624/eng/iata_enu_10.8.0.1003.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=20624&ProductID=2101&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology


----------



## tiger187126

i'm pretty sure the 6gb/s ports on my sabertooth are marvell controllers, if that's the correct way to put it.

i'm downloading a bunch of crap so i can't get on the manual now to look it up, but is there something i can change, and if so would it give a noticeable real life improvement or are me more in the range of benchmark improvement.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tiger187126*
> 
> i'm pretty sure the 6gb/s ports on my sabertooth are marvell controllers, if that's the correct way to put it.
> 
> i'm downloading a bunch of crap so i can't get on the manual now to look it up, but is there something i can change, and if so would it give a noticeable real life improvement or are me more in the range of benchmark improvement.


I would put it on the Intel SATA 2 port and disable the Marvell Ports in the BIOS.


----------



## tiger187126

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I would put it on the Intel SATA 2 port and disable the Marvell Ports in the BIOS.




moved the ports and disabled marvell and this is what we're looking at.


----------



## Maynard46

i am looking to make an image of my windows SSD drive. at this point it looks like when i make an image that it will also backup the entire drive. I am not interested in backing up the entire drive. Its 63gb....i have the space, but i just really want to backup windows 7.

i think i might be SOL at this point, because i did not make a OS partiton....so that poses the question.

When i do a clean install of windows on my SSD and finish your guide, is it safe/ok/advisable to make a partition just for windows? then use the remaining space on the SSD for programs?
If yes, is it even possible to shrink a voume for W7 at this point?

Sean, would you just recommend making a image/backup that is the current size (63gb)...again, i do have more than enough space


----------



## SteveYzerman19

I'm getting a new crucial M4 this week, been reading your guide a couple times to get ready. Looks really simple with the way you explain it







. I am wondering though before I install windows on the ssd, do i need to reformat my original HDD? Or can I do this after plugging it back in. Thanks!


----------



## ScribbyDaGreat

Hey Sean - great write up. Love the install guide - thanks so much for us SSD wannabes! +rep


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Maynard46*
> 
> i am looking to make an image of my windows SSD drive. at this point it looks like when i make an image that it will also backup the entire drive. I am not interested in backing up the entire drive. Its 63gb....i have the space, but i just really want to backup windows 7.
> 
> i think i might be SOL at this point, because i did not make a OS partiton....so that poses the question.
> 
> When i do a clean install of windows on my SSD and finish your guide, is it safe/ok/advisable to make a partition just for windows? then use the remaining space on the SSD for programs?
> If yes, is it even possible to shrink a voume for W7 at this point?
> 
> Sean, would you just recommend making a image/backup that is the current size (63gb)...again, i do have more than enough space


move any games or personal files off the OS partition/drive and make the image then. If not what's the big deal about a 63GB image? It may actually end up smaller due to the OS having the ability to be compressed in the back up.

You can make as many partitions as you like for what ever reason. But on a SSD it is best to just leave it a single partition since you gain nothing from partitioning on a SSD.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SteveYzerman19*
> 
> I'm getting a new crucial M4 this week, been reading your guide a couple times to get ready. Looks really simple with the way you explain it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . I am wondering though before I install windows on the ssd, do i need to reformat my original HDD? Or can I do this after plugging it back in. Thanks!


You don't need to reformat the original HDD, but you may want to delete the System reserve partition on it after you plug it back in. Then shrink the old system partition, make a new one and move everything to it and delete the old system partition after that is done.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ScribbyDaGreat*
> 
> Hey Sean - great write up. Love the install guide - thanks so much for us SSD wannabes! +rep


No problem.


----------



## Divey

Just a quick question, wanted to know if I should secure erase or just reformat during install?
Thanks

Terry


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Divey*
> 
> Just a quick question, wanted to know if I should secure erase or just reformat during install?
> Thanks
> 
> Terry


Just do a quick format will do.


----------



## Divey

Thank you for the fast reply +Rep.

So no loss in performance or anything and it will be back to out of the box format. I followed your guide when I originally installed windows so I assuming I will do the same. Also one thing that got me was when I booted up, I would see some dotted lines at the left top corner then it would boot into windows. No windows boot logo.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Divey*
> 
> Thank you for the fast reply +Rep.
> 
> So no loss in performance or anything and it will be back to out of the box format. I followed your guide when I originally installed windows so I assuming I will do the same. Also one thing that got me was when I booted up, I would see some dotted lines at the left top corner then it would boot into windows. No windows boot logo.


It should be about the same as stock if you are reinstalling from windows 7 b/c trim and GC do a good job. You can do a secure erase of you want tho, but it may not do anything really unless you have a loss in performance atm.

The multiple white lines is when you configured your system with the GPT guide and the Windows boot manager is searching for the proper partition to boot from. And the logo doesn't show maybe b/c you disabled it in msconfig like i had done myself?


----------



## Divey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It should be about the same as stock if you are reinstalling from windows 7 b/c trim and GC do a good job. You can do a secure erase of you want tho, but it may not do anything really unless you have a loss in performance atm.
> The multiple white lines is when you configured your system with the GPT guide and the Windows boot manager is searching for the proper partition to boot from. And the logo doesn't show maybe b/c you disabled it in msconfig like i had done myself?


The drive is less than 2months old so I won't go the s/e route. So that's why the lines are there. I can't even remember which way I went when I did it. I will be doing this tonight so I hope your a night owl cause I am. Thanks again.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Divey*
> 
> The drive is less than 2months old so I won't go the s/e route. So that's why the lines are there. I can't even remember which way I went when I did it. I will be doing this tonight so I hope your a night owl cause I am. Thanks again.


I may be up, depends how tired I get lol, I was up till 4 am last night XD. It is almost 7 pm now.


----------



## pauloz1890

Hi Sean, may I just say thanks for the guide...it really helped me out with my new SSD







It was very clear and helpful!

If you read my earlier post please ignore...haha totally wrong thread. I got your name confused with someone else. Again good guide =) I was talking about this guide:
http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization


----------



## StormX2

I think im getting stupid in my old age, because i have read through this guide a few times, Gonna have to get my wife on this one

Got my 128GB Crucial M4 today, unfortunately I will be running it off my ICH10R at Sata 2 Speeds.

i was wondering if there might be any Specific things to do for my Board Specifically and My Situation.

Would anyone who might have the knowledge of this and my Platform be able to talk with me about this?

Appreciated


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pauloz1890*
> 
> Hi Sean, may I just say thanks for the guide...it really helped me out with my new SSD
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was very clear and helpful!
> 
> If you read my earlier post please ignore...haha totally wrong thread. I got your name confused with someone else. Again good guide =) I was talking about this guide:
> http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization


Oh yea, I was going to say that is just like that thread, but audit mode is a way better way to do it. Going through all that hassle that the other thread goes through to do the same thing is such a waste. I've done it 2 times and it didn't work out right for me the way he has it set up. lol









Also, he has not been active on the forum for quite a while so I do not think you will get a reply from him.

Did you happen to get that from here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/124198-user-profiles-create-move-during-windows-7-installation.html
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> I think im getting stupid in my old age, because i have read through this guide a few times, Gonna have to get my wife on this one
> 
> Got my 128GB Crucial M4 today, unfortunately I will be running it off my ICH10R at Sata 2 Speeds.
> 
> i was wondering if there might be any Specific things to do for my Board Specifically and My Situation.
> 
> Would anyone who might have the knowledge of this and my Platform be able to talk with me about this?
> 
> Appreciated


i replied in your thread.


----------



## StormX2

am i able to do the Firmware Update on the M4 with a flash drive?

If so how do i go about that


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> am i able to do the Firmware Update on the M4 with a flash drive?
> 
> If so how do i go about that



Run the downloaded this .exe: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
Select "Try Unlisted Linux ISO (New Syslinux)
Browse to your Crucial SSD .ISO-file
Select your USB drive
If your USB drive is not formatted (Fat32) check the box
Click "Create"
Click "Ok"
Reboot
Start from USB drive
Follow instructions


----------



## snoogins

Oh snap Sean, after spending a few hours reading and re-reading over your work I have decided that I need to purchase a Crucial M4. Not only that, but now I have a reason to reload Windows on my HTPC, and spend just as much time while setting up my main machine.

+rep, thank you!


----------



## jaywar

Sean, quick question, I have my M4's in raid 0, but I am having a problem with IRST, every-time I install it and restart, Windows says I don't have it installed, what am I doing wrong??


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *snoogins*
> 
> Oh snap Sean, after spending a few hours reading and re-reading over your work I have decided that I need to purchase a Crucial M4. Not only that, but now I have a reason to reload Windows on my HTPC, and spend just as much time while setting up my main machine.
> 
> +rep, thank you!










Awesome.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jaywar*
> 
> Sean, quick question, I have my M4's in raid 0, but I am having a problem with IRST, every-time I install it and restart, Windows says I don't have it installed, what am I doing wrong??


Really? Can you post a screenshot of AS SSD?


----------



## daytona

PLSSS help!!! so i went by this video i wanted to do fresh install on curcial m4 



 from 33sec to 1:12 or so and then i stop cuz i forgot to cut off my external hdd and now is Unallocated!!!! how to bring it back pls i have there all my data!! is WD book 3.0


----------



## jaywar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Awesome.
> Really? Can you post a screenshot of AS SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jaywar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Awesome.
> Really? Can you post a screenshot of AS SSD?
Click to expand...

Well it is installed, so I don't get what windows is telling you. :/

The iaStor means that the Intel SATA drivers are installed.


----------



## jaywar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Well it is installed, so I don't get what windows is telling you. :/
> The iaStor means that the Intel SATA drivers are installed.


Hmmm well that's good to know then; I'll just disregard it. Also, is there anything I should do to help my M4's last longer without trim?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daytona*
> 
> PLSSS help!!! so i went by this video i wanted to do fresh install on curcial m4
> 
> 
> 
> from 33sec to 1:12 or so and then i stop cuz i forgot to cut off my external hdd and now is Unallocated!!!! how to bring it back pls i have there all my data!! is WD book 3.0


Try test disk: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jaywar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Well it is installed, so I don't get what windows is telling you. :/
> The iaStor means that the Intel SATA drivers are installed.
> 
> 
> 
> Hmmm well that's good to know then; I'll just disregard it. Also, is there anything I should do to help my M4's last longer without trim?
Click to expand...

Just let it idle over night once a week maybe? IDK if it will really do much lol. Just to make sure garbage collection is run.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jaywar*
> 
> Sean, quick question, I have my M4's in raid 0, but I am having a problem with IRST, every-time I install it and restart, Windows says I don't have it installed, what am I doing wrong??


Windows telling you it's not installed, or it did not install correctly? Based on your screenie, the driver installed, so I suspect the problem windows is complaining about is starting the GUI for IRST. You did install as an administrator? Right clicking on .exe file and selecting "run as administrator"?

The M4s in RAID will do a pretty good job with GC, so you shouldn't need to worry about a loss of performance. Just let the OS go into an "idle" once in a while... ie... when you are done using the PC, rather than shut it down immediately, walk away for an hour or so, and then come back and shut it down. Leaving it run overnight is only necessary if you use the PC all the time, and never let it get to idle. Letting the drives get into their GC routine daily does a better job, and takes less time.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Windows telling you it's not installed, or it did not install correctly? Based on your screenie, the driver installed, so I suspect the problem windows is complaining about is starting the GUI for IRST. You did install as an administrator? Right clicking on .exe file and selecting "run as administrator"?
> The M4s in RAID will do a pretty good job with GC, so you shouldn't need to worry about a loss of performance. Just let the OS go into an "idle" once in a while... ie... when you are done using the PC, rather than shut it down immediately, walk away for an hour or so, and then come back and shut it down. Leaving it run overnight is only necessary if you use the PC all the time, and never let it get to idle. Letting the drives get into their GC routine daily does a better job, and takes less time.


Does GC only kick in if the computer is IDLE AND LOGGED OUT?


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Windows telling you it's not installed, or it did not install correctly? Based on your screenie, the driver installed, so I suspect the problem windows is complaining about is starting the GUI for IRST. You did install as an administrator? Right clicking on .exe file and selecting "run as administrator"?
> The M4s in RAID will do a pretty good job with GC, so you shouldn't need to worry about a loss of performance. Just let the OS go into an "idle" once in a while... ie... when you are done using the PC, rather than shut it down immediately, walk away for an hour or so, and then come back and shut it down. Leaving it run overnight is only necessary if you use the PC all the time, and never let it get to idle. Letting the drives get into their GC routine daily does a better job, and takes less time.
> 
> 
> 
> Does GC only kick in if the computer is IDLE AND LOGGED OUT?
Click to expand...

Most SSD firmware is coded to kick GC in as the drive nears idle. The firmware of the drive monitors the drive activity, and starts the GC routine as the drive nears it's idle "set point" (which is coded to the firmware). If drive activity picks up beyond this set point, the GC routine will stop so that the GC routine does not interfere (slow down) OS/user request for data from the drive(s).

The user does not need to be logged out for GC to run. The GC routine does not know if a user is logged on or not, it only monitors drive activity. Why many suggest that a user be logged off, is that often when in a User account, background programs/activity that are only active while logged in, can cause a hugh delay in the initiation of the GC routine, cause it to stop and restart numerous times, or in severe cases, never let it start in the first place (although this is rare).


----------



## StormX2

So last night ended up having company so I decided to start getting a few flash Drives ready, a few items and drivers etc since I will be doing a fresh OS install and re-install of my games etc.

So I ended up downloaded that program to put bootable linux or whatever on a flash drive, luckily had a simple 256 MB Wrist Band Flash Drive I got long ago.
Latest Bios update for mobo,

what else do i need?

BIOS Update
M4 Firmware
NvVidia Driver of Choice, (i think 197.**, since I dont care for new drivers since they bloat out old GPU's and make them slower)

3.Enable AHCI SATA mode in the UEFI/BIOS. Use RAID if you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT. (AKA: SSD caching, guide below)

I dont know what Im doing =( Do I want this SRT?

the guide says to make a Win 7 Bootable flash drive, I dont actually have access to a big neough drive so the disc is fine yes?

What do I actually6 need lol


----------



## StormX2

Oh No! I just realized I dont have any Drive Bay Adapters, I wont be able to put the SSD in a comfy Bay =(

Sad Sad


----------



## daytona

[quote name="Sean Webster" url="/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/2040#post_16466810"] Try test disk: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk Ok I did it I am running it now and I let it go from morning its analyzing what going after that?will I be able to save all my data?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> So last night ended up having company so I decided to start getting a few flash Drives ready, a few items and drivers etc since I will be doing a fresh OS install and re-install of my games etc.
> 
> So I ended up downloaded that program to put bootable linux or whatever on a flash drive, luckily had a simple 256 MB Wrist Band Flash Drive I got long ago.
> Latest Bios update for mobo,
> 
> what else do i need?
> 
> BIOS Update
> M4 Firmware
> NvVidia Driver of Choice, (i think 197.**, since I dont care for new drivers since they bloat out old GPU's and make them slower)


....i have a whole freaking check list on the first post.








Quote:


> 3.Enable AHCI SATA mode in the UEFI/BIOS. Use RAID if you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT. (AKA: SSD caching, guide below)
> 
> I dont know what Im doing =( Do I want this SRT?


Use AHCI you are not using the SSD as a cache device to the HDD.
Quote:


> the guide says to make a Win 7 Bootable flash drive, I dont actually have access to a big neough drive so the disc is fine yes?
> 
> What do I actually6 need lol


Use whatever you feel to, if you have dvds use a dvd.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> Oh No! I just realized I dont have any Drive Bay Adapters, I wont be able to put the SSD in a comfy Bay =(
> 
> Sad Sad


you don't need one
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daytona*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Try test disk: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk
> 
> 
> 
> Ok I did it I am running it now and I let it go from morning its analyzing what going after that?will I be able to save all my data?
Click to expand...

yea, read over some of the documentation for it. It will rebuild the file system.


----------



## mrw1986

Hello,

I just ordered a Plextor PX-256M3 and it came in today. My question is this:

I have 5 hard drives right now, 2 of which are in RAID0 and are my boot drive. Can I unplug all 5 drives, follow your guide and install Windows 7, plug them all back in, and then boot back to my RAID0 drives while keeping the SSD plugged in? Basically, I want to get the install of Windows out of the way on the SSD and do the tweaking for it when I have more time, meanwhile I'll be using my old Windows install on my hard drives. I know you can do this with hard drives, I just want to be sure it won't change anything with the SSD...

Thanks,
Matt


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mrw1986*
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I just ordered a Plextor PX-256M3 and it came in today. My question is this:
> 
> I have 5 hard drives right now, 2 of which are in RAID0 and are my boot drive. Can I unplug all 5 drives, follow your guide and install Windows 7, plug them all back in, and then boot back to my RAID0 drives while keeping the SSD plugged in? Basically, I want to get the install of Windows out of the way on the SSD and do the tweaking for it when I have more time, meanwhile I'll be using my old Windows install on my hard drives. I know you can do this with hard drives, I just want to be sure it won't change anything with the SSD...
> 
> Thanks,
> Matt


The SSD will not make any difference over the conventional HDDs. If you can do that with a HDD the SSD will be able to do the same. Also, use the MBR install guide if you decide to do the alignment with diskpart as well.


----------



## mrw1986

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> The SSD will not make any difference over the conventional HDDs. If you can do that with a HDD the SSD will be able to do the same. Also, use the MBR install guide if you decide to do the alignment with diskpart as well.


I was actually interested in doing a GPT. Is that still possible?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mrw1986*
> 
> I was actually interested in doing a GPT. Is that still possible?


Yea, it is just really meant to do for 2.2+ size bootable OS partitions, it boots like a second or two slower, and limited on system image backup support since the majority of systems have their drives MBR formatted. lol Up to you. I and switching back to MBR on my next re-install.


----------



## SteveYzerman19

Hey sean I followed your guide, but now I can't put in my windows product key. When I booted from the CD to install it wouldn't work so I left it blank. After windows was installed tried to put it in and it said not valid, but then I formatted my storage 1 TB (Old primary) tried it again, then it said "The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key: Code 0xC004F061 Description: The software licensing service determined that this specified product key can only be used for upgrading, not for clean installations." Did I do something wrong?


----------



## daytona

Hi, Sean i finally figured out i am gonna buy extra hdd 1TB so i can recover all my data from external hdd but i have a question about my configuration can i add another 1tb hdd to current crucial m4 128gb, 320gb WD and it would be new 1 tb HDD???
which one is better WD black caviar or Seagate Baracuda?
i went by ur tutorial 



 and i set it up crucial m4 128 like u said in video it can be like that???
thank you!!!


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SteveYzerman19*
> 
> Hey sean I followed your guide, but now I can't put in my windows product key. When I booted from the CD to install it wouldn't work so I left it blank. After windows was installed tried to put it in and it said not valid, but then I formatted my storage 1 TB (Old primary) tried it again, then it said "The following failure occurred while trying to use the product key: Code 0xC004F061 Description: The software licensing service determined that this specified product key can only be used for upgrading, not for clean installations." Did I do something wrong?


http://www.overclock.net/t/596259/guide-installing-downloadable-windows-7-upgrade/0_40


----------



## jrbroad77

Perhaps this warrants it's own thread, but what is the logic behind saving the RAMDisk image to the SSD? To preface, I don't save an image to my SSD or anything else - it just wipes when I restart. I'm curious because I plan on moving my Temp folder to a RAMDisk. Currently I'm just using the RAMDisk for FF/IE/Chrome temp files, and miscellaneous stuff like exe files to install etc. And currently my Temp folder is on a 16GB SD card that's almost-always in my laptop (almost being the crucial point - I occasionally swap it out, therein lies the problem :/ ).

Side-question, but basically I've installed all of the large programs I'll use to my SSD, still have about 25% free space left, Temp folder is maybe 600MB. Would it kill anything to just keep it on the SSD outright after I weed out un-needed install files? I don't think it'll get hammered much, and realistically I write maybe 10MB to the SSD daily as it is.

Last side-side question, any opinions on the C:\Windows\Installer folder? Currently on the SSD, not even sure if it can/should be moved. And is it safe to just delete it all? I personally have a thing against all the stupid leftovers from installing, like to keep it cleared off if possible. Ideally I'd move that folder to a RAMDisk if possible and just have it get wiped out on restart.


----------



## okaythen

I want to update the firmware in the SSD....can I use update it in non AHCI mode, in another hdds OS...then after I updated it switch to AHCI mode and install OS in it? is that ok?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daytona*
> 
> Hi, Sean i finally figured out i am gonna buy extra hdd 1TB so i can recover all my data from external hdd but i have a question about my configuration can i add another 1tb hdd to current crucial m4 128gb, 320gb WD and it would be new 1 tb HDD???
> which one is better WD black caviar or Seagate Baracuda?
> i went by ur tutorial
> 
> 
> 
> and i set it up crucial m4 128 like u said in video it can be like that???
> thank you!!!


Wait, what is the question? You want to add a new HDD but you want to know how to set it up and if it would be compatible?

Get a caviar black and to set it up just go into disk management and initialize and format it when you get it. I have a guide on that in my third post.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jrbroad77*
> 
> Perhaps this warrants it's own thread, but what is the logic behind saving the RAMDisk image to the SSD? To preface, I don't save an image to my SSD or anything else - it just wipes when I restart. I'm curious because I plan on moving my Temp folder to a RAMDisk. Currently I'm just using the RAMDisk for FF/IE/Chrome temp files, and miscellaneous stuff like exe files to install etc. And currently my Temp folder is on a 16GB SD card that's almost-always in my laptop (almost being the crucial point - I occasionally swap it out, therein lies the problem :/ ).


You can save it delete it, whatever you want to do for your system. I use mine for my photo editing cache folder for Lightroom 3 and it speeds up all my editing so I save the image to my HDD and have it restored upon boot so i can keep that cache. Using it as a internet cache is not really worth it to me especially since I can use it for so much more.
Quote:


> Side-question, but basically I've installed all of the large programs I'll use to my SSD, still have about 25% free space left, Temp folder is maybe 600MB. Would it kill anything to just keep it on the SSD outright after I weed out un-needed install files? I don't think it'll get hammered much, and realistically I write maybe 10MB to the SSD daily as it is.


Why would it matter where it is? Set it to where you want your temp folder to be for those programs.
Quote:


> Last side-side question, any opinions on the C:\Windows\Installer folder? Currently on the SSD, not even sure if it can/should be moved. And is it safe to just delete it all? I personally have a thing against all the stupid leftovers from installing, like to keep it cleared off if possible. Ideally I'd move that folder to a RAMDisk if possible and just have it get wiped out on restart.


I have no idea if you can move it. But you should not delete anything in there.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2667628
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *okaythen*
> 
> I want to update the firmware in the SSD....can I use update it in non AHCI mode, in another hdds OS...then after I updated it switch to AHCI mode and install OS in it? is that ok?


There are update notes for your SSD from the manufacturer, it will tell you what to do.

Can you clarify your questions? You can install in AHCI or IDE or how ever you want and switch from one to the other after install. You just need to do a simple regedit first.


----------



## Slappy Mcgee

Sean - I just wanted to thank you again for this thread. I will get a chance to use it this weekend with my first SSD


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Slappy Mcgee*
> 
> Sean - I just wanted to thank you again for this thread. I will get a chance to use it this weekend with my first SSD


No problem, good luck


----------



## Zyphur

First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this. This helped me immensly.

I went through and did everything perfectly minus 1 thing, the only thing that I think I made a mistake on was changing the file locations.
All of them changed successfully except for my Picture folder, and when trying to fix it I made it worse.
I can no longer change the location of my Pictures folder.

How can I fix this? It is the only thing that didn't work perfectly.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zyphur*
> 
> First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this. This helped me immensly.
> 
> I went through and did everything perfectly minus 1 thing, the only thing that I think I made a mistake on was changing the file locations.
> All of them changed successfully except for my Picture folder, and when trying to fix it I made it worse.
> I can no longer change the location of my Pictures folder.
> 
> How can I fix this? It is the only thing that didn't work perfectly.


What did you do? 0.o


----------



## Zyphur

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What did you do? 0.o


Pretty sure I hit no instead of yes. Actually...I have no idea.
It's the only folder I can't get to work.


----------



## Sean Webster

This may help: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html


----------



## Zyphur

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This may help: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html


I love you.


----------



## pfunkmort

This might be an odd question. But I just booted on a system I built, and the first step after updating the BIOS was to update the firmware on my new Samsung 830. But when I tried to do it, the drive timed out during the firmware update. I feel like if there were something really wrong it wouldn't even recognize my drive, but it does. Anyone have any ideas?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pfunkmort*
> 
> This might be an odd question. But I just booted on a system I built, and the first step after updating the BIOS was to update the firmware on my new Samsung 830. But when I tried to do it, the drive timed out during the firmware update. I feel like if there were something really wrong it wouldn't even recognize my drive, but it does. Anyone have any ideas?


Sorry, I have no idea.


----------



## pfunkmort

It was the first thing I did turning on the system. I think I'm just going to install windows on my HDD and try a windows update of the drive. I'm not sure how great this USB drive I'm using is, so it COULD be that.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pfunkmort*
> 
> It was the first thing I did turning on the system. I think I'm just going to install windows on my HDD and try a windows update of the drive. I'm not sure how great this USB drive I'm using is, so it COULD be that.


make sure it is in teh USB 2 port and no the USB 3.


----------



## pfunkmort

I DID have it in the USB 3 port, but putting it in the USB 2 port didn't end up working. I'm just going to try from windows. Unfortunately, installing a windows install on an HDD takes like half an hour. I'll tell you then if it worked.


----------



## daytona

ok so they dont have caviar so i will wait,,,
i went by ur tutorial 



 and i set it up crucial m4 128 like u said in video it can be like that???to be set same way on this SSD?
thank you!!!


----------



## pfunkmort

I'm sure this is all incredibly irrelevant, but just in case anyone has the same issue of being unable to get a USB boot drive recognized to update the Samsung 830 drivers, using the windows driver option DID work. So, it wasn't the USB plug, it wasn't the USB drive, and it wasn't the SSD. I think maybe the firmware updater is still a little buggy or I have some option in my bios set that's making it time out during the f/w update (ACHI, marvel controller disabled).

SW, +rep for the attempted assistance though. Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daytona*
> 
> ok so they dont have caviar so i will wait,,,
> i went by ur tutorial
> 
> 
> 
> and i set it up crucial m4 128 like u said in video it can be like that???to be set same way on this SSD?
> thank you!!!


when you get the caviar black go to disk management and simply initialize and format it, you can follow that video guide as well, but the disk management option is simpler and faster lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pfunkmort*
> 
> I'm sure this is all incredibly irrelevant, but just in case anyone has the same issue of being unable to get a USB boot drive recognized to update the Samsung 830 drivers, using the windows driver option DID work. So, it wasn't the USB plug, it wasn't the USB drive, and it wasn't the SSD. I think maybe the firmware updater is still a little buggy or I have some option in my bios set that's making it time out during the f/w update (ACHI, marvel controller disabled).
> 
> SW, +rep for the attempted assistance though. Thanks.


I should have thought to tell you that b/c in the last week that is the main thing I have been doing for people to update their firmware







in the device manager you can simply set the PC to have the default SATA driver run upon next restart, it saved a few drives and DVD drive from being RMA'd lol.


----------



## rdfloyd

So I've followed the guide up to just after installation. Everything is going smoothly, and I am installing my video driver so I can use all of my screen. All I have to say is that this m4 is FAST. Everything happens instantly. Thanks for the tutorial, Sean!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rdfloyd*
> 
> So I've followed the guide up to just after installation. Everything is going smoothly, and I am installing my video driver so I can use all of my screen. All I have to say is that this m4 is FAST. Everything happens instantly. Thanks for the tutorial, Sean!


No problem


----------



## Tardious

Which socket do i plug my intel SSD into please  thanking you.


----------



## rdfloyd

I'm guessing that these two SSD tests are good?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tardious*
> 
> Which socket do i plug my intel SSD into please  thanking you.


Any of the blue ones.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rdfloyd*
> 
> I'm guessing that these two SSD tests are good?


yep, you're good


----------



## Tardious

Thanks alot +'d !


----------



## shnur

I got RAID working


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shnur*
> 
> I got RAID working


haha, I replied in the Crucial club...what was the issue?


----------



## shnur

Replied in the Crucial club


----------



## jfuze

Well since I couldnt find a definitive answer as to whether the Crucial M4 or Plextor M3 was faster, I went with the Crucial M4 for $140. Did a pricematch on Staples and used the 30 off 150 coupon.

Excited to get my first SSD!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jfuze*
> 
> Well since I couldnt find a definitive answer as to whether the Crucial M4 or Plextor M3 was faster, I went with the Crucial M4 for $140. Did a pricematch on Staples and used the 30 off 150 coupon.
> 
> Excited to get my first SSD!


Awesome! They are about the same. Definitely a good choice going with the cheapest you could find!


----------



## EVILNOK

I just got my parts and got my SSD installed. I installed windows and have been following the guide. I just noticed in UEFI in the boot order my SSD isn't listed. It has boot option #1 P3 ASUS DVD and P1 another hdd. THen option #2 says P3 ASUS DVD P1 another HDD Those are in advanced. in EZ Mode under boot menu it has P3 and P5 listed as my DVD drives, P1 and P4 listed as my 2 HDDs and P2 listed as my SSD. When I select P2 it restarts. But if I go into UEFI again it still looks like my DVD is listed as the boot driveOn top of that my 1TB HDD doesn't show up in Windows, only my SSD and 250GB HDD. Any ideas?

BTW its in AHCI mode and the SSD and 1TB HDD are plugged into the 6GB SATS ports, the 250GB HDD is plugged into the 3GB SATA port.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EVILNOK*
> 
> I just got my parts and got my SSD installed. I installed windows and have been following the guide. I just noticed in UEFI in the boot order my SSD isn't listed. It has boot option #1 P3 ASUS DVD and P1 another hdd. THen option #2 says P3 ASUS DVD P1 another HDD Those are in advanced. in EZ Mode under boot menu it has P3 and P5 listed as my DVD drives, P1 and P4 listed as my 2 HDDs and P2 listed as my SSD. When I select P2 it restarts. But if I go into UEFI again it still looks like my DVD is listed as the boot driveOn top of that my 1TB HDD doesn't show up in Windows, only my SSD and 250GB HDD. Any ideas?


Try adjusting it...UEFI update?


----------



## EVILNOK

I've done a firmware update to the SSD, updated motherboard drivers and SATA drivers and a BIOS update to the motherboard. All I have ever done as HDDs go is set up 1 simple HDD in my previous systems so this is all kind of new to me. Sorry for the noobishness. I don't really know what else to adjust.


----------



## Sean Webster

Try adjusting the boot priorities order. I had my SSD as a secondary option before and I simply disabled others and set the SSD as the top option.

I blame AMD for any and all issues you experience.


----------



## EVILNOK

OK I got the SSD showing as the boot drive now. I didn't noticed it had 1 boot order section for optical drives and a seperate 1 for HDD/SSD. But I still can't get my 1TB drive to show up in Windows. I tried moving the SATA cable from the 6GB port to the 3GB port but it still isn't showing up. Any ideas on that? I also tried changing out the SATA cable on the 1TB HDD but it still doesn't show up in Windows. It is however an option to choose in the UEFI BIOS.


----------



## Sean Webster

Not really. Maybe if you have any marvell ports you can disable them in the bios and then it may show?


----------



## EVILNOK

When I right click computer, manage, disk management it shows my 1TB drive there but says unallocated? I'm not sure what a MARVELL port is but I don't see that anywhere in the UEFI?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EVILNOK*
> 
> When I right click computer, manage, disk management it shows my 1TB drive there but says unallocated? I'm not sure what a MARVELL port is but I don't see that anywhere in the UEFI?


Well if it is a new drive simply format it right now to use it. I have no idea why it does not show up in the BIOS.


----------



## XeoNoX

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jfuze*
> 
> Well since I couldnt find a definitive answer as to whether the Crucial M4 or Plextor M3 was faster, I went with the Crucial M4 for $140. Did a pricematch on Staples and used the 30 off 150 coupon.
> Excited to get my first SSD!


That sounds like a slick deal! welcome to the club, i like the m4 personally over the plextor.


----------



## EVILNOK

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Well if it is a new drive simply format it right now to use it. I have no idea why it does not show up in the BIOS.










Earlier today my packages from UPS containing my Intel i5 2500k, G skill ram and CPU cooler showed up as being delivered but not to me. After filing claims and obtaining another CPU/ram elsewhere about 9PM this evening a woman called and said she had my packages. Luckily they hadn't been opened and she got them to me. So then I had to cancel my claims and orders for replacement CPU/RAM. I guess with everything thats been going on today I got in a hurry and overlooked 1 of the simplest things.Thanks for all the help.


----------



## chropose

The board gigabyte z68 and p67 chipset dont have uefi, so can they "Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format"?


----------



## tmaven

Great guide. SDD comming! my 3year old raptor died


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chropose*
> 
> The board gigabyte z68 and p67 chipset dont have uefi, so can they "Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format"?


Gigabyte P67 and z68 are in fact UEFI. they call it a "hybrid" BIOS, but it is in fact UEFI.


----------



## StormX2

So my Company Decided to Install a 60 GB OCZ SSD in my Work machine - so of course I decided MUST RUN BENCHMARK!!! See how it stack sup against my beautiful 128GB Crucial M4

Well I dont think its a proper comparison, because My wife went through Seans guide and optimized my windows, I was feeling lethargic and too stupid to read thorugh it lol

So what did they forget to do lol - It appears that they forgot something, i just do not knwo what

Can you figure out from this?

Business PC is a Dell Optiplex 390 Slim PC, H61 Express Chipset

AS SSD Benchmark 1.6.4237.30508

Name: OCZ-VERTEX2 ATA Device
Firmware: 1.35
Controller: pciide - BAD <

Color is Red
Offset: 240975 K - BAD <

Also Red
Size: 55.90 GB
Date: 2/21/2012 10:31:39 AM

Sequential:

Read: 145.30 MB/s
Write: 65.24 MB/s

4K:

Read: 11.75 MB/s
Write: 8.06 MB/s

4K-64Threads:

Read: 14.90 MB/s
Write: 9.54 MB/s

Access Times:

Read: 0.295 ms
Write: 0.376 ms

Score:

Read: 41
Write: 24
Total: 88


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> So my Company Decided to Install a 60 GB OCZ SSD in my Work machine - so of course I decided MUST RUN BENCHMARK!!! See how it stack sup against my beautiful 128GB Crucial M4
> 
> Well I dont think its a proper comparison, because My wife went through Seans guide and optimized my windows, I was feeling lethargic and too stupid to read thorugh it lol
> 
> So what did they forget to do lol - It appears that they forgot something, i just do not knwo what
> 
> Can you figure out from this?
> 
> Business PC is a Dell Optiplex 390 Slim PC, H61 Express Chipset
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> AS SSD Benchmark 1.6.4237.30508
> 
> Name: OCZ-VERTEX2 ATA Device
> Firmware: 1.35
> Controller: pciide - BAD <
> 
> Color is Red
> Offset: 240975 K - BAD <
> 
> Also Red
> Size: 55.90 GB
> Date: 2/21/2012 10:31:39 AM
> 
> Sequential:
> 
> Read: 145.30 MB/s
> Write: 65.24 MB/s
> 
> 4K:
> 
> Read: 11.75 MB/s
> Write: 8.06 MB/s
> 
> 4K-64Threads:
> 
> Read: 14.90 MB/s
> Write: 9.54 MB/s
> 
> Access Times:
> 
> Read: 0.295 ms
> Write: 0.376 ms
> 
> Score:
> 
> Read: 41
> Write: 24
> Total: 88


The SATA mode is set to IDE mode and not AHCI, that is an easy fix tho, third post in my guide.










And the alignment is off, for that you will need to either re-install or use this: http://www.paragon-software.com/home/partition-alignment/


----------



## StormX2

I will check on the AHCI mode, but I cant reinstall because I have to run off a Clone of my old drive =(

How difficult is this Allignment item, straight forward or not so much =?

I ask because if it will be too much hassle, then I will not be able to do it sicne this is my work PC and I should be working haha


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> I will check on the AHCI mode, but I cant reinstall because I have to run off a Clone of my old drive =(
> 
> How difficult is this Allignment item, straight forward or not so much =?
> 
> I ask because if it will be too much hassle, then I will not be able to do it sicne this is my work PC and I should be working haha


I never used it, but others that have said it was easy and worked fine.


----------



## WonderMutt

Sean,

I just wanted to say thank you for the guide, I used it when I built my new 2600k rig and it worked like a charm! The thing is unbelievably fast with the 2600k at stock and the SSD. I'm installing a WC system sometime this week, I can't wait to see what this beast can really do!

Anyway, thanks for the guide, its very nicely done and easy to follow, you can tell you put a lot of time into it. Thanks, it is a great resource!!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WonderMutt*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> I just wanted to say thank you for the guide, I used it when I built my new 2600k rig and it worked like a charm! The thing is unbelievably fast with the 2600k at stock and the SSD. I'm installing a WC system sometime this week, I can't wait to see what this beast can really do!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the guide, its very nicely done and easy to follow, you can tell you put a lot of time into it. Thanks, it is a great resource!!!


No problem thanks for the complements.


----------



## StormX2

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I never used it, but others that have said it was easy and worked fine.


is it certainly suggested that i do this ? Will it degrade the SSD if not handled?

My IT Guys are good, but they personally dont care if our stuff dies or not, but if there is a possible Early SSD Death involved, Il get Management involved to do these sort of updates on each of the PC's with SSD's, which most of us do here


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I never used it, but others that have said it was easy and worked fine.
> 
> 
> 
> is it certainly suggested that i do this ? Will it degrade the SSD if not handled?
> 
> My IT Guys are good, but they personally dont care if our stuff dies or not, but if there is a possible Early SSD Death involved, Il get Management involved to do these sort of updates on each of the PC's with SSD's, which most of us do here
Click to expand...

It can impact performance for sure. As for degraded life I can not say for sure.


----------



## StormX2

ok if thats all then Im good, just my work PC, doesnt need to be that fast lol

But man does my PC at home smoke this one haha


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> ok if thats all then Im good, just my work PC, doesnt need to be that fast lol
> 
> But man does my PC at home smoke this one haha


lol, yea the M4 is a great fast drive. But that Vertex 2 is kinda like a horse with 2 legs with the bad alignment, I just looked at the #'s again LOL.


----------



## PappaSmurfsHarem

Am I missing something? I don't see the alignment portion of in the OP was it removed?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PappaSmurfsHarem*
> 
> Am I missing something? I don't see the alignment portion of in the OP was it removed?


You are missing it. It is on the second post at the top where it says

*Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:

Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:*


----------



## PappaSmurfsHarem

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You are missing it. It is on the second post at the top where it says
> *Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:
> Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:*


Ahhhh You is sneaky with those spoilers. Thanks!

*edit* and by that I mean I am blind.


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I never used it, but others that have said it was easy and worked fine.
> 
> 
> 
> is it certainly suggested that i do this ? Will it degrade the SSD if not handled?
> 
> My IT Guys are good, but they personally dont care if our stuff dies or not, but if there is a possible Early SSD Death involved, Il get Management involved to do these sort of updates on each of the PC's with SSD's, which most of us do here
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It can impact performance for sure. As for degraded life I can not say for sure.
Click to expand...

If it were mine... I would re-align.. well.. even if it wasn't mine







.

Misaligned SSDs write twice the information as they should to the drive, every time they attempt to write to a page that spans two erase blocks.

That's the reason for alignment in the first place. Alignment "aligns" the blocks, sectors and pages, so that the amounts of erases and rewrites is minimized. When a page spans blocks, and the controller attempts to write to that page, both blocks must be erased, and re-written.


----------



## StormX2

yah but, that software cost money, and Imnot paying a cent to allign an SSD I paid nothing for, and again, I cant just reinstall, I have to load off cloned image.

Just a bit more complicated here at work than at home, at home I dont give a damn, format away and do it again lol, SWTOR took short time to install hehe

and with the 50mbit line the patches went stupid fast and patch installs even ******edly faster

is there a way to allign this drive, without buying software, and without formating


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> yah but, that software cost money, and Imnot paying a cent to allign an SSD I paid nothing for, and again, I cant just reinstall, I have to load off cloned image.
> 
> Just a bit more complicated here at work than at home, at home I dont give a damn, format away and do it again lol, SWTOR took short time to install hehe
> 
> and with the 50mbit line the patches went stupid fast and patch installs even ******edly faster
> 
> is there a way to allign this drive, without buying software, and without formating


You can use Gparted, run from a live CD, to move your partition into alignment. just make sure you read the tutorial, as Gparted measures space in a strange way. Also, note that you must uncheck the box for "round for cylinders" when moving partitions on an SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Link to the tutorial for that? I looked it up before but couldn't find how to.


----------



## StormX2

hmmm sounds complicated lol

Apparently my team has the Paragon software you posted before Sean, but no one has used it before -=(

Dont know what I should do, if I just run it and see what happens or just leave it be

Also it seems this Dell Optiplex 390 doesnt have an option for AHCI under the bios!!

Very Strange Bios too, maybe UEFI?


----------



## Sean Webster

Idk about the pc, but if you can realign the drive's partition. That software should be simple...some old guy used it fine and he barely knew how to use a pc lol.


----------



## StormX2

ok ima try it now then hehe

wish me luck


----------



## Sean Webster

Good luck don't screw up ur pc.


----------



## Landon Heat

Hey Sean, I see the crucial m4 are on sale again today. I was wondering if I should pick another one up for raid0 since the m4 has good garbage collection and will stay in performance even w/ trim off. Or should I just wait for trim support in raid?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Landon Heat*
> 
> Hey Sean, I see the crucial m4 are on sale again today. I was wondering if I should pick another one up for raid0 since the m4 has good garbage collection and will stay in performance even w/ trim off. Or should I just wait for trim support in raid?


Grab one now if you like, TRIM isn't that much of a deifference normally GC should be good enough, just let teh PC idle every now and them.

TRIm support will be out soon anyways so I see no reason to not grab another.


----------



## StormX2

Oh Sean, I think i missed something, maybe this is a Bios Chipset thing but i cant remember which, but after a while it seems my PC practicly turns off, but comes right back on when you hit ESC.

I know this isnt the hibernate thing because my wife went through all of this guide,

If the OCmputer is doing this, is it not giving it time for this Garbage Control you keep talking about? I know nothing about it and dont know if it is running on my SSD or not


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *StormX2*
> 
> Oh Sean, I think i missed something, maybe this is a Bios Chipset thing but i cant remember which, but after a while it seems my PC practicly turns off, but comes right back on when you hit ESC.
> 
> I know this isnt the hibernate thing because my wife went through all of this guide,


o.0 I never heard of that, so you press escape and restart or log off or what?
Quote:


> If the OCmputer is doing this, is it not giving it time for this Garbage Control you keep talking about? I know nothing about it and dont know if it is running on my SSD or not


Have you read any of my SSD info thread? If not check the link in my sig.

Garbage collection will run when your system is @ or near idle. You can't really check if it is running. So whenever you leave the PC for say a half hour it will perform GC.


----------



## StormX2

so if this function where my computer is technically powered down, it actually logs me out of my user and all fans and stuff turn off, My PC Shows it is still on in the front, so if I hit esc is power on and pops up almos tinstantly. Really nifty, but I dont know how long it take for this mode to start, so maybe I should time it make sure the SSD is getting the idle time it needs, and if not, I will find out what on earth this ability is and turn it off, cus I actually kind of like it for now lol


----------



## Sean Webster

I honestly never heard of such a weird thing happening lol

Good luck on figuring out what it is.


----------



## [email protected]

I have a question when it comes to using SSD and video card drivers. Is it ok and safe to uninstall drivers off SSD like the regular way and reinstall new drivers? I just wanna be sure so nothing bad happens cuz this is my first SSD and i know already about SECURE wipe but we know that is only for formatting. I should be fine? I used to have 290.36 beta drivers and loved them. Using the WHQL drivers Nvidia released and i gotta say BF3 is a little weird but works fine. Aside from the screen flicker which i never have but i visited a different server than the one i frequently visit anyways. Could be just something else. Almost tempted to reformat just for the sake of it and start fresh.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I have a question when it comes to using SSD and video card drivers. Is it ok and safe to uninstall drivers off SSD like the regular way and reinstall new drivers? I just wanna be sure so nothing bad happens cuz this is my first SSD and i know already about SECURE wipe but we know that is only for formatting. I should be fine? I used to have 290.36 beta drivers and loved them. Using the WHQL drivers Nvidia released and i gotta say BF3 is a little weird but works fine. Aside from the screen flicker which i never have but i visited a different server than the one i frequently visit anyways. Could be just something else. Almost tempted to reformat just for the sake of it and start fresh.


SSD, HDD, same thing to the system...

Uninstall the old driver, then restart, then use driver sweeper to fully uninstall whatever was left over, then restart and install the new drivers.

http://phyxion.net/Driver-Sweeper/Driver-Sweeper/Version-3-2-0/


----------



## [email protected]

I already did used that but thanks for the input. I thought i would had to do something differently if it's a SSD. At least i know it's ok so far i did exactly what you already told me which i did BEFORE i knew anyways. Thanks for the advice anyways. But i do intend a reformat sometime sooner later. It's nice to have a new fresh install again but i am fine anyhow. I don't wanna risk Batman Arkham City reinstall DRM limits lol. I might be close to not being able to install.







Wow i forgot i have a DRM limit on Crysis 2. I wonder how many i have left lol.


----------



## legoman786

For some reason, I don't think I did this right. The far left is my RAID array in 0, and the other 2 are my single drives. Interestingly, the 320 was my old OS drive, which I'm in the process of cleaning up (minus OS, should I need it again).


----------



## xandypx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Link to the tutorial for that? I looked it up before but couldn't find how to.


http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance

steps sound crazy, but it works


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *legoman786*
> 
> For some reason, I don't think I did this right. The far left is my RAID array in 0, and the other 2 are my single drives. Interestingly, the 320 was my old OS drive, which I'm in the process of cleaning up (minus OS, should I need it again).


The drive may be being accessed?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Link to the tutorial for that? I looked it up before but couldn't find how to.
> 
> 
> 
> http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance
> 
> steps sound crazy, but it works
Click to expand...

Thanks


----------



## jaywar

Sean can you recommend any Raid Cards that scale well with 4+ Sata 3 SSD's? Like I would like to pick one up, but if it isn't significantly better than my raid 0 M4's I think I'll wait. Also do you know anything about Sata express coming out? I understand Sata 6Gb/s has pretty been maxed out on bandwidth.

Thanks much,
-Jaywar


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jaywar*
> 
> Sean can you recommend any Raid Cards that scale well with 4+ Sata 3 SSD's? Like I would like to pick one up, but if it isn't significantly better than my raid 0 M4's I think I'll wait. Also do you know anything about Sata express coming out? I understand Sata 6Gb/s has pretty been maxed out on bandwidth.
> 
> Thanks much,
> -Jaywar


Look up reviews of this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816118133

And this is a SAS one so you would need conversion cables I think: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816118130


----------



## DarthBaiter

Can the copies of the windows in the OP be used in Windows?

My 120gb Mushkin Callisto DX died







and I have to RMA it.

I didn't want to bother with SP1 d/l and update and opted to D/L the copies with SP1.
I burn the image to a DVD and I can't seem to launch it in windows, but seems to work when booted from the DVD. Is that normal?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DarthBaiter*
> 
> Can the copies of the windows in the OP be used in Windows?


What? In a virtual Machine?
Quote:


> My 120gb Mushkin Callisto DX died
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and I have to RMA it.


SandForce








Quote:


> I didn't want to bother with SP1 d/l and update and opted to D/L the copies with SP1.
> 
> I burn the image to a DVD and I can't seem to launch it in windows, but seems to work when booted from the DVD. Is that normal?


Why would you launch it in Windows? It should have no issue wither tho.


----------



## StormX2

sorry to hear about the mushkin, those guys will take good care of you

But, Im really not understanding your question

Your trying to boot a windows install disk while in windows?


----------



## DarthBaiter

I burned the image on to a DVD and wanted to see if it opens. When I auto launched it, I got this message...

*"E:\Sources\SPWIZENG.DLL is either not designed to run on windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using original installation media or contact your system admin or vendor for support"*
when I hit "ok" on that screen I get this one...

"The file 'autorun.dll' ncould nnot load or is corrupt. Setup cannot continue. Error code [0xc1]

When I boot from the DVD, I get the installation window no problem, but now I wonder if the copy won't give me any problems during installation.


----------



## StormX2

should be fine, as it is certianly not meant to be run while in the windows environment


----------



## DarthBaiter

thanks...


----------



## chropose

Is it safe to delete partition on ssd from windows 7 install disc when fresh installing windows 7?

Full format is a format that scans for bad sector on the hdd / ssd. Quick format skips bad sector scans. Is this correct?

is there any other method than full format / quick format / delete partition / secure erase for fresh install windows 7 on ssd, and what is the best method to do so?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chropose*
> 
> Is it safe to delete partition on ssd from windows 7 install disc when fresh installing windows 7?


If you follow my alignment portion of the guide that is exactly what you do when you run the clean command in diskpart. That is all you need to do...unless you have different partitions on the drive you want to keep.
Quote:


> Full format is a format that scans for bad sector on the hdd / ssd. Quick format skips bad sector scans. Is this correct?
> 
> is there any other method than full format / quick format / delete partition / secure erase for fresh install windows 7 on ssd, and what is the best method to do so?



*A quick format* - is a formatting option that creates a new file table on a hard disk but does not fully overwrite or erase the disk. Quick formatting erases/rewites the FT (File Table) of the File System partition. So basically quick formatting just erases/rewrites anew what is essentially a directory that tells the operating system where files are and what spaces are free to write new data on.

*A full format* - is a formatting option that creates a new file table on a hard disk, but does not fully overwrite and erase the disk as well. A full format erases/rewrites the FT (File Table) of the File System partition and runs chkdsk. Chkdsk.exe is a command-line tool that checks volumes for problems. The tool then tries to repair any that it finds. For example, Chkdsk can repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors.Chkdsk does one pass of writing zero's to the drive to ensure that the sectors are working properly. But the zero's are also rewritten with the previous 1 or 0. This is why full formats take so much longer. So basically a full format is quick format + Chkdsk.

*The "clean" command in DiskPart:*
The "clean" command marks all of a drives partitions, volumes, and any hidden sector information as deleted and they are only written over when new data is written/saved to the same location on the drive next.

*The "clean all" command in DiskPart:*
The "clean all" command deletes all of a drives partitions, volumes, and any hidden sector information and then writes zero's to all the parts of the drive.

*Secure erase*
Secure erase is where the SSD controller issues a command that applies a voltage spike at a specific voltage to all of the NAND simultaneously, thus cleaning the NAND. This in turn resets all the NAND cells on the SSD and leaves the drive erased and at factory speeds.
For SSDs you shouldn't use Full Format or Clean all in diskpart. Now, you don't need to run chckdsk on your drive b/c all it does is check for bad sectors and checks file system integrity (SSDs don't have sectors) and it is not "good" for your SSD because all it does is cause add wear to the memory cells when you don't need it to.

So just either use the clean command, quick format or if you want just secure erase the drive and set it to factory again, but you shouldn't ahve to.


----------



## clear

Hello,
Here's my situation. I've got a Crucial 64GB SSD and a Mushkin 240GB. My plan is to run Win7 64bit on the M4 and have some apps and static databases on the Chronos Deluxe. However, I really don't know how to proceed. My current C drive is 647GB in use. That includes a TON of games on Steam, Adobe Creative Suite, and other apps.

I've been reading all I can to update myself on storage, but I admit I'm behind the times in this area. Is there going to be a good way to transfer my OS to the M4 or will I have to reinstall? I'm also planning an Ivy Bridge build as soon as everything is in general availability but that may be May / June or later. Should I just wait until then? Reinstall Win7, or is there a way to migrate just the OS?

Also, my current board runs Intel ICH9R. I know I'm not going to get max performance out of these SSDs until I upgrade. Any advice on what I should do? Many thanks,
Clear


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *clear*
> 
> Hello,
> Here's my situation. I've got a Crucial 64GB SSD and a Mushkin 240GB. My plan is to run Win7 64bit on the M4 and have some apps and static databases on the Chronos Deluxe. However, I really don't know how to proceed. My current C drive is 647GB in use. That includes a TON of games on Steam, Adobe Creative Suite, and other apps.


First thing to do is split the current drive into 2 partitions and move all you non OS data onto the new made partition.

Do this:

Shrink the old HDD OS partition. (link)

Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space. (link)

Then move the personal files to the new partition, like your such as pics, video, music, documents, and Steam, etc.

Now you may have to keep shrinking and expanding the partitions as you do this depending on how much free space you have on your drive.

When you are done moving the data then you should be ~ the right size to make system image to restore to the 64GB drive.

If not then check out my maintenance section, run ccleaner, discleanup, etc and disable the hibernation file and page file.

Keep shrinking the C: partition as small as you can while doing this.

If still not small enough if you have any non steam games installed you will have to uninstall them and re-install after you restore the system image.

This is how to make the system image: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html

Once you make the image you can hook up the SSD and restore the image to it.

Then go through my "Now It's Time For The System Set Up!" section of my guide and make sure you run WEI.
Quote:


> I've been reading all I can to update myself on storage, but I admit I'm behind the times in this area. Is there going to be a good way to transfer my OS to the M4 or will I have to reinstall? I'm also planning an Ivy Bridge build as soon as everything is in general availability but that may be May / June or later. Should I just wait until then? Reinstall Win7, or is there a way to migrate just the OS?


Migrate now if you like.
Quote:


> Also, my current board runs Intel ICH9R. I know I'm not going to get max performance out of these SSDs until I upgrade. Any advice on what I should do? Many thanks,
> Clear


Barely a difference in real world use in SATA 2 and 3, don't worry.









I may have left something out just let me know if you are confused any.


----------



## clear

Thanks for that reply, Sean. That was very helpful! And, I think I can do that. I'll post back on my progress and let you know how it goes








Thanks again,
clear


----------



## jfuze

I forgot to do the first "Configure a drive..." part when I installed my SSD. I just let Windows do it automatically. Will I be losing any performance or is it fine like this?

Here is a screenshot of my speeds:


----------



## Sean Webster

you're fine


----------



## kevbeer

I am just installed a Patriot Pyro SE 120 GB as my primary. Great guide Sean, thanks. I followed completely, pretty much. Speeds seem great but have yet to benchmark them, honestly I probably never will.

3 questions though:

1. I originally turned off all virtual memory on all drives (SSD and 7200 RPM Hitachi HDD) but when I played Battlefield 3 it crashed and said memory low! So I followed your advise and set virtual memory to 1024 mb, however this is on the HDD, not my SDD. That is fine I would think?

2. I would like to make sure I am not writing to the SSD in any avoidable way. Is it possible to see that?

3. How long should I expect this SSD to survive? If I am careful and follow all the rules, and reduce writes as much as reasonably possible, can it last forever?

Thanks,
Kevin


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevbeer*
> 
> I am just installed a Patriot Pyro SE 120 GB as my primary. Great guide Sean, thanks. I followed completely, pretty much. Speeds seem great but have yet to benchmark them, honestly I probably never will.
> 
> 3 questions though:
> 
> 1. I originally turned off all virtual memory on all drives (SSD and 7200 RPM Hitachi HDD) but when I played Battlefield 3 it crashed and said memory low! So I followed your advise and set virtual memory to 1024 mb, however this is on the HDD, not my SDD. That is fine I would think?


Yea it's fine
Quote:


> 2. I would like to make sure I am not writing to the SSD in any avoidable way. Is it possible to see that?


Don't worry about that.
Quote:


> 3. How long should I expect this SSD to survive? If I am careful and follow all the rules, and reduce writes as much as reasonably possible, can it last forever?
> 
> Thanks,
> Kevin


ehh, depends on usage, ~5-20 years...you will probably be able to write 250TB-1000TB of data to the SSD before it gives out...that is a long, long, long time. But something else could fail before that of course.


----------



## chropose

Sean, which is better for HDD: IDE or just like SSD, AHCI?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chropose*
> 
> Sean, which is better for HDD: IDE or just like SSD, AHCI?


AHCI


----------



## chropose

OK. Thank you.


----------



## firestorm1

i finally got my first BSOD this morning. i am now officially a member of the club.


----------



## areamike

GREAT TOPIC SEAN!!!!!!!!!!! Very very informative.

I do have one thing to ask.
As you can see in my signature, I have the OCZ Solid3 120 GB drive. The drive has been great for me so far for over 3 months.

I installed Windows 7 64 bit Ultimate version. After a fresh install, I have just under 90GB left. In your first post you say Windows will take 7-15GB of space. Were you referring to Windows XP? If yes or no, what version of Windows were you referring to?

By the way. A Clean fresh install of Windows 7 took literally 10 minutes from start to finish.


----------



## csm725

He was referring to Windows 7.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *areamike*
> 
> GREAT TOPIC SEAN!!!!!!!!!!! Very very informative.
> 
> I do have one thing to ask.
> As you can see in my signature, I have the OCZ Solid3 120 GB drive. The drive has been great for me so far for over 3 months.
> 
> I installed Windows 7 64 bit Ultimate version. After a fresh install, I have just under 90GB left. In your first post you say Windows will take 7-15GB of space. Were you referring to Windows XP? If yes or no, what version of Windows were you referring to?
> 
> By the way. A Clean fresh install of Windows 7 took literally 10 minutes from start to finish.


Windows 7, all systems I have, Windows 7 Home premium, Pro, and Ultimate take up only ~12GB or less from the standard install media. Someone said theirs took up 15 to I broadened the range in the OP to 15 from 12.

I also have a custom disk I made and mine after install only takes up 7GB of space. And it takes me ~6 minutes to install for me.







Then I need to set everything up lol.


----------



## Napalmer

Hi I'm having an issue with my Crucial M4 128gb SSD. I have it installed in an Asus p5p43td usb 2.0 SATA II, so the SSD is running in 3GBs mode. When I boot up my windows, after the bios loads but before the windows loading screen I get a black screen with a single blinking underscore in the left corner, like the computer is waiting for inputs, this lasts for 15 seconds or so then loads into windows on SSD and runs smoothly. I have it installed in AHCI mode but I deleted my old windows partition on my former OS HDD in a funky way which I think may have something to do with my problem. I ended up using the windows disk to format the old hard drive and then quit out of install and then format it again from inside windows 7 on the SSD. My friend said the computer is probably looking for old windows partition or some such, but I can't find old disk partition in msconfig to attempt to change it. Is this something Ill have to live with until I reformat everything? Is there perhaps a quick fix anyone knows. Its not a major problem, but it is slightly annoying.

Thanks for the guide, I wish I had read it before I installed the SSD









EDIT* Everything works fine, and I have steam installed on to the old hard drive and all my games run fine and the drive is as responsive as ever. Its just annoying lag at startup


----------



## Sean Webster

Set boot priority to the M4 in the BIOS and disable boot options for any-other device maybe? Like have the M4 as the only boot option available.


----------



## Napalmer

Didn't work. Tried pulling everything off Velociraptor (my original OS HDD now Data HDD) doing a format and using the diskpart as recommended for cleaning off old OS Partition in the guide. Might just need to reinstall and do it right this time

Also noticed in BIOS that ACPI 2.0 was disabled. What does this do, can I turn it on now, after the install, or would I need to do it when I reinstall? Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Napalmer*
> 
> Didn't work. Tried pulling everything off Velociraptor (my original OS HDD now Data HDD) doing a format and using the diskpart as recommended for cleaning off old OS Partition in the guide. Might just need to reinstall and do it right this time
> 
> Also noticed in BIOS that ACPI 2.0 was disabled. What does this do, can I turn it on now, after the install, or would I need to do it when I reinstall? Thanks


ACPI 2.0 just enables some extra power saving options, you need to enable it before the install, it will not work if you enable it after, at least from what I can remember about it lol.


----------



## Aparition

Napalmer I am prepping me system to move to a SSD, and I am worried that I might find myself in your shoes.

I was thinking the fastest way for me to move my system to an SSD would be to shrink my C:/ win partition to the same size as the SSD and create a system image.
Use the Win 7 install disk to boot into recovery mode, and load the image to the SSD. I think I will then need to format the old HDD to avoid weird drive lettering and I have 4 partitions on the HDD, not a big deal as I have all my programs on the RAID 0 array, so a quick backup of the files is easy.

Napalmer did you do something to that extent? I am hoping to avoid as many hurdles as possible in this move, and keeping the registry with all the programs still intact. I have days worth of programs to re-install if I have to do a fresh install









Sean do you think that should work ok?
Or would win7 migration be more useful?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Napalmer I am prepping me system to move to a SSD, and I am worried that I might find myself in your shoes.
> 
> I was thinking the fastest way for me to move my system to an SSD would be to shrink my C:/ win partition to the same size as the SSD and create a system image.
> Use the Win 7 install disk to boot into recovery mode, and load the image to the SSD. I think I will then need to format the old HDD to avoid weird drive lettering and I have 4 partitions on the HDD, not a big deal as I have all my programs on the RAID 0 array, so a quick backup of the files is easy.
> 
> Napalmer did you do something to that extent? I am hoping to avoid as many hurdles as possible in this move, and keeping the registry with all the programs still intact. I have days worth of programs to re-install if I have to do a fresh install
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sean do you think that should work ok?
> Or would win7 migration be more useful?


Your plan sounds good. I've done it a few times you should have no issue. If you can't shrink the size down enough to make the partition a few posts back may help. I wrote a few steps to do exactly what you say you are going to do.


----------



## [email protected]

Are firmware or update patches needed? How do i know if i REALLY need them for my INtel 320 SSD?


----------



## SteveYzerman19

Does reformatting the SSD delete the firmware update?


----------



## [email protected]

I think so not sure. Secure wipe does wipe everything. Has to be. Still awaiting on my questions to be answered too however. I'll check back.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Are firmware or update patches needed? How do i know if i REALLY need them for my INtel 320 SSD?


...download Intel Tool box and see if you can update
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SteveYzerman19*
> 
> Does reformatting the SSD delete the firmware update?


No, Firmware is not stored on the NAND cells, just as in HDDs it is not stored in the platter, it is stored in a memory module on the PCB.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I think so not sure. Secure wipe does wipe everything. Has to be. Still awaiting on my questions to be answered too however. I'll check back.


Secure wipe? lol. You mean secure erase? Secure erase basically wipes everything on the usable storage section on a drive.


----------



## mwl5apv

Hey guys. I had a quick question. I recently went ahead and picked up a Crucial M4 64GB. I have windows installed and followed Seans optimization guide. What I am doing is using the SSD for OS. My 500GB Caviar black for programs and apps and my Samsung 1TB for media/storage.

After getting windows installed. I went ahead and created a simple volume on the Caviar Black and mounted that volume in an empty NTFS folder I created in Programs Files(x86). I am planning on using this folder for all my apps and games so that I take advantage of the SSD speeds but don't take up any of the space. The problem I am having though is when I tried to install Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 in that folder I got an error message telling me "Not able to install in a folder that has reparse points"

What does this mean?


----------



## firestorm1

try deleteing the folder and let the program create it itselt.


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> try deleteing the folder and let the program create it itselt.


the program creates a new folder in the default Program Files(x86). This installs the program to my SSD, not the HDD. And regardless of how many folders I create in that "mounted HDD" folder or whether I jsut select it and let kaspersky do its thing, I get the same message

EDIT: Here is a screenshot if what I get


----------



## XSCounter

I never understand why people won't use an SSD for programs too, only for OS..

Seriously, don't do any tricks here with creating folders etc. (and tbh I couldn't even figure what exactly did you do there..).

Now the perfect way to set up your system is to have and OS *and* all programs on an SSD (OS takes about 12GB and the rest for programs is plenty!). Games and storage files go to your hard drive(s) together with the User folder.

I have two machines run this way. Never had a single problem with installing anything and never ran out of space on either. Both blazingly fast.

Good luck!


----------



## chropose

I have one HDD on my system with 2 partition. I used first partition as OS drive and the other as data drive. I checked with AS SSD, the second partition got 17406427 K - BAD.

Here's the screenshot:


How to fix this?

Thank you.


----------



## XSCounter

SSD and HDD are two completely different things. If you don't have an SSD you shouldn't be using a benchmark tool for SSDs.

Get an SSD first, read Sean's guide and then we talk!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mwl5apv*
> 
> Hey guys. I had a quick question. I recently went ahead and picked up a Crucial M4 64GB. I have windows installed and followed Seans optimization guide. What I am doing is using the SSD for OS. My 500GB Caviar black for programs and apps and my Samsung 1TB for media/storage.
> 
> After getting windows installed. I went ahead and created a simple volume on the Caviar Black and mounted that volume in an empty NTFS folder I created in Programs Files(x86). I am planning on using this folder for all my apps and games so that I take advantage of the SSD speeds but don't take up any of the space. The problem I am having though is when I tried to install Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 in that folder I got an error message telling me "Not able to install in a folder that has reparse points"
> 
> What does this mean?


Install to the SSD and it should work fine.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> I never understand why people won't use an SSD for programs too, only for OS..
> 
> Seriously, don't do any tricks here with creating folders etc. (and tbh I couldn't even figure what exactly did you do there..).
> 
> Now the perfect way to set up your system is to have and OS *and* all programs on an SSD (OS takes about 12GB and the rest for programs is plenty!). Games and storage files go to your hard drive(s) together with the User folder.
> 
> I have two machines run this way. Never had a single problem with installing anything and never ran out of space on either. Both blazingly fast.
> 
> Good luck!


This^
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chropose*
> 
> I have one HDD on my system with 2 partition. I used first partition as OS drive and the other as data drive. I checked with AS SSD, the second partition got 17406427 K - BAD.
> 
> Here's the screenshot:
> How to fix this?
> 
> Thank you.


What does your primary partition say?


----------



## chropose

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What does your primary partition say?


Here:


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> I never understand why people won't use an SSD for programs too, only for OS..
> Seriously, don't do any tricks here with creating folders etc. (and tbh I couldn't even figure what exactly did you do there..).
> Now the perfect way to set up your system is to have and OS *and* all programs on an SSD (OS takes about 12GB and the rest for programs is plenty!). Games and storage files go to your hard drive(s) together with the User folder.
> I have two machines run this way. Never had a single problem with installing anything and never ran out of space on either. Both blazingly fast.
> Good luck!


I know that would be the best thing to do. I currently have moved all of my user folders( my music, pictures, documents, etc) to my 1TB Samsung.

How did you get your OS to 12GB? I installed the OS, deleted the hibernation file, installed only to first wave of updates from microsoft, istalled only my core drivers(AHCI/SATA, Northbridge, Audio, LAN, USB, GPU) and am sitting at "39.9GB Free of 59.6"....thats just under 20GB even before the drivers. After a clean install of windows and deleted hibernation file I was still sitting at about 15-17GB for the OS.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Install to the SSD and it should work fine.
> This^


Im just at the point where, I don't want to dump everything I have onto the SSD and fill it up completely.


----------



## valtopps

when installing windows 7 after i defrag the ssd theres a small partition like 100mb do i delete that or increase the size not sure if i need it or not?


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *valtopps*
> 
> when installing windows 7 after i defrag the ssd theres a small partition like 100mb do i delete that or increase the size not sure if i need it or not?


Do not defrag your SSD....As per Seans guide on the first page
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Check Defragmentation schedule: Applies to SSDs only
> Open Disk Defragmenter
> Click the Configure schedule button
> Click the Select disks button
> Note: Verify that defrag is not checked for your SSD or and partitions on the SSD. If the disk is missing from the list, then it has been detected as an SSD and will not be automatically defragmented. If the disk is an SSD, but has not been detected as such, then it's important to remove the check next to the disk in this list so that Windows does not attempt to defragment the drive, which will reduce the life of the drive. Windows is suppose to disable this automatically for the SSD.


----------



## valtopps

oh im sorry not defrag i meant to say format


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chropose*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What does your primary partition say?
> 
> 
> 
> Here:
Click to expand...

Your main partition is aligned fine, you may want to delete the other partition and remake it, tho it should be fine. Also, is your SATA mode set to IDE?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mwl5apv*
> 
> I know that would be the best thing to do. I currently have moved all of my user folders( my music, pictures, documents, etc) to my 1TB Samsung.
> 
> How did you get your OS to 12GB? I installed the OS, deleted the hibernation file, installed only to first wave of updates from microsoft, istalled only my core drivers(AHCI/SATA, Northbridge, Audio, LAN, USB, GPU) and am sitting at "39.9GB Free of 59.6"....thats just under 20GB even before the drivers. After a clean install of windows and deleted hibernation file I was still sitting at about 15-17GB for the OS.
> 
> Im just at the point where, I don't want to dump everything I have onto the SSD and fill it up completely.


Did you follow all the steps in the system set up part of the guide? Shrink page files specifically, b/c it sounds like you forgot that part.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *valtopps*
> 
> when installing windows 7 after i defrag the ssd theres a small partition like 100mb do i delete that or increase the size not sure if i need it or not?


Delete all the partitions before you install, if you follow the alignment part of my guide you should not have any issue with that.


----------



## valtopps

is this what your talking about sean?

Booting and partitioning of MBR for Windows 7: 1.Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
2.After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
3.At the command prompt, Type diskpart, press Enter
4.Type lis dis, press Enter
5.Type sel dis X (where X is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
6.Type cle, press Enter
7.Type cre par pri align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
Note: If you are using multiple drives in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
8.Type for quick fs=ntfs, press Enter
9.Type act, press Enter
10.Type exi, press Enter
11.Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
12.Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. Do not format it the partitions again during the installation.

btw by changing it from 1024 to 4096 what does thid do?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *valtopps*
> 
> is this what your talking about sean?


Yes

The *cle* command (clean command) erases all partitions on the drive.
Quote:


> btw by changing it from 1024 to 4096 what does thid do?


Just more optimal for the drive.


----------



## valtopps

so this (The cle command (clean command) erases all partitions on the drive.) formats and eraes the ssd completely too?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *valtopps*
> 
> so this (The cle command (clean command) erases all partitions on the drive.) formats and eraes to ssd completely too?


The *clean* command simply erases the partition tables.

Then you create the partition you want to install on after: *Type cre par pri align=4096*

To format the SSD to NTFS you simply format it: *Type for quick fs=ntfs, press Enter*

The *for* is the format command.
The *quick* tells diskpart to use the quick format option.
The *fs=ntfs* tells diskpart to format the partition to the NTFS file system.

To erase the data on the SSD you use secure erase. But that is for actual data deletion which you don't need to do unless you sell it and also you do a secure erase if your drive is running slow or odd.


----------



## valtopps

thanks man your the best







another rep for you


----------



## Jocelyn84

Why does Microsoft Security Essentials slow down my speeds so much?

With


Without


----------



## Sean Webster

o.0

Was a scan running? I never had that. I'll test in my system now.


----------



## Jocelyn84

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> o.0
> Was a scan running? I never had that. I'll test in my system now.


Hold that thought, it may have been something else I disabled. I want to find it lol

Nope, I disabled msseces.exe, MsMpEng.exe, and my speeds take off. BTW, MsMpEng.exe will reload one or two times after ending it.

Edit: Well it's not those. I rebooted, disabled them and still see a slowdown. I don't want to keep benching, but I wish I knew what it was.

Edit 2: Memeo Dashboard and Seagate Dashboard service for my 1TB External seem to be the culprit. I can't believe they can slow an SSD that much.


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Did you follow all the steps in the system set up part of the guide? Shrink page files specifically, b/c it sounds like you forgot that part.


I did. I followed the guide and shrunk the PageFile to 1024-1024 for drive C:\. Ill go through one more time and double check everything.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mwl5apv*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Did you follow all the steps in the system set up part of the guide? Shrink page files specifically, b/c it sounds like you forgot that part.
> 
> 
> 
> I did. I followed the guide and shrunk the PageFile to 1024-1024 for drive C:\. Ill go through one more time and double check everything.
Click to expand...

And you are 100% sure hibernation file is disabled?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jocelyn84*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> o.0
> Was a scan running? I never had that. I'll test in my system now.
> 
> 
> 
> Hold that thought, it may have been something else I disabled. I want to find it lol
> 
> Nope, I disabled msseces.exe, MsMpEng.exe, and my speeds take off. BTW, MsMpEng.exe will reload one or two times after ending it.
> 
> Edit: Well it's not those. I rebooted, disabled them and still see a slowdown. I don't want to keep benching, but I wish I knew what it was.
> 
> Edit 2: Memeo Dashboard and Seagate Dashboard service for my 1TB External seem to be the culprit. I can't believe they can slow an SSD that much.
Click to expand...

lol, wow I would trash that crappy software.


----------



## Jocelyn84

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, wow I would trash that crappy software.


Yes, I immediately uninstalled via Revo and all is well. I still can't believe it lol


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> And you are 100% sure hibernation file is disabled?


hibernation file was the first thing i disabled. That freed up about 6GB on my SSD.

I went through and checked all my settings running through the guide again and i guess when I was shrinking the PageFile, when i changed it to 1024-1024 I forgot to click on "set" and just clicked ok I Went through again, and shrunk it down. This time I made sure to click on "set". it told me i needed to reboot for changed to take effect. I rebooted and i went from 37.9GB free to 44.8GB free.









That means I am using 14.7GB of the SSD for windows, core drivers(GPU,audio, LAN, USB, NB and AMD AHCI), Kaspersky Internet Security, and Google chrome(because fr whatever reason it does not allow you to change the installation folder)

Currently working on installing my games and programs to the HDD I have mounted in an NTFS folder. We'll see if I get the SSD read speeds with this method. And already move all of my user folder to my 1TB Samsung.

I do have another question though. I going through and saw some videos of boot times with the M4. Even though benchmarks show the SSD is running full blast I feel like I'm not getting the performance I anticipated. Looking at some other boot-up videos, the SSD is so fast the windows logo can't even finish loading. And with me the logo loads and stays up for a few seconds. To be honest, boot times only seem 1-3 seconds faster than my old HDD. any ideas on that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mwl5apv*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> And you are 100% sure hibernation file is disabled?
> 
> 
> 
> hibernation file was the first thing i disabled. That freed up about 6GB on my SSD.
> 
> I went through and checked all my settings running through the guide again and i guess when I was shrinking the PageFile, when i changed it to 1024-1024 I forgot to click on "set" and just clicked ok I Went through again, and shrunk it down. This time I made sure to click on "set". it told me i needed to reboot for changed to take effect. I rebooted and i went from 37.9GB free to 44.8GB free.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That means I am using 14.7GB of the SSD for windows, core drivers(GPU,audio, LAN, USB, NB and AMD AHCI), Kaspersky Internet Security, and Google chrome(because fr whatever reason it does not allow you to change the installation folder)
> 
> Currently working on installing my games and programs to the HDD I have mounted in an NTFS folder. We'll see if I get the SSD read speeds with this method. And already move all of my user folder to my 1TB Samsung.
Click to expand...

lol nice one








Quote:


> I do have another question though. I going through and saw some videos of boot times with the M4. Even though benchmarks show the SSD is running full blast I feel like I'm not getting the performance I anticipated. Looking at some other boot-up videos, the SSD is so fast the windows logo can't even finish loading. And with me the logo loads and stays up for a few seconds. To be honest, boot times only seem 1-3 seconds faster than my old HDD. any ideas on that?


nope, could be a system hang?

Run this 2-3 times and tell me the average: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/720-restart-time.html
(I get 30-35 seconds)

And do the same for this: http://www.greatis.com/bootracer/
(I get 10-12 seconds)


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol nice one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I do have another question though. I going through and saw some videos of boot times with the M4. Even though benchmarks show the SSD is running full blast I feel like I'm not getting the performance I anticipated. Looking at some other boot-up videos, the SSD is so fast the windows logo can't even finish loading. And with me the logo loads and stays up for a few seconds. To be honest, boot times only seem 1-3 seconds faster than my old HDD. any ideas on that?
> 
> 
> 
> nope, could be a system hang?
> Run this 2-3 times and tell me the average: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/720-restart-time.html
> (I get 30-35 seconds)
> And do the same for this: http://www.greatis.com/bootracer/
> (I get 10-12 seconds)
Click to expand...

Times I got for the first one were: 45-43-45-44

Times for the second one were: 15-17-17-16

Also, in the second one(boot racer) when I click on the system information tab, for some reason it tells me my boot drive is my 500GB Caviar black.....could that be becasue its plugged into the first SATA port on my motherboard? Or whats up with that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mwl5apv*
> 
> Times I got for the first one were: 45-43-45-44
> 
> Times for the second one were: 15-17-17-16
> 
> Also, in the second one(boot racer) when I click on the system information tab, for some reason it tells me my boot drive is my 500GB Caviar black.....could that be becasue its plugged into the first SATA port on my motherboard? Or whats up with that?


yea that is a little slow. do you ave any usb devices plugged in?

Also, make sure the SSD is the only boot option in the bios and disable an others.


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea that is a little slow. do you ave any usb devices plugged in?
> Also, make sure the SSD is the only boot option in the bios and disable an others.


USB devices plugged in are: My wireless keyboard and mouse, Wireless internet adapter and printer.

As for boot settings in BIOS: I have my Hard disk Order set at: M4, WD Caviar black, Samsung SpinPoint. And my boot priority is set: Asus DVD burner, Crucial M4, Third option disabled. Should I set the M4 as primary boot device and disable the DVD burner completely?

EDIT:

In msconfig I have everything unchecked under the (non Microsoft) services tab and startup tab except for Kaspersky Internet Security and Nvidia graphics drivers.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mwl5apv*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea that is a little slow. do you ave any usb devices plugged in?
> Also, make sure the SSD is the only boot option in the bios and disable an others.
> 
> 
> 
> USB devices plugged in are: My wireless keyboard and mouse, Wireless internet adapter and printer.
> 
> As for boot settings in BIOS: I have my Hard disk Order set at: M4, WD Caviar black, Samsung SpinPoint. And my boot priority is set: Asus DVD burner, Crucial M4, Third option disabled. Should I set the M4 as primary boot device and disable the DVD burner completely?
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> In msconfig I have everything unchecked under the (non Microsoft) services tab and startup tab except for Kaspersky Internet Security and Nvidia graphics drivers.
Click to expand...

Disable all other boot options other than your M4

Your wireless adaptor or printer may be hanging the boot slightly.


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Disable all other boot options other than your M4
> Your wireless adaptor or printer may be hanging the boot slightly.


I went ahead and made the M4 the first boot priority and disabled all others. It didnt make much of a difference at all. I have a feeling its what you said about my wireless adapter hanging the system a little upon boot. Now, would I be better off getting a PCI wireless LAN adapter as opposed to this USB stick one? Not just meaning in terms of boot up times but overall. Would a PCI perform better than a USB?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mwl5apv*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Disable all other boot options other than your M4
> Your wireless adaptor or printer may be hanging the boot slightly.
> 
> 
> 
> I went ahead and made the M4 the first boot priority and disabled all others. It didnt make much of a difference at all. I have a feeling its what you said about my wireless adapter hanging the system a little upon boot. Now, would I be better off getting a PCI wireless LAN adapter as opposed to this USB stick one? Not just meaning in terms of boot up times but overall. Would a PCI perform better than a USB?
Click to expand...

Oh yes, I recommend a PCI or PCIe wireless adapter over a USB one, USB ones usually have far higher latency and are usually weaker.


----------



## FourDoor

A little help please:

I installed Win 7 Ultimate on my new rig with an M4 SSD using GPT. I guess I didn't read the OP close enough to note that GPT partitioned clients cannot be backed up by anything except by the native Win 7 image/backup system.

I also have a WHS 2011 system that houses all of my media and backs up my other pcs in the house. I don't want to lose that automated backup convenience of WHS 2011 for GPT so I want to go back to MBR.

I already installed and activated several licenses for my programs on the computer and don't really want to go through with the installs/updates/activations again.

Can I use the built in system image from Win 7 here and then follow the convert from gpt to mbr instructions here during the windows 7 install bootup and then do a system restore from the image I just made to my SSD from the original GPT partition to the newly reformatted MBR disk? Or am I hosed and need to redo everything from scratch again?


----------



## [email protected]

Win 7 ultimate takes a lot of space than Home Premium does, but i'd wait on Sean's expertise he can help the rest. How much gb does your SSD have?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FourDoor*
> 
> A little help please:
> 
> I installed Win 7 Ultimate on my new rig with an M4 SSD using GPT. I guess I didn't read the OP close enough to note that GPT partitioned clients cannot be backed up by anything except by the native Win 7 image/backup system.
> 
> I also have a WHS 2011 system that houses all of my media and backs up my other pcs in the house. I don't want to lose that automated backup convenience of WHS 2011 for GPT so I want to go back to MBR.
> 
> I already installed and activated several licenses for my programs on the computer and don't really want to go through with the installs/updates/activations again.
> 
> Can I use the built in system image from Win 7 here and then follow the convert from gpt to mbr instructions here during the windows 7 install bootup and then do a system restore from the image I just made to my SSD from the original GPT partition to the newly reformatted MBR disk? Or am I hosed and need to redo everything from scratch again?


You can try, but I think you may have to redo everything again. However you may be able to use WHS to continue backups and all, test it first.


----------



## FourDoor

I've already tried backing up to WHS 2011 for the past week trying to figure out what was stopping it from backing up since it essentially didn't give me an error. It just froze at 1% and sent me around in circles. The release note from WHS 2011 specifically notes that it cannot backup GPT disks. I thought it had something else to do with VSS or some other setting I had but my search ultimately lead me to this:

http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-gb/windowshomeserver2011/release-notes-2.aspx#BKMK_BR2

I guess I can try a couple things then.

1. Try to convert the SSD from GPT to MBR and then restore from the Win7 image
2. If #1 fails redo the install completely with an MBR parition this time on the SSD and start over from scratch with the software installs and updates


----------



## chropose

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, but you skipped step 7 in my guide...why is everyone doing that?


How do you know that he/she skipped step 7 based on the picture and is that step important for ssd performance?


----------



## csm725

Step 7 is to install newest Intel/AMD SATA drivers.
You can tell they aren't installed because it says there msahci which is, as I'm sure is self-explanatory, Microsoft's AHCI driver that comes with Windows.


----------



## Arcania92

Hi,

I apologies in advance if my question has been answered but due to the specific-ness of my needs I have been unable as of yet to find anywhere with the information I need. I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to give me a detailed explanation on how to specifically install a Windows 7 OS on to an SSD and furthermore how to get rid of the Windows 7 OS on my current HDD after this is done.

What I plan to do is basically have a small SSD solely for my OS and then have everything else on a HDD or perhaps another SSD.

My understanding so far is that basically...

*step 1 - remove existing hard drive(s) specifically the one containing the existing OS
step 2 - plug in the ssd
step 3 - install windows 7 on the SSD*

_This is where I'm not sure what to..._

*step 4 (I think) - plug in the other hard drives
*
_not really sure what to do after this_

Any help in any form would be REALLY appreciated. Thank you very much in advance


----------



## Sean Webster

Retread the first post


----------



## csm725

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Retread the first post











???


----------



## Aparition

For the Microsoft security essentials...

Did you disable the behavioral monitoring? That slows the system down pretty hard. Also network inspection.
Regular real time protection shouldn't hurt performance at all.


----------



## Jocelyn84

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> For the Microsoft security essentials...
> Did you disable the behavioral monitoring? That slows the system down pretty hard. Also network inspection.
> Regular real time protection shouldn't hurt performance at all.


I have everything enabled in MSE and there appears to be no slowdown...


----------



## FourDoor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FourDoor*
> 
> I've already tried backing up to WHS 2011 for the past week trying to figure out what was stopping it from backing up since it essentially didn't give me an error. It just froze at 1% and sent me around in circles. The release note from WHS 2011 specifically notes that it cannot backup GPT disks. I thought it had something else to do with VSS or some other setting I had but my search ultimately lead me to this:
> http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-gb/windowshomeserver2011/release-notes-2.aspx#BKMK_BR2
> I guess I can try a couple things then.
> 1. Try to convert the SSD from GPT to MBR and then restore from the Win7 image
> 2. If #1 fails redo the install completely with an MBR parition this time on the SSD and start over from scratch with the software installs and updates


Crap. I can't seem to make a bootable recovery disk. I've gone through 3 disks so far and it burns successfully but when I attempt to boot from it, it says that it's not a bootable disk...









http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/windowsbackup/thread/4cdb1674-10e1-4cf8-b948-e04273b9b86e

Edit: I give up. I think I'm just going to do a complete wipe on the SSD, convert it back to MBR, and go through the pain of reupdating and activating programs.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *csm725*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Retread the first post
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ???
Click to expand...

???go over again the first post lol whats confusing csm?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FourDoor*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *FourDoor*
> 
> I've already tried backing up to WHS 2011 for the past week trying to figure out what was stopping it from backing up since it essentially didn't give me an error. It just froze at 1% and sent me around in circles. The release note from WHS 2011 specifically notes that it cannot backup GPT disks. I thought it had something else to do with VSS or some other setting I had but my search ultimately lead me to this:
> http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-gb/windowshomeserver2011/release-notes-2.aspx#BKMK_BR2
> I guess I can try a couple things then.
> 1. Try to convert the SSD from GPT to MBR and then restore from the Win7 image
> 2. If #1 fails redo the install completely with an MBR parition this time on the SSD and start over from scratch with the software installs and updates
> 
> 
> 
> Crap. I can't seem to make a bootable recovery disk. I've gone through 3 disks so far and it burns successfully but when I attempt to boot from it, it says that it's not a bootable disk...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/windowsbackup/thread/4cdb1674-10e1-4cf8-b948-e04273b9b86e
> 
> Edit: I give up. I think I'm just going to do a complete wipe on the SSD, convert it back to MBR, and go through the pain of reupdating and activating programs.
Click to expand...

:/


----------



## csm725

You said retread. So I showed you what retread means.


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ???go over again the first post lol whats confusing csm?
> :/


He was trolling you, Sean









But yeah, I think Sean's guide is SO complete that it can answer ANY possible question! Even gonna throw a +rep. Haven't done it for a while


----------



## egyptionsr2buff

So if i just got a brand new crucial M4 the box says FX030902.. that would mean i need to upgrade its firmware right?
If im just about to install it do i plug it into my computer then update the firmware then reboot and start installing windows?
And lastly if my bios saays ide at the moment i have to switch to ahci from the Mobo and then install windows?
Or is there an option when installing windows that says ahci or ide and you have to choose?


----------



## Jocelyn84

Switch to AHCI before installing. While the 0309 on the box probably means 0309, the firmware version is clearly printed on the SSD sticker. If it says 0309, which is probably the case, then there's no need to flash any firmware


----------



## diabloSUCKS

Sean the BOSS>!


----------



## egyptionsr2buff

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jocelyn84*
> 
> Switch to AHCI before installing. While the 0309 on the box probably means 0309, the firmware version is clearly printed on the SSD sticker. If it says 0309, which is probably the case, then there's no need to flash any firmware


+rep thank you so much man perfect explanation


----------



## coldroll

This guide was very helpful for me in setting up my new ssd drive thanks!!!


----------



## egyptionsr2buff

If i flip the ssd over when i install in desktop does it make a big problem?


----------



## Jocelyn84

It can be in any orientation, so flip it if you'd like


----------



## egyptionsr2buff

Ok well im in the Bios and everything is set and im about to install windows
Im confused the guide says choose MBR or GPT and i dont know the difference or what they do. do i just go MBR?


----------



## pioneerisloud

Used this guide again on my server rig.







32GB AData S596 SSD installed with Windows 7 and my server programs I needed installed. Still got 20GB free.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *egyptionsr2buff*
> 
> If i flip the ssd over when i install in desktop does it make a big problem?


Nope, no moving parts, movement does not affect a thing.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *egyptionsr2buff*
> 
> Ok well im in the Bios and everything is set and im about to install windows
> Im confused the guide says choose MBR or GPT and i dont know the difference or what they do. do i just go MBR?


Use MBR and if you read you will see it actually does tell you the differences.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> Used this guide again on my server rig.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 32GB AData S596 SSD installed with Windows 7 and my server programs I needed installed. Still got 20GB free.


Win.


----------



## egyptionsr2buff

THanks a lot sean. Sorry i just reread i guess it does say i just didnt understand it.
Now i know you say you disable the recycle bin but what if i have a 1tb harddrive that im using to put my other files on. Dont i still need a recycle bin. or does that just mean things get deleted permanently if there is no recycle bin?
Secondly when using an SSD if i want to delete something how do i do it. Is there like a special way. Sorry Super newb at SSD and i got 4 friends that were all doing this together and they are worse off than me =]. I know SSDs dont work like regular harddrives with recyclebins, defrag and stuff. But yea as far as deleting a program and reinstalling?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *egyptionsr2buff*
> 
> THanks a lot sean. Sorry i just reread i guess it does say i just didnt understand it.


Just use the MBR.









Quote:


> Now i know you say you disable the recycle bin but what if i have a 1tb harddrive that im using to put my other files on. Dont i still need a recycle bin. or does that just mean things get deleted permanently if there is no recycle bin?


If you go to your recycle bin properties now you will see you can choose what drives it is disabled for. I leave mine enabled for all my drives. It is just an option to do it if you want to. And yes, when disabled the thing you delete is permanently deleted.
Quote:


> Secondly when using an SSD if i want to delete something how do i do it. Is there like a special way.


delete it like normal.
Quote:


> Sorry Super newb at SSD and i got 4 friends that were all doing this together and they are worse off than me =]. I know SSDs dont work like regular harddrives with recyclebins, defrag and stuff. But yea as far as deleting a program and reinstalling?


uninstall and re-install like normal.


----------



## egyptionsr2buff

Whenever im installing applications that i dont care where they go do i HAVE To put them in program files(x86) which is the ssd folder or can i just brows and make a whole new folder for apps to boot of my secondary 1tb harddrive?

After i reached the step where it says restart and plug other drives. I restarted plugged my 1tb harddrive and it still has windows and all. When i booted up i went to format it but i saw a third harddrive called system reserved (G its 100mb what do i do with that? Is that from the SSD or from the HDD


----------



## mwl5apv

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *egyptionsr2buff*
> 
> Whenever im installing applications that i dont care where they go do i HAVE To put them in program files(x86) which is the ssd folder or can i just brows and make a whole new folder for apps to boot of my secondary 1tb harddrive?
> After i reached the step where it says restart and plug other drives. I restarted plugged my 1tb harddrive and it still has windows and all. When i booted up i went to format it but i saw a third harddrive called system reserved (G its 100mb what do i do with that? Is that from the SSD or from the HDD


go into disk management and you will see which drive its a part of.


----------



## FourDoor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Use MBR and if you read you will see it actually does tell you the differences.


Yes, use MBR. GPT is a pain in the butt! LOL

A quick update on my situation to share with the world since there wasn't much information in one place found when searching this past week. Maybe adding some of these additional differences to the OP can help people decide better between MBR and GPT.









1. Confirmed that Windows Home Server 2011 does not support backing up GPT disks. (no matter how many times you try, it just will not support it (CURRENTLY) unless some kind of service pack is released from MS. The annoying part of it is that WHS2011 does not give you any kind of error message noting that it failed to backup your client PC because it doesnt support GPT. It will give you weird VSS errors in the event log and/or no error at all!)
2. Confirmed that even with the built in Win7 system image tool, you CANNOT make a bootable disk that will allow you to recover said system image if you are using GPT. The original Win7 install disk (which of course is bootable) also is not supported and it will say that it cannot find your system image when attempting to restore.
- Small caveat: The Windows 8 (Consumer preview) disk which was release this week amazingly does allow you to boot and restore!!! HOWEVER, the key thing to note here for me was that even though the Win8 disk allowed me to recover my Win7 GPT system image, it does too nice job of actually recreating that image. Including reformatting the disk back to GPT even if the disk you want to restore to is MBR!









So as of today, I converted my 256GB M4 SSD back to MBR from GPT and am in the process of reinstalling all of my software and reactivating them. WHS2011 is now backing up my Win7 installation on the MBR disk without any issues.

One small thing I did notice, not sure if it's me just being paranoid or not was that it appears that now that I converted over to MBR from GPT, it feels like my boot times are just a few seconds longer now. I'll have to run a few more tests later after all of the win7 updates and patches finishes installing completely but I feel that I notice a significant enough difference between the boot times. However, the additional benefit of maybe a few seconds saved with GPT does not outweigh the fact that GPT is sorely lacking in the backup/system image support department (even with Microsofts own tools).

Thanks again Sean for the guide. It was a nice to be able to go back to one location and get all of the Win7 install info in one place.
(When is the Win8 guide coming out? LOL







)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FourDoor*
> 
> 2. *Confirmed that even with the built in Win7 system image tool, you CANNOT make a bootable disk that will allow you to recover said system image if you are using GPT. The original Win7 install disk (which of course is bootable) also is not supported and it will say that it cannot find your system image when attempting to restore.*
> - Small caveat: The Windows 8 (Consumer preview) disk which was release this week amazingly does allow you to boot and restore!!! HOWEVER, the key thing to note here for me was that even though the Win8 disk allowed me to recover my Win7 GPT system image, it does too nice job of actually recreating that image. Including reformatting the disk back to GPT even if the disk you want to restore to is MBR!


Lies! I've done it fine.








Quote:


> One small thing I did notice, not sure if it's me just being paranoid or not was that it appears that now that I converted over to MBR from GPT, it feels like my boot times are just a few seconds longer now.


Really? Boot was longer with GPT for me.

Quote:


> Thanks again Sean for the guide. It was a nice to be able to go back to one location and get all of the Win7 install info in one place.
> (When is the Win8 guide coming out? LOL
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )


Windows 8 install guide comes out when it is released XD.


----------



## FourDoor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *FourDoor*
> 
> 2. *Confirmed that even with the built in Win7 system image tool, you CANNOT make a bootable disk that will allow you to recover said system image if you are using GPT. The original Win7 install disk (which of course is bootable) also is not supported and it will say that it cannot find your system image when attempting to restore.*
> - Small caveat: The Windows 8 (Consumer preview) disk which was release this week amazingly does allow you to boot and restore!!! HOWEVER, the key thing to note here for me was that even though the Win8 disk allowed me to recover my Win7 GPT system image, it does too nice job of actually recreating that image. Including reformatting the disk back to GPT even if the disk you want to restore to is MBR!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lies! I've done it fine.
Click to expand...

Are you being serious or just messing with me?







I for the life of me couldn't get the recovery disk it made to boot. And then I found that link from above and they had the same issues as me. Luckily I had decided to try Win8 and had the ISO laying around that worked. Either way, it wouldn't have helped me if the original disk booted anyways since it would have restored everything back to GPT LOL


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FourDoor*
> 
> Are you being serious or just messing with me?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I for the life of me couldn't get the recovery disk it made to boot. And then I found that link from above and they had the same issues as me. Luckily I had decided to try Win8 and had the ISO laying around that worked. Either way, it wouldn't have helped me if the original disk booted anyways since it would have restored everything back to GPT LOL


lol, nah, i'm serious.

I did however have an issue with a older recovery disk i made when i had MBR set up and I tried to use it on the GPT and it wouldn't work. But I remade the recovery CD with the GPT disk and it worked fine. I have done 6 restores under GPT format fine. I had one screw up after a secure erase tho, I think it was a bad 7zip extraction and a file was corrupt, i re-extracted and it worked fine.


----------



## FourDoor

Good to know. I should change my statement to "Confirmed on some instances" then LOL. Thanks again.


----------



## We Gone

Thanks for all the info, 1st SSD set up per your posts.

Rep+


----------



## coldroll

I'm pretty happy with my sata II drive it's not as fast as a sata III but it's light years ahead of having my os on a hard drive.


----------



## d3v0

I know this might be slightly off topic Sean, but I did a re-install today and noticed that when I follow your link and install Intel RST, I still have a "!" unknown device in my device manager-> other device, and no "storage controller" Naturally, I downloaded the correct version (Win 7 x64.) of Intel RST... But its odd. Has anyone else encountered this issue?


----------



## frogman946

Hi Sean, I have just joined Overclock.net after reading this thread.
I have found it easy to follow and understand and commend you for it.
I have recently purchased a 120gb SSD drive and installed it as the boot drive with Win7 Pro on a Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 on the SATA3-0 Intel port after setting the Bios to AHCI mode as I do not intend to use Raid. I then performed an express install of the drivers from the Cd provided with the motherboard.
Now that is where I need your assistance. My understanding was that the later drivers installation included the Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers. A later check in Device Manager showed no category for Storage Controllers or any mention of the IRST drivers anywhere in Device Manager. I also noted that no Marvell mention exist either. When checking under the SSD drivers tab, Microsoft drivers are mentioned. I then downloaded the latest IRST drivers from Intel's site and ran them. I still cannot see any evidence of the drivers anywhere. I am at a loss to understand where or if I have gone wrong.
I have completed all the recommended tweaks and the system boots fine. I just do not know whether the proper drivers are installed for the SSD. I would appreciate your advice with this.
Regards


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d3v0*
> 
> I know this might be slightly off topic Sean, but I did a re-install today and noticed that when I follow your link and install Intel RST, I still have a "!" unknown device in my device manager-> other device, and no "storage controller" Naturally, I downloaded the correct version (Win 7 x64.) of Intel RST... But its odd. Has anyone else encountered this issue?


It may be your Marvell SATA controller or your JMicron eSATA controller.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frogman946*
> 
> Hi Sean, I have just joined Overclock.net after reading this thread.
> I have found it easy to follow and understand and commend you for it.
> I have recently purchased a 120gb SSD drive and installed it as the boot drive with Win7 Pro on a Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 on the SATA3-0 Intel port after setting the Bios to AHCI mode as I do not intend to use Raid. I then performed an express install of the drivers from the Cd provided with the motherboard.
> Now that is where I need your assistance. My understanding was that the later drivers installation included the Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers. A later check in Device Manager showed no category for Storage Controllers or any mention of the IRST drivers anywhere in Device Manager. I also noted that no Marvell mention exist either. When checking under the SSD drivers tab, Microsoft drivers are mentioned. I then downloaded the latest IRST drivers from Intel's site and ran them. I still cannot see any evidence of the drivers anywhere. I am at a loss to understand where or if I have gone wrong.
> I have completed all the recommended tweaks and the system boots fine. I just do not know whether the proper drivers are installed for the SSD. I would appreciate your advice with this.
> Regards


Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&file_id=9

When you open the program in the top left it should say iaStor.


----------



## bryce

Would most of these tweaks still apply for WIndows 8 most likely? Am thinking about installing the consumer preview on my SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Would most of these tweaks still apply for WIndows 8 most likely? Am thinking about installing the consumer preview on my SSD.


I have no idea, I have yet to use Win 8 yet lol, I will check it out soon tho.


----------



## bryce

I can't check it out right yet because I've got a meeting to get to and need the computer working for that so afterwards I'll get started on it. I would think they would apply though since it's still Windows 8, I mean how much could of changed even if it was supposedly rewritten completely.


----------



## casinoslotguy

I'm really new to the SSD thing, i just got done building a new PC with the following specs:
Gigabyte: GA-990FX-UD3
AMD: FX-6100 3.3Ghz
Kingston DDR3 1600Mhz: 16GB
Gigabyte HD 6850 1GB DDR5 - V.Card
OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD
(2) 750GB Seagate SATA HDD
Corsair H80 Liquid Proc. Cooler
Kingwin 80+ Bronze 850W Pwr Supply

I have came back to this post several times in the past week, plus i gave the site to some of my friends as well.

So i just wanted to say:







Thank you for the detailed guide, i can see a lot of work went into this..............


----------



## Xaxinian

Sorry maybe a dumb question, but do I have to use a windows 7 bootable USB installer? Can't I just use the windows disc?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xaxinian*
> 
> Sorry maybe a dumb question, but do I have to use a windows 7 bootable USB installer? Can't I just use the windows disc?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *casinoslotguy*
> 
> I'm really new to the SSD thing, i just got done building a new PC with the following specs:
> Gigabyte: GA-990FX-UD3
> AMD: FX-6100 3.3Ghz
> Kingston DDR3 1600Mhz: 16GB
> Gigabyte HD 6850 1GB DDR5 - V.Card
> OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD
> (2) 750GB Seagate SATA HDD
> Corsair H80 Liquid Proc. Cooler
> Kingwin 80+ Bronze 850W Pwr Supply
> 
> I have came back to this post several times in the past week, plus i gave the site to some of my friends as well.
> 
> So i just wanted to say:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for the detailed guide, i can see a lot of work went into this..............


No problem.







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xaxinian*
> 
> Sorry maybe a dumb question, but do I have to use a windows 7 bootable USB installer? Can't I just use the windows disc?


Where does it say you _have_ to use a USB to install?


----------



## Xaxinian

Sean, thanks for the quick reply, I just saw you go thru the instructions for making a bootable USB, I thought it may be optional or for those without optical drives but I am very new to this so I wanted to make sure.

That being said, on your advice I just ordered a Crucial M4 128Gig SSD (Very Excited). I recently built a new system and while I am very happy with it, it was still only as strong as its weakest link. In this case my HDD. I will be using the SSD as my boot drive, with Windows and a few other programs. I intent to have a few games on it as well. I still would like to use my HDD for other games and programs I dont use as often...and just storage. In your section of the install guide you talk about things to do if its just SSD or just HDD or both. Since I will be actively using the HDD as well should I follow the instructions for SSD and HDD?

I assume once I have the SSD installed and windows on it, I can simply format my current HDD and start using it normally?


----------



## frogman946

Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&file_id=9
When you open the program in the top left it should say iaStor. [/quote]

Thanks for the response. I downloaded the linked application. Do you want me to actually run the benchmark or just take a screenshot of the opened application?


----------



## Kieran

Not sure whether this has been asked before but i assume that if i want to install programs on my Hard drive as well as my SSD i just need to Create a *Program Files* and *Program Files (x86)* folder on the hard drive?

Other than that thanks for the guide Sean. I've now got about 37GB of free space and my system is very responsive!
I might move my Hard drive and CD drive to my SATA 6GB/s ports, it looks like the 3GB/s ports are on a different controller on the motherboard so it's slowing down the boot process a bit.

@bryce Here is a link to the Black Viper guide on tweaking the services in Windows 8
http://www.blackviper.com/2011/09/16/black-vipers-windows-8-service-configurations/


----------



## pioneerisloud

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kieran*
> 
> Not sure whether this has been asked before but i assume that if i want to install programs on my Hard drive as well as my SSD
> i just need to Create a *Program Files* and *Program Files (x86)* folder on the hard drive?
> 
> Other than that thanks for the guide Sean. I've now got about 37GB of free space and my system is very responsive!
> I might move my Hard drive and CD drive to my SATA 6GB/s ports, it looks like the 3GB/s ports are on a different controller on the motherboard so it's slowing down the boot process a bit.


1) You don't HAVE to create those specific folders. Just create a "Programs" folder (to keep things easy to find), and when you install programs, just use the custom option when installing. Then tell the program where to install to. This applies to games as well (I always make a "Games" folder on my mech drives for games).

2) So long as you're not using the horrible Marvell controller for SATA 6Gb/s, then the other 6 ports are ALL on your native Intel controller. You'll have 2x SATA 6Gb/s, and 4x SATA 3Gb/s. There's no reason to have your DVDRW and your mech drives on the SATA 6 ports. Although I use the Marvell controller (in IDE mode, no OPROM) for my DVDRW drive myself. My mech drives are on my Intel SATA 3Gb/s, and my SSD is on my Intel SATA 6Gb/s.


----------



## Kieran

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pioneerisloud*
> 
> 1) You don't HAVE to create those specific folders. Just create a "Programs" folder (to keep things easy to find), and when you install programs, just use the custom option when installing. Then tell the program where to install to. This applies to games as well (I always make a "Games" folder on my mech drives for games).
> 2) So long as you're not using the horrible Marvell controller for SATA 6Gb/s, then the other 6 ports are ALL on your native Intel controller. You'll have 2x SATA 6Gb/s, and 4x SATA 3Gb/s. There's no reason to have your DVDRW and your mech drives on the SATA 6 ports. Although I use the Marvell controller (in IDE mode, no OPROM) for my DVDRW drive myself. My mech drives are on my Intel SATA 3Gb/s, and my SSD is on my Intel SATA 6Gb/s.


Thanks, just created a "Games" and "Programs" folder.

My SATA 6GB/s ports are using a AMD SB950 controller while the 2 SATA 3GB/s use the JMicron® JMB362 controller.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xaxinian*
> 
> Sean, thanks for the quick reply, I just saw you go thru the instructions for making a bootable USB, I thought it may be optional or for those without optical drives but I am very new to this so I wanted to make sure.
> 
> That being said, on your advice I just ordered a Crucial M4 128Gig SSD (Very Excited). I recently built a new system and while I am very happy with it, it was still only as strong as its weakest link. In this case my HDD. I will be using the SSD as my boot drive, with Windows and a few other programs. I intent to have a few games on it as well. I still would like to use my HDD for other games and programs I dont use as often...and just storage. In your section of the install guide you talk about things to do if its just SSD or just HDD or both. Since I will be actively using the HDD as well should I follow the instructions for SSD and HDD?


You install the system on a SSD then do the steps marked SSD/HDD and SSD only.
Quote:


> I assume once I have the SSD installed and windows on it, I can simply format my current HDD and start using it normally?


yep as long as all the data you want on it is backed up.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frogman946*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&file_id=9
> When you open the program in the top left it should say iaStor.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the response. I downloaded the linked application. Do you want me to actually run the benchmark or just take a screenshot of the opened application?
Click to expand...

just a screenshot will do no need to run it.


----------



## kevindd992002

If you disable pagefile and the system RAM consumption boosts high close to 100%, what will happen?


----------



## frogman946

just a screenshot will do no need to run it. [/quote]

Here is what you requested.

snapshot.png 49k .png file


----------



## frogman946

Another request for assistance if you may.

As I hadn't run the WEI assessment yet, it showed a score of 1.0. I just ran it and received the following message:

X The Windows Experience Index for your system could not be completed.
Could not measure video playback performance.
---> Close

I ran it several times with the same result. I then googled the message and as a result checked that the 8 files used by Windows for the assessment were there and I was able to play them successfully. Any advice would be very much appreciated.


----------



## Antykain

After installing my Intel 520 Series SSD (VERY nice SSD, may I add), and doing a fresh install of Win7, I backed up everything I needed on the HDD the OS used to be on. I now want to reformat the HDD that the OS used to be on, but it is not letting me do this using the Windows Disk Management.. I've used this in the past many times for formatting/partitioning but now, it's not letting me format it. Does this have to do with the old OS being installed on it? What's a good work around do making this work?

I am really loving the Intel 520 SSD.. Like night and day difference performance wise!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> If you disable pagefile and the system RAM consumption boosts high close to 100%, what will happen?


it may simply shut down/crash. happened to me before lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frogman946*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> just a screenshot will do no need to run it.
> 
> 
> 
> Here is what you requested.
> 
> snapshot.png 49k .png file
Click to expand...

Yep the intel sata driver is installed.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frogman946*
> 
> Another request for assistance if you may.
> 
> As I hadn't run the WEI assessment yet, it showed a score of 1.0. I just ran it and received the following message:
> 
> X The Windows Experience Index for your system could not be completed.
> Could not measure video playback performance.
> ---> Close
> 
> I ran it several times with the same result. I then googled the message and as a result checked that the 8 files used by Windows for the assessment were there and I was able to play them successfully. Any advice would be very much appreciated.


Try this?

*Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:*
Go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT and delete the winsat.txt
Then go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore and delete all the files in there.
Now restart W.E.I.
*Note:* The scores should be the proper score now.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Antykain*
> 
> After installing my Intel 520 Series SSD (VERY nice SSD, may I add), and doing a fresh install of Win7, I backed up everything I needed on the HDD the OS used to be on. I now want to reformat the HDD that the OS used to be on, but it is not letting me do this using the Windows Disk Management.. I've used this in the past many times for formatting/partitioning but now, it's not letting me format it. Does this have to do with the old OS being installed on it? What's a good work around do making this work?
> 
> I am really loving the Intel 520 SSD.. Like night and day difference performance wise!


Use diskpart?

*If your personal data is backed up to another drive then:*
Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *active*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter


----------



## [email protected]

Do you think 200gb and up SSD will ever get cheaper one day? They seem so extremely expensive. I have been keeping an eye on those new INtel 520's and other brands that came out but the INtel new ones are really interesting to have. Gonna wait til it's the right time to go bigger. I want more stuff on the SSD so every game i own can load in it







Not just BF3!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Do you think 200gb and up SSD will ever get cheaper one day? They seem so extremely expensive. I have been keeping an eye on those new INtel 520's and other brands that came out but the INtel new ones are really interesting to have. Gonna wait til it's the right time to go bigger. I want more stuff on the SSD so every game i own can load in it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not just BF3!


Yea of course.









Also, Micron is also releasing a new SSD line this summer most likely and Samsung is developing a new controller for their drives as well.


----------



## [email protected]

Interesting! I am very happy with my SSD but i would love a bigger drive. Now i need to suck it up soon and just push my overclocks cuz i hate seeing WEI score 7.3 cuz of my mild overclock lmao. Everything else is 7.9 but memory is 7.7.


----------



## mousemanb

Hi Sean,

Amazing stuff you've put together! Thanks! I've read through almost half of the pages here, but I still need help! I've tried searching this post specifically, but it's hard to search using words that return hundreds of posts...

I've got a 1TB HDD with one partition devoted to my OS, and the other devoted to all my data. I'd like to clone the OS to my new Crucial M4 128GB SSD but continue using the old HDD as a data drive. I used another tutorial before I found yours that suggested using EaseUS Partition Master to clone my old OS partition to the SSD. I did that, but the new cloned drive had disk letter M:\. I restarted the computer and changed my boot order to start w/ the new SSD, but I got the BOOTMGR error. Following other advice I found, I tried repairing the issue using my Win7 CD, but that didn't fix the problem. I wondered if I should just change the drive letters around, but other sites suggested that wasn't a good idea either.

So, I started looking for another method and came across your post. I've been following post #2150, but I'm lost at what to do from step 10 onward. After I make the backup, how do I restore the image to my SSD? I placed the image on an external drive, and in the "Backup and Restore" control panel, it says "Windows could not find a backup for this computer."

You then point us to your "Now It's Time For The System Set Up!" section, but I'm confused on a couple of points...

1) After the image restore is done, do I unplug my old 1TB HDD and then restart? Do I change the boot order in my BIOS at this point?
2) If I do unplug my old HDD, at what point do I plug it back in so I can access all my data?
3) Do I get rid of the old OS partition? And if so, when and how do I do this?

Sorry if you've already answered this stuff, and I know it's a lot of questions, but I've spent the last three hours looking through these pages, looking up terms I don't understand, and I'm feeling really frazzled! If you could help I'd be so grateful!

ps - I have a LOT of programs installed and would prefer not to start with a fresh install of Windows 7 unless I absolutely have to.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> First thing to do is split the current drive into 2 partitions and move all you non OS data onto the new made partition.
> Do this:
> 
> Shrink the old HDD OS partition. (link)
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space. (link)
> Then move the personal files to the new partition, like your such as pics, video, music, documents, and Steam, etc.
> Now you may have to keep shrinking and expanding the partitions as you do this depending on how much free space you have on your drive.
> When you are done moving the data then you should be ~ the right size to make system image to restore to the 64GB drive.
> If not then check out my maintenance section, run ccleaner, discleanup, etc and disable the hibernation file and page file.
> Keep shrinking the C: partition as small as you can while doing this.
> If still not small enough if you have any non steam games installed you will have to uninstall them and re-install after you restore the system image.
> This is how to make the system image: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
> Once you make the image you can hook up the SSD and restore the image to it.
> Then go through my "Now It's Time For The System Set Up!" section of my guide and make sure you run WEI.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I've been reading all I can to update myself on storage, but I admit I'm behind the times in this area. Is there going to be a good way to transfer my OS to the M4 or will I have to reinstall? I'm also planning an Ivy Bridge build as soon as everything is in general availability but that may be May / June or later. Should I just wait until then? Reinstall Win7, or is there a way to migrate just the OS?
> 
> 
> 
> Migrate now if you like.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, my current board runs Intel ICH9R. I know I'm not going to get max performance out of these SSDs until I upgrade. Any advice on what I should do? Many thanks,
> Clear
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Barely a difference in real world use in SATA 2 and 3, don't worry.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I may have left something out just let me know if you are confused any.
Click to expand...


----------



## frogman946

Yep the intel sata driver is installed.









This is good. Shouldn't a Storage Controller category be present in Device Manager to reflect this? All threads on the subject point to this.

Try this?
*Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:*
Go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT and delete the winsat.txt
Then go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore and delete all the files in there.
Now restart W.E.I.
*Note:* The scores should be the proper score now.

[/quote]

Followed instructions with no luck. Still get same message. DataStore folder remains empty. Attaching the log file for you.

winsat.txt 33k .txt file


----------



## Ragsters

I did your method on turning off drive indexing but when I looked at the OS optimization in the magician tool for my samsung 830 it shows it still enabled. I ran the tune from the software and disabled it there. Why did the tool still think it was enabled?


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Do you think 200gb and up SSD will ever get cheaper one day? They seem so extremely expensive. I have been keeping an eye on those new INtel 520's and other brands that came out but the INtel new ones are really interesting to have. Gonna wait til it's the right time to go bigger. I want more stuff on the SSD so every game i own can load in it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not just BF3!


Definitely. I was watching newegg for about a month and prices are jumping up and down all over the place, which is a sign that they are slowly lowering pricing. At one time I saw a Crucial 256GB M4 on sale for $280 US with Free Shipping, a 64GB M4 for $60 US FS, and I bought my soon to arrive 128 GB Samsung 830 for $184 US FS. I know the Sandforce drives are cheaper but I was not looking for that controller type. These prices were true pricing, no Mail in Rebate nonsense.

If you want an SSD watch the prices, seems to be a sale for Samsung, Crucial, and Plextor drives almost every week.


----------



## [email protected]

I don't know about Crucial though. I just want the best SSD there is and not a crappy one that'll break even if it's 200gb and up especially for the price itself to made last long. I'm more leaning towards the INtel ones cuz they have good warranty but no idea about the other brands cuz i never tried them. I oughta look up some benchmarks and see what is the best for my buck. Right now the INtel suits me fine and i DO want the newest one that came out.


----------



## Sxcerino

Hi Sean,

Any idea what could be causing these low random reads and writes in general?


http://imgur.com/JdGiG


Installed in a MSI laptop MS-16F2.

It's weird because I didn't have a problem with my M4 (on desktop) but the hyperX even with the latest firmware seems to be a downer.

Thanks


----------



## Ragsters

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> I did your method on turning off drive indexing but when I looked at the OS optimization in the magician tool for my samsung 830 it shows it still enabled. I ran the tune from the software and disabled it there. Why did the tool still think it was enabled?


???


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mousemanb*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> Amazing stuff you've put together! Thanks! I've read through almost half of the pages here, but I still need help! I've tried searching this post specifically, but it's hard to search using words that return hundreds of posts...
> 
> I've got a 1TB HDD with one partition devoted to my OS, and the other devoted to all my data. I'd like to clone the OS to my new Crucial M4 128GB SSD but continue using the old HDD as a data drive. I used another tutorial before I found yours that suggested using EaseUS Partition Master to clone my old OS partition to the SSD. I did that, but the new cloned drive had disk letter M:\. I restarted the computer and changed my boot order to start w/ the new SSD, but I got the BOOTMGR error. Following other advice I found, I tried repairing the issue using my Win7 CD, but that didn't fix the problem. I wondered if I should just change the drive letters around, but other sites suggested that wasn't a good idea either.
> 
> So, I started looking for another method and came across your post. I've been following post #2150, but I'm lost at what to do from step 10 onward. After I make the backup, how do I restore the image to my SSD? I placed the image on an external drive, and in the "Backup and Restore" control panel, it says "Windows could not find a backup for this computer."
> 
> You then point us to your "Now It's Time For The System Set Up!" section, but I'm confused on a couple of points...
> 
> 1) After the image restore is done, do I unplug my old 1TB HDD and then restart? Do I change the boot order in my BIOS at this point?
> 2) If I do unplug my old HDD, at what point do I plug it back in so I can access all my data?
> 3) Do I get rid of the old OS partition? And if so, when and how do I do this?
> 
> Sorry if you've already answered this stuff, and I know it's a lot of questions, but I've spent the last three hours looking through these pages, looking up terms I don't understand, and I'm feeling really frazzled! If you could help I'd be so grateful!
> 
> ps - I have a LOT of programs installed and would prefer not to start with a fresh install of Windows 7 unless I absolutely have to.


You need to have the image at the root of the drive.

you dont need to unplug anything after teh restore lol

plug the old hdd in whenever

you will not have a old os partition after the restore

I am actually making a video guide on this if you can wait a little.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frogman946*
> 
> This is good. Shouldn't a Storage Controller category be present in Device Manager to reflect this? All threads on the subject point to this.



Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Try this?
> *Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:*
> Go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT and delete the winsat.txt
> Then go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore and delete all the files in there.
> Now restart W.E.I.
> *Note:* The scores should be the proper score now.
> 
> 
> 
> Followed instructions with no luck. Still get same message. DataStore folder remains empty. Attaching the log file for you.
> 
> winsat.txt 33k .txt file
Click to expand...

no idea








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> I did your method on turning off drive indexing but when I looked at the OS optimization in the magician tool for my samsung 830 it shows it still enabled. I ran the tune from the software and disabled it there. Why did the tool still think it was enabled?


idk, I haven't used the software or looked into it. Maybe it does something else than what I show.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sxcerino*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> Any idea what could be causing these low random reads and writes in general?
> 
> 
> http://imgur.com/JdGiG
> 
> 
> Installed in a MSI laptop MS-16F2.
> 
> It's weird because I didn't have a problem with my M4 (on desktop) but the hyperX even with the latest firmware seems to be a downer.
> 
> Thanks


That is b/c it is in a laptop, laptop SATA controllers limit speeds.


----------



## Sxcerino

Oh damn. See when I saw my Sata 3 transfer rate wasn't capped, I expected my random read wouldn't be capped either.

I guess thats not true huh.

Any way to remedy? The laptop uses a H67 express chipset.

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sxcerino*
> 
> Oh damn. See when I saw my Sata 3 transfer rate wasn't capped, I expected my random read wouldn't be capped either.
> 
> I guess thats not true huh.
> 
> Any way to remedy? The laptop uses a H67 express chipset.
> 
> Thanks!


You will have to google it, I haven't really bothered to look up on it really.









Laptops have their power saving features enabled in the BIOS/UEFI firmware often which can limit sata chipset through put mostly on 4k reads/writes. Kinda sucks, unless you can disable them, but it helps battery life and the drive is still far faster than a HDD that is for sure lol.


----------



## PorqpineTR33

"Type cre par pri align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
Note: If you are using multiple drives in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance."

Does this mean multiple drives aside the already two needed SSDs or HDDs for RAID 0? Or if you have RAID 0 with just two drives?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PorqpineTR33*
> 
> "Type cre par pri align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
> Note: If you are using multiple drives in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance."
> 
> Does this mean multiple drives aside the already two needed SSDs or HDDs for RAID 0? Or if you have RAID 0 with just two drives?


it means if you have multiple drives in a RAID array, aka. 2 or 3 or more SSDs or HDDs in RAID 0 set the alignment offset to 1024 and not 4096 when you format them.


----------



## Doomgaze

Ok I'm having a terrible time with my OCZ vertex 2 giving me unbelievably long boot times after attempting to secure erase and fresh install of windows 7. I have followed your guide exactly and tried to secure erase using both parted magic and two different linux methods given on OCZ's website each time it gave me the confirmation that it was successful but after installing windows it acts like the secure erase did not work and the registry files from the old installations are still present or something because it seems to be looking for drivers from the old install and eventually just times out and finally boots into windows after something crazy like 10+ minutes. I know this from looking at the system errors. After two attempts of secure erase and fresh windows install I did a very ignorant thing and tried to do a windows upgrade with an upgrade disk to the same windows version as was already installed because I read this was possible online and that it would re-create the registry files and I was hoping this would get rid of the old ones finally and solve my issue but now it is even worse than before. I ran a performance benchmark and my read write speeds look fantastic so it isn't degradation of performance that I'm dealing with here but something to do with not fully erasing old operating system files I believe. I'm not sure what to do at this point and am afraid to try anything else that will make it worse or even ruin my SSD so just hoping you can have some suggestions on where to go from here. I wasn't aware of any way to verify that secure erase indeed cleaned out the drive so I just went by the success message given after performing it and then following your guide exactly to install windows and make all the other adjustments recommended. Is there a way I'm not aware of to make sure the secure erase worked before proceeding to install windows? Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.


----------



## ghostrider85

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Doomgaze*
> 
> Ok I'm having a terrible time with my OCZ vertex 2 giving me unbelievably long boot times after attempting to secure erase and fresh install of windows 7. I have followed your guide exactly and tried to secure erase using both parted magic and two different linux methods given on OCZ's website each time it gave me the confirmation that it was successful but after installing windows it acts like the secure erase did not work and the registry files from the old installations are still present or something because it seems to be looking for drivers from the old install and eventually just times out and finally boots into windows after something crazy like 10+ minutes. I know this from looking at the system errors. After two attempts of secure erase and fresh windows install I did a very ignorant thing and tried to do a windows upgrade with an upgrade disk to the same windows version as was already installed because I read this was possible online and that it would re-create the registry files and I was hoping this would get rid of the old ones finally and solve my issue but now it is even worse than before. I ran a performance benchmark and my read write speeds look fantastic so it isn't degradation of performance that I'm dealing with here but something to do with not fully erasing old operating system files I believe. I'm not sure what to do at this point and am afraid to try anything else that will make it worse or even ruin my SSD so just hoping you can have some suggestions on where to go from here. I wasn't aware of any way to verify that secure erase indeed cleaned out the drive so I just went by the success message given after performing it and then following your guide exactly to install windows and make all the other adjustments recommended. Is there a way I'm not aware of to make sure the secure erase worked before proceeding to install windows? Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.


my eyez! it hurtz!!!


----------



## arctia

To the OP:

Under the list of things to do "Immediately after starting Windows", turning off Hybrid sleep should be one of them.

I put my computer to sleep yesterday. My monitors shuts off immediately, but the hard drive activity light kept blinking for a while. Did some research and saw that it was due to hybrid sleep. Hybrid sleep writes the contents of your RAM to the hard drive before going to sleep. Disable it for SSD.


----------



## ghostrider85

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *arctia*
> 
> To the OP:
> 
> Under the list of things to do "Immediately after starting Windows", turning off Hybrid sleep should be one of them.
> 
> I put my computer to sleep yesterday. My monitors shuts off immediately, but the hard drive activity light kept blinking for a while. Did some research and saw that it was due to hybrid sleep. Hybrid sleep writes the contents of your RAM to the hard drive before going to sleep. Disable it for SSD.


hybrid sleep = sleep + hybernate
seans guide includes turning off the hybernation under "Immediately after starting Windows"
turning off hybernation will also turns off the hybrid sleep


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *arctia*
> 
> To the OP:
> Under the list of things to do "Immediately after starting Windows", turning off Hybrid sleep should be one of them.
> I put my computer to sleep yesterday. My monitors shuts off immediately, but the hard drive activity light kept blinking for a while. Did some research and saw that it was due to hybrid sleep. Hybrid sleep writes the contents of your RAM to the hard drive before going to sleep. Disable it for SSD.


How specifically to disable it? IIRC, as long as you disable Hibernation, Hybrid sleep is also disabled.


----------



## Sxcerino

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You will have to google it, I haven't really bothered to look up on it really.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Laptops have their power saving features enabled in the BIOS/UEFI firmware often which can limit sata chipset through put mostly on 4k reads/writes. Kinda sucks, unless you can disable them, but it helps battery life and the drive is still far faster than a HDD that is for sure lol.


Ah okay! Great, thanks!


----------



## Aparition

Sean need some Pro wiz assistance.
This will probably be for most users like me new to SSD's as well









As I said in previous posts I purchased a new Samsung 128GB 830 SSD. My current OS is on my C: drive partition of 100GB capacity on a Seagate 320GB HDD. My BIOS is already set to use AHCI because I am using a RAID array, not for my OS.

My OS partition has 47GB of use out of 100GB so I have lots of room. I will be making a system image of only my C:. My MBR, PageFile, and all other necessary info is installed on my C: partition. I have done a few of the Win edits like shrinking the page file, shrinking the recovery file size, and shrinking the hybernation file. Prefetch and Superfetch are currently still on.

In order to make an image of only my C: partition I have to unhook the RAID drives, windows 7 wants to include these two drives as part of the system image, 1Terrabyte, I don't know why.

I read page 215. I want to know how do I correctly align the format for my SSD when it comes time to install?
When I restore the image I can use disk management to expand the SSD to fully use the additional 28 GB of available space, that is what I have read, correct? Or should I use GParted to expand my current C: Partition to 128GB and then make an image?

The alignment part is really bugging me at the moment, and I want to make sure I do this correctly.

I have 800 GB of data and programs I am trying to preserve in the current state. The goal is to preserve the applications. Everything is of course backed up so I am not worried about loss.


----------



## itakey

Awesome guide Sean, thank you for this!

I installed my Crucial M4 128GB and this thing flies!

I had a few specific questions that follow along your steps, if you can share some input that would be awesome.

*Hibernation*
Is it ideal to keep hibernation on with a 120GB SSD with 16GB ram? I noticed that the command powercfg -h -size 50 only allows 50%. I attempted to put 25 in place of the 50 and it read the say byte size.
-I don't hibernate a lot, but I like the option since I sometimes leave a ton of stuff open and like to resume where I left off.
-If I leave it on should I worry?

*Running 24/7*
I leave my computer on 24/7, is this a problem with SSD's?
-Should I set it to go to sleep after a certain amount of time?
-Can I remote desktop in if the computer is asleep? I don't think, and I remote into my machine regularly at all hours.

*System Protection*
If I set it to 1% it shows up as 1.19gb.
-Is it cool to leave this on for the option of restoring?

*Drive Indexing*
I see that you show how to turn it off, but in your video when you type in indexing and choose options you have all sorts of files that are still checked.
-Should those stay checked? I see a ton of user folders all checked

*Page File*
I use photoshop a lot, and might do some VMWare virtual machine stuff.
-Should I drop the size down or leave it as is. If I don't touch anything it says the size is 16301MB

Thanks!


----------



## mousemanb

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the quick response! A video tutorial would be awesome!

The part that I'm getting hung up on is restoring the system image to the new SSD. When I create the image, I stored it on my USB external drive. The only option it let me choose was the drive itself, and no folder level options. After the image was made, it was stored at L:\WindowsImageBackup\XPSDesktop\Backup 2012-03-04 224027. Do I need to move the image itself to the root of that drive? I'm not quite sure what you meant by having the image at the root of the drive.

Plugging ahead, I used the Windows 7 installation disc to perform the image recovery, but after going through the entire process of booting with the Windows 7 disc, finding the image, all the way to the point where you click the "Finish" button, there was never an option to choose my SSD as the destination for the image recovery. There was a section in a previous window that allows me to choose drives to exclude from the restore process. I've unplugged all my other drives, so the only drive that shows up in that window is my SSD, which I left unchecked. The problem is that when I go through the process and click "Finish." It give me the following error:

The system image restore failed
No disk that can be used for recovering the system disk can be found.

I followed your instructions in your first post on how to prep the SSD for installation, and the drive is showing up in my BIOS, so I'm confused now. A little help? Am I going about this the right way?


----------



## Sxcerino

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mousemanb*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> Thanks for the quick response! A video tutorial would be awesome!
> The part that I'm getting hung up on is restoring the system image to the new SSD. When I create the image, I stored it on my USB external drive. The only option it let me choose was the drive itself, and no folder level options. After the image was made, it was stored at L:\WindowsImageBackup\XPSDesktop\Backup 2012-03-04 224027. Do I need to move the image itself to the root of that drive? I'm not quite sure what you meant by having the image at the root of the drive.
> Plugging ahead, I used the Windows 7 installation disc to perform the image recovery, but after going through the entire process of booting with the Windows 7 disc, finding the image, all the way to the point where you click the "Finish" button, there was never an option to choose my SSD as the destination for the image recovery. There was a section in a previous window that allows me to choose drives to exclude from the restore process. I've unplugged all my other drives, so the only drive that shows up in that window is my SSD, which I left unchecked. The problem is that when I go through the process and click "Finish." It give me the following error:
> The system image restore failed
> No disk that can be used for recovering the system disk can be found.
> I followed your instructions in your first post on how to prep the SSD for installation, and the drive is showing up in my BIOS, so I'm confused now. A little help? Am I going about this the right way?


Don't move the image outside the folder or anything, or it won't work. Also don't rename the folder.

You could try to format the disk via diskpart first, then restore onto it.


----------



## Aparition

Ok running into problems trying to restore to the SSD.

I did the DISKPART section.
I made a system image on both DVD and to an E: partition of the same drive the OS C: is installed to.

First attempt:
Only SSD installed.
Used recovery disc and attempted to install image to the SSD. Error came up saying it could not install image.

Second attempt:
With OS drive attached and SSD attached, booted into recovery with disc. trying to restore the "Format and Repartition disks" option is greyed out.
I have no way of selecting the SSD, assuming it will just re-image the C: drive.

Not sure what to do...
Maybe my DVD image is bad?

Should I delete the current C: partition on the HDD and try again? Image is on E: partition.
Or should I look at a third party program?
Maybe install Win7 on SSD per your guide, then attempt to restore the old system image?

***I have the same issue as Mousemanb***


----------



## Nemesis158

Sean, i just did it yesterday and it should be noted that this guide also works for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.
I did an MBR install on my main rig using a bootable USB stick following this guide and it worked exactly as it was suppose to


----------



## mousemanb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sxcerino*
> 
> Don't move the image outside the folder or anything, or it won't work. Also don't rename the folder.
> You could try to format the disk via diskpart first, then restore onto it.


Yeah, I left the image where Windows put it. I just wasn't sure what Sean meant about putting the image at the root of the drive. And yep, I did those steps using diskpart as outlined in Post #2, under the section titled "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format"

I've been searching for a while, and I can't seem to find a definitive answer.

On suggestion was to use diskpart to simply clean the drive, and the image restore seems to work after that. But doesn't this method go against Sean's advice to use diskpart to properly align the drive for optimum performance?

Another suggestion I saw was to make sure that the new SSD was plugged in so it was set to Disk 0 (as they're listed when running diskpart), though others have claimed that doesn't work either.

Again another suggestion was to move data off any non-OS partitions from OS HDD and delete these partitions. This advice also appears to go against what Sean has recommended in his tutorial for migrating an existing OS to the new SSD.

I'm getting pretty confused with all the conflicting advice I'm finding, and it's making my head spin! I would greatly appreciate some help and clarity!


----------



## Sxcerino

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mousemanb*
> 
> On suggestion was to use diskpart to simply clean the drive, and the image restore seems to work after that. But doesn't this method go against Sean's advice to use diskpart to properly align the drive for optimum performance?


^
This is what I did.

In any case, the box will be greyed out and ticked. You should get your 4k alignment still.


----------



## qTAP

This guide is amazing, so simple and easy to understand. Hell this guy even posted youtube videos making it even easier. A+++


----------



## Aparition

I am going to follow what Sean did here for the System image not wanting to load to the SSD
http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/990#post_15878378

Basically he did a fresh install to the SSD then loaded the system image.
I have been trying to load the system image to a clean/blank SSD and it does not want to work.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Doomgaze*
> 
> Ok I'm having a terrible time with my OCZ vertex 2 giving me unbelievably long boot times after attempting to secure erase and fresh install of windows 7. I have followed your guide exactly and tried to secure erase using both parted magic and two different linux methods given on OCZ's website each time it gave me the confirmation that it was successful but after installing windows it acts like the secure erase did not work and the registry files from the old installations are still present or something because it seems to be looking for drivers from the old install and eventually just times out and finally boots into windows after something crazy like 10+ minutes. I know this from looking at the system errors. After two attempts of secure erase and fresh windows install I did a very ignorant thing and tried to do a windows upgrade with an upgrade disk to the same windows version as was already installed because I read this was possible online and that it would re-create the registry files and I was hoping this would get rid of the old ones finally and solve my issue but now it is even worse than before. I ran a performance benchmark and my read write speeds look fantastic so it isn't degradation of performance that I'm dealing with here but something to do with not fully erasing old operating system files I believe. I'm not sure what to do at this point and am afraid to try anything else that will make it worse or even ruin my SSD so just hoping you can have some suggestions on where to go from here. I wasn't aware of any way to verify that secure erase indeed cleaned out the drive so I just went by the success message given after performing it and then following your guide exactly to install windows and make all the other adjustments recommended. Is there a way I'm not aware of to make sure the secure erase worked before proceeding to install windows? Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.


Wait...you ran secure erase and you did my alignment guide and no data was cleared off the drive?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *arctia*
> 
> To the OP:
> Under the list of things to do "Immediately after starting Windows", turning off Hybrid sleep should be one of them.
> I put my computer to sleep yesterday. My monitors shuts off immediately, but the hard drive activity light kept blinking for a while. Did some research and saw that it was due to hybrid sleep. Hybrid sleep writes the contents of your RAM to the hard drive before going to sleep. Disable it for SSD.
> 
> 
> 
> How specifically to disable it? IIRC, as long as you disable Hibernation, Hybrid sleep is also disabled.
Click to expand...

just disable hibernation and hybrid sleep disables.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Sean need some Pro wiz assistance.
> This will probably be for most users like me new to SSD's as well
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As I said in previous posts I purchased a new Samsung 128GB 830 SSD. My current OS is on my C: drive partition of 100GB capacity on a Seagate 320GB HDD. My BIOS is already set to use AHCI because I am using a RAID array, not for my OS.
> 
> My OS partition has 47GB of use out of 100GB so I have lots of room. I will be making a system image of only my C:. My MBR, PageFile, and all other necessary info is installed on my C: partition. I have done a few of the Win edits like shrinking the page file, shrinking the recovery file size, and shrinking the hybernation file. Prefetch and Superfetch are currently still on.
> 
> In order to make an image of only my C: partition I have to unhook the RAID drives, windows 7 wants to include these two drives as part of the system image, 1Terrabyte, I don't know why.
> 
> I read page 215. I want to know how do I correctly align the format for my SSD when it comes time to install?
> When I restore the image I can use disk management to expand the SSD to fully use the additional 28 GB of available space, that is what I have read, correct? Or should I use GParted to expand my current C: Partition to 128GB and then make an image?
> 
> The alignment part is really bugging me at the moment, and I want to make sure I do this correctly.
> 
> I have 800 GB of data and programs I am trying to preserve in the current state. The goal is to preserve the applications. Everything is of course backed up so I am not worried about loss.


I have a new video I am making atm, i am using Easus ToDo backup for my image needs in it, it is less prone to issues as Windows image tool. If you want try that instead of the windows image tool.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *itakey*
> 
> Awesome guide Sean, thank you for this!
> 
> I installed my Crucial M4 128GB and this thing flies!
> 
> I had a few specific questions that follow along your steps, if you can share some input that would be awesome.
> 
> *Hibernation*
> Is it ideal to keep hibernation on with a 120GB SSD with 16GB ram? I noticed that the command powercfg -h -size 50 only allows 50%. I attempted to put 25 in place of the 50 and it read the say byte size.
> -I don't hibernate a lot, but I like the option since I sometimes leave a ton of stuff open and like to resume where I left off.
> -If I leave it on should I worry?


Do what ever you feel, it is your system, I f you use hibernation leave it on, if not turn it off. I simply do not use it in my desktop so I disable it, I use it in my laptop all the time so it is enabled there.

Quote:


> *Running 24/7*
> I leave my computer on 24/7, is this a problem with SSD's?


Nope, no issue
Quote:


> -Should I set it to go to sleep after a certain amount of time?


Up to you.
Quote:


> -Can I remote desktop in if the computer is asleep? I don't think, and I remote into my machine regularly at all hours.


I think you can, I've tried before and could not, you would have to enable it to wake on LAN and set something up I think.
Quote:


> *System Protection*
> If I set it to 1% it shows up as 1.19gb.
> -Is it cool to leave this on for the option of restoring?


Yea, I leave mine alone, I don't even touch it.
Quote:


> *Drive Indexing*
> I see that you show how to turn it off, but in your video when you type in indexing and choose options you have all sorts of files that are still checked.
> -Should those stay checked? I see a ton of user folders all checked


Up to you on how you want it set up. I leave what it leaves checked then add what I want it to b/c what is indexed is also enabled to be searched in the search bar in the start menu.
Quote:


> *Page File*
> I use photoshop a lot, and might do some VMWare virtual machine stuff.
> -Should I drop the size down or leave it as is. If I don't touch anything it says the size is 16301MB
> 
> Thanks!


I have 8 GB of RAM and have mine set to 1GB, but if you need more size just expand it to like 4GB. Adjust it to what you need.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mousemanb*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> Thanks for the quick response! A video tutorial would be awesome!
> 
> The part that I'm getting hung up on is restoring the system image to the new SSD. When I create the image, I stored it on my USB external drive. The only option it let me choose was the drive itself, and no folder level options. After the image was made, it was stored at L:\WindowsImageBackup\XPSDesktop\Backup 2012-03-04 224027. Do I need to move the image itself to the root of that drive? I'm not quite sure what you meant by having the image at the root of the drive.
> 
> Plugging ahead, I used the Windows 7 installation disc to perform the image recovery, but after going through the entire process of booting with the Windows 7 disc, finding the image, all the way to the point where you click the "Finish" button, there was never an option to choose my SSD as the destination for the image recovery. There was a section in a previous window that allows me to choose drives to exclude from the restore process. I've unplugged all my other drives, so the only drive that shows up in that window is my SSD, which I left unchecked. The problem is that when I go through the process and click "Finish." It give me the following error:
> 
> The system image restore failed
> No disk that can be used for recovering the system disk can be found.
> 
> I followed your instructions in your first post on how to prep the SSD for installation, and the drive is showing up in my BIOS, so I'm confused now. A little help? Am I going about this the right way?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mousemanb*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sxcerino*
> 
> Don't move the image outside the folder or anything, or it won't work. Also don't rename the folder.
> You could try to format the disk via diskpart first, then restore onto it.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, I left the image where Windows put it. I just wasn't sure what Sean meant about putting the image at the root of the drive. And yep, I did those steps using diskpart as outlined in Post #2, under the section titled "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format"
> 
> I've been searching for a while, and I can't seem to find a definitive answer.
> 
> On suggestion was to use diskpart to simply clean the drive, and the image restore seems to work after that. But doesn't this method go against Sean's advice to use diskpart to properly align the drive for optimum performance?
> 
> Another suggestion I saw was to make sure that the new SSD was plugged in so it was set to Disk 0 (as they're listed when running diskpart), though others have claimed that doesn't work either.
> 
> Again another suggestion was to move data off any non-OS partitions from OS HDD and delete these partitions. This advice also appears to go against what Sean has recommended in his tutorial for migrating an existing OS to the new SSD.
> 
> I'm getting pretty confused with all the conflicting advice I'm finding, and it's making my head spin! I would greatly appreciate some help and clarity!
Click to expand...

The WindowsImageBackup folder needs to be at the root of the drive, aka not in any folders at all. That may be the issue.

I have a new video I am making atm, i am using Easus ToDo backup for my image needs in it, it is less prone to issues as Windows image tool. If you want try that instead of the windows image tool.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qTAP*
> 
> This guide is amazing, so simple and easy to understand. Hell this guy even posted youtube videos making it even easier. A+++











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> I am going to follow what Sean did here for the System image not wanting to load to the SSD
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/990#post_15878378
> 
> Basically he did a fresh install to the SSD then loaded the system image.
> I have been trying to load the system image to a clean/blank SSD and it does not want to work.


Give me a day to two for the video tutorial to be finished.


----------



## Aparition

Holy mega post









Will give Easus Todo Backup a shot. Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Holy mega post
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Will give Easus Todo Backup a shot. Thanks.


yea lol,

With easus go to backup > data back up > Disk/Partition > select your partition for your OS drive and if you have it your system reserve partition > set save location > proceed.

Make the bootable disk/usb

Boot from teh disk/usb > recover > disk and partition recovery > select your partitions > next, etc.


----------



## Aparition

So I installed EaseUS To Do backup, and there was the option to clone partition. I said F.... it and did it.
My RAID array was still unhooked so the only drives were my original HDD System and my new SSD.

15 minutes later for a ~47GB clone I am now booted into windows with my SSD.
I hooked my array back up and all is running Ok thus far.

In the clone options there was a tick for Optimize for SSD, I clicked it, Expanded the "To Be" partition to full, 119GB for the SSD after NTFS format.
When I checked the msinfo32 and for "Partition Starting Offset" it shows 4096. Guessing that is correct alignment?

Will report more info as I double check everything.
That was WAYYYY too easy...









Things to still check for:
Driver, windows installed a new driver and needs to restart...
Disable Prefetch
Disable Superfetch
...other optimizations.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> So I installed EaseUS To Do backup, and there was the option to clone partition. I said F.... it and did it.
> My RAID array was still unhooked so the only drives were my original HDD System and my new SSD.
> 
> 15 minutes later for a ~47GB clone I am now booted into windows with my SSD.
> I hooked my array back up and all is running Ok thus far.
> 
> In the clone options there was a tick for Optimize for SSD, I clicked it, Expanded the "To Be" partition to full, 119GB for the SSD after NTFS format.
> When I checked the msinfo32 and for "Partition Starting Offset" it shows 4096. Guessing that is correct alignment?
> 
> Will report more info as I double check everything.
> That was WAYYYY too easy...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Things to still check for:
> Driver, windows installed a new driver and needs to restart...
> Disable Prefetch
> Disable Superfetch
> ...other optimizations.


cool









It should be aligned properly, but I like to do one step more. I used Parted Magic > GPARTED to make sure the partition is aligned. I am making a video on that now. I should have it up at the end of the week.


----------



## Aparition

Ok I will use Gparted to double check the alignment.

Things to note, Win7 did detect the SSD after the first reboot after the "installing new driver" message.
Defragger was disabled for the SSD.
Win Update did not find anything for the driver or Raid controller so I will see on the next boot if it is still "installed driver need reboot" again. It did show the message after the first reboot.
I will also rehook my old HDD and reformat the old OS partition. Then good to go I believe.

So I think using EaseUS To Do Backup you can just plug in the SSD, Clone the OS partition, reboot and your good. I don't see any reason to unhook other drives.


----------



## mousemanb

Like Aparition, I followed the EaseUS Todo method and am now up and running!!! It's a little ridiculous how easy that was. This is after spending another few hours earlier today following all kinds of suggestions found from other forums and websites. Man, if only I'd tried it sooner!

Sean, you are THE MAN! I'm currently going through the other optimizations listed in your original post, but everything's humming along smoothly so far. Have already freed up about 5GB by disabling hibernation and other tweaks. It's pretty sweet how quickly my apps load. Grinning from ear to ear.









A quick question, though (if you happen to see this before I google it) . . . Under the section "Optimizations after system setup:Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features" do you disable the XPS document related stuff? I don't recall ever using them.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mousemanb*
> 
> Like Aparition, I followed the EaseUS Todo method and am now up and running!!! It's a little ridiculous how easy that was. This is after spending another few hours earlier today following all kinds of suggestions found from other forums and websites. Man, if only I'd tried it sooner!
> 
> Sean, you are THE MAN! I'm currently going through the other optimizations listed in your original post, but everything's humming along smoothly so far. Have already freed up about 5GB by disabling hibernation and other tweaks. It's pretty sweet how quickly my apps load. Grinning from ear to ear.


Sweet, I'm making a whole thread as a tutorial on that lol. I should have told ya sooner.
Quote:


> A quick question, though (if you happen to see this before I google it) . . . Under the section "Optimizations after system setup:Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features" do you disable the XPS document related stuff? I don't recall ever using them.


personally I save my receipts as .xps all the time instead of printing them so that stays enabled for me.

Since you don't use it you can disable it.


----------



## Samuez

Hey, thanks for the guide. It was useful when I went and reinstall windows 7 onto a used SSD that I purchase off of ebay.

It's a Adata s596 32GB Turbo . No bad sector and checking with HD Tune, it average out what the benchmark say it should've be doing. But I got a troubleshooting issue for ya, if this has been already answer, just point it toward my direction.

I have OS and apps on the SSD with a single partition, and the data such as user and games on my HD. My problem was even now, after all the tweak, the SSD seem to be hanging or dropping transfer rate whenever it's busy doing something. Like, if I were installing windows 7 upgrade, HD tunes show it going fine with and fine and than drop to 0-1MB/s and than spike back up again though only halfway. Either way, it seem to periodically drop to 0-5mb/s whenever it's installing program, or doing something that seem to use 'heavy' disk activity. And when that happen, my computer hang for half a second or a second and freeze. Other time, it's just that one program that freeze and everything else is fine. It's somewhat annoying given it doesn't do that when I had my hard drive with OS and everything on it. Not that I notice it enough to consider it annoying. What do you think it is? CPU activity seem to be fine, though sometime it drop to 1-10% whenever it've been higher like 20-30% as well as normal memory usage.

And oh ya, it show a 5.9 on window's rating though it's twice as fast as my HD which got a 6.7. Must been something else.

My spec is
AMD Athlon x3 425(or something) unlocking the 4th core.
2x2gb 1333mhz memory
32gb SSD w/ OS and apps and HD with games and user folder data.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Samuez*
> 
> Hey, thanks for the guide. It was useful when I went and reinstall windows 7 onto a used SSD that I purchase off of ebay.
> 
> It's a Adata s596 32GB Turbo . No bad sector and checking with HD Tune, it average out what the benchmark say it should've be doing. But I got a troubleshooting issue for ya, if this has been already answer, just point it toward my direction.
> 
> I have OS and apps on the SSD with a single partition, and the data such as user and games on my HD. My problem was even now, after all the tweak, the SSD seem to be hanging or dropping transfer rate whenever it's busy doing something. Like, if I were installing windows 7 upgrade, HD tunes show it going fine with and fine and than drop to 0-1MB/s and than spike back up again though only halfway. Either way, it seem to periodically drop to 0-5mb/s whenever it's installing program, or doing something that seem to use 'heavy' disk activity. And when that happen, my computer hang for half a second or a second and freeze. Other time, it's just that one program that freeze and everything else is fine. It's somewhat annoying given it doesn't do that when I had my hard drive with OS and everything on it. Not that I notice it enough to consider it annoying. What do you think it is? CPU activity seem to be fine, though sometime it drop to 1-10% whenever it've been higher like 20-30% as well as normal memory usage.
> 
> And oh ya, it show a 5.9 on window's rating though it's twice as fast as my HD which got a 6.7. Must been something else.
> 
> My spec is
> AMD Athlon x3 425(or something) unlocking the 4th core.
> 2x2gb 1333mhz memory
> 32gb SSD w/ OS and apps and HD with games and user folder data.


Post a screenshot of AS SSD.

http://www.alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&download_id=9


----------



## Gabe63

Help,

Must have done something wrong.

When I shut down windows says installing updates 1 of 97. When I power up Windows says installing updates, that would be normal.

However, it does this every time I shut down, tries to install 97 updates, over and over. I must have done something wrong follwing the set-up guide.

Thanks

NVMD, think I found the problem...


----------



## Nocturin

Finally got your guide up an used









One question though, I've started to get temp file install errors (I had to manually move the install files to the temp directory for it to work) I followed your guide from top to bottom, including moving user folders, do you have any idea what setting that effect on the temp directory?

Indexing maybe? No idea


----------



## Aparition

try running SFC /SCANNOW in command prompt as admin.
This will take a few minutes but its win7 system file check and it will fix itself in most cases.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Finally got your guide up an used
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One question though, I've started to get temp file install errors (I had to manually move the install files to the temp directory for it to work) I followed your guide from top to bottom, including moving user folders, do you have any idea what setting that effect on the temp directory?
> 
> Indexing maybe? No idea


What are the temp file errors? I have no idea what you are talking about lol I'm on steam, go on and well chat.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What are the temp file errors? I have no idea what you are talking about lol I'm on steam, go on and well chat.


I'll be on steam later tonight after work, I'll explain it to you then







. I've never had it happen before and got my first blue-screen in years yesterday due to a 0x*****0a1 error, while playing BF3. >.<


----------



## jclentini

Sean, thanks for the Guide, this has been a great help. On the much discussed topic of moving User Profile Folders, I have done the following for a fresh Install of Windows 7: Create an Admin Account during install that resides on the C: Drive. Before I create any User Accounts I modify the ProfilesDirectoy using Regedit as follows:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> Microsoft -> Windows NT -> CurrentVersion -> ProfileList

In the right pane, I modify ProfilesDirectory to G:\Users (where G: is my HDD ). Now when I create new Users, all User files are located on the HDD, including AppData. This works perfectly. Ex. iTunes installed on the C: Drive has no problem recognizing my iTunes folder I copied to My Music folder on the HDD. Ex. I can copy my Thunderbird folder to AppData ->Roaming (on the HDD), install Thunderbird on my C: Drive, Start Thunderbird and whala, all my current mail, mail profiles and mail archives are up and running.

My two questions for the experts are, Should I also create a Junction for each user Profile and should I also modify the Public Profiles to G:\User\Public and create a Junction for the Public Profiles? Basically, how big could Public Profiles get?

Note, I leave the Admin Profile on the C: Drive. This turns out to be useful.

- jclentini


----------



## Samuez

Thanks for the response and so quickly too.

So...I did it. I did it at first while it was running in German and than realize I've could done it in English if I extracted the english support file.

This is when I close firefox and let my background services running which was minimal impact as it was running less than 50k memory with 1-5% cpu load and nothing installing or such. Around 50-55 processes.



And this is around 30 seconds after I restarted my computer.



I was like, ***? write speed is crap...

Sam


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jclentini*
> 
> Sean, thanks for the Guide, this has been a great help. On the much discussed topic of moving User Profile Folders, I have done the following for a fresh Install of Windows 7: Create an Admin Account during install that resides on the C: Drive. Before I create any User Accounts I modify the ProfilesDirectoy using Regedit as follows:
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> Microsoft -> Windows NT -> CurrentVersion -> ProfileList
> 
> In the right pane, I modify ProfilesDirectory to G:\Users (where G: is my HDD ). Now when I create new Users, all User files are located on the HDD, including AppData. This works perfectly. Ex. iTunes installed on the C: Drive has no problem recognizing my iTunes folder I copied to My Music folder on the HDD. Ex. I can copy my Thunderbird folder to AppData ->Roaming (on the HDD), install Thunderbird on my C: Drive, Start Thunderbird and whala, all my current mail, mail profiles and mail archives are up and running.
> 
> My two questions for the experts are, Should I also create a Junction for each user Profile and should I also modify the Public Profiles to G:\User\Public and create a Junction for the Public Profiles? Basically, how big could Public Profiles get?
> 
> Note, I leave the Admin Profile on the C: Drive. This turns out to be useful.
> 
> - jclentini


That to me is a big hassle lol. Plus, the appdata folder would not be on my SSD which is where I want it.

Public profiles don't get big unless you use them. Do what ever you feel keeps your data organized for ya better.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Samuez*
> 
> Thanks for the response and so quickly too.
> 
> So...I did it. I did it at first while it was running in German and than realize I've could done it in English if I extracted the english support file.
> 
> This is when I close firefox and let my background services running which was minimal impact as it was running less than 50k memory with 1-5% cpu load and nothing installing or such. Around 50-55 processes.
> 
> 
> 
> And this is around 30 seconds after I restarted my computer.
> 
> 
> 
> I was like, ***? write speed is crap...
> 
> Sam


Well those speeds explains your speed issue. You can try a secure erase and restore your system after and that could help.


----------



## Samuez

yea, sigh.

I already tried use DBAN when I reinstall the second time, and that's the result of that OS installation.

Now, let see if I can RMA it to adata though I only have the SSD and nothing else...

-_-

Thanks for pointing that out to me, I wouldn't had check for write speed since I though HD Tune would give some indication but I guess they're all about read.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Samuez*
> 
> yea, sigh.
> 
> I already tried use DBAN when I reinstall the second time, and that's the result of that OS installation.
> 
> Now, let see if I can RMA it to adata though I only have the SSD and nothing else...
> 
> -_-
> 
> Thanks for pointing that out to me, I wouldn't had check for write speed since I though HD Tune would give some indication but I guess they're all about read.


Please read this thread and learn about SSDs: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread

DBAN is not Secure Erase! DBAN is the reason that your drive is running so slow! It heavily writes to the NAND and kills write speeds.

And HDTune is for HDDs not SSDs.

AS SSD and ATTO are what you should be using.

*Erasing all the data on the SSD:*
It is not safe to use DBAN Nuke or similar on SSDs. First, it's not good for the drive, and second, it wouldn't work properly anyway. Not good for the drive because it writes to the drive too many times. Wouldn't work properly because just like the OS, DBAN cannot control where it writes to on the drive. The SSD's controller is responsible for that, and due to wear leveling algorithms, wouldn't get you the intended results. With an SSD, all you need is to perform a "secure erase".


*Secure erase*
Secure erase is where the SSD controller issues the ATA Securiy Erase Unit command that applies a voltage spike at a specific voltage to all of the NAND simultaneously flushing the stored electrons from the flash memory cells, thus cleaning the NAND. This in turn resets all the NAND cells on the SSD and leaves the drive's data in an unrecoverable state and at factory speeds.

*How to: Secure Erase Your SSD:*


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



This is how to secure a SSD with parted magic. Hopefully this will help out people who have never done it before and can get a little boost in performance after a few months of heavy use.

*Secure Erase Guide:*

*Video Tut:*





*Textual Guide*

Download parted magic and make a bootable CD or USB: Parted Magic
Once bootable load it and select option 1 (default settings)

Once booted, at the main screen got to Start > System Tools > Erase Disk

Now select the "Internal:Secure Erase command writes zeroes to entire data area" option which will write zeroes to your entire data area" option

Select the disk that you want to secure erase

If you get a message stating that your SSD drive is "frozen," click the Sleep button to put your PC to sleep, then wake up your system and start over from Step 3. If you don't get this message, move on to Step 7.

Some drives indicate that they have a password requirement. Leave the password as "NULL" and click OK.

Now a verify window will pop up, select "Yes" to continue.
*Note:* If it prompts you to use the "enhanced" or "advanced" method do not use it, click no, it can write random data, and there is also the possibility that it may access parts of the drive that it shouldn't!

This shouldn't take long on your SSD, most likely only a few seconds. Now you are done.


*Freeze Locked:*
Basically "Freeze Locking" your SSD will not let it be allowed to be Secure Erased. If the UEFI/BIOS recognizes the SSD as plugged in at boot up then it will lock it. If you plug in the SSD after the computer is on then it will not be locked and it should be able to be Secure Erased normally.

*If your SSD is being "Freeze Locked" or not showing up then try this:*
You will get an option to put the PC to sleep, try that first then try to Secure Erase again

*If that still does not work:*
When you put the PC into sleep mode make sure you have any USB devices unplugged from the system and the Parted Magic USB/Live CD as well.

*If that doesn't work try below on top of the other suggestions:*
Reboot
Enable AHCI mode in the UEFI/BIOS and "hot swap" on the SATA ports
Save & exit
Turn off the computer
Unplug EVERYTHING on your SATA ports except for your CD/DVD drive
Turn on and boot to Parted Magic
When in the main GUI plug your SSD into a normal SATA 2 port


----------



## Samuez

Whoa, i didn't know that. Good thing I only did a quick, 1 round, with Dban on it.

Even if it is DBAN, It was slow as it was before when I first got it. The guy who sold it to me used it as a SRT cache,and I have no idea what that is. I'll give it one last try before trying to see if I can RMA something that I can't prove I brought. Or just throw it in my netbook and say $30 wasted.

Anyone know a good migration software for free? I'm not too keen on reinstalling the OS again.

Sam


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Samuez*
> 
> Whoa, i didn't know that. Good thing I only did a quick, 1 round, with Dban on it.
> 
> Even if it is DBAN, It was slow as it was before when I first got it. The guy who sold it to me used it as a SRT cache,and I have no idea what that is. I'll give it one last try before trying to see if I can RMA something that I can't prove I brought. Or just throw it in my netbook and say $30 wasted.
> 
> Anyone know a good migration software for free? I'm not too keen on reinstalling the OS again.
> 
> Sam


check the 4th post of the thread...*How to: Back up your OS and recover it*

http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds#post_15524169


----------



## rseiler

Breaking news about Defrag in Windows 8 (see kbangalore-Microsoft posts):
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w8itprogeneral/thread/f97425f8-3857-4aa4-9cf5-437d5e212c9c


----------



## [email protected]

One reason i refuse to get Windows 8 anyways. Windows 8 is like a excuse from VISTA. They should HAD done something better and improved for Windows 7 instead of a "tablet" Windows 8. I can wait for Windows 9.


----------



## firestorm1

ill put w8 on my tablet, but i refuse to use in on my desktop.


----------



## Aparition

Ok so a full day or so later system running healthy still.
So 20 minutes total time to move my OS from HDD to SSD with EaseUS To Do Backup - using clone partition.
Moved a 47GB OS partition to a 128GB Samsung 830 SSD.

Saturated Sata 2 controllers are a beautiful thing


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Ok so a full day or so later system running healthy still.
> So 20 minutes total time to move my OS from HDD to SSD with EaseUS To Do Backup - using clone partition.
> Moved a 47GB OS partition to a 128GB Samsung 830 SSD.
> 
> Saturated Sata 2 controllers are a beautiful thing


Haha, nice.

Can you post a screenshot of AS SSD? I just want to see your partition alignment, no need to run the benchmark.


----------



## LtStinger

Hey Sean, got a quick question for you concerning System Images:

I made an image of the fresh operating system with drivers and basic programs, etc. Basically the brand new setup image. And that's all I want. I created a 20GB partition on the data drive and saved the image to it.

I want to use BitLocker to keep the user of this system from accessing this restore partition and messing it up, in case I have to use it later. My question is, will this create a problem when I go to restore from the image? Or will the image restore recognize that it has been encrypted by BitLocker and only require the password to restore from it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> Hey Sean, got a quick question for you concerning System Images:
> 
> I made an image of the fresh operating system with drivers and basic programs, etc. Basically the brand new setup image. And that's all I want. I created a 20GB partition on the data drive and saved the image to it.
> 
> I want to use BitLocker to keep the user of this system from accessing this restore partition and messing it up, in case I have to use it later. My question is, will this create a problem when I go to restore from the image? Or will the image restore recognize that it has been encrypted by BitLocker and only require the password to restore from it?


No idea, I never used bitlocker before.


----------



## LtStinger

hard drive knowledge Sean hasn't acquired? What is this?

Lol if nobody knows I'll have to test it out. I'd rather not!! Anyone know?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hard drive knowledge Sean hasn't acquired? What is this?
> 
> Lol if nobody knows I'll have to test it out. I'd rather not!! Anyone know?


lol, i'm only a freshman in college and started to learn about this stuff about 6 moths ago, I've got plenty to learn.









What software are you using for the imaging?


----------



## LtStinger

Just the windows tool


----------



## [email protected]

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, i'm only a freshman in college and started to learn about this stuff about 6 moths ago, I've got plenty to learn.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What software are you using for the imaging?


You only started? Jeez mister i swear you're a whiz master on SSD tech because it seems you KNOW a LOT more than you think sir! Swear to god i thought you were acting like a really smart genius who know his stuff!


----------



## csm725

Sean. Be my valentine.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> Just the windows tool


I am not sure still, I looked it up and couldn't find much.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> You only started? Jeez mister i swear you're a whiz master on SSD tech because it seems you KNOW a LOT more than you think sir! Swear to god i thought you were acting like a really smart genius who know his stuff!


lol, I do know a lot, I just still have more to learn. haha








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *csm725*
> 
> Sean. Be my valentine.


Lol, glad you got your alignment fixed


----------



## james_ant

rep+

I followed this guide and it my drive went from 86gb free to 94gb free. So it rediced my windows install by about 8gb.


----------



## squigglyline

Hi Guys - Here's a question for ya. Kingston Hyper X 240GB SSD is showing 160 GB available after a Windows Pro 7 install. It had 223 available on the drive (after wiping/before installing Windows) - but after what should be a 17GB install - I'm at 160GB available. I did wipe the drive using Parted Magic as directed in the notes in the 1st post and then did a reinstall of Windows 7 but still no luck. Any ideas?


----------



## Aparition

Did you do the optimization? Reduce Hybernation file, Shrink the protection back service, shrink the pagefile?


----------



## james_ant

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Did you do the optimization? Reduce Hybernation file, Shrink the protection back service, shrink the pagefile?


I completely removed the hypernation file and pagefile. I have 8gb of ram and I just use "sleep" anyway. I also disabled superfetch, prefetch and indexing.

EDIT: nvm didn't see the above post.


----------



## squigglyline

.


----------



## squigglyline

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Did you do the optimization? Reduce Hybernation file, Shrink the protection back service, shrink the pagefile?


Yep, I sure did. I am at a complete loss....


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *squigglyline*
> 
> Hi Guys - Here's a question for ya. Kingston Hyper X 240GB SSD is showing 160 GB available after a Windows Pro 7 install. It had 223 available on the drive (after wiping/before installing Windows) - but after what should be a 17GB install - I'm at 160GB available. I did wipe the drive using Parted Magic as directed in the notes in the 1st post and then did a reinstall of Windows 7 but still no luck. Any ideas?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *squigglyline*
> 
> Yep, I sure did. I am at a complete loss....


Got teamviewer? PM me your ID and Pass and I'll check it out. I just helped someone who thought they disabled hibernation and shrunk page file and they actually didn't lol. It could also be something else. I'll check it out for ya.

http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx


----------



## squigglyline

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Got teamviewer? PM me your ID and Pass and I'll check it out. I just helped someone who thought they disabled hibernation and shrunk page file and they actually didn't lol. It could also be something else. I'll check it out for ya.
> http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx


Thanks Sean... Will do in just a few. Very much appreciated!


----------



## helius

Sean,

I got a Kingston SSDNow V200 64GB today and because I'm not an expert on SSDs, can you check this AS SSD screen and see if the scores are good? I can only see that I got 223MBs read which is 40MBs less than what they advertise and also 81MBs write which is 20 MBs less than they advertise. I don't really know what 4K, 4K-64Thrd and Access Time I should get. I followed your guide thoroughly on setting it up.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *helius*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> I got a Kingston SSDNow V200 64GB today and because I'm not an expert on SSDs, can you check this AS SSD screen and see if the scores are good? I can only see that I got 223MBs read which is 40MBs less than what they advertise and also 81MBs write which is 20 MBs less than they advertise. I don't really know what 4K, 4K-64Thrd and Access Time I should get. I followed your guide thoroughly on setting it up.


Alignment is good, you have the SATA driver installed, you are set.

Speed wise I do not know much about those drive, I have never seen benches so I can not comment on that, tho the 4k reads/writes look very low.


----------



## Thryack

Really nice guide Sean, never really bothered to check it but it really saved me a couple of GB's on my SSD, +1.

What I would recommend to anyone who recently installed windows is use this: http://ninite.com/ it basically lets you choose a lot of common apps (browsers, messaging, media,...) and make it in a single installer, it also makes them all up to date.


----------



## helius

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> tho the 4k reads/writes look very low.


Is there anything I could do or try to fix it? Or maybe run another benchmark and see if I'll get the same results? Which benchmark?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Thryack*
> 
> Really nice guide Sean, never really bothered to check it but it really saved me a couple of GB's on my SSD, +1.
> 
> What I would recommend to anyone who recently installed windows is use this: http://ninite.com/ it basically lets you choose a lot of common apps (browsers, messaging, media,...) and make it in a single installer, it also makes them all up to date.


Thanks
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *helius*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> tho the 4k reads/writes look very low.
> 
> 
> 
> Is there anything I could do or try to fix it? Or maybe run another benchmark and see if I'll get the same results? Which benchmark?
Click to expand...

disable all power saving features usually does it. Like speedstep, c1e, c-states.


----------



## NoGuru

Great guide, I use it and point others here.

I have an issue though. So I flashed my BIOS and everything was reset to stock. I know it would happen but forgot to change to Raid on Boot.

My set was Raid enabled in BIOS through a regedit. So I have a 500 GB and TB with a 60 GB SSD setup with 20 GB for caching on my OS partition. Since I rebooted after the BIOS flash it booted in IDE.

The registry is all set with Zeros were needed but it will only boot in IDE now and BSOD if I try ACHI or RAID.

Any ideas?

Edit: Almost forgot, it won't let me reinstall the isator drivers.


----------



## LtStinger

You should probably try to reset your registry to stock, hopefully you backed it up before making the changes? And try to set your BIOS to run in AHCI mode and reboot. I'm not understanding what you mean by "My set was Raid enabled in BIOS through a regedit." Since regedit is a windows function and BIOS is a motherboard function, which is it?

Correct me if I'm wrong please.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NoGuru*
> 
> Great guide, I use it and point others here.
> 
> I have an issue though. So I flashed my BIOS and everything was reset to stock. I know it would happen but forgot to change to Raid on Boot.
> 
> My set was Raid enabled in BIOS through a regedit. So I have a 500 GB and TB with a 60 GB SSD setup with 20 GB for caching on my OS partition. Since I rebooted after the BIOS flash it booted in IDE.
> 
> The registry is all set with Zeros were needed but it will only boot in IDE now and BSOD if I try ACHI or RAID.
> 
> Any ideas?
> 
> Edit: Almost forgot, it won't let me reinstall the isator drivers.


Intel cache sux sometimes.

So you did this:
Quote:


> *Enable RAID Mode after Installation:*
> 
> Exit all Windows-based programs.
> Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
> Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
> If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
> Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor
> 
> 
> In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
> In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
> On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
> Restart your computer
> Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable RAID, Save & Reboot
> Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.


And you could not boot?

You can not install the drivers in IDE mode too.


----------



## NoGuru

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Intel cache sux sometimes.
> So you did this:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *Enable RAID Mode after Installation:*
> 
> Exit all Windows-based programs.
> Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
> Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
> If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
> Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor
> 
> 
> In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
> In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
> On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
> Restart your computer
> Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable RAID, Save & Reboot
> Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And you could not boot?
> You can not install the drivers in IDE mode too.
Click to expand...

Yeah all registry values set to 0 and in IDE mode in will not let me instal isator. I will keep trying various configurations and let you know what I come up with.


----------



## Circa 84

Just used your guide to install my new SSD. worked perfect. thanks for putting this together.


----------



## fuloran1

Thanks so much for the guide! I am having one strange issue though, if I disable my usb 3.0 controller my boot times are around 8 seconds after splash screen, but with it enabled its like 20 seconds. any ideas what the issue is?

Thanks again for the awesome guide!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fuloran1*
> 
> Thanks so much for the guide! I am having one strange issue though, if I disable my usb 3.0 controller my boot times are around 8 seconds after splash screen, but with it enabled its like 20 seconds. any ideas what the issue is?
> 
> Thanks again for the awesome guide!


I am not sure really. Are there any devices plugged in besides the K/B and mouse?


----------



## frogman946

Sean (or anyone with the knowledge), I have installed and configured a 500mb Dataram RamDisk, on my win 7 rig w/8gb ram, following your guide and it is running fine. I am wondering if you would not mind helping with step by step instructions on redirecting the print spooler as well as the Photoshop Elements 10 Scratch Disk to the RamDisk.
Would I have to increase the size of the RamDisk to allow for the above, and if so, is it as simple as increasing it in its configuration utility.


----------



## d4005

Just a quick question, do I simply need to follow the guide at the beginning of this thread? Or are there key updates throughout this entire thread that I need to read through? It's a Samsung 830 installing to Win 7 (on the machine shown in my sig) if that makes a difference to the answer. I won't be upgrading from a HDD to SSD, in my case it's from an older/misaligned SSD to a new SSD. I'm thinking I should just do a traditional "backup" rather than a ghost, due to the misalignment.


----------



## csm725

Follow OP


----------



## fuloran1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I am not sure really. Are there any devices plugged in besides the K/B and mouse?


Yup, that was it. i have some external drives plugged in and that is slowing me down. Thanks!!


----------



## fuloran1

Sorry for double post, but is there a way to fix this? I was planning on just plugging in my external storage when I need it and leaving it unplugged most of the time. Is there a better solution?


----------



## LtStinger

Have you already made sure that the mobo's usb 3.0 controller drivers are up to date? Have you tried any previous versions of it?


----------



## helius

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> disable all power saving features usually does it. Like speedstep, c1e, c-states.


I disabled them and here are the new results:

The read/write speeds have improved but I don't see major improvement in 4K. Do you have more suggestions how to improve it?


----------



## fuloran1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> Have you already made sure that the mobo's usb 3.0 controller drivers are up to date? Have you tried any previous versions of it?


I thought I had, but it's possible I missed. Downloading it now. Thanks!

*edit*
Installed updated drivers, same issue. Boot times go from about 15 seconds to around 45. Weird...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frogman946*
> 
> Sean (or anyone with the knowledge), I have installed and configured a 500mb Dataram RamDisk, on my win 7 rig w/8gb ram, following your guide and it is running fine. I am wondering if you would not mind helping with step by step instructions on redirecting the print spooler as well as the Photoshop Elements 10 Scratch Disk to the RamDisk.
> Would I have to increase the size of the RamDisk to allow for the above, and if so, is it as simple as increasing it in its configuration utility.


Your on your own unless someone else can help, I never did that before.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d4005*
> 
> Just a quick question, do I simply need to follow the guide at the beginning of this thread? Or are there key updates throughout this entire thread that I need to read through? It's a Samsung 830 installing to Win 7 (on the machine shown in my sig) if that makes a difference to the answer. I won't be upgrading from a HDD to SSD, in my case it's from an older/misaligned SSD to a new SSD. I'm thinking I should just do a traditional "backup" rather than a ghost, due to the misalignment.


Just follow post 1 and 2, you will be set for a clean install. if you are doing a migration look at post 4.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds#post_15524169

I have a realignment guide: http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fuloran1*
> 
> Sorry for double post, but is there a way to fix this? I was planning on just plugging in my external storage when I need it and leaving it unplugged most of the time. Is there a better solution?


Nope, Windows is stupid like that. If you find a fix let me know, I will look too, I haven't looked for a fix for it in a while now so there may be one.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *helius*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> disable all power saving features usually does it. Like speedstep, c1e, c-states.
> 
> 
> 
> I disabled them and here are the new results:
> 
> The read/write speeds have improved but I don't see major improvement in 4K. Do you have more suggestions how to improve it?
Click to expand...

Use a different SATA cable?


----------



## helius

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Use a different SATA cable?



I will try with a different SATA cable.
Btw. On the screenshot: Is the 4.0 in ATTO the same as 4K on AS SSD? On ATTO those numbers seem good..


----------



## fuloran1

How does this look?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *helius*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Use a different SATA cable?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL]
> I will try with a different SATA cable.
> Btw. On the screenshot: Is the 4.0 in ATTO the same as 4K on AS SSD? On ATTO those numbers seem good..
Click to expand...

Nope, they test different types of data. Not the same. ATTO tests compressible data, AS SSD tests harder and tests compressed data.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fuloran1*
> 
> How does this look?


Good, though you do no have the SATA driver installed.


----------



## fuloran1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope, they test different types of data. Not the same. ATTO tests compressible data, AS SSD tests harder and tests compressed data.
> Good, though you do no have the SATA driver installed.


I dont? What driver am I missing? This one? I swear I have run the install like 3 times, lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fuloran1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope, they test different types of data. Not the same. ATTO tests compressible data, AS SSD tests harder and tests compressed data.
> Good, though you do no have the SATA driver installed.
> 
> 
> 
> I dont? What driver am I missing?
Click to expand...

lol, step 7 of my guide....

Read this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1900#post_16342306


----------



## fuloran1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, step 7 of my guide....
> Read this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1900#post_16342306


Dangit, I though I had it all! Do I install control center as well? Thank you SO MUCH for all the help!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fuloran1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, step 7 of my guide....
> Read this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1900#post_16342306
> 
> 
> 
> Dangit, I though I had it all! Do I install control center as well? Thank you SO MUCH for all the help!
Click to expand...

If you want to, I always tick the box to have the control center installed.


----------



## fuloran1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you want to, I always tick the box to have the control center installed.


Thanks, so how did you know I didnt have it installed? Seems to have made a difference!

Old score


New score


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fuloran1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you want to, I always tick the box to have the control center installed.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, so how did you know I didnt have it installed? Seems to have made a difference!
Click to expand...


----------



## fuloran1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


There are men, and then there is THE MAN. You sir, are _the man_.


----------



## Aparition

Sean as requested.
Everything look good? Really loving this drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Sean as requested.
> Everything look good? Really loving this drive.


show me a screenshot of the newest AS SSD: http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=7777bc3c17029328d03146e0ed767841&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.overclock.net%2Ft%2F1226963%2Fhow-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions&v=1&libid=1331401571770&out=http%3A%2F%2Falex-is.de%2FPHP%2Ffusion%2Fdownloads.php%3Fcat_id%3D4%26file_id%3D9&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.overclock.net%2Ft%2F1156654%2Fseans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds&title=How%20to%3A%20Properly%20re-align%20your%20SSD%2FHDD%20partitions&txt=Link&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13314016430571

Just open and take a screenshot, no need to run the bench.


----------



## Aparition

Ah figures I'd find an old version











Here you go


----------



## Sean Webster

Your alignment is very odd lol. 4096 or 106496 (if you have a system reserve partition) is optimal. If you want to, realign it.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions


----------



## Aparition

Haha I was wondering if 4 was ok and not 4096... hmm will probably realign in a bit. I guess whatever EaseUS did with its' "SSD Optimization" is to blame.

Actually what is the alignment supposed to be for HDD's in Raid 0 stripe? Curiosity made me look and my array is showing 31 k ?
Should it be 1024 or 4096? Should I even bother? Talking 1 terrabyte array.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Haha I was wondering if 4 was ok and not 4096... hmm will probably realign in a bit. I guess whatever EaseUS did with its' "SSD Optimization" is to blame.


Yea, I had the same thing. It aligned mine weird for my v100 and I did the alignment and my speeds got a small boost.

Make sure you back up your OS first! I had it freeze once and had to restore then start over.


----------



## d4005

I could use a bit of guidance before I begin installation of my new Samsung 830 SSD (256GB). I really don't want to re-install Windows. I spent a lot of time and found a lot of tips, tricks and utilities to get it running like it does now. I don't know if I'd even remember them all. Here's my current configuration:

Win 7 Pro x64 on an Intel G2 160GB SSD. I have Acronis True Image 10 that I could use to make a system image.

Things that concern me :

1. The Intel SSD is currently in IDE mode (not AHCI) and is not correctly aligned. Does the alignment in any way affect the image I'd make ? Should I instead do a regular backup instead?

2. If I were to switch AHCI on now (BIOS images below), would my Intel SSD even boot up? If I don't switch it on now, then how can I get the new SSD to be in AHCI mode?. I don't know if I can just make a system image to my new SSD, flip it into the master primary position, reboot, go into setup and switch to AHCI and save and all will be well.

3. What's to stop me messing up the alignment on my new SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d4005*
> 
> I could use a bit of guidance before I begin installation of my new Samsung 830 SSD (256GB). I really don't want to re-install Windows. I spent a lot of time and found a lot of tips, tricks and utilities to get it running like it does now. I don't know if I'd even remember them all. Here's my current configuration:
> 
> Win 7 Pro x64 on an Intel G2 160GB SSD. I have Acronis True Image 10 that I could use to make a system image.
> 
> Things that concern me :
> 
> 1. The Intel SSD is currently in IDE mode (not AHCI) and is not correctly aligned. Does the alignment in any way affect the image I'd make ? Should I instead do a regular backup instead?


Do this:

*How to: Back up your OS and recover it*


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



*You will need:*

EaseUs ToDo Backup (link)
A place to backup the data/partition(s)
A USB (2GB or larger) or a CD to burn the bootable emergency disk

*Step #1: Create the Backup Partition(s)*
Now this is when you actually back up the partition(s). If you have a Microsoft System Reserve Partition (usually 100MB) you can either choose to back it up with your C: partition or delete it before. To delete the Microsoft System Reserve Partition follow this guide: (link)

*How to back up the system partition(s):*





*Step #2: Now to restore the partition(s)*

Make the bootable emergency disk.
Shut down.
Boot from the emergency disk and start the recovery.
*How to make the bootable emergency disk and recover the partition(s):*








Then once you back up your OS partitions. Follow this guide: http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions
Quote:


> 2. If I were to switch AHCI on now (BIOS images below), would my Intel SSD even boot up? If I don't switch it on now, then how can I get the new SSD to be in AHCI mode?. I don't know if I can just make a system image to my new SSD, flip it into the master primary position, reboot, go into setup and switch to AHCI and save and all will be well.


If you made the image in IDE mode, restore in IDE mode, then use my guide to switch to ACHI.

*Change to AHCI from IDE Mode after Installation:*

Exit all Windows-based programs.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type *Regedit* there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window. (If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.)
Locate and then click the following registry sub key:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci


In the right pane right-click Start in the Name column and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
Restart your computer
Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable AHCI, Save & Reboot
Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.
Quote:


> 3. What's to stop me messing up the alignment on my new SSD?


My guide will fix it.


----------



## Aparition

Sean I checked my HDD raid stripe 0 array for ****s and giggles and AS SSD is showing 31 K alignment, and bad. Is that accurate for HDD arrays? What should I use? Should I bother at all? It is a 1 terrabyte array (2 500GB HDDs).


----------



## NoGuru

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NoGuru*
> 
> Yeah all registry values set to 0 and in IDE mode in will not let me instal isator. I will keep trying various configurations and let you know what I come up with.


Had to do a fresh install of widows. Not sure what went wrong but I needed the fresh install anyway.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Sean I checked my HDD raid stripe 0 array for ****s and giggles and AS SSD is showing 31 K alignment, and bad. Is that accurate for HDD arrays? What should I use? Should I bother at all? It is a 1 terrabyte array (2 500GB HDDs).


IDK, it is mostly an issue for SSDs. Though it can hurt performance on HDDs. http://www.storagereview.com/impact_misalignment

You can do it if you want, but it may take a while. It may be faster to simply backup the data and recreate the array and reformat it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NoGuru*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *NoGuru*
> 
> Yeah all registry values set to 0 and in IDE mode in will not let me instal isator. I will keep trying various configurations and let you know what I come up with.
> 
> 
> 
> Had to do a fresh install of widows. Not sure what went wrong but I needed the fresh install anyway.
Click to expand...

Yea, I don't really have much experience with SSD caching so maybe that was the issue. I had some weird stuff happen after I lost a array with it before and had to format both of my drives to fix it.


----------



## NoGuru

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, I don't really have much experience with SSD caching so maybe that was the issue. I had some weird stuff happen after I lost a array with it before and had to format both of my drives to fix it.


Well I couldn't "feel" the difference while using the SSD for Caching so since I had to reformat I just put the OS on the SSD.


----------



## Mfoster

Kudos to Sean. I just finished a build that I have been working on intermittently for the last week in my spare time.
I have finally got all the hardware configured the way I want it. Now starting to work on the software and will do some
benchmarks later. Will start to experiment with some overclocking after that. Thanks to all those at Overclock.net for
all the useful information. This was my first build and wasn't that difficult thanks to all those guides out there and
those willing to spend the time on refining them.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NoGuru*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, I don't really have much experience with SSD caching so maybe that was the issue. I had some weird stuff happen after I lost a array with it before and had to format both of my drives to fix it.
> 
> 
> 
> Well I couldn't "feel" the difference while using the SSD for Caching so since I had to reformat I just put the OS on the SSD.
Click to expand...

Oh cool, how is it now?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mfoster*
> 
> Kudos to Sean. I just finished a build that I have been working on intermittently for the last week in my spare time.
> I have finally got all the hardware configured the way I want it. Now starting to work on the software and will do some
> benchmarks later. Will start to experiment with some overclocking after that. Thanks to all those at Overclock.net for
> all the useful information. This was my first build and wasn't that difficult thanks to all those guides out there and
> those willing to spend the time on refining them.












Glad I could help.


----------



## Xaxinian

Hey Sean, or any informed guru,

I recently bought an SSD and followed your guide for installation. Well because of mistakes I made with installing programs I am going to reinstall windows on it. So my question is, should I still follow the directions from start to finish? Specifically, should I format the drive and make the partition again like with the original instructions or just reinstall windows and have it clear the drive. Thanks.


----------



## tCoLL

Hi guys. After tryign to do a uefi install with my new m4 I got an error during install sawing windows cannot install files. Error code:0x80070570. This was off a DVD I had. I figured the disk was scratched, so I went about a USB install. I deleted all partitions, formatted the drive, and recreated the partitions. Still no luck. I've also tried an mgr install with no luck. What the heck am I doing wrong? Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xaxinian*
> 
> Hey Sean, or any informed guru,
> 
> I recently bought an SSD and followed your guide for installation. Well because of mistakes I made with installing programs I am going to reinstall windows on it. So my question is, should I still follow the directions from start to finish? Specifically, should I format the drive and make the partition again like with the original instructions or just reinstall windows and have it clear the drive. Thanks.


Yeah, if you are re-installing do the partitioning section over again.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tCoLL*
> 
> Hi guys. After tryign to do a uefi install with my new m4 I got an error during install sawing windows cannot install files. Error code:0x80070570. This was off a DVD I had. I figured the disk was scratched, so I went about a USB install. I deleted all partitions, formatted the drive, and recreated the partitions. Still no luck.


Did you boot from the USB or the DVD with the UEFI: option?

Did you make sure on the USB to do the second video with the BOOTX64.EFI file? \

Maybe you need a new Windows 7 ISO?
Quote:


> I've also tried an mbr install with no luck. What the heck am I doing wrong? Thanks!


Ok, you are not doing something right...I think your ISO is bad? What issue are you running into with the MBR partitioning guide?


----------



## tCoLL

Same error, or blue screen which I have a picture of but can't post bc all I have now is my iPad. I previously had a raid 0 setup, but i have switched my Sata to ahci. My ISo is the one linked in the sticky, windows ultimate x64. Both USB and DVD were set to uefi in bios when attempting gpt installs.

And yes, when doing the uefi install (gpt) I included the extra .efi file.


























Edit: was able to upload pics through tapatalk


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tCoLL*
> 
> Same error, or blue screen which I have a picture of but can't post bc all I have now is my iPad. I previously had a raid 0 setup, but i have switched my Sata to ahci. My ISo is the one linked in the sticky, windows ultimate x64. Both USB and DVD were set to uefi in bios when attempting gpt installs.
> 
> And yes, when doing the uefi install (gpt) I included the extra .efi file. ]
> 
> Edit: was able to upload pics through tapatalk


You may have bad RAM or a corrupt ISO, try re-downloading the ISO and starting again.

Run this to test the RAM: http://www.memtest.org/


----------



## LtStinger

Doesn't memtest only test up to 4GB of Ram? If you download a new ISO and problem still occurs, remove all but one stick of RAM, if it still occurs after that, switch that one stick with another. If it does it after THAT...try running the RAM stick in another slot (but refer to your mobo manual for which one, I think most will only allow you to run a single stick in either slot number 1 and slot number 3) if none of these tricks work, it's beyond me...


----------



## tCoLL

Hmm I did have issues getting all 16 fb of ram running when I first installed it. They have all passed memtest though. I'll try with one stick. Here's my problem though: I damaged my processor last time I installed my hsf, so I'm nervous to remove it again. But I'll have to to get to my ram







may be time to get a new processor if I damage it, and if it's time to get a new processor it's time to make the switch to intel.

Although why is it always crashing about 30% of the way through the install? That doesn't sound like ram to me, it just shouldn't boot or would immediately bs if there was a problem with the ram wouldn't it?


----------



## tCoLL

Solved. My overtired self overlooked a very simple mistake. When I took my overclock off for the install, I forgot to downclock my memory again, it's never been stable at the rated 1600 MHz. So when I reverted to stock settings, the frequency increased from 1333 to 1600 which is why it was unstable. Thankseveryonefor the help, + rep!


----------



## XSCounter

Sup with constantly changing avatars, Sean?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tCoLL*
> 
> Solved. My overtired self overlooked a very simple mistake. When I took my overclock off for the install, I forgot to downclock my memory again, it's never been stable at the rated 1600 MHz. So when I reverted to stock settings, the frequency increased from 1333 to 1600 which is why it was unstable. Thankseveryonefor the help, + rep!


I was going to ask if you had your timings stock or not, but I went and played tennis and forgot lol. Glad you found the issue.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Sup with constantly changing avatars, Sean?


lol, idk. I'm going to put up my original avatar once I get my editor badge.


----------



## grss1982

Hey, Sean, how about the download links without SP1 integrated? I don't see it in the first page.


----------



## helius

Sean,

I want to quick format and reinstall windows 7 on my SSD. Where on this guide *Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:* should I put the formatting part? Can I quick format it in the command prompt before typing "diskpart" etc.?


----------



## Aparition

Sean found this tid-bit of info for WD Caviar Black Hard drives.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kramy*
> 
> .........................................
> 
> WD Greens use a 4KiB sector, so aligning to 64K or 1MB is a good practice.
> 
> WD Blacks (so far) use a 512b sector, so they don't care about alignment at all.


http://www.overclock.net/t/858269/wd-drives-out-of-alignment#post_11209868

So I am not going to worry about my RAID array alignment.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grss1982*
> 
> Hey, Sean, how about the download links without SP1 integrated? I don't see it in the first page.


Why?








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *helius*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> I want to quick format and reinstall windows 7 on my SSD. Where on this guide *Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:* should I put the formatting part? Can I quick format it in the command prompt before typing "diskpart" etc.?


You format in diskpart... so no do not format before.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Sean found this tid-bit of info for WD Caviar Black Hard drives.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Kramy*
> 
> .........................................
> 
> WD Greens use a 4KiB sector, so aligning to 64K or 1MB is a good practice.
> 
> WD Blacks (so far) use a 512b sector, so they don't care about alignment at all.
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/858269/wd-drives-out-of-alignment#post_11209868
> 
> So I am not going to worry about my RAID array alignment.
Click to expand...

ok


----------



## MooMoo

Is there any other benefits than mentioned on the first page "Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:"? I got 2 WD caviar black 640GB in raid0, should I install my windows 7 with GPT way? Right now I just see one benefit to do it, that I could make more partitions and try windows8







Has anyone done speed tests GPT vs MBR?


----------



## d4005

Hi Sean,

I just got finished watching the videos you put in this sequence for me, I'm thinking that I can drop a few of the steps though. I wouldn't dream of doing that without first checking though. I might think I know what I'm talking about sometimes, but I'm totally willing to find out I'm not.

As I'm upgrading from a misaligned SSD to a new SSD, you recommended I go through the alignment procedures on the old SSD. After watching your two videos showing the backup and restore via EaseUs though, it seems like that alignment step could be skipped. I think I could do this simplified sequence:

1. Backup my C partition from my misaligned current IDE SSD (the alignment wouldn't play any part in the data that's backed up).
2. Make the boot USB.
3. Install my new SSD, take out the old misaligned SSD and sacrificially burn it.
4. Boot (still in IDE mode) and restore the C partition to the new SSD, taking care to check that optimize for SSD box that takes care of alignment.
5. Boot Windows on the new SSD. Check alignment, should be good already. Do another backup as it's a working system now, even if it is IDE.
6. Do the IDE -> AHCI registry change, then reboot and change the BIOS setting to AHCI and reboot.

Net result, one new SSD in AHCI mode aligned, one still-misaligned IDE SSD.

Am I right? Or does the old SSD really need re-aligning before I do the backup that I'd restore from?

edit: in fact, maybe restoring the backup to the old SSD would be the easiest way of realigning it.


----------



## Aparition

Hmm thought this was interesting. The 4 K alignment vs the 4096 K alignment.

4 K


4096 K


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> Is there any other benefits than mentioned on the first page "Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:"? I got 2 WD caviar black 640GB in raid0, should I install my windows 7 with GPT way? Right now I just see one benefit to do it, that I could make more partitions and try windows8
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone done speed tests GPT vs MBR?


Just follow the MBR guide. I have no idea if windows 8 will install fine on a GPT disk. You can have 4 main partitions on a MBR disk tho.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d4005*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> I just got finished watching the videos you put in this sequence for me, I'm thinking that I can drop a few of the steps though. I wouldn't dream of doing that without first checking though. I might think I know what I'm talking about sometimes, but I'm totally willing to find out I'm not.
> 
> As I'm upgrading from a misaligned SSD to a new SSD, you recommended I go through the alignment procedures on the old SSD. After watching your two videos showing the backup and restore via EaseUs though, it seems like that alignment step could be skipped. I think I could do this simplified sequence:
> 
> 1. Backup my C partition from my misaligned current IDE SSD (the alignment wouldn't play any part in the data that's backed up).
> 2. Make the boot USB.
> 3. Install my new SSD, take out the old misaligned SSD and sacrificially burn it.
> 4. Boot (still in IDE mode) and restore the C partition to the new SSD, taking care to check that optimize for SSD box that takes care of alignment.
> 5. Boot Windows on the new SSD. Check alignment, should be good already. Do another backup as it's a working system now, even if it is IDE.
> 6. Do the IDE -> AHCI registry change, then reboot and change the BIOS setting to AHCI and reboot.
> 
> Net result, one new SSD in AHCI mode aligned, one still-misaligned IDE SSD.
> 
> Am I right? Or does the old SSD really need re-aligning before I do the backup that I'd restore from?
> 
> edit: in fact, maybe restoring the backup to the old SSD would be the easiest way of realigning it.


Looks like a plan.









For step 5 I would do not do another back up then but after you change to AHCI mode.

Actually, if you haven't actually done anything yet then change to AHCI mode now, then back up the OS partition(s).
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Hmm thought this was interesting. The 4 K alignment vs the 4096 K alignment.
> 
> 4 K
> 
> 
> 4096 K


Yea, it's good tho, no change, but now it is still better.


----------



## MooMoo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just follow the MBR guide. I have no idea if windows 8 will install fine on a GPT disk. You can have 4 main partitions on a MBR disk tho.


I ment that now I have every partitions in use so cannot do it with MBR. Im just out of partitions, thats the only problem.


----------



## digitally

sean, is it advisable to split the partition before the installation of window 7?, or split the partition after the installation of windows 7?


----------



## jacedaface

A quick one, if im going to edit the registry for program files... Should this be done before or after installing mobo/sound/sata drivers...?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just follow the MBR guide. I have no idea if windows 8 will install fine on a GPT disk. You can have 4 main partitions on a MBR disk tho.
> 
> 
> 
> I ment that now I have every partitions in use so cannot do it with MBR. Im just out of partitions, thats the only problem.
Click to expand...

Maybe merge 2 of them? Then you will have 1 free.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *digitally*
> 
> sean, is it advisable to split the partition before the installation of window 7?, or split the partition after the installation of windows 7?


Doesn't matter.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jacedaface*
> 
> A quick one, if im going to edit the registry for program files... Should this be done before or after installing mobo/sound/sata drivers...?


Doesn't matter, tho i guess it depends on the program. So just do it after.


----------



## firestorm1

hey sean, one of my backup HDDs has a horrible grinding noise to it whenever i boot up my rig or access the drive. you think its going bad? i ran the windows check disk utility and a tool that western digital has for their HDDs.. both came back with no errors and say its in good health. so what do you think?

to be on the safe side, i want to transfer whats on it to another drive. but there is stuff already on the other drive. so how would i partition some of it so i can transfer my files over. or would it just be easier to drag and drop?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *firestorm1*
> 
> hey sean, one of my backup HDDs has a horrible grinding noise to it whenever i boot up my rig or access the drive. you think its going bad? i ran the windows check disk utility and a tool that western digital has for their HDDs.. both came back with no errors and say its in good health. so what do you think?


Mine has a grand noise kinda when I first boot when it initializes.
Quote:


> to be on the safe side, i want to transfer whats on it to another drive. but there is stuff already on the other drive. so how would i partition some of it so i can transfer my files over. or would it just be easier to drag and drop?


Use robocopy to copy folders over. Make a batch file and everything you set will back up by itself.








http://www.overclock.net/t/1125994/seans-data-backup-guide-using-robocopy

You don't really need to partition anything. If you want to partition it I'd say use easus partition master home edition.
http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm


----------



## firestorm1

i forgot you made that thread.









i see you became so epic that ocn removed your rep count.


----------



## digitally

Sean, another quick question; my bios had acpi v3.0. Should i set to v3.0 or as directed by you to stay on v2.0? Bios even had v1.0, whats the deal about it?


----------



## grss1982

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why?


For people having problems installing Service Pack 1. Usually a repair install is required and you can't really do a repair install of Windows 7 w/o SP1 using a disk Windows 7 installation disk with SP1 integrated. It also makes your guide more extensive.


----------



## d4005

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> For step 5 I would do not do another back up then but after you change to AHCI mode.
> Actually, if you haven't actually done anything yet then change to AHCI mode now, then back up the OS partition(s).


I haven't started yet. There's no massive hurry. I'd rather lock down my exact sequence first and be sure it's the best. Clearly I didn't put a proper plan in place with my first SSD. Now I've got it though. Looking for half a day free to do it









edit: I'm going to make some "real" benchmarks of my own before I switch too. Like copying a big file from C: on the SSD to D: on the SSD, or converting a video from mp4 to avi (c->d also). Also, copying from (and to) HDD to (and from) the SSD. It'll be nice to not only see the AS SSD results, but also my own real world tests.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *digitally*
> 
> Sean, another quick question; my bios had acpi v3.0. Should i set to v3.0 or as directed by you to stay on v2.0? Bios even had v1.0, whats the deal about it?


Yea. use the newest you can. It is simply for extra device configuration and power management features.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Configuration_and_Power_Interface
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grss1982*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For people having problems installing Service Pack 1. Usually a repair install is required and you can't really do a repair install of Windows 7 w/o SP1 using a disk Windows 7 installation disk with SP1 integrated. It also makes your guide more extensive.
Click to expand...

Ook, I'll add them when I get home later today.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d4005*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> For step 5 I would do not do another back up then but after you change to AHCI mode.
> Actually, if you haven't actually done anything yet then change to AHCI mode now, then back up the OS partition(s).
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't started yet. There's no massive hurry. I'd rather lock down my exact sequence first and be sure it's the best. Clearly I didn't put a proper plan in place with my first SSD. Now I've got it though. Looking for half a day free to do it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> edit: I'm going to make some "real" benchmarks of my own before I switch too. Like copying a big file from C: on the SSD to D: on the SSD, or converting a video from mp4 to avi (c->d also). Also, copying from (and to) HDD to (and from) the SSD. It'll be nice to not only see the AS SSD results, but also my own real world tests.
Click to expand...

cool. Yea you might as well enable ahci now, before i thought you already had made the image.


----------



## ghostrider85

is this alignment good? or should it be 4k or 4096k? i'm confused.
everytime i freshly install window 7 it's always been like this.
i'm using 2x force gt 60gb in raid 0 for my system drive.









and i have another raid 0 array which composed of 2x 120gb force 3 that i'm using to store games
this one has an alignment of 1024k









what do you think?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ghostrider85*
> 
> is this alignment good? or should it be 4k or 4096k? i'm confused.
> everytime i freshly install window 7 it's always been like this.
> i'm using 2x force gt 60gb in raid 0 for my system drive.
> 
> and i have another raid 0 array which composed of 2x 120gb force 3 that i'm using to store games
> this one has an alignment of 1024k
> 
> what do you think?


both are fine, both are 1MB offset.


----------



## ghostrider85

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ghostrider85*
> 
> is this alignment good? or should it be 4k or 4096k? i'm confused.
> everytime i freshly install window 7 it's always been like this.
> i'm using 2x force gt 60gb in raid 0 for my system drive.
> 
> and i have another raid 0 array which composed of 2x 120gb force 3 that i'm using to store games
> this one has an alignment of 1024k
> 
> what do you think?
> 
> 
> 
> both are fine, both are 1MB offset.
Click to expand...

1mb offset? what do you mean by that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ghostrider85*
> 
> 1mb offset? what do you mean by that?


the partition offset is basically sets your alignment.


----------



## Aparition

Sean I don't know if you have this info in your guide...

If you find that icon images after moving to the SSD from HDD/SSD are not showing. You get the default blank page icon image, but the shortcuts still function normally,

if you go to: C:/ Users "Username". Find AppData (hidden folder), then locate IconCache.db. Rename this to IconCache.db.old. Then restart.
This will fix all the icon images.

Example with my system I unhooked my Raid drives which have my programs on it. After migrating to the SSD the icon images were lost defaulting to generic blank image. Doing the above simply rebuilds the icon cache, restoring the images.


----------



## ghostrider85

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ghostrider85*
> 
> 1mb offset? what do you mean by that?
> 
> 
> 
> the partition offset is basically sets your alignment.
Click to expand...

ah, ok, thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Sean I don't know if you have this info in your guide...
> 
> If you find that icon images after moving to the SSD from HDD/SSD are not showing. You get the default blank page icon image, but the shortcuts still function normally,
> 
> if you go to: C:/ Users "Username". Find AppData (hidden folder), then locate IconCache.db. Rename this to IconCache.db.old. Then restart.
> This will fix all the icon images.
> 
> Example with my system I unhooked my Raid drives which have my programs on it. After migrating to the SSD the icon images were lost defaulting to generic blank image. Doing the above simply rebuilds the icon cache, restoring the images.


I followed this before: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html


----------



## dipanzan

Hey Sean,

I just got an M4 128GB last week. I'm about to follow your guide and setup Windows, what I'm confused is do I need to set the alignment manually, or is it done by Windows after running the WEI?

Here's an AS SSD benchmark:


I guess I'm limited by the AMD controller, is this okay for my drive? Oh and can you recommend an utility to safely erase my HDD like DBAN, or the SSD erase program in your guide will do?

Thanks


----------



## Overclockname

Hi Sean,

I used your guide back in December to set up a Crucial m4 on my new build (only have the SSD right now). Thanks again for the great guide, everything has been going well with the set up.

I had always intended to have a Raid 1 set up for data back up on two HDD's. Now that HDD prices have started to come back down to earth I just purchased two identical drives to set it up.

I have been reading that you lose all the data, even windows, on the ssd when setting up the Raid. Is that true??

Also, do I need to set up the drives first, then configure in Bios, or the opposite? I am using Windows 7 64 bit.

I thought you had some guides to setting up raid and new drives in this thread but I can't seem to find them.


----------



## N2Gaming

On a Fresh install here my self and thinking about optimizing my system w/some of the tips found here .


----------



## LtStinger

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> On a Fresh install here my self and thinking about optimizing my system w/some of the tips found here .


Give the viper guide a try, not sure how much it really does with windows 7 yet. From what I'm told more stuff is able to not use resources in the background and with newer tech. and more RAM avail. on most systems it might not make AS big of a difference, but I've followed the viper guide on a few xp systems and was pretty pleased with the results.


----------



## N2Gaming

8GB of ram in use but less background services is all welcome in my book. Link?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *dipanzan*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> I just got an M4 128GB last week. I'm about to follow your guide and setup Windows, what I'm confused is do I need to set the alignment manually, or is it done by Windows after running the WEI?
> 
> Here's an AS SSD benchmark:
> 
> I guess I'm limited by the AMD controller, is this okay for my drive? Oh and can you recommend an utility to safely erase my HDD like DBAN, or the SSD erase program in your guide will do?
> 
> Thanks


Yep, you are fine, alignment is when you install. Your speeds are good for your AMD controller. And to erase the HDD DBAN is good for if you are selling the drive, but if you are not just delete all the partitions on it in disk management.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Overclockname*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> I used your guide back in December to set up a Crucial m4 on my new build (only have the SSD right now). Thanks again for the great guide, everything has been going well with the set up.
> 
> I had always intended to have a Raid 1 set up for data back up on two HDD's. Now that HDD prices have started to come back down to earth I just purchased two identical drives to set it up.
> 
> I have been reading that you lose all the data, even windows, on the ssd when setting up the Raid. Is that true??
> 
> Also, do I need to set up the drives first, then configure in Bios, or the opposite? I am using Windows 7 64 bit.
> 
> I thought you had some guides to setting up raid and new drives in this thread but I can't seem to find them.


Here is my basic guide on RAID setup: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227670/how-to-set-up-raid

Read this too: http://www.overclock.net/t/484367/guide-all-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-raid

When you first set up RAID, when you create the array you lose all the data on the drive if there was any on it. You need to back it up first.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> 8GB of ram in use but less background services is all welcome in my book. Link?


My guide under *Optimizations after system setup:* It was the first thing too lol

*Disable unneeded services:*

Open the Start Menu, type *Services.msc*, press Enter
Go to BlackViper
Follow the info to your OS
*Note:* Don't worry about this if you don't feel like taking the time to do tweaks your system. This is more for advanced users. I don't even bother with this one myself.


----------



## Overclockname

Quote:


> When you first set up RAID, when you create the array you lose all the data on the drive if there was any on it. You need to back it up first.


For clarification: Do you lose the data on the SSD (where windows and my other programs are), or the two drives I am adding (which don't have anything anyway) or all 3 drives?

Also, I read through the links but am still unsure of whether the SSD is considered part of the Raid array or not. I want to have all my programs on the SSD and only use the two other drives in a raid 1 to store my pictures, video, etc..... I have no plans of putting any of that data on the SSD.

Thanks again.... apologize for the newbness.


----------



## N2Gaming

Ok thanks sean,

I just tried installing one of my older Logitech Wingman Ruble Pads by using the G27 driver.

Here's the funny part. After the driver installation and hardware set up was complete the mouse pointer went all crazy on me running to the left of the screen LOL because of the throttle slider/driver hick up. I think I need to get all my Drivers installed and working properly first before I worry about OS Tweeks









As Far as I remember the Momo Wheel drivers seemed to work pretty good w/my set up last OS instal. I want to get my drivers installed so that I can check that all my steam games are working as they should. Never know w/copy and past Steam Folders


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Overclockname*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> When you first set up RAID, when you create the array you lose all the data on the drive if there was any on it. You need to back it up first.
> 
> 
> 
> For clarification: Do you lose the data on the SSD (where windows and my other programs are), or the two drives I am adding (which don't have anything anyway) or all 3 drives?
> 
> Also, I read through the links but am still unsure of whether the SSD is considered part of the Raid array or not. I want to have all my programs on the SSD and only use the two other drives in a raid 1 to store my pictures, video, etc..... I have no plans of putting any of that data on the SSD.
> Thanks again.... apologize for the newbness.
Click to expand...

Such a nub wub







lol jk.

Good thing you asked.

So you have windows installed right now right?

Since you are not making the array with your current OS drive then you will have no data loss with it, unless you make a mistake and make the array with your current OS drive.

So what you need to do first if you have not is set the SATA mode to RAID mode. But you need to do a registry edit first. Look here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation

Once you do so then you can create the RAID array. When you do the drives in the array will lose any data on them currently. You need to back it up first. Then once the array is made and initialized just do this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227647/how-to-initialize-and-format-a-new-disk-for-use-in-windows-7#post_16684788
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> Ok thanks sean,
> 
> I just tried installing one of my older Logitech Wingman Ruble Pads by using the G27 driver.
> 
> Here's the funny part. After the driver installation and hardware set up was complete the mouse pointer went all crazy on me running to the left of the screen LOL because of the throttle slider/driver hick up. I think I need to get all my Drivers installed and working properly first before I worry about OS Tweeks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As Far as I remember the Momo Wheel drivers seemed to work pretty good w/my set up last OS instal. I want to get my drivers installed so that I can check that all my steam games are working as they should. Never know w/copy and past Steam Folders


lol nice


----------



## MooMoo

So is there any other benefits than mentioned on the first page "Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:"? I got 2 WD caviar black 640GB in raid0, should I install my windows 7 with GPT way?








Anybody done speed tests GPT vs MBR?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> So is there any other benefits than mentioned on the first page "Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:"? I got 2 WD caviar black 640GB in raid0, should I install my windows 7 with GPT way?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anybody done speed tests GPT vs MBR?


Post looks familiar...

Look in the wikipedia for more info.

not really any speed difference.


----------



## Overclockname

Quote:


> Good thing you asked.
> 
> So you have windows installed right now right?
> 
> Since you are not making the array with your current OS drive then you will have no data loss with it, unless you make a mistake and make the array with your current OS drive.
> 
> So what you need to do first if you have not is set the SATA mode to RAID mode. But you need to do a registry edit first. Look here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation
> 
> Once you do so then you can create the RAID array. When you do the drives in the array will lose any data on them currently. You need to back it up first. Then once the array is made and initialized just do this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227647/how-to-initialize-and-format-a-new-disk-for-use-in-windows-7#post_16684788]


Thanks once again Sean and +rep. The order of things is definitely more clear now. Glad to hear I'm not going to lose the data and programs on my SSD. And yes, I currently have windows installed on the SSD, which is my only drive right now (and I will not be including in the Raid it looks like).

Edit: +rep maybe.....can't see your's anymore. Did you reach a certain level of greatness where they no longer apply??


----------



## helius

Sean,

I disabled all power saving features, changed SATA cable but still no luck on the 4K with my Kingston V200. Do you have more suggestions? Maybe Kingston's controller has problems with incompressible data such as the SandForce controllers? Or maybe this SSD has even SandForce controllers







They say it's JMicron but whatever..

Also, when I ran Windows Experience Index I get 5.9 for my Primary Hard Disk which is an improvement of 0.1







compared to my previous hard disk. I tried the part of your guide "Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:" but still no luck. Can I do something else about it? Can this be anyhow related to the poor 4K performance?


----------



## Protokoll

Sean,

Installing Windows tomorrow on my new GPT Raid 0 array. In your MBR section you recommend using a 1024 alignment for Raid 0, but in the GPT section you just say to use 4096. Which would you choose for a 240GB GPT Raid 0 array on two Intel 520 SSDs? Thank you for your time!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Overclockname*
> 
> Thanks once again Sean and +rep. The order of things is definitely more clear now. Glad to hear I'm not going to lose the data and programs on my SSD. And yes, I currently have windows installed on the SSD, which is my only drive right now (and I will not be including in the Raid it looks like).
> 
> Edit: +rep maybe.....can't see your's anymore. Did you reach a certain level of greatness where they no longer apply??


haha, yea I am now the Storage Editor!










No more rep








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *helius*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> I disabled all power saving features, changed SATA cable but still no luck on the 4K with my Kingston V200. Do you have more suggestions? Maybe Kingston's controller has problems with incompressible data such as the SandForce controllers? Or maybe this SSD has even SandForce controllers
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They say it's JMicron but whatever..
> 
> Also, when I ran Windows Experience Index I get 5.9 for my Primary Hard Disk which is an improvement of 0.1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> compared to my previous hard disk. I tried the part of your guide "Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:" but still no luck. Can I do something else about it? Can this be anyhow related to the poor 4K performance?


IDK, maybe change the SATA cable? Change the SATA port?

I swear I've seen much better results with that drive.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Protokoll*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> Installing Windows tomorrow on my new GPT Raid 0 array. In your MBR section you recommend using a 1024 alignment for Raid 0, but in the GPT section you just say to use 4096. Which would you choose for a 240GB GPT Raid 0 array on two Intel 520 SSDs? Thank you for your time!


GPT RAID 0 use 4096.


----------



## jacedaface

Just tried the registry hack for program files. Didnt seem to work for me. I still had to tell every program/game i installed to do it on D: instead of C:
On top of that a few things failed to work. Internet explorer but i found i could change the loction and that was fine.
But also windows sidebar gadgets, couldnt find a work around for that one so ive ended up setting my reg bk to C:


----------



## dipanzan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep, you are fine, alignment is when you install. Your speeds are good for your AMD controller. And to erase the HDD DBAN is good for if you are selling the drive, but if you are not just delete all the partitions on it in disk management.


Thanks buddy.









Oh, and I guess the good speeds is because the drive is completely empty w/o Windows and nothing written on it?









EDIT: Just noticed, can't give rep to you Sean.







Congrats though- you truly are the Storage Expert, I read all of the guide yesterday, man it's big!


----------



## [email protected]

Is SSD secure for security and protection? I always wondered that cuz someone made a thread about it earlier i looked.


----------



## d4005

Results are in for my upgrade from my old misaligned Intel SSD to a new Samsung 830 SSD. It's good














Thanks for your help Sean.

Before:



After:



I'm happy with that.
















Now I've got a 256GB SSD over my previous 160GB SSD though, I decided I'd go into PowerQuest's Partition Magic (although it's an old version 8.0 and doesn't like Win 7) and it reckons there's something wrong with LBA on my SSD Drive (1). Is it PM that's wrong? Or do I really have a problem? I've ignored the problem for now.





edit: Just found a link to EaseUs partition tool, that doesn't seem to think there are any problems on my disk 1. I doubt Partition Magic the most because it's an old version. Here's what EaseUs Partition Master shows. I'll hold off on resizing my partitions until someone says "ignore Partition Magic, it's living in the past and doesn't understand what it's seeing".

.


----------



## hamishg

had a reading with 'as ssd' benchmark-

as-ssd-bench M4-CT128M4SSD2 13.03.2012 12-20-47.png 28k .png file


what shall i do any help appreciated


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *dipanzan*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep, you are fine, alignment is when you install. Your speeds are good for your AMD controller. And to erase the HDD DBAN is good for if you are selling the drive, but if you are not just delete all the partitions on it in disk management.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks buddy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, and I guess the good speeds is because the drive is completely empty w/o Windows and nothing written on it?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: Just noticed, can't give rep to you Sean.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Congrats though- you truly are the Storage Expert, I read all of the guide yesterday, man it's big!
Click to expand...

I believe so. I don't have a great amount of experience with AMD systems, but sata speeds are usually slightly slower than compared to intel systems.

Oh and I am Storage Editor now.









No more rep button for me.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Is SSD secure for security and protection? I always wondered that cuz someone made a thread about it earlier i looked.


It is the same as a HDD, you can encrypt it if you so desire and so a secure erase to wipe the data off of it or even destroy it if you like.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d4005*
> 
> Results are in for my upgrade from my old misaligned Intel SSD to a new Samsung 830 SSD. It's good
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for your help Sean.
> Before:
> After:
> I'm happy with that.











Quote:


> Now I've got a 256GB SSD over my previous 160GB SSD though, I decided I'd go into PowerQuest's Partition Magic (although it's an old version 8.0 and doesn't like Win 7) and it reckons there's something wrong with LBA on my SSD Drive (1). Is it PM that's wrong? Or do I really have a problem? I've ignored the problem for now.
> 
> edit: Just found a link to EaseUs partition tool, that doesn't seem to think there are any problems on my disk 1. I doubt Partition Magic the most because it's an old version. Here's what EaseUs Partition Master shows. I'll hold off on resizing my partitions until someone says "ignore Partition Magic, it's living in the past and doesn't understand what it's seeing".


I see nothing wrong really. The partition beginning offset is @ 4k and not 4096K. I think that is what the program may be referring to. Let the program run the "fix" and see what happens? lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hamishg*
> 
> had a reading with 'as ssd' benchmark-
> 
> as-ssd-bench M4-CT128M4SSD2 13.03.2012 12-20-47.png 28k .png file
> 
> 
> what shall i do any help appreciated


Bad alignment.

Do this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions

Or reinstall.


----------



## xxgamxx

Question: If I install the OS on my SSD without doing anything to my old drive(which also has an OS), would I be able to boot from the old drive? Asking because I want to test this all out without having to back up my data right now.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> Question: If I install the OS on my SSD without doing anything to my old drive(which also has an OS), would I be able to boot from the old drive? Asking because I want to test this all out without having to back up my data right now.


You should be able to. You should get a choice of which to boot off of.


----------



## Protokoll

Having issues getting Windows installed on my GPT Raid0 array using this guide. After I install the requisite drivers for Windows to recognize the array and perform all of the diskpart steps, Windows fails with the following error:

"Setup was unable to a create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log for more information."

If there is anyone that can help me trouble shoot this quickly, I would greatly appreciate it. Going to work tomorrow for 11 hours without this resolved is going to suck.

I see the three partitions created properly in diskpart and in Windows when I refresh, but I can't install to SYSTEM.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Protokoll*
> 
> Having issues getting Windows installed on my GPT Raid0 array using this guide. After I install the requisite drivers for Windows to recognize the array and perform all of the diskpart steps, Windows fails with the following error:
> 
> "Setup was unable to a create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log for more information."
> 
> If there is anyone that can help me trouble shoot this quickly, I would greatly appreciate it. Going to work tomorrow for 11 hours without this resolved is going to suck.
> 
> I see the three partitions created properly in diskpart and in Windows when I refresh, but I can't install to SYSTEM.


Do you have any other drives hooked up to teh system? If so disconnect them.

Try redoing the diskpart commands.

If all else fails I say forget about GPT and simply use the MBR set up. You may have to use the convert MBR command. So i added it here.

*Booting and partitioning of MBR for Windows 7:*

Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *lis dis*, press Enter
Type *sel dis X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *cle*, press Enter
Type *convert MBR*, press Enter
Type *cre par pri align=1024*, press Enter
Type *for quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *act*, press Enter
Type *exi*, press Enter
Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. Do not format it the partitions again during the installation.


----------



## Protokoll

I shut it off in frustration before your reply. I decided to boot it back up and just convert everything to MBR. After I loaded the RAID driver, I saw all of my partitions there and I clicked next on the SYSTEM partitions just for ****s and giggles and it WORKED! Windows is loading right now after 40 times of doing this exact same thing and it not working. I hope all of my GPT and alignment settings were retained after the reboot.

We shall see -- how will I know if it's a GPT volume/be able to check alignment after Windows finishes installing?


----------



## Sean Webster

Wait you did convert MBR and then you installed right?

Your array will be MBR not GPT.

As for alignment use AS SSD. Post a screenshot of it here.


----------



## LosNir

Hi Sean,

I recall, about a month ago, that you had a pretty decent RAMdisk guide in one of your Extras section.
I can't find it now, what happened to it?

Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> I recall, about a month ago, that you had a pretty decent RAMdisk guide in one of your Extras section.
> I can't find it now, what happened to it?
> 
> Thanks.


Yea, I moved it to its own thread lol. It is in the stickies in the main storage section.

Here is the link.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1227803/how-to-set-up-and-utilize-ram-disks


----------



## jacedaface

Woke up this morning, switched my PC on and my SSD has gone from 32GB free space down to 24.7GB free space... How does this happen, i did the OS install as per your guide which was awesome by the way. Thanks.

But only stuff ive installed... is on my D:\ drive, also if i right click every folder in the C:\ drive only adds up to about 18GB on a 60GB drive. So where is all this drive getting used? lol,


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jacedaface*
> 
> Woke up this morning, switched my PC on and my SSD has gone from 32GB free space down to 24.7GB free space... How does this happen, i did the OS install as per your guide which was awesome by the way. Thanks.
> But only stuff ive installed... is on my D:\ drive, also if i right click every folder in the C:\ drive only adds up to about 18GB on a 60GB drive. So where is all this drive getting used? lol,


Did you disable / shrink the system backup settings? It might be a restore point.


----------



## jacedaface

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Did you disable / shrink the system backup settings? It might be a restore point.


Yeah i did everything in the guide. Once my son has gone to bed tonight ill have to double check everything i guess and make sure something hasnt some how got set back.


----------



## Protokoll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wait you did convert MBR and then you installed right?
> Your array will be MBR not GPT.
> As for alignment use AS SSD. Post a screenshot of it here.


Hey Sean; no, I didn't convert anything or change anything in diskpart. I set everything up and when I started the Windows installer back up all of my partitions were still there and this time Windows decided it wanted to install to my SYSTEM partition. So, I think I was able to get the GPT Raid 0 working in the end, but I'll let you know when I get back from work. Thanks for your help.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jacedaface*
> 
> Woke up this morning, switched my PC on and my SSD has gone from 32GB free space down to 24.7GB free space... How does this happen, i did the OS install as per your guide which was awesome by the way. Thanks.
> 
> But only stuff ive installed... is on my D:\ drive, also if i right click every folder in the C:\ drive only adds up to about 18GB on a 60GB drive. So where is all this drive getting used? lol,


Make all files unhidden

To unhide files in Windows 7, I would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below.
a. Start Button
b. Control Panel
c. Click on Appearance and Personalization
d. Click on Folder Options
e. Go to the tab View
f. Check "Hidden files and folders: Show all files and folders"
g. Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)"
h. Click "Apply" and then "OK".
i. Then right click on the files that you want to unhide and then click on Properties.
j. In General tab uncheck Hidden and then click on Apply and then Ok.

Once you do that is there a hiberfil.sys or a pagefile.sys?

Go through my maintenance section. Also, use space sniffer.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Protokoll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wait you did convert MBR and then you installed right?
> Your array will be MBR not GPT.
> As for alignment use AS SSD. Post a screenshot of it here.
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Sean; no, I didn't convert anything or change anything in diskpart. I set everything up and when I started the Windows installer back up all of my partitions were still there and this time Windows decided it wanted to install to my SYSTEM partition. So, I think I was able to get the GPT Raid 0 working in the end, but I'll let you know when I get back from work. Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

OK, when you get back let me know. Post a screenshot of disk part after you type list disk it should show all teh drives in your system and next to the drive it should have a * under a column GPT for your OS array.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Make all files unhidden
> To unhide files in Windows 7, I would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below.
> a. Start Button
> b. Control Panel
> c. Click on Appearance and Personalization
> d. Click on Folder Options
> e. Go to the tab View
> f. Check "Hidden files and folders: Show all files and folders"
> g. Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)"
> h. Click "Apply" and then "OK".
> i. Then right click on the files that you want to unhide and then click on Properties.
> j. In General tab uncheck Hidden and then click on Apply and then Ok.
> Once you do that is there a hiberfil.sys or a pagefile.sys?
> Go through my maintenance section. Also, use space sniffer.
> OK, when you get back let me know. Post a screenshot of disk part after you type list disk it should show all teh drives in your system and next to the drive it should have a * under a column GPT for your OS array.


You can skip steps a-c by pressing the ALT button in a folder then edit(or view can't remember and not on Win7) >folder options.

ALT brings down the folder menu when in a folder, fyi







.


----------



## jacedaface

Duh, how did i not think of hidden files! Blonde moment!

Ill try tonight cheers sean.

PS 'Space Sniffer' what a great name!


----------



## MMJA

Hey Sean, first of all awesome guide! I've got a question regarding page file, do they still recommend the page file to be 1.5x that of RAM? My rig has 6Gb of RAM so page file is currently set to 9Gb, is this unnecessary? Thanks.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MMJA*
> 
> Hey Sean, first of all awesome guide! I've got a question regarding page file, do they still recommend the page file to be 1.5x that of RAM? My rig has 6Gb of RAM so page file is currently set to 9Gb, is this unnecessary? Thanks.


What?! I didn't know about this rule and besides it is stupid. Usually paging file is set by the OS to be the same amount as your RAM but never 50% higher than the total amount. Also, read the OP for the recommendations regarding page file.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Make all files unhidden
> To unhide files in Windows 7, I would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below.
> a. Start Button
> b. Control Panel
> c. Click on Appearance and Personalization
> d. Click on Folder Options
> e. Go to the tab View
> f. Check "Hidden files and folders: Show all files and folders"
> g. Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)"
> h. Click "Apply" and then "OK".
> i. Then right click on the files that you want to unhide and then click on Properties.
> j. In General tab uncheck Hidden and then click on Apply and then Ok.
> Once you do that is there a hiberfil.sys or a pagefile.sys?
> Go through my maintenance section. Also, use space sniffer.
> OK, when you get back let me know. Post a screenshot of disk part after you type list disk it should show all teh drives in your system and next to the drive it should have a * under a column GPT for your OS array.
> 
> 
> 
> You can skip steps a-c by pressing the ALT button in a folder then edit(or view can't remember and not on Win7) >folder options.
> 
> ALT brings down the folder menu when in a folder, fyi
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
Click to expand...

lol, yep. I just copy pasted it from a google search XD
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jacedaface*
> 
> Duh, how did i not think of hidden files! Blonde moment!
> 
> Ill try tonight cheers sean.
> 
> PS 'Space Sniffer' what a great name!


alright.







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MMJA*
> 
> Hey Sean, first of all awesome guide! I've got a question regarding page file, do they still recommend the page file to be 1.5x that of RAM? My rig has 6Gb of RAM so page file is currently set to 9Gb, is this unnecessary? Thanks.


Usually if you have say 2GB or higher it is automatically set to teh GB of ram you have so it is 1:1 now. I have 8GB of RAM and set mine to 1GB. You can do the same if you like, it is basically there if you need it.
Quote:


> What?! I didn't know about this rule and besides it is stupid. Usually paging file is set by the OS to be the same amount as your RAM but never 50% higher than the total amount. Also, read the OP for the recommendations regarding page file.


lol


----------



## [email protected]

I just saw Patroit SSD on sale and Corsair. Also short time sale SanDisk. Does SanDisk suck? Or should i lean towards Patriot or Corsair or wait and save for another better INtel SSD? I wanna go bigger SSD space. Been considering a minor upgrade again now that new games are coming this summer and mostly FALL. I just wanna plan ahead and could use your best advice Sean. I want the best SSD to afford and last!

Nevermind on SanDisk. Those are for laptops lol. However these other two for Desktops yes.


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Nevermind on SanDisk. Those are for laptops lol. However these other two for Desktops yes.


Umm... you can use either for both? Laptop vs Desktop there is no difference in the drive only what comes in the box, ie: 2.5 bracket.

Samsung 830 256GB is having a Newegg sale for today, get it for $300.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147164


----------



## [email protected]

I didn't even think of that. Of course, duh me. Also wanted Sean to look at this thread. http://thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-2/

I saw something new that you can do but i refused to try it WITHOUT asking the expert guy before doing anything. I heard you can move Temp folders to your hard drive instead of having it on your SSD since it always writes a lot of junk.

This is what the guy said.

Awesome Guide thanks.

I would also recommend you change your windows temp folder to another drive as this also writes a lot of junk.

Right click my computer -> properties -> advanced system settings -> environment variables

edit:

temp & tmp

to secondary drive.

Is this true? Would this hurt OS in any form? I would love your input sir! Also problem is this guy didn't really fully explain where or how exactly you EDIT these. I know you edit the pathway but it's a little confusing in some of the areas because there's so much you could edit and wasn't SURE which. I just know you edit to the other hard drive but wasn't sure if this even GONNA help? Surprised this wasn't in Sean's guide or i may have missed it?


----------



## fortunesolace

Sean, if I buy a box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 and I download the direct Digital River download 64-bit Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1, will the product key of the box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 work?


----------



## [email protected]

Windows updates come with the SP1 i believe. Why would you want to install Windows 7 OS without SP1. It has extra updates and security fixes. Also why are you buying digital if you're gonna buy the box anyways? I'm confused here.


----------



## fortunesolace

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Windows updates come with the SP1 i believe. Why would you want to install Windows 7 OS without SP1. It has extra updates and security fixes. Also why are you buying digital if you're gonna buy the box anyways? I'm confused here.


Means I already have an unused box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 w/c I'm to giving to a friend but since updating to SP1 takes time due to his crappy intenet, I'm just trying to shorten his downtime when installing Windows 7 then updating so we can game as soon as possible.


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fortunesolace*
> 
> Sean, if I buy a box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 and I download the direct Digital River download 64-bit Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1, will the product key of the box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 work?


Yes the product key is fine. An win7 Pro key matches any win7 Pro install disk.
I have a box Home edition version. I downloaded the latest Home edition SP1 install disk to make life easier.
A key is a key.


----------



## [email protected]

Then yes you should be fine as long it's a legit copy.


----------



## d4005

Dramatic drop in performance on my new machine since I switched from IDE to AHCI. Now videos playing in VLC stutter (visually and audioally), explorer windows take much longer to show their contents, backups from my drive E (HDD) to a backup USB drive (G) takes way way longer. Writing speed to my USB 3 Sata 3 backup drive is down to 25.3MB/s. The even weirder thing is how my C/D drives (both on my Samsung 830 SSD) show up in the "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" systray icon, as does my E drive (HDD). They were never there when I was in IDE mode.

I'm tempted to go back to IDE.



Wow !! What a huge relief. I've switched back to IDE mode. My writes from HDD (E) to external USB drive (G) are now 3 times faster. My video/audio glitches have stopped, and my machine feels normal again. I'm only scoring 250 on AS SSD benchmark with IDE, compared to 730 with AHCI, but I'm not gonna let a benchmark rule my life. How fast the system really feels, how many video/audio glitches I get while something plays in VLC, and how many bytes per second my GoodSync transfer across drives tells me it's *really* achieving is where it's really at.

I can always switch back to AHCI if I want to run another AS SSD benchmark test


----------



## TomcatV

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Then yes you should be fine as long it's a legit copy.


Win7 piracy is still going strong .... In the link below I gleened a few more new tips how to protect oneself, or in my case helping out a friend who recently got burned, sorry Sean this maybe should be in another thread?

★ Windows 7 Ultimate 32/64bit Full Version SP/1 ★ BEWARE of COUNTERFEIT 90% FAKE
Read his info thoroughly, you to may be surprised ... IE. missed the slightly different COA's, excellent pics showing the difference ...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Windows-7-Ultimate-32-64bit-Full-Version-SP-1-BEWARE-of-COUNTERFEIT-90-FAKE-/120874105415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c24a87a47


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fortunesolace*
> 
> Sean, if I buy a box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 and I download the direct Digital River download 64-bit Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1, will the product key of the box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 work?


It will work, this is exactly what I did as my system has no ODD.

edit: Sean you must you the title I gave you a couple months back via PM, much better IMO


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I just saw Patroit SSD on sale and Corsair. Also short time sale SanDisk. Does SanDisk suck? Or should i lean towards Patriot or Corsair or wait and save for another better INtel SSD? I wanna go bigger SSD space. Been considering a minor upgrade again now that new games are coming this summer and mostly FALL. I just wanna plan ahead and could use your best advice Sean. I want the best SSD to afford and last!
> 
> Nevermind on SanDisk. Those are for laptops lol. However these other two for Desktops yes.


New drives are coming this summer. Don't you have a 320 now?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I didn't even think of that. Of course, duh me. Also wanted Sean to look at this thread. http://thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-2/
> 
> I saw something new that you can do but i refused to try it WITHOUT asking the expert guy before doing anything. I heard you can move Temp folders to your hard drive instead of having it on your SSD since it always writes a lot of junk.
> 
> This is what the guy said.
> 
> Awesome Guide thanks.
> 
> I would also recommend you change your windows temp folder to another drive as this also writes a lot of junk.
> 
> Right click my computer -> properties -> advanced system settings -> environment variables
> 
> edit:
> 
> temp & tmp
> 
> to secondary drive.
> 
> Is this true? Would this hurt OS in any form? I would love your input sir! Also problem is this guy didn't really fully explain where or how exactly you EDIT these. I know you edit the pathway but it's a little confusing in some of the areas because there's so much you could edit and wasn't SURE which. I just know you edit to the other hard drive but wasn't sure if this even GONNA help? Surprised this wasn't in Sean's guide or i may have missed it?


I did it before...i don't care for it myself.

And to change the location simply put a directory.

ex. from *%SystemRoot%\TEMP* to *P:\Temp\Cache*
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d4005*
> 
> Dramatic drop in performance on my new machine since I switched from IDE to AHCI. Now videos playing in VLC stutter (visually and audioally), explorer windows take much longer to show their contents, backups from my drive E (HDD) to a backup USB drive (G) takes way way longer. Writing speed to my USB 3 Sata 3 backup drive is down to 25.3MB/s. The even weirder thing is how my C/D drives (both on my Samsung 830 SSD) show up in the "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" systray icon, as does my E drive (HDD). They were never there when I was in IDE mode.
> 
> I'm tempted to go back to IDE.
> 
> Wow !! What a huge relief. I've switched back to IDE mode. My writes from HDD (E) to external USB drive (G) are now 3 times faster. My video/audio glitches have stopped, and my machine feels normal again. I'm only scoring 250 on AS SSD benchmark with IDE, compared to 730 with AHCI, but I'm not gonna let a benchmark rule my life. How fast the system really feels, how many video/audio glitches I get while something plays in VLC, and how many bytes per second my GoodSync transfer across drives tells me it's *really* achieving is where it's really at.
> 
> I can always switch back to AHCI if I want to run another AS SSD benchmark test


o.0 that is a very odd issue. I could trouble shoot it with ya maybe if you make a separate thread lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Then yes you should be fine as long it's a legit copy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Win7 piracy is still going strong .... In the link below I gleened a few more new tips how to protect oneself, or in my case helping out a friend who recently got burned, sorry Sean this maybe should be in another thread?
> 
> ★ Windows 7 Ultimate 32/64bit Full Version SP/1 ★ BEWARE of COUNTERFEIT 90% FAKE
> Read his info thoroughly, you to may be surprised ... IE. missed the slightly different COA's, excellent pics showing the difference ...
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Windows-7-Ultimate-32-64bit-Full-Version-SP-1-BEWARE-of-COUNTERFEIT-90-FAKE-/120874105415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c24a87a47
Click to expand...

If you like make a post in the windows section about it.

http://www.overclock.net/f/132/windows
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *fortunesolace*
> 
> Sean, if I buy a box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 and I download the direct Digital River download 64-bit Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1, will the product key of the box/retail Windows 7 Professional w/o SP1 work?
> 
> 
> 
> It will work, this is exactly what I did as my system has no ODD.
> 
> edit: Sean you must you the title I gave you a couple months back via PM, much better IMO
Click to expand...

What title? The Mits...muts...masai...I have no idea how it was spelled lol.


----------



## Protokoll

I just updated my BIOS and now my painstakingly and perfectly installed UEFI: Windows Boot Manager is missing from the boot priority and it won't boot. Is there any way to get this back?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Protokoll*
> 
> I just updated my BIOS and now my painstakingly and perfectly installed UEFI: Windows Boot Manager is missing from the boot priority and it won't boot. Is there any way to get this back?


This should work: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/220#post_15563816

Basically run start up repair. Once you do the option will be in the BIOS to boot off of.


----------



## Protokoll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This should work: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/220#post_15563816
> Basically run start up repair. Once you do the option will be in the BIOS to boot off of.


Unfortunately that doesn't work. Windows tries to repair and it says it can't repair the startup files. This is such a headache.


----------



## hamishg

I am on windows 7 and have easeus partition master,

but I have already run the acer recovery program to restore the factory image and then run as ssd but misalignment is present as shown in my first post.

have watched your gparted video on youtube

can do all of those things on easeus partition master but not given the choice of 'align to' perhaps that is a factor.


----------



## Protokoll

What's my best option to nuke everything and just create an MBR Raid0 installation of Windows 7. This is absolutely ridiculous.


----------



## AshCation

Hello guys im new to this SSD stuff , my current HDDs setup is Samsung 1TB HD103SJ (OS/Programs/Games) ,2x Samsung 2TB HD204UI(Personal Backup).

And now I have the Samsung 830 64GB SSD.

I want to install the SSD for the OS and programs only , but I dont know what i need to do with the Samsung 1TB.

I turn on the PC with SSD,1TB,2x 2TB connected , put windows 7 DVD , format Samsung 1TB , and set windows 7 to install on the SSD?This is the right sequence?

I can update the SSD firmware after windows 7 installation fine?

Thanks!

Asus Rampage III Extreme Motherboard , I will use the SSD on the SATA 2 Port , Intel Chipset controller.


----------



## LtStinger

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AshCation*
> 
> Hello guys im new to this SSD stuff , my current HDDs setup is Samsung 1TB HD103SJ (OS/Programs/Games) ,2x Samsung 2TB HD204UI(Personal Backup).
> And now I have the Samsung 830 64GB SSD.
> I want to install the SSD for the OS and programs only , but I dont know what i need to do with the Samsung 1TB.
> I turn on the PC with SSD,1TB,2x 2TB connected , put windows 7 DVD , format Samsung 1TB , and set windows 7 to install on the SSD?This is the right sequence?
> I can update the SSD firmware after windows 7 installation fine?
> Thanks!
> Asus Rampage III Extreme Motherboard , I will use the SSD on the SATA 2 Port , Intel Chipset controller.


Follow the guide, these things are addressed..

Update your firmware if required before installation of windows.

Install SSD only at first, and do your cmd commands to format, align, etc., and then install OS.

Once you get to the part of the guide where you do your first restart, shut down instead and install your other drives. If you have to, select your boot priority in BIOS to the SSD (or just use F12).

You can then format the other drives if desired through windows, as windows won't be using them for the system.

Just read the guide a few times, print it off, and follow it to a T.


----------



## AshCation

Thanks, I was afraid that the OS on the SSD conflict with the OS on the HD , but now I understand it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Protokoll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This should work: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/220#post_15563816
> Basically run start up repair. Once you do the option will be in the BIOS to boot off of.
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately that doesn't work. Windows tries to repair and it says it can't repair the startup files. This is such a headache.
Click to expand...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Protokoll*
> 
> What's my best option to nuke everything and just create an MBR Raid0 installation of Windows 7. This is absolutely ridiculous.


ummm...:/

Maybe. What did it say exactly when you tried a repair?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hamishg*
> 
> I am on windows 7 and have easeus partition master,
> 
> but I have already run the acer recovery program to restore the factory image and then run as ssd but misalignment is present as shown in my first post.
> 
> have watched your gparted video on youtube
> 
> can do all of those things on easeus partition master but not given the choice of 'align to' perhaps that is a factor.


You can not use easeus to realign the partitions sadly.


----------



## FPSandreas

7. Type cre par pri align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter

I have a problem, i tried different keyboards, but it just won't make the "=". i have used razer blackwidow and another old one, how do i make equals??


----------



## LtStinger

That's a strange problem...

Are you using a PS/2 keyboard, or are they all usb? I usually run a PS/2 keyboard for doing anything before windows boots. Try that if you're not already.


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FPSandreas*
> 
> 7. Type cre par pri align=4096 (1024 is default), press Enter
> I have a problem, i tried different keyboards, but it just won't make the "=". i have used razer blackwidow and another old one, how do i make equals??


Use the Alt Keypad code to get the = sign if the regular key is not working
Alt(key) 6 1 (on keypad)
=
=


----------



## MiyukiChan

Quote:


> Empty windows update download cache:
> This is a safe and easy way to get rid of any left over windows update files.
> Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
> Delete all of them.


Is there a way to create a vbs/bat file to do this automatically?


----------



## jacedaface

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Once you do that is there a hiberfil.sys or a pagefile.sys?
> Go through my maintenance section. Also, use space sniffer.


Ok, so i finally got on my PC and done all maintenace... Final step space sniffer. That found a 11.9GB hiberfil.sys file on my SSD.
Bet you can guess what the next question is. lol
What is it, what does it do, should i delete it?
Cheers Sean your the master.


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jacedaface*
> 
> Ok, so i finally got on my PC and done all maintenace... Final step space sniffer. That found a 11.9GB hiberfil.sys file on my SSD.
> Bet you can guess what the next question is. lol
> What is it, what does it do, should i delete it?
> Cheers Sean your the master.


Hibernation file size is used when your system hibernates, dumps everything to SSD/Harddrive from memory.
Sleep leaves information loaded into memory and requires your system to have power. Hibernation you don't need power because it writes everything from memory to disc. If you don't use hibernation Sean's guide tells you how to shrink and or remove it.


----------



## jacedaface

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Hibernation file size is used when your system hibernates, dumps everything to SSD/Harddrive from memory.
> Sleep leaves information loaded into memory and requires your system to have power. Hibernation you don't need power because it writes everything from memory to disc. If you don't use hibernation Sean's guide tells you how to shrink and or remove it.


Grrr, did the guide cover to cover. Must of screwed that bit up a little. This PC isnt aloud to SLEEP! lol, Cheers


----------



## Swiftdeathz

Thanks for this awesome guide! It helped me get my new M4 up and going on a fresh install. I did run into one snag, I tried downloading and installing using the USB method with the Win7 64-bit SP1 download, but it would hang whenever I tried to get the install going, saying it needed some drivers that it could not find.

Ultimately I gave up using this method and just installed using my original Win7 install disc.

Your tweaks and info were invaluable.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MiyukiChan*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Empty windows update download cache:
> This is a safe and easy way to get rid of any left over windows update files.
> Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
> Delete all of them.
> 
> 
> 
> Is there a way to create a vbs/bat file to do this automatically?
Click to expand...

im not good at code or anything yet lol. If you find someone to do it thy probably can. I may get a simple program to run all the steps soon.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jacedaface*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Hibernation file size is used when your system hibernates, dumps everything to SSD/Harddrive from memory.
> Sleep leaves information loaded into memory and requires your system to have power. Hibernation you don't need power because it writes everything from memory to disc. If you don't use hibernation Sean's guide tells you how to shrink and or remove it.
> 
> 
> 
> Grrr, did the guide cover to cover. Must of screwed that bit up a little. This PC isnt aloud to SLEEP! lol, Cheers
Click to expand...

lol, it is step #1!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Swiftdeathz*
> 
> Thanks for this awesome guide! It helped me get my new M4 up and going on a fresh install. I did run into one snag, I tried downloading and installing using the USB method with the Win7 64-bit SP1 download, but it would hang whenever I tried to get the install going, saying it needed some drivers that it could not find.
> 
> Ultimately I gave up using this method and just installed using my original Win7 install disc.
> 
> Your tweaks and info were invaluable.


Weird. What driver was it?


----------



## Swiftdeathz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Weird. What driver was it?


Well that's the thing, it didn't specify what type of driver it needed and couldn't find, it just kept saying cannot install because it needed a driver. I even went into my BIOS and tried to disable AHCI to see if that was it, but the same issue arose. Maybe I missed a step somewhere when creating the USB install image or maybe it just didn't recognize my SSD, dunno.

BTW, the driver install error it was giving me was after I booted off the USB install and had done all the steps to activate and align and format the SSD with disk part command prompt utility.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Swiftdeathz*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> im not good at code or anything yet lol. If you find someone to do it thy probably can. I may get a simple program to run all the steps soon.
> lol, it is step #1!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Weird. What driver was it?
> 
> 
> 
> Well that's the thing, it didn't specify what type of driver it needed and couldn't find, it just kept saying cannot install because it needed a driver. I even went into my BIOS and tried to disable AHCI to see if that was it, but the same issue arose. Maybe I missed a step somewhere when creating the USB install image.
Click to expand...

you did the MBR install right? It could possibly have been that a driver it needed was corrupt during the transfer to USB.


----------



## Swiftdeathz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> you did the MBR install right? It could possibly have been that a driver it needed was corrupt during the transfer to USB.


Yes, I did the BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format install method. It's alright though since I'm up and running now, It would have shaved me some install time and downloading/updating to SP1 but it's all good.


----------



## MiyukiChan

Quote:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by MiyukiChan
> 
> Quote:
> Empty windows update download cache:
> This is a safe and easy way to get rid of any left over windows update files.
> Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
> Delete all of them.
> 
> Is there a way to create a vbs/bat file to do this automatically?
> im not good at code or anything yet lol. If you find someone to do it thy probably can. I may get a simple program to run all the steps soon.


I made one you could share or something.

Works great on windows with the default directories but use it with admin privileged or it won't work.

Code:



Code:


@echo off

DEL /S/F/Q "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\*.*"

 cleanup.zip 0k .zip file


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MiyukiChan*
> 
> I made one you could share or something.
> 
> Works great on windows with the default directories but use it with admin privileged or it won't work.
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> @echo off
> 
> DEL /S/F/Q "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\*.*"
> 
> cleanup.zip 0k .zip file


Thank you.


----------



## Snooter

Hi Sean, I first just want to thank you for this guide. It has been invaluable to me thus far with my new build. This guide was actually the reason I decided on getting an SSD since I had one place to go to if any problems ever arose.

I have a question about installing in GPT format. In a nutshell I have way less room on my SSD than I did when I had windows installed as MBR. This is a brand new Plextor M3 drive if that matters. What happened was I made my rig this past Saturday and at the time I couldnt get GPT to work, so I installed as MBR. Right after an install and before tweaks I had about 104/119gb of space. After tweaks it was around 108gb. Fast forward to today, I finally got GPT format to work when installing from a USB drive. However straight after install, before tweaks I only have 84.3gb on my SSD. This just doesnt seem right to me to have almost 20gb less just because of GPT format.

Also I did use parted magic to do a secure erase and from everything I could tell after the erase I had the full 119GB my SSD has free. Have you ever seen a problem like this before, if it is a problem? I am looking for any kind of help.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snooter*
> 
> Hi Sean, I first just want to thank you for this guide. It has been invaluable to me thus far with my new build. This guide was actually the reason I decided on getting an SSD since I had one place to go to if any problems ever arose.
> 
> I have a question about installing in GPT format. In a nutshell I have way less room on my SSD than I did when I had windows installed as MBR. This is a brand new Plextor M3 drive if that matters. What happened was I made my rig this past Saturday and at the time I couldnt get GPT to work, so I installed as MBR. Right after an install and before tweaks I had about 104/119gb of space. After tweaks it was around 108gb. Fast forward to today, I finally got GPT format to work when installing from a USB drive. However straight after install, before tweaks I only have 84.3gb on my SSD. This just doesnt seem right to me to have almost 20gb less just because of GPT format.
> 
> Also I did use parted magic to do a secure erase and from everything I could tell after the erase I had the full 119GB my SSD has free. Have you ever seen a problem like this before, if it is a problem? I am looking for any kind of help.


It is most likely that you need to look over disabling/shrinking the page file and hibernation file.

I had both and it made no difference in space used except the initial loss of ~200MB due to the partition set up.


----------



## Samuez

Thanks for the help earlier with that slow used SSD that I eventually just put on my netbook instead of reselling it.

I got a question cause I'm gonna buy myself a refurbished SSD (it was cheap, and if it doesn't work out than It's cheaper to return than anything) and it's 64GB. I already partition my current HD to be 40gb for OS and Apps and the rest for user folder and games.

You mention it was recommendedto fresh install windows 7 onto the SSD rather than migrating or cloning (or other option that I forgot) for best performance. Is it because of alignment issue? I'd keep hearing talk about it and I'm sure it's not that big of a issue going from HDD to SSD and fixing the alignment if it's a clone OS image. Or is it other reason? In the week waiting for the SSD to arrived, I set up and configure my system to my liking so I would hate to having to reinstall the OS, apps and games again.

Also, 2nd question. I asked this in an different post but no one responded so...I know AppData folder can't be move, but the folders within them like Local/LocalLow and Roaming apparently can be (haven't try yet so it might give error), is it recommend to move them to data drive for more spaces?

Thanks.

Sam


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Samuez*
> 
> Thanks for the help earlier with that slow used SSD that I eventually just put on my netbook instead of reselling it.
> 
> I got a question cause I'm gonna buy myself a refurbished SSD (it was cheap, and if it doesn't work out than It's cheaper to return than anything) and it's 64GB. I already partition my current HD to be 40gb for OS and Apps and the rest for user folder and games.
> 
> You mention it was recommendedto fresh install windows 7 onto the SSD rather than migrating or cloning (or other option that I forgot) for best performance. Is it because of alignment issue? I'd keep hearing talk about it and I'm sure it's not that big of a issue going from HDD to SSD and fixing the alignment if it's a clone OS image. Or is it other reason? In the week waiting for the SSD to arrived, I set up and configure my system to my liking so I would hate to having to reinstall the OS, apps and games again.


Mainly alignment and you need to basically make sure trim works and defrag is disabled.

If you do a clone I think alignment should be fine. I use EaseusTodo Backup, there is a clone option.
Quote:


> Also, 2nd question. I asked this in an different post but no one responded so...I know AppData folder can't be move,


You can move it. Actually you can move the whole user folder.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html
Quote:


> but the folders within them like Local/LocalLow and Roaming apparently can be (haven't try yet so it might give error), is it recommend to move them to data drive for more spaces?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Sam


I haven't really looked into it lol. I usually don't like moving the appdata folder.


----------



## Samuez

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Mainly alignment and you need to basically make sure trim works and defrag is disabled.
> If you do a clone I think alignment should be fine. I use EaseusTodo Backup, there is a clone option.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, 2nd question. I asked this in an different post but no one responded so...I know AppData folder can't be move,
> 
> 
> 
> You can move it. Actually you can move the whole user folder.
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> but the folders within them like Local/LocalLow and Roaming apparently can be (haven't try yet so it might give error), is it recommend to move them to data drive for more spaces?
> Thanks.
> Sam
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I haven't really looked into it lol. I usually don't like moving the appdata folder.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I thought about it a bit, and just decide to reinstall it fresh as I wann a good beginning to SSD (other than the slow one I had). And onward, when I move up to larger SSD, than it'll be cloning.

And I saw some post about moving the AppData but was told to do so when you're currently installing windows 7 and changing the XML file or something like that. I'm not too concern about the AppData but it seem like there's a awful lot of useful data that's store there that'll be disappointing to people if they lose the OS partition with that store inside.

Hm, isn't it better to clone the OS and Apps from a SSD to an another, bigger SSD as compare to HDD to SSD? I might give that a try instead while waiting.

Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it along with the fast response time.


----------



## xxgamxx

About to start the installation process for my SSD but have one more question before I begin: Would I be able to uninstall the OS on the hard drive without affect other files it has? I would basically rearrange everything in the hard drive without wiping it. Would I be able to access the old OS files from that hard drive as well?


----------



## hamishg




----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> About to start the installation process for my SSD but have one more question before I begin: Would I be able to uninstall the OS on the hard drive without affect other files it has? I would basically rearrange everything in the hard drive without wiping it. Would I be able to access the old OS files from that hard drive as well?


What are you trying to do?
Windows isn't designed to be uninstalled like a regular program. Win7 offers a backup service during a new installation or migrate where it will create a .old folder that has all of your user data from the previous install. It does not backup you programs just the user files, so things like save files and documents.

If you format the drive/partition that windows is on your program data files on other drives/partitions will remain.
Example you have Win7 on C: and Steam on D:. Formatting C will remove Win7 but when you re-install and look at D again Steam will still be there.
Other programs and data files will remain also just that you might need to re-install the programs because they are removed from the Win7 registry.

So you can format the drive win7 is on and keep all data on other drives/partitions.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Samuez*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Mainly alignment and you need to basically make sure trim works and defrag is disabled.
> If you do a clone I think alignment should be fine. I use EaseusTodo Backup, there is a clone option.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, 2nd question. I asked this in an different post but no one responded so...I know AppData folder can't be move,
> 
> 
> 
> You can move it. Actually you can move the whole user folder.
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> but the folders within them like Local/LocalLow and Roaming apparently can be (haven't try yet so it might give error), is it recommend to move them to data drive for more spaces?
> Thanks.
> Sam
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I haven't really looked into it lol. I usually don't like moving the appdata folder.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thanks. I thought about it a bit, and just decide to reinstall it fresh as I wann a good beginning to SSD (other than the slow one I had). And onward, when I move up to larger SSD, than it'll be cloning.
> 
> And I saw some post about moving the AppData but was told to do so when you're currently installing windows 7 and changing the XML file or something like that. I'm not too concern about the AppData but it seem like there's a awful lot of useful data that's store there that'll be disappointing to people if they lose the OS partition with that store inside.
> 
> Hm, isn't it better to clone the OS and Apps from a SSD to an another, bigger SSD as compare to HDD to SSD? I might give that a try instead while waiting.
> 
> Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it along with the fast response time.
Click to expand...

I have a guide on how to transfer from HDD to a SSD:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1227835/how-to-disk-and-partition-cloning-backup-restoration-migration
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> About to start the installation process for my SSD but have one more question before I begin: Would I be able to uninstall the OS on the hard drive without affect other files it has? I would basically rearrange everything in the hard drive without wiping it. Would I be able to access the old OS files from that hard drive as well?


Skip my alignment part of the guide (Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format: & Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format

Do a upgrade install.


----------



## xxgamxx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> What are you trying to do?
> Windows isn't designed to be uninstalled like a regular program. Win7 offers a backup service during a new installation or migrate where it will create a .old folder that has all of your user data from the previous install. It does not backup you programs just the user files, so things like save files and documents.
> If you format the drive/partition that windows is on your program data files on other drives/partitions will remain.
> Example you have Win7 on C: and Steam on D:. Formatting C will remove Win7 but when you re-install and look at D again Steam will still be there.
> Other programs and data files will remain also just that you might need to re-install the programs because they are removed from the Win7 registry.
> So you can format the drive win7 is on and keep all data on other drives/partitions.


I'm installing the main OS onto my SSD but I want to be able to remove the old OS from my hard drive so I can free up some space.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> I'm installing the main OS onto my SSD but I want to be able to remove the old OS from my hard drive so I can free up some space.


*How to: Use old OS HDD as a data drive after installing a new SSD/HDD*


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



*What is this?*
This how you can migrate your data from your old OS HDD into your system once you have reinstalled a new SSD or HDD.


*If your personal data is backed up to another drive then*
Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *active*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter

*If you can't save your personal data to another medium you can do...*

*Option 1:* Okay option
Once you have windows installed you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files and partitions that may be on there as well)

*Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.
Shrink the old HDD OS partition. (link)
Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space. (link)
Then move the personal files to the new partition, like you movies, documents, pictures, etc.
Now you may have to keep shrinking and expanding the partitions as you do this depending on how much free space you have on your drive.
When done moving your files delete the older OS partition and the MSR one if it is there too.
Then expand the new partition into the left over free space.

*Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.*

*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
Click Properties
Click the Location tab
Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
*Note 1:* Recommended, I do this myself for my user folders (ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
*Note 2:* If there are two of the same folder in teh User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
*Note 3:* If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.

*Video Tut:*


----------



## xxgamxx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *How to: Use old OS HDD as a data drive after installing a new SSD/HDD*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> *What is this?*
> This how you can migrate your data from your old OS HDD into your system once you have reinstalled a new SSD or HDD.
> 
> *If your personal data is backed up to another drive then*
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *active*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> 
> *If you can't save your personal data to another medium you can do...*
> *Option 1:* Okay option
> Once you have windows installed you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files and partitions that may be on there as well)
> *Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.
> Shrink the old HDD OS partition. (link)
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space. (link)
> Then move the personal files to the new partition, like you movies, documents, pictures, etc.
> Now you may have to keep shrinking and expanding the partitions as you do this depending on how much free space you have on your drive.
> When done moving your files delete the older OS partition and the MSR one if it is there too.
> Then expand the new partition into the left over free space.
> 
> *Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.*
> *Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab
> Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> *Note 1:* Recommended, I do this myself for my user folders (ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
> *Note 2:* If there are two of the same folder in teh User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
> *Note 3:* If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.
> *Video Tut:*


What kind of data does this include?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *How to: Use old OS HDD as a data drive after installing a new SSD/HDD*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> *What is this?*
> This how you can migrate your data from your old OS HDD into your system once you have reinstalled a new SSD or HDD.
> 
> *If your personal data is backed up to another drive then*
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *active*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> 
> *If you can't save your personal data to another medium you can do...*
> *Option 1:* Okay option
> Once you have windows installed you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files and partitions that may be on there as well)
> *Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.
> Shrink the old HDD OS partition. (link)
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space. (link)
> Then move the personal files to the new partition, like you movies, documents, pictures, etc.
> Now you may have to keep shrinking and expanding the partitions as you do this depending on how much free space you have on your drive.
> When done moving your files delete the older OS partition and the MSR one if it is there too.
> Then expand the new partition into the left over free space.
> 
> *Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.*
> *Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab
> Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> *Note 1:* Recommended, I do this myself for my user folders (ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
> *Note 2:* If there are two of the same folder in teh User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
> *Note 3:* If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.
> *Video Tut:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What kind of data does this include?
Click to expand...

Please tell me you are joking...









Your files, what ever you want to keep...


----------



## xxgamxx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Please tell me you are joking...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Your files, what ever you want to keep...


Well I don't want to be migrating data that I have on my now storage drive (old main drive) to my 64gb SSD. I'll be re installing all my programs freshly, as well as my games and I've already connected my iTunes properly to read from my storage drive. I think my first question was how do I remove the OS files on my storage drive now that I don't need them. Sorry for the confusion. I'm asking because for some I need permission to delete any old system files.
Edit: I think I made a mistake not properly unistalling windows from my old drive. It's asking for permission I don't have. Maybe I can boot from still, since I havent deleted any major files, but since I'm on SSD would I have to go revert back from AHCI mode?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Please tell me you are joking...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Your files, what ever you want to keep...
> 
> 
> 
> Well I don't want to be migrating data that I have on my now storage drive (old main drive) to my 64gb SSD. I'll be re installing all my programs freshly, as well as my games and I've already connected my iTunes properly to read from my storage drive. I think my first question was how do I remove the OS files on my storage drive now that I don't need them. Sorry for the confusion. I'm asking because for some I need permission to delete any old system files.
Click to expand...

*Did you see the steps in my guide that I just posted for you?*

That is exactly what you do, you simply keep all the user data on the HDD you have now and rearrange it to how you need...you erase the OLD Install in doing so.

Step # 1. Install the OS on the new SSD with out any other drives plugged in, follow the first and second post in this thread for that.

*Next once installation is done do the following:*

*Option 1:* Okay option
Once you have windows installed on your new HDD/SSD you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD/SSD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files and partitions that may be on there as well). If you dont have permissions just boot into safe mode to delete them, if not then a linux live CD. Or go to option 2.

*Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.
Shrink the old HDD/SSD OS partition. (link)
Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space. (link)
Then move the personal files to the new partition, like you movies, documents, pictures, etc.
Now you may have to keep shrinking and expanding the partitions as you do this depending on how much free space you have on your drive.
When done moving your files delete the older OS partition and the MSR one if it is there too.
Then expand the new partition into the left over free space.

*Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.*
*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
Click Properties
Click the Location tab
Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
*Note 1:* Recommended, I do this myself for my user folders (ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
*Note 2:* If there are two of the same folder in teh User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
*Note 3:* If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.

*Video Tut:*


----------



## xxgamxx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Did you see the steps in my guide that I just posted for you?*
> That is exactly what you do, you simply keep all the user data on the HDD you have now and rearrange it to how you need...you erase the OLD Install in doing so.
> Step # 1. Install the OS on the new SSD with out any other drives plugged in, follow the first and second post in this thread for that.
> *Next once installation is done do the following:*
> 
> *Option 1:* Okay option
> Once you have windows installed on your new HDD/SSD you can usually just delete all the folders on the HDD/SSD that are part of the old OS and the ones you don't need. (make sure you delete hidden files and partitions that may be on there as well). If you dont have permissions just boot into safe mode to delete them, if not then a linux live CD. Or go to option 2.
> *Option 2:* Better option to me, will take longer.
> Shrink the old HDD/SSD OS partition. (link)
> Then make a new partition on the HDD in the free space. (link)
> Then move the personal files to the new partition, like you movies, documents, pictures, etc.
> Now you may have to keep shrinking and expanding the partitions as you do this depending on how much free space you have on your drive.
> When done moving your files delete the older OS partition and the MSR one if it is there too.
> Then expand the new partition into the left over free space.
> 
> *Next redirect your user folders to the storage HDD.*
> *Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*
> Right click your folder (ex. My pictures)
> Click Properties
> Click the Location tab
> Change the destination to your other HDD (ex. D:\Pictures)
> *Note 1:* Recommended, I do this myself for my user folders (ex. My Documents, My pictures, Desktop, etc.)
> *Note 2:* If there are two of the same folder in teh User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
> *Note 3:* If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.
> *Video Tut:*


Sorry, I did not read the safe mode part, Must have skipped over it. As for the shrinking, I just didn't see how that could possibly delete files that I dont have permission to. Then I realized it's sort of a like incremental wipes, right?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> Sorry, I did not read the safe mode part, Must have skipped over it. As for the shrinking, I just didn't see how that could possibly delete files that I dont have permission to. Then I realized it's sort of a like incremental wipes, right?


You shrink the OS partition down as small as you can make it.

You make sure all your data you want to save is on the newer partition you just made.

Once you are done moving the data and shrinking that old OS partition you are going to simply delete it. No permissions are needed. No security warnings or anything, just delete.

I like this way to adjust my partitions better than the disk management console btw.
http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm

Once deleted you can then expand the partition to the max size.


----------



## jacedaface

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, it is step #1!


Lol, i now know what i did. Yes it was step 1 and yes i did do your guide cover to cover and that was the problem! lol
I switched OFF Hiber,
Then proceded to Shrink it to 50% after switching it off and cos i have 24GB of RAM that is 12GB file! lol,
School boy error.


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> Sorry, I did not read the safe mode part, Must have skipped over it. As for the shrinking, I just didn't see how that could possibly delete files that I dont have permission to. Then I realized it's sort of a like incremental wipes, right?


Shrinking the OS partition means removing free space.
So if you have 100GB drive and windows takes up 40GB, you want to remove 50GB of free space leaving you with a new total of 50GB Operating system partition. You don't touch the files. You can shrink the size of the hibernation and restore point as well to create more space but again these are not your files.

You do that to fit the SSD you want to migrate to. So if you have a 60GB SSD you cant move the original 100GB partition, shrinking it to 50GB will now fit on the new smaller 60GB SSD.
Again you don't actually touch any of the system files.

When you do touch the system files it is when you are backing up or cloning/migrating.


----------



## xxgamxx

So I got to this point, and decided just to format.


----------



## NFL

Deciding whether to use my M4 as a smart response drive or as a boot drive...suggestions?


----------



## viperwolf

Sean first, thank you for your time and knowledge. I appreciate it very much. I went step by step through your guide. form installing 7 pro to the maintenance part. this is on a crucial M4
So my problem is i cannot load BF3 anymore. It just hangs in the joining server mode in battlelog. I researched alot and i did see a few areas where people where talking about the regedit. but they were changing destinations and stuff. will me following that step to disable it cause this problem?

thank you for any feed back. i appreciate this.


----------



## cain1108

first of all thank you for posting this, it helped me alot to install, but im having some issue here.. that at the part that installing IRST part.. i cant install drives..

my spec is

x79 sabertooth
3.6ghz cpu
gtx590
ssd 120gb kingston
1tb samsung hdd x2
ram 16gb

right now i didnt install IRST drive at all. my mobo disk has IRST enterprise drive and whenever i install this drive im getting crash.. even its fresh new OS install nothing done to pagefile, or hibernate
stuff im having trouble.. and i cant find any answer from anywhere. and also i tried your link to install IRST but, i cant install and im getting error message 'this computer does not meet the minimum
requirements for installing software'. i didnt set any raid. and now its working perfectly fine without IRST , but should i skip the IRST part? or is any possible ways to install IRST?


----------



## cslayer211

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cain1108*
> 
> first of all thank you for posting this, it helped me alot to install, but im having some issue here.. that at the part that installing IRST part.. i cant install drives..
> my spec is
> x79 sabertooth
> 3.6ghz cpu
> gtx590
> ssd 120gb kingston
> 1tb samsung hdd x2
> ram 16gb
> right now i didnt install IRST drive at all. my mobo disk has IRST enterprise drive and whenever i install this drive im getting crash.. even its fresh new OS install nothing done to pagefile, or hibernate
> stuff im having trouble.. and i cant find any answer from anywhere. and also i tried your link to install IRST but, i cant install and im getting error message 'this computer does not meet the minimum
> requirements for installing software'. i didnt set any raid. and now its working perfectly fine without IRST , but should i skip the IRST part? or is any possible ways to install IRST?


I had the exact same problem. At first I changed the JMicron port to AHCI instead of IDE. The problem was that my SSD was on the Intel SATA port and not the JMicron port.

Go back into your BIOS and make sure that AHCI is enabled on the correct SATA port that your SSD is on. You also have to do a fresh re-install of windows in order for it to become enabled, or edit the registry.

We also have the exact same SSD's, so I hope it works for you


----------



## cain1108

im not even sure is this installed correctly or not..

there are total 8 sata connector on motherboard .

i put SSD and ODD 6gb/s connectors with 6gb cables

x2 HDD on 3gb/s connectors with 6gb cables.

and x2 6gb/s marvel connector is empty ( its for ssd caching)
and also another x2 3gb/s is empty as well.

checked AHCI is enable.


----------



## cslayer211

When you go into your SATA configuration inside your BIOS, do either of the two brown SATA ports say "enabled"? If neither of them do, then it's not connected to the Intel 6Gb/s ports.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxgamxx*
> 
> So I got to this point, and decided just to format.


lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NFL*
> 
> Deciding whether to use my M4 as a smart response drive or as a boot drive...suggestions?


it is a solid drive and should do you fine.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *viperwolf*
> 
> Sean first, thank you for your time and knowledge. I appreciate it very much. I went step by step through your guide. form installing 7 pro to the maintenance part. this is on a crucial M4
> So my problem is i cannot load BF3 anymore. It just hangs in the joining server mode in battlelog. I researched alot and i did see a few areas where people where talking about the regedit. but they were changing destinations and stuff. will me following that step to disable it cause this problem?
> 
> thank you for any feed back. i appreciate this.


hmm, I have no idea what is causing it. Maybe ask in the gaming section here about it. Changing registry settings can cause issue if you do something wrong, but that is what system restore is for.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cain1108*
> 
> first of all thank you for posting this, it helped me alot to install, but im having some issue here.. that at the part that installing IRST part.. i cant install drives..
> 
> my spec is
> 
> x79 sabertooth
> 3.6ghz cpu
> gtx590
> ssd 120gb kingston
> 1tb samsung hdd x2
> ram 16gb
> 
> right now i didnt install IRST drive at all. my mobo disk has IRST enterprise drive and whenever i install this drive im getting crash.. even its fresh new OS install nothing done to pagefile, or hibernate
> stuff im having trouble.. and i cant find any answer from anywhere. and also i tried your link to install IRST but, i cant install and im getting error message 'this computer does not meet the minimum
> requirements for installing software'. i didnt set any raid. and now its working perfectly fine without IRST , but should i skip the IRST part? or is any possible ways to install IRST?


Yea just skip for now, we can come back to it later.


----------



## luc14n0

So Sean, i think i did some crap. When i follow your guide it install everything as it should, but when i actually get in the using windows part the SSD has already 50GB os space used and i have a 128gb Samsung 830. I tried both MBR and GPT AND normal way, all didn't work... Do you know i might have screwed it up ?

Thanks a lot.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luc14n0*
> 
> So Sean, i think i did some crap. When i follow your guide it install everything as it should, but when i actually get in the using windows part the SSD has already 50GB os space used and i have a 128gb Samsung 830. I tried both MBR and GPT AND normal way, all didn't work... Do you know i might have screwed it up ?
> 
> Thanks a lot.


Just install like normal.


----------



## luc14n0

I`m booting it from a UEFI usb. Does that influence on anything at all ? Should i just go for a CD/DVD normal way ? When you say normal i have to exclude and format everything and just install right ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Ignore previous post, lol, now I can help ROFL.

You are able to boot the installer right? Like load up the windows screen to install and all?

Try not booting it from the UEFI, just boot the USB from the regular boot option, not UEFI USB option.

Then do the MBR alignment part.

Only have the drive you are installing to plugged in the system.


----------



## luc14n0

Okay, i have to remove that new folder on the boot drive before too right ? And just do a normal boot ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luc14n0*
> 
> Okay, i have to remove that new folder on the boot drive before too right ? And just do a normal boot ?


The folder when you make the USB with the BOOTX64.EFI is what you are talking about? If so no you do not need to remove it. Just boot off the USB normally.


----------



## luc14n0

I don`t NEED but i did before your post, it`s ok right ?


----------



## luc14n0

Ok, so now i have a different problem, my freaking UEFI doesnt show me the USB without the UEFI: before it... Any tips ??


----------



## huckleberry2703

Thx Sean just did instal on x64 Win8 and everything went the same. Two slight problems I had were when installing Intel RST it needed .net 3 not avalible by default and after disabling SuperFetch. Turning on .net 3 is found in programs and features. After diabling SuperFetch there is no need to Regedit as there is nothing to edit. I know this is a Win7 guide but worked perfect with Win8. Thx


----------



## luc14n0

Omg, i`m dieing here... Now i can`t even boot from the DVD... It doesnt start the windows installation thing.


----------



## viperwolf

I really hate bothering you, but you know what your talking about. thats not a common thing around here. would you be able to tell me which steps may effect the game. im going to restore all the way back to when i first installed windows and start over.

i know your getting hit from every direction right now. All i can say is thanks


----------



## luc14n0

Sean, if you are there. I tried normal way, no MBR or GPT with USB no uefi, with DVD boot. Everything... The thing happens same when it starts it says it already used 60GB of space...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luc14n0*
> 
> Omg, i`m dieing here... Now i can`t even boot from the DVD... It doesnt start the windows installation thing.


When you go through the options on the screen when you just install the OS like someone normally would, when you get to the selection upgrade vs custom/advanced install click custom/advanced. There you will see your partitions. Click them, go down below the partition selections and you will see a drives options advanced button, click it, click delete delete button...click it, if you see any others delete them too. The at the end you will only see the disk as a whole as a selection. click it them click the format button. Then proceed to install.

I have no idea what you are doing wrong with my set up in CMD because the very first thing you do after selecting the drive you install on is clean it which removes the partition tables from the disk. Thus the whole disk will be free space....
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *viperwolf*
> 
> I really hate bothering you, but you know what your talking about. thats not a common thing around here. would you be able to tell me which steps may effect the game. im going to restore all the way back to when i first installed windows and start over.
> 
> i know your getting hit from every direction right now. All i can say is thanks


link me to what you are talking about.


----------



## luc14n0

So, i did what you said, and was curious and did a spacesniffer.. It was showing 25gb of hibertnate.sys and 32gb of pagefile.sys. I took the hibernate one off, but as i read i think is dangerous to delete te pagefile.sys, right ? It is normal to have a 32gb of pagefile.sys ?
I have exactly 32gb of ram too.

Thanks a lot for the help man.

EDIT: I`m actually a freaking MORON and did not read all your guide. You address both problems there, THANKS ANYWAY.


----------



## viperwolf

Turn Off/Shrink the Hibernation File:
Turn Off/Shrink System Protection:
Turn off drive indexing:
Turn Off/Shrink Page file----i did not do
Change power options:
Trim is activated
Run Windows Experience Index Assessment:
Disable Prefetch and Superfetch: this is the one i question the most which includes regedit
Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features: turned off explore only, bc i use chrome
Turn off Recycle Bin or reduce in size-turned off
Turn Off Reliability Monitor:
then i tried moving things to HDD. i have to read up more on this bc now i have folders of the same in both drives. i know that im suppose to go into safe mode and delete copied files. but im a little confused if how i set this up is correct.

these are the steps i went through. i hope this makes sense


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *viperwolf*
> 
> Turn Off/Shrink the Hibernation File:
> Turn Off/Shrink System Protection:
> Turn off drive indexing:
> Turn Off/Shrink Page file----i did not do
> Change power options:
> Trim is activated
> Run Windows Experience Index Assessment:
> Disable Prefetch and Superfetch: this is the one i question the most which includes regedit
> Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features: turned off explore only, bc i use chrome
> Turn off Recycle Bin or reduce in size-turned off
> Turn Off Reliability Monitor:
> then i tried moving things to HDD. i have to read up more on this bc now i have folders of the same in both drives. i know that im suppose to go into safe mode and delete copied files. but im a little confused if how i set this up is correct.
> 
> these are the steps i went through. i hope this makes sense


Nothing has to do with the game


----------



## Shodhanth

Okay an SSD problem.
diskpart doesn't recognize my Crucial M4. Only thing that does recognize it is the BIOS.
I tried installing Windows 7 onto it but it doesn't seem to detect the SSD.
The SSD is a Crucial M4 64Gb. Motherboard is P8P67 Pro Rev. B3
Please help!
Also, somewhere somehow something screwed up my audio such that it crackles if I play anything, youtube, foobar, VLC, anything.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shodhanth*
> 
> Okay an SSD problem.
> diskpart doesn't recognize my Crucial M4. Only thing that does recognize it is the BIOS.
> I tried installing Windows 7 onto it but it doesn't seem to detect the SSD.
> The SSD is a Crucial M4 64Gb. Motherboard is P8P67 Pro Rev. B3
> Please help!
> Also, somewhere somehow something screwed up my audio such that it crackles if I play anything, youtube, foobar, VLC, anything.


0.o

For the SSD try a different SATA port...is the firmware updated?

Sound, I don't know, maybe the driver is corrupt?


----------



## Shodhanth

@Sean Webster: Guess some wiring was off somewhere. I just replugged into the same port and it updated.
Now typing from a M4 powered system.








Thank you!
Sound sorted itself out, it seems something got corrupted. :S


----------



## 2much2do

Question: Why not create the system image _after_ doing all of the tweaks (and installing the dozens of windows updates, for that matter)?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shodhanth*
> 
> @Sean Webster: Guess some wiring was off somewhere. I just replugged into the same port and it updated.
> Now typing from a M4 powered system.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you!
> Sound sorted itself out, it seems something got corrupted. :S


Nice, congrats.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *2much2do*
> 
> Question: Why not create the system image _after_ doing all of the tweaks (and installing the dozens of windows updates, for that matter)?


I always like to make the base image once I boot up, then if something weird happens with a update or driver I can just restore quickly, then I make another image after doing all the updates, drivers, programs, setup, etc. So I have a final image to go to to start over if I need to. I even do state to make a system image after doing all of the tweaks lol.
Quote:


> *You are done!*
> Congrats! Now that all is over and your system is all set up, brand new, and ready to go I say have fun, be safe, and enjoy! I advise making another system image now so you can easily revert your system back to this point if anything goes wrong from any circumstance.


----------



## 2much2do

Quote:


> *You are done!*
> Congrats! Now that all is over and your system is all set up, brand new, and ready to go I say have fun, be safe, and enjoy! I advise making another system image now so you can easily revert your system back to this point if anything goes wrong from any circumstance.


Oops









Thanks.


----------



## XSCounter

Sean, finally an editor! Congratz! Well deserved!







Sorry if it's been a while. Only noticed just now. The Storage section is much neater now!


----------



## jlw777

Hi Sean:

My Patriot Wildfire 120gb connect to port 0 under ACHI using a Sata 6G cable(specs per sig) it freezes at windows logo 1\4 times while booting (Once it boots it doesn't lag or BSOD). I tried the reg fix regarding LPM, various tweaks (disable pager, defrager, caching), SSD life shows 100% life and ATTObench shows write and read well above 500mb. What could be the issue? Using intel chipset controller and latest FW from patriot (Version 5 something). Tyvm

Sent from my BlackBerry 9800 using Tapatalk


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *2much2do*
> 
> Oops
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks.


No prob.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Sean, finally an editor! Congratz! Well deserved!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry if it's been a while. Only noticed just now. The Storage section is much neater now!


Yep









It is taking them forever to make my badge too, I've made my own so far. lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jlw777*
> 
> Hi Sean:
> 
> My Patriot Wildfire 120gb connect to port 0 under ACHI using a Sata 6G cable(specs per sig) it freezes at windows logo 1\4 times while booting (Once it boots it doesn't lag or BSOD). I tried the reg fix regarding LPM, various tweaks (disable pager, defrager, caching), SSD life shows 100% life and ATTObench shows write and read well above 500mb. What could be the issue? Using intel chipset controller and latest FW from patriot (Version 5 something). Tyvm
> 
> Sent from my BlackBerry 9800 using Tapatalk


Well it could be just the sandforce issue or it could be a few other things. Uninstall the RST driver as a start....I need to think of what else to try, I'll get back to you later today possibly with more ideas.


----------



## jlw777

Thanks. I'm noob when comes to SSD. How to un-install and replace it with?









Sent from my BlackBerry 9800 using Tapatalk


----------



## opsin

As a maintenance item I see that you delete the Software Distribution Download folder. I like to keep the Software Distribution folder around, just in case I want to uninstall an update. Have only had to do it once, so, seems silly to keep it probably. Anyway, I just use junction and drop it on my SATA download / data drive. I wonder if others do the same?

p.s. Thanks for the great guide and for keeping it rolling.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jlw777*
> 
> Thanks. I'm noob when comes to SSD. How to un-install and replace it with?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my BlackBerry 9800 using Tapatalk


0.o

Control panel...
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *opsin*
> 
> As a maintenance item I see that you delete the Software Distribution Download folder. I like to keep the Software Distribution folder around, just in case I want to uninstall an update. Have only had to do it once, so, seems silly to keep it probably. Anyway, I just use junction and drop it on my SATA download / data drive. I wonder if others do the same?
> 
> p.s. Thanks for the great guide and for keeping it rolling.


Thanks,

Yea, I never uninstall my updates...but I also only delete the files in the folder on occasion.


----------



## tCoLL

Alright so I had my 64gb m4 up and running last week and it was brilliant. However, I found 64 gb to not be enough, so I bought another for raid0. I have set up a raid before. My option rom utility says I have a functional raid. However, when I go to install windows (formatting the drives) lis dis shows nothing. Where's my raid, yo? Thanks in advance!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tCoLL*
> 
> Alright so I had my 64gb m4 up and running last week and it was brilliant. However, I found 64 gb to not be enough, so I bought another for raid0. I have set up a raid before. My option rom utility says I have a functional raid. However, when I go to install windows (formatting the drives) lis dis shows nothing. Where's my raid, yo? Thanks in advance!


You need to load the RAID driver first, then go into diskpart after.


----------



## tCoLL

You're a beast Sean. When I go ahead with install ( load raid driver is on the page where you select disk to install to, amirite?) I get an error saying "a required cd/DVD drive is missing...please insert now"

Is this asking for a USB with my raid driver on it?
I feel like last time I did a raid i had to click a button saying load driver rather than it just throwing me this error.

Sonofagun.jpeg
My raid driver doesn't seem to be on my USB....I'll have to dl it at work tomorrow.

On another note, can't seem to get my DVD drive to be recognized as uefi now...MBR, here I come I guess.


----------



## Sean Webster

The driver is on your mobo CD or you can use the one here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/raid_windows.aspx


----------



## tCoLL

Nothing to dl with here, on my lame iPad right now









Sean=Jeebus

Seriously, saving me so many headaches (although me doing this stuff at 1am probably isn't helping)
Cheers!


----------



## d4005

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *d4005*
> 
> Dramatic drop in performance on my new machine since I switched from IDE to AHCI. Now videos playing in VLC stutter (visually and audioally), explorer windows take much longer to show their contents, backups from my drive E (HDD) to a backup USB drive (G) takes way way longer. Writing speed to my USB 3 Sata 3 backup drive is down to 25.3MB/s. The even weirder thing is how my C/D drives (both on my Samsung 830 SSD) show up in the "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" systray icon, as does my E drive (HDD). They were never there when I was in IDE mode.
> I'm tempted to go back to IDE.
> 
> Wow !! What a huge relief. I've switched back to IDE mode. My writes from HDD (E) to external USB drive (G) are now 3 times faster. My video/audio glitches have stopped, and my machine feels normal again. I'm only scoring 250 on AS SSD benchmark with IDE, compared to 730 with AHCI, but I'm not gonna let a benchmark rule my life. How fast the system really feels, how many video/audio glitches I get while something plays in VLC, and how many bytes per second my GoodSync transfer across drives tells me it's *really* achieving is where it's really at.
> I can always switch back to AHCI if I want to run another AS SSD benchmark test


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> o.0 that is a very odd issue. I could trouble shoot it with ya maybe if you make a separate thread lol.


Done here. Cheers


----------



## LosNir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, I moved it to its own thread lol. It is in the stickies in the main storage section.
> Here is the link.
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1227803/how-to-set-up-and-utilize-ram-disks


Thanks! I liked the old thread though, everything was all in one place








Maybe you can place a link in the end of the guide? For the sake of other people who might look for it








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This should work: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/220#post_15563816
> Basically run start up repair. Once you do the option will be in the BIOS to boot off of.


Sadly it didn't work for me. I had to reinstall Windows (I had to anyway, but oh well). When I tried to "Repair" the setup gave me an error saying it does not support the currently Installed Windows version/edition/something else. And yes, I used the same USB DOK that I used to install Windows previosly, and I booted both with "UEFI:xxxxx".








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Any drive really, but mainly for large drives atm. I have mine set to GPT. When I reinstall next I am switching to MBR b/c I remember it booting faster.


I have wondered - have you confirmed that? If it does making booting *significantly* longer, I think I'll just stick to MBR. I'd like my booting faster, than my wake-from-sleep faster









And one last thing (Some posts from the very first pages):
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 4096 is optimal for SSD's and newer HDD's, windows makes it 1024 default.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> yes, the entire F3 series is 4K.


I have two Samsung HD103SJ's connected to my rig right now, and Parted Magic 6.7 reports both of them as being with sector size of 512 bytes. I also checked my Crucial M4 128GB and it is also 512 bytes. What's going on?









Thanks again for your wonderful guide!


----------



## LosNir

Sorry, wrong thread.


----------



## peppelepugh

phenomenal guide! freed up 16gb+ on my new system!!!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, I moved it to its own thread lol. It is in the stickies in the main storage section.
> Here is the link.
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1227803/how-to-set-up-and-utilize-ram-disks
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! I liked the old thread though, everything was all in one place
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe you can place a link in the end of the guide? For the sake of other people who might look for it
Click to expand...

now everything is in the stickies at the top of each section in the essentials thread.[/quote]

ill add the links when im home
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This should work: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/220#post_15563816
> Basically run start up repair. Once you do the option will be in the BIOS to boot off of.
> 
> 
> 
> Sadly it didn't work for me. I had to reinstall Windows (I had to anyway, but oh well). When I tried to "Repair" the setup gave me an error saying it does not support the currently Installed Windows version/edition/something else. And yes, I used the same USB DOK that I used to install Windows previosly, and I booted both with "UEFI:xxxxx".
Click to expand...

idk
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Any drive really, but mainly for large drives atm. I have mine set to GPT. When I reinstall next I am switching to MBR b/c I remember it booting faster.
> 
> 
> 
> I have wondered - have you confirmed that? If it does making booting *significantly* longer, I think I'll just stick to MBR. I'd like my booting faster, than my wake-from-sleep faster
Click to expand...

it is like 1 second slower lol not significant at all
Quote:


> And one last thing (Some posts from the very first pages):
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 4096 is optimal for SSD's and newer HDD's, windows makes it 1024 default.
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> yes, the entire F3 series is 4K.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I have two Samsung HD103SJ's connected to my rig right now, and Parted Magic 6.7 reports both of them as being with sector size of 512 bytes. I also checked my Crucial M4 128GB and it is also 512 bytes. What's going on?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again for your wonderful guide!
Click to expand...

Sector size is not the same as the alignment. And the F3's & m4 do have 512 byte sectors.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *peppelepugh*
> 
> phenomenal guide! freed up 16gb+ on my new system!!!!


thanks


----------



## selluminis

This guide is awesome!!! Thanks for all of the work.


----------



## LosNir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Sector size is not the same as the alignment. And the F3's & m4 do have 512 byte sectors.


So Nocturin was wrong? What makes an SSD / HDD suitable for 4k alignment if not the sector size?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Sector size is not the same as the alignment. And the F3's & m4 do have 512 byte sectors.
> 
> 
> 
> So Nocturin was wrong? What makes an SSD / HDD suitable for 4k alignment if not the sector size?
Click to expand...

Because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. SSDs are erased in 4K blocks.

Like wise, it's somewhat of a standard that controller makers & drive makers adopted to keep things simple on system integrators.


----------



## LosNir

I understand. How about the Samsung Spinpoint F3?


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> I understand. How about the Samsung Spinpoint F3?


*checks resources*

*checks own H103SJ*

BRB folks.

edit: My rescources are dry, sorry guys. They removed everything I was looking for.

According to training, they are in fact 4K drives, but that could of been incorrect. le sigh







. WHY SEAGATE WHY>!>!>!???

edit edit: can't find anything @ seagate's samsung portal either. Time to scour my computer. le sigh.


----------



## Sean Webster

Partition alignment:

It is best to use 4K (4096) alignment over 1K (default 1024) because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. SSDs are erased in 4K blocks.

Like wise, it's somewhat of a standard that controller makers & drive makers adopted to keep things simple on system integrators.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> I understand. How about the Samsung Spinpoint F3?


Well, it really doesn't matter for it b/c it is 512, 512 fits into 4k alignment fine, but it does matter for drives that are 4K sector.

Source
"The sector size increase, described by Advanced Format, occurs at the hard drive
media level. Host systems will continue to request and receive data from the hard Advanced Format 4K Sector drive in 512-byte sector sizes. However, the translation from 4096-byte sectors in the hard drive to the
512-byte sectors in the host will be managed in the hard drive. This process is called 512-byte emulation.
It's important that every drive partition start with an LBA offset that is aligned to the drive's physical
4K sector. If partitions are un-aligned, then hard drive performance will be degraded"

So if a person comes along and read this guide and has a 4k sector drive or a SSD it is best to use 4K offset because the physical sectors will be aligned properly with the logical sectors.

More here: http://consumer.media.seagate.com/2010/03/the-digital-den/4k-sector-hard-drive-primer/
http://consumer.media.seagate.com/2010/03/the-digital-den/4k-sector-hard-drive-primer/
http://hothardware.com/Reviews/WDs-1TB-Caviar-Green-w-Advanced-Format-Windows-XP-Users-Pay-Attention/?page=1
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> I understand. How about the Samsung Spinpoint F3?
> 
> 
> 
> *checks resources*
> 
> *checks own H103SJ*
> 
> BRB folks.
> 
> edit: My rescources are dry, sorry guys. They removed everything I was looking for.
> 
> According to training, they are in fact 4K drives, but that could of been incorrect. le sigh
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . WHY SEAGATE WHY>!>!>!???
> 
> edit edit: can't find anything @ seagate's samsung portal either. Time to scour my computer. le sigh.
Click to expand...

http://www.dei.unipd.it/~bertasi/PAPERS/samsung.pdf

They are 512 byte per sector


----------



## Nocturin

I'm so proud of you Mr. Webster







.

How did you find that sheet you linked me to?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> I'm so proud of you Mr. Webster
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
> 
> How did you find that sheet you linked me to?


Google my friend, Google.

Oh and I have 2 of them here see bytes per physical sector:


----------



## Nocturin

So if the bytes per cluster is 4K, is the cluster size of a true 4K sector drive....?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> So if the bytes per cluster is 4K, is the cluster size of a true 4K sector drive....?


A cluster is on the file system side of things. By default when you format to NTFS 1 Cluster is 4096 bytes.

1 Cluster = 8x512 Sectors

1 Cluster = 1x4K Sector

...read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_cluster

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/140365


----------



## LosNir

So it IS 512 bytes sectore sized. That's OK - I'll align it to 4k anyway because 4096 is disivisble by 8.


----------



## jetpak12

I just want to say, great guide Sean!









I've followed it once already, but I'm going to have to do a reinstall because of some mistakes I made on my end. I have a couple questions though.

1) You say to use align to 1024 for RAID, but my SSD will not be in RAID, but my two hard drives will. Can/should I put the SSD in 4096 alignment, and still have the HDDs in 1024?

2) Is there a similar guide for SSD on Windows XP? I want to throw my old SSD into my old laptop, and its too slow for Vista/7.


----------



## Nemesis158

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jetpak12*
> 
> I just want to say, great guide Sean!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've followed it once already, but I'm going to have to do a reinstall because of some mistakes I made on my end. I have a couple questions though.
> 1) You say to use align to 1024 for RAID, but my SSD will not be in RAID, but my two hard drives will. Can/should I put the SSD in 4096 alignment, and still have the HDDs in 1024?
> 2) Is there a similar guide for SSD on Windows XP? I want to throw my old SSD into my old laptop, and its too slow for Vista/7.


1. The ssd should be fine on 4096 if it isnt part of the raid setup, but im not sure how that will work if the controller is in raid mode.
2. You shouldnt need to worry about XP. it doesnt create its own special partition like 7 does, and afaik it doesnt support 4096k, so just do it like you would normally.


----------



## jetpak12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nemesis158*
> 
> 1. The ssd should be fine on 4096 if it isnt part of the raid setup, but im not sure how that will work if the controller is in raid mode.
> 2. You shouldnt need to worry about XP. it doesnt create its own special partition like 7 does, and afaik it doesnt support 4096k, so just do it like you would normally.


Thanks for the reply.









In my second question I was referring to SSD installation in general, not specifically the alignment. I have heard that XP doesn't include optimizations for SSDs in the same way 7 does, so I was hoping to find a good guide outlining steps like this one.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jetpak12*
> 
> I just want to say, great guide Sean!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've followed it once already, but I'm going to have to do a reinstall because of some mistakes I made on my end. I have a couple questions though.
> 
> 1) You say to use align to 1024 for RAID, but my SSD will not be in RAID, but my two hard drives will. Can/should I put the SSD in 4096 alignment, and still have the HDDs in 1024?


The alignment is separate for each disk. So when you format the SSD format it with a 4096 offset. When your format the HDD RAID array use a 1024 offset.
Quote:


> 2) Is there a similar guide for SSD on Windows XP? I want to throw my old SSD into my old laptop, and its too slow for Vista/7.


kinda here: http://www.overclock.net/t/36430/info-ultimate-windows-xp-optimizer-guide-tips-pt-1

http://www.overclock.net/t/40428/info-ultimate-windows-xp-optimizer-guide-tips-pt-2#post429729


----------



## jetpak12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> The alignment is separate for each disk. So when you format the SSD format it with a 4096 offset. When your format the HDD RAID array use a 1024 offset.


Ok that's what I thought, thanks.








Quote:


> kinda here: http://www.overclock.net/t/36430/info-ultimate-windows-xp-optimizer-guide-tips-pt-1
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/40428/info-ultimate-windows-xp-optimizer-guide-tips-pt-2#post429729


I suppose that works.


----------



## jacedaface

Im confused, recently done a full format of everything on my PC and installed win7 on SSD using this guide... Downloaded and reinstalled aload of steam/origin games on D: drive... Played a bit of non steam games but not done alot. Been using the PC for basic stuff till now, everything has seemed fine. Everything thing OC wise is a default at the minute. Temps are fine...

Just went to play a bit of online Black Ops (steam), while joining a server my PC rebooted.
Then tried BFBC2 online (steam), also rebooted!!!

Dont know if this is connected to my recent install or what is goin on. Any ideas anyone?


----------



## Sean Webster

idk, steam issue or gfx driver issue possibly. idk really.


----------



## jacedaface

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> idk, steam issue or gfx driver issue possibly. idk really.


Yeah just had someone tell me to Validate game cache and it worked great. Both games load and play now, but im getting loads of black lines in BFBC2 for some reason. Times like these i do think about getting a console instead! lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jacedaface*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> idk, steam issue or gfx driver issue possibly. idk really.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah just had someone tell me to Validate game cache and it worked great. Both games load and play now, but im getting loads of black lines in BFBC2 for some reason. Times like these i do think about getting a console instead! lol
Click to expand...

I game on console, always have. Xbox 360 FTW!









PC gaming is not my thing lol.


----------



## LtStinger

Hey Sean, I got a little problem. I ordered another Crucial M4 for my buddy that has a laptop and needed a new drive. Because it was a newer laptop, I assumed like an idiot that it was SATA driven.









I'm thinking of what to do here. I found an adapter here that may work to get the drive into the computer. My question is related to performance if I do this.

Have you seen anything regarding running an SSD off IDE? If the 4k reads and writes are still up and I lose transfer rate, it might not be a big deal and I can proceed in ordering the adapter. But if I lose the entire benefit, I might be selling off this brand new SSD. What an idiot I am to make this noob mistake. Please provide insight.


----------



## selluminis

Regarding recycle bin. I choose not to send files to it. However, it still sends file to the bin. I had it set this way for months. Decided to check for ****s and giggles and I reinabled it. Everything I had deleted was sitting right there waiting for me in the recycle bin.

Any ideas?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> Hey Sean, I got a little problem. I ordered another Crucial M4 for my buddy that has a laptop and needed a new drive. Because it was a newer laptop, I assumed like an idiot that it was SATA driven.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm thinking of what to do here. I found an adapter here that may work to get the drive into the computer. My question is related to performance if I do this.
> 
> Have you seen anything regarding running an SSD off IDE? If the 4k reads and writes are still up and I lose transfer rate, it might not be a big deal and I can proceed in ordering the adapter. But if I lose the entire benefit, I might be selling off this brand new SSD. What an idiot I am to make this noob mistake. Please provide insight.


IDK
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *selluminis*
> 
> Regarding recycle bin. I choose not to send files to it. However, it still sends file to the bin. I had it set this way for months. Decided to check for ****s and giggles and I reinabled it. Everything I had deleted was sitting right there waiting for me in the recycle bin.
> 
> Any ideas?


Yep, you didn't disable it for your one of your drive(s)...each drive has its own recycle bin and for what ever drive you didn't disable the stuff was sent there like normal. I don't disable it myself for any drive.


----------



## Junkboy

I just wanted to thank you sir for such a great guide. I don't have my SSD yet but I ordered a Intel 520 120GB from amazon that should be here on friday and with your guide I should be set. If I have any questions I'll look over the guide three time before posting and bothering you.







Anyways again thank you


----------



## ali7up

Great Guide.









Is there a special guide for xp?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Junkboy*
> 
> I just wanted to thank you sir for such a great guide. I don't have my SSD yet but I ordered a Intel 520 120GB from amazon that should be here on friday and with your guide I should be set. If I have any questions I'll look over the guide three time before posting and bothering you.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyways again thank you


THANKS
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ali7up*
> 
> Great Guide.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is there a special guide for xp?


http://www.overclock.net/t/36430/info-ultimate-windows-xp-optimizer-guide-tips-pt-1
http://www.overclock.net/t/40428/info-ultimate-windows-xp-optimizer-guide-tips-pt-2#post429729


----------



## T0cuz

hi there. anyone have any ideea why in windows 7 x64 made with Sean`s tutorial i have probz like : when i restartin` the computer sum apps (32 bit) dont work anymore. i have to reinstall them again and again and they work for a session till i restart the computer :-| the computer works excelent in general, but "doesnt" let this old apps to work and "stay there". i saw sum "incompatibility" messages sumtime but is weird caz the appz work perfect . my pc is i5 2500k , p67 pro3, 4 gb ddr , hd 6850, m audio 24/96.
if i dont resolv this prob i must retake windows xp sp3.
sorry for my english.
thx a lot Sean for this tutorial !


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> hi there. anyone have any ideea why in windows 7 x64 made with Sean`s tutorial i have probz like : when i restartin` the computer sum apps (32 bit) dont work anymore. i have to reinstall them again and again and they work for a session till i restart the computer :-| the computer works excelent in general, but "doesnt" let this old apps to work and "stay there". i saw sum "incompatibility" messages sumtime but is weird caz the appz work perfect . my pc is i5 2500k , p67 pro3, 4 gb ddr , hd 6850, m audio 24/96.
> if i dont resolv this prob i must retake windows xp sp3.
> sorry for my english.
> thx a lot Sean for this tutorial !


When you install right click on the .exe file and run it in compatibility mode for XP SP3.
I don't know why the program isn't staying installed but it might be incompatible with win7, the compatibility install mode should help with that.


----------



## LosNir

Sean, how do you (or did you, if you're using MBR now) use EaseUS to backup your GPT disks? It can't clone / backup the system disk while running on the target Windows (unlike method 2) so it is not much use to me.
I know I can create a linux bootable disk, but it does not support Z68 RAID. The WinPE supports it but costs money ofc.

I've found only two solutions for now:



Spoiler: Method 1



1. Boot to Win 7PE (live-cd).
2. Defragment boot drive
3. Resize boot drive to minimum as possible
4. Boot to linux live cd (I use PartedMagic) and run the command:

Code:



Code:


dd if=/dev/dm-0 of=/media/sda1/MyBackup/SystemBackup.img bs=512

Where */dev/dm-0* is the boot hard-disk / raid array.

5. To restore image:

Code:



Code:


dd if=/media/sda1/MyBackup/SystemBackup.img of=/dev/dm-0 bs=512







Spoiler: Method 2



1. Using Windows 7 Backup & Restore to create a system image: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/4241/how-to-create-a-system-image-in-windows-7/

*Optional:* Use 7z / tar-gzip to compress and archive "WindowsSystemImage" to get a single compressed image file at the end.

2. To restore:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Restore-your-computer-from-a-system-image-backup



I like Method 1 more, but it requires you to have a perfectly defragmented drive. Also I couldn't use EaseUS Todo Backup at all, pretty useless for GPT system disk.


----------



## Sean Webster

It is in the 2nd post. Just backup of all partitions on the disk. With easeus or make a system image with Windows backup and restore center.

*Windows system image tool:*
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html

*Easus:*
http://www.todo-backup.com/products/features/backup-gpt-disk-partition.htm

With easus you can also make a WinPE bootable disk and you can back up/restore with that too if you are having an issue.


----------



## LosNir

EaseUS can't create WinPE with the free version. You must upgrade. As I said before, EaseUS can't use the system drive as the source of any disk clone / backup operation, it's just not in the list.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> EaseUS can't create WinPE with the free version. You must upgrade. As I said before, EaseUS can't use the system drive as the source of any disk clone / backup operation, it's just not in the list.


Why is it that I can then?

Yes it can you just have to do it manually. I have done it myself, 100% free.

Click here


Click this


Click this go proceed to the tool set download


Download the iso, mount it/burn to disk and install


proceed to create the WinPE bootable USB via USB, disc, or make the iso to burn with your own program.


----------



## legoman786

Zing.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *legoman786*
> 
> Zing.


----------



## LosNir

Clearly we have two different versions (although both are "Free 4.0").
Take a look here:http://www.todo-backup.com/products/features/free-backup-software-winpe.htm
Quote:


> Note: EaseUS Todo Backup Free doesn't support this function. Please choose the right Edition for you.


And here is a screenshot from my interface:





This is very weird!









E: Maybe you used an early version which had a bug and allowed everyone to create WinPE based discs (It is no doubt that this option is supposed to be available only to paid versions)?

E2: Here are my checksums of *Loader.exe* + screenshot of tab "Details" - care to share your results?

Code:



Code:


   MD5: 0f6785a8e4082e6225d3e43c37f81e1f
   SHA-1: 67e98f52fecb50001f6e60f6b81b1c594245d742


----------



## Sean Webster

Wow, I have this build:



This is the new one:


You need build 4.0.0.2 apparently.









http://www.filehorse.com/download-easeus-todo-backup/9773/

But yea, it should work for you with the older one, they crippled the newest.


----------



## LosNir

You just made my daynight! Thanks!

I guess EaseUs just forget to trim down that functionality, or figured they find a way to squeeze more money out of the product









P.S. The download link from filehorse doesn't work for me, it downloads a 260k corrupted file.
I'm now downloading from here: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Back-Up-and-Recovery/EASEUS-Todo-Backup.shtml


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> You just made my daynight! Thanks!
> 
> I guess EaseUs just forget totrim down that functionality, or figured to find a way to squeeze more money out of the product
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P.S. The download link from filehorse doesn't work for me, it downloads a 260k corrupted file.
> I'm now downloading from here: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Back-Up-and-Recovery/EASEUS-Todo-Backup.shtml












I'm archiving mine right now lol. I am not going to let that free WinPE functionality get away from me!


----------



## milespeed

hello Sean.. hope you have been well!... got a question.. my mancave just burned down ..where i do costom car repairs and service and photo shoots as well.. i lost my laptop in the fire.. a mac book pro 17"..i have pulled the SSD HD out, a fujitsu 128 SSD.... and after a few days drying it and blowing sook and ash from the fire , i installed it into my recent PC build ... it is seen in disk management so i am confident i can retrieve my data and images off of it and use it as a data storage HD for my images and photoshop scratch disk thank god... but it is MAC.... i need to access by either converting it to a dynamic drive or ? .... help in windows says it will work as a dynamic drive but i will lose the OS (mac 10x snowmonkeynosepicker or whatever it is)...... and i am reluctant to convert it to dynamic without picking your brain first to know if i have options.. like somehow accessing it as is and dual booting to see my whole laptop computer and OS .. or could i lose all my data or just the OS or ?...anywho.... looking forward to your imput before i proceed thanx !
Miles


----------



## Sean Webster

Sorry to hear that, hope everything is fine and no one got hurt or anything.

Try transmac: http://www.asy.com/sharetm.htm

Or you can boot off a linux live CD and transfer the data from the SSD to another drive in your system that way.

Then you can format it when done.


----------



## T0cuz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> When you install right click on the .exe file and run it in compatibility mode for XP SP3.
> I don't know why the program isn't staying installed but it might be incompatible with win7, the compatibility install mode should help with that.


before i install those old software i set on win xp sp3 compatibility ? on the kit ?
i checked this solution after i install on the .exe and doesnt work. even my drivers for hd 6850 have the same situation. very strange :-|


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> When you install right click on the .exe file and run it in compatibility mode for XP SP3.
> I don't know why the program isn't staying installed but it might be incompatible with win7, the compatibility install mode should help with that.
> 
> 
> 
> before i install those old software i set on win xp sp3 compatibility ? on the kit ?
> i checked this solution after i install on the .exe and doesnt work. even my drivers for hd 6850 have the same situation. very strange :-|
Click to expand...

Right click the installer > properties > compatibility > run in comparability mode for Win XP SP3.

What software is it exactly you are having issues with?

Wait your new HD 6850 is having driver issues too? Did you not install the right ones for Windows 7 64-bit?


----------



## T0cuz

yap, the drivers for Windows 7 64-bit. and about software that dont work, there are old apps like "fast tracker", "jeskola buzz" and stuff like. music production software. anyway i think this computer is cursed.
the usual error is c:\users\my name\appdata\local\temp\xxx.tmp is not a valid win 32 application.(for sum music software kit but sometime for .exe files, t00)
xxx.tmp = always a random "name" like ea3f.tmp
about hd 6850 drivers - they are installed but i cant acces catalyst control center sumtimes or very slow...
wait, right now i have iastorUI.exe is not a valid win32 application. (intel rapid storage tech) - even if i cant acces the exe in device manager everythin` is ok
but i dont like this kind of problems. i spend a lot of time with this instead workin and doin my hobby.


----------



## Sean Webster

maybe make a thread in the windows section about this, I have no clue.


----------



## T0cuz

ehh, i must install win xp. i hope is workin and "see" i5 2500 k
btw Sean, how do i change GPT to MBR to install win xp ?


----------



## LosNir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm archiving mine right now lol. I am not going to let that free WinPE functionality get away from me!


I archived my WinPE ISO and then installed the latest build again









Suggestion: Add a small section "How to Backup / Restore GPT Disks" to the guide, and have that information there (EaseUS build 4.0.02) along with other backup/restore alternatives like Windows 7 Backup & linux DD








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> ehh, i must install win xp. i hope is workin and "see" i5 2500 k
> btw Sean, how do i change GPT to MBR to install win xp ?


Dont do that. Reinstall Windows 7 with a *checksum correct* ISO from Microsoft MSDN. I have a feeling you installed using an infected ISO file.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> ehh, i must install win xp. i hope is workin and "see" i5 2500 k
> btw Sean, how do i change GPT to MBR to install win xp ?


Boot off the windows 7 installer, go into diskpart, select the disk, clean, then run the command *convert MBR*
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm archiving mine right now lol. I am not going to let that free WinPE functionality get away from me!
> 
> 
> 
> I archived my WinPE ISO and then installed the latest build again
Click to expand...










Quote:


> Suggestion: Add a small section "How to Backup / Restore GPT Disks" to the guide, and have that information there (EaseUS build 4.0.02) along with other backup/restore alternatives like Windows 7 Backup & linux DD


I have a thread I am working on about it.

I will add a link to it and put it in the stickies when I am done: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227835/how-to-disk-and-partition-cloning-backup-restoration-migration

I plan to have guides for linux and other OSes and programs.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> ehh, i must install win xp. i hope is workin and "see" i5 2500 k
> btw Sean, how do i change GPT to MBR to install win xp ?
> 
> 
> 
> Dont do that. Reinstall Windows 7 with a *checksum correct* ISO from Microsoft MSDN. I have a feeling you installed using an infected ISO file.
Click to expand...

yea...I would try a re-install with one of the iso's in the op first...if you did use one then try re-downloading it and retrying.


----------



## T0cuz

re readin this "A UEFI (GPT) boot drive can only be configured from a blank "unallocated" drive. The drive must initially contain no partitions or formatting." i was wonderin if i was wrong : on hdd were is installed win 7 on gpt i made sum previous os-es testes and used quick format in general. i was wonderin if my "delete all partition" before i ve made this GPT b00t drive is corect...i think this is a mistake but i am not sure tho. only a full format maybe will delete complete da old info. i really dont have any ideea. i am r00kie on this areea


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> re readin this "A UEFI (GPT) boot drive can only be configured from a blank "unallocated" drive. The drive must initially contain no partitions or formatting." i was wonderin if i was wrong : on hdd were is installed win 7 on gpt i made sum previous os-es testes and used quick format in general. i was wonderin if my "delete all partition" before i ve made this GPT b00t drive is corect...i think this is a mistake but i am not sure tho. only a full format maybe will delete complete da old info. i really dont have any ideea. i am r00kie on this areea


Forget the UEFI install and all, start over and do this:

*Booting and partitioning of MBR for Windows 7:*

Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *lis dis*, press Enter
Type *sel dis X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *cle*, press Enter
Type *convert MBR*, press Enter
Type *cre par pri align=4096* (1024 is default), press Enter
*Note:* If you are using multiple drives in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
Type *for quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *act*, press Enter
Type *exi*, press Enter
Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. Do not format it the partitions again during the installation.


----------



## T0cuz

thx Sean


----------



## milespeed

thanx... no one was hurt.. just lost lots of stuff... so new issue.. system wont boot.. no windows boot loader present any more.....grabbed a program that was supposed to allow dual boot or view of internal data of the MAC SSD and i pulled the trigger on an operation that wiped out my windows boot loader... now i cant get system to boot with the original USB ISO i downloaded from here or any other recovery disk i use .. error is that the disk is not compatible with the file trying to be used .. or the file is not the same as the OS on the system.. even though it is exactly the same.. i am changing from RAID to ACHI. to IDE, no luck loading boot ...and the OS is on my GPT set up SSD.....help please!?!


----------



## Sean Webster

i told u to use transmac...

make sure you boot the install media via the uefi option.


----------



## milespeed

uefi is how the USB win 7 media was created.. ..and the DVD copy i made at the time as well..... damn thing wont launch saying incompatible, still tells me...sure am frustrated....is there a setting in bios i am overlooking?


----------



## milespeed

boot selection failed (UEFI) because a required device is inaccessible...windows setup (EMS enabled) status..oxcoooo225.... i think i had trouble before when doing 2nd install and found a work around and posted it here for all.. need to read back my previous posts.. my head is spinning... thanx in advance Sean


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Forget the UEFI install and all, start over and do this:
> *Booting and partitioning of MBR for Windows 7:*
> 
> Boot from the Windows 7 DVD/USB
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, Type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *lis dis*, press Enter
> Type *sel dis X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *cle*, press Enter
> Type *convert MBR*, press Enter
> Type *cre par pri align=4096* (1024 is default), press Enter
> *Note:* If you are using multiple drives in RAID 0 use 1024 for the alignment instead of 4096 for best performance.
> Type *for quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *act*, press Enter
> Type *exi*, press Enter
> Close the Command Window, and click the Install button.
> Proceed to install Windows 7 and perform a normal installation using the "Custom (advanced)" type of installation. Do not format it the partitions again during the installation.


Hey man, I'm noticing that these days it seems that you are being against GPT and UEFI install? Is it because it just makes people crazy in having so many questions while trying to achieve both? Lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> uefi is how the USB win 7 media was created.. ..and the DVD copy i made at the time as well..... damn thing wont launch saying incompatible, still tells me...sure am frustrated....is there a setting in bios i am overlooking?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> boot selection failed (UEFI) because a required device is inaccessible...windows setup (EMS enabled) status..oxcoooo225.... i think i had trouble before when doing 2nd install and found a work around and posted it here for all.. need to read back my previous posts.. my head is spinning... thanx in advance Sean


Well, good news...you only have 28 previous posts! And they are all in my thread...









This is the only one where I could find anything about the UEFI issue: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1280#post_16048377

Keep trying to boot it differently or something... :/

There is the BIOS manual override option and there is the press F10 or F8 or something and it will allow you to choose that way as well.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Hey man, I'm noticing that these days it seems that you are being against GPT and UEFI install? Is it because it just makes people crazy in having so many questions while trying to achieve both? Lol.


I'm not against it, I am just against noobs (no offence to milespeed lol) doing it when they don't _need_ to or have the ability to find a fix themselves and expect me to know what is wrong with their PC when they do weird stuff and idk what is going on. I can trouble shoot it easy if I have it in front of me, but if it isn't and I have no experience with an issue they are screwed. LOLz

I need to revise the op a little...


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'm not against it, I am just against noobs (no offence to milespeed lol) doing it when they don't _need_ to or have the ability to find a fix themselves and expect me to know what is wrong with their PC when they do weird stuff and idk what is going on. I can trouble shoot it easy if I have it in front of me, but if it isn't and I have no experience with an issue they are screwed. LOLz
> I need to revise the op a little...


Gotcha, lol.


----------



## Glacial

Hi. At 'Install newest SATA drivers' step, which driver should I choose from this link: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=%222012+Intel+Rapid+Storage+Technology+(Intel+RST)%22#

Is it:

'RAID: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards' ver.11.1.0.1006,
or
'AHCI: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards' ver.11.0.0.1032?

Im using Rampage IV Extreme, Win 7 sp 1 x64, and Crucial m4 256 GB.

Thx.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glacial*
> 
> Hi. At 'Install newest SATA drivers' step, which driver should I choose from this link: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=%222012+Intel+Rapid+Storage+Technology+(Intel+RST)%22#
> 
> Is it:
> 
> 'RAID: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards' ver.11.1.0.1006,
> or
> 'AHCI: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards' ver.11.0.0.1032?
> 
> Im using Rampage IV Extreme, Win 7 sp 1 x64, and Crucial m4 256 GB.
> 
> Thx.


If you are using RAID then download the RAID driver, if you are not download the AHCI driver.

You will probably need the AHCI one since you are asking lol.


----------



## Glacial

Thx. Yea, I want to use AHCI. But since the RAID driver is newer I want to be sure.

Btw, should I install Intel SATA driver from motherboard too? From this link: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/Rampage_IV_Extreme/#download


----------



## Ragsters

Hey Sean,

I recently installed my Windows 7 upgrade disc on a new SSD drive changing the MediaBootInstall value from 1 to 0 at the registry then typing *slmgr -rearm* in the elevated command prompt to be able to activate Windows and it worked great. I wanted to ask you what did changing the MediaBootInstall value from 1 to 0 actually do. I also notice that now when I go to my registry the value is at 0. Should I change it back to 1? Did I do the right thing my doing this method or should I of installed Windows 7 twice using the double install method. I also wanted it to be clear that I have legit copies Windows XP full, Vista upgrade and W7 upgrade.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glacial*
> 
> Thx. Yea, I want to use AHCI. But since the RAID driver is newer I want to be sure.
> 
> Btw, should I install Intel SATA driver from motherboard too? From this link: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/Rampage_IV_Extreme/#download


You actually may need to use it if that AHCI driver from the previous links does not work, I haven't found out yet if the new drivers will work or not with X79 mobos...
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> I recently installed my Windows 7 upgrade disc on a new SSD drive changing the MediaBootInstall value from 1 to 0 at the registry then typing *slmgr -rearm* in the elevated command prompt to be able to activate Windows and it worked great. I wanted to ask you what did changing the MediaBootInstall value from 1 to 0 actually do. I also notice that now when I go to my registry the value is at 0. Should I change it back to 1? Did I do the right thing my doing this method or should I of installed Windows 7 twice using the double install method. I also wanted it to be clear that I have legit copies Windows XP full, Vista upgrade and W7 upgrade.


I have absolutely no idea lol. Maybe make a thread on the Windows section.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you are using RAID then download the RAID driver, if you are not download the AHCI driver.
> You will probably need the AHCI one since you are asking lol.


I thought that the iRST driver for both AHCI and RAID are one and the same?


----------



## MooMoo

So ummm, how do you initiate device as a labelled UEFI device?

Can't find this anywhere...


----------



## T0cuz

Sean i am curious : startin` from "After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt." what is the command for full format (mbr) ? format x: ? i would love a full format before the steps recommended by u. thx


----------



## LosNir

I don't get it. It's not EaseUS Todo Backup, it's *DepressUS Todo Backup*!









I made a backup using the WinPE disc. All good. I wiped up my RAID Array and then re-created it with a different strip size. Then I loaded the WinPE again to restore the backup. Stupid program can't recognize the EFI & MSR partitions correctly. It sets them as "Primary".... screwed up.

Even if I create the empty partitions using diskpart and then restore the entire disk, it removes them and re-allocates them as primary








After about an hour of fiddling I finally succeeded in restoring. I had to recreate the partitions with diskpart, and restore the entire disk, but cancel the restore once it tries to restores the data partition. This way the EFI & MSR stays that way. Then I initiate the restore again, only to the data partition.

Loaded windows startup repair and fixed the NVRAM Windows Boot Loader.









One problem, the restoreation still ruins the alignment


----------



## Chubrock

Hi Sean,
thanks for this thread and your help. I have had some issues with reinstalling and/or image recovery of my win 7. I keep getting the error when i try to reinstall my os "device drivers not found" and i'm booting directly from my oem os disk, any work arounds for this? the reason this happened was I cleared the cmos after listening to (my boot device led stays lit and iI am getting the 4 beeps at start up)Asus support and now my windows doesnt launch and the system restore doesnt work cause it cant find my OS. I was runing raid ISRT 64 gb crucial and 1tb f3 spinpoint. any suggestions?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you are using RAID then download the RAID driver, if you are not download the AHCI driver.
> You will probably need the AHCI one since you are asking lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I thought that the iRST driver for both AHCI and RAID are one and the same?
Click to expand...

\

They separated them now for some reason...:/
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> So ummm, how do you initiate device as a labelled UEFI device?
> 
> Can't find this anywhere...


...I have a link in the steps that shows you -> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/560#post_15666372

I highly recommend you not use the GPT guide.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> Sean i am curious : startin` from "After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt." what is the command for full format (mbr) ? format x: ? i would love a full format before the steps recommended by u. thx


Ok, for step 8 just type *for fs=ntfs*, press Enter.

That is for a full format, the *for* command is short for format.

If you have a SSD tho do not do a full format.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LosNir*
> 
> I don't get it. It's not EaseUS Todo Backup, it's *DepressUS Todo Backup*!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I made a backup using the WinPE disc. All good. I wiped up my RAID Array and then re-created it with a different strip size. Then I loaded the WinPE again to restore the backup. Stupid program can't recognize the EFI & MSR partitions correctly. It sets them as "Primary".... screwed up.
> 
> Even if I create the empty partitions using diskpart and then restore the entire disk, it removes them and re-allocates them as primary
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After about an hour of fiddling I finally succeeded in restoring. I had to recreate the partitions with diskpart, and restore the entire disk, but cancel the restore once it tries to restores the data partition. This way the EFI & MSR stays that way. Then I initiate the restore again, only to the data partition.
> 
> Loaded windows startup repair and fixed the NVRAM Windows Boot Loader.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One problem, the restoreation still ruins the alignment












ummmmm...use the default Windows tool from now on.









Or you can do the smart thing that I did a few weeks ago and switch to MBR. lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Chubrock*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> thanks for this thread and your help. I have had some issues with reinstalling and/or image recovery of my win 7. I keep getting the error when i try to reinstall my os "device drivers not found" and i'm booting directly from my oem os disk, any work arounds for this? the reason this happened was I cleared the cmos after listening to (my boot device led stays lit and iI am getting the 4 beeps at start up)Asus support and now my windows doesnt launch and the system restore doesnt work cause it cant find my OS. I was runing raid ISRT 64 gb crucial and 1tb f3 spinpoint. any suggestions?


You may need the ISRT driver then.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20624&ProdId=2101&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=


----------



## MooMoo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ...I have a link in the steps that shows you -> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/560#post_15666372
> I highly recommend you not use the GPT guide.


Umm.... I already checked it but I don't have those options available. What I should do? There should something on the disc?

And why you recommend not to use it?

Your guide is a bit incomplete.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ...I have a link in the steps that shows you -> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/560#post_15666372
> I highly recommend you not use the GPT guide.
> 
> 
> 
> Umm.... I already checked it but I don't have those options available. What I should do? There should something on the disc?
> 
> And why you recommend not to use it?
> 
> Your guide is a bit incomplete.
Click to expand...

Update your UEFI then, if it is not showing it is your motherboards fault.

I don't recommend it because you have no need for it and people don't seem to understand the drawbacks to it atm due to support issues with system backups.

how is it incomplete? I would love some feedback on how to improve it.


----------



## milespeed

you advise is supreme Sean and I'd rather be a pest where others might benefit by lurking, than just hack away flying solo and not share the adventure... ... I had pulled the trigger on that POS prog to light up my MAC SSD HD before i got you suggested prog... so i will go find it and use it now to get it up and running on my PC....... i am fixed now and it was a dance with Hirams' tool CD
...using the linux boot rewriter program ..it got enough stuff on the boot partition to allow me to 'see' a copy of windows and allow it to repair windows and rewrite the windows boot loader.. so all is well and apologies for havin ya jump into my stress with me ... off to the MAC HD to see ifin i cant get her running here .... thanx again for your time . you rawk!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> \
> They separated them now for some reason...:/


Though they aren't separated at station-drivers yet right? Would using the RAID iRST drivers in an AHCI system post some problems?

I personally don't think there are any difference between both. In the link provided there is even a 11.0.0.1032 version for AHCI and RAID though they point to the same download file, lol. Intel is, as usual, just confusing people more and more.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> you advise is supreme Sean and I'd rather be a pest where others might benefit by lurking, than just hack away flying solo and not share the adventure... ... I had pulled the trigger on that POS prog to light up my MAC SSD HD before i got you suggested prog... so i will go find it and use it now to get it up and running on my PC....... i am fixed now and it was a dance with Hirams' tool CD
> ...using the linux boot rewriter program ..it got enough stuff on the boot partition to allow me to 'see' a copy of windows and allow it to repair windows and rewrite the windows boot loader.. so all is well and apologies for havin ya jump into my stress with me ... off to the MAC HD to see ifin i cant get her running here .... thanx again for your time . you rawk!


good luck








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> \
> They separated them now for some reason...:/
> 
> 
> 
> Though they aren't separated at station-drivers yet right? Would using the RAID iRST drivers in an AHCI system post some problems?
> 
> I personally don't think there are any difference between both. In the link provided there is even a 11.0.0.1032 version for AHCI and RAID though they point to the same download file, lol. Intel is, as usual, just confusing people more and more.
Click to expand...

LOL, idk weird stuff...if you could let me know if they are the same or what the difference is if there actually is i'd appreciate it.


----------



## T0cuz

Sean i am curios about sumthin : i ve read around the internet that u can install xp and 7 on the same hdd, the only thing u must respect is :xp first installed and after that 7.install xp on c: and 7 on d: .i stil have the usb with win 7 made by u r rullz. is that so simple ? can u tell me more about this.
ahh i almost forgot : even if i am on mbr now, the old windows b00t manager(remaining from gpt try) is still in bios. is that ok ? do u have any ideea if i must disable that and how ?

thx


----------



## Glacial

I'm re-reading your installation guide. So basically the differences between installing HDD and SSD are 'Update Firmware' and 'Enable AHCI' step, am I right?

I'm afraid that if I misunderstood your guide and had to install the SSD over and over again it would decrease the SSD's lifespan.

Thx.


----------



## LosNir

Well, installation pretty much, yeah. After installation you can have a few tweaks, see the section afterwards.


----------



## blackblues

hello sean








a few times ago, i've installed windows in my ssd (in PC, have UEFI motherboard) using your guide --> *Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:*. now i wanna use that ssd in my
notebook (i think this notebook doesn't have UEFI, only BIOS). the problem is in notebook's bios doesn't show *Windows Boot Manager* option on the list of booting order, so windows can't loaded








i've usually load windows after choose *Windows Boot Manager* option in my PC, but after my ssd move to notebook, that options doesn't show again so windows can't load
i've tried repair using windows installer disc, but doesn't work








what should i do now? must i reinstall/ fresh install windows using MBR method? or do you have some tricks to solve this problem without reinstall windows?

thanks before








note : my notebook is asus N43SL VX-263, somebody says this NB already has UEFI


----------



## T0cuz

blackblues how do u remove "Windows Boot Manager" from UEFI ? Sean is not here and i am curious how u do that.
for example i made from gpt to mbr , i install the win xp and now i am waitin for install 7 but win boot manager is still in uefi.
sum how i cant resize the drive to install win 7 and i think is caz of dat win b00t manager from uefi. sumthin is not ok

cheers


----------



## blackblues

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> blackblues how do u remove "Windows Boot Manager" from UEFI ? Sean is not here and i am curious how u do that.
> for example i made from gpt to mbr , i install the win xp and now i am waitin for install 7 but win boot manager is still in uefi.
> sum how i cant resize the drive to install win 7 and i think is caz of dat win b00t manager from uefi. sumthin is not ok
> cheers


i didn't remove "Windows Boot Manager" from UEFI, but the "Windows Boot Manager" is dissappear in my notebook bios. if i use ssd in my PC, the "Windows Boot Manager" option is still there and windows can load


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> Sean i am curios about sumthin : i ve read around the internet that u can install xp and 7 on the same hdd, the only thing u must respect is :xp first installed and after that 7.install xp on c: and 7 on d: .i stil have the usb with win 7 made by u r rullz. is that so simple ? can u tell me more about this.
> ahh i almost forgot : even if i am on mbr now, the old windows b00t manager(remaining from gpt try) is still in bios. is that ok ? do u have any ideea if i must disable that and how ?
> 
> thx


idk, i do not dual boot or have I really ever used XP.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glacial*
> 
> I'm re-reading your installation guide. So basically the differences between installing HDD and SSD are 'Update Firmware' and 'Enable AHCI' step, am I right?
> 
> I'm afraid that if I misunderstood your guide and had to install the SSD over and over again it would decrease the SSD's lifespan.
> 
> Thx.


Nope there actually is no difference. I HDDs have firmware updates too and the SATA controller should be set to AHCI for them as well.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blackblues*
> 
> hello sean
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> a few times ago, i've installed windows in my ssd (in PC, have UEFI motherboard) using your guide --> *Configure drive using an UEFI motherboard and GPT format:*. now i wanna use that ssd in my
> notebook (i think this notebook doesn't have UEFI, only BIOS). the problem is in notebook's bios doesn't show *Windows Boot Manager* option on the list of booting order, so windows can't loaded
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i've usually load windows after choose *Windows Boot Manager* option in my PC, but after my ssd move to notebook, that options doesn't show again so windows can't load
> i've tried repair using windows installer disc, but doesn't work
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> what should i do now? must i reinstall/ fresh install windows using MBR method? or do you have some tricks to solve this problem without reinstall windows?
> 
> thanks before
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> note : my notebook is asus N43SL VX-263, somebody says this NB already has UEFI


Yep should have used MBR, but also they could be driver conflicts from going from your desktop and to your laptop...just reinstall in the laptop if you are using it in the laptop.


----------



## blackblues

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> idk, i do not dual boot or have I really ever used XP.
> Nope there actually is no difference. I HDDs have firmware updates too and the SATA controller should be set to AHCI for them as well.
> Yep should have used MBR, but also they could be driver conflicts from going from your desktop and to your laptop...just reinstall in the laptop if you are using it in the laptop.


hmm, i think my laptop not support GPT method
so i'll try to install using MBR method
must i do secure erase for my ssd?? or just install windows using mbr method?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blackblues*
> 
> hmm, i think my laptop not support GPT method
> so i'll try to install using MBR method
> must i do secure erase for my ssd?? or just install windows using mbr method?


Just use the MBR method.


----------



## blackblues

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just use the MBR method.


okay thanks, i'll try that


----------



## T0cuz

but Sean, i am a lil bit scared : why "windows boot manager" is still in my uefi on the boot selection ?
no doubts that is from gpt. now i am on mbr and i wuld love to "clean" that . clear cmos "command" will be ok ? do u have any ideea ? thx


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> but Sean, i am a lil bit scared : why "windows boot manager" is still in my uefi on the boot selection ?
> no doubts that is from gpt. now i am on mbr and i wuld love to "clean" that . clear cmos "command" will be ok ? do u have any ideea ? thx


I am not sure myself I never goes away for me either lol, I just ignore it and disable all other boot options other than my Plextor M3


----------



## T0cuz

damn , so that creature lives there . i wonder if is ok :-?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> damn , so that creature lives there . i wonder if is ok :-?


Yea, it isn't going to hurt anything. I think a BIOS update will get rid of it tho lol.


----------



## T0cuz

i ve made a bios update, is still there and i still cant resize my hdd to install win 7 for a dual boot. .easeus shows a single partition as ntfs as i set it from u r tutorial with mbr but it doeznt let me to resize it to install win 7 and have dual b00t.....sean can u gimmie da "same" commands as u put in u r tutorial to resize my partition. i have just one as i said and for installin` win 7 i need an unpartitioned one. sum commands to shrink this 500 gb partition and make it 250 with 250 ? thx


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> i ve made a bios update, is still there and i still cant resize my hdd to install win 7 for a dual boot. .easeus shows a single partition as ntfs as i set it from u r tutorial with mbr but it doeznt let me to resize it to install win 7 and have dual b00t.....


You should be able to shrink the partition fine...


----------



## T0cuz

yes yes, this time worked. sumthin waz made wrong first time . thx Sean


----------



## sepheroth003

Amazing guide!

I use to use Windowshowdelay back in windows xp, but ever since Vista/7 I thought it went away.

So many good tips here, will definately be using it when I get back home and buy an ssd.


----------



## 4514kaiser

Hi having some issue installing windows I've now tried to installed it like 15 times







.... Anyway now for some unknown reason I have a whole lot of partitions and Hdd issues...

I've been trying to install Windows 7 onto my ssd M4 256 (got it because I was due to reliability lol) Anyway I've installed windows twice on to it First time everything was fine on first boot then I changed my 2 x 1tb hdd to raid 0 and then windows became corrupted on the ssd.... makes little sense to me..... After half a day changing settings bios i started to try and install different copies of windows that I have, I rest Bios and installed windows 7 32bit by accident worked fine but windows 32bit would be stupid to use on my system, so I rebooted a reformatted the SSD in windows installer and then tried to install my 64bit copy of windows 7.... And i got this error

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disk"
Tried a few times each the time the same error..

So i un-raid the 1tb HDD for the second time and installed windows onto one of the 1tb HDD since i just wanted to get into windows at this point to see what was going on with the HDD.

Just basic system info of what HDD I should have appearing + hardware
RE4
32gb ram
3930k
SSD M4 256
2 x 1tb HDD (want to have these in raid 0 )
2tb HDD this is just a media drive and should be as full as it is

And i'm using an external CD/DVD player

So these are all the partitions I have can I just format these drives and how do I get rid of these partitions!





Any help would be great!


----------



## Sean Webster

Make sure in teh UEFI you boot from teh USB NOT using the UEFI: (DEVICE NAME) for the boot disc. Just the nromal one for the CD/DVD drive.

Disconnect all drives form the system that will no have the OS on it.

Try installing from a USB if none of the above works.

Follow my MBR alignment section: *Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:*


----------



## chillwaves

I recently used your guide to setup my new PC. Great work. I have one question, though: I forgot to set my drive to AHCI before installing windows, but I changed the mode from IDE to AHCI afterwards, and used a regedit. I am in the same place now, performance wise, as I would have been had I installed in AHCI in the first place? Are there any downsides to what I've done? Thanks for the guide, super helpful.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chillwaves*
> 
> I recently used your guide to setup my new PC. Great work. I have one question, though: I forgot to set my drive to AHCI before installing windows, but I changed the mode from IDE to AHCI afterwards, and used a regedit. I am in the same place now, performance wise, as I would have been had I installed in AHCI in the first place? Are there any downsides to what I've done? Thanks for the guide, super helpful.


Yep your good, makes no difference.

Glad to help


----------



## chillwaves

Great, thanks so much!


----------



## 4514kaiser

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Make sure in teh UEFI you boot from teh USB NOT using the UEFI: (DEVICE NAME) for the boot disc. Just the normal one for the CD/DVD drive.
> Disconnect all drives form the system that will no have the OS on it.
> Try installing from a USB if none of the above works.
> Follow my MBR alignment section: *Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:*


Cheers I'll give that a go since I will set up a raid 0 after installing windows on the two separate 1tb HDD should change the Hdd mode in bios from AHCI to raid ? Since I'll need to change it raid afterwards..... or will this give me issues and I'm better of changing it afterwards.
Also can i format all those partitions they don't hold ssd drivers or something..... And once I've done formatting the partitions how I remove the partitions.

Sorry for all the questions just really want to get this pc working!!









Thanks again for the help!!! Great guide BTW


----------



## jetpak12

In regards to changing from ACHI mode to RAID mode, I just did it yesterday.

You need to make reg-edit before you make the change in BIOS, or you won't make it to desktop.

After the reg-edit and BIOS change, Intel RST failed to load properly. I simply reinstalled the program and now it works fine again.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Make sure in teh UEFI you boot from teh USB NOT using the UEFI: (DEVICE NAME) for the boot disc. Just the normal one for the CD/DVD drive.
> Disconnect all drives form the system that will no have the OS on it.
> Try installing from a USB if none of the above works.
> Follow my MBR alignment section: *Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format:*
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers I'll give that a go since I will set up a raid 0 after installing windows on the two separate 1tb HDD should change the Hdd mode in bios from AHCI to raid ? Since I'll need to change it raid afterwards..... or will this give me issues and I'm better of changing it afterwards.
> Also can i format all those partitions they don't hold ssd drivers or something..... And once I've done formatting the partitions how I remove the partitions.
> 
> Sorry for all the questions just really want to get this pc working!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again for the help!!! Great guide BTW
Click to expand...

just set the SATA mode to RAID now, but keep the drives disconnected until the OS is installed.


----------



## BradleyW

Sean check your inbox.


----------



## Sean Webster

Done lol


----------



## 153D

Did a fresh install of win7 ult x64 on pyro 120 ssd as described on page 1. Install went smoothly and quickly, however, from the available 111gb after the quick format there is only 60gb free after the win7 install! No other programs are installed and when I booted from previous HDD and checked the disk management I opened the ssd and manually checked the disk space used by each folder and the largest folder was the windows folder at 12.1 gb. the rest are <500 mb. Readyboost is disabled and I am viewing hidden and system files.

Any thoughts?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *153D*
> 
> Did a fresh install of win7 ult x64 on pyro 120 ssd as described on page 1. Install went smoothly and quickly, however, from the available 111gb after the quick format there is only 60gb free after the win7 install! No other programs are installed and when I booted from previous HDD and checked the disk management I opened the ssd and manually checked the disk space used by each folder and the largest folder was the windows folder at 12.1 gb. the rest are <500 mb. Readyboost is disabled and I am viewing hidden and system files.
> 
> Any thoughts?


Reread steps 1-4 in the *Immediately after installing Windows:* section. You did not do those steps on post #2.


----------



## 153D

Aha! Missed that link completely.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *153D*
> 
> Aha! Missed that link completely.


lol, good thing you got it now, that is the mos important part of the guide imo.


----------



## nizda

Hey Sean,

I followed your guide and the results are fantastic. After getting most of my apps on etc.. I realized I still am only at 30gb used on my patriot pyro se 120gb. I noticed in another post in the forums that you changed your build and took the hdd's out of the mix. My interest is this rig will prob never or at least for a few months see any gaming. Its strictly for development and research, so beyond where I am now predominantly 1-2 vm's for dev and a lot of Firefox usage for research. The dev work is only real low level work asm etc, nothing big or object oriented. So my question is since I'm backing my work up via a nas, do you think I should just make a 1-2gb ram drive for the cache and temp dev files, in order to keep performance high while not writing to the ssd incessantly? Or my alternative would be putting in an older drive I have Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 hdd for storage but Im assuming it would hinder performance. The hdd is prob 4 years old and with the 1TB nas which is really only in place for backing up work due to reliability concerns where otherwise I don't see my usage ever surpassing 80gb max usage. Obviously after this project is complete Ill start actually building this rig up a lot more. Thanks for your time I appreciate the work you've done with the guides/video. I'm new to the forum but not to hardware/software although this is my first ssd build and still can't believe the power even from coming from raid 0 configs. Anyone else if you have an opinion, suggestion let em fly. Thx. don't worry there will never be a post from me this long again. My rig should be in sig if not here's basics what you nay need to know i5-2500k,16gb corsair vengeance, pyro se 120gb
Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Yea, a RAM drive would be perfect for that. Just make sure your system is on a UPS so if the power goes you can save all your work, especially the stuff on the RAM drive b/c you know how RAM is when the power goes all the data on the RAM goes with it. lol


----------



## opsin

A huge space saver for me was moving my families iPhone, iPod, iTouch backups to a non-SSD drive with a junction. I have kept a few old ones (in addition to the ones apple keeps) in case I wanted to revert back.

They are located here (on vista and win 7):
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

on XP it should be:
C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

In my case it was 26GB. With just one iPhone it can easily be 5GB.


----------



## nizda

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, a RAM drive would be perfect for that. Just make sure your system is on a UPS so if the power goes you can save all your work, especially the stuff on the RAM drive b/c you know how RAM is when the power goes all the data on the RAM goes with it. lol


Thanks for getting back so quickly! Sounds good Ram drive it is, as far as allocation size just out of curiosity how much do you reserve for a browser alone 1gig? Im wondering if I should do 2gb or 4gb since this will be the predominant usage for now(firefox cache+low level devel) and after this project is done I am going to make some upgrades and make it a Full machine. I'm from Florida as well so I'm going to have to upgrade my current UPS since it will start raining every day in about a month or so. Well South Florida anyway, went to college at FSU now that was some fun. Thanks

I tried to rep you, but I'm assuming because your a moderator I cant?


----------



## Fatality_

I'm going to start using CCleaner to clean my SSD when I am done using my computer for the day. I just wanted to know if there are any particular settings I have to have on or off in the program before I start using it or if i can just start running the cleaner without touching anything.

Thanks


----------



## chrisys93

So someone help me step by step process for setting up an ssd as a boot drive? How do I wipe my hard drive clean and ready to reinstall my OEM windows 7? Is the reactivation process for oem windows long?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *opsin*
> 
> A huge space saver for me was moving my families iPhone, iPod, iTouch backups to a non-SSD drive with a junction. I have kept a few old ones (in addition to the ones apple keeps) in case I wanted to revert back.
> 
> They are located here (on vista and win 7):
> C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
> 
> on XP it should be:
> C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
> 
> In my case it was 26GB. With just one iPhone it can easily be 5GB.


Wow, good to know.







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nizda*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, a RAM drive would be perfect for that. Just make sure your system is on a UPS so if the power goes you can save all your work, especially the stuff on the RAM drive b/c you know how RAM is when the power goes all the data on the RAM goes with it. lol
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for getting back so quickly! Sounds good Ram drive it is, as far as allocation size just out of curiosity how much do you reserve for a browser alone 1gig? Im wondering if I should do 2gb or 4gb since this will be the predominant usage for now(firefox cache+low level devel) and after this project is done I am going to make some upgrades and make it a Full machine. I'm from Florida as well so I'm going to have to upgrade my current UPS since it will start raining every day in about a month or so. Well South Florida anyway, went to college at FSU now that was some fun. Thanks
> 
> I tried to rep you, but I'm assuming because your a moderator I cant?
Click to expand...

Up to you on how much you want to/can use. See what your needs are for it.

Nice, I need a UPS myself lol, I hate the constant power surges or outages every so often.

I'm currently going to FAU...college is not fun when you want to be a computer engineer...lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fatality_*
> 
> I'm going to start using CCleaner to clean my SSD when I am done using my computer for the day. I just wanted to know if there are any particular settings I have to have on or off in the program before I start using it or if i can just start running the cleaner without touching anything.
> 
> Thanks


This is how I have mine without CC Enhancer.



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chrisys93*
> 
> So someone help me step by step process for setting up an ssd as a boot drive? How do I wipe my hard drive clean and ready to reinstall my OEM windows 7? Is the reactivation process for oem windows long?


Follow the guide step by step, it makes you clean your drive through the process. Activation is the sameas always, just put the key in...


----------



## Fatality_

thanks sean, helpful as always









+1

EDIT: aww nevermind I remember I can't rep you because I tried a few days ago as well


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fatality_*
> 
> thanks sean, helpful as always
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> +1
> EDIT: aww nevermind I remember I can't rep you because I tried a few days ago as well


Staff don't have rep.


----------



## chrisys93

Lol yeah sorry bout asking, I know how to do it now...







I'm stupid


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chrisys93*
> 
> Lol yeah sorry bout asking, I know how to do it now...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm stupid


No one is stupid so long as they learn from their mistakes and experiences.


----------



## HGooper

I just do a fresh install on M4 128GB, but I made a mistaken to reboot and installed intel MB driver, then I noticed that I've to do it before some tweaks according to Sean SSD guide. Am I ok to continue the rest of the tweaks or should I do a clean install and do it again?

Also is it ok to disable page file? I've 8GB ram btw.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HGooper*
> 
> I just do a fresh install on M4 128GB, but I made a mistaken to reboot and installed intel MB driver, then I noticed that I've to do it before some tweaks according to Sean SSD guide. Am I ok to continue the rest of the tweaks or should I do a clean install and do it again?
> 
> Also is it ok to disable page file? I've 8GB ram btw.


lol, it is a guide, you can do any step when ever you want.









If you don't need page file disable it, if you need it don't. I set mine to 512MB or 1GB if I need it.


----------



## MiyukiChan

Sean or anyone else!

Do you guys have an idea why my disk's only show's as 465 GB when it's actually 500GB? Sata (older 3G/s one)
Also is a random read speed of 1.86Mb/s normal? (according to Deffragler)


----------



## HGooper

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, it is a guide, you can do any step when ever you want.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you don't need page file disable it, if you need it don't. I set mine to 512MB or 1GB if I need it.


Ok thanks, I really don't want to reinstall win7 again lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MiyukiChan*
> 
> Sean or anyone else!
> 
> Do you guys have an idea why my disk's only show's as 465 GB when it's actually 500GB? Sata (older 3G/s one)
> Also is a random read speed of 1.86Mb/s normal? (according to Deffragler)


Normal


And Random speeds are slow for HDDs normally.


----------



## MiyukiChan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Normal
> 
> And Random speeds are slow for HDDs normally.


Thank you


----------



## HeyYoWL

One thing I think everyone should do once Windows is all setup and updated is remove the SP1 backup files. Quickest way is through Command Prompt

1) Windows Key + R (Run prompt)

2) Type: cmd

3) Type: dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded

OR

1) Start Menu -> Type: disk cleanup

2) If you have UAC enabled, click Cleanup System Files. If not, just skip to the next step.

3) Select "Service Pack Backup File" and hit OK.

Might take a couple of minutes. It gave me back 7GB on my 60GB Vertex 3 which is a HUGE difference!


----------



## MiyukiChan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HeyYoWL*
> 
> One thing I think everyone should do once Windows is all setup and updated is remove the SP1 backup files. Quickest way is through Command Prompt
> 1) Windows Key + R (Run prompt)
> 2) Type: cmd
> 3) Type: dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded
> OR
> 1) Start Menu -> Type: disk cleanup
> 2) If you have UAC enabled, click Cleanup System Files. If not, just skip to the next step.
> 3) Select "Service Pack Backup File" and hit OK.
> Might take a couple of minutes. It gave me back 7GB on my 60GB Vertex 3 which is a HUGE difference!


It's basically what this do for you.
Quote:


> Empty windows update download cache:
> This is a safe and easy way to get rid of any left over windows update files.
> Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
> Delete all of them.
> 
> Here is a .bat that will do it automatically when you run it: Empty windows update download cache.zip 1k .zip file


(Found under maintenance in first or second post i think.)


----------



## HeyYoWL

Ah, I wasn't sure if that got rid of everything. I've always gone the command line route myself because I assumed there were links to files in other folders that I wasn't seeing.


----------



## chrisys93

So i installed the intel 520 SSD and its crazy fast







trim is enabled. The problem is I completely wiped off my original HDD and once I plugged it in after my SSD + Windows installation, I won't show up?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chrisys93*
> 
> So i installed the intel 520 SSD and its crazy fast
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> trim is enabled. The problem is I completely wiped off my original HDD and once I plugged it in after my SSD + Windows installation, I won't show up?


Assign it a drive letter in disk management.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1227647/how-to-initialize-and-format-a-new-disk-for-use-in-windows-7#post_16684788


----------



## chrisys93

I'm about to do the Steam on ssd + Games on HDD guide. Is there some sort of Origin guide as well?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chrisys93*
> 
> I'm about to do the Steam on ssd + Games on HDD guide. Is there some sort of Origin guide as well?


Nope, I don't have origin. I have no idea if it is even like steam.


----------



## chrisys93

Nevermind about Origin. Origin has a option of where you can install/download games to. BTW big thanks for the guide, easy for someone as challenged as me lol


----------



## chrisys93

"Make a Junction" link on the steam guide seems broken.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chrisys93*
> 
> "Make a Junction" link on the steam guide seems broken.


The site is down at the moment. Alternatively you can use this: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

It has how to with CMD.

*EDIT:* Actually here is the program I have the installer on my PC still and uploaded it for ya.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ap1owkl78nqbfwb


----------



## czin125

For a laptop, do I just disable one of the harddrives out of the 2? ( neither are SSDs ) Not RAID.

Disable second HDD-->

Insert DVD and then Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format.

Install Windows now as Custom(Advanced) and don't format partitions.

Do everything under "Immediately after Windows"

~~
Insert DVD again and delete 100mb partition and then run the Start up Repair 3 times at this point ( Is this before or after Windows installation? )


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *czin125*
> 
> For a laptop, do I just disable one of the harddrives out of the 2? ( neither are SSDs ) Not RAID.
> 
> Disable second HDD-->
> 
> Insert DVD and then Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format.
> 
> Install Windows now as Custom(Advanced) and don't format partitions.
> 
> Do everything under "Immediately after Windows"
> 
> ~~
> Insert DVD again and delete 100mb partition and then run the Start up Repair 3 times at this point ( Is this before or after Windows installation? )


If you can unplug the secondary HDD, but if there is a disable option like you say then just do that.

If you are doing a fresh install and you follow the MBR guide you will not have a 100MB partition to delete on the main drive. If you do however have a 100mb partition on the secondary drive from the old install all you need to do is delete it in disk management.


----------



## jaywar

Grats on the Editor position Sean. Keep up the good work.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jaywar*
> 
> Grats on the Editor position Sean. Keep up the good work.


Thanks, will do.


----------



## czin125

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you can unplug the secondary HDD, but if there is a disable option like you say then just do that.
> If you are doing a fresh install and you follow the MBR guide you will not have a 100MB partition to delete on the main drive. If you do however have a 100mb partition on the secondary drive from the old install all you need to do is delete it in disk management.


For updating the firmware for the harddrives, do I run it from desktop or something else and then click through everything? Do I enable the second drive before starting this?

Oh thanks. Do I enable the other drive after everything else? Or enable it part way

Where do I get the Intel chipset drivers or is the Intel RST the same thing?

Is the Intel MEI necessary?

Motherboard drivers? For a laptop?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> For updating the firmware for the harddrives, do I run it from desktop or something else and then click through everything? Do I enable the second drive before starting this?


You probably don't need to update the firmware for your HDD, it is mainly for SSDs. Don't worry about it. But you can loook it up on your HDD manufacturer's website.
Quote:


> Oh thanks. Do I enable the other drive after everything else? Or enable it part way


In step five of the guide when you shut down you can enable it then.
Quote:


> Where do I get the Intel chipset drivers or is the Intel RST the same thing?


step 7 of the guide, though you can simply go here and it will automatically give you the most up to date drivers for your mobo as long as it is intel: http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect
Quote:


> Is the Intel MEI necessary?


If it is for your mobo you might as well get it.
Quote:


> Motherboard drivers? For a laptop?


Laptop manufacturers website will have them.

Basically lean the hardware of your laptop and Google up the newest drivers and firmware for it from the manufacturers of the laptop and parts in it.

I am off to bed now so any more questions will be answered tomorrow.


----------



## czin125

By motherboard drivers, you mean the utilities and various things?


----------



## ghostrider85

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *czin125*
> 
> By motherboard drivers, you mean the utilities and various things?


no, example is the chipset driver, sata driver, usb, audio, etc.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> good luck
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LOL, idk weird stuff...if you could let me know if they are the same or what the difference is if there actually is i'd appreciate it.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *T0cuz*
> 
> but Sean, i am a lil bit scared : why "windows boot manager" is still in my uefi on the boot selection ?
> no doubts that is from gpt. now i am on mbr and i wuld love to "clean" that . clear cmos "command" will be ok ? do u have any ideea ? thx


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HeyYoWL*
> 
> One thing I think everyone should do once Windows is all setup and updated is remove the SP1 backup files. Quickest way is through Command Prompt
> 1) Windows Key + R (Run prompt)
> 2) Type: cmd
> 3) Type: dism /online /cleanup-image /spsuperseded
> OR
> 1) Start Menu -> Type: disk cleanup
> 2) If you have UAC enabled, click Cleanup System Files. If not, just skip to the next step.
> 3) Select "Service Pack Backup File" and hit OK.
> Might take a couple of minutes. It gave me back 7GB on my 60GB Vertex 3 which is a HUGE difference!


How much space can this procedure save?


----------



## 4514kaiser

Hey another Question SSD is not being friendly

So boot the pc in raid mode with only the ssd connect (Since once windows is on i'll install raid 0 w/ 2 seprate HDD)
Have my USB CD/DVD writer in USB mode

Start your guide : Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format

And after following the steps and typeing in "lis dis" I get this

'There are no fixed disks to show '....... WHAT my ssd clearly shows up in bios!! its set as boot priority option 2 (usb cd/dvd as 1)

Help!!


----------



## 4514kaiser

just tried it in AHCI mode worked wierd...... nm hope it still works when i select raid mode to creat my raid setup


----------



## KaRLiToS

subbed


----------



## kevindd992002

The locations of my user folders (documents, downloads, my pictures, etc.) are set to drive D (my HDD). I just noticed now that the Desktop, Documents, and Downloads folders are doubled under C:/Users/[username], why is that?


----------



## MiyukiChan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> The locations of my user folders (documents, downloads, my pictures, etc.) are set to drive D (my HDD). I just noticed now that the Desktop, Documents, and Downloads folders are doubled under C:/Users/[username], why is that?


Are you sure it's doubled and not just linked?

I.e You put one file in the map on C, then it will also appear on the map on D. (I hope you understand what i mean)
So basically it's the same map!


----------



## 4514kaiser

kk so setup is complete except once i change it back to raid mode windows will not boot!

It get's up to the screen where the windows symbol glows In the centre of the screen... Then the screen goes black and it reboots... and it gives me the usually windows failed to load repair / boot normal ect...

It will only boot in AHCI mode.... Is by bios corrupted?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KaRLiToS*
> 
> subbed










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> The locations of my user folders (documents, downloads, my pictures, etc.) are set to drive D (my HDD). I just noticed now that the Desktop, Documents, and Downloads folders are doubled under C:/Users/[username], why is that?


Are they duplicates? If so you can delete them.

This is how mine is after moving most of my user folders to my D:\ drive. Take not of the locations. The left is my user folder on the C drive. The right is the destination I set for some of my user folders. In the center is the overall user folder when you press the start button and click your user name.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> kk so setup is complete except once i change it back to raid mode windows will not boot!
> 
> It get's up to the screen where the windows symbol glows In the centre of the screen... Then the screen goes black and it reboots... and it gives me the usually windows failed to load repair / boot normal ect...
> 
> It will only boot in AHCI mode.... Is by bios corrupted?


You need to follow this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## 4514kaiser

I assume its fine that

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci
default value was 0

And that
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor
Does not exist on my pc.

Quote:


> Exit all Windows-based programs.
> Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
> Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
> If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
> Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:
> Code:
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor
> 
> In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
> In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
> On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
> Restart your computer
> Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable RAID, Save & Reboot
> Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> I assume its fine that
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci
> default value was 0
> 
> And that
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor
> Does not exist on my pc.
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Exit all Windows-based programs.
> Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
> Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
> If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
> Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:
> Code:
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor
> 
> In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
> In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
> On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
> Restart your computer
> Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable RAID, Save & Reboot
> Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.
Click to expand...

did you install teh intel sata drivers?


----------



## 4514kaiser

I updated my m4 drivers but not my mb sata chipset drivers also updated bios

should i get these chipset drivers and is it 'fine' to abort the registry editor half way through the changers to update them?

TY ton for the help


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> I updated my m4 drivers but not my mb sata chipset drivers also updated bios
> 
> should i get these chipset drivers and is it 'fine' to abort the registry editor half way through the changers to update them?
> 
> TY ton for the help


Run this and it will update all the Intel drivers in your system: http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect

and you can leave the registry as it is.


----------



## 4514kaiser

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Run this and it will update all the Intel drivers in your system: http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect
> and you can leave the registry as it is.


kk Done that

However This is still not appearing (i did restart my pc)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor

should i just modify what i can and try and continue?


----------



## Sean Webster

try and continue


----------



## 4514kaiser

Didn't work

As you can see

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor

does not exist... Could newer drivers have a different name for it? Any idea what i could try next


----------



## Chubrock

Hi Sean,
I noticed this IRST Driver should be installed after Win 7 installation which I cant get past because I keep getting the error "No device drivers were found. Make sure that the installation media contains the correct drivers"

Ive tried to copy my original DVD at a slower speedx4 but it didnt work either. I will definetley setup a MBR eventually once I figure out how to get Win 7 reinstalled. Any other recommendations?
Thanks again for your help.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> Didn't work
> 
> As you can see
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor
> 
> does not exist... Could newer drivers have a different name for it? Any idea what i could try next


Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://www.alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&download_id=9
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Chubrock*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> I noticed this IRST Driver should be installed after Win 7 installation which I cant get past because I keep getting the error "No device drivers were found. Make sure that the installation media contains the correct drivers"
> 
> Ive tried to copy my original DVD at a slower speedx4 but it didnt work either. I will definetley setup a MBR eventually once I figure out how to get Win 7 reinstalled. Any other recommendations?
> Thanks again for your help.


Are you installing in RAID mode? If so load the RAID driver before install.

Make sure your drive is plugged into the Native AMD or Intel SATA port in your system.


----------



## macneubie

Many thanks to Sean for this thread. As I'm new here and just finished installing core OS on my 128GB Crucial M4. I have a few questions (hopefully is not asked before, if so please point to the link) and hope any guru can answer.

As space is limited, I have only install selected apps to reside on the SSD. Thereafter, can I tweak the default program location folders as directed in http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1170#post_15989972 ? Will it cause any problems to the apps that are default installed onto the SSD?

Also, there are quite a lot of JPG wallpapers W7 provided, and I have them identified. They are located in C:\windows\sxs, in some lengthy-name folders, and some other locations.

What I know these wallpapers belong ownership to Windows. Need to take some steps before successfully deleting them and regaining some space. Question is is there any easier way to delete off these system JPGs without individually rightclicking on the folder properties, take ownership, edit user rights to full access and deleting off the JPEGs and their corresponding folders? Thanks


----------



## 4514kaiser

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://www.alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&download_id=9


kk well i'v done the benchmark results seem a tad low.....


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MiyukiChan*
> 
> Are you sure it's doubled and not just linked?
> I.e You put one file in the map on C, then it will also appear on the map on D. (I hope you understand what i mean)
> So basically it's the same map!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are they duplicates? If so you can delete them.
> This is how mine is after moving most of my user folders to my D:\ drive. Take not of the locations. The left is my user folder on the C drive. The right is the destination I set for some of my user folders. In the center is the overall user folder when you press the start button and click your user name.


Sean, that's exactly what I'm aiming for but unfortunately I do have duplicates which I don't know why it happened. Here's a pic:










You can see that there are 2 Downloads folder. One is in drive C and one is in drive D (this is the one with the Location tab and is the one that I set the location to drive D). The drive C Downloads folder do not have any contents inside it.

There are also 2 Desktop folders. The drive C Desktop folder has contents though, it has some shortcuts that were created by some programs during installation.

What do you guys think?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *macneubie*
> 
> Many thanks to Sean for this thread. As I'm new here and just finished installing core OS on my 128GB Crucial M4. I have a few questions (hopefully is not asked before, if so please point to the link) and hope any guru can answer.
> 
> As space is limited, I have only install selected apps to reside on the SSD. Thereafter, can I tweak the default program location folders as directed in http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1170#post_15989972 ? Will it cause any problems to the apps that are default installed onto the SSD?
> 
> Also, there are quite a lot of JPG wallpapers W7 provided, and I have them identified. They are located in C:\windows\sxs, in some lengthy-name folders, and some other locations.
> 
> What I know these wallpapers belong ownership to Windows. Need to take some steps before successfully deleting them and regaining some space. Question is is there any easier way to delete off these system JPGs without individually rightclicking on the folder properties, take ownership, edit user rights to full access and deleting off the JPEGs and their corresponding folders? Thanks


No idea on the wall paper stuff but you can change the default install location fine, that is why it is linked in the guide. Also, you may want to move your user folder completely which is in the 3rd post: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://www.alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&download_id=9
> 
> 
> 
> kk well i'v done the benchmark results seem a tad low.....
Click to expand...

Like I said, you need the Intel SATA driver. Did you not go to this link and update your drivers? http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect

if somehow you don't update your driver from there use this: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=20507


----------



## 4514kaiser

hmmm I did the Asus recomended update then the intel uprade for the board.... i'll give it another go


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *MiyukiChan*
> 
> Are you sure it's doubled and not just linked?
> I.e You put one file in the map on C, then it will also appear on the map on D. (I hope you understand what i mean)
> So basically it's the same map!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are they duplicates? If so you can delete them.
> This is how mine is after moving most of my user folders to my D:\ drive. Take not of the locations. The left is my user folder on the C drive. The right is the destination I set for some of my user folders. In the center is the overall user folder when you press the start button and click your user name.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sean, that's exactly what I'm aiming for but unfortunately I do have duplicates which I don't know why it happened. Here's a pic:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see that there are 2 Downloads folder. One is in drive C and one is in drive D (this is the one with the Location tab and is the one that I set the location to drive D). The drive C Downloads folder do not have any contents inside it.
> 
> There are also 2 Desktop folders. The drive C Desktop folder has contents though, it has some shortcuts that were created by some programs during installation.
> 
> What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Delete the downloads folder on the C: drive. Move the stuff from the desktop folder on the C: drive to the desktop folder on the D: drive and then delete the desktop folder on the C: drive.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Delete the downloads folder on the C: drive. Move the stuff from the desktop folder on the C: drive to the desktop folder on the D: drive and then delete the desktop folder on the C: drive.


Yeah, but why did this happen? I set the location of those folders from the very start (from fresh install). Why do some programs still treat C:/Users/Kevin as the default folder where they put shortcuts and other files.

In the picture above, you can see files like dotnetfolder.txt, *.dll files, and PCPE Setup.exe. All of those are located in the C:/Users/Kevin folder.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Delete the downloads folder on the C: drive. Move the stuff from the desktop folder on the C: drive to the desktop folder on the D: drive and then delete the desktop folder on the C: drive.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, but why did this happen? I set the location of those folders from the very start (from fresh install). Why do some programs still treat C:/Users/Kevin as the default folder where they put shortcuts and other files.
> 
> In the picture above, you can see files like dotnetfolder.txt, *.dll files, and PCPE Setup.exe. All of those are located in the C:/Users/Kevin folder.
Click to expand...

I don't know, it does the same thing for my pictures, video, music, and documents folders too. You just need to delete them on the C: drive.

As for the other files...that is from you, I don't know what that is.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I don't know, it does the same thing for my pictures, video, music, and documents folders too. You just need to delete them on the C: drive.
> As for the other files...that is from you, I don't know what that is.


Oh ok. And when you delete them the future installations will treat the folders in drive D as the default folders?

Well, those files also came from the installers. How do I make all installers treat D:/Users/Kevin as the defaul install folder for their config files or such?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I don't know, it does the same thing for my pictures, video, music, and documents folders too. You just need to delete them on the C: drive.
> As for the other files...that is from you, I don't know what that is.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh ok. And when you delete them the future installations will treat the folders in drive D as the default folders?
> 
> Well, those files also came from the installers. How do I make all installers treat D:/Users/Kevin as the defaul install folder for their config files or such?
Click to expand...

some installers make the folder on C automatically. You can most likely delete it without issue for the program.

For future installs you have to change the path like you normally do and just merge the folders when it asks to merge or not.


----------



## macneubie

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No idea on the wall paper stuff but you can change the default install location fine, that is why it is linked in the guide. Also, you may want to move your user folder completely which is in the 3rd post: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html


OK thanks. I guess I'll just have to go thru the tedious way of changing ownerships and then assign myself full control of the JPGs and then delete off the space-hogging files. 100+ MB recovered, as much as the default windows reserved partition.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> some installers make the folder on C automatically. You can most likely delete it without issue for the program.
> For future installs you have to change the path like you normally do and just merge the folders when it asks to merge or not.


If I delete the folder and then install the same program, will it make a new folder of the same type again?

Change the path? You mean install the whole program at drive D? The only files it puts on the user folder are the config files (I think). What do you mean merge the folders? I haven't encountered any installer that asked me to merge the folder so I'm not sure what you mean.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> some installers make the folder on C automatically. You can most likely delete it without issue for the program.
> For future installs you have to change the path like you normally do and just merge the folders when it asks to merge or not.
> 
> 
> 
> If I delete the folder and then install the same program, will it make a new folder of the same type again?
> 
> Change the path? You mean install the whole program at drive D? The only files it puts on the user folder are the config files (I think). What do you mean merge the folders? I haven't encountered any installer that asked me to merge the folder so I'm not sure what you mean.
Click to expand...

YOU CAN PROBABLY DELETE THE CONFIG FOLDER AND THE PROGRAM WONT GIVE YOU AN ISSUE.

ALSO TO THE OTHER QUESTION, WHEN YOU REINSTALL ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CHANGE THE LOCATION TAB AGAIN FOR THE USER FOLDERS AND WHEN IT ASKS YOU TO MERGE JUST CLICK TO MERGE.


----------



## 4514kaiser

KK downloaded and installed, some new

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorXX

files have appeared as shown in screen shot but i'm still missing

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> KK downloaded and installed, some new
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorXX
> 
> files have appeared as shown in screen shot but i'm still missing
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor


Set those to enabled at start and change sata mode to RAID and you should be fine.

First however before you do it I suggest you quickly make a system image: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html


----------



## 4514kaiser

So i changed the following in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\XXXXX

iaStorA
IAStorDataMgrSvc
iaStorF
iaStorV
msahci

Modifed there start file's to have a (base Hexadecimal) value of 0
Then went file>exit

rebooted select raid mode in bios and i got the same issue it just crashers as it loads windows
Changed it back to AHCI mode... (boots fine as normal)

(didn't bother with system image since don't have any spare hhd and I assume it won't fit on a DVD all 60gb of windows, i'll most certainly do your after installing windows guide once i get raid going)


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ALSO TO THE OTHER QUESTION, WHEN YOU REINSTALL ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CHANGE THE LOCATION TAB AGAIN FOR THE USER FOLDERS AND WHEN IT ASKS YOU TO MERGE JUST CLICK TO MERGE.


I still don't understand this. The location in the location tab does not change for the user folder. If you take a look at the picture I've posted above, the Location tab isn't even present in the drive C Downloads foler. This means that it is just like any ordinary folder that seems to be created by the programs. So what do you mean?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> So i changed the following in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\XXXXX
> 
> iaStorA
> IAStorDataMgrSvc
> iaStorF
> iaStorV
> msahci
> 
> Modifed there start file's to have a (base Hexadecimal) value of 0
> Then went file>exit
> 
> rebooted select raid mode in bios and i got the same issue it just crashers as it loads windows
> Changed it back to AHCI mode... (boots fine as normal)
> 
> (didn't bother with system image since don't have any spare hhd and I assume it won't fit on a DVD all 60gb of windows, i'll most certainly do your after installing windows guide once i get raid going)


You could try changing the SATA mode to RAID, boot off the install disk, run start up repair 3 times or so and see if that gets it to boot into RAID mode.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ALSO TO THE OTHER QUESTION, WHEN YOU REINSTALL ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CHANGE THE LOCATION TAB AGAIN FOR THE USER FOLDERS AND WHEN IT ASKS YOU TO MERGE JUST CLICK TO MERGE.
> 
> 
> 
> I still don't understand this. The location in the location tab does not change for the user folder. If you take a look at the picture I've posted above, the Location tab isn't even present in the drive C Downloads foler. This means that it is just like any ordinary folder that seems to be created by the programs. So what do you mean?
Click to expand...

What is there to understand? Delete the user folder that is on the C: drive. Period done. The real User folder for downloads, desktop, etc is on the D: drive now.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What is there to understand? Delete the user folder that is on the C: drive. Period done. The real User folder for downloads, desktop, etc is on the D: drive now.


Because you told me to "CHANGE THE LOCATION TAB AGAIN FOR THE USER FOLDERS AND WHEN IT ASKS YOU TO MERGE JUST CLICK TO MERGE" right? Why do I need to change the location tab AGAIN for the user folders when it wasn't even changed/altered/edited by any program in the first place?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What is there to understand? Delete the user folder that is on the C: drive. Period done. The real User folder for downloads, desktop, etc is on the D: drive now.
> 
> 
> 
> Because you told me to "CHANGE THE LOCATION TAB AGAIN FOR THE USER FOLDERS AND WHEN IT ASKS YOU TO MERGE JUST CLICK TO MERGE" right? Why do I need to change the location tab AGAIN for the user folders when it wasn't even changed/altered/edited by any program in the first place?
Click to expand...

No I said that for when you do a later re-install because you said when you re install they will default to the D drive and they actually will not and you will have to reset the locations to the D: drive when you re-install and when you do that since data is already in the folders on the D: drive you have to merge it.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No I said that for when you do a later re-install because you said when you re install they will default to the D drive and they actually will not and you will have to reset the locations to the D: drive when you re-install and when you do that since data is already in the folders on the D: drive you have to merge it.


I think you misunderstood what I said. When I reinstall, they put their config file in the drive C user folders. My question was how do I let the installation know that my user folders are now in drive D? Also, you said I will have to reset the locations to drive D, why do I need to do that when the locations were at drive D all the time (as I've said they weren't edited by the installation process).

Sorry, please expound more if we're not on the same page here.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No I said that for when you do a later re-install because you said when you re install they will default to the D drive and they actually will not and you will have to reset the locations to the D: drive when you re-install and when you do that since data is already in the folders on the D: drive you have to merge it.
> 
> 
> 
> I think you misunderstood what I said. When I reinstall, they put their config file in the drive C user folders. My question was how do I let the installation know that my user folders are now in drive D? Also, you said I will have to reset the locations to drive D, why do I need to do that when the locations were at drive D all the time (as I've said they weren't edited by the installation process).
> 
> Sorry, please expound more if we're not on the same page here.
Click to expand...


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*


You're right, we 're both confused here. I really can't understand what you're saying because you said I should change the location when I reinstall.


----------



## Sean Webster

Ok, lets start over lol. First though, when you said reinstall I thought you were saying reinstall Windows 7.

But anyways, go! What is it that you are saying and need help with?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok, lets start over lol. First though, when you said reinstall I thought you were saying reinstall Windows 7.
> But anyways, go! What is it that you are saying and need help with?


LOL, that's why. When I said reinstall I'm actually referring to the programs that I install.

Let's give a concrete example of programs. Let's say OCCT and SpeedFan. When I installed both of those software, I checked "create a desktop shortcut". They did create a desktop shortcut but placed those under C:/Users/Kevin/Desktop (they created a new Desktop folder) when my original Desktop folder has its location under D:/Users/Kevin/Desktop. So why do they do that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Those par probably programmed to not install to the user folder location of the desktop, but to the location C:/Users/Kevin/Desktop and since it technically isn't there they make their own folder.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Those par probably programmed to not install to the user folder location of the desktop, but to the location C:/Users/Kevin/Desktop and since it technically isn't there they make their own folder.


Right, so I guess we can't do anything about this, right? And by the way, the shortcuts don't show at my Desktop at all since their actual location is on drive C.


----------



## Sean Webster

Not really.


----------



## jetpak12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> So i changed the following in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\XXXXX
> 
> iaStorA
> IAStorDataMgrSvc
> iaStorF
> iaStorV
> msahci
> 
> Modifed there start file's to have a (base Hexadecimal) value of 0
> Then went file>exit
> 
> rebooted select raid mode in bios and i got the same issue it just crashers as it loads windows
> Changed it back to AHCI mode... (boots fine as normal)
> 
> (didn't bother with system image since don't have any spare hhd and I assume it won't fit on a DVD all 60gb of windows, i'll most certainly do your after installing windows guide once i get raid going)


I don't know if this will solve your problem, but you don't need to change IAStorDataMgrSvc. I just switched from AHCI to RAID not too long ago after following this guide and all I did was change iaStor, iaStorV and msahci Start values to 0 (I don't have A or F). Leave DataMgrSvc at the default setting (which is 2 for me). I also had to reinstall the Intel RST because it wasn't loading correctly after the change, but I got into Windows just fine.


----------



## 4514kaiser

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You could try changing the SATA mode to RAID, boot off the install disk, run start up repair 3 times or so and see if that gets it to boot into RAID mode.


Ya gave that a go last time i'll give it another go......
I'm also now running in to addtional issues Dll files are suposidly missing and neither CCC or windows is seeing my second HD 7970 weird..,... the 7970 might just be bios offcourse but could the missing DLL be caused by the regedit? (This may just be the programe offcourse)


----------



## 4514kaiser

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jetpak12*
> 
> I don't know if this will solve your problem, but you don't need to change IAStorDataMgrSvc. I just switched from AHCI to RAID not too long ago after following this guide and all I did was change iaStor, iaStorV and msahci Start values to 0 (I don't have A or F). Leave DataMgrSvc at the default setting (which is 2 for me). I also had to reinstall the Intel RST because it wasn't loading correctly after the change, but I got into Windows just fine.


ya have know idea what is going on with my windows with those random file..... I'll Give changing IAStorDataMgrSvc back to it original value of 2 a go. Just out of interest did all the regedit files that you changed have a value of 3 ??? because only msahci had that for me all the rest had a value of 0....


----------



## 4514kaiser

So i tried to just startup in raidmod and repair windows

1st start up - repair fails, get the following message

problem Event name : Startup Repair Offine

Problem signature 01: 0.0.0.0
Problem signature 02: 0.0.0.0
Problem signature 03: unknown
Problem signature 04: 0
Problem signature 05: unknown
Problem signature 06 : 1
Problem signature 06 : unknown

OS verision 6.1.7601.2.1.0.2561
Local ID: 1033

2nd Boot windows is not even recogised as being on the PC and when you go to install it NO Hdd are there.....

I'm at a loss........ setting up windows and raid is usually takes a hour at the most not a week







...... Might just have to stick with AHCI Mode.......

Thanks for all the help Sean Webster I feel heavly indebted..... If you have any more ideas on what i should try i'm keen to give them a go but I'm admittedly about to to give up:sadsmiley


----------



## Glacial

In Intel RST screenshot below why is the mode configured to RAID (on right hand corner)? Where am I wrong?









http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=14w3wd2&s=5

When I tried to install "STOR_Win7_XP_11.0.0.1032_PV.exe" driver from: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20913&ProdId=3434&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Drivers
I got "This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software"

Huh???

Got decent score though.










Help me, mighty Sean....









Thx.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> So i tried to just startup in raidmod and repair windows
> 
> 1st start up - repair fails, get the following message
> 
> problem Event name : Startup Repair Offine
> 
> Problem signature 01: 0.0.0.0
> Problem signature 02: 0.0.0.0
> Problem signature 03: unknown
> Problem signature 04: 0
> Problem signature 05: unknown
> Problem signature 06 : 1
> Problem signature 06 : unknown
> 
> OS verision 6.1.7601.2.1.0.2561
> Local ID: 1033
> 
> 2nd Boot windows is not even recogised as being on the PC and when you go to install it NO Hdd are there.....
> 
> I'm at a loss........ setting up windows and raid is usually takes a hour at the most not a week
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...... Might just have to stick with AHCI Mode.......
> 
> Thanks for all the help Sean Webster I feel heavly indebted..... If you have any more ideas on what i should try i'm keen to give them a go but I'm admittedly about to to give up


Like I said you may need to run the start up repair over 3 times. Keep trying.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glacial*
> 
> In Intel RST screenshot below why is the mode configured to RAID (on right hand corner)? Where am I wrong?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=14w3wd2&s=5
> 
> When I tried to install "STOR_Win7_XP_11.0.0.1032_PV.exe" driver from: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20913&ProdId=3434&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Drivers
> I got "This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software"
> 
> Huh???
> 
> Got decent score though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Help me, mighty Sean....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thx.


You need net framework 4 maybe? http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17851


----------



## 4514kaiser

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Like I said you may need to run the start up repair over 3 times. Keep trying.


tried 3 more times didn't work the the pc just does not recognize windows is on it........ does not even see the ssd (bios does)

Anyway i'll just have to stick with AHCI...... do i need to alter the regedit back or is it fine to leave it how it currently is..... Ty sean for all the help









Otherwise it's time to clean up my ssd









Just another quick question how do i remove the 100 mb system partition on a hdd that used to have windows installed on it...
Usually I can through disk manager
>delete volume>delete partition>merge partition>then just format....... however once i delete the volume the only option available is to create a new volume??
I have also tried via booting from win7 dvd through advanced disk options no luck at formatting the 100mb partition there either....


----------



## kevindd992002

The link to the "remove shortcut extension" tweak is already invalid, can anybody provide another link for this?

Sean, what would be the best backup software that I can use to backup my fresh installed system?

Regarding the PC waking up from Sleep, why is it that when the "Allow this device to wake the computer" is checked, the network card wakes the computer? I mean for what reason does it do it?

Also, does enabling system restore and setting it to 1% affect the speeds of SSDs in any way? I read on the link you've provided in the OP regarding "what's up with write-buffer caching" that it did make the Intel G2 SSDs suffer when system restore is enabled.


----------



## Glacial

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need net framework 4 maybe? http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17851


Hmm I'll try that.

Btw, according to "f6flpy-x64_11.0.0.1032.zip" readme file from http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20913&ProdId=3434&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Drivers , I need to pre-install that f6 driver during windows installation and I didn't do that since i thought that pre-installation only needed for older windows. Is there where I gone wrong?

Do those drivers from link above even the correct drivers for me? I'm little confused now.

Thx.


----------



## Glacial

I've installed net framework 4. And nope, "STOR_Win7_XP_11.0.0.1032_PV.exe" cannot still be installed.

When I first enter win, the IRST is not working immidiately. Only working after 2-3 mnts later. is this normal? And why is my controller properties mode in IRST window just as my screenshot above is still RAID?


----------



## czin125

After doing all this, how do I make a copy of this Windows installation?


----------



## Jaffi

Hi everyone,

Extremely informative guide! But I am left with two questions: Currently I have Win7 installed on my SSD and there is also a HDD with 3 partitions. Before reinstalling Windows, is there anything hidden on the HDD I should delete manually?
If I do not want the 4096 alginment (I am good with standard 103424 K (which is like 1024 K because of the system reserved partition) can I just install Windows the normal way without CMD commands?


----------



## MiyukiChan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jaffi*
> 
> Hi everyone,
> Extremely informative guide! But I am left with two questions: Currently I have Win7 installed on my SSD and there is also a HDD with 3 partitions. Before reinstalling Windows, is there anything hidden on the HDD I should delete manually?
> If I do not want the 4096 alginment (I am good with standard 103424 K (which is like 1024 K because of the system reserved partition) can I just install Windows the normal way without CMD commands?


Not if you format the drive i think and if you choose to format it from windows it will give you options to choose alignment sizes.

Yes you can install it without cmd commands 

I tried my best to answer you because i didn't really understand what you meant.


----------



## Jaffi

Thanks! I meant hidden files on the HDD that windows created. For example for system reserve or something like that


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Like I said you may need to run the start up repair over 3 times. Keep trying.
> 
> 
> 
> tried 3 more times didn't work the the pc just does not recognize windows is on it........ does not even see the ssd (bios does)
> 
> Anyway i'll just have to stick with AHCI...... do i need to alter the regedit back or is it fine to leave it how it currently is..... Ty sean for all the help
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Otherwise it's time to clean up my ssd
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just another quick question how do i remove the 100 mb system partition on a hdd that used to have windows installed on it...
> Usually I can through disk manager
> >delete volume>delete partition>merge partition>then just format....... however once i delete the volume the only option available is to create a new volume??
> I have also tried via booting from win7 dvd through advanced disk options no luck at formatting the 100mb partition there either....
Click to expand...

You need to use this program to merge the 100MB free space into the partition next to it: http://download.cnet.com/EaseUS-Partition-Master-Home-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> The link to the "remove shortcut extension" tweak is already invalid, can anybody provide another link for this?


Google is your friend.
Quote:


> Sean, what would be the best backup software that I can use to backup my fresh installed system?


In teh guide I link it multiple times: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
Quote:


> Regarding the PC waking up from Sleep, why is it that when the "Allow this device to wake the computer" is checked, the network card wakes the computer? I mean for what reason does it do it?


if it is part of a network of machines you can access the slave PC from the master PC.
Quote:


> Also, does enabling system restore and setting it to 1% affect the speeds of SSDs in any way? I read on the link you've provided in the OP regarding "what's up with write-buffer caching" that it did make the Intel G2 SSDs suffer when system restore is enabled.


Does nothing. It is the same as leaving it default, it does nothing but let you use system restore.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glacial*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need net framework 4 maybe? http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17851
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm I'll try that.
> 
> Btw, according to "f6flpy-x64_11.0.0.1032.zip" readme file from http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20913&ProdId=3434&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Drivers , I need to pre-install that f6 driver during windows installation and I didn't do that since i thought that pre-installation only needed for older windows. Is there where I gone wrong?
> 
> Do those drivers from link above even the correct drivers for me? I'm little confused now.
> 
> Thx.
Click to expand...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glacial*
> 
> I've installed net framework 4. And nope, "STOR_Win7_XP_11.0.0.1032_PV.exe" cannot still be installed.


IDK. Make a thread for help.
Quote:


> When I first enter win, the IRST is not working immidiately. Only working after 2-3 mnts later. is this normal?


Yes
Quote:


> And why is my controller properties mode in IRST window just as my screenshot above is still RAID?


IDK
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *czin125*
> 
> After doing all this, how do I make a copy of this Windows installation?


In the guide I link it multiple times: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jaffi*
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> Extremely informative guide! But I am left with two questions: Currently I have Win7 installed on my SSD and there is also a HDD with 3 partitions. Before reinstalling Windows, is there anything hidden on the HDD I should delete manually?
> If I do not want the 4096 alginment (I am good with standard 103424 K (which is like 1024 K because of the system reserved partition) can I just install Windows the normal way without CMD commands?


Yes you can normally.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jaffi*
> 
> Thanks! I meant hidden files on the HDD that windows created. For example for system reserve or something like that


Yes delete the system reserve


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need to use this program to merge the 100MB free space into the partition next to it: http://download.cnet.com/EaseUS-Partition-Master-Home-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html
> Google is your friend.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Sean, what would be the best backup software that I can use to backup my fresh installed system?
> 
> 
> 
> In teh guide I link it multiple times: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Regarding the PC waking up from Sleep, why is it that when the "Allow this device to wake the computer" is checked, the network card wakes the computer? I mean for what reason does it do it?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> if it is part of a network of machines you can access the slave PC from the master PC.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also, does enabling system restore and setting it to 1% affect the speeds of SSDs in any way? I read on the link you've provided in the OP regarding "what's up with write-buffer caching" that it did make the Intel G2 SSDs suffer when system restore is enabled.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Does nothing. It is the same as leaving it default, it does nothing but let you use system restore.
> IDK. Make a thread for help.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> When I first enter win, the IRST is not working immidiately. Only working after 2-3 mnts later. is this normal?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> And why is my controller properties mode in IRST window just as my screenshot above is still RAID?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> IDK
> In the guide I link it multiple times: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
> Yes you can normally.
> Yes delete the system reserve
Click to expand...

Well, I'm just saying because that guide is in your link.

But no one in my network (three computers) accesses the computer that is asleep.

So that's only for Intel SSD G2?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Well, I'm just saying because that guide is in your link


Not any more lol But there are thousands of links on google.
Quote:


> But no one in my network (three computers) accesses the computer that is asleep.


ok? Soooo...disable it
Quote:


> So that's only for Intel SSD G2?


I guess? not sure it that is even valid?


----------



## Wind

Wow Sean, incredible guide, really helped me out. without it I woud not have known about the alignment thing along with many other things. I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time and effort to make this guide along with the buyers guide (bought my M4 based on your recommendation)


----------



## Sean Webster

No problem, glad I could help you.


----------



## 4514kaiser

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need to use this program to merge the 100MB free space into the partition next to it: http://download.cnet.com/EaseUS-Partition-Master-Home-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html
> Google is your friend.


Quote:


> Google is your friend.


lol unlike







Ty for the help work easily did see anything on Google as soon as you type partition you get a ton of bs on how to do the basics and not much more..

BTW here is the resolution to the problem that i was having with raid and windows..... read post 2 if your interested!

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1678573&highlight=raid+asus

Cheers


----------



## Snooter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is most likely that you need to look over disabling/shrinking the page file and hibernation file.
> I had both and it made no difference in space used except the initial loss of ~200MB due to the partition set up.


Hey Sean,

It has been a while since you answered me but I just wanted to thank you for helping me out. You were right about it being the pagefile file. What had happened was I change the amount of RAM from 8gb to 16gb and that added 16gb of space to the pagefile. I had never considered this because I had shrunk the pagefile when I only had 8gb. Thanks again for your help and sorry about the late response.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4514kaiser*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need to use this program to merge the 100MB free space into the partition next to it: http://download.cnet.com/EaseUS-Partition-Master-Home-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html
> Google is your friend.
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Google is your friend.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> lol unlike
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ty for the help work easily did see anything on Google as soon as you type partition you get a ton of bs on how to do the basics and not much more..
> 
> BTW here is the resolution to the problem that i was having with raid and windows..... read post 2 if your interested!
> 
> http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1678573&highlight=raid+asus
> 
> Cheers
Click to expand...

So it is all working in RAID now?









Did you reinstall or just use a different driver. If so what driver did you use?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snooter*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is most likely that you need to look over disabling/shrinking the page file and hibernation file.
> I had both and it made no difference in space used except the initial loss of ~200MB due to the partition set up.
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> It has been a while since you answered me but I just wanted to thank you for helping me out. You were right about it being the pagefile file. What had happened was I change the amount of RAM from 8gb to 16gb and that added 16gb of space to the pagefile. I had never considered this because I had shrunk the pagefile when I only had 8gb. Thanks again for your help and sorry about the late response.
Click to expand...

No problem, glad you found it.


----------



## EcksTen

Hi all.

Firstly thanks to Sean for this awesome guide, I just got my first SSD and was looking for a guide on installing Windows 7 on it for the first time, this was the perfect place for information!

Something that came up for me is similar to someone posting earlier today, I tried downloading and installing the latest AHCI Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers from the Intel site (v11.x) however when I tried to run the setup I get this message:

"The computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software".

I have an ASUS P5K-E/Wifi AP motherboard, so I know it's got the right chipset.

I then tried the slightly older v10.x setup, and that seems to work, so I have no idea what the difference is between the 2 versions that would not allow the newer ones from working.

(as a side note, the ASUS site has Intel Drivers for the SATA chipset, but the latest ones are from 2009, so I figured using the latest IRST drivers would be better.

If anyone has any knowledge as to why the newer drivers refuse to install I'd be very interested to know.

One other thing, does the Intel RST Service need to be running all the time to take advantage of whatever magic they perform, or is it possible to stop the service and the drivers take care of it?

Many thanks,
X10


----------



## macneubie

Thanks for the tip. I have tried tweaking the programs folder to the secondary drive and found it doesn't work as expected. When my freshly installed ssd was loaded with some apps in the default settings, and subsequently changed path to another drive, apps installed in C drive no longer works.

I suspect w7 still very much prefers the default location. Any thoughts on this?


----------



## DBEAU

I've just ordered my samsung 830 and I'm going through the guide getting everything in order for a fresh install when it arrives. However, there is one area I'm a little confused about and I hope someone can clarify this for me..

I'm only going to be using the SSD in my system, no other drives. Do I still install Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EcksTen*
> 
> Hi all.
> 
> Firstly thanks to Sean for this awesome guide, I just got my first SSD and was looking for a guide on installing Windows 7 on it for the first time, this was the perfect place for information!
> 
> Something that came up for me is similar to someone posting earlier today, I tried downloading and installing the latest AHCI Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers from the Intel site (v11.x) however when I tried to run the setup I get this message:
> 
> "The computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software".
> 
> I have an ASUS P5K-E/Wifi AP motherboard, so I know it's got the right chipset.
> 
> I then tried the slightly older v10.x setup, and that seems to work, so I have no idea what the difference is between the 2 versions that would not allow the newer ones from working.
> 
> (as a side note, the ASUS site has Intel Drivers for the SATA chipset, but the latest ones are from 2009, so I figured using the latest IRST drivers would be better.
> 
> If anyone has any knowledge as to why the newer drivers refuse to install I'd be very interested to know.
> 
> One other thing, does the Intel RST Service need to be running all the time to take advantage of whatever magic they perform, or is it possible to stop the service and the drivers take care of it?
> 
> Many thanks,
> X10


Maybe the chipset is incompatible?

These dont work?

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20913&ProdId=3434&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *macneubie*
> 
> Thanks for the tip. I have tried tweaking the programs folder to the secondary drive and found it doesn't work as expected. When my freshly installed ssd was loaded with some apps in the default settings, and subsequently changed path to another drive, apps installed in C drive no longer works.
> 
> I suspect w7 still very much prefers the default location. Any thoughts on this?


idk, I never did it myself.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DBEAU*
> 
> I've just ordered my samsung 830 and I'm going through the guide getting everything in order for a fresh install when it arrives. However, there is one area I'm a little confused about and I hope someone can clarify this for me..
> 
> I'm only going to be using the SSD in my system, no other drives. Do I still install Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers?


Yes.


----------



## bryce

Quick question, I made the system image after setting all this up the first time, do I still need to do the partition aligning if I redo the whole system with the image I created at the beginning or what?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Quick question, I made the system image after setting all this up the first time, do I still need to do the partition aligning if I redo the whole system with the image I created at the beginning or what?


No when you make a system image it keeps alignment, at least with the windows 7 tool.


----------



## 4514kaiser

well the word is this driver works http://www.mediafire.com/?fv1w5j2fkm5n7yl
I personally have not tried it but multiple people on this forum have as well on other forums and say it works well.

I was linked it by some one on the RE4 club who managed to figure it out a two days after I had given up and spent a good day sorting and transferring files form my old desktop. While raid is still tempting i frankly can't be bothered to transfer all those file and programs of the HDD and set them up again.... I'm keen to just fingure out my 7970 issue and AC AQ5 issues and get a good 24/7 oc








Ty for the help again!


----------



## bryce

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No when you make a system image it keeps alignment, at least with the windows 7 tool.


Ok, thanks. Wasn't sure about that.


----------



## KidLi

Just saying thank you for the time, detail, and help you did with these ssd guides. I just used this one tonight and am very satisfied with all the tweaks and overall result! Thanks man!


----------



## Jaffi

Hi,

I have 8 gb ram and windows set the pagefile to 8 gb for me. what would be recommended size? I think 8 gb is way too much?









Thanks!


----------



## XSCounter

1GB is plenty. Some people turn it off completely.


----------



## Jaffi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> 1GB is plenty. Some people turn it off completely.


Thanks! One more question though: Under rightclick on c: (SSD) --> properties, there is no button for disk cleanup anymore. On my HDD partitions I still have it. Who stole it?


----------



## MiyukiChan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jaffi*
> 
> Hi,
> I have 8 gb ram and windows set the pagefile to 8 gb for me. what would be recommended size? I think 8 gb is way too much?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!


Some applications actually requires a pagefile, read HERE for more information.

I've set mine to 3800 to fit the USB ready-boost stick i use.


----------



## EcksTen

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Maybe the chipset is incompatible?
> These dont work?
> http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20913&ProdId=3434&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=


No those are the ones I tried but it just gives me an error. I realised that there are board numbers at the bottom of each download page listing the boards it relates to, but the v10.x install that I used doesn't list my board on there, but still installed.

As the 10.x file installed fine, I assume that I am good to go anyway(?).

Also, does the Intel RST Service need to be running all the time to take advantage of whatever magic they perform, or is it possible to stop the service and the drivers take care of it?

Thanks,
X10


----------



## Crossbones007

Hello,

First time post BIG apologies for the noobness/wall of text. I found this thread after I started having some trouble with my fresh install, specifically with drivers or BIOS I think. This would be my second time building a pc and the first time was 6 years ago and I had help, so here goes.

Im building from scratch all new parts, Gigabyte UD3HB3, 8gig ram, 90g SSD, 1TB WD bare HD. After enabling AHCI in Bios I installed windows on my SSD with the HDD unplugged and it installed fine. I installed the driver for the wireless PCI network card. I went to Gigabyte and downloaded the chipset, lan, usb 3.0 drivers and updated the BIOS. Then I removed hibernate and updated my virus software and graphics driver from EVGA.

My problem is somewhere along the way I noticed that the curser would stop and the screen would freeze. I thought it was the USB drivers (my mouse and keyboard are USB and I tried unplugging and when I plug back in they dont light up) so I reinstalled those from the CD that came with the MOBO.

Basically does anyone have a clue what would be causing this issue? I have to hard reset the PC when this happens and I dont want to make things worse.

Another dumb question: I plugged in my HD and its showing up in BIOS but not in windows. This is cause its not formatted right? I bought a system builder copy of WIN 7 64, will it let me format the HDD even if I already installed WIN on the SSD?

If Im screwed how can I start things fresh?

Thank you for reading.

Edit: Ill just reset the CMOS and reinstall


----------



## chrisys93

Hey im having a bit of a problem here. Whenever I try to log into my user at the user screen in windows 7, It freezes immediately the first time only. If I restart and try the second time, then it works fine. ??


----------



## MiyukiChan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crossbones007*
> 
> Hello,
> First time post BIG apologies for the noobness/wall of text. I found this thread after I started having some trouble with my fresh install, specifically with drivers or BIOS I think. This would be my second time building a pc and the first time was 6 years ago and I had help, so here goes.
> Im building from scratch all new parts, Gigabyte UD3HB3, 8gig ram, 90g SSD, 1TB WD bare HD. After enabling AHCI in Bios I installed windows on my SSD with the HDD unplugged and it installed fine. I installed the driver for the wireless PCI network card. I went to Gigabyte and downloaded the chipset, lan, usb 3.0 drivers and updated the BIOS. Then I removed hibernate and updated my virus software and graphics driver from EVGA.
> My problem is somewhere along the way I noticed that the curser would stop and the screen would freeze. I thought it was the USB drivers (my mouse and keyboard are USB and I tried unplugging and when I plug back in they dont light up) so I reinstalled those from the CD that came with the MOBO.
> Basically does anyone have a clue what would be causing this issue? I have to hard reset the PC when this happens and I dont want to make things worse.
> Another dumb question: I plugged in my HD and its showing up in BIOS but not in windows. This is cause its not formatted right? I bought a system builder copy of WIN 7 64, will it let me format the HDD even if I already installed WIN on the SSD?
> If Im screwed how can I start things fresh?
> Thank you for reading.
> Edit: Ill just reset the CMOS and reinstall


I don't know why your cursor stops maybe something takes up a lot of resources or your windows is unstable.
But to answer your other question yes you can format from your SSD and yes you can just re-install if something goes wrong


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EcksTen*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Maybe the chipset is incompatible?
> These dont work?
> http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20913&ProdId=3434&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=
> 
> 
> 
> No those are the ones I tried but it just gives me an error. I realised that there are board numbers at the bottom of each download page listing the boards it relates to, but the v10.x install that I used doesn't list my board on there, but still installed.
> 
> As the 10.x file installed fine, I assume that I am good to go anyway(?).
> 
> Also, does the Intel RST Service need to be running all the time to take advantage of whatever magic they perform, or is it possible to stop the service and the drivers take care of it?
> 
> Thanks,
> X10
Click to expand...

Should be good with the drivers you have now.

And as for the service, why disable it? lol You can fine it is just a monitor/control center.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crossbones007*
> 
> Hello,
> 
> First time post BIG apologies for the noobness/wall of text. I found this thread after I started having some trouble with my fresh install, specifically with drivers or BIOS I think. This would be my second time building a pc and the first time was 6 years ago and I had help, so here goes.
> 
> Im building from scratch all new parts, Gigabyte UD3HB3, 8gig ram, 90g SSD, 1TB WD bare HD. After enabling AHCI in Bios I installed windows on my SSD with the HDD unplugged and it installed fine. I installed the driver for the wireless PCI network card. I went to Gigabyte and downloaded the chipset, lan, usb 3.0 drivers and updated the BIOS. Then I removed hibernate and updated my virus software and graphics driver from EVGA.
> 
> My problem is somewhere along the way I noticed that the curser would stop and the screen would freeze. I thought it was the USB drivers (my mouse and keyboard are USB and I tried unplugging and when I plug back in they dont light up) so I reinstalled those from the CD that came with the MOBO.
> 
> Basically does anyone have a clue what would be causing this issue? I have to hard reset the PC when this happens and I dont want to make things worse.
> 
> Another dumb question: I plugged in my HD and its showing up in BIOS but not in windows. This is cause its not formatted right? I bought a system builder copy of WIN 7 64, will it let me format the HDD even if I already installed WIN on the SSD?
> 
> If Im screwed how can I start things fresh?
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Edit: Ill just reset the CMOS and reinstall


Do you have the drive plugged into a native SATA port on your board or third party? Maybe the mouse is giving the issue too. I had that hapopen with a bad mouse that broke on me. \

As for the HDD: www.overclock.net/t/1227647/how-to-initialize-and-format-a-new-disk-for-use-in-windows-7#post_16684788

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chrisys93*
> 
> Hey im having a bit of a problem here. Whenever I try to log into my user at the user screen in windows 7, It freezes immediately the first time only. If I restart and try the second time, then it works fine. ??


No idea, sounds like a driver issue. Do you have the drive plugged into a native SATA port on your board or third party?


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jaffi*
> 
> Hi,
> I have 8 gb ram and windows set the pagefile to 8 gb for me. what would be recommended size? I think 8 gb is way too much?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!


400mb is fine.


----------



## Crossbones007

Thank you for the responses I was able to reinstall and I used the guide this time and everything is working perfectly! That guide was such a great help I happy I found it.


----------



## pandatomor

Awesome guide, on my next install I'll follow this guide! +REP


----------



## kevindd992002

Sean, I'm about to reinstall Win7 for the 5th time on my SSD now, is it better to secure erase the drive first? Is secure erasing it safe and not detrimental in any way to its performance?


----------



## Sean Webster

go ahead I only secure erase if the drive is giving issue with seeds on benches.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> go ahead I only secure erase if the drive is giving issue with seeds on benches.


But if I secure erase for one pass, I wouldn't be hurting the SSD in any way, right? What kind of issues do you consider as grounds for secure erasing? BTW, my M4 is just around 4 months old.


----------



## Sean Webster

if it is acting slow or giving you an issue...

I've secure erased my drive like 5 times tho lol. And all it does is reset the NAND. Do it if you like.


----------



## Ironman517

Hey Sean, I just installed a SSD in my GFs rig and obviously I used your guide.

I also used robocopy to copy my program files and users folder to the HDD and then deleted them and created symbolic links on the SSD to the HDD. I had to do this by pulling up the command prompt when running the install disk after already installing (That way none of the files were in use).

Is there a possibility that I will run into any problems?

Oh yeah and when I run defrag, it does not detect any of my HDDs...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ironman517*
> 
> Hey Sean, I just installed a SSD in my GFs rig and obviously I used your guide.
> 
> I also used robocopy to copy my program files and users folder to the HDD and then deleted them and created symbolic links on the SSD to the HDD. I had to do this by pulling up the command prompt when running the install disk after already installing (That way none of the files were in use).
> 
> Is there a possibility that I will run into any problems?


Not sure, but you are now the guinea pig!








Quote:


> Oh yeah and when I run defrag, it does not detect any of my HDDs...


weird idk


----------



## Ironman517

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Not sure, but you are now the guinea pig!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Oh yeah and when I run defrag, it does not detect any of my HDDs...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> weird idk
Click to expand...

lol great xD But it free'd up alot of space on my SSD! I got it down to ~18GB i think.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ironman517*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Not sure, but you are now the guinea pig!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Oh yeah and when I run defrag, it does not detect any of my HDDs...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> weird idk
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> lol great xD But it free'd up alot of space on my SSD! I got it down to ~18GB i think.
Click to expand...

Yea, but what ever files were moved don't get the speed from the SSD.


----------



## Ironman517

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, but what ever files were moved don't get the speed from the SSD.


But, what in program files from the initial install actually needs to be installed on the SSD? I figured I just needed the windows folder on the SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ironman517*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, but what ever files were moved don't get the speed from the SSD.
> 
> 
> 
> But, what in program files from the initial install actually needs to be installed on the SSD? I figured I just needed the windows folder on the SSD.
Click to expand...

lol, all of them ROFL.


----------



## Ironman517

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol, all of them ROFL.


xD really? fail


----------



## Sean Webster

yea, that's the whole point of installing programs to the SSD so you have instant access to the exes and all the files for the program.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea, that's the whole point of installing programs to the SSD so you have instant access to the exes and all the files for the program.


Hey Sean, i hear your planning on getting a OCZ Vertex 3?
True?


----------



## Ironman517

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea, that's the whole point of installing programs to the SSD so you have instant access to the exes and all the files for the program.


Hmmm I guess Ill move them back and break the link xD


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea, that's the whole point of installing programs to the SSD so you have instant access to the exes and all the files for the program.
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Sean, i hear your planning on getting a OCZ Vertex 3?
> True?
Click to expand...

Never.









Where did you hear that? lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ironman517*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea, that's the whole point of installing programs to the SSD so you have instant access to the exes and all the files for the program.
> 
> 
> 
> Hmmm I guess Ill move them back and break the link xD
Click to expand...

You can leave the user folders tho.


----------



## Turtley

Thanks for setting up the guide Sean!

I used your guide and everything went without a hitch with my first SSD.

What a difference an SSD makes!

Now I can't wait to add a second SSD! Lol!

Thanks again!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Turtley*
> 
> Thanks for setting up the guide Sean!
> 
> I used your guide and everything went without a hitch with my first SSD.
> 
> What a difference an SSD makes!
> 
> Now I can wait to add a second SSD! Lol!
> 
> Thanks again!


No problem.


----------



## Ironman517

I moved the program files back...







takes 30 seconds to completely restart with that nifty restart script xD. Damn thing boots faster than my sig rig


----------



## Sean Webster

hahaha, yea my sig rig takes 30-35 seconds...feels like forever compared to my friend's laptop that takes like 15-20. XD


----------



## Ironman517

too many things on startup!


----------



## czin125

Is there any difference between disabling indexing in services.msc as opposed to right clicking a hard drive and unchecking the indexing?


----------



## EcksTen

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Should be good with the drivers you have now.
> And as for the service, why disable it? lol You can fine it is just a monitor/control center.


Thanks!
Just wanted to disable any non-relevant services, if it's just a control center that does nothing I didn't really want to have it consuming RAM/Cycles (even if they probably are tiny!







)

*Also, do you do this and is there any advantage from a SSD longevity point of view:*

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html

I know you mention moving user folders from the SSD, but I don't use them anyway in my day to day life, but there seem to be mixed recommendations on moving the User Profile over.

What are your thoughts on this (apologies if this has been brought up before, I've read through about 70 pages, but 281 is too many, even for my aspergic brain!







)

X10


----------



## soundx98

Just a wonderful thread! 64 but still learning new stuff everyday









Used the info on installs with Corsair ForceGT 180GB and 90GB, Kingston Hyper X 120GB, Crucial M4 64GB, and an OCZ Agility 3 120GB. All the systems now have tweaked SSD awesomeness









No issues with any of the drives (including the SandForce).
I wish I could tell you that one of the SSDs "feels faster" than the others, but I can't.

Huge kudos to OCN and Sean.


----------



## 45nm

Sean is it more useful to use clean /all or simply clean would suffice on the DiskPart steps ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ironman517*
> 
> too many things on startup!


lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *czin125*
> 
> Is there any difference between disabling indexing in services.msc as opposed to right clicking a hard drive and unchecking the indexing?


Yes, when you disable it completely you disable it for all drives in the system.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EcksTen*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Should be good with the drivers you have now.
> And as for the service, why disable it? lol You can fine it is just a monitor/control center.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!
> Just wanted to disable any non-relevant services, if it's just a control center that does nothing I didn't really want to have it consuming RAM/Cycles (even if they probably are tiny!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )
> 
> *Also, do you do this and is there any advantage from a SSD longevity point of view:*
> 
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html
> 
> I know you mention moving user folders from the SSD, but I don't use them anyway in my day to day life, but there seem to be mixed recommendations on moving the User Profile over.
> 
> What are your thoughts on this (apologies if this has been brought up before, I've read through about 70 pages, but 281 is too many, even for my aspergic brain!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )
> 
> X10
Click to expand...

lol, I don't expect you to read through all 280+ of them...that would be mad! I have answered this before, I should really bookmark these things lol. But I don't do it personally because the User folder has the AppData folder in it which stores program data which is what you want on a SSD for the speed. Life span wise it can reduce the writes because a lot of the temp folders are there, but it doesn't really make that much of a difference in the overall picture.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *soundx98*
> 
> Just a wonderful thread! 64 but still learning new stuff everyday
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Used the info on installs with Corsair ForceGT 180GB and 90GB, Kingston Hyper X 120GB, Crucial M4 64GB, and an OCZ Agility 3 120GB. All the systems now have tweaked SSD awesomeness
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No issues with any of the drives (including the SandForce).
> I wish I could tell you that one of the SSDs "feels faster" than the others, but I can't.
> 
> Huge kudos to OCN and Sean.


Awesome!

Glad I could help you out.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *45nm*
> 
> Sean is it more useful to use clean /all or simply clean would suffice on the DiskPart steps ?


Read this post and the post after it: http://www.overclock.net/t/1193595/help-quick-vs-full-formatting-partition-tables-file-systems-and-more/10#post_16104825

You only need to run the clean command by itself and if you are using a SSD definitely do not do the clean all command.


----------



## SoundBot

Thank you Sean for creating such a great guide here and helping people with their issues. You're the man! With that said, I really need your help right now:

I just finished assembling my new rig and I'm attempting to follow this guide to install Win 7 on my SSD (Intel 510) but I've run into an issue that I cannot find a solution to.

I have my win 7 pro 64x install disk in the dvd drive and my SSD is the only drive connected to the computer via the 6gb intel port 1 (asus p9x79)
I've enabled RAID mode for my sata ports in the UEFI advanced mode as I will later be creating a large RAID 1 for data storage and because the guide indicates that setting your ports to RAID will ensure the default windows AHCI drivers are not used (I have the latest Intel RST Ent drivers ready on my flash drive)

I am at the stage where I enter the shift f10 diskpart utility window and attempt to create a MBR on the SSD but when I type 'lis dis' no devices are found. I've searched extensively online for the issue and found only links bringing me back here.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SoundBot*
> 
> Thank you Sean for creating such a great guide here and helping people with their issues. You're the man! With that said, I really need your help right now:
> 
> I just finished assembling my new rig and I'm attempting to follow this guide to install Win 7 on my SSD (Intel 510) but I've run into an issue that I cannot find a solution to.
> 
> I have my win 7 pro 64x install disk in the dvd drive and my SSD is the only drive connected to the computer via the 6gb intel port 1 (asus p9x79)
> I've enabled RAID mode for my sata ports in the UEFI advanced mode as I will later be creating a large RAID 1 for data storage and because the guide indicates that setting your ports to RAID will ensure the default windows AHCI drivers are not used (I have the latest Intel RST Ent drivers ready on my flash drive)
> 
> I am at the stage where I enter the shift f10 diskpart utility window and attempt to create a MBR on the SSD but when I type 'lis dis' no devices are found. I've searched extensively online for the issue and found only links bringing me back here.
> 
> Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!


You need to load the RAID driver for the x79 chipset first.

Put this on a USB or DVD and load this before doing the diskpart thing: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20507&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=

You need to go through the install screens and choose custom install and load the driver when you get to this window:



Once loaded then refresh and use diskpart and continue.


----------



## SoundBot

Wow thank you for the quick reply!! I attempted to proceed with the windows installation screens until the driver load option but I get this error:

"A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now.
Note: If the Windows installation media is in the CD/DVD drive, you can safely remove it for this step."

=(


----------



## SoundBot

Ok, I've got past that step now. Apparently when it asked me for CD/DVD drivers it just wanted the Intel RST drivers so I selected those. It then let me see the SSD in the disk partition view and I successfully created the MBR partition on it. Now I am at the windows install screen and it wont let me choose that partition. I get this error:

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed on GPT disks."

Any ideas?


----------



## SoundBot

Ok, I changed my drive to GPT. (edited because I spoke too soon)

In the partition list for installing windows it now shows 3 partitions:
Disk 1 Partition 1: ESP 100mb free space 95mb Type: System
Disk 1 Partition 2: 128mb free space 128mb Type: MSR (Reserved)
Disk 1 Partition 3: SYSTEM 111.6gb free space 111.5gb Type: Primary

When I select the 'SYSTEM' partition it gives me the error:

"Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. Se the Setup log files for more information"

=(


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SoundBot*
> 
> Wow thank you for the quick reply!! I attempted to proceed with the windows installation screens until the driver load option but I get this error:
> 
> "A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now.
> Note: If the Windows installation media is in the CD/DVD drive, you can safely remove it for this step."
> 
> =(


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SoundBot*
> 
> Ok, I've got past that step now. Apparently when it asked me for CD/DVD drivers it just wanted the Intel RST drivers so I selected those. It then let me see the SSD in the disk partition view and I successfully created the MBR partition on it. Now I am at the windows install screen and it wont let me choose that partition. I get this error:
> 
> "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed on GPT disks."
> 
> Any ideas?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SoundBot*
> 
> Ok, I changed my drive to GPT. (edited because I spoke too soon)
> 
> In the partition list for installing windows it now shows 3 partitions:
> Disk 1 Partition 1: ESP 100mb free space 95mb Type: System
> Disk 1 Partition 2: 128mb free space 128mb Type: MSR (Reserved)
> Disk 1 Partition 3: SYSTEM 111.6gb free space 111.5gb Type: Primary
> 
> When I select the 'SYSTEM' partition it gives me the error:
> 
> "Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. Se the Setup log files for more information"
> 
> =(


You are the second person with X79 RAID issues. lol

Try using these drivers: http://www.mediafire.com/?fv1w5j2fkm5n7yl

Make sure you boot the installer from the UEFI boot option that does *not* say UEFI: (device).

Follow the MBR guide once more.


----------



## dodge586

Hi, thanks for such a brilliant thread I have already learnt a fair bit in relation to my problem!

I am however pulling my hair out trying to get Win 7 installed on a 3TB HDD in my HTPC and I'm wondering if anyone can help me figure out why it's not working.

What I have:
Gigabyte GA-A75M-D24 motherboard. (AMD Llano based) Note that Gigabyte claim the following:
Quote:


> DualBIOS™ 3TB+ HDD Support (Hybrid EFI Technology)
> Hybrid EFI Technology combines the benefits of GIGABYTE's mature BIOS platform including stability and compatibility with 3rd party products with 3TB+ HDD support from EFI technology, allowing GIGABYTE to offer the best of both worlds through a quick and easy BIOS update using GIGABYTE's @BIOS utility that is freely available from the GIGABYTE website.
> 
> GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ is a patented technology that automatically recovers BIOS data when the main BIOS has crashed or failed. Featuring 2 physical BIOS ROMs integrated onboard, GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ allows quick and seamless recovery from BIOS damage or failure due to viruses or improper BIOS updating. In addition, GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ now supports 3TB+ (terabyte) hard drive booting without the need for partitioning, and enables more data storage on a single hard drive.


http://www.gigabyte.eu/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3930#ov

Win 7 X64 SP1 DVD.
Hitachi Deskstar 3TB 5400RPM HDD

Might be worth noting that Gigabyte claim a Hybrid EFI BIOS which really doesnt look like a UEFI implementation at all, it looks and feels very much like a legacy Award BIOS from back in the day.

In any case, these are what I beleive to be the only relevant settings:
Quote:


> *CMOS Setup Utility*
> 
> *Integrated Peripherals:*
> OnChip SATA controller: Enabled
> OnChip SATA type: AHCI
> 
> *Advanced BIOS features:*
> EFI CD/DVD Boot Option: EFI


It does indeed appear to be booting the EFI version of the Win 7 install as the \Windows\Panther\setupact.log contains the following:
Quote:


> Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment: EFI


Note that I have seen some people's logs report UEFI boot enviroment vs my EFI - significant??

I have used to diskpart to successfully create the required partitions and convert to GPT. LIS DIS shows Disk 0 online and a capacity of 2794GB using GPT.

The installer shows
Quote:


> Disk 0 Partition 1 ESP @100MB
> Disk 0 Partition 2 @ 128MB
> Disk 0 Partition 3 @ 2794.3GB


However when I try to insall I get the following error:
Quote:


> Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disks controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu.


So assuming Gigabyte are not lying how on earth do I get this to work?

I really am out of ideas so would appreciate any advice or suggestions.

Thanks


----------



## TomcatV

Hey Sean quick question for your valued opinion ....









What do you think of the Plextor M3 Series PX-128M3 2.5" 128GB SATA III?
It's on the newegg "daily deal" for $150 but with the retail package w/3.5" mount etc. I believe it has the same ccontroller as the M4 @ the same price?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249014&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-20-249-014-_-Product

I like trying different drives as long as they don't have the "sandforce" controller or have they fixed that problem?
If I go with the M4 again in a 128GB which one ??? ... there's now 5 different choices, i can't see any real difference, I'm confused :O ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008120%2050001455%20600038478&IsNodeId=1&name=Crucial

I think your top recommendation is still the SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128D/AM 2.5" 128GB SATA III ... Correct? but I'm pinching pennies for my brothers build









Sorry if I should've posted this elsewhere ???
PS ... while shopping for Z77 boards I noticed most, if not all should natively set AHCI not IDE anymore, good for everyone especially those that don't read your AWESOME guide 1st


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Hey Sean quick question for your valued opinion ....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What do you think of the Plextor M3 Series PX-128M3 2.5" 128GB SATA III?


I have one and I love it.









Quote:


> It's on the newegg "daily deal" for $150 but with the retail package w/3.5" mount etc. I believe it has the same ccontroller as the M4 @ the same price?
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249014&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-20-249-014-_-Product


'
Actually it is a similar controller (different revision or the exact same, I forgot lol) better toggle NAND, and has a 5 yr warranty. The plextor also has the adapter and cloning software.
Quote:


> I like trying different drives as long as they don't have the "sandforce" controller or have they fixed that problem?


I still dont recommend them, tho the Vertex 3 120GB is $109 now with rebate lol.
Quote:


> If I go with the M4 again in a 128GB which one ??? ... there's now 5 different choices, i can't see any real difference, I'm confused :O ...
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008120%2050001455%20600038478&IsNodeId=1&name=Crucial


The cheapest, but it comes with nothing but the drive and screws. The plextor has the adapter and cloning software.
Quote:


> I think your top recommendation is still the SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128D/AM 2.5" 128GB SATA III ... Correct? but I'm pinching pennies for my brothers build


Nope, my top recommendation is the M3.








Quote:


> Sorry if I should've posted this elsewhere ???


lol, maybe here would have been better: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread
Quote:


> PS ... while shopping for Z77 boards I noticed most, if not all should natively set AHCI not IDE anymore, good for everyone especially those that don't read your AWESOME guide 1st


Yea, actually my z68 came like that too. I am also looking for a z77 board when I upgrade...

I may get the ASUS GENE: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_V_GENE/#download


----------



## TomcatV

Thanks Sean! ... been under the gun to get my brother in law's rig built ... should've kept up with your sig ...ordering the Plextor now ... probably along w/ASRock Z77 Ext6 $175 ... really wanted to go Asus for his build (change of pase?) but the Pro sold out and the plain "V" is $35 more :O commited a budget to him already THANKS AGAIN - T


----------



## DBEAU

I just got everything set up and went through the guide. Do these speeds look okay?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Thanks Sean! ... been under the gun to get my brother in law's rig built ... should've kept up with your sig ...ordering the Plextor now ... probably along w/ASRock Z77 Ext6 $175 ... really wanted to go Asus for his build (change of pase?) but the Pro sold out and the plain "V" is $35 more :O commited a budget to him already THANKS AGAIN - T


No prob. You should be set with that mobo too.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DBEAU*
> 
> I just got everything set up and went through the guide. Do these speeds look okay?


yep.


----------



## XSCounter

If *Sean* would've taken $1 for every time he helped someone, he would be a millionaire by now









I seriously can't imagine how much time he devotes to helping everyone in this thread only. Don't forget to *+Rep* him, people!

Good job! Respect


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> If *Sean* would've taken $1 for every time he helped someone, he would be a millionaire by now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I seriously can't imagine how much time he devotes to helping everyone in this thread only. Don't forget to *+Rep* him, people!
> 
> Good job! Respect










lol

I am editor now so I can't receive rep anymore.









Oh btw, I am half way through the beginning of my Windows 8 install and optimization guide. So far it is similar to this and needs suggestions! Hopefully the textual guides will be done by this weekend, then I can start the videos.


----------



## XSCounter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I am editor now so I can't receive rep anymore.


Oh.. Then stop helping people!







Why so altruistic?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I am editor now so I can't receive rep anymore.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh.. Then stop helping people!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why so altruistic?
Click to expand...

lol, I know!

I can't stop for some reason


----------



## Yahar

Hello!

I have a few questions regarding SSD and Windows 7, I hope you could answer them









Okay so, I have a OCZ revodrive pci-e and p8p67 evo Motherboard and windows 7 64 bit O/S, the problem is that everytime I install windows 7, it runs fine for around 1 month. After that it usually gives me a BSOD and endless restart loop. Windows repair can't fix it. chkdsk no errors, sfc /scannow no errors. Nothing will let me boot into windows.

I've updated the revodrive pci-e to latest firmware. I have latest chipset drivers, latest ME driver, latest IRST driver (although I'm not sure if the IRST driver I download is Raid or Ahci.

My revodrive is the O/S drive and I have normal HDD for games etc.

1. Should I use the IRST driver that says RAID in here ? http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=%222012+Intel+Rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel+RST%29%22#

2. In my UEFI/BIOS settings the SATA setting is set to AHCI, should I change this to RAID?

Revodrive is RAID0 with 2x 64GB drive I think..

So I'm out of ideas what to do, I usually have to install windows again every month

also when checking performance details in event log, there is each time: Event ID 100, Event ID 200, and 200 is sometimes critical.

I also read in IRST 11 update notes that they fixed a bug where /chkdsk caused a BSOD loop on raid 0 or something like that, but my mb (asus p8p67 evo) haven't released updated bios with IRST 11 OROM.

Hehe, any suggestions what could be the cause?

thanks for all the answers beforehand


----------



## Cakewalk_S

I just completed my windows install with the optimizing guide. Check it out!
This is before I installed anything. First windows bootup after optimizing


Love it, freaking like 50000000 windows updates now...lol
Hopefully I can get this puppy running great.

Question:
When I disable hybernation, does it also disable sleep setting? For some reason I cannot sleep my laptop...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Yahar*
> 
> Hello!
> 
> I have a few questions regarding SSD and Windows 7, I hope you could answer them
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Okay so, I have a OCZ revodrive pci-e and p8p67 evo Motherboard and windows 7 64 bit O/S, the problem is that everytime I install windows 7, it runs fine for around 1 month. After that it usually gives me a BSOD and endless restart loop. Windows repair can't fix it. chkdsk no errors, sfc /scannow no errors. Nothing will let me boot into windows.
> 
> I've updated the revodrive pci-e to latest firmware. I have latest chipset drivers, latest ME driver, latest IRST driver (although I'm not sure if the IRST driver I download is Raid or Ahci.
> 
> My revodrive is the O/S drive and I have normal HDD for games etc.
> 
> 1. Should I use the IRST driver that says RAID in here ? http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=%222012+Intel+Rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel+RST%29%22#


if you sata mode is set to AHCI use the AHCI driver. If your SATA mode is set to RAID use the RAID driver.
Quote:


> 2. In my UEFI/BIOS settings the SATA setting is set to AHCI, should I change this to RAID?


leave it to AHCI since you are not making a RAID array in the intel shipset.
Quote:


> Revodrive is RAID0 with 2x 64GB drive I think..
> 
> So I'm out of ideas what to do, I usually have to install windows again every month
> 
> also when checking performance details in event log, there is each time: Event ID 100, Event ID 200, and 200 is sometimes critical.
> 
> I also read in IRST 11 update notes that they fixed a bug where /chkdsk caused a BSOD loop on raid 0 or something like that, but my mb (asus p8p67 evo) haven't released updated bios with IRST 11 OROM.
> 
> Hehe, any suggestions what could be the cause?
> 
> thanks for all the answers beforehand


I have no experience with PCIe drives.

The onboard ahci or raid settings should do nothing for the PCIe card settings i think. So it doesn't matter, the Intel drivers should not be connected to the Revo drive.

I think you should start by not having the RST drive and use the default Windows driver and Revo driver.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> I just completed my windows install with the optimizing guide. Check it out!
> This is before I installed anything. First windows bootup after optimizing
> 
> 
> Love it, freaking like 50000000 windows updates now...lol
> Hopefully I can get this puppy running great.
> 
> Question:
> When I disable hybernation, does it also disable sleep setting? For some reason I cannot sleep my laptop...


No, it does not disable sleep, only hybrid sleep. Maybe after the updates the sleep will appear.


----------



## DBEAU

I may have made a slight mistake setting up my SSD. I used the Intel Rapid Storage drivers off of the gigabyte website and it appears they are pretty dated compared to the ones on the Intel website.

Are there any special steps I should take to install the newest IRST drivers or can I just download them and install over top of the drivers i have currently installed?

I was so sure I set this thing up perfectly. I hope this won't cause any problems.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DBEAU*
> 
> I may have made a slight mistake setting up my SSD. I used the Intel Rapid Storage drivers off of the gigabyte website and it appears they are pretty dated compared to the ones on the Intel website.
> 
> Are there any special steps I should take to install the newest IRST drivers or can I *just download them and install over top of the drivers i have* currently installed?
> 
> I was so sure I set this thing up perfectly. I hope this won't cause any problems.


do that


----------



## DBEAU

Thanks again!


----------



## Krusher33

I would like to re-install mine and start from scratch using this guide because I think it has been a couple of years now. What should I do to get started?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Krusher33*
> 
> I would like to re-install mine and start from scratch using this guide because I think it has been a couple of years now. What should I do to get started?


Back up all the data you want to keep that is on the drive you plan on installing the OS on

Get all your drivers, mainly your network driver.

And just follow the guide from start lol.


----------



## Krusher33

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Back up all the data you want to keep that is on the drive you plan on installing the OS on
> Get all your drivers, mainly your network driver.
> And just follow the guide from start lol.


I meant after that but before start. No need to do an erase or format of some sort?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Krusher33*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Back up all the data you want to keep that is on the drive you plan on installing the OS on
> Get all your drivers, mainly your network driver.
> And just follow the guide from start lol.
> 
> 
> 
> I meant after that but before start. No need to do an erase or format of some sort?
Click to expand...

In the steps I make you format the drive completely of all partitions.

Are you talking about doing a secure erase? If so I have a link on that in the stickies of the SSD section.


----------



## Cakewalk_S

About to RMA my drive I think...

It's stupid slow...
What a waste of time going through reinstalling EVERYTHING then having to erase it completely and send it back...waste of time and money.

I guess 500mb/s is not reasonable as they advertised...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cakewalk_S*
> 
> About to RMA my drive I think...
> 
> It's stupid slow...
> What a waste of time going through reinstalling EVERYTHING then having to erase it completely and send it back...waste of time and money.
> 
> I guess 500mb/s is not reasonable as they advertised...


Link me to the drive you have on a website like newegg or amazon.

Are you 100% sure it is in the Intel SATA 6Gb/s port on your mobo? Double/tripple check. lol


----------



## Mon0chromic

Just had a general question in regards to the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" part of the guide. The text tutorial differs from the video tutorial. In the video tutorial, you actually partition the drive and do not use the "convert" function.

Should I be following the text directions or the video tutorial? So confused! (And thank you SO much for this guide! Seriously so helpful. You have no idea. haha)


----------



## 4LC4PON3

should page file be disabled or set to 1024/1024? Is disabling Page file not recommended?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mon0chromic*
> 
> Just had a general question in regards to the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" part of the guide. The text tutorial differs from the video tutorial. In the video tutorial, you actually partition the drive and do not use the "convert" function.
> 
> Should I be following the text directions or the video tutorial? So confused! (And thank you SO much for this guide! Seriously so helpful. You have no idea. haha)


doesn't matter. same thing. I just added the convert part for people who are installing after using the GPT method.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *4LC4PON3*
> 
> should page file be disabled or set to 1024/1024? Is disabling Page file not recommended?


if you don't need the page file for anything go ahead and get rid of it. I have mine set to 512MB. I need it for when i run a few VMs so when I max my RAM my system wont crash lol.


----------



## Jinny1

Hey i have the latest bios for my mobo, whenever i switch to AHCI mode none of my drives get detected. i have to switch to IDE to boot my ssd









it picks up my HDD not my SSD.

Also in the bios my SSD isn't shown in the IDE channel master/slave list. But it is shown in the harddrive order list


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jinny1*
> 
> Hey i have the latest bios for my mobo, whenever i switch to AHCI mode none of my drives get detected. i have to switch to IDE to boot my ssd
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it picks up my HDD not my SSD.
> 
> Also in the bios my SSD isn't shown in the IDE channel master/slave list. But it is shown in the harddrive order list


For the OS drive you need to do this first: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation

And the SSD needs to be in one of the 6 blue Native ports, not the purple GSATA:


----------



## Jinny1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jinny1*
> 
> Hey i have the latest bios for my mobo, whenever i switch to AHCI mode none of my drives get detected. i have to switch to IDE to boot my ssd
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it picks up my HDD not my SSD.
> 
> Also in the bios my SSD isn't shown in the IDE channel master/slave list. But it is shown in the harddrive order list
> 
> 
> 
> For the OS drive you need to do this first: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation
> 
> And the SSD needs to be in one of the 6 blue Native ports, not the purple GSATA:
Click to expand...

Hey Sean, Of course i did all of that before i would waste your time and ask you









I have two HDD that both get recognised in AHCI, but my SSD doesn;t/

My SSD is in the SATA ports as well/

Perhaps we continue this in my thread??

http://www.overclock.net/t/1241754/ssd-fresh-install-ahci-help

thanks


----------



## Biggles75

Hi,

@ Sean

I have just bought a 128GB Crucial M4 SSD with Rev 0309 and would like to clone Windows 7 Professional (also have Easeus ToDo Pro). I have an Asus P8P67 with i5 2500K and 8GB Ram.

Any reason Easeus ToDo Professional won't clone an existing HDD to an SSD such that the SSD is bootable?

I want to have the SSD as the boot drive and then put the old HDD back in so I can see the D and E drive partitions I have. I would clone it with the SSD on a SATA 3 port then put the SSD on the SATA 6 port and alter the BIOS to AHCI. Then reboot again with the SSD on SATA 6 and the old HDD on a SATA 3 socket.

Great forum by the way, with a wealth of information!









Cheers


----------



## czin125

In the second post of this thread, is "Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:" the second one meant to say "without" ? they look identical but the steps aren't the same from 8 and up


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Biggles75*
> 
> Hi,
> 
> @ Sean
> 
> I have just bought a 128GB Crucial M4 SSD with Rev 0309 and would like to clone Windows 7 Professional (also have Easeus ToDo Pro). I have an Asus P8P67 with i5 2500K and 8GB Ram.
> 
> Any reason Easeus ToDo Professional won't clone an existing HDD to an SSD such that the SSD is bootable?
> 
> I want to have the SSD as the boot drive and then put the old HDD back in so I can see the D and E drive partitions I have. I would clone it with the SSD on a SATA 3 port then put the SSD on the SATA 6 port and alter the BIOS to AHCI. Then reboot again with the SSD on SATA 6 and the old HDD on a SATA 3 socket.
> 
> Great forum by the way, with a wealth of information!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers


maybe just make a system image and restore it rather than the clone tool.

and you may want to update the firmware to your M4: http://www.overclock.net/t/1241906/crucial-m4-000f-firmware-is-out
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *czin125*
> 
> In the second post of this thread, is "Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:" the second one meant to say "without" ? they look identical but the steps aren't the same from 8 and up


fixed lol, I swore I wrote without. thanks


----------



## Biggles75

Hi,

Thanks Sean - especially for the new firmware! Looks like it will be easy to do via Windows









Still curious as to why Easeus ToDo 'Clone' function would not be easier and therefore your recommendation? Is there some problem with it? Alignment??

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Biggles75*
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Thanks Sean - especially for the new firmware! Looks like it will be easy to do via Windows
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still curious as to why Easeus ToDo 'Clone' function would not be easier and therefore your recommendation? Is there some problem with it? Alignment??
> 
> Thanks


I thought you said the clone tool didn't work for you lol.


----------



## Biggles75

Hi,

I was asking as I haven't started the migration, hence the question of 'Cloning' vs. Backup/restore.

I have Easeus ToDo Pro and my current HDD C drive is at 100GB so I'm guessing 'CLONING' to 128GB M4 would work okay?

I didn't want to use Cloning if there were going to be future problems.

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Biggles75*
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I was asking as I haven't started the migration, hence the question of 'Cloning' vs. Backup/restore.
> 
> I have Easeus ToDo Pro and my current HDD C drive is at 100GB so I'm guessing 'CLONING' to 128GB M4 would work okay?
> 
> I didn't want to use Cloning if there were going to be future problems.
> 
> Thanks


go ahead and clone it, there should be no issues. Just go over this section of my guide when you are done and booted off the SSD: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds#post_15523325


----------



## Biggles75

Hi,

Thanks Sean...I'll post the results in due course. I have already looked at the post install notes; again massively comprehensive!!! Awesome.


----------



## DM2-Inc

This is a great thread...,

I just got my Dell M6600, with 128GB SSD, and a 750GB HD. I increased the memory to 32GB and am running Windows 7, 64 Bit. It came per-installed with the OS, and I'm hoping to do some tweaks without doing a whole install. I use the laptop mainly for engineering related tasks and some graphics work. Most of the applications are x86 as they're not mainstream. I do run Office 2010 and 2003 because a number of our PC's here are still XP and running Office 2003.

I noticed the register tweaks for moving the *C:\USER*, *C:\Program Files* and *C:\Program Files (x86)* directory to the HD in this thread. I also did some reading about moving Temp files to the HD. I saw where under the "System Properties", "Environment Variables" it seems they can be changed there as well. Is there a difference between tweaking the Registry and using this feature?

Also there are a tone of things Dell seems to want running from looking at MSConfig and the Task Manager. Since I don't use the machine for gaming and I've got 32 Gig I don't think I'm going to see the benefits to reducing the number of services running they way I did on my 32 Bit version of Windows 7.

I did move the *C:\User* directory to the HD and I was thinking about moving at least the *C:\Program Files (x86)* to the HD as well. I figure most of the programs that need to be updated will be 64 Bit but I did notice some discouragement for moving these files to another drive. My reason for moving *C:\Program Files (x86)* to the HD was simply to keep from loading up the SS with x86 programs. I'm wondering what others have experienced when moving these *Program...* directories to the HD.

I tried once to move both to the HD but discovered that even with these directory still on the SS I had problems launching already installed applications. I copied the two (2) directories to the HD and that seemed to solve the problem. Am I right in assuming that If change the location in the Register, I need to copy those two directories to the HD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DM2-Inc*
> 
> This is a great thread...,


Thank you.

Quote:


> I just got my Dell M6600, with 128GB SSD, and a 750GB HD. I increased the memory to 32GB and am running Windows 7, 64 Bit. It came per-installed with the OS, and I'm hoping to do some tweaks without doing a whole install. I use the laptop mainly for engineering related tasks and some graphics work. Most of the applications are x86 as they're not mainstream. I do run Office 2010 and 2003 because a number of our PC's here are still XP and running Office 2003.


Nice! I need more RAM myself lol.
Quote:


> I noticed the register tweaks for moving the *C:\USER*, *C:\Program Files* and *C:\Program Files (x86)* directory to the HD in this thread. I also did some reading about moving Temp files to the HD. I saw where under the "System Properties", "Environment Variables" it seems they can be changed there as well. Is there a difference between tweaking the Registry and using this feature?


I haven't done the User folder or Programs directories move myself and only the temp folders can be moved from Environmental Variables from what I see on mine, not the User folder or Program directories.
Quote:


> Also there are a tone of things Dell seems to want running from looking at MSConfig and the Task Manager. Since I don't use the machine for gaming and I've got 32 Gig I don't think I'm going to see the benefits to reducing the number of services running they way I did on my 32 Bit version of Windows 7.


Probably not, just a little faster boot...but the SSD makes up for that.








Quote:


> I did move the *C:\User* directory to the HD and I was thinking about moving at least the *C:\Program Files (x86)* to the HD as well. I figure most of the programs that need to be updated will be 64 Bit but I did notice some discouragement for moving these files to another drive. My reason for moving *C:\Program Files (x86)* to the HD was simply to keep from loading up the SS with x86 programs. I'm wondering what others have experienced when moving these *Program...* directories to the HD.


Well, some people had the programs still install to the old directory on the C: drive I heard. But most go to the directory you set. If you have the room I wouldn't bother moving the folder.
Quote:


> I tried once to move both to the HD but discovered that even with these directory still on the SS I had problems launching already installed applications. I copied the two (2) directories to the HD and that seemed to solve the problem. Am I right in assuming that If change the location in the Register, I need to copy those two directories to the HD?


Probably, like i said I have no experience with that myself.


----------



## Ironman517

Sean, I was wondering, is trim supported in raid 0 yet? I remember reading somewhere that Intel's RST was going to support it. So I was unsure if it was implemented yet.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ironman517*
> 
> Sean, I was wondering, is trim supported in raid 0 yet? I remember reading somewhere that Intel's RST was going to support it. So I was unsure if it was implemented yet.


not yet.


----------



## herrgkl

Awesome guide. Really helped me a lot when I installed my SSD. One thing though, I feel like I messed my Win7 install a bit and would like to reinstall it again while it's still fresh and without many apps installed. Can I just follow it from the beginning to do the same steps? IE, same steps in diskpart and so on?

EDIT
One more thing, I hope it's OK that I have my CD/DVD drive attached to Marvell ports which are set as IDE. The manual of my mobo (ASUS M4A87TD/USB3) stated that for compatibility reasons when installing OS from a DVD, it's suggested to have the drive attached to IDE ports. The main SATA3 ports, to whom the SSD is attached to, are set as AHCI though.


----------



## TomcatV

OK this might really qualify as a silly question, but in prepping the Plextor M3 firmware update 1.01-->1.02 for the new build (Z77 E6), when I put the M3 into my present machine (Z68 E4/G3) to do the update, [_NOTE: this drive will not be used in this machine_] does it need to be on the *Intel Sata3 6/GB port* (both presently occupied) or can I use one of the Sata2 ports or even on one of the dreaded Marvel Sata3 ports, presently disabled







?

Will it matter if my Intel drivers are legacy (1 gen behind?) haven't checked lately :O, AND maybe more important ... will the Updated Intel ROM 11.1.0.1413? of the newer Z77 boards have an effect on all this?

Plextor says there is no problem updating "Firmware" once it is already installed, is this true? and wouldn't this be the better way to go with my New Machine build (ASRock Z77 Extreme6) given the Intel ROM/drivers will probably be somewhat different that my Z68 E4/G3 machine? Or am I totally offbase and updating firmware has nothing to do with all this?

PS what a professional/nice looking drive with included 3.5 mount and all!Glad you steered me that way







... wished I'd bought 2 @ $149


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *herrgkl*
> 
> Awesome guide. Really helped me a lot when I installed my SSD. One thing though, I feel like I messed my Win7 install a bit and would like to reinstall it again while it's still fresh and without many apps installed. Can I just follow it from the beginning to do the same steps? IE, same steps in diskpart and so on?


Yep you can
Quote:


> EDIT
> One more thing, I hope it's OK that I have my CD/DVD drive attached to Marvell ports which are set as IDE. The manual of my mobo (ASUS M4A87TD/USB3) stated that for compatibility reasons when installing OS from a DVD, it's suggested to have the drive attached to IDE ports. The main SATA3 ports, to whom the SSD is attached to, are set as AHCI though.


Normally you should have the DVD drive in a native SATA port or else you could have issues installing. A few people had an issue with their drives showing up when the DVD drive was in the Marvell port.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> OK this might really qualify as a silly question, but in prepping the Plextor M3 firmware update 1.01-->1.02 for the new build (Z77 E6), when I put the M3 into my present machine (Z68 E4/G3) to do the update, [_NOTE: this drive will not be used in this machine_] does it need to be on the *Intel Sata3 6/GB port* (both presently occupied) or can I use one of the Sata2 ports or even on one of the dreaded Marvel Sata3 ports, presently disabled
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?


You can plug it into any port you wish.
Quote:


> Will it matter if my Intel drivers are legacy (1 gen behind?) haven't checked lately :O, AND maybe more important ... will the Updated Intel ROM 11.1.0.1413? of the newer Z77 boards have an effect on all this?


OPROM doesn't matter, and just use the newest RST driver lol. Go here and let it scan for updates.http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect?iid=dc_iduu
Quote:


> Plextor says there is no problem updating "Firmware" once it is already installed, is this true?


True, I did with no issue.
Quote:


> and wouldn't this be the better way to go with my New Machine build (ASRock Z77 Extreme6) given the Intel ROM/drivers will probably be somewhat different that my Z68 E4/G3 machine? Or am I totally offbase and updating firmware has nothing to do with all this?


Doesn't matter.
Quote:


> PS what a professional/nice looking drive with included 3.5 mount and all!Glad you steered me that way
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... wished I'd bought 2 @ $149


----------



## TomcatV

AWESOME as always! Thanls again


----------



## Flesh_n_blood

Nice guide btw! the bat file that deletes the files from windows downloads won't work for me. I'm feel kind a sketchy putting them in the bin and deleting them. I didn't see how to control how many cores your processor will use during post and i saw it in another guide and forgot how to do it. < I figured out how to do it. It is under msconfig: boot: advanced options. Does using the processor cores benefit the boot up speed?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Flesh_n_blood*
> 
> Nice guide btw! the bat file that deletes the files from windows downloads won't work for me. I'm feel kind a sketchy putting them in the bin and deleting them.


Run as admin? Either that or your folder is cleaned. If you have empty folders in the downloads folder after you run it is normal.
Quote:


> I didn't see how to control how many cores your processor will use during post and i saw it in another guide and forgot how to do it. < I figured out how to do it. It is under msconfig: boot: advanced options. Does using the processor cores benefit the boot up speed?


Does nothing.


----------



## bryce

I'm about to install my 2nd SSD in a RAID0 and install Windows on it. Do I still do the partition alignment, etc as I would with just 1 ssd or skip that? And keep with the TRIM and all that as well or what?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> I'm about to install my 2nd SSD in a RAID0 and install Windows on it. Do I still do the partition alignment, etc as I would with just 1 ssd or skip that?


Yes, do it.

Quote:


> And keep with the TRIM and all that as well or what?


You won't have TRIM support in RAID 0 so skip that one step lol.


----------



## bryce

But I still do the partition alignment and all that just minus the TRIM.

I'm curious about what kind of boot time I'll get with it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> But I still do the partition alignment and all that just minus the TRIM.
> 
> I'm curious about what kind of boot time I'll get with it.



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> I'm about to install my 2nd SSD in a RAID0 and install Windows on it. Do I still do the partition alignment, etc as I would with just 1 ssd or skip that?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, do it.
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> And keep with the TRIM and all that as well or what?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> You won't have TRIM support in RAID 0 so skip that one step lol.
Click to expand...


----------



## bryce

I took the "Yes, do it" as in yes it's awesome or something for some reason







.


----------



## Sean Webster

lol


----------



## cluelessguy

Wow great guide.

Stupid question though, I instaled windows 7 before seeing your guide, I followed the steps after installation, but how important is the mbr/alignment step?

I just formatted the drive using windows, what is the difference with formatting using the windows installer and doing the steps you described?

Sorry for the stupid question but just wondering if it's worth me re-installing just to do that initial step.

Thankyou


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cluelessguy*
> 
> Wow great guide.
> Stupid question though, I instaled windows 7 before seeing your guide, I followed the steps after installation, but how important is the mbr/alignment step?
> I just formatted the drive using windows, what is the difference with formatting using the windows installer and doing the steps you described?
> *Sorry for the stupid question but just wondering if it's worth me re-installing just to do that initial step.*
> Thankyou


In short, no.

Unless sean has evidence otherwise, oh great storage maharishi guru


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cluelessguy*
> 
> Wow great guide.
> 
> Stupid question though, I instaled windows 7 before seeing your guide, I followed the steps after installation, but how important is the mbr/alignment step?
> 
> I just formatted the drive using windows, what is the difference with formatting using the windows installer and doing the steps you described?
> 
> Sorry for the stupid question but just wondering if it's worth me re-installing just to do that initial step.
> 
> Thankyou


My steps just delete all the partitions on the drive before the install to make sure you get a clean install. Don't reinstall.


----------



## blackscorpio

Hey Sean,

can you please shed some light on my question here.

I don't know if this has been answered in this thread, I just wanted to keep it separate so that anyone looking for answer can find it easy.

TIA.


----------



## EliteGhost

Found this guide for anyone who wants to remove the windows boot manager from their UEFI boot listing. The part after step 5 when you reinstall windows and reset your pc right when windos finishes copying files is what removed the windows boot mangager for me. Once windows boot manager is removed just follow the MBR guide for installing windows on the first page.

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20111208160724742&board_id=1&model=F1A75-V+EVO&page=1&SLanguage=en-us


----------



## 1ceTr0n

How can I completely delete my old Program File folders and Windows on my WD HDD that is now my primary data drive without doing an entire reformat with all my data? Or is that the best/only option?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blackscorpio*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> can you please shed some light on my question here.
> 
> I don't know if this has been answered in this thread, I just wanted to keep it separate so that anyone looking for answer can find it easy.
> 
> TIA.


did
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteGhost*
> 
> Found this guide for anyone who wants to remove the windows boot manager from their UEFI boot listing. The part after step 5 when you reinstall windows and reset your pc right when windos finishes copying files is what removed the windows boot mangager for me. Once windows boot manager is removed just follow the MBR guide for installing windows on the first page.
> 
> http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20111208160724742&board_id=1&model=F1A75-V+EVO&page=1&SLanguage=en-us


cool







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *1ceTr0n*
> 
> How can I completely delete my old Program File folders and Windows on my WD HDD that is now my primary data drive without doing an entire reformat with all my data? Or is that the best/only option?


Partition the drive, move the data to the new partition, delete the old.


----------



## Timid

When I do searches on my SSD, it takes a while to find the file. I'm only using up 20% of my total capacity and even then when I search for something I know exists, it shows that it's searching for a good 20 seconds before actually displaying it. My standard hard drive finds data quicker.

Know what the problem may be?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteGhost*
> 
> Found this guide for anyone who wants to remove the windows boot manager from their UEFI boot listing. The part after step 5 when you reinstall windows and reset your pc right when windos finishes copying files is what removed the windows boot mangager for me. Once windows boot manager is removed just follow the MBR guide for installing windows on the first page.
> http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20111208160724742&board_id=1&model=F1A75-V+EVO&page=1&SLanguage=en-us


Thank you for this, +rep! I've been looking for this solution for a while now.


----------



## nizda

Hey everything has been running nice and fast benchmarks are on point. I boot to windows ridiculously quick but when I login to windows it takes longer to get in than to boot similar to an hdd. I've only just got this rig put together and running about a week or so ago so I only have what was recommended in the guide installed mse and cc cleaner, malwarebytes. I removed mse, malwarebytes just to make sure so external app could be the cause. Then I ran through services and I've eliminated every possibility except the start up program irst and iastoricon that came with the drivers, and the corresponding service intelligent rapid storage technology. I'm only running an ssd and will not be using raid but I didn't want to turn these off if they are vital. Doing some research I've read people saying it was okay to disable the service if your not using raid and it would be fine. At this point it seems like the only thing that could be causing the slow down as their is nothing left. Also sometimes when I login I notice the tray icon looks like it's still connecting for a second or 2 then is normal, install went fine everything I'd recognized as it should. So if anyone has any ideas opinions etc. Let me know, thanks!

Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nizda*
> 
> Hey everything has been running nice and fast benchmarks are on point. I boot to windows ridiculously quick but when I login to windows it takes longer to get in than to boot similar to an hdd. I've only just got this rig put together and running about a week or so ago so I only have what was recommended in the guide installed mse and cc cleaner, malwarebytes. I removed mse, malwarebytes just to make sure so external app could be the cause. Then I ran through services and I've eliminated every possibility except the start up program irst and iastoricon that came with the drivers, and the corresponding service intelligent rapid storage technology. I'm only running an ssd and will not be using raid but I didn't want to turn these off if they are vital. Doing some research I've read people saying it was okay to disable the service if your not using raid and it would be fine. At this point it seems like the only thing that could be causing the slow down as their is nothing left. Also sometimes when I login I notice the tray icon looks like it's still connecting for a second or 2 then is normal, install went fine everything I'd recognized as it should. So if anyone has any ideas opinions etc. Let me know, thanks!
> Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2


This hurts my eyes


----------



## Krusher33

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nizda*
> 
> Hey everything has been running nice and fast benchmarks are on point. I boot to windows ridiculously quick but when I login to windows it takes longer to get in than to boot similar to an hdd. I've only just got this rig put together and running about a week or so ago so I only have what was recommended in the guide installed mse and cc cleaner, malwarebytes. I removed mse, malwarebytes just to make sure so external app could be the cause. Then I ran through services and I've eliminated every possibility except the start up program irst and iastoricon that came with the drivers, and the corresponding service intelligent rapid storage technology. I'm only running an ssd and will not be using raid but I didn't want to turn these off if they are vital. Doing some research I've read people saying it was okay to disable the service if your not using raid and it would be fine. At this point it seems like the only thing that could be causing the slow down as their is nothing left. Also sometimes when I login I notice the tray icon looks like it's still connecting for a second or 2 then is normal, install went fine everything I'd recognized as it should. So if anyone has any ideas opinions etc. Let me know, thanks!
> Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2


How quick is it when you go into safe mode?


----------



## nizda

Booting into safe mode was almost instantaneous. So what do you think?

Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2


----------



## EliteGhost

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Thank you for this, +rep! I've been looking for this solution for a while now.


Your welcome and thanks for the rep!


----------



## nizda

So, im able to safe mode into windows very fast as normal and the service/startup prog for irst I was asking if safe to shut off or not, obviously didn't mess up my computer but it also stops my ssd from having advanced functionality like ncq, hot plugging etc... I noticed a newer irst driver on intel's site than when I first installed when the driver was not separated as it is now e.g. raid or ahci. Do you think I should update the driver to the newest or what, I'm pretty much out of ideas here.
Thanks.

Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Steven Way

Hi Sean,
This is a great article but because I haven't done this before I am unclear as how to install windows with the System Reserve Partition as well creating a 4k alignment at the same time.

At what stage do I enter the 4k alignment procedure you show us in the video?
Surly this must be done before windows installs?

Is it possible to have the System Reserve Partition as well creating a 4k alignment at the same time?

Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:
1. Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
2. After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
3. At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
4. Type List Disk, press Enter.
5. Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
6. Type Clean, press Enter.
7. Type Convert MBR, press Enter.
8. Type Exit, press Enter.
9. Close the Command Prompt window.
10. Click the "Next" button.
11. Click the "Install now" button.
12. Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
13. Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
14. Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
15. Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
16. Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
17. From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.

This is a new build and my first ssd
If you can help me that would be great


----------



## Talynn67

Hi Sean,
I've got an issue trying to do a clean install of Windows 7 Home Premium to a new ssd on a laptop. The Laptop is an Asus G51jx-x1 and the SSD is an Intel 520 120GB. The copy of windows 7 is retail and i am using the 64bit DVD. i follow the guide and set up the MBR without the additional partition and install to the SSD when it comes time to reboot, it goes to the windows 7 start up screen and waits a long time then BSOD's and restarts? Any ideas what could be going on?
Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Timid*
> 
> When I do searches on my SSD, it takes a while to find the file. I'm only using up 20% of my total capacity and even then when I search for something I know exists, it shows that it's searching for a good 20 seconds before actually displaying it. My standard hard drive finds data quicker.
> 
> Know what the problem may be?


nope
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steven Way*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> This is a great article but because I haven't done this before I am unclear as how to install windows with the System Reserve Partition as well creating a 4k alignment at the same time.
> 
> At what stage do I enter the 4k alignment procedure you show us in the video?
> Surly this must be done before windows installs?
> 
> Is it possible to have the System Reserve Partition as well creating a 4k alignment at the same time?
> 
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:
> 1. Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> 2. After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> 3. At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> 4. Type List Disk, press Enter.
> 5. Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> 6. Type Clean, press Enter.
> 7. Type Convert MBR, press Enter.
> 8. Type Exit, press Enter.
> 9. Close the Command Prompt window.
> 10. Click the "Next" button.
> 11. Click the "Install now" button.
> 12. Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> 13. Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> 14. Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
> 15. Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
> 16. Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
> 17. From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
> 
> This is a new build and my first ssd
> If you can help me that would be great


I have no idea how to.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Talynn67*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> I've got an issue trying to do a clean install of Windows 7 Home Premium to a new ssd on a laptop. The Laptop is an Asus G51jx-x1 and the SSD is an Intel 520 120GB. The copy of windows 7 is retail and i am using the 64bit DVD. i follow the guide and set up the MBR without the additional partition and install to the SSD when it comes time to reboot, it goes to the windows 7 start up screen and waits a long time then BSOD's and restarts? Any ideas what could be going on?
> Thanks.


Nope, try a new install iso.


----------



## Talynn67

Yea that's what i was thinking I'll give it a go with the links you have up in the beginning of the guide, see if i can record the progress with my camera too. could be that SSD i got is junk so i'll try a different ISO and MAYBE try it on a different computer see if it does the same thing.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Talynn67*
> 
> Yea that's what i was thinking I'll give it a go with the links you have up in the beginning of the guide, see if i can record the progress with my camera too. could be that SSD i got is junk so i'll try a different ISO and MAYBE try it on a different computer see if it does the same thing.


Some times installing in IDE mode then later changing to AHCI may help.


----------



## blackjack1031

Hi Sean I'm having an issue with the reg edit hack for program files dir . After I did it some software said tge y could not be found in E:\program file x86 . Is it cause I did while after everything was installed or did something happened in between. And if so when should I do this after I reinstall windows .


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blackjack1031*
> 
> Hi Sean I'm having an issue with the reg edit hack for program files dir . After I did it some software said tge y could not be found in E:\program file x86 . Is it cause I did while after everything was installed or did something happened in between. And if so when should I do this after I reinstall windows .


No idea, I never did it before myself.


----------



## Krusher33

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nizda*
> 
> Hey everything has been running nice and fast benchmarks are on point. I boot to windows ridiculously quick but when I login to windows it takes longer to get in than to boot similar to an hdd. I've only just got this rig put together and running about a week or so ago so I only have what was recommended in the guide installed mse and cc cleaner, malwarebytes. I removed mse, malwarebytes just to make sure so external app could be the cause. Then I ran through services and I've eliminated every possibility except the start up program irst and iastoricon that came with the drivers, and the corresponding service intelligent rapid storage technology. I'm only running an ssd and will not be using raid but I didn't want to turn these off if they are vital. Doing some research I've read people saying it was okay to disable the service if your not using raid and it would be fine. At this point it seems like the only thing that could be causing the slow down as their is nothing left. Also sometimes when I login I notice the tray icon looks like it's still connecting for a second or 2 then is normal, install went fine everything I'd recognized as it should. So if anyone has any ideas opinions etc. Let me know, thanks!
> Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nizda*
> 
> Booting into safe mode was almost instantaneous. So what do you think?
> Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2


You really have tried disabling all services and start-up programs?


----------



## Steven Way

Thanks Sean, I ended up using MBR with the System Reserve Partition.
It took all night endless problems with missing cd/dvd driver windows 7 install window.
I have the full retail version of Win 7 Ultimate ( I was thinking Ultimate CRAP most of the day & night LOL NOT ! hehe)
I found suggestions on this site and others about using a USB install.
once I found a good ISO with service pack 1 ( the fist few were corrupt )
and WINDOWS 7 USB/DVD DOWNLOAD TOOL I finally got Win 7 64 installed.
I will be using your guide to finish off the Optimization.

Man you guys are gifted this stuff makes my brain hurt LOL
I'll try to stick to audio design its easier hehe

ok time to sleep


----------



## kevindd992002

Sean, personally what is your choice between MBR and UEFI? Do all of your drives have MBR or UEFI format?


----------



## Bulldozer72

Hey Sean,
I just put my new gaming build together yesterday and used this guide to set up my 128 gig Plextor M3 Pro. This guide was critical in getting this build up and running with zero hassles and/or issues. Your step by step instructions are laid out perfectly and your explanations are beyond stellar. Mucho's Thank You's. After using this guide I am very happy I got a SSD for this build. It was amazing to me how quickly the OS, drivers and apps were installed. I got the Win 7 Pro boot time down to 45-47 seconds to usable desktop on a Samsung F3. Thanks to this guide the M3 Pro boots to usable desktop in 16-17 seconds (Yeah, I have a digital stop watch). If I could rep you I would. You definitely deserve it. Keep up the good work and thanks again.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steven Way*
> 
> Thanks Sean, I ended up using MBR with the System Reserve Partition.
> It took all night endless problems with missing cd/dvd driver windows 7 install window.
> I have the full retail version of Win 7 Ultimate ( I was thinking Ultimate CRAP most of the day & night LOL NOT ! hehe)
> I found suggestions on this site and others about using a USB install.
> once I found a good ISO with service pack 1 ( the fist few were corrupt )
> and WINDOWS 7 USB/DVD DOWNLOAD TOOL I finally got Win 7 64 installed.
> I will be using your guide to finish off the Optimization.
> 
> Man you guys are gifted this stuff makes my brain hurt LOL
> I'll try to stick to audio design its easier hehe
> 
> ok time to sleep


Nice, at least you go tit up and running.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sean, personally what is your choice between MBR and UEFI? Do all of your drives have MBR or UEFI format?


MBR is what I use currently, like I said before, it boots 1-2 seconds faster lol. I reboot and cold boot my PC a lot through the day.

And it isn't UEFI format, it is GPT.









I only use GPT on my data drives.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bulldozer72*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> I just put my new gaming build together yesterday and used this guide to set up my 128 gig Plextor M3 Pro. This guide was critical in getting this build up and running with zero hassles and/or issues. Your step by step instructions are laid out perfectly and your explanations are beyond stellar. Mucho's Thank You's. After using this guide I am very happy I got a SSD for this build. It was amazing to me how quickly the OS, drivers and apps were installed. I got the Win 7 Pro boot time down to 45-47 seconds to usable desktop on a Samsung F3. Thanks to this guide the M3 Pro boots to usable desktop in 16-17 seconds (Yeah, I have a digital stop watch). If I could rep you I would. You definitely deserve it. Keep up the good work and thanks again.


No problem, glad I could help.


----------



## Talynn67

Yup, that SSD is garbage, just goes to show never buy an Intel. Now I am stuck with a 200 dollar cup holder. I tried it on two different computers and different windows ISO files and install media. Thanks for your help at least.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nice, at least you go tit up and running.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> MBR is what I use currently, like I said before, it boots 1-2 seconds faster lol. I reboot and cold boot my PC a lot through the day.
> And it isn't UEFI format, it is GPT.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I only use GPT on my data drives.
> No problem, glad I could help.


Oh my goodnes, where did I get MBR vs. UEFI, lol. Sorry, that should've been GPT, yes. Might as well go with MBR for my next reformat on my desktop to avoid all the hassles that GPT gives me.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Talynn67*
> 
> Yup, that SSD is garbage, just goes to show never buy an Intel. Now I am stuck with a 200 dollar cup holder. I tried it on two different computers and different windows ISO files and install media. Thanks for your help at least.


Intel SSDs are far from garbage, they have the highest reliability in the SDD market. You may have just got a lemon. You realize that you have a 5 year warranty based on the model SSD you have right?

Have you tried a different drive to install on?

Have you tried using a USB to install?

You could send it to me if you like.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nice, at least you go tit up and running.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> MBR is what I use currently, like I said before, it boots 1-2 seconds faster lol. I reboot and cold boot my PC a lot through the day.
> And it isn't UEFI format, it is GPT.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I only use GPT on my data drives.
> No problem, glad I could help.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh my goodnes, where did I get MBR vs. UEFI, lol. Sorry, that should've been GPT, yes. Might as well go with MBR for my next reformat on my desktop to avoid all the hassles that GPT gives me.
Click to expand...











Yea GPT should only be used if one needs it.


----------



## holyindian

Sean, thanks for this tutorial. I installed Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit on Crucial M4 128GB ssd, and i tried most of the tips, suggestions post installation you mentioned, along with MBR. Everything went fine, did not get any errors. System boots as expected on an SSD. No complains, no grudges, Just wanted to thank you a million times for this thread.

Just have one question. Is it a good idea to move program files and programfiles x64 directory to a separate HDD? Currently I have both the directories on the SSD, with 80gb of ssd space in spare.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *holyindian*
> 
> Sean, thanks for this tutorial. I installed Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit on Crucial M4 128GB ssd, and i tried most of the tips, suggestions post installation you mentioned, along with MBR. Everything went fine, did not get any errors. System boots as expected on an SSD. No complains, no grudges, Just wanted to thank you a million times for this thread.












Quote:


> Just have one question. Is it a good idea to move program files and programfiles x64 directory to a separate HDD? Currently I have both the directories on the SSD, with 80gb of ssd space in spare.


No I do not recommend it. Leave them on the SSD as they are suppose to be.


----------



## Jocelyn84

I managed to pick up a 2600k for $200 and will be upgrading to Z77 soon. Should I do a fresh install or can I make due with my current install?? I figured if I uninstall Intel drivers via driver sweeper and and other drivers (realtek, USB 3, etc.) regularly prior to disassembling I'll be fine. Any thoughts?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jocelyn84*
> 
> I managed to pick up a 2600k for $200 and will be upgrading to Z77 soon. Should I do a fresh install or can I make due with my current install?? I figured if I uninstall Intel drivers via driver sweeper and and other drivers (realtek, USB 3, etc.) regularly prior to disassembling I'll be fine. Any thoughts?


Yea doing that you should be fine. I went from X58-Z68 and didn't even do that and my system was fine lol.


----------



## Talynn67

I know they are far from garbage, the one I got is garbage. I did try both the USB iso install and the DVD install, and i used two different laptop computers to have them both crash a grand total of four times in that experiment alone. Yes i know it's got the 5 year warranty i am in the process of dealing with Intel on this one now. I just expect this sort of failure rate with something like OCZ not Intel. I had high hopes for this drive and was planning on doing some sort of write up on it, compare it to the Crucial M4 I got for my fiancee's laptop so far the M4 is the winner. All I can report on this is the Intel 520 Cherryville 120GB SSD provides the fastest BSOD you will ever see. Now I guess I will get to add how wonderful or horrific Intel Customer support is.


----------



## Nocturin

<3 poor guy. Wish you better luck.


----------



## Zantrill

*Before I do an install:* In a month I will have the Z77/IB or SB. I will be installing Win 7 Ult 64 on my M3. But for now, (I'd like to not wait a month to see if my new M3 works or not), I was thinking of doing a temp install on my current build. I know, it's old, and out dated. Hence a new build and hence my question. Do you think it will install on this old Asus M2N-SLI mobo I have currently? Or is it not wise to try as it may damage the mobo or the SSD? Or maybe not compatible at all? Don't want to test it if it's not safe to. If I seem a little over paranoid about it, it's only just a bunch. Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zantrill*
> 
> *Before I do an install:* In a month I will have the Z77/IB or SB. I will be installing Win 7 Ult 64 on my M3. But for now, (I'd like to not wait a month to see if my new M3 works or not), I was thinking of doing a temp install on my current build. I know, it's old, and out dated. Hence a new build and hence my question. Do you think it will install on this old Asus M2N-SLI mobo I have currently? Or is it not wise to try as it may damage the mobo or the SSD? Or maybe not compatible at all? Don't want to test it if it's not safe to. If I seem a little over paranoid about it, it's only just a bunch. Thanks.


Install, you can't break anything.


----------



## Zantrill

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Install, you can't break anything.


Alright, thanks!


----------



## tunelover

This guide helped me install my crucial m4. Thanks Sean

@Sean Why do u not have a REP+ button on your posts? I want to rep you and I'm wondering why I can't


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tunelover*
> 
> This guide helped me install my crucial m4. Thanks Sean
> 
> @Sean Why do u not have a REP+ button on your posts? I want to rep you and I'm wondering why I can't


I'm OCN staff, I can't get rep anymore because of that.


----------



## EightBallCrnPkt

Will the Z77 boards auto-recognize SSD drives and change to AHCI automatically? Is this even possible?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EightBallCrnPkt*
> 
> Will the Z77 boards auto-recognize SSD drives and change to AHCI automatically? Is this even possible?


Z77 boards should have AHCI as the default setting as my Z68 mobo had ACHI as the default setting.


----------



## EightBallCrnPkt

The Z68 did also? That I didn't know that... I was thinking the Z77's would but wanted to verify.. That should make working with SSD's a little easier!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EightBallCrnPkt*
> 
> The Z68 did also? That I didn't know that... I was thinking the Z77's would but wanted to verify.. That should make working with SSD's a little easier!


I think it is with all UEFIs, they ship out with AHCI set as the default SATA mode now.


----------



## EightBallCrnPkt

That makes following your guide even easier


----------



## jetpak12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jocelyn84*
> 
> I managed to pick up a 2600k for $200 and will be upgrading to Z77 soon. Should I do a fresh install or can I make due with my current install?? I figured if I uninstall Intel drivers via driver sweeper and and other drivers (realtek, USB 3, etc.) regularly prior to disassembling I'll be fine. Any thoughts?
> 
> 
> 
> Yea doing that you should be fine. I went from X58-Z68 and didn't even do that and my system was fine lol.
Click to expand...

What do you think about going from P45 to 990FX?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jetpak12*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jocelyn84*
> 
> I managed to pick up a 2600k for $200 and will be upgrading to Z77 soon. Should I do a fresh install or can I make due with my current install?? I figured if I uninstall Intel drivers via driver sweeper and and other drivers (realtek, USB 3, etc.) regularly prior to disassembling I'll be fine. Any thoughts?
> 
> 
> 
> Yea doing that you should be fine. I went from X58-Z68 and didn't even do that and my system was fine lol.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> What do you think about going from P45 to 990FX?
Click to expand...

Have fun with that, I have no idea. lol


----------



## jetpak12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *jetpak12*
> 
> What do you think about going from P45 to 990FX?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Have fun with that, I have no idea. lol
Click to expand...

Lol, I thought I'd at least ask. I was hoping to get more time with my Q9550 as my main rig, but its being recruited to be a 24/7 folder, and I just got a great deal on a PII x6, so I'll give it a try and see how it goes.


----------



## mrhiab

Can't Rep you but can say *Thank You!!*
We appreciate you all your hard work


----------



## MAKATTACK

Great guide Sean. A couple quick questions. Our M4 SSD will eventually be used as a boot drive for a photography business computer. So this computer will be used to touchup pictures, edit HD video, etc. Does that change your recommendations at all for optimization? You stated a couple things above that I'm a little confused about:

Turn Off or Shrink the Hibernation File: Applies to SSDs/HDDs
If you don't use hibernation mode, disabling it will save you several GB of disk space. If you do use hibernation mode, you can still shrink the hibernation file size. I say to do it at this point

Above, do you mean to do it as in to turn off or use hibernation mode or shrink it?

Also, you say to "do it" again in step 2. Does that mean you recommend turning off system protection or leaving it? What size should we make it if we leave it on?

How big of a page file do you recommend or do you think it should be turned off?

If I have a battery backup, do I need to use buffer flushing?

Obviously you know alot about this stuff and I know very little so I want to follow what you say closely and make sure I understand it. Some of the wording was kind of ambigous so I want to make sure I understood what you were recommending. Thanks for the great tutorial. People like you are an asset to OCN!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MAKATTACK*
> 
> Great guide Sean. A couple quick questions. Our M4 SSD will eventually be used as a boot drive for a photography business computer. So this computer will be used to touchup pictures, edit HD video, etc. Does that change your recommendations at all for optimization? You stated a couple things above that I'm a little confused about:
> 
> Turn Off or Shrink the Hibernation File: Applies to SSDs/HDDs
> If you don't use hibernation mode, disabling it will save you several GB of disk space. If you do use hibernation mode, you can still shrink the hibernation file size. I say to do it at this point
> 
> Above, do you mean to do it as in to turn off or use hibernation mode or shrink it?


I stated you can do either. You can choose to disable or shrink it if you like. I disable mine personally in my desktop, but leave it on my laptop.
Quote:


> Also, you say to "do it" again in step 2. Does that mean you recommend turning off system protection or leaving it? What size should we make it if we leave it on?


Sam as above, up to you. I leave mine as is, usually it is set to 3-5GB.
Quote:


> How big of a page file do you recommend or do you think it should be turned off?


I gave 8GB of RAM and a 512MB pagefile. Tho, I have gone without one for a long time, but needed it for when I am maxing out my RAM when I use VMs and edit at the same time.
Quote:


> If I have a battery backup, do I need to use buffer flushing?


\
You can check both the options for that if you like as long as you have a stable power source like a battery back up (UPS). If not you _can_ get corrupt data in a power outage.
Quote:


> Obviously you know alot about this stuff and I know very little so I want to follow what you say closely and make sure I understand it. Some of the wording was kind of ambigous so I want to make sure I understood what you were recommending. Thanks for the great tutorial. People like you are an asset to OCN!










Yea, basically all that stuff I leave up to you as options, everything besides the drivers and such are basically recommendations to learn about to see if they apply to you to use or not.


----------



## MAKATTACK

THanks for the info Sean. Well, I followed most of your guide and implemented alot of it. However, I have a dilemma. When I got to moving my user files over to my storage drive, I went one by one "my document", "downloads", favorites, links, pictures, etc...and after each one I recieved a question wanting to know if I wanted to move all of them and I would say yes, and then I didn't realize the next question would ask me if I wanted to move it to the same folder name as the previous move I just made!? Like an idiot, I clicked yes...and now I can't find my pictures, videos, documents, hardly any of it in the storage location??? Any idea hwat is going on? Also, hotmail and some other Micrsoft website aren't loading for some reason...or they are down because other sites load. Any idea what happened?


----------



## MAKATTACK

Sean (or anyone),
I think some of those tweaks didn't sit right with my computer...or I did something wrong like above when implementing them. I think I need to do a fresh install. I can't install origin (says I have no internet connection), I can't connect to hotmail (but can on another cpu), not how my user files are working now, comptuer froze on me once..

I think I need to do a fresh install and start over. Any suggestions on how to do this and hurt my SSD?


----------



## MAKATTACK

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MAKATTACK*
> 
> Any suggestions on how to do this and hurt my SSD?


correction, any idea on the best way to reinstall windows again on an SSD that already has windows on it? Best fresh install for ssd?


----------



## Zantrill

I switched back to my HDD. As I said, I'll wait to use my Plexter when I get the new mobo/CPU. I switched back because for some reason my firewall kept getting shut off and won't turn on. Then my internet was gone. Fresh win 7 install with anti Virus. Was really wierd. Didn't DL anything exept win drivers and my antivirus and the 2 benchys. And didn't really go anywhere on the net except here, nvidia, and newegg. I couldn't even log into my router. Once I switched back to my HDD, all was fine.


----------



## Johny86

Thanks for great guide ! I just installed OS on my new M4 SSD, damn this thing is fast


----------



## kevindd992002

Sorry for cross-posting about this: Is the Enterprise RST driver better than the regular one? Where do you exactly use the Enterpsie driver?


----------



## XSCounter

Sorry for sarcasm but enterprise SSDs are used in enterprises







which are companies, businesses etc. Obviously they require more powerful hardware than home users.


----------



## bruflot

Nevermind, I'm dumb..


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Sorry for sarcasm but enterprise SSDs are used in enterprises
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> which are companies, businesses etc. Obviously they require more powerful hardware than home users.


What do you mean? I'm referring to the drivers (software) not hardware. How would one know if his SSD is considered an Enterprise SSD or not?


----------



## 45nm

Sean,

Two questions in regards to SSD's:

1. How much read endurance can an SSD Have both in a long-term scenario and in a short-term scenario ?
2. Will using HD Tune 2.55 cause any harmful side-effects to my SSD from the read benchmark ?

Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MAKATTACK*
> 
> THanks for the info Sean. Well, I followed most of your guide and implemented alot of it. However, I have a dilemma. When I got to moving my user files over to my storage drive, I went one by one "my document", "downloads", favorites, links, pictures, etc...and after each one I recieved a question wanting to know if I wanted to move all of them and I would say yes, and then I didn't realize the next question would ask me if I wanted to move it to the same folder name as the previous move I just made!? Like an idiot, I clicked yes...and now I can't find my pictures, videos, documents, hardly any of it in the storage location??? Any idea hwat is going on? Also, hotmail and some other Micrsoft website aren't loading for some reason...or they are down because other sites load. Any idea what happened?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MAKATTACK*
> 
> Sean (or anyone),
> I think some of those tweaks didn't sit right with my computer...or I did something wrong like above when implementing them. I think I need to do a fresh install. I can't install origin (says I have no internet connection), I can't connect to hotmail (but can on another cpu), not how my user files are working now, comptuer froze on me once..
> 
> I think I need to do a fresh install and start over. Any suggestions on how to do this and hurt my SSD?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MAKATTACK*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *MAKATTACK*
> 
> Any suggestions on how to do this and hurt my SSD?
> 
> 
> 
> correction, any idea on the best way to reinstall windows again on an SSD that already has windows on it? Best fresh install for ssd?
Click to expand...

Did you install your internet driver....

Sounds like a bad install or something...idk.

The folder thing should prompt you to create the folder if it does not exist, then it will prompt you to move the contents of the folder to the new one and merge them. You should click yes, there should be no issue with that.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zantrill*
> 
> I switched back to my HDD. As I said, I'll wait to use my Plexter when I get the new mobo/CPU. I switched back because for some reason my firewall kept getting shut off and won't turn on. Then my internet was gone. Fresh win 7 install with anti Virus. Was really wierd. Didn't DL anything exept win drivers and my antivirus and the 2 benchys. And didn't really go anywhere on the net except here, nvidia, and newegg. I couldn't even log into my router. Once I switched back to my HDD, all was fine.


lol, that is probably windows just being weird.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Johny86*
> 
> Thanks for great guide ! I just installed OS on my new M4 SSD, damn this thing is fast










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sorry for cross-posting about this: Is the Enterprise RST driver better than the regular one? Where do you exactly use the Enterpsie driver?


idk, they are usually just released earlier and are less optimized at first because of that.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Sorry for sarcasm but enterprise SSDs are used in enterprises
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> which are companies, businesses etc. Obviously they require more powerful hardware than home users.


lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bruflot*
> 
> Nevermind, I'm dumb..


lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> Sorry for sarcasm but enterprise SSDs are used in enterprises
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> which are companies, businesses etc. Obviously they require more powerful hardware than home users.
> 
> 
> 
> What do you mean? I'm referring to the drivers (software) not hardware. How would one know if his SSD is considered an Enterprise SSD or not?
Click to expand...

I answered drivers already, as for SSDs they have to be a lot more reliable and heavily tested and validated vs the consumer drives.

Usually SLC and eMLC NAND. -> rated at 1.5 - 6Petabyte Writes and more.

Have far more over provisioning, up to 50%. Normally ~ 20-30%.

May have built in battery or super capacitor for data integrity in a power outage.

Better optimized firmware.

Go for lower power usage at load.

Heat dissipation.

And better warranties. Ex. 5 Year Warranty, which covers 7 full rewrites of the capacity of the drive daily for this drive: http://thessdreview.com/our-reviews/smart-storage-systems-xceediops-2-200gb-emlc-6gbps-enterprise-ssd-review/5/
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *45nm*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> Two questions in regards to SSD's:
> 
> 1. How much read endurance can an SSD Have both in a long-term scenario and in a short-term scenario ?


What SSD and size? Normally you get 100-500TB in writes from a consumer SSD.
Quote:


> 2. Will using HD Tune 2.55 cause any harmful side-effects to my SSD from the read benchmark ?
> 
> Thanks.


HDtune is not meant for SSDs...


----------



## kevindd992002

Sean, which version of IRST do you personally use? Enterprise or Standard?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sean, which version of IRST do you personally use? Enterprise or Standard?


I have no need of the Enterprise driver, nor have I seen one for z68 lol.

I have atm the latest from my mobo manufacturer as I just reinstalled and the Intel site downloads are down.


----------



## Aparition

Sean, something you should find interesting. You might already know this.
I (today) moved to an i7-2600k and an Asus P8Z77-V mobo. All I did was drop in the new hardware (I did backup images just in case), and I figured I'd have to rebuild my RAID 0 Array.
Well... the array booted perfectly. Changing chipsets and system architecture left the array in-tact and 100% data secure.

I don't have my OS on the array, maybe that has something to do with it?
I thought I'd have to rebuild the array but nope, works perfectly.


----------



## laurelgtxyz

Hi sean , followed almost every single tips on installing SSD in here and i wanna say thank you for the easy and understandable guide. Unfortunately , there's 1 minor problem that's bugging me right now. I have 4gb of total Ram and i did shrink my paging file to 1024. And now , when i play Torchlight , it will auto-closed within 5-10 min with a pop-up saying i've ran out of memory. This had never happen before when i was still having my OS in the HDD. What can be done to solve this. Thank you.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> Sean, something you should find interesting. You might already know this.
> I (today) moved to an i7-2600k and an Asus P8Z77-V mobo. All I did was drop in the new hardware (I did backup images just in case), and I figured I'd have to rebuild my RAID 0 Array.
> Well... the array booted perfectly. Changing chipsets and system architecture left the array in-tact and 100% data secure.
> 
> I don't have my OS on the array, maybe that has something to do with it?
> I thought I'd have to rebuild the array but nope, works perfectly.


If you are going from a Intel mobo to a new Intel mobo. the Intel controller won't usually have any issues picking up RAID arrays.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *laurelgtxyz*
> 
> Hi sean , followed almost every single tips on installing SSD in here and i wanna say thank you for the easy and understandable guide. Unfortunately , there's 1 minor problem that's bugging me right now. I have 4gb of total Ram and i did shrink my paging file to 1024. And now , when i play Torchlight , it will auto-closed within 5-10 min with a pop-up saying i've ran out of memory. This had never happen before when i was still having my OS in the HDD. What can be done to solve this. Thank you.


Let windows manage the page file since you only have 4GB of RAM.


----------



## Aparition

That is an interesting fact about Intel Raid, I was always under the impression that changing chipset meant rebuilding the array... the more you know!


----------



## jetpak12

I went from an ASUS P5Q Pro board to a P5Q3 Deluxe (same chipset all around) and it didn't detect my RAID 0 array. It may have been because I did a fresh Windows install though.

At least I anticipated that it wouldn't work and had everything backed up.


----------



## McAlberts

Just did a fresh install on my SSD and this guide was quick and easy to follow. MUCH THANKS


----------



## Krusher33

I finally re-installed mine. Though something's up... WEI used to be 7.8 for the drive. Now it's 7.4 and the lowest of all my scores.


----------



## Lettuceman

If I use the library feature of adding various folders to it, does moving the user folder off the ssd still have any benefits?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> That is an interesting fact about Intel Raid, I was always under the impression that changing chipset meant rebuilding the array... the more you know!


Yea...if you do have issues however you need the same chipset then to recover the data.







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jetpak12*
> 
> I went from an ASUS P5Q Pro board to a P5Q3 Deluxe (same chipset all around) and it didn't detect my RAID 0 array. It may have been because I did a fresh Windows install though.
> 
> At least I anticipated that it wouldn't work and had everything backed up.


You may have needed to load drivers or something.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *McAlberts*
> 
> Just did a fresh install on my SSD and this guide was quick and easy to follow. MUCH THANKS


No prob







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Krusher33*
> 
> I finally re-installed mine. Though something's up... WEI used to be 7.8 for the drive. Now it's 7.4 and the lowest of all my scores.


Eh.....could just be Windows WEI being ******ed lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lettuceman*
> 
> If I use the library feature of adding various folders to it, does moving the user folder off the ssd still have any benefits?


What benefits?


----------



## EarlZ

Im planning to get 2x Corsair ForceGT 120Gb's soon for my gaming machine, thanks for this guide I hope I wont have any trouble setting things up.

Would anyone know if there are specific issues or special configuration settings I need to perform on my motherboard? Aside from setting the harddrive mode to RAID and making sure SATA6 is enabled.

EDIT:

What is the best stripe size for a gaming machine ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Im planning to get 2x Corsair ForceGT 120Gb's soon for my gaming machine, thanks for this guide I hope I wont have any trouble setting things up.
> 
> Would anyone know if there are specific issues or special configuration settings I need to perform on my motherboard? Aside from setting the harddrive mode to RAID and making sure SATA6 is enabled.
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> What is the best stripe size for a gaming machine ?


128 for stripe size.


----------



## Snakes

I'm building a new system and am going to use my current Windows 7 system disk SSD in the new build. I've been reading about this sysprep method to avoid having to reinstall Windows from scratch and wondered if that's compatible with the rest of the steps in your guide. My partition starting offset is divisible by 4096 so I think my partition formatting is fine already. As I understand it, this just speeds up the process so you can skip over the initial Windows installation steps, it seems really convenient and almost too good to be true.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snakes*
> 
> I'm building a new system and am going to use my current Windows 7 system disk SSD in the new build. I've been reading about this sysprep method to avoid having to reinstall Windows from scratch and wondered if that's compatible with the rest of the steps in your guide. My partition starting offset is divisible by 4096 so I think my partition formatting is fine already. As I understand it, this just speeds up the process so you can skip over the initial Windows installation steps, it seems really convenient and almost too good to be true.


Ive never done it before. lol

All the stuff in my guide are just tweaks and things to check after install, nothing much really.


----------



## Snakes

It's a good guide, what I found most helpful is knowing in what order to do some of the steps like driver updates or windows updates.


----------



## EarlZ

Is it a good idea to clone a mech drive partition to a brand new SSD? Im too lazy to format..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Is it a good idea to clone a mech drive partition to a brand new SSD? Im too lazy to format..


Go ahead: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227835/how-to-disk-and-partition-cloning-backup-restoration-migration

I suggest you look this over after the clone: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds#post_15523325

just make sure your partition offset is right after the clone: www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions


----------



## EarlZ

No performance degradation to be expected?


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> No performance degradation to be expected?


I cloned my HDD OS partition to my SSD
Did the alignment following Sean's guide.
Crazy fast performance! No degradation.


----------



## jamor

Is there a good Cloning tutorial for those of us who are using a Sata II SSD and are purchasing a Sata III (to be used in tandem).

I'd like to clone the Sata II so I can use Windows/Boot/Heavy Programs with the Sata III.

Then I want to wipe the Sata II clean and use it as other programs and other files and backups.

Thanks

EDIT:

I just found the secure erase tutorial by Sean, so now I'm just looking for a good cloning tutorial to do the transfer with a good recommended program.

EDIT:

Annnd I just found Seans cloning tutorial. I'll be back with any questions but any tips before I start are appreciated.


----------



## Lettuceman

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Aparition*
> 
> That is an interesting fact about Intel Raid, I was always under the impression that changing chipset meant rebuilding the array... the more you know!
> 
> 
> 
> Yea...if you do have issues however you need the same chipset then to recover the data.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *jetpak12*
> 
> I went from an ASUS P5Q Pro board to a P5Q3 Deluxe (same chipset all around) and it didn't detect my RAID 0 array. It may have been because I did a fresh Windows install though.
> 
> At least I anticipated that it wouldn't work and had everything backed up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> You may have needed to load drivers or something.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *McAlberts*
> 
> Just did a fresh install on my SSD and this guide was quick and easy to follow. MUCH THANKS
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> No prob
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Krusher33*
> 
> I finally re-installed mine. Though something's up... WEI used to be 7.8 for the drive. Now it's 7.4 and the lowest of all my scores.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Eh.....could just be Windows WEI being ******ed lol.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lettuceman*
> 
> If I use the library feature of adding various folders to it, does moving the user folder off the ssd still have any benefits?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> What benefits?
Click to expand...

*shrugs* I don't know, that is why I was asking.









I know in your guide you state that moving the user folder off the ssd can save space and stuff, so I was wondering is that the only thing really gained from moving the user folder to the hdd? Any loss in performance with the user folder on the hdd?

I am debating whether on my fresh install of windows to move the user folder again, or just set up a videos/music folder on my hdd and just link it to my videos/music library.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> *shrugs* I don't know, that is why I was asking.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know in your guide you state that moving the user folder off the ssd can save space and stuff, so I was wondering is that the only thing really gained from moving the user folder to the hdd? Any loss in performance with the user folder on the hdd?
> 
> I am debating whether on my fresh install of windows to move the user folder again, or just set up a videos/music folder on my hdd and just link it to my videos/music library.


I suggest only moving the User folders, not the User folder itself. The User folder has the AppData folder in it which contains program files which are sped up because they are on your SSD.


----------



## Lettuceman

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *shrugs* I don't know, that is why I was asking.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know in your guide you state that moving the user folder off the ssd can save space and stuff, so I was wondering is that the only thing really gained from moving the user folder to the hdd? Any loss in performance with the user folder on the hdd?
> 
> I am debating whether on my fresh install of windows to move the user folder again, or just set up a videos/music folder on my hdd and just link it to my videos/music library.
> 
> 
> 
> I suggest only moving the User folders, not the User folder itself. The User folder has the AppData folder in it which contains program files which are sped up because they are on your SSD.
Click to expand...









All this time I could have had better performance.


----------



## magic8ball88

Thanks for the guide! Even though a lot of the stuff was done for me by the computer, its nice to know a little bit more of whats going on behind the screen. My computer is fantastic now! Its been needing a format for a while. The only thing I'm having trouble with is what to do with my old drive. I would like to use it for storage and use steam mover to switch games between them. As of right now I haven't touched my old drive and it still has windows on it. Should I keep it that way or should I format it? I've got all the files off of it that I want except for all my software. I don't mind reinstalling stuff but I don't want to download all my games again (even if I wanted to I can't, my internet is incapable)

So how can I save all my games, format, then put them back on? I moved my entire steam folder to an external hard drive, so should I just move it back after that and call it good?


----------



## stevomac

Hi Sean..

I am new here so first of all I say hello.I followed all your instructions,you mapped everything out to perfection ,I originally installed windows 7 on a 64gb ssd from crucial,After the clean install I was left with 15gb of free space(also installed 16gb of ddr3 ram)I have now reinstalled the o/s and followed your instructions,I now have 50gb free on my ssd,my system is booting in 8-10 seconds and shutting down in 3-5 seconds..It must have taken you a lot of your time to put this thread together..

Well done and keep up the good work..

Stevomac:thumb:


----------



## stevomac

Sean you might be interested in this...

http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stevomac*
> 
> Sean you might be interested in this...
> http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance


See the FAQ section. I've already said about this.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *magic8ball88*
> 
> Thanks for the guide! Even though a lot of the stuff was done for me by the computer, its nice to know a little bit more of whats going on behind the screen. My computer is fantastic now! Its been needing a format for a while. The only thing I'm having trouble with is what to do with my old drive. I would like to use it for storage and use steam mover to switch games between them. As of right now I haven't touched my old drive and it still has windows on it. Should I keep it that way or should I format it? I've got all the files off of it that I want except for all my software. I don't mind reinstalling stuff but I don't want to download all my games again (even if I wanted to I can't, my internet is incapable)
> 
> So how can I save all my games, format, then put them back on? I moved my entire steam folder to an external hard drive, so should I just move it back after that and call it good?


If you only use steam games you can simply drag and move the steam folder and all your games will be fine, you may just need to get the game saves.

Just drag everything important off the HDD to another and format, or make a partition to move everything on and shrink the older one then once the important data is moved off the old partition delete it and expand the new partition with all your data.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stevomac*
> 
> Hi Sean..
> 
> I am new here so first of all I say hello.I followed all your instructions,you mapped everything out to perfection ,I originally installed windows 7 on a 64gb ssd from crucial,After the clean install I was left with 15gb of free space(also installed 16gb of ddr3 ram)I have now reinstalled the o/s and followed your instructions,I now have 50gb free on my ssd,my system is booting in 8-10 seconds and shutting down in 3-5 seconds..It must have taken you a lot of your time to put this thread together..
> 
> Well done and keep up the good work..
> 
> Stevomac:thumb:


Thanks









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stevomac*
> 
> Sean you might be interested in this...
> 
> http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance


I already have a guide on realigning your SSD.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions


----------



## kevindd992002

Sean, why do you think it isn't recommended to enable NTFS compression on an SSD where the main OS is installed? Doesn't it improve performance?


----------



## Talynn67

Got the Replacement Intel 520 Series SSD. It works well though i was nervous installing windows to it so I only left 4 screws in the bottom panel of the laptop in case i had to pull it again. Intel had a few hoops to jump through, so rather then review just the drive i should be able to do a write up on the replacement processes and how painful/painless that was. All is well with it and the guide was very helpful to getting it installed and space saving set up on it. Thanks Sean!


----------



## Snakes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snakes*
> 
> I'm building a new system and am going to use my current Windows 7 system disk SSD in the new build. I've been reading about this sysprep method to avoid having to reinstall Windows from scratch and wondered if that's compatible with the rest of the steps in your guide. My partition starting offset is divisible by 4096 so I think my partition formatting is fine already. As I understand it, this just speeds up the process so you can skip over the initial Windows installation steps, it seems really convenient and almost too good to be true.


Just wanted to report that Sysprep did not work for me. I don't know if it was something I had set up wrong or not, but my system refused to boot off the SSD that I had Windows installed on and had run Sysprep on. I was forced to delete the partition and do a fresh Windows install, had almost everything backed up so it's no big deal. Sysprep was too good to be true in my case.


----------



## malikq86

Hey Sean,

I have my new PC up and running...however, I got 1 quick question for ya (Sorry!). I have 4x SATA 6.0 ports...I *think* 2 of them are controlled by Intel and the other 2 are controlled by Asrock Motherboard chip? right?

My mobo manual is horrible...but I found this: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/ASRock-Z77-Extreme4-Motherboard/1509/4 (see 3rd paragraph) and this: http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1469/pg2/intel-z77-chipset-launch-roundup-asrock-z77-extreme4.html (see below)

_" Three use the Intel chipset and are split into 4x SATA 2 with 2x SATA 3 and the additional sockets run off a ASMedia ASM1061 controller. The Intel ports support RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 as well as AHCI and hot-plugging."_

And this: http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,4.html

_"The 2x grey ports on the left are supplied by Intel Z77 and the 2x grey ports on the right are supplied by AS Media (ASM1061)."_

I think I need to connect my SSD to the grey SATA 6.0 port (Intel?) right next to the black SATA port....not the grey SATA port on the outside edge (ASMedia ASM1061 controller, where it's connected now).

Is that correct? Or are all the SATA 6.0 ports the same...hope you can help!

I'm working thru your guide now.









FYI - I decided to install some of the utility programs that game with the drivers...not sure if that was a good or bad idea...

EDIT: Actually, im pretty sure I'm right, lol. No worries.


----------



## BlindWolf8

Hi Sean,
Thanks for the Windows 7 SP1 ISO links. Now I don't have to slipstream them myself. I did have a question for you: Have you heard of the SP1-U refresh that Microsoft posted to DigitalRiver to resolve a bug? You may want to update your links accordingly:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/


----------



## malikq86

BTW - windows 7 takes up about 18gb...not sure if I missed something...thought it should be closer to 10gb.

EDIT: I have Windows Ultimate...im sure that's the reason. And the mass amount of updates I installed...i think.


----------



## Snakes

After Windows updates and installing about 2.5GB of software my Windows 7 Home Premium partition is 29.2GB full, not sure how it got that large. I'll have to look into that. I guess the page file is 8GB and I didn't disable system restore, that'll account for some of it. This is after running CCleaner to delete temp files. The Windows folder is 14.7GB.

Ok now I just noticed that hilighting everything in C only comes to 26.3GB. I have hidden files turned off. where did my missing 2.9GB go?


----------



## FishCommander

Does this look right? This is my second attempt









Originally is was C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86)
At least I'm pretty sure... it was definetly on the C drive and my Caviar Black is my 'D' drive.... lol im skurd


----------



## Aparition

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> And this: http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,4.html
> _"The 2x grey ports on the left are supplied by Intel Z77 and the 2x grey ports on the right are supplied by AS Media (ASM1061)."_
> I think I need to connect my SSD to the grey SATA 6.0 port (Intel?) right next to the black SATA port....not the grey SATA port on the outside edge (ASMedia ASM1061 controller, where it's connected
> EDIT: Actually, im pretty sure I'm right, lol. No worries.


I suggest using the Intel SATA6 ports for your OS drive.
Then you can use the ASMEDIA SATA6 ports for other SSDs/HDD you have.

I believe the ASMEDIA ports can Not use optical drives (like a DVD player) they can only use Data Drives (SSD/HDD).
And double check the PCI-e requirements. Some boards will disable the ASMEDIA ports if you use the PCI-e (x4) slot at the bottom of the board if used in (x4) mode. (x1) mode is usually ok.
This has to do with the limited PCI-e lanes. Not usually an issue for most users though


----------



## EarlZ

So I enabled AHCI with the registry mod and my bios settings in preparation for the SSD, now my harddrives appear on the system tray as removables, anyway to disable that with out losing performance?

Also with a single non RAID array disk configuration do I need to install the Intel Rapid Storage Driver or anything else?


----------



## masscrazy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> So I enabled AHCI with the registry mod and my bios settings in preparation for the SSD, now my harddrives appear on the system tray as removables, anyway to disable that with out losing performance?


I wondered why my drives were showing up as removable


----------



## Snakes

I had that same experience, guys. When I first got an SSD and was on my old Gigabyte EP45-UD3P mobo I installed windows with AHCI and all my hard drives were showing as removable. I just reinstalled Win 7 with my new Z77X-UD5H board and that's no longer the case. I feel like the motherboard is what made the difference but that's just an assumption.


----------



## iARDAs

@ Sean or any other fellow member

I finally figured out everything

I first plugged my SSD as a secondary drive so I could do a firmware update.

After the firmware was updated I followed the guide on how to install Windows 7 and some of the optimizations.

However i have few questions

1-) My keyboard acted up during the installation process and I could not follow the *CONTROL A DRIVE USING A BIOS motherboard MRB format*

I could not hit Shift + F10... Will this bring me any troubles? I could not allign my SSD to 4K. Am i still good to go? What i basically did was just have my brand new SSD plugged in, no HDD. and selected that SSD and installed Windows 7. I hope i did not miss on anything via that specific place in the guide

2-) I plugged in my HDD and now i have 4 drives in total.

1 is Drive C for my SSD

the other 3 are drives E F and G... How can i combine all of these 3 drives into a specific drive such as drive E? and how can i format everything?


----------



## laurelgtxyz

First wanna say thanks to Sean for the quick and easy guide on maximizing the SSD. Got my M4 running good since 1 week ago. But , there's a thing that keep bugging me about the CPU usage which i dont know why is it acting like that. As shown in the picture above , i have that RSTWmiService running all time and it is affecting my idle temp. I dont know what this thing is , I've tried re-installing windows again 4 days ago but still it stays the same. Any advice on this? I think it is from the chipset driver or something that i installed. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Snooter

Hey Sean or anyone else or may know the answer to this.

I have already installed windows on my 128gb SSD following this guide and it was extremely helpful, so thanks again for that!. I just bought another SSD (Crucial M4 256gb) when it went on sale this past week. My question is I had really just wanted to use this drive for games and such. Probably install steam on it and any other games I can fit. If I am simply using this as a storage drive is there anything special I need to do to set it up? What steps of this guide if any should I follow to get it working properly and as fast as it can be?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sean, why do you think it isn't recommended to enable NTFS compression on an SSD where the main OS is installed? Doesn't it improve performance?


Cause it is a waste, it doesn't really do much except use cpu power

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Talynn67*
> 
> Got the Replacement Intel 520 Series SSD. It works well though i was nervous installing windows to it so I only left 4 screws in the bottom panel of the laptop in case i had to pull it again. Intel had a few hoops to jump through, so rather then review just the drive i should be able to do a write up on the replacement processes and how painful/painless that was. All is well with it and the guide was very helpful to getting it installed and space saving set up on it. Thanks Sean!


cool.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BlindWolf8*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> Thanks for the Windows 7 SP1 ISO links. Now I don't have to slipstream them myself. I did have a question for you: Have you heard of the SP1-U refresh that Microsoft posted to DigitalRiver to resolve a bug? You may want to update your links accordingly:
> http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/


I'll update it when i have the time, thanks

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> BTW - windows 7 takes up about 18gb...not sure if I missed something...thought it should be closer to 10gb.
> 
> EDIT: I have Windows Ultimate...im sure that's the reason. And the mass amount of updates I installed...i think.


Page file and hibernation mainly. follow guide!









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snakes*
> 
> After Windows updates and installing about 2.5GB of software my Windows 7 Home Premium partition is 29.2GB full, not sure how it got that large. I'll have to look into that. I guess the page file is 8GB and I didn't disable system restore, that'll account for some of it. This is after running CCleaner to delete temp files. The Windows folder is 14.7GB.
> 
> Ok now I just noticed that hilighting everything in C only comes to 26.3GB. I have hidden files turned off. where did my missing 2.9GB go?


look in the maintenance section and download space sniffer.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FishCommander*
> 
> 
> 
> Does this look right? This is my second attempt
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Originally is was C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86)
> At least I'm pretty sure... it was definetly on the C drive and my Caviar Black is my 'D' drive.... lol im skurd


i think lol, ive never done it
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> So I enabled AHCI with the registry mod and my bios settings in preparation for the SSD, now my harddrives appear on the system tray as removables, anyway to disable that with out losing performance?


http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware
Quote:


> Also with a single non RAID array disk configuration do I need to install the Intel Rapid Storage Driver or anything else?


just install it like in the steps, the driver works for the controller, any drives connected...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *masscrazy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> So I enabled AHCI with the registry mod and my bios settings in preparation for the SSD, now my harddrives appear on the system tray as removables, anyway to disable that with out losing performance?
> 
> 
> 
> I wondered why my drives were showing up as removable
Click to expand...

http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iARDAs*
> 
> @ Sean or any other fellow member
> 
> I finally figured out everything
> 
> I first plugged my SSD as a secondary drive so I could do a firmware update.
> 
> After the firmware was updated I followed the guide on how to install Windows 7 and some of the optimizations.
> 
> However i have few questions
> 
> 1-) My keyboard acted up during the installation process and I could not follow the *CONTROL A DRIVE USING A BIOS motherboard MRB format*
> 
> I could not hit Shift + F10... Will this bring me any troubles? I could not allign my SSD to 4K. Am i still good to go? What i basically did was just have my brand new SSD plugged in, no HDD. and selected that SSD and installed Windows 7. I hope i did not miss on anything via that specific place in the guide
> 
> 2-) I plugged in my HDD and now i have 4 drives in total.
> 
> 1 is Drive C for my SSD
> 
> the other 3 are drives E F and G... How can i combine all of these 3 drives into a specific drive such as drive E? and how can i format everything?


1. no difference
2. google, lol. i think you can span the volumes.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *laurelgtxyz*
> 
> 
> 
> First wanna say thanks to Sean for the quick and easy guide on maximizing the SSD. Got my M4 running good since 1 week ago. But , there's a thing that keep bugging me about the CPU usage which i dont know why is it acting like that. As shown in the picture above , i have that RSTWmiService running all time and it is affecting my idle temp. I dont know what this thing is , I've tried re-installing windows again 4 days ago but still it stays the same. Any advice on this? I think it is from the chipset driver or something that i installed. Thanks in advance.


idk.uninstall it if it gives issue.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snooter*
> 
> Hey Sean or anyone else or may know the answer to this.
> 
> I have already installed windows on my 128gb SSD following this guide and it was extremely helpful, so thanks again for that!. I just bought another SSD (Crucial M4 256gb) when it went on sale this past week. My question is I had really just wanted to use this drive for games and such. Probably install steam on it and any other games I can fit. If I am simply using this as a storage drive is there anything special I need to do to set it up? What steps of this guide if any should I follow to get it working properly and as fast as it can be?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


Nothing needed, plug it in and quick format it, that is all.


----------



## malikq86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Page file and hibernation mainly. follow guide!


Of course, I've already done that. I did the whole guide, even checked over it twice!









My Windows folder alone is 19.8gb right now...I think it might be because I am using Windows Ultimate... not sure...

In total, after Windows 7 installation (following the guide; installed all recommended/optional window updates, and keeping 1GB page file to be safe) + basic program installations (like Office, Norton Security Suite, etc. but no games) I'm sitting at *216GB free of 238GB*.

Not sure if that is normal or not.

EDIT: I installed a lot of Mobo utility programs..which I am going to uninstall right now..they seem to be bloatware...hopefully that saves me some space as well. I will also install/run Space Sniffer.
*
UPDATE:* Just Ran SpaceSniffer...below is the simply and more detailed view...anything look wrong? *Why do some of the file/folders under "winsxs" say "amd64"???? errrrrr...***?*


----------



## Swolern

Sean you are the [email protected]#$% Man! The guide is awesome! SSD companies should pay you for this!


----------



## Swolern

Ok noob question. How do i use applications/games from my existing HDD after SSD now has OS, without pulling them over to my ssd?


----------



## kevindd992002

@Sean

How is NTFS compression a "waste" that just consumes CPU power?


----------



## nizda

As far as the space issue with win ultimate something must be off. When I first installed win7ultimate I followed seans guide to the letter. After installation plus ccleaner,mse,updates and only what I needed from office word,excel I was at 13gigs. That was with a 1gig page file as well and bloatware from mobo utils. Getting rid of hibernation and reducing page file cleared a ton of wasted space. Also I disabled system restore as I have regular backups to my nas in case something happens. The mobo bloatware I got rid of immediately and used revo uninstaller great program btw, to get rid of all traces. It ended up being the reason my boot up time went from 12-15s to 45. Another thing that helped was grabbing seans win updates file deletion script. Especially after u first install all the initial updates. Have fun, you have a good size drive








Thx again sean your advice/guide was priceless info. Even reading other threads in hd/ssd section pretty much every question asked is in one of your guides!

Sent from my cm9 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## malikq86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nizda*
> 
> As far as the space issue with win ultimate something must be off. When I first installed win7ultimate I followed seans guide to the letter. After installation plus ccleaner,mse,updates and only what I needed from office word,excel I was at 13gigs. That was with a 1gig page file as well and bloatware from mobo utils. Getting rid of hibernation and reducing page file cleared a ton of wasted space. Also I disabled system restore as I have regular backups to my nas in case something happens. The mobo bloatware I got rid of immediately and used revo uninstaller great program btw, to get rid of all traces. It ended up being the reason my boot up time went from 12-15s to 45. Another thing that helped was grabbing seans win updates file deletion script. Especially after u first install all the initial updates. Have fun, you have a good size drive
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thx again sean your advice/guide was priceless info. Even reading other threads in hd/ssd section pretty much every question asked is in one of your guides!
> Sent from my cm9 using Tapatalk 2


Dangit! I can't figure it out...I swear I did everything as well...ill re-check hibernation/system restore...but im like 99.99% I turned them both off. I also did CCleaner and deleted the Window Update trash.

Your bootup time went from 12-15s to 45s??? because you got rid of mobo bloatware?? I think you wrote that wrong - you meant the other way around?

I wonder if Windows 7 takes up more space the bigger harddrive you have? hmmmm....maybe ill google it.

*EDIT:* I *think* I know what is causing the problem...I just remembered...that there seems to be some allocated space on my harddrive...I only saw/noticed it when I went to turn off disk defrag....I will post pic when I get home...I don't know where it came from...however, it does not show up under My Computer...weiiirrrddd...


----------



## malikq86

Well I found some junk on my PC and was able to save some more space..right now I am using 18GB...however, I believe it should be less than that....

I did find something weird...under "Disk Defragmenter" that is a partition called "System Reserved" ....it does not show up in My Computer..*.is this normal or is this what has been taking up space on my SSD?!?* The only drives I had/have connected to my PC ..is my SSD + Optical Drive..that's it.



Looks like it takes up 100MB..Disk Management seems to have an option to remove it...though I am not sure I should...anyone know what this is? And whether I should keep or delete it?


----------



## EliteGhost

Yeah the system reserved partition is normal, I would just keep it. On the first page there is a guide on how to remove it when fresh installing windows and a link on how to remove it after you have installed windows.

From the first page under *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:*

On a fresh (custom) installation of Windows 7, where Windows 7 is installed onto a new hard disk with unallocated disk space (no partition or volume been defined yet), or when user attempts to create a new partition out of empty drive, the Windows 7 installer will create an additional partition with the size of 100MB, and mark as System Reserved.

The 100MB volume is labeled as System Reserved with NTFS file system, and System, Active, Primary partition attribute with no drive letter in Disk Management. The 100MB system partition is used primarily as BitLocker partition for BitLocker encryption. Additionally, it also holds the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and boot files with boot manager for booting up the computer for troubleshooting when there is no Windows 7 installation DVD disc on hand.

The Windows 7 created 100MB partition is not the main boot partition or boot drive, but serve only as a backup.

For Windows 7 users who do not intend to use BitLocker, the 100MB partition can be removed subsequently and easily . However, users can stop and prevent the 100MB partition from been created in the first place during installation.

Link on how to remove it:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html


----------



## malikq86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteGhost*
> 
> Yeah the system reserved partition is normal, I would just keep it. On the first page there is a guide on how to remove it when fresh installing windows and a link on how to remove it after you have installed windows.
> From the first page under *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:*
> On a fresh (custom) installation of Windows 7, where Windows 7 is installed onto a new hard disk with unallocated disk space (no partition or volume been defined yet), or when user attempts to create a new partition out of empty drive, the Windows 7 installer will create an additional partition with the size of 100MB, and mark as System Reserved.
> The 100MB volume is labeled as System Reserved with NTFS file system, and System, Active, Primary partition attribute with no drive letter in Disk Management. The 100MB system partition is used primarily as BitLocker partition for BitLocker encryption. Additionally, it also holds the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and boot files with boot manager for booting up the computer for troubleshooting when there is no Windows 7 installation DVD disc on hand.
> The Windows 7 created 100MB partition is not the main boot partition or boot drive, but serve only as a backup.
> For Windows 7 users who do not intend to use BitLocker, the 100MB partition can be removed subsequently and easily . However, users can stop and prevent the 100MB partition from been created in the first place during installation.
> Link on how to remove it:
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html


Ah oka. thanks man...yeah i might just keep it...if the other routes are too much of a hassle (will read the link you provided). Plus 100MB isn't a big deal. lol


----------



## EliteGhost

You're welcome, and thanks to sean for the great guide!


----------



## Swolern

EliteGhost, do you know the best way to get BF3 to a SSD from a HDD. Origin has been giving me problems. I eventually did a fresh download and install to the SSD and was giving me validation errors.

Also anyone know which of Sean's optimizations tips could be giving me trouble? Everything was running amazing at 1920x1080 @ 120Hz and today i added two more 120Hz screen for 5760x1080 @ 120hz. Now im getting major pauses, hitches, and some games even freeze(without crash). Rest of system looks good. CPU usage 5-40%, Ram 20-30%. (oh if it matters i see cpu usage go down to 0% for a few seconds when system is pausing)

PC specs I5 2500k @4.3 / 8gb 1600 memory / 680 SLI / 1050w Corsair

Edit: Ok now games crashing, here is report:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: hl2.exe
Application Version: 0.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 4c525184
Fault Module Name: vstdlib.dll
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 4c6ca968
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0000204e
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 0a9e
Additional Information 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Additional Information 3: 0a9e
Additional Information 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789


----------



## EliteGhost

To your first question I would install Origin on your ssd and then download a fresh copy of B3. But make sure to keep game installer so you don't have re-download.

To your second question I would try and run B3 with only one monitor and see if it crashes. Also make sure you have the latest beta drivers for your 680's. Sorry if this help sounds generic but I don't have any experience with multiple monitor setups or duel gpu setups. You could try posting your problem in the nvidia section.

http://www.overclock.net/f/69/nvidia


----------



## kj1060

Is it suggested to do 2 240GB Intel 520 in Raid or not? I haven't seen any sort of consensus (not specific to my drives). Also assuming I go with the raid array, when they do release trim support to raid arrays will I have to do a fresh install of Windows? Thanks for the help.


----------



## MarvinDessica

Thanks for this guide, Sean. I'm up and running perfectly and I finally see what all the SSD hype is about







!


----------



## kevindd992002

Where is Sean these days? I haven't seen him very active in his guides like before?


----------



## Nisten

Question for you guys:

I recently purchased a new mobo/processor/RAM (Asus Sabertooth Z77/3570k/12gb 12800). My OS drive is a Samsung 830 SSD, while my storage/users drive is a 640gb HDD.

Would I be able to literally plug these two drives into the new mobo, along with the new processor and RAM and be up and running? Or would I have to do a completely fresh install/reformat? That would be a major pain in the butt if the case as I just recently used this guide to install the SSD and optimize it, as well as move the users folders onto the HDD.

Thanks so much!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Page file and hibernation mainly. follow guide!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Of course, I've already done that. I did the whole guide, even checked over it twice!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My Windows folder alone is 19.8gb right now...I think it might be because I am using Windows Ultimate... not sure...
> 
> In total, after Windows 7 installation (following the guide; installed all recommended/optional window updates, and keeping 1GB page file to be safe) + basic program installations (like Office, Norton Security Suite, etc. but no games) I'm sitting at *216GB free of 238GB*.
> 
> Not sure if that is normal or not.
> 
> EDIT: I installed a lot of Mobo utility programs..which I am going to uninstall right now..they seem to be bloatware...hopefully that saves me some space as well. I will also install/run Space Sniffer.
> *
> UPDATE:* Just Ran SpaceSniffer...below is the simply and more detailed view...anything look wrong? *Why do some of the file/folders under "winsxs" say "amd64"???? errrrrr...***?*
Click to expand...

My winsxs folder is like 3GB smaller. IDK lol, run disk clean up and CCleaner maybe?

Also, there is the thing to delete old update files you can try in the maintenance section.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Swolern*
> 
> Sean you are the [email protected]#$% Man! The guide is awesome! SSD companies should pay you for this!












Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Swolern*
> 
> Ok noob question. How do i use applications/games from my existing HDD after SSD now has OS, without pulling them over to my ssd?


ummmmm, can you go into further detail? There are a few different things you can or can not do based on your situation.

If you did a fresh install and have existing apps and such on your secondary you will need to reinstall them.

If you did a system image you wont need to reinstall.

Steam can be moved around without reinstallation.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> @Sean
> 
> How is NTFS compression a "waste" that just consumes CPU power?


Yea, plus when I enabled it it saved me no room. ahaha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nizda*
> 
> As far as the space issue with win ultimate something must be off. When I first installed win7ultimate I followed seans guide to the letter. After installation plus ccleaner,mse,updates and only what I needed from office word,excel I was at 13gigs. That was with a 1gig page file as well and bloatware from mobo utils. Getting rid of hibernation and reducing page file cleared a ton of wasted space. Also I disabled system restore as I have regular backups to my nas in case something happens. The mobo bloatware I got rid of immediately and used revo uninstaller great program btw, to get rid of all traces. It ended up being the reason my boot up time went from 12-15s to 45. Another thing that helped was grabbing seans win updates file deletion script. Especially after u first install all the initial updates. Have fun, you have a good size drive
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thx again sean your advice/guide was priceless info. Even reading other threads in hd/ssd section pretty much every question asked is in one of your guides!
> 
> Sent from my cm9 using Tapatalk 2












Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Well I found some junk on my PC and was able to save some more space..right now I am using 18GB...however, I believe it should be less than that....
> 
> I did find something weird...under "Disk Defragmenter" that is a partition called "System Reserved" ....it does not show up in My Computer..*.is this normal or is this what has been taking up space on my SSD?!?* The only drives I had/have connected to my PC ..is my SSD + Optical Drive..that's it.
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like it takes up 100MB..Disk Management seems to have an option to remove it...though I am not sure I should...anyone know what this is? And whether I should keep or delete it?


Uncheck the option to defragment the system reserve, or just delete it if you don't use bitlocker.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Is it suggested to do 2 240GB Intel 520 in Raid or not? I haven't seen any sort of consensus (not specific to my drives). Also assuming I go with the raid array, when they do release trim support to raid arrays will I have to do a fresh install of Windows? Thanks for the help.


I always suggest a single larger SSD over multiple in RAID 0, because the difference for the consumer is minimal in performance in day to day tasks.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MarvinDessica*
> 
> Thanks for this guide, Sean. I'm up and running perfectly and I finally see what all the SSD hype is about
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> !












Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Where is Sean these days? I haven't seen him very active in his guides like before?


It is summer, I just got my first car, I have work, and I am busy a lot with that and friends. I have a fun life.









I can only reply once every few days right now, maybe more depending on the schedule.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nisten*
> 
> Question for you guys:
> 
> I recently purchased a new mobo/processor/RAM (Asus Sabertooth Z77/3570k/12gb 12800). My OS drive is a Samsung 830 SSD, while my storage/users drive is a 640gb HDD.
> 
> Would I be able to literally plug these two drives into the new mobo, along with the new processor and RAM and be up and running? Or would I have to do a completely fresh install/reformat? That would be a major pain in the butt if the case as I just recently used this guide to install the SSD and optimize it, as well as move the users folders onto the HDD.
> 
> Thanks so much!


Uninstall the mobo drivers and then you can see if you can boot up into it, if not you have to reinstall.

also look here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/135077-windows-7-installation-transfer-new-computer.html#post1161038


----------



## EarlZ

Is it a good idea to have partitions on an SSD, I intend to limit my OS drive to ~80Gb and the rest for gaming ( Corsair ForceGT 240Gb ) or would this affect TRIM / durability of the drive seeing that C:/ is only 80Gb and the used space for that will be around 50-60Gb.


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I always suggest a single larger SSD over multiple in RAID 0, because the difference for the consumer is minimal in performance in day to day tasks.


Thanks for the response!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Is it a good idea to have partitions on an SSD, I intend to limit my OS drive to ~80Gb and the rest for gaming ( Corsair ForceGT 240Gb ) or would this affect TRIM / durability of the drive seeing that C:/ is only 80Gb and the used space for that will be around 50-60Gb.


set it as you like, it doesn't make a difference.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I always suggest a single larger SSD over multiple in RAID 0, because the difference for the consumer is minimal in performance in day to day tasks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the response!
Click to expand...


----------



## malikq86

Thank Sean. I did do CCleaner and clean out my Windows Update temps. I'm at 220gb free / 238gb for the whole system (not just Windows, Windows = 17.8gb) - Good enough!! I'm done. No way in heck I can get below 18gb used with everything I wanted to install...I think this is my limit...I did everything possible to save space. Anyways...my PC feel so clean..I love it!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Thank Sean. I did do CCleaner and clean out my Windows Update temps. I'm at 220gb free / 238gb for the whole system (not just Windows, Windows = 17.8gb) - Good enough!! I'm done. No way in heck I can get below 18gb used with everything I wanted to install...I think this is my limit...I did everything possible to save space. Anyways...my PC feel so clean..I love it!


Oh, you have things installed too? That is why lol. i thought you were talking about just the installation with nothing installed.

I have about the same too:


----------



## malikq86

^ Ah oka. Good good.

EDIT: I meant Windows folder was about 16GB..not 17.8GB. The whole system is about 18GB - 19GB.

Windows = 16GB
Other Programs/Installations = ~ 2GB - 3GB
Total Used: ~ 18GB - 19GB
Free: ~ 219GB - 220GB (out of 238GB)










I'm happy with that.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> set it as you like, it doesn't make a difference.


No affect durability wise on the NAND?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> set it as you like, it doesn't make a difference.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No affect durability wise on the NAND?
Click to expand...

why would it?


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> why would it?


I dunno, because of limited usable space on the partition for TRIM / GC?

Thats why Im asking since I dont know lol!


----------



## Snooter

Hey Sean me again.

First I wanted to add a tip that maybe would be helpful to others if they experience the same problem I had. I recently upgraded to an X79 system and was re installing windows and every time I hit the install button it kept saying it couldn't located the proper files/drivers to continue. I was trying to install it in the GPT format so I followed your steps and just couldn't figure out why this wasn't working. Since it booted just fine from the USB why couldn't it find the proper files? Then it dawned on me that I was using a USB 3.0 port on the front of my case for convenience. I switched to a usb2.0 in the back and then everything worked just fine, installation wise anyway. Don't know if the USB 3.0 was the problem but I'm thinking since X79 doesn't have native USB 3.0 support that might have something to do with it.

Now on to my question. I had already installed windows on my Plextor M3 128gb in the GPT format following your guide. Didn't have any problems then but I ran into one tonight I have no idea what it could be. I Secure erased all my data and then I am following the steps to set up the partitions and got a weird message. I created the Msr partition at size=128, then create partition primary, but when I type active the command prompt says this
"the selected disk is not a fixed MDR disk."
"the ACTIVE command can only be used on fixed MBR disks"

I tried everything I could think of, which isn't much but I am stumped. I didn't see this problem before and dunno how to get past it. I tried installing windows anyway but it wouldn't let me install on the ssd cause it said it was correct or something along those lines.

Any idea what the deal is?

Edit: I also had an alignment of 4096 on my last install but I don't remember how I got that when using the GPT format. It seems to me just following those steps the alignment would be 1024. How would I go about aligning it to 4096 if it doesn't do it automatically.


----------



## EliteGhost

Hey Sean do recommend disabling NTFS Compression on a HDD? I read somewhere that disabling it speeds up some programs or just the ui.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> why would it?
> 
> 
> 
> I dunno, because of limited usable space on the partition for TRIM / GC?
> 
> Thats why Im asking since I dont know lol!
Click to expand...

That works separate from the partitions on SSDs as the data can be anywhere on the NAND chips on the drive as the controller sets it, unlike HDDs.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snooter*
> 
> Hey Sean me again.
> 
> First I wanted to add a tip that maybe would be helpful to others if they experience the same problem I had. I recently upgraded to an X79 system and was re installing windows and every time I hit the install button it kept saying it couldn't located the proper files/drivers to continue. I was trying to install it in the GPT format so I followed your steps and just couldn't figure out why this wasn't working. Since it booted just fine from the USB why couldn't it find the proper files? Then it dawned on me that I was using a USB 3.0 port on the front of my case for convenience. I switched to a usb2.0 in the back and then everything worked just fine, installation wise anyway. Don't know if the USB 3.0 was the problem but I'm thinking since X79 doesn't have native USB 3.0 support that might have something to do with it.
> 
> Now on to my question. I had already installed windows on my Plextor M3 128gb in the GPT format following your guide. Didn't have any problems then but I ran into one tonight I have no idea what it could be. I Secure erased all my data and then I am following the steps to set up the partitions and got a weird message. I created the Msr partition at size=128, then create partition primary, but when I type active the command prompt says this
> "the selected disk is not a fixed MDR disk."
> "the ACTIVE command can only be used on fixed MBR disks"
> 
> I tried everything I could think of, which isn't much but I am stumped. I didn't see this problem before and dunno how to get past it. I tried installing windows anyway but it wouldn't let me install on the ssd cause it said it was correct or something along those lines.
> 
> Any idea what the deal is?


I accidentally put active in there, you don't need that.








Quote:


> Edit: I also had an alignment of 4096 on my last install but I don't remember how I got that when using the GPT format. It seems to me just following those steps the alignment would be 1024. How would I go about aligning it to 4096 if it doesn't do it automatically.


when you type *create partition primary* add *align=4096* after it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteGhost*
> 
> Hey Sean do recommend disabling NTFS Compression on a HDD? I read somewhere that disabling it speeds up some programs or just the ui.


I never enable it. It may speed things up as data won't need to be compressed and decompressed.


----------



## kevindd992002

Sean, regarding my question with NTFS compression, I was asking "HOW" is it just a "waste" that consume CPU power and you answered it with a "yea", lol.

I'm looking for a detailed explanation if you don't mind. It's just that I read in other forums that the process of compressing and decompressing is so fast that it really speed up things.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> That works separate from the partitions on SSDs as the data can be anywhere on the NAND chips on the drive as the controller sets it, unlike HDDs.
> I accidentally put active in there, you don't need that.


Ok thanks, next question would be how do I make sure that the alignment is at 4096, are there steps to be done before or after performing a fresh install ?


----------



## MaFi0s0

Just used this guide, thank you.


----------



## Snooter

Quote:


> I accidentally put active in there, you don't need that.


Quote:


> when you type create partition primary add align=4096 after it.


Thanks for the help yet again! I was able to install windows just fine accept when I went to do custom install and chose the primary part there was an error at the bottom, similar to before, and it said that windows could not be installed on this drive. But I just clicked next and everything seems to be working just fine. Any ideas on why it said this or what it means. For the record my sata is set to ACHI and I also booted from a device with a UEFI prefix.


----------



## candy_van

Ok so quick question about page-file:

Would it still be best to keep it on a secondary drive, or is it not a big deal to just keep it to a minimum on the SSD?

I currently have page-file on my raptor, along w/ games and some programs - OS stays on the 60gb (storage is separate etc).
Just bought a 256GB M4, and plan to keep my programs and games on it now...is it still worth keeping the raptor for page-file & misc stuff?


----------



## malikq86

Jesus sean..i dont know how you do it...getting constantly bombard...

Let the poor guy rest people. Even a ssd guru needs a rest from questions...lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sean, regarding my question with NTFS compression, I was asking "HOW" is it just a "waste" that consume CPU power and you answered it with a "yea", lol.
> 
> I'm looking for a detailed explanation if you don't mind. It's just that I read in other forums that the process of compressing and decompressing is so fast that it really speed up things.


ehhh, I don't have a detailed explanation. I just noticed that I used more CPU power with it enabled and had no benefit from it enabled myself. It actually made the drive use up more space for me. You will have to analyze it yourself.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> That works separate from the partitions on SSDs as the data can be anywhere on the NAND chips on the drive as the controller sets it, unlike HDDs.
> I accidentally put active in there, you don't need that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ok thanks, next question would be how do I make sure that the alignment is at 4096, are there steps to be done before or after performing a fresh install ?
Click to expand...

When you make the primary partition in diskpart when installing you need to type *create partition primary align=4096*.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> Just used this guide, thank you.










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snooter*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I accidentally put active in there, you don't need that.
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> when you type create partition primary add align=4096 after it.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thanks for the help yet again! I was able to install windows just fine accept when I went to do custom install and chose the primary part there was an error at the bottom, similar to before, and it said that windows could not be installed on this drive. But I just clicked next and everything seems to be working just fine. Any ideas on why it said this or what it means. For the record my sata is set to ACHI and I also booted from a device with a UEFI prefix.
Click to expand...

It still installed tho right? That is a bug I read before with the install disk I believe.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *candy_van*
> 
> Ok so quick question about page-file:
> 
> Would it still be best to keep it on a secondary drive, or is it not a big deal to just keep it to a minimum on the SSD?
> 
> I currently have page-file on my raptor, along w/ games and some programs - OS stays on the 60gb (storage is separate etc).
> Just bought a 256GB M4, and plan to keep my programs and games on it now...is it still worth keeping the raptor for page-file & misc stuff?


It is better to have it on the SSD because of its far faster random read/writes, tho it really makes no difference unless you actually use the page file for something. I just leave mine on my SSD when I use it and set it to 512MB.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Jesus sean..i dont know how you do it...getting constantly bombard...
> 
> Let the poor guy rest people. Even a ssd guru needs a rest from questions...lol


haha, yea, I usually just take like 10 min or so to do replies that pertain to me every day to so now.


----------



## Snooter

Quote:


> It still installed tho right? That is a bug I read before with the install disk I believe.


Yea it installed alright from what I can tell, the partitions are the correct size and aligned properly as far as I can see. I didn't think it would do any harm but figured I would bring it up to see if anyone knew anything. Probably just a weird bug then. Could have something to do with being a USB drive who knows.


----------



## Snooter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *candy_van*
> 
> Ok so quick question about page-file:
> Would it still be best to keep it on a secondary drive, or is it not a big deal to just keep it to a minimum on the SSD?
> I currently have page-file on my raptor, along w/ games and some programs - OS stays on the 60gb (storage is separate etc).
> Just bought a 256GB M4, and plan to keep my programs and games on it now...is it still worth keeping the raptor for page-file & misc stuff?


I used to have my pagefile at 400mb following sean's guide but then when I went to play Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2, through steam, the game told me I needed at least 1.5gb of space in my pagefile to play. I thought it was really weird but I changed it to 1.5gb and the game would boot up. Not sure how many games you but if one game requires a certain pagefile size maybe others do as well. I know this really has nothing to do with your question but I figured I would add it here. keeping it on your SSD might give you better performance, I dunno though.


----------



## EarlZ

Just to verify this steps right, will be performed while my current mech harddrive is still up and running as the boot drive in preparation for my SSD.
Quote:


> Wipe a drives partitions:
> Open the Start Menu, type diskpart, press Enter
> Type list disk, press Enter
> Type select disk X (where X is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type clean, press Enter
> Type create create partition primary align=4096, press Enter
> Type format quick fs=ntfs, press Enter
> Type assign, press Enter
> Type exit, press Enter


After that begin installation with the SSD as primary boot.


----------



## Italianguy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Ok thanks, next question would be how do I make sure that the alignment is at 4096, are there steps to be done before or after performing a fresh install ?
> 
> 
> 
> When you make the primary partition in diskpart when installing you need to type *create partition primary align=4096*.
Click to expand...

Sean Have you seen this link? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2510009

It has some good info on the 4K sector change. Including a way to check what you currently have installed:
From that link (Make sure windows is up to date):
1. Run the following command from elevated command prompt: *Fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo x:* [where x: is the drive you are checking]
2. Then use the values for "Bytes Per Sector" and "Bytes per Physical Sector" to determine the type of drive you have
If it shows:
Bytes Per Sector: 4096
Bytes per Physical Sector: 4096
You have: *4K native*

Bytes Per Sector: 512
Bytes per Physical Sector: 4096
You have: *Advanced Format or also called 512E*

Bytes Per Sector: 512
Bytes per Physical Sector: 512
You have: *512 native*

So that can be a quick way to check what partition format you currently have set up (I'd recomend adding that info to the guide somewhere).

One thing I noticed that I'm a little confused about. In that same article Microsoft states, "4K native: Currently not supported on any released operating system version." So what does that mean in respect to SSDs? Does the OS actually see the SSD the same way it would see the "Advanced Format or 512E" drives? An example of one of those new magnetic drives would be the recently released Western Digital 3TB Caviar Green, which uses Advanced Format.

I don't have my system built yet so I can't check. Can someone run the above line in cmd and see what Windows 7 comes up with for a SSD that was partitioned for 4096?


----------



## candy_van

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is better to have it on the SSD because of its far faster random read/writes, tho it really makes no difference unless you actually use the page file for something. I just leave mine on my SSD when I use it and set it to 512MB.


Firstly, thanks for the response & the guide; extremely well done









Only one more followup question regarding pagefile (I promise..ish







):

So the SSD is obviously faster in that regard, but what about minimizing writes to the drive?
I'd previously read keeping page file off the SSD was good because it was effectively prolonging it's life in doing so.

Suppose what I'm getting at here, is that just being overly cautious (this was from a guide at least a year ago roughly)?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snooter*
> 
> I used to have my pagefile at 400mb following sean's guide but then when I went to play Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2, through steam, the game told me I needed at least 1.5gb of space in my pagefile to play. I thought it was really weird but I changed it to 1.5gb and the game would boot up. Not sure how many games you but if one game requires a certain pagefile size maybe others do as well. I know this really has nothing to do with your question but I figured I would add it here. keeping it on your SSD might give you better performance, I dunno though.


I believe mine is set at 1GB now (been so long I forgot lol), haven't run into any issues with that yet, but thanks for sharing


----------



## Xylene

I just did it and it still comes up 512 so I wiped my drive for no reason.. awesome.


----------



## Italianguy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xylene*
> 
> I just did it and it still comes up 512 so I wiped my drive for no reason.. awesome.


It said 512 for *both* Bytes Per Sector and Bytes per Physical Sector?


----------



## Xylene

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Italianguy*
> 
> It said 512 for *both* Bytes Per Sector and Bytes per Physical Sector?


It said

Bytes Per Sector: 512
Bytes per Physical Sector: 4096

But it already said that before I did anything. I guess I was under the impression it would say 4096 for both after I did it.


----------



## Italianguy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xylene*
> 
> It said
> Bytes Per Sector: 512
> Bytes per Physical Sector: 4096
> But it already said that before I did anything. I guess I was under the impression it would say 4096 for both after I did it.


Thanks for the clarification! Your result is what I was expecting to see since, from what I understand, Windows does not yet support 4K native. Can a couple more people confirm that their SSDs partitioned with 4096 show the same result?

I'm not entirely sure if this impacts anything though. Essentially the SSD is functioning in the same way as an Advanced Format magnetic drive would with the OS. Does anyone know a bit more about this that could shed some light on this finding? I think this means windows is still functioning on 512 sectors but the SSD is functioning at 4096?


----------



## Italianguy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xylene*
> 
> But it already said that before I did anything.


*Adding to the post i just submitted. So hold on your SSD had said the exact same thing before you formatted it with 4096?


----------



## Xylene

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Italianguy*
> 
> *Adding to the post i just submitted. So hold on your SSD had said the exact same thing before you formatted it with 4096?


Yes. I originally set it up like this..

Booted from my current Windows 7 installation
Updated firmware
Formatted drive in Disk Management by selecting "create simple volume"
Installed Windows 7


----------



## Italianguy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xylene*
> 
> Yes. I originally set it up like this..
> Booted from my current Windows 7 installation
> Updated firmware
> Formatted drive in Disk Management by selecting "create simple volume"
> Installed Windows 7


Very interesting. We need more people to test this out on their SSDs before and after installing windows.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Just to verify this steps right, will be performed while my current mech harddrive is still up and running as the boot drive in preparation for my SSD.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Wipe a drives partitions:
> Open the Start Menu, type diskpart, press Enter
> Type list disk, press Enter
> Type select disk X (where X is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type clean, press Enter
> Type create create partition primary align=4096, press Enter
> Type format quick fs=ntfs, press Enter
> Type assign, press Enter
> Type exit, press Enter
> 
> 
> 
> After that begin installation with the SSD as primary boot.
Click to expand...

yep

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Italianguy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Ok thanks, next question would be how do I make sure that the alignment is at 4096, are there steps to be done before or after performing a fresh install ?
> 
> 
> 
> When you make the primary partition in diskpart when installing you need to type *create partition primary align=4096*.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sean Have you seen this link? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2510009
> 
> It has some good info on the 4K sector change. Including a way to check what you currently have installed:
> From that link (Make sure windows is up to date):
> 1. Run the following command from elevated command prompt: *Fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo x:* [where x: is the drive you are checking]
> 2. Then use the values for "Bytes Per Sector" and "Bytes per Physical Sector" to determine the type of drive you have
> If it shows:
> Bytes Per Sector: 4096
> Bytes per Physical Sector: 4096
> You have: *4K native*
> 
> Bytes Per Sector: 512
> Bytes per Physical Sector: 4096
> You have: *Advanced Format or also called 512E*
> 
> Bytes Per Sector: 512
> Bytes per Physical Sector: 512
> You have: *512 native*
> 
> So that can be a quick way to check what partition format you currently have set up (I'd recomend adding that info to the guide somewhere).
Click to expand...

Yea I've seen that and much more on it lol. I have that info in the guide.

Quote:


> One thing I noticed that I'm a little confused about. In that same article Microsoft states, "4K native: Currently not supported on any released operating system version." So what does that mean in respect to SSDs? Does the OS actually see the SSD the same way it would see the "Advanced Format or 512E" drives? An example of one of those new magnetic drives would be the recently released Western Digital 3TB Caviar Green, which uses Advanced Format.
> 
> I don't have my system built yet so I can't check. Can someone run the above line in cmd and see what Windows 7 comes up with for a SSD that was partitioned for 4096?


Most SSDs are 512.

When you align it to 1024, 4096 or whatever it usually won't make a difference. Only with Native 4k drives and RAID arrays it may.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *candy_van*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is better to have it on the SSD because of its far faster random read/writes, tho it really makes no difference unless you actually use the page file for something. I just leave mine on my SSD when I use it and set it to 512MB.
> 
> 
> 
> Firstly, thanks for the response & the guide; extremely well done
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Only one more followup question regarding pagefile (I promise..ish
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ):
> 
> So the SSD is obviously faster in that regard, but what about minimizing writes to the drive?
> I'd previously read keeping page file off the SSD was good because it was effectively prolonging it's life in doing so.
> 
> Suppose what I'm getting at here, is that just being overly cautious (this was from a guide at least a year ago roughly)?
Click to expand...

You don't need to worry about writes to the SSD from the page file. I've been monitoring mine and I barely ever have it do any writes lol. Besides, you should get 100TB-1PB of writes to your drive in terms of NAND life. That is like 5-20 years depending on usage and drive.


----------



## Italianguy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Most SSDs are 512.
> When you align it to 1024, 4096 or whatever it usually won't make a difference. Only with Native 4k drives and RAID arrays it may.


If it doesn't matter then why does the guide suggest changing it from what windows uses as default?

This part of the guide suggests that it does matter. Is there something I'm missing?
Quote:


> Q&A/Facts:
> 
> Why 4096 as partition offset?
> SSDs: It is best to use 4K (4096) alignment (partition offset) over the default 1K (1024) because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. SSDs are erased in 4K blocks.
> 
> HDDs:
> Well, it really doesn't matter for drives with 512-byte sectors because 512 fits into 4096 fine, but it does matter for 4K sector drives.
> 
> If a person comes along and reads this guide and has a 4K sector drive or a SSD it is best to use 4K offset because the physical sectors will be aligned properly with the logical sectors. Like wise, it's somewhat of a standard that controller makers & drive makers adopted to keep things simple on system integrators.
> 
> Le Q/A:
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by BradleyW;15533065
> Ok it's about time we got this sorted.
> 
> 1. You don't need to run AHCI when using a SSD. By this, I mean you can run HDD's in raid with a SSD on its own. Whichever drives are not selected as raid will run in AHCI although the bios reports raid mode.
> 
> 2. 4096 is the correct allocation size for newer storage devices. Why?
> A hard drive or SSD is a chunk of free space (Let's talk in digital terms). So this free space needs to be divided into segments. By setting 1024, 1024 small little chunks can be help within a segment. By setting 4096, you can hold over 3072 more chunks per segment.
> 
> 3. So yeah....why is this better?
> Firstly we need to look at how information is stored and read on the hard drive. Let's take a file. It's saved as small chunks that fit into a segment. If you use 1024 allocation size and the file will need 2000 chunks, the file will become split up. So the first 1024 chunks will be stored in the 1st segment whilst the remaining is stored into the next segment. Because the file is divided, it takes longer for the HDD/SSD and/or the OS to read/write the file. The file that requires 2000 chunks of a segment can fit into a 4096 segment. The file and information does not become scattered around. Of course, no matter what you do, chunks will become split up over time as you add and delete things on the computer and gaps in the structure appear and get filled by new files. The new files just become scattered to fill the gaps between the empty chunks that appear from previous files becoming deleted by software or the user.
> 
> 4. Why to not use an allocation size higher than 4096?
> Because if the units that hold tiny segments become too large of an open space, it will take the OS and the hardware far too long to find and interpret the information. It will also reduce the amount of formatted free space available to the OS and the user.
> 
> Hope this helps!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Italianguy*
> 
> If it doesn't matter then why does the guide suggest changing it from what windows uses as default?
> 
> This part of the guide suggests that it does matter. Is there something I'm missing?


I say it doesn't matter because in testing 4k vs 1k I noticed no difference in performance on my SSD. However, some drives can benefit because a friend did it and had an improvement in benches with his 4k sector HDD.

It also depends on the system -> controllers, drives, and such. I'll try to adjust it better later when I have the time, I have a bad cold atm and can't think straight and I am currently lookin up parts for my new car. lol.


----------



## MaFi0s0

My windows is acting weird and I think its the SSDs, I am gonna reinstall, what is the correct way to do this? I have 520s in Raid 0.

Do I need to install windows along with SP1??

Did I miss a firmware update? I updated the drivers.


----------



## EarlZ

A little off topic but my friend says after he upgraded to a UEFI bios motherboard his boot time with his SSD got a massive boost, now the windows logo cannot completely form and he is logged into desktop, can anyone confirm ?


----------



## candy_van

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to worry about writes to the SSD from the page file. I've been monitoring mine and I barely ever have it do any writes lol. Besides, you should get 100TB-1PB of writes to your drive in terms of NAND life. That is like 5-20 years depending on usage and drive.


Ah, OK thank you very much for the clarification.
Seems the old mindset is overly cautious then in that respect; I'll just be using the 256GB and ditch the raptor unless I can find another use for it.

Thanks again!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> My windows is acting weird and I think its the SSDs, I am gonna reinstall, what is the correct way to do this? I have 520s in Raid 0.
> 
> Do I need to install windows along with SP1??
> 
> Did I miss a firmware update? I updated the drivers.


What is acting weird?

just re-follow the guide
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> A little off topic but my friend says after he upgraded to a UEFI bios motherboard his boot time with his SSD got a massive boost, now the windows logo cannot completely form and he is logged into desktop, can anyone confirm ?


nothin like that here
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *candy_van*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to worry about writes to the SSD from the page file. I've been monitoring mine and I barely ever have it do any writes lol. Besides, you should get 100TB-1PB of writes to your drive in terms of NAND life. That is like 5-20 years depending on usage and drive.
> 
> 
> 
> Ah, OK thank you very much for the clarification.
> Seems the old mindset is overly cautious then in that respect; I'll just be using the 256GB and ditch the raptor unless I can find another use for it.
> 
> Thanks again!
Click to expand...

No problem.


----------



## MaFi0s0

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What is acting weird?
> just re-follow the guide


Its fixed now.
I dont know what it was but at 1st stuff wasnt deleting, a cold boot fixed it, then windows updates wouldnt install even after getting SP1 to install, it was the biggest gremlin install.

I re-followed the guide this time around I used the copy of windows with SP1 preinstalled and used 4096 alignment and without the system reserve and everything is working fine.


----------



## 3kramd5

I upgraded last night from a C2D machine to an ivy bridge i5 (MSI z77a-g45, i5-3570k, 4X4GB Patriot PC3 12800 kit). Previously, I was running off a OCZ Solid 3, with a second OCZ Solid 3 as a cache/swap/temp drive.

New hardware is all in running fine, however I can't clean install windows 7 on the SSDs. I Went through the steps in the OP (AHCI SATA, MBR created), but every time I go to install it either returns an error during the extraction step (error code 0x80070570, or error code 0xc0000005) or it just blue screens shortly after. I can and did, however, install Windows onto a HDD.

Any ideas what's going on? Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What is acting weird?
> just re-follow the guide
> 
> 
> 
> Its fixed now.
> I dont know what it was but at 1st stuff wasnt deleting, a cold boot fixed it, then windows updates wouldnt install even after getting SP1 to install, it was the biggest gremlin install.
> 
> I re-followed the guide this time around I used the copy of windows with SP1 preinstalled and used 4096 alignment and without the system reserve and everything is working fine.
Click to expand...

Cool.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *3kramd5*
> 
> I upgraded last night from a C2D machine to an ivy bridge i5 (MSI z77a-g45, i5-3570k, 4X4GB Patriot PC3 12800 kit). Previously, I was running off a OCZ Solid 3, with a second OCZ Solid 3 as a cache/swap/temp drive.
> 
> New hardware is all in running fine, however I can't clean install windows 7 on the SSDs. I Went through the steps in the OP (AHCI SATA, MBR created), but every time I go to install it either returns an error during the extraction step (error code 0x80070570, or error code 0xc0000005) or it just blue screens shortly after. I can and did, however, install Windows onto a HDD.
> 
> Any ideas what's going on? Thanks!


Reburn the Windows 7 image and see if that works, if not redownload it and try again.


----------



## 3kramd5

So I am up and running, but sadly can not explain why or how it came to be.

I installed new firmware. No go.
I installed the latest BIOS. No go.
I then ran clonezilla and copied windows from my HDD. Forgot to copy the boot partition so of course it didn't boot.
I booted to the Windows disk to run repair. It found a boot problem but failed to fix it.
For poops and grins, I decided to try one last time. I run the installer, and it goes through.


----------



## Fkabbz

My Kingston Hyper X 120gb SSD score is down for some reason. I followed the guide after I had to do a reinstall but now I am getting 7.8 instead of 7.9 in the W.E.I. I went in and deleted the WinSAT and etc, but the score remains 7.8 from a 7.9. IS my SSD damaged?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fkabbz*
> 
> My Kingston Hyper X 120gb SSD score is down for some reason. I followed the guide after I had to do a reinstall but now I am getting 7.8 instead of 7.9 in the W.E.I. I went in and deleted the WinSAT and etc, but the score remains 7.8 from a 7.9. IS my SSD damaged?


Post a screenshot of AS SSD.


----------



## Fkabbz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Post a screenshot of AS SSD.


Here


----------



## Sean Webster

Everything looks good to me. Ignore W.E.I.


----------



## Fkabbz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Everything looks good to me. Ignore W.E.I.


Alright. I'm trusting you Sean. Thanks


----------



## jlhawn

question for sean webster:
I am building a system for a friend and she wants a ssd in it,
i have built lots of systems but never with ssd, can i just connect the ssd
to sata port #1 and put the windows 7 disk in the dvd drive and boot up and install?
i read your instructions from 2011 but got confused.
i also know i have to change the setting in the bios to AHCI
the mother board she chose is asus p8h77-v le
she only wants windows 7 and office 2010 and WoW on the ssd and of course i will put
nvidia drivers on there.
then she has me installing 2 500gig hdd's as all she does on her computer is WoW
and the other drives only have photos and photo software as she is a photographer.
she had her husband order all parts from his work as he works for a computer parts supplier.
system will be the board i listed plus
intel i5
8 gig ram
crucial 128 gig ssd
2 500 gig hdd
pny GTX 550ti
corsair 750 watt psu
i dvd drive
thanks for any help


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jlhawn*
> 
> question for sean webster:
> I am building a system for a friend and she wants a ssd in it,
> i have built lots of systems but never with ssd, c*an i just connect the ssd
> to sata port #1 and put the windows 7 disk in the dvd drive and boot up and install?*
> i read your instructions from 2011 but got confused.
> i also know i have to change the setting in the bios to AHCI
> the mother board she chose is asus p8h77-v le
> she only wants windows 7 and office 2010 and WoW on the ssd and of course i will put
> nvidia drivers on there.
> then she has me installing 2 500gig hdd's as all she does on her computer is WoW
> and the other drives only have photos and photo software as she is a photographer.
> she had her husband order all parts from his work as he works for a computer parts supplier.
> system will be the board i listed plus
> intel i5
> 8 gig ram
> crucial 128 gig ssd
> 2 500 gig hdd
> pny GTX 550ti
> corsair 750 watt psu
> i dvd drive
> thanks for any help


Yep lol.

Just make sure you plug the SSD in the white/grey port.


----------



## jlhawn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep lol.
> Just make sure you plug the SSD in the white/grey port.


great.
thank you
one more thing the board she has the ports are blue or white, the white is the 6.0gbs and the blues are 3.0gbs.
i read people have a haed time booting from the 6.0gbs ports but i think that was with the X58 boards.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jlhawn*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep lol.
> Just make sure you plug the SSD in the white/grey port.
> 
> 
> 
> great.
> thank you
> one more thing the board she has the ports are blue or white, the white is the 6.0gbs and the blues are 3.0gbs.
> i read people have a haed time booting from the 6.0gbs ports but i think that was with the X58 boards.
Click to expand...

Yea, use the white SATA 6Gb/s ports. They are native to the chipset so you will not have an issue as X58 boards hard. They gave issue because the SATA 6Gb/s ports on them were by a 3rd party controller and needed the drivers to be loaded to use them.


----------



## jlhawn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, use the white SATA 6Gb/s ports. They are native to the chipset so you will not have an issue as X58 boards hard. They gave issue because the SATA 6Gb/s ports on them were by a 3rd party controller and needed the drivers to be loaded to use them.


ok thank you very much.
will get started tonight as the psu is not here yet:thumb:


----------



## She loved E

just want to say huge THANK YOU for this post. Just installed/optimized in under 5 hours after some difficulty w/drives & old XP installs.







If I would have done a system image as you suggested BEFORE optimization I would have saved myself a lot of time.







:


----------



## chu816

Hi,

I got the Crucial M4 128 GB and I had a question about installing it.

Here is the motherboard that I have: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1156/P7P55DE/#specifications .

I have Marvell 6 GB/s but you said not to use them. However, this leaves me with the native Intel SATA ports that are only 3 GB/s. Should I use the Marvell 6 GB/s or stick to the native 3 GB/s?

Will I see a large performance loss by using the 3GB/s instead of the 6GB/s?

Good guide!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chu816*
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I got the Crucial M4 128 GB and I had a question about installing it.
> 
> Here is the motherboard that I have: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1156/P7P55DE/#specifications .
> 
> I have Marvell 6 GB/s but you said not to use them. However, this leaves me with the native Intel SATA ports that are only 3 GB/s. Should I use the Marvell 6 GB/s or stick to the native 3 GB/s?
> 
> Will I see a large performance loss by using the 3GB/s instead of the 6GB/s?
> 
> Good guide!


Use the Intel SATA 3Gb/s, you really don't lose any performance. Honestly I could not truly tell the difference b/w Intel SATA 3Gb/s and Intel 6Gb/s on my system with a SSD. lol.


----------



## chu816

Ok thanks for the quick response!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chu816*
> 
> Ok thanks for the quick response!


No prob, you're just lucky I am still awake atm lol. I am now going off to bed so if you have any more questions you will have to wait 6-18 hours or up to a day lol.


----------



## MJR81

Thanks for all the info, Sean. Picked up my first SSD (M4) earlier in the week and this thread was a huge help.


----------



## WoodiE

Can't wait to follow this guide later this week! Just purchased a 256GB M4 along with many other goodies one of which is a ASrock Extreme4-M motherboard.

Is there anyway or need to upgrade the firmware immediately before installing Windows on this SSD?


----------



## MaFi0s0

I have RAID 0 520 SSDs, while overclocking my RAM I got some corruption in my windows TMP files, I ran intel verification and it detected nothing.
Is it okay for me to run chkdsk??


----------



## EarlZ

Just got the Corsair ForceGT 240Gb today and did my initial install, boot time is extremely fast and over all system response is just skyrocketing! I did however notice that when I reconnected both fo my mechanical drives there is an additional 5seconds of loading time increase with windows, with the SSD alone when the windows 'orbs' appear on the screen for 1 second, Im instantly taken to the desktop while with the 2 mech drives connected it adds 5 seconds, completing the window logo.. is there a way to remedy this ?


----------



## MaFi0s0

Try disable the drives in device manager, maybe a windows script to toggle them on and off so you only turn them on when you need them.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> Try disable the drives in device manager, maybe a windows script to toggle them on and off so you only turn them on when you need them.


I actually need those drives as they are my storage drive but is this an expected result?

I also have another question, my drives are labelled accordingly to its partition, windows explorer sees them as "Local Drives" while Disk Management actually sees the correct names, anyway to correct this ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WoodiE*
> 
> Can't wait to follow this guide later this week! Just purchased a 256GB M4 along with many other goodies one of which is a ASrock Extreme4-M motherboard.
> 
> Is there anyway or need to upgrade the firmware immediately before installing Windows on this SSD?


http://forums.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/M4-Firmware-000f-is-now-available/td-p/93526
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> I have RAID 0 520 SSDs, while overclocking my RAM I got some corruption in my windows TMP files, I ran intel verification and it detected nothing.
> Is it okay for me to run chkdsk??


Intel verification? 0.o I never heard of such a thing lol.

Run this: *http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html*
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Just got the Corsair ForceGT 240Gb today and did my initial install, boot time is extremely fast and over all system response is just skyrocketing! I did however notice that when I reconnected both fo my mechanical drives there is an additional 5seconds of loading time increase with windows, with the SSD alone when the windows 'orbs' appear on the screen for 1 second, Im instantly taken to the desktop while with the 2 mech drives connected it adds 5 seconds, completing the window logo.. is there a way to remedy this ?


Nah, that is just how it is, unless someone else has a "fix."


----------



## MaFi0s0

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Intel verification? 0.o I never heard of such a thing lol.
> Run this: *http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html*


Its in the RST under manage > advanced > verify.

Thanks I will try that, so I shouldnt run chkdsk on Raid 0 SSDs?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Intel verification? 0.o I never heard of such a thing lol.
> Run this: *http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html*
> 
> 
> 
> Its in the RST under manage > advanced > verify.
> 
> Thanks I will try that, so I shouldnt run chkdsk on Raid 0 SSDs?
Click to expand...

You can too.


----------



## EarlZ

Whats a good application to use to monitor my day to day basis on the read/writes that Im doing on my SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Whats a good application to use to monitor my day to day basis on the read/writes that Im doing on my SSD?


http://www.ssdready.com/


----------



## WoodiE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> http://forums.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/M4-Firmware-000f-is-now-available/td-p/93526


Sean,

I know there IS a firmware update, however can I apply it before I install Windows 7 on the drive? My Samsung 830 128GB SSD came with a USB adapter - could I use that to apply the firmware then install the drive in the new system and install windows?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WoodiE*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> http://forums.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/M4-Firmware-000f-is-now-available/td-p/93526
> 
> 
> 
> Sean,
> 
> I know there IS a firmware update, however can I apply it before I install Windows 7 on the drive? My Samsung 830 128GB SSD came with a USB adapter - could I use that to apply the firmware then install the drive in the new system and install windows?
Click to expand...

There is a PDF with instructions where you download the firmware...


----------



## baesjunk

Hi i followed most of this when i installed win7 on my intel 128gb ssd

some observations i found,
lets say i have plenty of pictures on a ms word document, then i type a sentence on any part of the document, theres a 3 sec delay before the letters come out or display on the document,
the document file is on another hdd but the MSword is installed in ssd along with the OS

youtube videos sometimes are very choppy (might be flash related but who knows)

are these side effects related to the settings after installation?


----------



## EarlZ

Crystal disk info shows host reads/writes, I would assume this is read from the SSD SMART or something ?
Im currently at 80Gb read and 75Gb write with a total uptime of 25hrs.


----------



## malikq86

I'm having a weird issue...when I wake up my PC from sleep mode...both my screens are just blank/black. My primary monitor doesn't even display a mouse pointer...but my secondary does.

However, if I CTRL-ALT-DELETE...Windows 7 magically pops up (gets displayed on both monitors)...and is working fine...

I think it might of been because I disabled password login when waking from sleep...not sure..will test... anyone encounter this?

Not really a big issue, just a little odd.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *baesjunk*
> 
> Hi i followed most of this when i installed win7 on my intel 128gb ssd
> 
> some observations i found,
> lets say i have plenty of pictures on a ms word document, then i type a sentence on any part of the document, theres a 3 sec delay before the letters come out or display on the document,
> the document file is on another hdd but the MSword is installed in ssd along with the OS
> 
> youtube videos sometimes are very choppy (might be flash related but who knows)
> 
> are these side effects related to the settings after installation?


Nope, nothing from the guide could cause this except if you are almost out of system memory.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Crystal disk info shows host reads/writes, I would assume this is read from the SSD SMART or something ?
> Im currently at 80Gb read and 75Gb write with a total uptime of 25hrs.


Yea
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> I'm having a weird issue...when I wake up my PC from sleep mode...both my screens are just blank/black. My primary monitor doesn't even display a mouse pointer...but my secondary does.
> 
> However, if I CTRL-ALT-DELETE...Windows 7 magically pops up (gets displayed on both monitors)...and is working fine...
> 
> I think it might of been because I disabled password login when waking from sleep...not sure..will test... anyone encounter this?
> 
> Not really a big issue, just a little odd.


I had that issue before, I forgot what caused it....possibly a external drive or device is plugged in causing a hang?


----------



## EarlZ

Thanks,around how much read/write is the expected life span on the Corsair ForceGT 240Gb and how much reserved space does it have for wear leveling?

Also Im using perfect disk 12 to defrag my mech drives, I understand that SSD's dont need such thing but Raxxo says they can even further optimize TRIM with out any impact on the NAND, is there any truth to this ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Thanks,around how much read/write is the expected life span on the Corsair ForceGT 240Gb?


can't say for sure, but anywhere from 100TB-1PB lol


----------



## solsamurai

Hey Sean and others! I'm going to upgrade to Windows 7 Pro this week with a fresh install and have a question or two (maybe, lol). I noticed in the OP you mentioned the installation portion is not for those who want to dual boot. I may want to be able to dual boot into Linux or Windows. What differences in the initial setup would there be with this in mind? I've been using VM's and am fine with that but thought dual booting might be nice too. Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Hey Sean and others! I'm going to upgrade to Windows 7 Pro this week with a fresh install and have a question or two (maybe, lol). I noticed in the OP you mentioned the installation portion is not for those who want to dual boot. I may want to be able to dual boot into Linux or Windows. What differences in the initial setup would there be with this in mind? I've been using VM's and am fine with that but thought dual booting might be nice too. Thanks!


I don't now how to dual boot with other OSes really, only Windows. I know that Linux may destroy the Windows bootloader upon installation or at least it used to. Just look up guides on google.


----------



## solsamurai

Will do. Either that or I'll just keep using a VM like I am now, lol.


----------



## malikq86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I had that issue before, I forgot what caused it....possibly a external drive or device is plugged in causing a hang?


nope no external driver/devices (besides monitor, keyboard, mouse, mic, etc)...let me know if you remember..i might try to manually figure it out this weekend if I don't find the answer online.

Let me know if you think it's any of these reasons:

- Turned off hibernation completely..perhaps shrinking it to 50 will solve the issue.
- Power settings...turned off password from sleep...kept HD active all the time...perhaps something in here....

will test those out on weekend.


----------



## solsamurai

Been reading through the OP and other links in the subsequent posts. Tons of great information here. Especially the 4k alignment stuff. Really excited for the Win7 Pro disc to get here so I can get into it!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I had that issue before, I forgot what caused it....possibly a external drive or device is plugged in causing a hang?
> 
> 
> 
> nope no external driver/devices (besides monitor, keyboard, mouse, mic, etc)...let me know if you remember..i might try to manually figure it out this weekend if I don't find the answer online.
> 
> Let me know if you think it's any of these reasons:
> 
> - Turned off hibernation completely..perhaps shrinking it to 50 will solve the issue.
> - Power settings...turned off password from sleep...kept HD active all the time...perhaps something in here....
> 
> will test those out on weekend.
Click to expand...

Nah, that is not it. I have that set myself. I think it could be a BIOS setting with the C states, or PLL overvoltage, or something
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Been reading through the OP and other links in the subsequent posts. Tons of great information here. Especially the 4k alignment stuff. Really excited for the Win7 Pro disc to get here so I can get into it!


----------



## MaFi0s0

Sean I just got 4 3TB drives they are Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM, they are 1TB platters, 3 to each HDD.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5042/seagates-new-barracuda-3tb-st3000dm001-review

I am going to set them up in Raid 10 on 3Gb/s ports (even though 6Gb/s would be ideal I dont have 4 on the 1 controller).
Should I just set the stripe size to the default 128k and leave everything else default? Is there anything special I should do with the setup process?


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:*
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Convert MBR*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
> Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
> Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.


I want to make sure I understand this correctly. When you type "Clean" in Step 6 you are erasing all data on the disk? So in my case with my current OS drive containing Win 7 HP it will erase everything and give me a clean unpartitioned disk? Thanks!


----------



## malikq86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nah, that is not it. I have that set myself. I think it could be a BIOS setting with the C states, or PLL overvoltage, or something


Sean I think i fixed it...I just set *"Turn off the display"* to *"Never"* in Power Options...so far it seems to work 100%. I'll let you know if this fails in the future.

I also have "Put the computer to sleep" , "Require a password on wakeup", and "Turn off hard disk after" all to "Never" (had these settings previously as well).

So as of now, if I want to put my PC to sleep..I have to manually click Start -> Sleep...and then manually turn off the PC monitors (which is totally fine). I always do this manually anyways. I'm a happy camper.


----------



## malikq86

Sean fyi you mention Windows 8 in OP when you mean 7. Its under turn off or shrink page files. No biggy..but i thought i mention it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> Sean I just got 4 3TB drives they are Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM, they are 1TB platters, 3 to each HDD.
> http://www.anandtech.com/show/5042/seagates-new-barracuda-3tb-st3000dm001-review
> 
> I am going to set them up in Raid 10 on 3Gb/s ports (even though 6Gb/s would be ideal I dont have 4 on the 1 controller).
> Should I just set the stripe size to the default 128k and leave everything else default? Is there anything special I should do with the setup process?


I am not sure on what stripe size would be best for ya, but 128 is usually fine.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:*
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Convert MBR*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
> Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
> Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I want to make sure I understand this correctly. When you type "Clean" in Step 6 you are erasing all data on the disk? So in my case with my current OS drive containing Win 7 HP it will erase everything and give me a clean unpartitioned disk? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yea, just skip the diskpart in CMD part.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nah, that is not it. I have that set myself. I think it could be a BIOS setting with the C states, or PLL overvoltage, or something
> 
> 
> 
> Sean I think i fixed it...I just set *"Turn off the display"* to *"Never"* in Power Options...so far it seems to work 100%. I'll let you know if this fails in the future.
> 
> I also have "Put the computer to sleep" , "Require a password on wakeup", and "Turn off hard disk after" all to "Never" (had these settings previously as well).
> 
> So as of now, if I want to put my PC to sleep..I have to manually click Start -> Sleep...and then manually turn off the PC monitors (which is totally fine). I always do this manually anyways. I'm a happy camper.
Click to expand...

I just click the sleep button in the start menu and my monitors go to sleep as well. It may also be a gfx driver issue.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Sean fyi you mention Windows 8 in OP when you mean 7. Its under turn off or shrink page files. No biggy..but i thought i mention it.


Ok, thanks, it was when I was making my Windows 8 thread and cleaning up this thread at the same time lol.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, just skip the diskpart in CMD part.


Thanks!


----------



## _TRU_

terrible performance.



it's an agility 3, i know the samsung 830 i had is better, but this agility missed ALL marks.
followed guide. had great speeds last time.
but i'm to tired to figure it out.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> terrible performance.
> 
> 
> 
> it's an agility 3, i know the samsung 830 i had is better, but this agility missed ALL marks.
> followed guide. had great speeds last time.
> but i'm to tired to figure it out.


nothing is wrong, post shots of AS SSD (helps verify things) and ATTO (shows rated speeds for SandForce drives.) benchmarks. Remember, the Agility 3 uses slower asynchronous NAND. I told you before.


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> nothing is wrong, post shots of AS SSD (helps verify things) and ATTO (shows rated speeds for SandForce drives.) benchmarks. Remember, the Agility 3 uses slower asynchronous NAND. I told you before.


you sir are correct. lack of sleep disrupted thought process.



funny thing is that though speeds of drive are lower, the overall speed of the _system_ has greatly increased. i'm assuming this is due to everything being on a single SSD instead of spread on a an SSD and a HDD


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> funny thing is that though speeds of drive are lower, the overall speed of the _system_ has greatly increased. i'm assuming this is due to everything being on a single SSD instead of spread on a an SSD and a HDD


Can I ask why you moved from an 830 to the agility 3? I'm assuming at this point per your comments above it was a smaller SSD and the agility 3 is large enough to hold everything. Just wondering if there was any other reasons.


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Can I ask why you moved from an 830 to the agility 3? I'm assuming at this point per your comments above it was a smaller SSD and the agility 3 is large enough to hold everything. Just wondering if there was any other reasons.


finances. trying to save enough to finish rig.


----------



## MaFi0s0

Not an important question but one I have been wondering about.

If you have RAID set up on ICH10R and you do maintenance on your computer for whatever reason, do the SATA cables need to go back in the same ports as before or this doesnt matter?


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> finances. trying to save enough to finish rig.


Ah, got'cha.


----------



## jlhawn

Hi Sean me again.
I got all the parts in last night and installed the Crucial 128gb ssd in the sata 6.0gbs sata slot loaded the windows disk booted and it installed in about 8 mins or less, and yes i set the bios for the ssd to the setting other then ide can't remember that setting untill i see it it's the AHMI or something like that.
anyways i don't rely on the windows experiance tool much but it did give the system a 7.3 and gave it a 7.9 on the ssd.
so thanks again for your help and now i know that it's just as easy to install a ssd as it is to use hdd it went smooth just like all the other systems i have built.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> Not an important question but one I have been wondering about.
> 
> If you have RAID set up on ICH10R and you do maintenance on your computer for whatever reason, do the SATA cables need to go back in the same ports as before or this doesnt matter?


I honestly don't know, but you can see if it does by switching them and see if the array is broken or not.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jlhawn*
> 
> Hi Sean me again.
> I got all the parts in last night and installed the Crucial 128gb ssd in the sata 6.0gbs sata slot loaded the windows disk booted and it installed in about 8 mins or less, and yes i set the bios for the ssd to the setting other then ide can't remember that setting untill i see it it's the AHMI or something like that.
> anyways i don't rely on the windows experiance tool much but it did give the system a 7.3 and gave it a 7.9 on the ssd.
> so thanks again for your help and now i know that it's just as easy to install a ssd as it is to use hdd it went smooth just like all the other systems i have built.


nice.


----------



## MaFi0s0

Do I really have to Initialize my ICH10R raid10 before it shows up in my computer??


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> Do I really have to Initialize my ICH10R raid10 before it shows up in my computer??


if it is a newly created array then you need to in disk management.


----------



## Zantrill

Well Sean, I got the new rig up and running. Good bye to AMD. Windows installed without a flaw. Didn't really have to do anything dif from an HDD install. SSD is running like a bat out of you know what. I didn't really find anything usefull on the Plexter 128 disk, so I just ignored it. Nothing on there I need correct? Posted new speeds on the Plexter SSD thread. All is well!


----------



## solsamurai

This feels like another silly question but if I choose to keep the System Reserve Partition and setup 4K alignment on an HDD will I see any benefit over using the default? Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zantrill*
> 
> Well Sean, I got the new rig up and running. Good bye to AMD. Windows installed without a flaw. Didn't really have to do anything dif from an HDD install. SSD is running like a bat out of you know what. I didn't really find anything usefull on the Plexter 128 disk, so I just ignored it. Nothing on there I need correct? Posted new speeds on the Plexter SSD thread. All is well!


No need for any of the Plextor software unless you want to use it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> This feels like another silly question but if I choose to keep the System Reserve Partition and setup 4K alignment on an HDD will I see any benefit over using the default? Thanks!


100MB more space lol.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No need for any of the Plextor software unless you want to use it.
> 100MB more space lol.


So using 4k over the default won't provide any significant benefits for an HDD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No need for any of the Plextor software unless you want to use it.
> 100MB more space lol.
> 
> 
> 
> So using 4k over the default won't provide any significant benefits for an HDD?
Click to expand...

If it is a 4K sector HDD then yes, if not then no.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If it is a 4K sector HDD then yes, if not then no.


Sorry still learning a ton about HDD/SSD's. How to I tell if it's a 4K HDD? I thought I could simply tell Windows to format it as such when installing the OS, no?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If it is a 4K sector HDD then yes, if not then no.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry still learning a ton about HDD/SSD's. How to I tell if it's a 4K HDD? I thought I could simply tell Windows to format it as such when installing the OS, no?
Click to expand...

Run CMD as admin, post a screenshot of the CMD Window when you type this:

Code:



Code:


fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo C:


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

So I just posted this over in the "Officially-unofficial Vertex 4 thread". Maybe I should have asked here first as there might be a better response. Anyway, this is my current "problem". Im looking into getting a SSD. Long story short, my brothers harddrive is starting to act up, and he has to many games/programs to really get an SSD, just not worth buying a 256 for his needs. Me on the other hand, don't really play THAT many games anymore, and would enjoy a 128 SSD as my main drive. I currently have 2 300GB Velociraptors in RAID0 that I will give my brother, and I am looking to pick up a Vertex 4. Thing is, im running a P6T Deluxe V2 (SATA II). I really don't care that I won't get amazing 500+ numbers as I will be limited to say 260-270 via my SATA II connection. My RAID0 setup pulls amazing numbers, which is why im not sure if I really want to give it up. I get a solid 230 average read in HDTune and I have them short stroked so I get 6.2 latency. Obviously this is nothing compared to a SSD with no latency at all, but has anyone used one of these on a SATA II that can speak to how much faster they are than my current setup. Granted I will be getting the SSD "for free", still hard to give up my V-Raps. Also, maybe the Vertex 4 isn't really the best? I know its not sanforce which makes me a little less weary. I just fallowed your guide and deleted my hibernation files, I cleared out some old games and software I really don't need/won't ever play, and I am sitting at about 96.7 gigs used on my RAID setup. I could probably delete a few more things and get down to say 90, but if im only getting a 128 gig, what is the amount of free space I want it to have? My roomates are playing Diablo 3 A LOT on my PC, as I have a pretty good platform, so it is getting pretty heavy use without a lot of time for garbage collection. I will disable everything I possibly can to make it have as few writes as possible, but this machine is still going to be used quite often all day, or it will be in sleep as it is to loud to sleep with it on. So I guess im just concerned that it won't seem THAT much faster than my RAID setup, and im concerned if a 128 might not be the right move. At this point im fairly sure I can keep it under 110 gigs of used space, should this be ok, seeing as there is no way im going to spend over 250+ on a 256 gig. Any advice would be great! BTW, great job on the thread!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> So I just posted this over in the "Officially-unofficial Vertex 4 thread". Maybe I should have asked here first as there might be a better response. Anyway, this is my current "problem". Im looking into getting a SSD. Long story short, my brothers harddrive is starting to act up, and he has to many games/programs to really get an SSD, just not worth buying a 256 for his needs. Me on the other hand, don't really play THAT many games anymore, and would enjoy a 128 SSD as my main drive. I currently have 2 300GB Velociraptors in RAID0 that I will give my brother, and I am looking to pick up a Vertex 4. Thing is, im running a P6T Deluxe V2 (SATA II). I really don't care that I won't get amazing 500+ numbers as I will be limited to say 260-270 via my SATA II connection. My RAID0 setup pulls amazing numbers, which is why im not sure if I really want to give it up. I get a solid 230 average read in HDTune and I have them short stroked so I get 6.2 latency. Obviously this is nothing compared to a SSD with no latency at all, but has anyone used one of these on a SATA II that can speak to how much faster they are than my current setup. Granted I will be getting the SSD "for free", still hard to give up my V-Raps. Also, maybe the Vertex 4 isn't really the best? I know its not sanforce which makes me a little less weary. I just fallowed your guide and deleted my hibernation files, I cleared out some old games and software I really don't need/won't ever play, and I am sitting at about 96.7 gigs used on my RAID setup. I could probably delete a few more things and get down to say 90, but if im only getting a 128 gig, what is the amount of free space I want it to have? My roomates are playing Diablo 3 A LOT on my PC, as I have a pretty good platform, so it is getting pretty heavy use without a lot of time for garbage collection. I will disable everything I possibly can to make it have as few writes as possible, but this machine is still going to be used quite often all day, or it will be in sleep as it is to loud to sleep with it on. So I guess im just concerned that it won't seem THAT much faster than my RAID setup, and im concerned if a 128 might not be the right move. At this point im fairly sure I can keep it under 110 gigs of used space, should this be ok, seeing as there is no way im going to spend over 250+ on a 256 gig. Any advice would be great! BTW, great job on the thread!


I made a thread just for this situation lol. Read this over: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread

Any of the drives suggested would be nice. Since games are mostly sequential reads you may not notice a big difference in games. Get what you can afford.

You are fine with 5-10% free space.

Wall of text hurts my eyes...format better next time.


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I made a thread just for this situation lol. Read this over: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread
> Any of the drives suggested would be nice. Since games are mostly sequential reads you may not notice a big difference in games. Get what you can afford.
> You are fine with 5-10% free space.
> Wall of text hurts my eyes...format better next time.


LOL, sorry man. Was caught up in the new computer parts moment. Walls of text just happen... lol. Yea ill read that over real quick and if I have anymore question ill be back. Thanks!


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

Yea, Sorry. Totally posted in the wrong thread.... Meant to put it in the one you linked me too ^^.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Run CMD as admin, post a screenshot of the CMD Window when you type this:
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo C:


Still at work but will be able to post the screenshot in the next 40-50 minutes. :.)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Run CMD as admin, post a screenshot of the CMD Window when you type this:
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo C:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still at work but will be able to post the screenshot in the next 40-50 minutes. :.)
Click to expand...

I'll be asleep lol.

If it Bytes Per Physical Sector is 512 like this, it is not a 4K drive:


If it Bytes Per Physical Sector is 4096 like this, it is a 4K drive:


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'll be asleep lol.
> If it Bytes Per Physical Sector is 512 like this, it is not a 4K drive:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If it Bytes Per Physical Sector is 4096 like this, it is a 4K drive:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Hmm...pretty sure mine is 512. Physical Sectors info doesn't show up for reasons you probably know, lol. I thought you could format a drive to contain whatever size sectors you wanted. Or is that any size up to the maximum physical sector size already on the disk? Does it matter if it's a basic or dynamic volume? Thanks again for all the help and info. I do alot of sound design at home and was curious about how the larger sector size would work with my audio files and if there would be any noticeable benefit over the 512 I have now.


----------



## WoodiE

Aw crap, I just built a new machine using a Crucial M4 and completely forgot to check if it is using 4K until I seen the posts above. Going to have to check that when I get home.


----------



## malikq86

im not sure what this 4k alignment thing is...i didn't think it was necessary to look into with brand new ssds and fresh win 7 installations.


----------



## malikq86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Sean I think i fixed it...I just set *"Turn off the display"* to *"Never"* in Power Options...so far it seems to work 100%. I'll let you know if this fails in the future.
> I also have "Put the computer to sleep" , "Require a password on wakeup", and "Turn off hard disk after" all to "Never" (had these settings previously as well).
> So as of now, if I want to put my PC to sleep..I have to manually click Start -> Sleep...and then manually turn off the PC monitors (which is totally fine). I always do this manually anyways. I'm a happy camper.


hmm..i think it just failed. I had to ctrl-alt-delete to get back into windows from sleep...just right now. lol


----------



## EarlZ

This is what I get, is there anything wrong ?


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

I found this link on a form somewhere, can't remember where, but it claims this driver for Intel RST provides TRIM for RAID SSD. Anyone know if it actually works? http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20984&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=

I recently built my father a photo editing machine with RAID0 Samsung 830 (not really for the performance increase, just to make it easier to manage a single volume), and would really like to get TRIM working on it for him if its possible.

I did a lot of looking around and it looks like this will only work with windows 8? Anyone know if there could or will be an update to windows 7 that might help this problem?


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is what I get, is there anything wrong ?


There's nothing wrong with your drive. Just means you can't use 4K sectors instead of 512. I'm still curious as to why I didn't get any Bytes Per Physical Sector information.


----------



## EarlZ

Oh ok, for a moment there I thought there was something wrong with the 4096k optimization for my SSD.


----------



## WoodiE

When installing Dropbox, should I install it to my second HDD or have it install directly on the SSD?


----------



## X3NIA

Sean, I seem to remember using this nearly 2 years ago when I got my first SSD. I just used it to set up a brand new Ivy Bridge build and I have to say... It is WAY MORE DETAILED than I remember. Great guide! I really love the amount of detail and other improvements (like tweaks)

Amazing, amazing, amazing little all in one for everything I wanted to do with my Win7 install. Now it is time to get overclocking!


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Oh ok, for a moment there I thought there was something wrong with the 4096k optimization for my SSD.


Well according to Sean's post at the top of the page it seems you don't have a 4K drive (512 physical sectors). I feel like we're missing a piece of information here. Waiting for clarification.


----------



## MaFi0s0

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> I found this link on a form somewhere, can't remember where, but it claims this driver for Intel RST provides TRIM for RAID SSD. Anyone know if it actually works? http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20984&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=
> I recently built my father a photo editing machine with RAID0 Samsung 830 (not really for the performance increase, just to make it easier to manage a single volume), and would really like to get TRIM working on it for him if its possible.
> I did a lot of looking around and it looks like this will only work with windows 8? Anyone know if there could or will be an update to windows 7 that might help this problem?


No, and not until the 2nd 11.5.x


----------



## EarlZ

I havent installed the Intel RST, Im not using RAID mode, should I be installing this? Any performance gains?


----------



## MaFi0s0

Yes you should use it, it has a few good features like optimizations and drive health check.


----------



## solsamurai

Hmm my system didn't seem to like it when I switched to AHCI Sata mode in the BIOS. Wouldn't boot from DVD drive even though it's set as the first boot device. It could be my board as it has it's own troubleshooting thread here on OCN, lol. Oh well, IDE it is. I'll worry more about AHCI later when I get an SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'll be asleep lol.
> If it Bytes Per Physical Sector is 512 like this, it is not a 4K drive:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If it Bytes Per Physical Sector is 4096 like this, it is a 4K drive:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm...pretty sure mine is 512. Physical Sectors info doesn't show up for reasons you probably know, lol.
Click to expand...

Actually that is weird lol.
Quote:


> I thought you could format a drive to contain whatever size sectors you wanted.


nope
Quote:


> Or is that any size up to the maximum physical sector size already on the disk?


yep
Quote:


> Does it matter if it's a basic or dynamic volume?


nope
Quote:


> Thanks again for all the help and info. I do alot of sound design at home and was curious about how the larger sector size would work with my audio files and if there would be any noticeable benefit over the 512 I have now.


eh more capacity and faster reads due to higher platter densities. But you would need to buy a 4k drive.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WoodiE*
> 
> Aw crap, I just built a new machine using a Crucial M4 and completely forgot to check if it is using 4K until I seen the posts above. Going to have to check that when I get home.


no that big of a difference really.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> im not sure what this 4k alignment thing is...i didn't think it was necessary to look into with brand new ssds and fresh win 7 installations.


yea, not really necessary.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Sean I think i fixed it...I just set *"Turn off the display"* to *"Never"* in Power Options...so far it seems to work 100%. I'll let you know if this fails in the future.
> I also have "Put the computer to sleep" , "Require a password on wakeup", and "Turn off hard disk after" all to "Never" (had these settings previously as well).
> So as of now, if I want to put my PC to sleep..I have to manually click Start -> Sleep...and then manually turn off the PC monitors (which is totally fine). I always do this manually anyways. I'm a happy camper.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hmm..i think it just failed. I had to ctrl-alt-delete to get back into windows from sleep...just right now. lol
Click to expand...

idk, could be a simple driver issue. I had that before.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> 
> This is what I get, is there anything wrong ?


nope
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> I found this link on a form somewhere, can't remember where, but it claims this driver for Intel RST provides TRIM for RAID SSD. Anyone know if it actually works? http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20984&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=
> 
> I recently built my father a photo editing machine with RAID0 Samsung 830 (not really for the performance increase, just to make it easier to manage a single volume), and would really like to get TRIM working on it for him if its possible.
> 
> I did a lot of looking around and it looks like this will only work with windows 8? Anyone know if there could or will be an update to windows 7 that might help this problem?


not till IRST drivers 11.5 are officially released.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WoodiE*
> 
> When installing Dropbox, should I install it to my second HDD or have it install directly on the SSD?


I install it to my HDD or at least the folder location is on my HDD.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *X3NIA*
> 
> Sean, I seem to remember using this nearly 2 years ago when I got my first SSD. I just used it to set up a brand new Ivy Bridge build and I have to say... It is WAY MORE DETAILED than I remember. Great guide! I really love the amount of detail and other improvements (like tweaks)
> 
> Amazing, amazing, amazing little all in one for everything I wanted to do with my Win7 install. Now it is time to get overclocking!


thanks!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Oh ok, for a moment there I thought there was something wrong with the 4096k optimization for my SSD.
> 
> 
> 
> Well according to Sean's post at the top of the page it seems you don't have a 4K drive (512 physical sectors). I feel like we're missing a piece of information here. Waiting for clarification.
Click to expand...

What are we missing?









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I havent installed the Intel RST, Im not using RAID mode, should I be installing this? Any performance gains?


yes, install the drivers, they are to replace the default windows SATA drivers and people do get a boost in benchmarks most of the time.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Hmm my system didn't seem to like it when I switched to AHCI Sata mode in the BIOS. Wouldn't boot from DVD drive even though it's set as the first boot device. It could be my board as it has it's own troubleshooting thread here on OCN, lol. Oh well, IDE it is. I'll worry more about AHCI later when I get an SSD.


AMD = failzor.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Actually that is weird lol.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I thought you could format a drive to contain whatever size sectors you wanted.
> 
> 
> 
> nope
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Or is that any size up to the maximum physical sector size already on the disk?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> yep
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Does it matter if it's a basic or dynamic volume?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> nope
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again for all the help and info. I do alot of sound design at home and was curious about how the larger sector size would work with my audio files and if there would be any noticeable benefit over the 512 I have now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> eh more capacity and faster reads due to higher platter densities. But you would need to buy a 4k drive.
> no that big of a difference really.
> yea, not really necessary.
> idk, could be a simple driver issue. I had that before.
> nope
> not till IRST drivers 11.5 are officially released.
> I install it to my HDD or at least the folder location is on my HDD.
> thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What are we missing?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> yes, install the drivers, they are to replace the default windows SATA drivers and people do get a boost in benchmarks most of the time.
> AMD = failzor.
Click to expand...

Lol, you really are the best person in replying. You don't miss any single post


----------



## Fallacy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> You actually can "relocate" the Programs Files and Program Files (x86); to a different location through a registry hack... but do you really want to? What you are actually doing through the hack, is changing the default location for installing new programs, so you are not actually moving programs you have already installed.
> This can still allow you to install some programs (the ones that allow you to specify an install location through a custom install; not all do), onto your SSD if that is where you want them. All others will install to the default location that you specify in the registry change.
> Windows doesn't care where it loads program information from, as long as it knows the location&#8230; Programs can load from an SSD, secondary HDD, or both depending on how you installed them in the first place. One of the key benefits of an SSD is fast program load times. Programs that are installed to a secondary HDD don't benefit from the speed of the SSD. This technique can be useful for a small SSD where you only need to have your most commonly used programs on the SSD.
> You unfortunately just can't move the installed programs&#8230; That requires too many registry changes, as each program writes its executable location/working files location in the registry, based on information that existed when the program was first installed. Also the App Data for each program, as you indicate, still remains on the SSD, where it should. You would need to reinstall all of the programs that you want to move off the SSD after the registry change.
> TwoCables and I posted a thread on how to do this some time ago. I'll see if I can find it, and edit this post accordingly.
> *EDIT: I hate that the search function is not working, so here's a write up:*
> You will require a single registry edit on 32 bit installations, or 2 edits on a 64 bit installation, as indicated below:
> First, after installing Windows, create a directory on your D:\ drive called "Program Files" (or whatever drive letter is associated with your secondary HDD). If you are running a 64bit version of Windows, also create a directory called "Program Files (x86)".
> *DO NOT* delete these directories from your C:\ drive (the SSD). You will ultimately use these for programs you want on your SSD.
> Next, open registry editor by pushing your windows key +R. In the run dialog box, type "regedit" (without the quotes).
> Before making any changes, I always recommend "exporting" the entire current registry to a file on your desktop, in case you make a mistake. You can restore the original registry you changed with this exported copy. The export command is located in the "File" menu.
> Once you have exported the current registry,
> expand: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion, by clicking on the arrows to expand the individual keys.
> Make sure you click on CurrentVersion (it should be highlighted). On the right side, double click on ProgramFilesDir (this is the value that sets the default install location for programs).
> Change its "value data" to D:\Program Files ("D" or whatever drive letter your HDD is)
> With an x64 OS: There is an additional entry for ProgramFilesDir (x86). This "value data" should be changed to D:\Program Files (x86).
> Just for reference, (this happens automatically&#8230; no user input required):
> In a 32 bit installation, all programs are installed to the "Program Files" directory.
> In a 64 bit installation, 64bit applications are installed to "Program Files", and 32 bit applications are installed to "Program Files (x86)"
> After the registry change, all program install routines will install their programs onto the secondary HDD by default. If you want a program to install to the SSD, you will need to do a "custom" install, and specify the location; (Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)") on your C:\ drive (the SSD). If you don't specifically specify a location, the program will end up on your secondary HDD. There are a few exceptions where an installer will force the program onto your C:\ drive (the SSD). Microsoft is notorious for this.


after I make this change will the windows updates and installs like that still go to the ssd?


----------



## Sean Webster

yes


----------



## Fallacy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yes


okay, aside from this I should also move all my user folders to the hdd from the ssd correct? so I will just have an empty user folder in the ssd?

then I will no longer have to worry about downloads installing in my precious ssd space right?









I only have 88GB of my 128GB ssd after installing windows, installing drivers, and installing the windows updates

edit: also will the files in the "programs files and the programs files x86 folders stay untouched in the ssd when i make identical ones in the hdd?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fallacy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yes
> 
> 
> 
> okay, aside from this I should also move all my user folders to the hdd from the ssd correct?
Click to expand...

I only recommend moving the user folders. I wouldn't bother with the first thing you asked about.
Quote:


> so I will just have an empty user folder in the ssd?


When you click your account name in the start menu your user folders that you move such as docs, pics, music, etc will still show there, they just will not be located at "C:\Users\UserNameHere" on the drive.

For example I moved my desktop, downloads, docs, music, pics, and video folders to my secondary drive. Those folders do not show up at "C:\Users\Sean, " but instead my D: drive in the location I set and still appear in the window when you click the start button and click your account name. The folders I did not move such as the Contacts, Favorites, Links, Saved Games, and Searches folders are still located at "C:\Users\Sean."
Quote:


> then I will no longer have to worry about downloads installing in my precious ssd space right?


Installing to the SSD or downloading to the SSD?
Quote:


> I only have 88GB of my 128GB ssd after installing windows, installing drivers, and installing the windows updates


Did you shrink page file and delete the hibernation file?
Quote:


> edit: also will the files in the "programs files and the programs files x86 folders stay untouched in the ssd when i make identical ones in the hdd?


yes


----------



## Fallacy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I only recommend moving the user folders. I wouldn't bother with the first thing you asked about.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> so I will just have an empty user folder in the ssd?
> 
> 
> 
> When you click your account name in the start menu your user folders that you move such as docs, pics, music, etc will still show there, they just will not be located at "C:\Users\UserNameHere" on the drive.
> For example I moved my desktop, downloads, docs, music, pics, and video folders to my secondary drive. Those folders do not show up at "C:\Users\Sean, " but instead my D: drive in the location I set and still appear in the window when you click the start button and click your account name. The folders I did not move such as the Contacts, Favorites, Links, Saved Games, and Searches folders are still located at "C:\Users\Sean."
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> then I will no longer have to worry about downloads installing in my precious ssd space right?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Installing to the SSD or downloading to the SSD?
Click to expand...

For instance after setting up my new build (installing windows, installing drivers, installing windows updates) I went to download google chrome and microsoft security essentials. After downloading these were automatically installed into my ssd. I only have 88GB left of my 128GB ssd, so my question is how to prevent my ssd to continue being used up for non-important files (I want to save the space for my more important files/applications). What will moving the user folders do exactly? I want to be able to specify where everything is downloaded, so that my ssd isnt filled up before my hdd space is even touched


----------



## smex

usrclass.dat and another file wouldnt copy due its opened and used by windows.. i just tried to copy all.. is this bad?


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> AMD = failzor.


Lol, it works out fine for me. Patiently waiting for the funds to upgrade to an SSD. Intel will come later.









Oh btw I realized I didn't run the cmd prompt as admin and that's why the physical sector info wasn't displayed. Here's a better snapshot for reference. I indeed have a 512 drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fallacy*
> 
> For instance after setting up my new build (installing windows, installing drivers, installing windows updates) I went to download google chrome and microsoft security essentials. After downloading these were automatically installed into my ssd.


Ok
Quote:


> I only have 88GB left of my 128GB ssd, so my question is how to prevent my ssd to continue being used up for non-important files (I want to save the space for my more important files/applications). What will moving the user folders do exactly? I want to be able to specify where everything is downloaded, so that my ssd isnt filled up before my hdd space is even touched


It moves the files in those folders to the location you set. So all things you download will not be on the SSD any more if you set its location on the HDD.

However, it does not do anything to change the install location of your programs that you will be installing. For that you need to specify the location when installing. Most programs give you the option for advanced/custom install and you do it that way. But like you said chrome and MSE did not give you that issue. You would have to change the default programs and programs x86 folders location via the registry like originally stated.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *smex*
> 
> usrclass.dat and another file wouldnt copy due its opened and used by windows.. i just tried to copy all.. is this bad?


wut?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> AMD = failzor.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lol, it works out fine for me. Patiently waiting for the funds to upgrade to an SSD. Intel will come later.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh btw I realized I didn't run the cmd prompt as admin and that's why the physical sector info wasn't displayed. Here's a better snapshot for reference. I indeed have a 512 drive.
Click to expand...

cool, amd still has weird issues and under performs for me.


----------



## EarlZ

So I installed the Intel RST and have it auto started and also its service, its icon seems to be missing on the system tray.


----------



## smex

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I only have 88GB left of my 128GB ssd, so my question is how to prevent my ssd to continue being used up for non-important files (I want to save the space for my more important files/applications). What will moving the user folders do exactly? I want to be able to specify where everything is downloaded, so that my ssd isnt filled up before my hdd space is even touched
> 
> 
> 
> It moves the files in those folders to the location you set. So all things you download will not be on the SSD any more if you set its location on the HDD.
> However, it does not do anything to change the install location of your programs that you will be installing. For that you need to specify the location when installing. Most programs give you the option for advanced/custom install and you do it that way. But like you said chrome and MSE did not give you that issue. You would have to change the default programs and programs x86 folders location via the registry like originally stated.
> cool, amd still has weird issues and under performs for me.
Click to expand...



this and 2 other files wont copy.. do i need to move them too? beecause i was thinking to redirect the whome 5m3x folder..


----------



## Baasha

Sean,

What are the latest IRST drivers we can use? I think I have the 10.8.0.1003 drivers but I've been seeing people post about the 11.x.x.xxxx drivers yet I can't find them on Intel's website!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> So I installed the Intel RST and have it auto started and also its service, its icon seems to be missing on the system tray.


idk.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *smex*
> 
> this and 2 other files wont copy.. do i need to move them too? beecause i was thinking to redirect the whome 5m3x folder..


Why are you copying them? I don't know what it is or what you are doing.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Baasha*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> What are the latest IRST drivers we can use? I think I have the 10.8.0.1003 drivers but I've been seeing people post about the 11.x.x.xxxx drivers yet I can't find them on Intel's website!


Here is 11.1.0.1006: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20913&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=


----------



## smex

just wanted to copy my complete userfolder to an sata hdd instead of my ssd.. now better?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *smex*
> 
> just wanted to copy my complete userfolder to an sata hdd instead of my ssd.. now better?


Copy or move?

If you are just copying then you would have to just make a second user account then move it when signed in as the second user.

If you want to move it you need to do it like this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html

Or you can when you install the OS like this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/124198-user-profiles-create-move-during-windows-7-installation.html


----------



## smex

aah ..tyvm


----------



## MaFi0s0

Is it best to use 4096 alignment with a drive that has 512 physical sector size??


----------



## Fallacy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I only have 88GB left of my 128GB ssd, so my question is how to prevent my ssd to continue being used up for non-important files (I want to save the space for my more important files/applications). What will moving the user folders do exactly? I want to be able to specify where everything is downloaded, so that my ssd isnt filled up before my hdd space is even touched
> 
> 
> 
> It moves the files in those folders to the location you set. So all things you download will not be on the SSD any more if you set its location on the HDD.
> However, it does not do anything to change the install location of your programs that you will be installing. For that you need to specify the location when installing. Most programs give you the option for advanced/custom install and you do it that way. But like you said chrome and MSE did not give you that issue. You would have to change the default programs and programs x86 folders location via the registry like originally stated.
> cool, amd still has weird issues and under performs for me.
Click to expand...

okay thank you, which of the files im my user file should be moved? all of them?


----------



## Fallacy

Quote:


> Did you shrink page file and delete the hibernation file?


I have not yet, Im worried that this may cause problems in the future by changing all these settings.

edit" i tried moving my desktop folder to my hdd, but after specifying e:/ as the new location the desktop folder disappeared and now all my files on my hdd are on my desktop. What happened?


----------



## Fallacy

bump, someone please help I have no clue what to do ^


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *smex*
> 
> aah ..tyvm











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> Is it best to use 4096 alignment with a drive that has 512 physical sector size??


doesn't make a difference.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fallacy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I only have 88GB left of my 128GB ssd, so my question is how to prevent my ssd to continue being used up for non-important files (I want to save the space for my more important files/applications). What will moving the user folders do exactly? I want to be able to specify where everything is downloaded, so that my ssd isnt filled up before my hdd space is even touched
> 
> 
> 
> It moves the files in those folders to the location you set. So all things you download will not be on the SSD any more if you set its location on the HDD.
> However, it does not do anything to change the install location of your programs that you will be installing. For that you need to specify the location when installing. Most programs give you the option for advanced/custom install and you do it that way. But like you said chrome and MSE did not give you that issue. You would have to change the default programs and programs x86 folders location via the registry like originally stated.
> cool, amd still has weird issues and under performs for me.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> okay thank you, which of the files im my user file should be moved? all of them?
Click to expand...

What ever folders you want.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fallacy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Did you shrink page file and delete the hibernation file?
> 
> 
> 
> I have not yet, Im worried that this may cause problems in the future by changing all these settings.
Click to expand...

It doesn't.
Quote:


> edit" i tried moving my desktop folder to my hdd, but after specifying e:/ as the new location the desktop folder disappeared and now all my files on my hdd are on my desktop. What happened?


You didn't follow my guide and you messed up. You are supposed to specify the new location such as "E:/Desktop," not just the drive letter "E:/".

Did you not watch the video I have?

*Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:*

Go to your User folder.
Right click your user folder you want to move (ex. the "My Pictures" folder).
Click "Properties."
Click the "Location" tab.
Change the destination to another location bu clicking "Move..." and selecting the destination (ex. "D:\Pictures").
*Note 1:* If there are two of the same folder in the User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
*Note 2:* If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.

*Video Tut:*






To get the desktop folder back look here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html


----------



## conwa

Awsome guide! thnx!


----------



## geordieandy

First up Sean thank you so much for this and all the other threads and guides on here as for those of us moving across to SSD's they are invaluable









I have a Dell Studio XPS 435MT which only seems to have 2 options in the bios - SATA or RAID with no mention of setting SATA to AHCI so having installed with 'normal' SATA do you think it is worth swapping over to RAID so I can make use of my Core i7 920 / ICH10 and Intel's SSD Caching as I will lose TRIM? I only have on board Sata II but got the following benchmark data which might help you to see if you think I can squeeze some more performance out of swapping to RAID...



I am using a Crucial M4 128GB for Windows and most programs / documents etc with some older documents saved on another 3.5" SATA drive so will not be using proper RAID via 2 SSD's.

Lastly a little bit of feedback... After the guide about formatting the drive as 4096 is a little confusing as when installing Windows you don't mention this and before reading pages of this thread I nearly reinstalled Windows to get this exact allocation size which having read further won't actually make any difference is this correct?

Thanks again.


----------



## EarlZ

Here are my benchmark results, I hope they are in good order..


----------



## bigal1542

Amazing guide, I look forward to using this tomorrow.

I wish I could rep ya for all the amazing work :/


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geordieandy*
> 
> First up Sean thank you so much for this and all the other threads and guides on here as for those of us moving across to SSD's they are invaluable
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a Dell Studio XPS 435MT which only seems to have 2 options in the bios - SATA or RAID with no mention of setting SATA to AHCI so having installed with 'normal' SATA do you think it is worth swapping over to RAID so I can make use of my Core i7 920 / ICH10 and Intel's SSD Caching as I will lose TRIM? I only have on board Sata II but got the following benchmark data which might help you to see if you think I can squeeze some more performance out of swapping to RAID...
> 
> 
> 
> I am using a Crucial M4 128GB for Windows and most programs / documents etc with some older documents saved on another 3.5" SATA drive so will not be using proper RAID via 2 SSD's.


You can not use caching on that mobo. However using RAID mode will give you better performance. Use thi to change to RAID: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation

You will have to reinstall the Intel SATA driver. You will also still have TRIM support for the single SSD.







Quote:


> Lastly a little bit of feedback... After the guide about formatting the drive as 4096 is a little confusing as when installing Windows you don't mention this and before reading pages of this thread I nearly reinstalled Windows to get this exact allocation size which having read further won't actually make any difference is this correct?
> 
> Thanks again.


I need to adjust it a little lol. It does not make a difference.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Here are my benchmark results, I hope they are in good order..


yep look good
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigal1542*
> 
> Amazing guide, I look forward to using this tomorrow.
> 
> I wish I could rep ya for all the amazing work :/


lol, the "perks" of being a staff member.


----------



## geordieandy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can not use caching on that mobo. However using RAID mode will give you better performance. Use thi to change to RAID: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation
> You will have to reinstall the Intel SATA driver. You will also still have TRIM support for the single SSD.


Great - I didn't realise trim would still be available when using RAID on a single drive so thanks again for clarifying that.

Last questions - once I switch is it worth me also setting up the Intel Smart Response Technology (SSD caching) on this SSD which is 128gb and has my OS and most of my programs on the SSD as C: ?

Is STOR_Win7_XP_11.1.0.1006.exe the best latest driver for this?

Will post back with benchmarks when I have made the change so if others want to see the difference (if there is actually any!) for similar crippled motherboards they can









Thanks again for all your help.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geordieandy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can not use caching on that mobo. However using RAID mode will give you better performance. Use thi to change to RAID: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation
> You will have to reinstall the Intel SATA driver. You will also still have TRIM support for the single SSD.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Great - I didn't realise trim would still be available when using RAID on a single drive so thanks again for clarifying that.
Click to expand...

no prob.
Quote:


> Last questions - once I switch is it worth me also setting up the Intel Smart Response Technology (SSD caching) on this SSD which is 128gb and has my OS and most of my programs on the SSD as C: ?


You have a X58 mobo correct? You can not use SSD caching, you don't have that feature. Plus if you did it is not as good as having the SSD as the boot drive imo.
Quote:


> Is STOR_Win7_XP_11.1.0.1006.exe the best latest driver for this?


I believe so, that is what I am using atm.
Quote:


> Will post back with benchmarks when I have made the change so if others want to see the difference (if there is actually any!) for similar crippled motherboards they can
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again for all your help.


Good luck.


----------



## geordieandy

Followed the guide and all went as expected - phew!

New benchmark is below for those interested and is double the previous one overall with the biggest improvement being in the 4K-64Thrd. Any explanation as to why such a difference in this particular area?



Thanks again!


----------



## Sean Webster

RAID and AHCI mode both enable NCQ.

NCQ is one of the important features of AHCI for SSDs. SSDs can process requests faster than HDDs. It can process so fast that the SSD could end up waiting for work. NCQ allows the OS/controller to request up to 32 simultaneous requests at once. So you basically get more performance from your drive over older IDE mode.

Glad everything is better for ya.


----------



## MAD-DUKE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *System Preparation!*
> Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system.


If I am doing Raid 0 with two drives, I would want them both connected?


----------



## geordieandy

Thanks again Sean. your Karma bank is a little bit fuller for all your great help


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MAD-DUKE*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *System Preparation!*
> Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system.
> 
> 
> 
> If I am doing Raid 0 with two drives, I would want them both connected?
Click to expand...

Yes, you need to make the RAID array then install the OS on them, just have all other drives disconnected that are just for storage.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geordieandy*
> 
> Thanks again Sean. your Karma bank is a little bit fuller for all your great help


Sweet, I love good Karma.


----------



## MAD-DUKE

lol... I love this site... The response time is fantastic!!


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MAD-DUKE*
> 
> lol... I love this site... The response time is fantastic!!


Yes this thread is awesome and full of win!


----------



## bigal1542

Hey Sean,

I already have Windows 7 64 bit installed on another system, and would like to set it to the 4K alignment. Is this possible without having to do a full reinstall?

Actually, I poked around a little and found this: http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance

I checked and my partition starting offset is 1,048,576 which is 256 x 4096. So was it set to 4096 anyways?

Thanks,
Big Al

EDIT: Here is a benchmark, any advice?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *MAD-DUKE*
> 
> lol... I love this site... The response time is fantastic!!
> 
> 
> 
> Yes this thread is awesome and full of win!
Click to expand...

i think it may just be me...


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> i think it may just be me...


Exactly!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigal1542*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> I already have Windows 7 64 bit installed on another system, and would like to set it to the 4K alignment. Is this possible without having to do a full reinstall?
> 
> Actually, I poked around a little and found this: http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance
> 
> I checked and my partition starting offset is 1,048,576 which is 256 x 4096. So was it set to 4096 anyways?
> 
> Thanks,
> Big Al
> 
> EDIT: Here is a benchmark, any advice?


I have a guide on it. www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions

You don't need to do a thing. Your fine on alignment.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> i think it may just be me...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Exactly!
Click to expand...


----------



## kpo6969

Question about Windows 8
Is anyone using Intel RST with it and so what version?
Thanks


----------



## DooRules

Yes sir I am. Have tried a couple of the 11.5 ones, have settled for now on the 11.0.0.1032.

In W8 you can force trim your ssd or even your ssd array in R0. Optimization under hard drive manage.


----------



## KhaoticKomputing

Sean, I gatta hand it to you again. Today I installed a 128GB Crucial M4 SSD in an Acer Aspire 4830TG-6808. It was a solid lap top he wanted to use for gaming while in and out of the hospital. Holy smoke's. I knew the crucial SSD's where fast but wow. I followed this guide to the T and its just amazing. Score's a 7.9 WEI and I swear if you blink when you turn it on you'll miss the post screen. I had to restart it about 5 times to actually be able to get into BIOS. Literally you press the power button and the screen flicker's and windows 7 is ready to roll. Great guide!


----------



## Rosencrantz

Fantastic thread, Sean, thank you for your hard work!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KhaoticKomputing*
> 
> Sean, I gatta hand it to you again. Today I installed a 128GB Crucial M4 SSD in an Acer Aspire 4830TG-6808. It was a solid lap top he wanted to use for gaming while in and out of the hospital. Holy smoke's. I knew the crucial SSD's where fast but wow. I followed this guide to the T and its just amazing. Score's a 7.9 WEI and I swear if you blink when you turn it on you'll miss the post screen. I had to restart it about 5 times to actually be able to get into BIOS. Literally you press the power button and the screen flicker's and windows 7 is ready to roll. Great guide!


Thanks
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rosencrantz*
> 
> Fantastic thread, Sean, thank you for your hard work!


No problem.









*Just added this:*
Quote:


> Spoiler: Here is what I do out of this guide for my set up when I first install:
> 
> 
> 
> *Installed Programs:*
> 
> Seagate DiscWizard
> Malwarebytes
> 7-zip
> Adobe Flash
> *Drivers:*
> 
> Intel Network
> Intel Management Engine
> Intel Chipset
> Intel IGPU
> Intel RST
> ASUS Xonar Sound
> ASMedia USB
> *Optimizations and Changes:*
> 
> Disabled UAC
> Disabled Hibernation
> Page file set to 512MB
> Windows Update
> Adjust power settings
> Run Windows Experience index
> Then this allows me to make a baseline system image I can always go back to and not have to worry about things. Once image is complete I install all my other programs and set everything up the way I like and make another system image. Some other optimizations and things are done at later times when I feel to.
> 
> As you can see, this is just a guide with a bunch of tips and tricks, nothing is mandatory or needs to be followed to a "T" here.


----------



## KhaoticKomputing

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Thanks
> No problem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Just added this:*
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Here is what I do out of this guide for my set up when I first install:
> 
> 
> 
> *Installed Programs:*
> 
> Seagate DiscWizard
> Malwarebytes
> 7-zip
> Adobe Flash
> *Drivers:*
> 
> Intel Network
> Intel Management Engine
> Intel Chipset
> Intel IGPU
> Intel RST
> ASUS Xonar Sound
> ASMedia USB
> *Optimizations and Changes:*
> 
> Disabled UAC
> Disabled Hibernation
> Page file set to 512MB
> Windows Update
> Adjust power settings
> Run Windows Experience index
> Then this allows me to make a baseline system image I can always go back to and not have to worry about things. Once image is complete I install all my other programs and set everything up the way I like and make another system image. Some other optimizations and things are done at later times when I feel to.
> As you can see, this is just a guide with a bunch of tips and tricks, nothing is mandatory or needs to be followed to a "T" here.
Click to expand...

Yes, I knew this was just a guide of what you can do but I felt you might know a thing or two about optimization that I do not


----------



## Rosencrantz

A quick questions: is there any real advantage using Intel RST driver? Seems like the default one from Windows 7 works better in my system (at least while benching with AS SSD).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rosencrantz*
> 
> A quick questions: is there any real advantage using Intel RST driver? Seems like the default one from Windows 7 works better in my system (at least when benching with AS SSD).


How? lol The RST driver usually gives a nice boost in AS SSD for me and others. o.0 lol. Which driver version are you using?


----------



## Rosencrantz

11.1.0.1006


----------



## Sean Webster

post a screenshot of AS SSD for both the default driver and the Intel please.


----------



## Rosencrantz

This one was from yesterday, with align=1024, msahci and all the optimizations:










That was the highest score for five runs, it usually score 750-780 (the same goes for align=4096)

This one is with align=4096, iaStor and all the optimizations:










Again, that was the highest score for five runs, it usually score from 660-770 (this huge fluctuation is what make me think the Win7 driver is better for my system).


----------



## boz4442

Hi All,

I have much the same problem as the OP. I have had my SSD 830 256 gb for about a week and my sequential write speed has decreased from ~444 MB/sec to just ~93 MB/sec.

I have tried virtually everything that i can think of without luck.

System:
i7-3770k, Asus P8z77 - V Pro Bios 1015, 8GB ram, 2TB Hitachi HDD, Win 7 64 bit.

SSD has the latest firmware, is connected to the Intel SATA 3 port. Windows was installed with no other drives attached. Over provisioning set to about 23 gb.

Optimizations:

1. Ensure your computer is operating in AHCI mode. - Yes
3. Disable system restore. - Yes
4. Disable drive indexing. - Yes
5. Disable drive defragmentation schedule - Yes
6. Turn off pagefile. - No - Microsoft blog says it should not be turned off.
7. Turn off hibernation. - Yes + all other power recommendations as per Magician software.
8. Turn off windows write-cache buffer flushing - Write caching disabled
9. Disable prefetch and superfetch. - - Yes both set to 0
10. Disable windows search and superfetch. - Yes
11. Enable faster boot through msconfig. - Yes, some.
12. Disable recycle bin. - no rarely have anything to delete and empty manually.
13. Decrease shutdown time. - no
14. Verify TRIM. - Yes working
15. Power settings. - Yes
16. Disable 'clearpagefileatshutdown' - Yes
And 'largesystemcache'. - Yes

Intel 7 series C216 chipset family SATA AHCI controller: Driver 11.1.0.1006

I don't particularly fancy installing Windows again, so any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Magician Software's Performance optimization also makes no difference...

I think i'm missing something here, so any help would be much appreciated.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Thanks
> No problem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Just added this:*
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Here is what I do out of this guide for my set up when I first install:
> 
> 
> 
> *Installed Programs:*
> 
> Seagate DiscWizard
> Malwarebytes
> 7-zip
> Adobe Flash
> *Drivers:*
> 
> Intel Network
> Intel Management Engine
> Intel Chipset
> Intel IGPU
> Intel RST
> ASUS Xonar Sound
> ASMedia USB
> *Optimizations and Changes:*
> 
> Disabled UAC
> Disabled Hibernation
> Page file set to 512MB
> Windows Update
> Adjust power settings
> Run Windows Experience index
> Then this allows me to make a baseline system image I can always go back to and not have to worry about things. Once image is complete I install all my other programs and set everything up the way I like and make another system image. Some other optimizations and things are done at later times when I feel to.
> As you can see, this is just a guide with a bunch of tips and tricks, nothing is mandatory or needs to be followed to a "T" here.
Click to expand...

I recommend adjust power settings immediately after fresh install of Win7


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rosencrantz*
> 
> This one was from yesterday, with align=1024, msahci and all the optimizations:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That was the highest score for five runs, it usually score 750-780 (the same goes for align=4096)
> 
> This one is with align=4096, iaStor and all the optimizations:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Again, that was the highest score for five runs, it usually score from 660-770 (this huge fluctuation is what make me think the Win7 driver is better for my system).


To me it looks like you have power saving features enabled. (intel speed step and C1E support and C-States) I know for a fact that is what is limiting the 4k speeds as the 4k writes are lower and the reads should be faster.

Ad the first bench you posted looks like a glitched result b/c the 4k-64thrd read is too high compared to everyone else when they have the msachi driver.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *boz4442*
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> I have much the same problem as the OP. I have had my SSD 830 256 gb for about a week and my sequential write speed has decreased from ~444 MB/sec to just ~93 MB/sec.
> 
> I have tried virtually everything that i can think of without luck.
> 
> System:
> i7-3770k, Asus P8z77 - V Pro Bios 1015, 8GB ram, 2TB Hitachi HDD, Win 7 64 bit.
> 
> SSD has the latest firmware, is connected to the Intel SATA 3 port. Windows was installed with no other drives attached. Over provisioning set to about 23 gb.
> 
> Optimizations:
> 
> 1. Ensure your computer is operating in AHCI mode. - Yes
> 3. Disable system restore. - Yes
> 4. Disable drive indexing. - Yes
> 5. Disable drive defragmentation schedule - Yes
> 6. Turn off pagefile. - No - Microsoft blog says it should not be turned off.
> 7. Turn off hibernation. - Yes + all other power recommendations as per Magician software.
> 8. Turn off windows write-cache buffer flushing - Write caching disabled
> 9. Disable prefetch and superfetch. - - Yes both set to 0
> 10. Disable windows search and superfetch. - Yes
> 11. Enable faster boot through msconfig. - Yes, some.
> 12. Disable recycle bin. - no rarely have anything to delete and empty manually.
> 13. Decrease shutdown time. - no
> 14. Verify TRIM. - Yes working
> 15. Power settings. - Yes
> 16. Disable 'clearpagefileatshutdown' - Yes
> And 'largesystemcache'. - Yes
> 
> Intel 7 series C216 chipset family SATA AHCI controller: Driver 11.1.0.1006
> 
> I don't particularly fancy installing Windows again, so any suggestions would be much appreciated.
> Magician Software's Performance optimization also makes no difference...
> 
> I think i'm missing something here, so any help would be much appreciated.


idk o.0

That is really weird, can you post a AS SSD benchmark?


----------



## glide06

Hi Sean. Thanks for taking the time to create this excellenet tutorial. I just purchased a Intel 330 180GB SSD and is thinking about how to partition it. Your inputs to the following questions will be highly appreciated.

1. I plan to install both windows 7 and windows 8 on the SSD. According to the recommendations from the web, I plan to use 20GB for over provisioning (I understand Intel 330 comes with some OP already but thought it helps to add more to it, please advise if this is not necessary) and allocate 100GB for Win 7 and the remaining 60GB for Win 8. My question is, does multiple partitions have any negative consequences on OP/GC (and the longevity of SSD)?

2. I plan to use SSD/HDD configuration and may add a 3TB hard drive in near future, does that mean I need to setup a GPT boot drive so that when I add a 3TB hard drive I don't have to re-configure the system? or maybe I don't even need a GPT boot drive as the HDD is used as a Data drive only?

3. Your tutorial creates the partition during windows 7 installation process, do you think it is OK that I attach the new SSD to my existing windows 7 system and partition/format it using Win 7 disk managment tool and then install Win 7 to it ? Is there any difference here

Thanks a lot for your help!


----------



## Rosencrantz

Yep, I have Speedstep and C1E enabled for multiplier and voltage reduction when the system isn't under load, but C3/6 states disabled.

Going to try without them


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *glide06*
> 
> Hi Sean. Thanks for taking the time to create this excellenet tutorial. I just purchased a Intel 330 180GB SSD and is thinking about how to partition it. Your inputs to the following questions will be highly appreciated.
> 
> 1. I plan to install both windows 7 and windows 8 on the SSD. According to the recommendations from the web, I plan to use 20GB for over provisioning (I understand Intel 330 comes with some OP already but thought it helps to add more to it, please advise if this is not necessary) and allocate 100GB for Win 7 and the remaining 60GB for Win 8. My question is, does multiple partitions have any negative consequences on OP/GC (and the longevity of SSD)?


Manually over-provisioning is not necessary imo.

And multiple partitions do not affect GC or SSD life.
Quote:


> 2. I plan to use SSD/HDD configuration and may add a 3TB hard drive in near future, does that mean I need to setup a GPT boot drive so that when I add a 3TB hard drive I don't have to re-configure the system? or maybe I don't even need a GPT boot drive as the HDD is used as a Data drive only?


You only need to use the GPT guide if you are using the 3TB drive as your boot drive (or any single partition 2.2TB+ in size).

You are fine to just use the normal MBR install.
Quote:


> 3. Your tutorial creates the partition during windows 7 installation process, do you think it is OK that I attach the new SSD to my existing windows 7 system and partition/format it using Win 7 disk managment tool and then install Win 7 to it ? Is there any difference here


Yea, you can format it that way. You can do it however you like.
Quote:


> Thanks a lot for your help!












I am going to be out for the rest of the day I believe, any other questions will have to be answered later tonight or tomorrow.


----------



## glide06

Thanks a lot Sean.

On a different note, I saw people debating about using diskpart/clean all will degrade SSD performance as the Clean All command of DiskPart will result in 0x00 being written to the entire drive, whereas when the controller of a SSD receives a Secure Erase command a high voltage is applied to the substrate of the NAND and the entire drive is reset to 0xFF in a few hundred milliseconds. Hence Secure erase is preferred to DiskPart/Clean.

What do you think?


----------



## boz4442

Thanks for the quick reply.

Here is the latest AS SSD


----------



## [email protected]

Does SSD only use firmware? Is there anything else that it needs? Always wondered. Cuz i am getting some strange skipping in most games now besides my secondary hard drive. I am beginning to think i might need a new PSU cuz a little pin that goes inside a molex is gone when i was cleaning my pc last week and i didn't think nothing of it and should be ok but maybe voltage change and it runs fine but i am starting to think i really need a new psu since the rod broke off the molex. I can put it back on but i need to look at it again today and see. It could be just that i need a new psu and clean my pc filters like usual and perhaps check and see if i REALLY need a bios update. I really forgot when is the last time i bought this H80 cooler. I might have to consider getting a new one. Cuz i have no idea how long it can last after 2 years or 3. Would i need to change thermal?

If so then i might need to find the exact thermal i had with the Corsair liquid cooler.


----------



## Rosencrantz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rosencrantz*
> 
> Yep, I have Speedstep and C1E enabled for multiplier and voltage reduction when the system isn't under load, but C3/6 states disabled.
> Going to try without them


Well, seems that with all energy saving options disabled iaStor gives slightly better read performance, while msahci gives better write values.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *glide06*
> 
> Thanks a lot Sean.
> 
> On a different note, I saw people debating about using diskpart/clean all will degrade SSD performance as the Clean All command of DiskPart will result in 0x00 being written to the entire drive, whereas when the controller of a SSD receives a Secure Erase command a high voltage is applied to the substrate of the NAND and the entire drive is reset to 0xFF in a few hundred milliseconds. Hence Secure erase is preferred to DiskPart/Clean.
> 
> What do you think?


Clean All does nothing but wear the NAND. NAND is in it's default erased state when set to 1, not 0. So writing 0's hurts life/writes. Only use the basic Clean command with SSDs and quick format, not normal/full format.

Read this to learn more: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic#post_16684060
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *boz4442*
> 
> Thanks for the quick reply.
> 
> Here is the latest AS SSD


that is so strange! Try uninstalling the INTEL RST SATA driver.

Do you happen to have NTFS file compression enabled? Or encryption? Or something?

Also do this: www.overclock.net/t/1258253/how-to-put-your-rig-in-your-sig#
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Does SSD only use firmware? Is there anything else that it needs? Always wondered.


What? lol

There is the Hardware and Firmware on the SSD, then there is the driver for the SSD and the driver for the storage controller you install in the OS. The driver for the SSD is automatically downloaded and usually will work with a default Windows one.
Quote:


> Cuz i am getting some strange skipping in most games now besides my secondary hard drive. I am beginning to think i might need a new PSU cuz a little pin that goes inside a molex is gone when i was cleaning my pc last week and i didn't think nothing of it and should be ok but maybe voltage change and it runs fine but i am starting to think i really need a new psu since the rod broke off the molex. I can put it back on but i need to look at it again today and see. It could be just that i need a new psu and clean my pc filters like usual and perhaps check and see if i REALLY need a bios update.


If you are not using the molex plug on anything you can cut it off and it will not affect your system. No voltages should change.

Do a BIOS update if available too.
Quote:


> I really forgot when is the last time i bought this H80 cooler. I might have to consider getting a new one. Cuz i have no idea how long it can last after 2 years or 3. Would i need to change thermal?
> 
> If so then i might need to find the exact thermal i had with the Corsair liquid cooler.


It should be fine, they have no maintenance that you need to do.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rosencrantz*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Rosencrantz*
> 
> Yep, I have Speedstep and C1E enabled for multiplier and voltage reduction when the system isn't under load, but C3/6 states disabled.
> Going to try without them
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well, seems that with all energy saving options disabled iaStor gives slightly better read performance, while msahci gives better write values.
Click to expand...

Yea, 4k writes are slightly slower, but everything else is usually better. You can re-enable the power savings features as it is only for to benchmark the drive.


----------



## boz4442

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *boz4442*
> 
> Thanks for the quick reply.
> Here is the latest AS SSD


Fixed: Write caching was off and crippled performance. Here is the new benchmark.



Thanks for your help Sean. + rep.


----------



## bobni

Sean thanks for this very helpfull guide! I notice you install the Intel Management Engine Driver. What features of the Intel Management Engine do you find usefull? I have an Intel mobo , didn't install that driver and now wonder if I should.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *boz4442*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *boz4442*
> 
> Thanks for the quick reply.
> Here is the latest AS SSD
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fixed: Write caching was off and crippled performance. Here is the new benchmark.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for your help Sean. + rep.
Click to expand...

Wow, crazy!
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bobni*
> 
> Sean thanks for this very helpfull guide! I notice you install the Intel Management Engine Driver. What features of the Intel Management Engine do you find usefull? I have an Intel mobo , didn't install that driver and now wonder if I should.


It is under the drivers list for my mobo on Asus's site so I installed it lol. Also, I think windows update will install it as well. I think I remember seeing it as a update before.


----------



## JoshHunter

Hey Sean,

My Plextor M3 is on its way in the mail, and before it gets here I want to make sure I have a bootable USB installer so I can get it set up ASAP. I followed your instructions, plugged it in and rebooted; but when I got into the Windows setup my mouse stopped working. Do I need a PS/2 mouse or something? Or should I trying plugging the stick into Rear IO usb?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JoshHunter*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> My Plextor M3 is on its way in the mail, and before it gets here I want to make sure I have a bootable USB installer so I can get it set up ASAP. I followed your instructions, plugged it in and rebooted; but when I got into the Windows setup my mouse stopped working. Do I need a PS/2 mouse or something? Or should I trying plugging the stick into Rear IO usb?


Try a different plug or mouse. lol, you probably fixed it by now.


----------



## KinHoiKhun

Sean thanks for the great guide. I probably would not have gotten as far as I have on my new build without your guides. I have been having difficulty installing a new installation of windows 7 64 bit in RAID mode on my X79 computer that I am building . I tried following your guide installing the iastorA.inf driver prior to the Windows 7 SP1 install. I had several failures. My components consist of the Asus 9PX79 Pro motherboard (which I updated to the latest Bios befor Windows installation), 3930K, 256K Samsung 830 SSD (boot drive), Pioneer 2206 Burner and 4gb x 8 of Samsung memory. I plan to latter add a 2 drive SATA RAID 0 and a 2 tb storage drive. I created a bootable MBR flash drive setup to load Windows, hold the F6 drivers and all other drivers. After the failures I reduced the memory to only 1 DIMM of 4gb memory and windows loaded properly. I then installed the remaining memory up to 32 gb and all ran well. Next I installed all my drivers and all ran well. Next I performed a windows update. There were 49 highly recommended updates so I let windows install them. After a large number of updates installed with successful reboots, windows 7 ceased loading. I received the error message - Windows cannot find the file specified x8007002. The windows repair did not work. I reduced the 32gb of RAM to 4gb like in the original instal and no luck. I tried to use the Windows repair program and reloaded the iaStorA.inf driver during the windows repair program and still no success. I received the error message start-up repair offline. I am stumped by all of this. Any thoughts on how I can solve this problem and progress.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KinHoiKhun*
> 
> Sean thanks for the great guide. I probably would not have gotten as far as I have on my new build without your guides. I have been having difficulty installing a new installation of windows 7 64 bit in RAID mode on my X79 computer that I am building . I tried following your guide installing the iastorA.inf driver prior to the Windows 7 SP1 install. I had several failures. My components consist of the Asus 9PX79 Pro motherboard (which I updated to the latest Bios befor Windows installation), 3930K, 256K Samsung 830 SSD (boot drive), Pioneer 2206 Burner and 4gb x 8 of Samsung memory. I plan to latter add a 2 drive SATA RAID 0 and a 2 tb storage drive. I created a bootable MBR flash drive setup to load Windows, hold the F6 drivers and all other drivers. After the failures I reduced the memory to only 1 DIMM of 4gb memory and windows loaded properly. I then installed the remaining memory up to 32 gb and all ran well. Next I installed all my drivers and all ran well. Next I performed a windows update. There were 49 highly recommended updates so I let windows install them. After a large number of updates installed with successful reboots, windows 7 ceased loading. I received the error message - Windows cannot find the file specified x8007002. The windows repair did not work. I reduced the 32gb of RAM to 4gb like in the original instal and no luck. I tried to use the Windows repair program and reloaded the iaStorA.inf driver during the windows repair program and still no success. I received the error message start-up repair offline. I am stumped by all of this. Any thoughts on how I can solve this problem and progress.


First try a sfc scannow from your install disk: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html

If that doesn't work try a chkdsk from command prompt as well: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html

You may want to just reinstall again if that doesn't work. It sounds like a file got corrupted or something during the updates.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

I just got my SSD and I'm trying to install WIndows but it doesn't seam to be working. So far this is what I've done:

Configure SATA to AHCI
ACPI 2.0 Support Enabled
Changed 1st Boot Device to [USB:UDISK PDU01-4G]
Press F8 to Access Boot Devices and Select "USB:UDISK PDU01-4G ABH2.0 0."

After all of that it still says:
"Reboot and Select proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key"

I mounted the ISO on the drive using 



 guide and I did it on two different USB drives with the same results.

I tried something new and still nothing works. I used unetbootin and mounted the ISO on a new USB drive but it didn't work. This time instead of the "Reboot and Select..." it first says "Non-system disk Press any key to reboot" alternating with the "Reboot and Select..." message.

Any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong?


----------



## Polarity

sean, i recently reformatted my computer and my score dropped X_X after i reformatted i did everything in ur guide like i did in the first place..

but for intel rapid storage technology i tried to install it and it said "ERror ur system isnt compability" help plz :[



http://imgur.com/bs2dg




http://imgur.com/mAiM2


that is what i meant for the RST

i just did this

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- SYSTEM
- CurrentControlSet
- Services
- iaStorV in this folder there's a thing that's called 'start' change the number from any number to 0.

and the score got a bit better


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> I just got my SSD and I'm trying to install WIndows but it doesn't seam to be working. So far this is what I've done:
> 
> Configure SATA to AHCI
> ACPI 2.0 Support Enabled
> Changed 1st Boot Device to [USB:UDISK PDU01-4G]
> Press F8 to Access Boot Devices and Select "USB:UDISK PDU01-4G ABH2.0 0."
> 
> After all of that it still says:
> "Reboot and Select proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key"
> 
> I mounted the ISO on the drive using
> 
> 
> 
> guide and I did it on two different USB drives with the same results.
> 
> I tried something new and still nothing works. I used unetbootin and mounted the ISO on a new USB drive but it didn't work. This time instead of the "Reboot and Select..." it first says "Non-system disk Press any key to reboot" alternating with the "Reboot and Select..." message.
> 
> Any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong?


Wait you made the USB on a MAC? That could be the issue...
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Polarity*
> 
> sean, i recently reformatted my computer and my score dropped X_X after i reformatted i did everything in ur guide like i did in the first place..
> 
> but for intel rapid storage technology i tried to install it and it said "ERror ur system isnt compability" help plz :[
> 
> 
> 
> http://imgur.com/bs2dg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://imgur.com/mAiM2
> 
> 
> that is what i meant for the RST
> 
> i just did this
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
> - SYSTEM
> - CurrentControlSet
> - Services
> - iaStorV in this folder there's a thing that's called 'start' change the number from any number to 0.
> 
> and the score got a bit better


You were in IDE mode, not AHCI mode that is why.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wait you made the USB on a MAC? That could be the issue...
> You were in IDE mode, not AHCI mode that is why.


I still used an ISO and when opening it it showed all the regular CD files with windows extensions. I can try to do it on my other rig but its an old deleting 1.80 running XP... do you think it could be anything else? Ill try it later tonight because I'm still in class for the next few hours.


----------



## Polarity

yah xDD i just went to BIOS changed it and got rapid not im at 801 score thnx dude!


----------



## AP514

Hi
My first post
Great guide....im doing a build and have been reading alot on the giude. I have a few Questions

my build:
Ivy I5 3750K
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H
8Gb memory
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2BAA 2.5" 128GB-SSD
WD Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB
Win 7 home Premium 64 bit

*1) If needed---should I Flash the MB Bios to the latest before I do any other installs ? (I.E. before O/S install ) or do it in step 6?(system setup after install)

2) I should set the 4K alignmet on my HD too..already doing it to the SSD

3) The SSD has a new Firmware update out on the web site. I do that update during step 7 ?(system setup after install) but before the RST driver ?*

Thanks in advance

AP514


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wait you made the USB on a MAC? That could be the issue...
> You were in IDE mode, not AHCI mode that is why.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I still used an ISO and when opening it it showed all the regular CD files with windows extensions. I can try to do it on my other rig but its an old deleting 1.80 running XP... do you think it could be anything else? Ill try it later tonight because I'm still in class for the next few hours.
Click to expand...

I would make the USB on your XP computer.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AP514*
> 
> Hi
> My first post
> Great guide....im doing a build and have been reading alot on the giude. I have a few Questions
> 
> my build:
> Ivy I5 3750K
> Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H
> 8Gb memory
> Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2BAA 2.5" 128GB-SSD
> WD Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB
> Win 7 home Premium 64 bit
> 
> *1) If needed---should I Flash the MB Bios to the latest before I do any other installs ? (I.E. before O/S install ) or do it in step 6?(system setup after install)*


Flash the BIOS before
Quote:


> 2) I should set the 4K alignmet on my HD too..already doing it to the SSD


Only if it is a newer 4k sector drive.
Quote:


> 3) The SSD has a new Firmware update out on the web site. I do that update during step 7 ?(system setup after install) but before the RST driver ?
> 
> Thanks in advance
> 
> AP514


Whenever you feel like it. You can do it after you flash your BIOS before installation.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

I've tried it but I can't even make a bootable USB on the XP computer. I've tried doing it manually through the Command Prompt but it doesn't recognize any of my flash drives when I do that. I've used about 7 programs to try to create a bootable USB and nothing has worked at all. Somebody please help.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> I've tried it but I can't even make a bootable USB on the XP computer. I've tried doing it manually through the Command Prompt but it doesn't recognize any of my flash drives when I do that. I've used about 7 programs to try to create a bootable USB and nothing has worked at all. Somebody please help.


Have u tried this: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

If it doesn't again it is your ISO you are using possibly. Download it from one of the links in the beginning.


----------



## Vistaking

I apologize of I am answering someone's question on your thread , Sean. Answer to VW_TDI_02 issue. Windows XP doesn't see any USB flash drive as a drive under DISKPART. To create a USB bootable drive you would have to use third party tools like Microsoft's own Windows 7USB DVD DOWNLOAD TOOL like Sean stated.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

I gave up on trying to do it with a USB and went out and bought a DVD-R. It's now booting into Windows but as I'm trying to install windows it has locked up every time and it's getting obnoxious. I've gotten as far as selecting the drive and into the "Expanding Windows files (0%)" and it locks up every time. Does anyone else hate installing Windows as much as I do?? It never works the way you planned...


----------



## N2Gaming

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> I gave up on trying to do it with a USB and went out and bought a DVD-R. It's now booting into Windows but as I'm trying to install windows it has locked up every time and it's getting obnoxious. I've gotten as far as selecting the drive and into the "Expanding Windows files (0%)" and it locks up every time. Does anyone else hate installing Windows as much as I do?? It never works the way you planned...


Are you trying to install on an HDD or a SSD?

If HDD do you know for sure the HDD is not going bad. A lot of times when an install fails or hangs during an install it's because a drive is going bad.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> Are you trying to install on an HDD or a SSD?
> If HDD do you know for sure the HDD is not going bad. A lot of times when an install fails or hangs during an install it's because a drive is going bad.


Samsung 830 SSD


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> I gave up on trying to do it with a USB and went out and bought a DVD-R. It's now booting into Windows but as I'm trying to install windows it has locked up every time and it's getting obnoxious. I've gotten as far as selecting the drive and into the "Expanding Windows files (0%)" and it locks up every time. Does anyone else hate installing Windows as much as I do?? It never works the way you planned...


I'd test your RAM. It could be unstable.

Make sure your DVD drive is plugged into the native Intel chipset.

Re-burn the ISO to the DVD slower and validate the burn.

Redownload the ISO again maybe? lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vistaking*
> 
> I apologize of I am answering someone's question on your thread , Sean. Answer to VW_TDI_02 issue. Windows XP doesn't see any USB flash drive as a drive under DISKPART. To create a USB bootable drive you would have to use third party tools like Microsoft's own Windows 7USB DVD DOWNLOAD TOOL like Sean stated.


Don't be sorry, I love it when others help each other in here, it gives a new perspective, helps relieve some of the work load, and I am not on 24/7 to help lol.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'd test your RAM. It could be unstable.
> Make sure your DVD drive is plugged into the native Intel chipset.
> Re-burn the ISO to the DVD slower and validate the burn.
> Redownload the ISO again maybe? lol
> Don't be sorry, I love it when others help each other in here, it gives a new perspective, helps relieve some of the work load, and I am not on 24/7 to help lol.


RAM has always been stable and I don't have another machine to test it in. The XP machine is still running DDR or DDR2. The first ISO was from your guide and I redownloaded it on the XP and burned the ISO onto a new DVD and it did the same.

Also I've tried to update the firmware but I can't do that either. SInce I can't hook up the hard drive directly to the XP computer (only through USB) it won't let me select it in the Samsung SSD Magician to update the firmware in the first place. I have an old my book that I think I;m going to try to install windows on. If that works I can update the firmware on that and then go for the SSD.

[Edit]
Tried using the Caviar Green that's inside of the my book but that did the same thing. Locked up before I even got to the license agreement.

[Edit 2]
Here is my newest idea. I have a Western Digital Caviar Green, Samsung F3, and the faulty Caviar Black. I can still get partly into the Caviar Black and I still have my an Ease US backup image of my original Caviar Black. SInce the SSD is too small I'm copying all of my movies to my Caviar Green. Ease US won't let me copy onto the Caviar Green but it will let me copy onto the Samsung F3. Hopefully I'm going to try to put that image onto the Samsung F3 and I'd have a copy of my original hard drive. After that I can update the firmware on the SSD. That's the new "ideal" path so hopefully I can get something to work for me.


----------



## kevindd992002

It seems that when I reboot to perform a check disk on my C drive, it doesn't work. It says "cannot open volume for direct access". Could this be because I opted to remove the system partition in this C drive when I'm installing Win7?


----------



## xxfury2xx

When you move user folder locations to Secondary HDD, is that the same thing as creating a symbolic link or junction?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'd test your RAM. It could be unstable.
> Make sure your DVD drive is plugged into the native Intel chipset.
> Re-burn the ISO to the DVD slower and validate the burn.
> Redownload the ISO again maybe? lol
> Don't be sorry, I love it when others help each other in here, it gives a new perspective, helps relieve some of the work load, and I am not on 24/7 to help lol.
> 
> 
> 
> *RAM has always been stable and I don't have another machine to test it in*. The XP machine is still running DDR or DDR2. The first ISO was from your guide and I redownloaded it on the XP and burned the ISO onto a new DVD and it did the same.
> 
> Also I've tried to update the firmware but I can't do that either. SInce I can't hook up the hard drive directly to the XP computer (only through USB) it won't let me select it in the Samsung SSD Magician to update the firmware in the first place. I have an old my book that I think I;m going to try to install windows on. If that works I can update the firmware on that and then go for the SSD.
> 
> [Edit]
> Tried using the Caviar Green that's inside of the my book but that did the same thing. Locked up before I even got to the license agreement.
> 
> [Edit 2]
> Here is my newest idea. I have a Western Digital Caviar Green, Samsung F3, and the faulty Caviar Black. I can still get partly into the Caviar Black and I still have my an Ease US backup image of my original Caviar Black. SInce the SSD is too small I'm copying all of my movies to my Caviar Green. Ease US won't let me copy onto the Caviar Green but it will let me copy onto the Samsung F3. Hopefully I'm going to try to put that image onto the Samsung F3 and I'd have a copy of my original hard drive. After that I can update the firmware on the SSD. That's the new "ideal" path so hopefully I can get something to work for me.
Click to expand...

What? You don't test RAM in a different machine in the first place.









Use your current set up to test it: http://www.memtest.org

You have no OC right? Your RAM timings are set to advertized? And voltage?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> It seems that when I reboot to perform a check disk on my C drive, it doesn't work. It says "cannot open volume for direct access". Could this be because I opted to remove the system partition in this C drive when I'm installing Win7?


no. I can do chkdsk fine on my system.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxfury2xx*
> 
> When you move user folder locations to Secondary HDD, is that the same thing as creating a symbolic link or junction?


similar, but a whole lot quicker and easier.


----------



## xxfury2xx

Would you recommend using that moving folder method for something like temporary internet files? I read that stuff like that will make your ssd last less since it makes it read and write a lot.

Thanks for the awesome guide and the help!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxfury2xx*
> 
> Would you recommend using that moving folder method for something like temporary internet files? I read that stuff like that will make your ssd last less since it makes it read and write a lot.
> 
> Thanks for the awesome guide and the help!


You can only move the user folders that way, for other folders you need to use junctions or sym links.

You don't need to worry about write amount on your system read this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#post_15860066

http://www.overclock.net/t/1013672/ssd-endurance-after-900000gb


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What? You don't test RAM in a different machine in the first place.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Use your current set up to test it: http://www.memtest.org
> You have no OC right? Your RAM timings are set to advertized? And voltage?
> no. I can do chkdsk fine on my system.
> similar, but a whole lot quicker and easier.


I know how to test RAM. I can't even get into Windows in order to run memtest. The only thing I could possibly do is try to start it with only one stick in. The timings are still at stock settings. Voltage is also at stock. I finally got the back up program working correctly so I'm in the process of doing a disk clone of the Caviar Black onto my Samsung F3 1tb. If I can get the Samsung F3 to work I can update my firmware on my computer and do the rest on there. I can also go ahead and run memtest to be sure.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What? You don't test RAM in a different machine in the first place.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Use your current set up to test it: http://www.memtest.org
> You have no OC right? Your RAM timings are set to advertized? And voltage?
> no. I can do chkdsk fine on my system.
> similar, but a whole lot quicker and easier.
> 
> 
> 
> I know how to test RAM. I can't even get into Windows in order to run memtest. The only thing I could possibly do is try to start it with only one stick in. The timings are still at stock settings. Voltage is also at stock. I finally got the back up program working correctly so I'm in the process of doing a disk clone of the Caviar Black onto my Samsung F3 1tb. If I can get the Samsung F3 to work I can update my firmware on my computer and do the rest on there. I can also go ahead and run memtest to be sure.
Click to expand...

Ok, good luck.









As for testing RAM however, you do not need to have Windows on the PC. You run a bootable ISO for memtest 86+...

http://www.memtest.org/#downiso


----------



## stubass

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> I know how to test RAM. I can't even get into Windows in order to run memtest. The only thing I could possibly do is try to start it with only one stick in. The timings are still at stock settings. Voltage is also at stock. I finally got the back up program working correctly so I'm in the process of doing a disk clone of the Caviar Black onto my Samsung F3 1tb. If I can get the Samsung F3 to work I can update my firmware on my computer and do the rest on there. I can also go ahead and run memtest to be sure.


why not just make a bootable memtest usb stick and test your RAM from there? or is everything cool now?








http://www.memtest.org/

darn it ninja'd


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stubass*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> I know how to test RAM. I can't even get into Windows in order to run memtest. The only thing I could possibly do is try to start it with only one stick in. The timings are still at stock settings. Voltage is also at stock. I finally got the back up program working correctly so I'm in the process of doing a disk clone of the Caviar Black onto my Samsung F3 1tb. If I can get the Samsung F3 to work I can update my firmware on my computer and do the rest on there. I can also go ahead and run memtest to be sure.
> 
> 
> 
> why not just make a bootable memtest usb stick and test your RAM from there? or is everything cool now?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.memtest.org/
> 
> darn it ninja'd
Click to expand...

LOL


----------



## VW_TDI_02

So the RAM may be what's wrong. I pulled one of the sticks and so far so good. I ran the Windows Disk repair thing at the very beginning and it went all the way through. Booting back into WIndows now so hopefully it will work. Looks like I bought an SSD for no reason and now it's time to buy some RAM I guess. Going to do a lot of testing first. haha. I wonder how much rep moderators would have if they could receive rep...

[Edit]
Not sure if that's it. It just locked up for some reason.

[Edit 2]
I've never done it before but I'm trying out WIndows' built in "memory diagnostic tool". The first stick passed fine and that one was the one I was using when it would let me boot into Windows but kept locking up. I'm running it on the other stick now and so far it's fine. I'm going to try to get into memtest after this even though it says everything is fine. Now for some reason this one stick doesn't even let me get into Windows and freezes at the Windows logo. I also went into the bios and messed with voltage. It was set to Auto and I put it back to 1.65v. The timings are loosened up a bit and are the frequency is also downclocked to 1333.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> So the RAM may be what's wrong. I pulled one of the sticks and so far so good. I ran the Windows Disk repair thing at the very beginning and it went all the way through. Booting back into WIndows now so hopefully it will work. Looks like I bought an SSD for no reason and now it's time to buy some RAM I guess. Going to do a lot of testing first. haha. I wonder how much rep moderators would have if they could receive rep...


Well, I did have almost 1700 rep before I became the storage editor, I think I would haven been at about 2500 or so by now.
Quote:


> [Edit]
> Not sure if that's it. It just locked up for some reason.
> 
> [Edit 2]
> I've never done it before but I'm trying out WIndows' built in "memory diagnostic tool". The first stick passed fine and that one was the one I was using when it would let me boot into Windows but kept locking up. I'm running it on the other stick now and so far it's fine. I'm going to try to get into memtest after this even though it says everything is fine. Now for some reason this one stick doesn't even let me get into Windows and freezes at the Windows logo. I also went into the bios and messed with voltage. It was set to Auto and I put it back to 1.65v. The timings are loosened up a bit and are the frequency is also downclocked to 1333.


Also, now that you are in the OS try running chkdsk: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html

and sfc /sannow: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Well, I did have almost 1700 rep before I became the storage editor, I think I would haven been at about 2500 or so by now.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> [Edit]
> Not sure if that's it. It just locked up for some reason.
> [Edit 2]
> I've never done it before but I'm trying out WIndows' built in "memory diagnostic tool". The first stick passed fine and that one was the one I was using when it would let me boot into Windows but kept locking up. I'm running it on the other stick now and so far it's fine. I'm going to try to get into memtest after this even though it says everything is fine. Now for some reason this one stick doesn't even let me get into Windows and freezes at the Windows logo. I also went into the bios and messed with voltage. It was set to Auto and I put it back to 1.65v. The timings are loosened up a bit and are the frequency is also downclocked to 1333.
> 
> 
> 
> Also, now that you are in the OS try running chkdsk: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html
> and sfc /sannow: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html
Click to expand...

So I'm really not sure what's going on anymore. I'm currently running on my Samsung F3. I cloned the original Caviar Black onto it and I'm still getting these problems. I can no longer get into Windows either. I've tried each of the sticks and now I'm going to try it in a different slot just in case.

[Edit]
I tried to do the error checking but it locked up right as it began. This is on the Samsung F3 too which I've never had any issues with.

Do you guys think it could be my graphics card? It just locked up and I saw an artifact at the top.

[Edit 2]
Booted into Safe Mode and I'm currently running memtest. After this is done I'm going to download a new set of drivers and hopefully that's all that's wrong.


----------



## Sean Webster

Can you show us the SMART data of your drives?

I prefer defraggler if you can. Download it here: http://www.filehippo.com/download_defraggler

Go to the health tab for each of your drives and post some screenshots or text of the SMART data.

It may be your gfx car, or your PSU possibly, or mobo (you updated the BIOS right?) as well.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Can you show us the SMART data of your drives?
> I prefer defraggler if you can. Download it here: http://www.filehippo.com/download_defraggler
> Go to the health tab for each of your drives and post some screenshots or text of the SMART data.
> It may be your gfx car, or your PSU possibly, or mobo (you updated the BIOS right?) as well.


The Health tab does show errors :/ I did the quick scan on HD Tune Pro and it said it was fine. Under the Health tab everything looks fine except for one row.
"(C7) Ultra DMA CRC Error Count" - Current: 100 - Worst: 100 - Threshold: 0 - Data: 2 - Status: Warning
I don't really know what that means but it obviously can't be good.

Here is a quick update:
Memtest is at 89% and 0 errors so far

I'm running a full error scan on the Samsung drive and nothing so far but it's going to take a while to complete. It's gotten through the first row of the error scan and it's only gone through 52gbs (no bad sectors so far) and it's a 1tb drive so it's going to be while to finish.

In regards to the bios I have never updated the bios. I've never had any issues with it and it's gone through two different CPUs and three different graphics cards.


----------



## Sean Webster

Ultra DMA CRC Error Count usually means you should look into changing the SATA cable. 2 isn't many tho. I have a value of 1 on one of my drives for that, that I have had for about 2 years.

For memtest I think you want to do 3-7 runs or so. Maybe like overnight.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ultra DMA CRC Error Count usually means you should look into changing the SATA cable. 2 isn't many tho. I have a value of 1 on one of my drives for that, that I have had for about 2 years.
> For memtest I think you want to do 3-7 runs or so. Maybe like overnight.


Gotcha. Right now I'm just going to keep running memtest until the hard drive scan finishes. It's at 124 gigs so far with no errors. Memtest is sitting at 132% with no errors. After the hard drive scan I'm going to go for the new graphics card drivers.


----------



## J-Key

Thanx to Sean.. and great jobs... learn a lot form your post...


----------



## VW_TDI_02

I thought Safe Mode would help but I guess I was wrong. I got through about 60% of the hard drive with no errors and memtest was already over 400% when it locked up again. Now I can't even get into Safe Mode any more. Right now I have an older set of drivers on a thumb drive and I'm trying to get those installed. Really I just want to swipe the current drivers off of the computer and hopefully get some stability. I also removed my sound card because I used to have some problems with certain video card drivers. Unfortunately I don't have another graphics card other then a TI4200 or another rig that I can put the 560Ti in.

[Edit]
Good news and bad news. I managed to run driver sweeper and got rid of the drivers from my computer. I tried booting into regular windows (not safe mode) with the new drivers installed and no luck. It froze up after about 30 seconds.

[Edit 2]
I'm almost positive it's the graphics card. I've been running it without any drivers and it works for a longer period of time. I even made a few runs at installing Windows on the SSD but the furthest I could get was 74%. I'm really not sure what else I can do any more.

[Edit 3]
So I went to the local best buy to see if I could get my 560TI tested in a separate rig and after they said yes on the phone I get there and they say they can't... They did on the other hand tell me that I can buy a new graphics card and I can return it within 30 days for a full refund. So far I've plugged in the new graphics card into both of the PCI-E slots with no luck. Does anyone have any more ideas?


----------



## VW_TDI_02

[Update]
I don't really know what else to do anymore. I have tested the RAM, HDD, GPU, and both PCI-E slots. Does anyone have any more ideas?

Here is how I tested everything:
*RAM*
Took out one stick and managed to run memtest. It made it through 400% with no errors

*HDD*
I cloned the original hard drive onto another one that does not have any bad sectors and I'm still getting the same problems. I've tried reinstalling Windows directly to the new SSD (has the latest firmware) from a disk and it also froze up.

*GPU*
I was worried it was the graphics card because it would freeze and I could occasionally see artifacts. I went to the store and snagged a new GT 520 and plugged it in and I'm getting the same issues. I also plugged it into my second PCI-E slot and was getting the same issues.


----------



## [email protected]

Disable RDP password to log on:

By default, Windows will not allow the logon over a network with a blank password. After you have enabled this, you will be allowed to log on using a blank password.

You can disable blank password restrictions by using a policy. To locate and change this policy:

Click Start, point to Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK to start the Group Policy Editor.
Open Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
Double-click Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
Click Disabled, and then click OK.
Quit Group Policy Editor.

Can you explain me a bit more what purpose does this serve? Also i cannot find a section in your thread on how to secure wipe "format" a SSD and start fresh again.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Disable RDP password to log on:
> By default, Windows will not allow the logon over a network with a blank password. After you have enabled this, you will be allowed to log on using a blank password.
> You can disable blank password restrictions by using a policy. To locate and change this policy:
> Click Start, point to Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK to start the Group Policy Editor.
> Open Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
> Double-click Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
> Click Disabled, and then click OK.
> Quit Group Policy Editor.
> Can you explain me a bit more what purpose does this serve? Also i cannot find a section in your thread on how to secure wipe "format" a SSD and start fresh again.


In regards to your last question you can format the SSD right at the beginning of installing Windows. Right after you accept the terms it asks you which drive you want to install windows on. One of the options there is "format"


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *VW_TDI_02*
> 
> [Update]
> I don't really know what else to do anymore. I have tested the RAM, HDD, GPU, and both PCI-E slots. Does anyone have any more ideas?
> 
> Here is how I tested everything:
> *RAM*
> Took out one stick and managed to run memtest. It made it through 400% with no errors
> 
> *HDD*
> I cloned the original hard drive onto another one that does not have any bad sectors and I'm still getting the same problems. I've tried reinstalling Windows directly to the new SSD (has the latest firmware) from a disk and it also froze up.
> 
> *GPU*
> I was worried it was the graphics card because it would freeze and I could occasionally see artifacts. I went to the store and snagged a new GT 520 and plugged it in and I'm getting the same issues. I also plugged it into my second PCI-E slot and was getting the same issues.


Start googling! That's what I usually do for everything. lol. I can't think of much atm as I am thinking of other things right now.

I think you may want to swap/test your mobo or psu.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Disable RDP password to log on:
> 
> By default, Windows will not allow the logon over a network with a blank password. After you have enabled this, you will be allowed to log on using a blank password.
> 
> You can disable blank password restrictions by using a policy. To locate and change this policy:
> 
> Click Start, point to Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK to start the Group Policy Editor.
> Open Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
> Double-click Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
> Click Disabled, and then click OK.
> Quit Group Policy Editor.
> 
> Can you explain me a bit more what purpose does this serve? Also i cannot find a section in your thread on how to secure wipe "format" a SSD and start fresh again.


Secure Erase guide here: www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic

It is also in the stickies section in the top of the SSD forum.

As for the Disable RDP password to log on. If you use Remote desktop in say your house and you have PCs that have no user password or you don't want to type it you can do the edit to allow you to log on to that machine without putting in a password. That is mainly there for me so I have a reminder of what I need to do when I set up my dad's PC. That whole post of random things in the guide is mainly extra stuff for me.


----------



## Gorgatron

Thanks for this guide.


----------



## MaFi0s0

.


----------



## VW_TDI_02

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Start googling! That's what I usually do for everything. lol. I can't think of much atm as I am thinking of other things right now.
> I think you may want to swap/test your mobo or psu.


Yea at this point I really don't know what to do. I think it is the motherboard though. It won't even boot when the RAM is in the two black slots. It boots when they are in the blue slots but it still freezes up. I managed to find a rather nice MSI P55 board here on OCN so I might just pick that up. I do have an ancient Antec 300 from our downstares computer that I could try out but I just don't see it being an issue with the power supply. Not to mention it doesn't even have SATA power connectors so I would have to cannibalize by taking the hard drive as well as the disk drive and that's just seeming like a big pain. I'm pretty confident that it's the motherboard since I've eliminated everything else.

So I've gotten it all to work except for one thing. The SSD is only configured in IDE instead of ACHI. If I try it in the way you recommend it then it gives me a blink of a blue screen and restarts.


----------



## [email protected]

Thanks for the secure wipe guide. Only if the system would allow me to give you another rep nbr lol. Again thanks much for the information. As for the special login feature i don't need that. It's nice to know you can do that too. Thanks!


----------



## steven88

Hi I have a question

Is it alright to "delete" system restore and shadow copies? This is what I'm talking about

Right Click on C drive, properties, then click disk clean up, then under the "more options" tab you'll see a delete system restore and shadow copies....is it okay to get rid of these to optimize SSD perf?

Thanks


----------



## bringonblink

Hi Sean, thanks for the guide, made setting up my new system a breeze.

Have a quick question
Quote:


> Why 4096 as partition offset?
> SSDs: It is best to use 4K (4096) alignment (partition offset) over the default 1K (1024) because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. SSDs are erased in 4K blocks.


How do i go about aligning my new SSD to 4k? Is there a program that does this or do i need to reinstall windows :S.

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *steven88*
> 
> Hi I have a question
> 
> Is it alright to "delete" system restore and shadow copies? This is what I'm talking about
> 
> Right Click on C drive, properties, then click disk clean up, then under the "more options" tab you'll see a delete system restore and shadow copies....is it okay to get rid of these to optimize SSD perf?
> 
> Thanks


All it does is delete the older system restore points, not really an optimization.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bringonblink*
> 
> Hi Sean, thanks for the guide, made setting up my new system a breeze.
> 
> Have a quick question
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Why 4096 as partition offset?
> SSDs: It is best to use 4K (4096) alignment (partition offset) over the default 1K (1024) because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. SSDs are erased in 4K blocks.
> 
> 
> 
> How do i go about aligning my new SSD to 4k? Is there a program that does this or do i need to reinstall windows :S.
> 
> Thanks
Click to expand...

Don't bother with it, leave as is. There is not much of a performance increase anyways.


----------



## steven88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> All it does is delete the older system restore points, not really an optimization.


it's not going to hurt anything, will it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *steven88*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> All it does is delete the older system restore points, not really an optimization.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it's not going to hurt anything, will it?
Click to expand...

Nope, nothing bad will come of it, unless you need to use system restore for some reason and those restore points are gone that you just deleted.


----------



## thomasf94

Alright, question. My new ssd is coming in today, I already have windows 7 installed on my hdd, my questions is, do I just unplug the hdd, and plug in the ssd, and install windows 7 (with the bios settings correct of course) and then after the install, do I plug in my hdd that it was previously installed on, and then format it? sorry, I'm just confused as to what to do with all the files on my hdd, with windows 7 already on it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *thomasf94*
> 
> Alright, question. My new ssd is coming in today, I already have windows 7 installed on my hdd, my questions is, do I just unplug the hdd, and plug in the ssd, and install windows 7 (with the bios settings correct of course) and then after the install, do I plug in my hdd that it was previously installed on, and then format it? sorry, I'm just confused as to what to do with all the files on my hdd, with windows 7 already on it?


Unplug it
install
plug it back in
back up the data
format

if you cant back up the data simply make a new partition on the HDD and move the old files you need to keep to it and shrink the old and expand the new partition as you go. Once all the data is moved to the new partition that you intend to keep then format the old OS partition on the HDD.


----------



## thomasf94

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Unplug it
> install
> plug it back in
> back up the data
> format
> if you cant back up the data simply make a new partition on the HDD and move the old files you need to keep to it and shrink the old and expand the new partition as you go. Once all the data is moved to the new partition that you intend to keep then format the old OS partition on the HDD.


Thanks boss, this is such an awesome thread btw, you did a great job!


----------



## MaFi0s0

Good news, on Z77 platform and intel RAID atleast, ports dont have to be correct for RAID, got all the ports mixed up and its working fine.


----------



## Qiyamata

Profiled


----------



## carajean

Sorry if this was discussed before. I just got a ssd drive and was planning on using it for srt but had a difficult time of it because windows 7 kept asking for drivers after i would set it into raid mode. I didnt know what driver to install and when I did click the only driver that was supported it shot back a error so I just installed windows 7 on the ssd. Is SRT good enough or better to warrant me trying again to get it to install in raid mode?


----------



## capek

Hi Sean, thanks for your guide! Very helpful. Turns out I'm having the same general issue as boz--my SSD's speed isn't quite what it should be. I verified that write caching is turned on, so that's not the culprit. I've followed pretty much all the steps in your guide.

I have one of the refreshed HP DV7t's, with an i7-3610. Verified that it's on SATA III at 6 Gbps. I can post more info about my setup or the steps I've followed so far if needed. One thing I'm not sure about, is that since my Kingston HyperX 3k is still a pretty new drive, there isn't any new firmware available from the manuf site, and if that would be necessary to get the full speed of the drive?



Thanks for any help offered!


----------



## xxfury2xx

I'm also disappointed with my SSD's performance and was hoping to get some help from you guys. I have a 64GB Samsung 830 Series. I use the Samsung Magician software to run a benchmark performance test and got these results: Sequential read is 363 MB/s and sequential write is 163 MB/s.While the write speed is on mark the read isn't, as the advertised read is 520 MB/s. Also, the random read (IOPS) is 47,821, which is a far cry from the advertised 75,000 (IOPS).

Here is what I've checked so far:
SATA mode is in AHCI
The SATA cable being used is SATA III 6Gbps
The SATA port it's plugged into is SATA III

Does this mean that my SSD is bad?

Oh yeah, my mobo is an ASRock z77 Pro4-M. I also followed this guide while setting up my SDD. Any help is appreciated.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *carajean*
> 
> Sorry if this was discussed before. I just got a ssd drive and was planning on using it for srt but had a difficult time of it because windows 7 kept asking for drivers after i would set it into raid mode. I didnt know what driver to install and when I did click the only driver that was supported it shot back a error so I just installed windows 7 on the ssd. Is SRT good enough or better to warrant me trying again to get it to install in raid mode?


You don't need to reinstall to change to RAID mode. http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation

As for the driver, you use the Intel rapid storage technology driver, install it after changing to RAID mode: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/21408/eng/STOR_Win7_XP_11.2.0.1006.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=21408&OSFullname=%0A&ProductID=3434
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *capek*
> 
> Hi Sean, thanks for your guide! Very helpful. Turns out I'm having the same general issue as boz--my SSD's speed isn't quite what it should be. I verified that write caching is turned on, so that's not the culprit. I've followed pretty much all the steps in your guide.
> 
> I have one of the refreshed HP DV7t's, with an i7-3610. Verified that it's on SATA III at 6 Gbps. I can post more info about my setup or the steps I've followed so far if needed. One thing I'm not sure about, is that since my Kingston HyperX 3k is still a pretty new drive, there isn't any new firmware available from the manuf site, and if that would be necessary to get the full speed of the drive?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for any help offered!


Ehh, if it is anything I would think it is the partition alignment, however your score looks very close to what it should be anyways on AS SSD.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxfury2xx*
> 
> I'm also disappointed with my SSD's performance and was hoping to get some help from you guys. I have a 64GB Samsung 830 Series. I use the Samsung Magician software to run a benchmark performance test and got these results: Sequential read is 363 MB/s and sequential write is 163 MB/s.While the write speed is on mark the read isn't, as the advertised read is 520 MB/s. Also, the random read (IOPS) is 47,821, which is a far cry from the advertised 75,000 (IOPS).
> 
> Here is what I've checked so far:
> SATA mode is in AHCI
> The SATA cable being used is SATA III 6Gbps
> The SATA port it's plugged into is SATA III
> 
> Does this mean that my SSD is bad?
> 
> Oh yeah, my mobo is an ASRock z77 Pro4-M. I also followed this guide while setting up my SDD. Any help is appreciated.


Post a screenshot of AS SSD scores. I think you need to double check that it is plugged into the Intel SATA 6Gb/s port, not a third party SATA port.


----------



## capek

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ehh, if it is anything I would think it is the partition alignment, however your score looks very close to what it should be anyways on AS SSD.


Really? Admittedly, I'm very new to SSDs, this being my first. I'm happy with the performance and all. It's just that I'd have expected the benchmark numbers to be closer to what's claimed on the box (555 MB/s read and 510 MB/s write). I expect these kinds of numbers to be inflated, but the large discrepancy in the write numbers was the main thing making me think there was something I needed to do setup-wise to achieve the manufacturer's estimated numbers. But to your eyes these numbers look like what'd you'd expect to see?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *capek*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ehh, if it is anything I would think it is the partition alignment, however your score looks very close to what it should be anyways on AS SSD.
> 
> 
> 
> Really? Admittedly, I'm very new to SSDs, this being my first. I'm happy with the performance and all. It's just that I'd have expected the benchmark numbers to be closer to what's claimed on the box (555 MB/s read and 510 MB/s write). I expect these kinds of numbers to be inflated, but the large discrepancy in the write numbers was the main thing making me think there was something I needed to do setup-wise to achieve the manufacturer's estimated numbers. But to your eyes these numbers look like what'd you'd expect to see?
Click to expand...

Yea those #s are normal for sandforce drives with AS SSD. So you are going by what is on the box I see. In that case you need to use the same benchmark that they use. Use ATTO, not AS SSD. ATTO uses fully uncompressed data for testing so you will see better speeds.

Read this for better understanding. *www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread*


----------



## EarlZ

Sean,

I remember you saying a long time ago that partitioning on an SSD will not have any effect on TRIM/wear level what-so-ever, because the SSD just stores data anywhere and its only partitioned logically, if you have any supporting links about it can you post it here?


----------



## xxfury2xx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Post a screenshot of AS SSD scores. I think you need to double check that it is plugged into the Intel SATA 6Gb/s port, not a third party SATA port.


Sorry about my n00bness when it comes to pc building, but how do I know if I plugged it into a third party SATA port? The only odd thing that I noticed was that when I check what port it's plugged into the UEFI says it's plugged into port SATA3_A0. Does this mean I plugged it into the third party SATA port?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> I remember you saying a long time ago that partitioning on an SSD will not have any effect on TRIM/wear level what-so-ever, because the SSD just stores data anywhere and its only partitioned logically, if you have any supporting links about it can you post it here?


Under tricks of the trade here: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/06/inside-the-ssd-revolution-how-solid-state-disks-really-work/4/
Quote:


> The controller itself doesn't care about the logical constructs built by the operating system-it will happily continue to write to new fresh pages as long as they're available.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxfury2xx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Post a screenshot of AS SSD scores. I think you need to double check that it is plugged into the Intel SATA 6Gb/s port, not a third party SATA port.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry about my n00bness when it comes to pc building, but how do I know if I plugged it into a third party SATA port? The only odd thing that I noticed was that when I check what port it's plugged into the UEFI says it's plugged into port SATA3_A0. Does this mean I plugged it into the third party SATA port?
Click to expand...

Mainly it was an educated guess as ASMedia and Marvell SATA ports usually limit speeds to about 350-430MB/s while the Intel will get you a minimum of 450-560MB/s.

Try the other Intel SATA 6Gb/s ports. I am pretty sure yours is in the ASMedia controlled SATA 6Gb/s port.


----------



## captaincoooper

just register today at overclock.net and subscribed to this thread. doing some research about SSD and and i landed here









nice guide!


----------



## Jesus1st

HI,
Love your guide, it is Extreemly Helpful ! !

I was wondering if under "Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features:"
you could show a list of items you turned OFF, so I can have a starting point
Thanks


----------



## capek

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea those #s are normal for sandforce drives with AS SSD. So you are going by what is on the box I see. In that case you need to use the same benchmark that they use. Use ATTO, not AS SSD. ATTO uses fully uncompressed data for testing so you will see better speeds.
> Read this for better understanding. *www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread*


Cool beans man! Yep, I have a lot to learn. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!


----------



## xxfury2xx

Well, it seems like you made a very well educated guess, Sean. As my SSD was in fact plugged into an ASMedia SATA port. I plugged it into the regular SATA port and ran AS-SSD. Here are the results:



How do these results look? Good or bad? Thanks for all of the help!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *captaincoooper*
> 
> just register today at overclock.net and subscribed to this thread. doing some research about SSD and and i landed here
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> nice guide!


Thanks









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jesus1st*
> 
> HI,
> Love your guide, it is Extreemly Helpful ! !
> 
> I was wondering if under "Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features:"
> you could show a list of items you turned OFF, so I can have a starting point
> Thanks
> G. <><


I haven't disabled any lately since I don't care to do it anymore cause I'm lazy lol. Usually internet explorer and games I believe I do.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *capek*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea those #s are normal for sandforce drives with AS SSD. So you are going by what is on the box I see. In that case you need to use the same benchmark that they use. Use ATTO, not AS SSD. ATTO uses fully uncompressed data for testing so you will see better speeds.
> Read this for better understanding. *www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread*
> 
> 
> 
> Cool beans man! Yep, I have a lot to learn. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
Click to expand...










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxfury2xx*
> 
> Well, it seems like you made a very well educated guess, Sean. As my SSD was in fact plugged into an ASMedia SATA port. I plugged it into the regular SATA port and ran AS-SSD. Here are the results:
> 
> 
> 
> How do these results look? Good or bad? Thanks for all of the help!


Everything is good, but the 4k reads are slightly low. That could just be your mobo's power saving features enabled.


----------



## Nocturin

Sean, you do awesome work. More thanks are in order. Since I can't take you for a beer, here's a band with a ninja:



















and the scuba:


----------



## bigal1542

Hey Sean and everyone,

Should I enable Hard Disk S.M.A.R.T in my BIOS?


----------



## Nocturin

afaik, yes.


----------



## N2Gaming

I'm sure this has been covered all ready so let me ask it again









Is there a way to install two new drives after windows 7 has been installed and set up both new drives as one logical raided drive letter. I need to combine the space of 2 x 500GB HDD's into a 1TB logical Drive space for Storage?

I am aware I'll have to go into my bios and Enable Raid mode some how while still being able to access the original C: Drive in IDE mode for booting up if at all possible.

I'm thinking I should be able to unplug my C Drive from it's SATA port while I enable the raid mode to apply to the 2x 500GB drives into one logical drive, save bios settings, shut down, hook up C: Drive and reboot to Win 7 Gui and install Drivers for the 2x raided drives.

I read something from a google search about making changes in the registry prior to configuring raid in the bios and booting back to Win 7 Gui. Is this a requirement to get win 7 to use RAID mode?

Thank you,

N2G


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Sean, you do awesome work. More thanks are in order. Since I can't take you for a beer, here's a band with a ninja:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and the scuba:


lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigal1542*
> 
> Hey Sean and everyone,
> 
> Should I enable Hard Disk S.M.A.R.T in my BIOS?


yea, I do suggest so.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> I'm sure this has been covered all ready so let me ask it again
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is there a way to install two new drives after windows 7 has been installed and set up both new drives as one logical raided drive letter. I need to combine the space of 2 x 500GB HDD's into a 1TB logical Drive space for Storage?


yea, just make a stripped RAID 0 array.
Quote:


> I am aware I'll have to go into my bios and Enable Raid mode some how while still being able to access the original C: Drive in IDE mode for booting up if at all possible.
> 
> I'm thinking I should be able to unplug my C Drive from it's SATA port while I enable the raid mode to apply to the 2x 500GB drives into one logical drive, save bios settings, shut down, hook up C: Drive and reboot to Win 7 Gui and install Drivers for the 2x raided drives.


First do the registry edit in Windows.
Quote:


> I read something from a google search about making changes in the registry prior to configuring raid in the bios and booting back to Win 7 Gui. Is this a requirement to get win 7 to use RAID mode?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> N2G


yea, here is the guide: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## N2Gaming

Thank you Sean. UDAMAN


----------



## bringonblink

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> Thank you Sean. UDAMAN


No, U DA MAN!


----------



## xxfury2xx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Everything is good, but the 4k reads are slightly low. That could just be your mobo's power saving features enabled.


Would I be able to turn off the power saving feature in my mobo's bios? If so, what setting should I look for? Thanks.


----------



## AtomTM

Great job sean!


----------



## bringonblink

Hey Sean,

another quick question, i need to reinstall windows again... how should i prepare the SSD? Or is just booting from the CD and deleting the partitions enough? Cheers


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> Thank you Sean. UDAMAN











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bringonblink*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *N2Gaming*
> 
> Thank you Sean. UDAMAN
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No, U DA MAN!
Click to expand...

No, I'm Da Man.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxfury2xx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Everything is good, but the 4k reads are slightly low. That could just be your mobo's power saving features enabled.
> 
> 
> 
> Would I be able to turn off the power saving feature in my mobo's bios? If so, what setting should I look for? Thanks.
Click to expand...

http://www.overclock.net/t/1262255/effect-of-power-saving-features-on-ssd-speed
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XeoN786*
> 
> Great job sean!


thanks

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bringonblink*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> another quick question, i need to reinstall windows again... how should i prepare the SSD? Or is just booting from the CD and deleting the partitions enough? Cheers


Just deleting the partitions is enough.


----------



## bringonblink

Its a peep show quote: p. Anyway thanks!

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2


----------



## bigal1542

Thx Sean!


----------



## geronimo

hi guys. Yesterday I came across long forgotten option in win, NTFS compression. I know it wasn't wort it on old HDDs but now on SDD? I was thinking maybe to use it od my new sammy 256gb I use for installing games.
I have seen somewhere in the thread that Sean already said that it's not worth it to use it on OS SSD drive. why is that? I don't care about read/write cicles if I can get additional space? the biggest stuff I have on the drives are games and those I would like to compress if I don't loose performance. the CPU is fast enough I think for this task so there shouldn't be any problems?

btw I'm using truecrypt on all the drives in my system if that matters.

cheers.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geronimo*
> 
> hi guys. Yesterday I came across long forgotten option in win, NTFS compression. I know it wasn't wort it on old HDDs but now on SDD? I was thinking maybe to use it od my new sammy 256gb I use for installing games.
> I have seen somewhere in the thread that Sean already said that it's not worth it to use it on OS SSD drive. why is that? I don't care about read/write cicles if I can get additional space? the biggest stuff I have on the drives are games and those I would like to compress if I don't loose performance. the CPU is fast enough I think for this task so there shouldn't be any problems?
> 
> btw I'm using truecrypt on all the drives in my system if that matters.
> 
> cheers.


I gained no additional free space when I had it enabled. It actually made me have 1 MB less space lol.

Enable it if you like.

Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-ntfs-compression,3073.html


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I gained no additional free space when I had it enabled. It actually made me have 1 MB less space lol.
> Enable it if you like.
> Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-ntfs-compression,3073.html


thanks for the link. I'll dig in .
did you use a lot of games on this drive you tried it on cos I think the gain there could be big cos games have a lot of small files? or maybe not, cos very often they use compression in those big game files







.
cheers.


----------



## riggie

Hi Sean,
There's always one who reads the instructions months after installing a SSD drive.
My Control mode in the bios is on IDE not AHCI, is there any point in switching now or do you think I should re-install windows again.
I am very happy with the speed of the PC but I have one problem at the moment,
When I am on FSX flight sim, which is one of only two games loaded on the SSD drive "C"
If another drive kicks in the game freezes then restarts.
I am sure all my FSX add-ons are installed on the SSD drive so I don't know why this happens, could it be windows storing files on a different drive?
MW3 is on the SSD drive and I have no probs.
cheers
riggie UK


----------



## EarlZ

I seem to be having some sort of issue with my SSD, I've noticed for the last few days my host read and write has significantly gone up especially for the write which is normally at 3-4Gb/day now its been 20-25Gb/day for the last few days and this started to bother me, I checked windows resource monitor and saw that Chrome was constantly writing to C:\$LogFile I have no idea what this is but it needs fixing ASAP.

Also, I ran AS SSD and Crystal disk and Im very surprised why my write speeds have dropped so much..

Before:



Now:



EDIT:

I've checked with another computer and the write bytes/sec chrome only writes like 3,000/sec while on mine its now writing at abour 3-4million.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *riggie*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> There's always one who reads the instructions months after installing a SSD drive.
> My Control mode in the bios is on IDE not AHCI, is there any point in switching now or do you think I should re-install windows again.
> I am very happy with the speed of the PC but I have one problem at the moment,
> When I am on FSX flight sim, which is one of only two games loaded on the SSD drive "C"
> If another drive kicks in the game freezes then restarts.
> I am sure all my FSX add-ons are installed on the SSD drive so I don't know why this happens, could it be windows storing files on a different drive?
> MW3 is on the SSD drive and I have no probs.
> cheers
> riggie UK


Change to AHCI mode!

http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I seem to be having some sort of issue with my SSD, I've noticed for the last few days my host read and write has significantly gone up especially for the write which is normally at 3-4Gb/day now its been 20-25Gb/day for the last few days and this started to bother me, I checked windows resource monitor and saw that Chrome was constantly writing to C:\$LogFile I have no idea what this is but it needs fixing ASAP.
> 
> Also, I ran AS SSD and Crystal disk and Im very surprised why my write speeds have dropped so much..
> 
> Before:
> 
> 
> 
> Now:
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> I've checked with another computer and the write bytes/sec chrome only writes like 3,000/sec while on mine its now writing at abour 3-4million.


How much free space do you have? Usually sandforce drives slow down as they get filled. Also, if you don't have enough time to run a TRIM and garage collection cycle speeds will stay lower.


----------



## EarlZ

When I did the first benchmark I only used up 9% of the total space as seen on the screen shot with Cyrstal Disk, now Im using 30% of the capacity. I rarely turn off my PC, I'll try to reboot it and leave it idle for a couple of hours and see if things change.. should I expect to see the same write speeds at 30% used space?

Since you mentioned SF drives slow down when filled, does this mean that Intel drives ( or non SF in general ) dont ?


----------



## riggie

Thank you Sean, sorted...... working faster again

Changed from IDE to AHCI using the info provided on here
http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> When I did the first benchmark I only used up 9% of the total space as seen on the screen shot with Cyrstal Disk, now Im using 30% of the capacity. I rarely turn off my PC, I'll try to reboot it and leave it idle for a couple of hours and see if things change.. should I expect to see the same write speeds at 30% used space?
> 
> Since you mentioned SF drives slow down when filled, does this mean that Intel drives ( or non SF in general ) dont ?


idk, could be normal.

correct, other non-SandForce SSDs don't slow down as they get full, as much or as quickly as SandForce drives do.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *riggie*
> 
> Thank you Sean, sorted...... working faster again
> 
> Changed from IDE to AHCI using the info provided on here
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## EarlZ

I didnt know the SF drives did that, If i did I would have gotten the Vertex 4 but Im guessing this drop in write speed is not really noticeable.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I didnt know the SF drives did that, If i did I would have gotten the Vertex 4 but *Im guessing this drop in write speed is not really noticeable*.


Correct, you really shouldn't notice a difference in daily tasks.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Correct, you really shouldn't notice a difference in daily tasks.


Im wondering if it can even further degrade if its filled at around 80-90%


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Correct, you really shouldn't notice a difference in daily tasks.
> 
> 
> 
> Im wondering if it can even further degrade if its filled at around 80-90%
Click to expand...

Test it









You should have seen the difference TRIM makes on my M4 when it was filled. Performance dropped like a rock after I filled it with HD movies, however, one TRIM pass with 5GB free space and speeds went right back up.


----------



## [email protected]

Is it true if your SSD will slow down and degrade performance for not leaving more room space . My OS actually took a lot of space besides BF3 origin. Performance has been acting skips in BF3 now. I kept thinking maybe my SSD is degrading too.

I have 24.6gb free of 74.4gb..

But then again i am thinking of doing a secure wipe and i am sure we'll be up to date with Microsoft updates to prevent exploits on the OS.


----------



## Nocturin

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?271063-SSD-Write-Endurance-25nm-Vs-34nm


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Test it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You should have seen the difference TRIM makes on my M4 when it was filled. Performance dropped like a rock after I filled it with HD movies, however, one TRIM pass with 5GB free space and speeds went right back up.


I'll give it a try later on.


----------



## [email protected]

Does anyone know any real good third party benchmarks for SSD? Curious.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?271063-SSD-Write-Endurance-25nm-Vs-34nm


That Samsung 830? Over 2PB written to it? OMG







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Does anyone know any real good third party benchmarks for SSD? Curious.


http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#user_BenchmarksbyOCNmembers


----------



## selluminis

I am having an issue where it takes FOREVER for anything to install on my system. I followed this guide and have a feeling it might have been something I turned off. My main system drive is on a 64GB crucial m4. windows 7 64bit

Update: Example, I have been installing gpu drivers for over 30 minutes now and it is still not done.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *selluminis*
> 
> I am having an issue where it takes FOREVER for anything to install on my system. I followed this guide and have a feeling it might have been something I turned off. My main system drive is on a 64GB crucial m4. windows 7 64bit
> 
> Update: Example, I have been installing gpu drivers for over 30 minutes now and it is still not done.


Definitely should not be anything disabled related to this guide. Nothing should slow anything down.

Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://www.alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&download_id=9


----------



## selluminis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Definitely should not be anything disabled related to this guide. Nothing should slow anything down.
> Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://www.alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&download_id=9


huh, site must be down. CAnnot get it to download.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *selluminis*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Definitely should not be anything disabled related to this guide. Nothing should slow anything down.
> Post a screenshot of AS SSD: http://www.alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&download_id=9
> 
> 
> 
> huh, site must be down. CAnnot get it to download.
Click to expand...

Odd, works fine for me.

Here use this:

AS SSD.zip 258k .zip file


----------



## malikq86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Does anyone know any real good third party benchmarks for SSD? Curious.


AS-SSD: http://alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?download_id=9

nevermind. already beat me..didn't scroll down.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *malikq86*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Does anyone know any real good third party benchmarks for SSD? Curious.
> 
> 
> 
> AS-SSD: http://alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?download_id=9
> 
> nevermind. already beat me..didn't scroll down.
Click to expand...

Pwn'd!


----------



## malikq86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Pwn'd!


LOL. yeah, basically. I'll win next time


----------



## Sean Webster

Only when I'm sleeping.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> That Samsung 830? Over 2PB written to it? OMG
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#user_BenchmarksbyOCNmembers


----------



## selluminis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Odd, works fine for me.
> Here use this:
> 
> AS SSD.zip 258k .zip file


Okay, so here is what happend when I ran the test.


----------



## ThrowingSpoon

Thank you! im going to buy my SSD now


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *selluminis*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Odd, works fine for me.
> Here use this:
> 
> AS SSD.zip 258k .zip file
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Okay, so here is what happend when I ran the test.
Click to expand...

Looks normal...

IDK what's going on. Try installing your SATA driver for your mobo.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ThrowingSpoon*
> 
> Thank you! im going to buy my SSD now


----------



## Nocturin

So I have a simple question and I'm too lazy to search through everything:

Would AHCI affect an SSD from being detected in a IDE system?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> So I have a simple question and I'm too lazy to search through everything:
> 
> Would AHCI affect an SSD from being detected in a IDE system?


Why to make my brain hurt.









What do you mean IDE system? You wouldn't be able to set AHCI...would you?









Restate or something?


----------



## Nshadd2455

Hello, I loved this guide and it very much did help me install windows. Although, I ran into something that sort of bugged me (on my computer, the guide is fine <3)

Right now I'm running a crucial m4 128GB and a Hitachi 1TB HDD that I received as a gift when I first got into building computers. This is very much still my first build, and I consider myself still new. I noticed after the installation finished that my BIOS was set to run my drives in RAID and not AHCI. I always thought RAID (or at least RAID0) was just for treating multiple drives as one larger drive. Both my drives are separate and appear separate in every way in windows but I would like to know if running them in AHCI would show any sort of performance boost or just cause less complication. If I wanted to run my drives in AHCI, would I need to format both and reinstall windows? Thank you!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nshadd2455*
> 
> Hello, I loved this guide and it very much did help me install windows. Although, I ran into something that sort of bugged me (on my computer, the guide is fine <3)
> 
> Right now I'm running a crucial m4 128GB and a Hitachi 1TB HDD that I received as a gift when I first got into building computers. This is very much still my first build, and I consider myself still new. I noticed after the installation finished that my BIOS was set to run my drives in RAID and not AHCI. I always thought RAID (or at least RAID0) was just for treating multiple drives as one larger drive.


RAID is when you run similar drives together in an array as one: http://www.overclock.net/t/484367/guide-all-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-raid

Not just separate drives in your system
Quote:


> Both my drives are separate and appear separate in every way in windows but I would like to know if running them in AHCI would show any sort of performance boost or just cause less complication. If I wanted to run my drives in AHCI, would I need to format both and reinstall windows? Thank you!


No need to really change to AHCI mode as RAID gives you all the benefits of AHCI mode anyways. However, if you would like to you can change to AHCI by doing this: www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation

Also, read through the storage section stickies a little and you should learn a lot.


----------



## Nshadd2455

Many thanks, man! Will do!


----------



## MrTOOSHORT

Hey Sean, thanks for this very informative thread. I've used it a few times already. I appreciate the hard work you put forth here at OCN!


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why to make my brain hurt.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What do you mean IDE system? You wouldn't be able to set AHCI...would you?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Restate or something?


Sorry, I tried to make the question as simple as possible so it would've been a yes/no answer







on me.

Context:

Testing/removing data from all my drives after the khuler debacle and the SSD isn't accessible from my win xp machine. The drive was set-up(?)/installed under AHCI on the aforementioned rig, and the XP machine is IDE.

It's seen and recognized as a disk drive in device manager, but disk manager doesn't see it and there's no drive letter assioated with it. I'm starting to wonder if it's shot due to the khuler leak, and that would really suck because my wife put a few months worth of our kids photos on it when I told her not too.

Trying to figure out why it's not accessible, but it's recognized.
I haven't tried booting into a live distro yet, though, and I hope that will still be an option.

maybe it has something to do with it as the primary C: before? I attempt to populate the volume and nothing happens, neither does SSD magician "recognize" that it's in the system, even though it still display it.

It's the weirdest freaking thing.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MrTOOSHORT*
> 
> Hey Sean, thanks for this very informative thread. I've used it a few times already. I appreciate the hard work you put forth here at OCN!










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Sorry, I tried to make the question as simple as possible so it would've been a yes/no answer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> on me.


In that case yes/no. Done.








Quote:


> Context:
> 
> Testing/removing data from all my drives after the khuler debacle and the SSD isn't accessible from my win xp machine. The drive was set-up(?)/installed under AHCI on the aforementioned rig, and the XP machine is IDE.
> 
> It's seen and recognized as a disk drive in device manager, but disk manager doesn't see it and there's no drive letter assioated with it. I'm starting to wonder if it's shot due to the khuler leak, and that would really suck because my wife put a few months worth of our kids photos on it when I told her not too.
> 
> Trying to figure out why it's not accessible, but it's recognized.
> I haven't tried booting into a live distro yet, though, and I hope that will still be an option.
> 
> maybe it has something to do with it as the primary C: before? I attempt to populate the volume and nothing happens, neither does SSD magician "recognize" that it's in the system, even though it still display it.
> 
> It's the weirdest freaking thing.


Possibly a device incompatibility with your XP machine? Or a driver issue?

Sata mode doesn't matter as long as the drive is not being used as a OS drive.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In that case yes/no. Done.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Context:
> Testing/removing data from all my drives after the khuler debacle and the SSD isn't accessible from my win xp machine. The drive was set-up(?)/installed under AHCI on the aforementioned rig, and the XP machine is IDE.
> It's seen and recognized as a disk drive in device manager, but disk manager doesn't see it and there's no drive letter assioated with it. I'm starting to wonder if it's shot due to the khuler leak, and that would really suck because my wife put a few months worth of our kids photos on it when I told her not too.
> Trying to figure out why it's not accessible, but it's recognized. I haven't tried booting into a live distro yet, though, and I hope that will still be an option.
> maybe it has something to do with it as the primary C: before? I attempt to populate the volume and nothing happens, neither does SSD magician "recognize" that it's in the system, even though it still display it.
> It's the weirdest freaking thing.
> 
> 
> 
> Possibly a device incompatibility with your XP machine? Or a driver issue?
> Sata mode doesn't matter as long as the drive is not being used as a OS drive.
Click to expand...











The weirdest part is that I was able to get it working a grand total of 1 times, and got a good amount of data off of it, but my paranioa wont let me just format it with-out double checking.

That's what I thought, sata mades no difference. *shrug* I'll boot up a live linux distro this weekend to see what happens, Im hoping it will be recognized.

edit: just got home and booted the computer and it's recognized again. I have no idea what's going on but I'm going to get the rest of the data off and wipe/secure erase it.


----------



## Jocelyn84

So I picked up a Samsung 830 for my new Samsung series 7 laptop and I can't get windows to install. I'm doing the USB method, using the regular MBR method, and after the first reboot I get nothing but boot loops. I then tried booting off the usb key, which works as a bootloader, and takes me to the next step, but then I get this (photo below). Keep in mind I am using YUMI, which works fine for GPT, but maybe its not good for MBR. I'm going to try Sean's USB installer in the meantime. Thanks in advance for any help. PS I feel like bootmgr isn't being installed to the SSD. Keep in mind I have an 8GB onboard cache SSD, but it's been formatted to NTFS and only contains Samsung setup software and drivers.

Edit: I also have a Windows Ultimate x64 disc that I use for my desktop. Is it possible to use that then somehow activate Home Premium x64?


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jocelyn84*
> 
> So I picked up a Samsung 830 for my new Samsung series 7 laptop and I can't get windows to install. I'm doing the USB method, using the regular MBR method, and after the first reboot I get nothing but boot loops. I then tried booting off the usb key, which works as a bootloader, and takes me to the next step, but then I get this (photo below). Keep in mind I am using YUMI, which works fine for GPT, but maybe its not good for MBR. I'm going to try Sean's USB installer in the meantime. Thanks in advance for any help. PS I feel like bootmgr isn't being installed to the SSD. Keep in mind I have an 8GB onboard cache SSD, but it's been formatted to NTFS and only contains Samsung setup software and drivers.
> Edit: I also have a Windows Ultimate x64 disc that I use for my desktop. Is it possible to use that then somehow activate Home Premium x64?


I dont know the answer off the top of my head, but if needed I'll ask some friends and let you if I find anything out.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The weirdest part is that I was able to get it working a grand total of 1 times, and got a good amount of data off of it, but my paranioa wont let me just format it with-out double checking.
> 
> That's what I thought, sata mades no difference. *shrug* I'll boot up a live linux distro this weekend to see what happens, Im hoping it will be recognized.
> 
> edit: just got home and booted the computer and it's recognized again. I have no idea what's going on but I'm going to get the rest of the data off and wipe/secure erase it.


Weird. Good luck, hopefully nothing shorted it out when your cooler leaked on the mobo and PSU.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jocelyn84*
> 
> So I picked up a Samsung 830 for my new Samsung series 7 laptop and I can't get windows to install. I'm doing the USB method, using the regular MBR method, and after the first reboot I get nothing but boot loops. I then tried booting off the usb key, which works as a bootloader, and takes me to the next step, but then I get this (photo below). Keep in mind I am using YUMI, which works fine for GPT, but maybe its not good for MBR. I'm going to try Sean's USB installer in the meantime. Thanks in advance for any help. PS I feel like bootmgr isn't being installed to the SSD. Keep in mind I have an 8GB onboard cache SSD, but it's been formatted to NTFS and only contains Samsung setup software and drivers.
> Edit: I also have a Windows Ultimate x64 disc that I use for my desktop. Is it possible to use that then somehow activate Home Premium x64?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I dont know the answer off the top of my head, but if needed I'll ask some friends and let you if I find anything out.
Click to expand...

I think the issue was fixed over PM, the iso used to install was bad or something.


----------



## Jocelyn84

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I think the issue was fixed over PM, the iso used to install was bad or something.


I should have posted back. Either my thumb drive/USB ports are meh or Samsung laptops don't like the installation via USB. Everything worked until after the first reboot, which is when I got that screenshot. I have UEFI off in the bios, and used the MBR method, though it would seem as though no boot loader was installed. I used the exact same iso/usb drive on my Dell Latitude and it worked without a hitch. In the end, I installed from external DVD and I'm up and running. Either way it's weird. Thanks btw


----------



## Sean Webster

Sweet, glad to hear.


----------



## CiBi

thank you for the tremendous help mr sean webster


----------



## [email protected]

I need help and I'm frustrated the fact I guess I messed up remembering my windows 7 login pass. Nowi can't login and how am I suppose to get in my ssd? You can't format this right? I'm screwed. Don't know. What to do next. This never happened to me before especially the fact i have a sad lol. Could use some help here


----------



## xxmastermindxx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I need help and I'm frustrated the fact I guess I messed up remembering my windows 7 login pass. Nowi can't login and how am I suppose to get in my ssd? You can't format this right? I'm screwed. Don't know. What to do next. This never happened to me before especially the fact i have a sad lol. Could use some help here


Are you asking for help in bypassing a login password? lol. Reformat the drive. Use a bootable disc or usb drive.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I need help and I'm frustrated the fact I guess I messed up remembering my windows 7 login pass. Nowi can't login and how am I suppose to get in my ssd? You can't format this right? I'm screwed. Don't know. What to do next. This never happened to me before especially the fact i have a sad lol. Could use some help here


Look up/into a linux distro called "BackTrack"

win7 shouldn't lock you out though, and if you haven't set a password your admin account will be accessible, you'll just have to google on how to get into it.


----------



## [email protected]

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Look up/into a linux distro called "BackTrack"
> win7 shouldn't lock you out though, and if you haven't set a password your admin account will be accessible, you'll just have to google on how to get into it.


I want nothing to do with Linux. Dude I can't even get in windows at all cuz apparently its not accepting my pass. This is not a fresh install I just forgot the pass for the first time. Now the moot damn point is now am I suppose to wipe the ssd? I thought you ain't supposed to use the reformat option since its a sad? Aren't you suppose to secure wipe when i can't do that at the moment since I cannot login windows? I knew i should made a backup for losing passwords! Argh so frustrated. Sorry!


----------



## [email protected]

Anyone? Help would be greatly appreciated please!


----------



## [email protected]

Looks like I'm gonna have to just pop in windows 7 and reformat the ssd and start all over again. I hate ssd now. I wanna sell this stupid PC and go sandy. Sick of it already.


----------



## xxmastermindxx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Looks like I'm gonna have to just pop in windows 7 and reformat the ssd and start all over again. I hate ssd now. I wanna sell this stupid PC and go sandy. Sick of it already.


Don't blame PEBKAC bro. Your system is fine and the SSD can be reformatted like any other drive. Who's fault is it that they forgot their password?


----------



## [email protected]

Plot I didn't forget my password at all. Windows would not just not recognize the bloody password so i gotta reformat both drives? Or just the ssd?


----------



## [email protected]

reformat all of it or can I still play my games on my 1Tb drive? Or just ssd? Best bet is probably reformatting and i seriously wanna smash this DROID cuz glitching. On me. I'm so getting a iPhone lol.


----------



## [email protected]

Upon reformatting I wonder why my ssd is showing 74.5gb instead if 80gb? Is this normal for a ssd to do so?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> Look up/into a linux distro called "BackTrack"
> win7 shouldn't lock you out though, and if you haven't set a password your admin account will be accessible, you'll just have to google on how to get into it.
> 
> 
> 
> I want nothing to do with Linux. Dude I can't even get in windows at all cuz apparently its not accepting my pass. This is not a fresh install I just forgot the pass for the first time.
Click to expand...

Why not use Linux to get a password?

To get Windows logon passwords all you need is to follow this: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/gr/ophcrack.htm

I use it all the time.
Quote:


> Now the moot damn point is now am I suppose to wipe the ssd?


Just like any other drive, quick format...
Quote:


> I thought you ain't supposed to use the reformat option since its a sad?


Only use quick fomat, not full format...
Quote:


> Aren't you suppose to secure wipe when i can't do that at the moment since I cannot login windows?


no, secure erase is just to reset the drive if you are having issues with it or selling it.
Quote:


> I knew i should made a backup for losing passwords! Argh so frustrated. Sorry!


lol

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Upon reformatting I wonder why my ssd is showing 74.5gb instead if 80gb? Is this normal for a ssd to do so?


Why did you reformat?









Your 1 TB drive doesn't say 1000GB now does it?

The drive is 74.5 formatted capacity due to default over provisioning by Intel.


----------



## [email protected]

I just realized I was supposed to disconnect the hard drive and only install is in the ssd lol. Figures.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why not use Linux to get a password?
> To get Windows logon passwords all you need is to follow this: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/gr/ophcrack.htm
> I use it all the time.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Now the moot damn point is now am I suppose to wipe the ssd?
> 
> 
> 
> Just like any other drive, quick format...
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I thought you ain't supposed to use the reformat option since its a sad?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Only use quick fomat, not full format...
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Aren't you suppose to secure wipe when i can't do that at the moment since I cannot login windows?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> no, secure erase is just to reset the drive if you are having issues with it or selling it.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I knew i should made a backup for losing passwords! Argh so frustrated. Sorry!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> lol
> Why did you reformat?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Your 1 TB drive doesn't say 1000GB now does it?
> The drive is 74.5 formatted capacity due to default over provisioning by Intel.
Click to expand...

I forgot about OPHcrack, thanks for reminding me









Why no full format?

So I got my ssd recognized, but SSD Magician refuses to recognize it so I can't use the secure erase feature







.

What program would you recommend for a secure erase?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I just realized I was supposed to disconnect the hard drive and only install is in the ssd lol. Figures.


I thought I would be nice and help you. I won't make that mistake again. You've been nothing but nasty whenever you've replied to me, so yea, enjoy life m8.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> I forgot about OPHcrack, thanks for reminding me


Awesome isn't it?









Quote:


> Why no full format?


check my SSD info guide: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread
Quote:


> *Quick vs. Full Formatting:*
> Here I explain what the difference b/w a quick and full format are and why you should only quick format your SSD.
> 
> 
> *A quick format* - is a formatting option that creates a new file table on a hard disk but does not fully overwrite or erase the disk. Quick formatting erases/rewites the FT (File Table) of the File System partition. So basically quick formatting just erases/rewrites anew what is essentially a directory that tells the operating system where files are and what spaces are free to write new data on.
> 
> *A full format* - is a formatting option that creates a new file table on a hard disk, but does not fully overwrite and erase the disk as well. A full format erases/rewrites the FT (File Table) of the File System partition and runs chkdsk. Chkdsk.exe is a command-line tool that checks volumes for problems. The tool then tries to repair any that it finds. For example, Chkdsk can repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors. Chkdsk does one pass of writing zero's to the drive to ensure that the sectors are working properly. But the zero's are also rewritten with the previous 1 or 0. This is why full formats take so much longer. So basically a full format is quick format + Chkdsk.
> 
> You don't need to run chckdsk on your drive b/c all it does is check for bad sectors and checks file system integrity assuming that the LBA's are going to be located in a specific place, but just as I said with defraging, the controller will only know what LBA is what and the program will not, so it is useless. It is not "good" for your SSD because all it does is cause add wear to the memory cells when you don't need it to. So in all only quick format your SSD.


Quote:


> So I got my ssd recognized, but SSD Magician refuses to recognize it so I can't use the secure erase feature
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


weird...maybe call/email samsung, possibly get RMA.
Quote:


> What program would you recommend for a secure erase?


Any in this guide: www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic#post_16684060

You may have to keep the SSD disconnected and then plug it back in when the program is fully loaded. (hotswap enabled)


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Awesome isn't it?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Why no full format?
> 
> 
> 
> check my SSD info guide: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *Quick vs. Full Formatting:*
> Here I explain what the difference b/w a quick and full format are and why you should only quick format your SSD.
> 
> *A quick format* - is a formatting option that creates a new file table on a hard disk but does not fully overwrite or erase the disk. Quick formatting erases/rewites the FT (File Table) of the File System partition. So basically quick formatting just erases/rewrites anew what is essentially a directory that tells the operating system where files are and what spaces are free to write new data on.
> *A full format* - is a formatting option that creates a new file table on a hard disk, but does not fully overwrite and erase the disk as well. A full format erases/rewrites the FT (File Table) of the File System partition and runs chkdsk. Chkdsk.exe is a command-line tool that checks volumes for problems. The tool then tries to repair any that it finds. For example, Chkdsk can repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors. Chkdsk does one pass of writing zero's to the drive to ensure that the sectors are working properly. But the zero's are also rewritten with the previous 1 or 0. This is why full formats take so much longer. So basically a full format is quick format + Chkdsk.
> You don't need to run chckdsk on your drive b/c all it does is check for bad sectors and checks file system integrity assuming that the LBA's are going to be located in a specific place, but just as I said with defraging, the controller will only know what LBA is what and the program will not, so it is useless. It is not "good" for your SSD because all it does is cause add wear to the memory cells when you don't need it to. So in all only quick format your SSD.
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> So I got my ssd recognized, but SSD Magician refuses to recognize it so I can't use the secure erase feature
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> weird...maybe call/email samsung, possibly get RMA.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> What program would you recommend for a secure erase?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Any in this guide: www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic#post_16684060
> You may have to keep the SSD disconnected and then plug it back in when the program is fully loaded. (hotswap enabled)
Click to expand...

Yup, I need to burn a few .isos and start playing/learning again since I can't waist my time gaming till this process is over.

Thanks for directing me to the right place







, you know your content









I'm hoping I don't have to go through with that, because if the drive is damaged then it's got to go to antec first (although I may talk to some people first before i do that







) because it wasn't doing it before the leak







. It might also just be this computer, it's a dinosaur with just 2 sata 1 ports









Well, I did a full format before you said anything and I'm off to review some programs to secure wipe it completely because that still might be the issue(or the computer...man I need another 1155 mobo to test these components







).


----------



## Sean Webster

good luck


----------



## hotspur

Sean's guide worked great. Only one problem.

Before installing, I unplugged the SATA cable from the HDD and plugged it into the SDD.

Installed Win7 to SDD just fine.

I hooked up my HDD, this time using the SATA cable that used to be hooked into the SDD, and the HDD became C: and Win7 booted from there instead of the SDD.

How to make the system see the SDD as C: with the HDD plugged in?


----------



## Jocelyn84

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hotspur*
> 
> Sean's guide worked great. Only one problem.
> Before installing, I unplugged the SATA cable from the HDD and plugged it into the SDD.
> Installed Win7 to SDD just fine.
> I hooked up my HDD, this time using the SATA cable that used to be hooked into the SDD, and the HDD became C: and Win7 booted from there instead of the SDD.
> How to make the system see the SDD as C: with the HDD plugged in?


Go into your Bios/UEFI and change the boot order options, so the SSD is the first choice.


----------



## hotspur

Not an option. Choices are 4:

CD-ROM GROUP
HARD DISK GROUP
FLOPPY GROUP
NETWORK BOOT

But within the HD Group there is no way to order drives.


----------



## Jocelyn84

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hotspur*
> 
> Not an option. Choices are 4:
> CD-ROM GROUP
> HARD DISK GROUP
> FLOPPY GROUP
> NETWORK BOOT
> But within the HD Group there is no way to order drives.


I'd try swapping sata motherboard inputs of the two drives. What motherboard do you have?


----------



## hotspur

IPIEL-LA3 (Eureka3)
Manufacturer: Pegatron


----------



## hotspur

Here's more info on the MB:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01746799&lc=en&cc=ad&dlc=en


----------



## [email protected]

How about you read the very 1ST step when installing a SSD. It's much a better start man and welcome to OCN. Enjoy your stay. Be sure to READ all the tips on the first page of this thread.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hotspur*
> 
> Sean's guide worked great. Only one problem.
> 
> Before installing, I unplugged the SATA cable from the HDD and plugged it into the SDD.
> 
> Installed Win7 to SDD just fine.
> 
> I hooked up my HDD, this time using the SATA cable that used to be hooked into the SDD, and the HDD became C: and Win7 booted from there instead of the SDD.
> 
> How to make the system see the SDD as C: with the HDD plugged in?


Put the SATA cable back into the SSD and use a different port and cable for the HDD.


----------



## PsikyoJebus

I'd rep you if I could, because this guide worked great for the new vertex 3 that I put into my work laptop.

One thing to note, however, is that I found it a better idea to hold off the graphics driver install until after running windows update if your system is running on an APU. I'm not sure if this is a Lenovo thing, or a Catalyst thing, but the 12.6 drivers wouldn't install correctly until after I ran windows update. Basically, the drivers installed as if there were no graphics card present, and the only features that I got under the AMD vision engine contol center were CPU-based features and the presets tab. I'm guessing that this has something to do with the Win7 SPI disk coming out before the Llano APUs were released, because I never had this problem before until after I purchased a llano-based laptop.


----------



## hotspur

I moved the cable for the HDD from SATA2 to SATA4. No joy. Still boots from the HDD, not the SSD.


----------



## EarlZ

Is there an application that can monitor what is writing to the SSD? Since I got my SSD its been writing like 2-4Gb/day which is what I expected for my usage, but there are times its writing at 7-10Gb and I would like to know what app is writing that much.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hotspur*
> 
> I moved the cable for the HDD from SATA2 to SATA4. No joy. Still boots from the HDD, not the SSD.


You need to delete the bootloader on the HDD. Umm...make a new thread.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Is there an application that can monitor what is writing to the SSD? Since I got my SSD its been writing like 2-4Gb/day which is what I expected for my usage, but there are times its writing at 7-10Gb and I would like to know what app is writing that much.


This is what I use: http://www.ssdready.com/


----------



## EarlZ

Thanks!

Funny thing, now that my system boots so fast Yahoo Messenger fails to connect on boot and has to for a manual reconnect!


----------



## pepper58

I was just wondering, I have the Gigabyte GTX 670 OC version, does that mean I have to change it to the stock speed, even though I bought it like that? Also, is this guide for a computer that is being built, and not one that is already built?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Funny thing, now that my system boots so fast Yahoo Messenger fails to connect on boot and has to for a manual reconnect!


lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pepper58*
> 
> I was just wondering, I have the Gigabyte GTX 670 OC version, does that mean I have to change it to the stock speed, even though I bought it like that? Also, is this guide for a computer that is being built, and not one that is already built?


Unless you have an actual way to overclock the card during install it will be at stock clocks, even if it is factory overclock, that is still stock. lol Don't worry about your GFX card.


----------



## EarlZ

So after 7hours of monitoring my system with SsdReady I found that Chrome seems to be the biggest reason for my daily writes.. In just 7hrs its written 326Mb..

Safe Browsing Bloom Filter 2 (80.15Mb)
Safe Browsing Bloom_new (99.79Mb)
Safe Browsing Download _new (39.25Mb)

And tons and tons of really small .tmp files..

Followed by BootCKCL.etl under windows/wdi (30MB and about 50MB for the entire folder tree )

The app also shows 38.9GB of read data while SSDlife pro only shows 7Gb.

This may or may not impact SSD life span but Im wondering if there is a way to reduce those writes from Chrome or maybe I could move them to my mechanical drive?

I am just concerned why my daily writes have been skyrocketing from 3Gb to 7-10Gb.

Currently im only at 491Gb written and 657 read, at 1 month 7days and 17hours.


----------



## ALiShaikh

Is there a way to move the entire users folder?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> So after 7hours of monitoring my system with SsdReady I found that Chrome seems to be the biggest reason for my daily writes.. In just 7hrs its written 326Mb..
> 
> Safe Browsing Bloom Filter 2 (80.15Mb)
> Safe Browsing Bloom_new (99.79Mb)
> Safe Browsing Download _new (39.25Mb)
> 
> And tons and tons of really small .tmp files..
> 
> Followed by BootCKCL.etl under windows/wdi (30MB and about 50MB for the entire folder tree )
> 
> The app also shows 38.9GB of read data while SSDlife pro only shows 7Gb.
> 
> This may or may not impact SSD life span but Im wondering if there is a way to reduce those writes from Chrome or maybe I could move them to my mechanical drive?
> 
> I am just concerned why my daily writes have been skyrocketing from 3Gb to 7-10Gb.
> 
> Currently im only at 491Gb written and 657 read, at 1 month 7days and 17hours.


use symbolic links. http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/hardlinkshellext.html
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ALiShaikh*
> 
> Is there a way to move the entire users folder?


yea: www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html

or

www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/124198-user-profiles-create-move-during-windows-7-installation.html


----------



## ALiShaikh

You should mention in the guide how to move the Users Folder and Program Data before moving on to the rest of windows install.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ALiShaikh*
> 
> You should mention in the guide how to move the Users Folder and Program Data before moving on to the rest of windows install.


Why? It is pointless and just slows the system down. Besides I have links in the 4th post to do it.


----------



## ALiShaikh

So its not worth it for me to move both of those? Should I keep the Users folder in the C as well?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ALiShaikh*
> 
> So its not worth it for me to move both of those? Should I keep the Users folder in the C as well?


Why do you think I don't have it as a step in my guide?









Why bother moving them? You do realize that if you move the appdata folder and your program folders off the SSD that data will be off the SSD and not get any advantage of the SSD right?


----------



## ALiShaikh

Well I wanted to keep the programs themselves on the SDD for fast loading, and the data already loads fast through HDD so I thought I would save some space by moving it there. Now that I have a 128GB one(just upgraded from 32GB Sata II Patriot today lol) I guess it doesn't matter that much, so I wont move it like you suggested


----------



## EarlZ

Aside from using systemlinks is it possible to just move the entire users/username/appdata folder?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Aside from using systemlinks is it possible to just move the entire users/username/appdata folder?


READ THE LAST FEW POSTS.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> READ THE LAST FEW POSTS.


Haha sorry, didnt refresh the page before making this post. I've created the system link.. whats the difference between that and the hardlink ?

EDIT:

Found the answer on the other link


----------



## [email protected]

Do you think it's ok to have no paging file on your SSD while you have Battlefield 3 on it, wouldn't that affect any performance at all?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> READ THE LAST FEW POSTS.
> 
> 
> 
> Haha sorry, didnt refresh the page before making this post. I've created the system link.. whats the difference between that and the hardlink ?
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> Found the answer on the other link
Click to expand...











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Do you think it's ok to have no paging file on your SSD while you have Battlefield 3 on it, wouldn't that affect any performance at all?


Google what the page file is for...


----------



## lurker2501

most of the optimization tweaks after OS installation can be done with Win 7 Manager, it's faster then fiddling with the registry, plus it has many more additional tweaks that are not listed here.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lurker2501*
> 
> most of the optimization tweaks after OS installation can be done with Win 7 Manager, it's faster then fiddling with the registry, plus it has many more additional tweaks that are not listed here.


All I see is some sort buggy software that takes longer than doing things manually and additional things that don't do anything useful.


----------



## lurker2501

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> All I see is some sort buggy software that takes longer than doing things manually and additional things that don't do anything useful.


this is obviously a disinformation. i'm too lazy to list all the things this app can do, but you can always check it on the website or help files.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lurker2501*
> 
> this is obviously a disinformation. i'm too lazy to list all the things this app can do, but you can always check it on the website or help files.


Obviously your information is a "disinformation".


----------



## Sean Webster

Wow, my Youtube account was just taken down for unknown reason, I have to try to get my account back and reupload all the tutorial videos here. Sorry guys.


----------



## YangerD

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wow, my Youtube account was just taken down for unknown reason, I have to try to get my account back and reupload all the tutorial videos here. Sorry guys.


Yikes that's terrible news! Your videos have been so helpful for me and I'm sure for everyone else. I hope you can get your account back without having to re-upload all of your videos again.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lurker2501*
> 
> this is obviously a disinformation. i'm too lazy to list all the things this app can do, but you can always check it on the website or help files.


It's not misinformation* just because you don't want to work towards doing and verifying the same things elsewhere.

ಠ_ಠ
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wow, my Youtube account was just taken down for unknown reason, I have to try to get my account back and reupload all the tutorial videos here. Sorry guys.


That sucks









Any contact back from google yet?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wow, my Youtube account was just taken down for unknown reason, I have to try to get my account back and reupload all the tutorial videos here. Sorry guys.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That sucks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any contact back from google yet?
Click to expand...

No, all I know is that I can no longer log on my account, all my videos are gone, my account has been terminated, and they are slow to respond.









How the hell is a video on making a bootable Windows 7 USB install device against their TOS? I have seen many videos on how to do so, even from large channels such as revision3.

Anyways. I uploaded most of the videos in this tut to a secondary YouTube account temporarily. I lost all my liked videos, favorites, subscriptions, 266 subscribers and over 80 videos. -_-


----------



## AC0014

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> That sucks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any contact back from google yet?
> 
> 
> 
> No, all I know is that I can no longer log on my account, all my videos are gone, my account has been terminated, and they are slow to respond.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How the hell is a video on making a bootable Windows 7 USB install device against their TOS? I have seen many videos on how to do so, even from large channels such as revision3.
> Anyways. I uploaded most of the videos in this tut to a secondary YouTube account temporarily. I lost all my liked videos, favorites, subscriptions, 266 subscribers and over 80 videos. -_-
Click to expand...

Yikes! That's a major bummer. Please post your new, temporary YouTube account username. I am new member to overclock and over the past couple of days I have been reading your Win7 and Win8 optimization guides. I plan to upgrade to Win8 via the $39.99 promotional discount offer. I am in a unique position right now where I plan to install a SSD in my desktop to use primarily as a boot device and keep my 1.5TB HDD for storage purposes. However, I worry that my Win7 setup and optimization won't transfer over to Win8. I would hate to setup Win7 and transfer all my data just to have that all go to waste and start over with Win8. Can you confirm that the Win7 setup and optimization posted in your guide transfer over to Win8 safely? If not, what do you recommend I do? Thanks in advance! I have been reading a lot of guides lately and yours is by far the best and most comprehensive.

Andrew

EDIT: Sorry I realize that I was a bit vague. By "Win7 setup and organization" I mean, specifically, will the user folder stay on my secondary HDD during the Win8 install/migration or will it move back to SSD? I just don't want to have to redo everything once I switch to Win8. Including shrinking the hibernation file, turning off drive indexing, shrinking the page file, disabling prefetch and superfetch, etc...


----------



## She loved E

whoa, weak! hopefully you can sort it out w/o too much trouble. your vids have been a big help to me as well.


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Why 4096 as partition offset?
> SSDs: It is best to use 4K (4096) alignment (partition offset) over the default 1K (1024) because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. SSDs are erased in 4K blocks.
> 
> 
> 
> Is that the same as Allocation unit size:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ie. when formatting SSDs from within Windows, should I select 4096bytes there too?
Click to expand...

Nope. The partition offset is different from allocation unit size/cluster size.


----------



## Jaquith

YouTube = Sucky Balls!

My assumption is your YouTube account got jacked...


----------



## bk7794

Where should the AHCI be enabled? Under the ICH Sata Control Mode? Or onboard Sata/IDE ctrl mode. I am assuming one is for the third party chipset and one is for the intel?

What benefit does the AHCI do? If I enable this setting before I install my ssd and I go to boot into my regular mechanical drive I can't. Why?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AC0014*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> That sucks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any contact back from google yet?
> 
> 
> 
> No, all I know is that I can no longer log on my account, all my videos are gone, my account has been terminated, and they are slow to respond.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How the hell is a video on making a bootable Windows 7 USB install device against their TOS? I have seen many videos on how to do so, even from large channels such as revision3.
> Anyways. I uploaded most of the videos in this tut to a secondary YouTube account temporarily. I lost all my liked videos, favorites, subscriptions, 266 subscribers and over 80 videos. -_-
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yikes! That's a major bummer. Please post your new, temporary YouTube account username. I am new member to overclock and over the past couple of days I have been reading your Win7 and Win8 optimization guides. I plan to upgrade to Win8 via the $39.99 promotional discount offer. I am in a unique position right now where I plan to install a SSD in my desktop to use primarily as a boot device and keep my 1.5TB HDD for storage purposes. However, I worry that my Win7 setup and optimization won't transfer over to Win8. I would hate to setup Win7 and transfer all my data just to have that all go to waste and start over with Win8. Can you confirm that the Win7 setup and optimization posted in your guide transfer over to Win8 safely? If not, what do you recommend I do? Thanks in advance! I have been reading a lot of guides lately and yours is by far the best and most comprehensive.
> 
> Andrew
> 
> EDIT: Sorry I realize that I was a bit vague. By "Win7 setup and organization" I mean, specifically, will the user folder stay on my secondary HDD during the Win8 install/migration or will it move back to SSD? I just don't want to have to redo everything once I switch to Win8. Including shrinking the hibernation file, turning off drive indexing, shrinking the page file, disabling prefetch and superfetch, etc...
Click to expand...

All data on the HDD will not be changed when you go from Windows 7-8 as windows is on the SSD, but you will have to redo the optimizations for the OS. Then link over the user folders after the reinstall with windows 8.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *She loved E*
> 
> whoa, weak! hopefully you can sort it out w/o too much trouble. your vids have been a big help to me as well.


Yea, I put most of them back up on my other channel...I think my SeanWebsterHD channel is gone for ever.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bk7794*
> 
> Where should the AHCI be enabled? Under the ICH Sata Control Mode? Or onboard Sata/IDE ctrl mode. I am assuming one is for the third party chipset and one is for the intel?


In your BIOS
Quote:


> What benefit does the AHCI do? If I enable this setting before I install my ssd and I go to boot into my regular mechanical drive I can't. Why?


Read this: www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## bk7794

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> In your BIOS
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> What benefit does the AHCI do? If I enable this setting before I install my ssd and I go to boot into my regular mechanical drive I can't. Why?
> 
> 
> 
> Read this: www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation
Click to expand...

Right, so I just put ACHI instead of IDE.

Then when I restart it says no disks available.

System works great, works great. Though now the bios takes longer then the bootup, especially the ACHI bios post, and the verifying DMI Pool data screen/

Anyway to fix that?

Now I am getting black screen hangs after restarting my computer for windows update. It just hangs on a black screen...then all of a sudden it pops up with a configuring windows update with the blue screen at about 33 %


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Well what should allocation unit size be set to then? And what is is set to by default when I format during windows installation?


Here ya go, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/140365 . It is recommended to stay with the default value.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bk7794*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> In your BIOS
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> What benefit does the AHCI do? If I enable this setting before I install my ssd and I go to boot into my regular mechanical drive I can't. Why?
> 
> 
> 
> Read this: www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Right, so I just put ACHI instead of IDE.
> 
> Then when I restart it says no disks available.
> 
> System works great, works great. Though now the bios takes longer then the bootup, especially the ACHI bios post, and the verifying DMI Pool data screen/
> 
> Anyway to fix that?
> 
> Now I am getting black screen hangs after restarting my computer for windows update. It just hangs on a black screen...then all of a sudden it pops up with a configuring windows update with the blue screen at about 33 %
Click to expand...

Try clearing your CMOS and update your BIOS if possible: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000474.htm


----------



## chadrew

Great guide, I'm finally getting an SSD so it's very useful for me.

One thing I wanted to ask about is whether I should have a static or dynamic-sized page file? (E.g. should I set a fixed size like 1024 MB, or a range like 128-1024 MB, or even let system manage it automatically). I always set it to 4 GB on my HDD since it's supposed to help avoid fragmentation, but I guess this isn't an issue with SSDs.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chadrew*
> 
> Great guide, I'm finally getting an SSD so it's very useful for me.
> 
> One thing I wanted to ask about is whether I should have a static or dynamic-sized page file? (E.g. should I set a fixed size like 1024 MB, or a range like 128-1024 MB, or even let system manage it automatically). I always set it to 4 GB on my HDD since it's supposed to help avoid fragmentation, but I guess this isn't an issue with SSDs.


I just set mine to static 512 min/max. I don't really know if it makes a difference or not having it dynamic.


----------



## EarlZ

I have mine set to 4096-4096 since I only have 4GB of RAM and sometimes D3 or SC2 will close it self when Im running both.


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## mrlawrencelam

I installed W7 64-bit on Intel 330 SSD. My PC is running Intel i5-3550 3.3GHz with 8Gb 1600 RAM.

From the moment it starts loading BIOS (when I see the completely dark screen and hear the beep sound) until the very moment I see the Windows desktop (immediately after the "Welcome" screen), it takes 22 seconds (12 seconds if boot up in Safe Mode). Using Windows Event Viewer, it says my boot time is 35 seconds and shutdown time is 2.1 seconds.

I still find 22 seconds too long.

I actually re-installed W7 a few times due to some errors. I remember after the first installation, it took less than 12 seconds to load. Now I cannot get that anymore even when no other software is installed. It seems that it is taking too long at the Windows Welcome screen.

I followed the installation procedure in the first post and went through all the other advice.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I have mine set to 4096-4096 since I only have 4GB of RAM and sometimes D3 or SC2 will close it self when Im running both.











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition and 4K alignment:
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> Type Convert MBR, press Enter.
> Type Create Partition Primary Align=4096, press Enter.
> Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Click the partition.
> Click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
> 
> 
> 
> This is disrupting my installation of Windows 7 Upgrade.
> 
> To 'clean install' with the upgrade version of 7, you have to use the install trick - it won't let you use the key the first time you install on the new HDD - you have to install once without the key and then re-install and this time is accepts the key. Manually partitioning with 4k alignment as per the above instructions, it never accepts the key. Why is this?
Click to expand...

What? This is for a straight up clean install, no upgrade. I never have done any upgrade myself so I can not help with that.









As for the key not being accepted you may need to put in the original key then the upgrade key or something I think i heard before...not sure.
Quote:


> And what is the point of this:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> *After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> Type Convert MBR, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.*
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
> Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
> Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
> 
> 
> 
> Aren't those steps redundant? Won't it use MBR automatically anyway? In fact, when I included those steps I ended up with this:
Click to expand...

What's redundant? I put the extra MBR command there for people who have GPT drives so hey will not have an issue.

You apparently did something wrong as there should only be the system reserve and data partition.







Quote:


> Also, why don't you mention the 4k alignment thing when keeping the System Reserved Partition?


I don't know if you can. i've tried before with MBR formatted drvies and I was unable to manually create the system reserve partition lol. If you could tell me the command I'd appreciate it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mrlawrencelam*
> 
> I installed W7 64-bit on Intel 330 SSD. My PC is running Intel i5-3550 3.3GHz with 8Gb 1600 RAM.
> 
> From the moment it starts loading BIOS (when I see the completely dark screen and hear the beep sound) until the very moment I see the Windows desktop (immediately after the "Welcome" screen), it takes 22 seconds (12 seconds if boot up in Safe Mode). Using Windows Event Viewer, it says my boot time is 35 seconds and shutdown time is 2.1 seconds.
> 
> I still find 22 seconds too long.
> 
> I actually re-installed W7 a few times due to some errors. I remember after the first installation, it took less than 12 seconds to load. Now I cannot get that anymore even when no other software is installed. It seems that it is taking too long at the Windows Welcome screen.
> 
> I followed the installation procedure in the first post and went through all the other advice.


Any USB devices plugged into the system besides the keyboard and mouse?


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## mrlawrencelam

Quote:


> Any USB devices plugged into the system besides the keyboard and mouse?


I only have a wireless mouse, keyboard and WiFi receiver that use USB.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What? This is for a straight up clean install, no upgrade. I never have done any upgrade myself so I can not help with that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As for the key not being accepted you may need to put in the original key then the upgrade key or something I think i heard before...not sure.
> 
> 
> 
> You can still do a full clean install with upgrade media/key. Anyway, never mind, I just installed it the usual GUI way without 4k alignment.
> 
> I'll be surprised if no-one else has encountered this issue trying to do 4k with upgrade key. I don't know of many people who fork out for the retail OS when the upgrade version is a fraction of the price. Also, the heavily discounted copies you get from universities etc. seem to be mostly upgrades too.
> 
> You see the upgrade key only works if it sees an existing version of Windows on the drive - I don't know how it detects it, and you can start a clean install just fine, but there has to have been a version already installed. So if you buy a new drive, all you have to do is install the upgrade on it once without the key (it will complete the install in 'trial' mode), and then re-install it again with the key. It's just to trick it. The second install is still a clean install, and you can format over the first install via the installer's GUI. However your 4K aligned format method was removing whatever the installer looks for to tell it that a version of Windows was already present before it, and thus my key kept getting rejected.
> 
> Whatever it was, it wasn't hidden in the System reserved partition, because I can delete and format over that via the GUI, and the trick still works.
Click to expand...

I got my Windows 7 Pro retail from my university free.









And it makes sense that it kept rejecting it as when you run the clean command all data on the drive is wiped virtually. There would be no trace of any partition system.

The GUI probably has a tool built in to detect it or something as dispart does not.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mrlawrencelam*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Any USB devices plugged into the system besides the keyboard and mouse?
> 
> 
> 
> I only have a wireless mouse, keyboard and WiFi receiver that use USB.
Click to expand...

Try unplugging the USB wifi receiver.


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## ThankYou

Thank you for this Sean. So excited to go through all this with a fresh install.


----------



## elson

So if i already have windows and all program on my HDD, all I have to do is install windows onto the SSD, plug the old HDD back in and it should be recognized as a seconday correct? Then I can move whichever programs I wish to the SSD etc..?


----------



## sixor

cool new app for SSD

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Tweak-SSD_d7828.html

makes easier to tweak stuff


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *elson*
> 
> So if i already have windows and all program on my HDD, all I have to do is install windows onto the SSD, plug the old HDD back in and it should be recognized as a seconday correct? Then I can move whichever programs I wish to the SSD etc..?


No they will need to be re-installed.


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> you sir are correct. lack of sleep disrupted thought process.
> 
> funny thing is that though speeds of drive are lower, the overall speed of the _system_ has greatly increased. i'm assuming this is due to everything being on a single SSD instead of spread on a an SSD and a HDD


is this much of a speed variance common not even 2 months later?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> you sir are correct. lack of sleep disrupted thought process.
> 
> funny thing is that though speeds of drive are lower, the overall speed of the _system_ has greatly increased. i'm assuming this is due to everything being on a single SSD instead of spread on a an SSD and a HDD
> 
> 
> 
> is this much of a speed variance common not even 2 months later?
Click to expand...

How much free space? And have you transferred much data to the SSD lately?


----------



## _TRU_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> How much free space? And have you transferred much data to the SSD lately?


ive used roughly 80GB and nothing major xfered. unless gaming counts (all the data rewriting)


----------



## Mc'zee

Hi Sean! First of all, thanks for this useful thread









I wanted to ask, is there any known issues involving P35 motherboards and SSD performances? Adquired recently an used SSD and even on a clean W7 x64 installation I wasn't able to make it run as it should. However, when i run the test from my old WD disk, the test look ok!

From my old W7 installation:



From a clean W7 installation:



If my memory's right, my motherboard supports SATAII controller integrated in ICH9R.

The performance in the fresh W7 installation drive is really poor, system freezes every 10 seconds average... Any ideas?


----------



## spacedstations

Hi guys. I'm new to SSDs, but i used AS SSD to benchmark my Corsair Force 3 60GB and i'm pretty sure these benchmarks are horribly lacking. Please help. (Also i installed windows with AHCI turned on and i did the indexing trick... but to no avail)


----------



## spacedstations

But as an added bit of weirdness, it seems that ATTO benchmark is running like it's supposed to and reaching those promised 500 mb/s speeds. Is this just a problem with AS SSD's benchmark or should i actually be worried?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *_TRU_*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> How much free space? And have you transferred much data to the SSD lately?
> 
> 
> 
> ive used roughly 80GB and nothing major xfered. unless gaming counts (all the data rewriting)
Click to expand...

IDK, maybe gaming? Possibly just because it is such a low end SSD. Not sure. Make a thread.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mc'zee*
> 
> Hi Sean! First of all, thanks for this useful thread
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to ask, is there any known issues involving P35 motherboards and SSD performances? Adquired recently an used SSD and even on a clean W7 x64 installation I wasn't able to make it run as it should. However, when i run the test from my old WD disk, the test look ok!
> 
> From my old W7 installation:
> 
> 
> 
> From a clean W7 installation:
> 
> 
> 
> If my memory's right, my motherboard supports SATAII controller integrated in ICH9R.
> 
> The performance in the fresh W7 installation drive is really poor, system freezes every 10 seconds average... Any ideas?


Post a screenshot of AS SSD: (link)

Open AS SSD
Select your SSD in the top left drop down box
If troubleshooting a SSD run the benchmark as well, if HDD do not run the benchmark.
Click "File" at the top
Click Screenshot > Save
Upload to OCN in your post with the image insertion tool.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spacedstations*
> 
> Hi guys. I'm new to SSDs, but i used AS SSD to benchmark my Corsair Force 3 60GB and i'm pretty sure these benchmarks are horribly lacking. Please help. (Also i installed windows with AHCI turned on and i did the indexing trick... but to no avail)


Nope, score is normal for your drive. It is a low end sandforce drive and can not handle incompressible data well. You need to test with ATTO to get advertised speeds.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spacedstations*
> 
> But as an added bit of weirdness, it seems that ATTO benchmark is running like it's supposed to and reaching those promised 500 mb/s speeds. Is this just a problem with AS SSD's benchmark or should i actually be worried?


Ooops, missed this post. Nah, it is normal. More info here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

I just got a 120 gig Vertex 3 for my Macbook Pro, and although I was able to get it into SATA III mode, im not able to get AHCI. This doesn't really bother me as TRIM still works and regardless it is much faster than my stock 5400 RPM drive... My question is, my results seem very low, but is this due to it being in IDE and not AHCI?


----------



## spacedstations

haha, okay, thanks for the help. was freaking out a bit, but now that I know this is normal, i can rest easy.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> I just got a 120 gig Vertex 3 for my Macbook Pro, and although I was able to get it into SATA III mode, im not able to get AHCI. This doesn't really bother me as TRIM still works and regardless it is much faster than my stock 5400 RPM drive... My question is, my results seem very low, but is this due to it being in IDE and not AHCI?


Actually TRIM will not work.

And the speeds are lower b/c it is in IDE as stated.


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Actually TRIM will not work.
> And the speeds are lower b/c it is in IDE as stated.


Ok, im glad to know the speeds are what should be expected from IDE, but I did a bunch of research all over the net to see if TRIM should work in IDE and the resounding answer I always came up with was yes. I don't have the links anymore (im sure I could find them) but people stated that TRIM wasn't initially supported on IDE but drivers were made to pass trim over IDE. Your the SSD guru so ill trust you over other random apple forum people, but as far as you know TRIM won't get passed to the SSD over IDE? I ran the CMD line to check if trim is on and it is on, being passed to the SSD or not, im not sure and I don't know how to tell.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Actually TRIM will not work.
> And the speeds are lower b/c it is in IDE as stated.
> 
> 
> 
> Ok, im glad to know the speeds are what should be expected from IDE, but I did a bunch of research all over the net to see if TRIM should work in IDE and the resounding answer I always came up with was yes. I don't have the links anymore (im sure I could find them) but people stated that TRIM wasn't initially supported on IDE but drivers were made to pass trim over IDE. Your the SSD guru so ill trust you over other random apple forum people, but as far as you know TRIM won't get passed to the SSD over IDE? I ran the CMD line to check if trim is on and it is on, being passed to the SSD or not, im not sure and I don't know how to tell.
Click to expand...

Exactly, the keyword is: Drivers

Now do you have any IDE drivers that allow for TRIM to pass through to the SSD? The default Windows driver does not. If not then Windows is just sending the command, yet the driver is not sending properly it to the drive. (Window's test with CMD is just to see if Windows is sending the command, not if the SSD is actually receiving it.)


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Exactly, the keyword is: Drivers
> Now do you have any IDE drivers that allow for TRIM to pass through to the SSD? The default Windows driver does not. If not then Windows is just sending the command, yet the driver is not sending properly it to the drive. (Window's test with CMD is just to see if Windows is sending the command, not if the SSD is actually receiving it.)


Shoot, yea I didn't download any special drivers.... Im not even sure where I would get them. Should I just try and update my drivers via Computer Management>Device Manager? Should I install intel rapid storage as well?

I tried to update via device manager, it is "up to date". But im sure I read somewhere there was a new driver that allowed for TRIM. Man, wish I saved that web page








Also, I suppose a more important question, how important is it to try and get TRIM enabled? Its a Vertex 3, so it has garbage collection, although it is only used for taking notes in class and working on projects on campus (not heavy use, but not very much up time in order to allow garbage collection to do its thing...)


----------



## Mc'zee

Hello again Sean! Here're the screenshots you asked for...

Test ran from the disk itself (clean W7 installation on SSD disk)



Test from another disk, my old WD Green 320GB:



Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Exactly, the keyword is: Drivers
> Now do you have any IDE drivers that allow for TRIM to pass through to the SSD? The default Windows driver does not. If not then Windows is just sending the command, yet the driver is not sending properly it to the drive. (Window's test with CMD is just to see if Windows is sending the command, not if the SSD is actually receiving it.)
> 
> 
> 
> Shoot, yea I didn't download any special drivers.... Im not even sure where I would get them. Should I just try and update my drivers via Computer Management>Device Manager? Should I install intel rapid storage as well?
Click to expand...

I don't know where to get any IDE drivers that support TRIM myself. I am pretty sure you can't use the IRST driver either and will get an error upon trying to install.
Quote:


> I tried to update via device manager, it is "up to date". But im sure I read somewhere there was a new driver that allowed for TRIM. Man, wish I saved that web page
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, I suppose a more important question, how important is it to try and get TRIM enabled? Its a Vertex 3, so it has garbage collection, although it is only used for taking notes in class and working on projects on campus (not heavy use, but not very much up time in order to allow garbage collection to do its thing...)


Ehh...TRIM optimizes GC and reduced write amplification. It is a great thing to have, but imo it is not _that_ important. You can run it for a while with out TRIM and it should be fine. If speeds dramatically drop after a few weeks-months then run a secure erase and you will be back at new speeds. If you can figure out a way to change to AHCI mode do it. You will get a little extra performance as well.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mc'zee*
> 
> Hello again Sean! Here're the screenshots you asked for...
> 
> Test ran from the disk itself (clean W7 installation on SSD disk)
> 
> 
> 
> Test from another disk, my old WD Green 320GB:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!


I would make a system image. Then secure erase the SSD. (link) Then restore the image and benchmark again a few days later. Really odd performance drop...how much free space on the drive? Little free space on the drive could have been the issue.


----------



## Mc'zee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I would make a system image. Then secure erase the SSD. (link) Then restore the image and benchmark again a few days later. Really odd performance drop...how much free space on the drive? Little free space on the drive could have been the issue.


Hi Sean.

SSD is almost free, have only W7 x64 files and some small programs... over 60% free space... I'll secure erase the SSD. Also, I'll try the SSD on a friends computer, and see if there's a difference.
What program do you recomend for a disk image? Acronis?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mc'zee*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I would make a system image. Then secure erase the SSD. (link) Then restore the image and benchmark again a few days later. Really odd performance drop...how much free space on the drive? Little free space on the drive could have been the issue.
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Sean.
> 
> SSD is almost free, have only W7 x64 files and some small programs... over 60% free space... I'll secure erase the SSD. Also, I'll try the SSD on a friends computer, and see if there's a difference.
> What program do you recomend for a disk image? Acronis?
Click to expand...

Yea, that is weird. it is super low for having so much free space.

And Acronis is great. If you have a internal or external WD, Seagate, or Intel drive you can use it free. Also, there are alternatives such as Windows 7 system imaging, Macrium Reflect, EaseUs ToDo Backup, etc.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1227835/how-to-disk-and-partition-cloning-backup-restoration-migration


----------



## zenoxide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *[
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition and 4K alignment:
> *
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Convert MBR*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary Align=4096*, press Enter.
> Type *Format Quick FS=NTFS*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Click the partition.
> Click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.


I noticed in your youtube video that you didn't do number 7, should I be fine if I also skip that to? Also great guide thanks:thumb:


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *zenoxide*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *[
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition and 4K alignment:
> *
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Convert MBR*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary Align=4096*, press Enter.
> Type *Format Quick FS=NTFS*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Click the partition.
> Click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I noticed in your youtube video that you didn't do number 7, should I be fine if I also skip that to? Also great guide thanks:thumb:
Click to expand...

Extra step I added later on so there would be no issue with going from trying a GPT install to a MBR install.


----------



## bryce

I know it's probably bad to do this, but would it hurt anything if I did this install then cloned it to another SSD of the same model or what?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> I know it's probably bad to do this, but would it hurt anything if I did this install then cloned it to another SSD of the same model or what?


As long as the systems (mainly mobos) are similar it will be fine, you will just have to use a different product key when activating. If the systems are different you may have driver issues.


----------



## bryce

I just don't know if I should keep the 60gb in the laptop or upgrade it to a 128gb. It will have a second 1tb hdd in with it though. Choices choices choices.


----------



## OCeaN

When moving the user folder from the SSD to the HDD; do I just right click on the user folder, properties, location and change the drive letter? How does this method compare to this guide where I have to do a lot of procedure and such?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *OCeaN*
> 
> When moving the user folder from the SSD to the HDD; do I just right click on the user folder, properties, location and change the drive letter?


Yea, to move the specific user folders you do that. Don't botehr with moving the whole user folder imo. Just the folders within.

Quote:


> How does this method compare to this guide where I have to do a lot of procedure and such?


That makes it so you have to jump through hoops blindfolded and upside down to relocate the User folder as a whole. lol

If you want to move the whole user folder just follow this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/124198-user-profiles-create-move-during-windows-7-installation.html

or this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html

I suggest only doing the basic right click >properties > location adjustment tho as stated first. It removes headache and time. lol. Plus with the appdata folder (hidden in the User folder) off the SSD you may have a slight decline in performance.


----------



## OCeaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Plus with the appdata folder (hidden in the User folder) off the SSD you may have a slight decline in performance.


Exactly how much performance am I going to lose with the appdata folder in the SSD? Won't there be a lot of access going on since the browser cache is located in that folder plus the growing size.

I've been using the complicated guide until now but is a pain and time consuming whenever I perform clean installs so just wondering if your guide is equivalent or better than it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *OCeaN*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Plus with the appdata folder (hidden in the User folder) off the SSD you may have a slight decline in performance.
> 
> 
> 
> Exactly how much performance am I going to lose with the appdata folder in the SSD? Won't there be a lot of access going on since the browser cache is located in that folder plus the growing size.
> 
> I've been using the complicated guide until now but is a pain and time consuming whenever I perform clean installs so just wondering if your guide is equivalent or better than it.
Click to expand...

Mine is better. Yes there will be accessing going on, thus why I say have it on the SSD. It is faster.


----------



## OCeaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes there will be accessing going on, thus why I say have it on the SSD. It is faster.


Won't that wear out the SSD faster? I'm currently using the other guide so appdata is on my HDD and I noticed that Firefox stores up to 1gb in cache and deletes itself weekly so multiple access could wear the SSD down. Its the same result whether I install the browser on the SSD or HDD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *OCeaN*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes there will be accessing going on, thus why I say have it on the SSD. It is faster.
> 
> 
> 
> Won't that wear out the SSD faster? I'm currently using the other guide so appdata is on my HDD and I noticed that Firefox stores up to 1gb in cache and deletes itself weekly so multiple access could wear the SSD down. Its the same result whether I install the browser on the SSD or HDD.
Click to expand...

lol, you don't need to be concerned about wear. Your drive will last a long, long time write wise.

www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread


----------



## bryce

I get done with the Superfetch part of the guide and as soon as I reboot my taskbar starts locking up. I ran CCleaner in safe mode and it found 200 registry errors, wth? Fix those and it now locks up and doesn't even show the desktop icons anymore. The windows start orb is a white square and it's just constant loading circle on the screen =/.

After literally 8mins, it loads up and I can use it .

I'll try to load diagnostic via msconfig and when I hit apply it goes to not responding for a while then it's fine. Msconfig settings aren't being saved on bootup either. WTH is going on with this ssd, I've never had this many issues with it.


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

Another quick question, since it isn't looking like I will be able to enable AHCI which means no TRIM, is there a way to "help" garbage collection? I mean, should I like leave my laptop on and idle for a few hours every now and then to let garbage collection do its thing? I don't know much about how it works, but I remember reading that GC works when system is idle.

Also, I did a little more looking around and this is all I was able to find on the IDE and TRIM issue. These people seem to think TRIM is supported over IDE.
http://forum.corsair.com/v2/showthread.php?t=100715


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> I get done with the Superfetch part of the guide and as soon as I reboot my taskbar starts locking up. I ran CCleaner in safe mode and it found 200 registry errors, wth? Fix those and it now locks up and doesn't even show the desktop icons anymore. The windows start orb is a white square and it's just constant loading circle on the screen =/.
> 
> After literally 8mins, it loads up and I can use it .
> 
> I'll try to load diagnostic via msconfig and when I hit apply it goes to not responding for a while then it's fine. Msconfig settings aren't being saved on bootup either. WTH is going on with this ssd, I've never had this many issues with it.


Do you have an overclock? Do you have the latest firmware on your SSD?

Check this thread out for some quick trouble shooing tips and come back to me or post in that thread if you like or make a new one lol: http://www.overclock.net/t/1248358/seans-ssd-hdd-troubleshooting-guide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> Another quick question, since it isn't looking like I will be able to enable AHCI which means no TRIM, is there a way to "help" garbage collection? I mean, should I like leave my laptop on and idle for a few hours every now and then to let garbage collection do its thing? I don't know much about how it works, but I remember reading that GC works when system is idle.


Oh well, not big deal. Yea, leave it idle for a little while like once a week or two weeks or so over night and you should be fine.
Also...can you change to RAID mode instead of AHCI? You should have TRIM support with the newest RAID drivers.
Quote:


> Also, I did a little more looking around and this is all I was able to find on the IDE and TRIM issue. These people seem to think TRIM is supported over IDE.
> http://forum.corsair.com/v2/showthread.php?t=100715


Needs proof. lol


----------



## bryce

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do you have an overclock? Do you have the latest firmware on your SSD?
> Check this thread out for some quick trouble shooing tips and come back to me or post in that thread if you like or make a new one lol: http://www.overclock.net/t/1248358/seans-ssd-hdd-troubleshooting-guide


I reversed the Superfetch part in the registry and a few reboots later it sort of fixed itself. How important is disabling prefetch, etc in the Registry if the service is disabled?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do you have an overclock? Do you have the latest firmware on your SSD?
> Check this thread out for some quick trouble shooing tips and come back to me or post in that thread if you like or make a new one lol: http://www.overclock.net/t/1248358/seans-ssd-hdd-troubleshooting-guide
> 
> 
> 
> I reversed the Superfetch part in the registry and a few reboots later it sort of fixed itself. How important is disabling prefetch, etc in the Registry if the service is disabled?
Click to expand...

That is weird. Just forget about superfetch and prefetch, not a big deal.


----------



## bryce

It's not the first time it's done it. And I know I edited the correct entry to, but oh well.

Also, does RT7Lite work ok with GPT partitions? I was going to make an unattended install disc in case I want to do a fresh install and couldn't tell if RT7Lite would actually allow you to create partitions or not.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bryce*
> 
> It's not the first time it's done it. And I know I edited the correct entry to, but oh well.
> 
> Also, does RT7Lite work ok with GPT partitions? I was going to make an unattended install disc in case I want to do a fresh install and couldn't tell if RT7Lite would actually allow you to create partitions or not.


No idea.


----------



## OCeaN

Alright I will be doing another fresh install using your guide. Now do I install programs on the HDD by just changing the drive letter? Do I just install the files as is on the drive or do I need to make folders such as Program Files and Program Files (x86). Does the Users folder stay on the SSD or moved to the HDD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *OCeaN*
> 
> Alright I will be doing another fresh install using your guide. Now do I install programs on the HDD by just changing the drive letter? Do I just install the files as is on the drive or do I need to make folders such as Program Files and Program Files (x86). Does the Users folder stay on the SSD or moved to the HDD?


Do whatever you please.


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Oh well, not big deal. Yea, leave it idle for a little while like once a week or two weeks or so over night and you should be fine.
> Also...can you change to RAID mode instead of AHCI? You should have TRIM support with the newest RAID drivers.


No, I can't get into BIOS of the Macbook. Apple locks the user out of the EFI. There is some crazy stuff some people do, but its over my head. Im sure I could figure it out, but at this point, just not even remotely worth my time and effort. But you say the latest RAID drivers support TRIM? This would be useful as I just built my dad a PC with RAID 0 Samsung 830 (easiest way I could think of for him in terms of file management, didn't do it for speed increase as there really isn't any.... lol). Where would I get these drivers, I was always worried long term for his drives not having TRIM...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> No, I can't get into BIOS of the Macbook. Apple locks the user out of the EFI. There is some crazy stuff some people do, but its over my head. Im sure I could figure it out, but at this point, just not even remotely worth my time and effort. But you say the latest RAID drivers support TRIM? This would be useful as I just built my dad a PC with RAID 0 Samsung 830 (easiest way I could think of for him in terms of file management, didn't do it for speed increase as there really isn't any.... lol). Where would I get these drivers, I was always worried long term for his drives not having TRIM...


TRIM will only work for non RAIDed drives. As in you have say a OS SSD and two HDDs in a RAID array. You have the SATA mode set to RAID, the SSD will still have TRIM working. Drives in a RAID volume will not have TRIM working.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> TRIM will only work for non RAIDed drives. As in you have say a OS SSD and two HDDs in a RAID array. You have the SATA mode set to RAID, the SSD will still have TRIM working. Drives in a RAID volume will not have TRIM working.


And if the controllor is set to RAID, the drives that are not assigned to a custom made raid arrey will run in AHCI mode unless specified otherwise


----------



## {EAC} Shoot em UP

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> TRIM will only work for non RAIDed drives. As in you have say a OS SSD and two HDDs in a RAID array. You have the SATA mode set to RAID, the SSD will still have TRIM working. Drives in a RAID volume will not have TRIM working.


O, that makes sense. Well thats too bad. Really would like to get his drives using TRIM... Maybe I should look into finding out how to make the two SSD's appear as a single drive, but be two physical volumes so TRIM can operate. I guess in hindsight I should have just got him a 512 instead of two 256 drives...


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *{EAC} Shoot em UP*
> 
> O, that makes sense. Well thats too bad. Really would like to get his drives using TRIM... Maybe I should look into finding out how to make the two SSD's appear as a single drive, but be two physical volumes so TRIM can operate. I guess in hindsight I should have just got him a 512 instead of two 256 drives...


That's not going to happen. However, Intel are currently working on TRIM support for SSD Raid configs. Should be included in the IRST 11.8 download. (I think it is 11.8 they plan to add it)
Edit: Sean -


----------



## Edge Of Pain

Thank you very much for the guide.

Windows 7 by default was using 16GB of my 64GB OCZ Petrol as paging file!! (Would have got a Crucial M4 but this SSD was free).


----------



## ibmattg187

This is in reguards to the last few steps in #1 Original post. Completed it down to the part were you download HardLinkSheeExt_64...do I want to delete Program folder from C (my SSD) if I still want to install some programs on my C drive? 120GB M4 SSD+2TB WD Black Will I still be able to do so or does this make it so everything is on HDD? If so is there a way to put Program Folder in both? or does this take care of all that like I want it and just finish up and I'm done?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ibmattg187*
> 
> This is in reguards to the last few steps in #1 Original post. Completed it down to the part were you download HardLinkSheeExt_64...do I want to delete Program folder from C (my SSD) if I still want to install some programs on my C drive? 120GB M4 SSD+2TB WD Black Will I still be able to do so or does this make it so everything is on HDD? If so is there a way to put Program Folder in both? or does this take care of all that like I want it and just finish up and I'm done?


What? Where do you see that? 0.o


----------



## OCeaN

Works great, my HDD makes little to no noise now with this guide.


----------



## LtStinger

Sean I got a chkdsk question, if I cancel a check disk before it's completed do I lose everything it did or are the recovered parts still recovered and it can pick up where it last left off?

I have been working on a very long and tedius data recovery project for months and finally got this drive to even be recognized but most files will hang when trying to copy over so I'm attempting repairs of some bad sectors. Problem is I've been running it for around 12 hours now and it's not even 10% done so if I want to be able to bring my rig to work tomorrow I'm going to have to cancel the dskchk.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *OCeaN*
> 
> Works great, my HDD makes little to no noise now with this guide.


Yea, that is because you don't have your USER or program folders on the HDD now lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> Sean I got a chkdsk question, if I cancel a check disk before it's completed do I lose everything it did or are the recovered parts still recovered and it can pick up where it last left off?
> 
> I have been working on a very long and tedius data recovery project for months and finally got this drive to even be recognized but most files will hang when trying to copy over so I'm attempting repairs of some bad sectors. Problem is I've been running it for around 12 hours now and it's not even 10% done so if I want to be able to bring my rig to work tomorrow I'm going to have to cancel the dskchk.


No it does not pick up where it left off.


----------



## LtStinger

Well I don't understand at all, if it runs for 20 hours and I cancel it, and the drive is unchanged... _what was it doing for 20 hours?!_


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> Well I don't understand at all, if it runs for 20 hours and I cancel it, and the drive is unchanged... _what was it doing for 20 hours?!_


How should I know? lol

Make a separate thread.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LtStinger*
> 
> Well I don't understand at all, if it runs for 20 hours and I cancel it, and the drive is unchanged... _what was it doing for 20 hours?!_


It was trying to repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, directory errors, etc. If the drive is on it's last legs, i.e. barely functional, that's why it's taking forever.


----------



## Nocturin

ghost the drive before trying to repair it?

i only read the last post so i clearly missed something


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nocturin*
> 
> ghost the drive before trying to repair it?
> i only read the last post so i clearly missed something


Lol, if it will even do that at this point.


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Lol, if it will even do that at this point.












sounds like the time for a clean room and a platter swap into a working drive/pcb.

or maybe just a pcb swap.

months is a long time.... i tried for about two weeks, got my data off, reformatted the drive, and for some weird reason the damn thing is still kicking.

it might be time to use some hot-swapping and a linux distro, dont even bother with using windows to recover the data

what's so important about the data, anyways?


----------



## Jayjr1105

So I just did a fresh install on my SSD after having the OS on my HDD with Intel SRT enabled. SRT was nice but the boot times were pathetic because of the RAID initialization. Did the fresh install and religiously followed S.W.'s guide and *wow*, I have an older SATA II drive and I get 5 second shut downs and 25 second full reboots.

Amazing guide! I am still curious about program installation location. I understand you want games and such on the SSD but what about other programs like Office, VLC, Skype, etc. I read the part about the registry hack that redirects Program File folders to the HDD but honestly I'd just rather pick and choose to install on C:\Program Files or D:\Program Files. I guess what I'm asking is, Do you recommend all other applications to be installed on the HDD if not a game/photoshop/autocad, etc.? And one last thing... I didn't see anywhere in the guide about browser cache redirection. I know it is typically on the C: drive under users app data but wondered if this should be moved somewhere because of the constant writing. Thanks again for all the hard work put into this guide, it's the best I've seen.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> So I just did a fresh install on my SSD after having the OS on my HDD with Intel SRT enabled. SRT was nice but the boot times were pathetic because of the RAID initialization. Did the fresh install and religiously followed S.W.'s guide and *wow*, I have an older SATA II drive and I get 5 second shut downs and 25 second full reboots.










Quote:


> Amazing guide! I am still curious about program installation location. I understand you want games and such on the SSD but what about other programs like Office, VLC, Skype, etc. I read the part about the registry hack that redirects Program File folders to the HDD but honestly I'd just rather pick and choose to install on C:\Program Files or D:\Program Files. I guess what I'm asking is, Do you recommend all other applications to be installed on the HDD if not a game/photoshop/autocad, etc.?


I normally keep all programs (except for small portable programs) on my SSD. I don't like having programs on my HDDs when I have room on my SSD, they will be slow. If room is an issue then go ahead and put them on your HDD.
Quote:


> And one last thing... I didn't see anywhere in the guide about browser cache redirection. I know it is typically on the C: drive under users app data but wondered if this should be moved somewhere because of the constant writing. Thanks again for all the hard work put into this guide, it's the best I've seen.


That is in my RAM disk guide, you don't need to make a RAM disk to do it, just follow the steps on changing the browser cache if you like. I don't bother with it personally. I have plenty of room on my SSD and wear is nothing (just a few GB a day).

Guide here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227803/how-to-set-up-and-utilize-ram-disks

More SSD info here: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread


----------



## Apyrase

I just installed an OCZ Agility 3 to my rig, had a mechanical 1TB as my primary hard drive beforehand.
I followed your instructions, installed Windows with no other SATA cables plugged in (besides SSD).

Here's my disk management screen:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!




Drive lettering is a bit messed up, I'll change them soon.



I formatted the HDD already and the System Reserved is still there. Is it safe to just remove the system reserved partition now on that drive according to your instructions?


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Apyrase*
> 
> I just installed an OCZ Agility 3 to my rig, had a mechanical 1TB as my primary hard drive beforehand.
> I followed your instructions, installed Windows with no other SATA cables plugged in (besides SSD).
> Here's my disk management screen:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Drive lettering is a bit messed up, I'll change them soon.
> 
> 
> I formatted the HDD already and the System Reserved is still there. Is it safe to just remove the system reserved partition now on that drive according to your instructions?


Don't worry about the 100m partition on the 1TB drive. Just don't give it a drive letter. Right click and delete partition and then just leave it be. If you can't remove the partition just un-assign the drive letter. Make your SSD C:\ and your 1TB drive D:\ and make sure you never change it. I had my secondary drive letter being E:\ and then changed it to D:\ and it messed up all my folder and dropbox redirecting.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Apyrase*
> 
> I just installed an OCZ Agility 3 to my rig, had a mechanical 1TB as my primary hard drive beforehand.
> I followed your instructions, installed Windows with no other SATA cables plugged in (besides SSD).
> 
> Here's my disk management screen:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Drive lettering is a bit messed up, I'll change them soon.
> 
> 
> 
> I formatted the HDD already and the System Reserved is still there. Is it safe to just remove the system reserved partition now on that drive according to your instructions?


Yea, you should have no issue as Jayjr1105 said.


----------



## BradleyW

Just seen as interesting post whereby a user got a BSOD and now only 1GB of his SSD is usable. It is that SamSung drive everybody seems to love. (I think its samsung lol)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Just seen as interesting post whereby a user got a BSOD and now only 1GB of his SSD is usable. It is that SamSung drive everybody seems to love. (I think its samsung lol)


We have a parted magic guide I made: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic#post_16684060









Ill check it out.


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> We have a parted magic guide I made: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic#post_16684060
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ill check it out.


I told the OP to use Parted Magic to address the issue.


----------



## hellzlegend

Is there a way to do a 4k alignment and still keep the system reserve partition?


----------



## xxfury2xx

I've been very frustrated with my ssd lately. For some reason Windows 7 will just start stuttering, like it's running an intense program when the pc is idle at the desktop. I find this ridiculous considering the other components in system (8GB RAM, core i5-3570k). Also, while my sequential read and write speeds are fine, my random speeds are pathetically slow. I installed HD Tune to see if something was wrong with my drive, but the Health portion just comes up blank. HD Tune can give me all of the info from my 1TB HDD.

I tried installing all of the latest drivers from my motherboard's website only to be greeted by even slower random speeds!









I'm really starting to regret spending extra money on this Samsung 830...


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxfury2xx*
> 
> I've been very frustrated with my ssd lately. For some reason Windows 7 will just start stuttering, like it's running an intense program when the pc is idle at the desktop. I find this ridiculous considering the other components in system (8GB RAM, core i5-3570k). Also, while my sequential read and write speeds are fine, my random speeds are pathetically slow. I installed HD Tune to see if something was wrong with my drive, but the Health portion just comes up blank. HD Tune can give me all of the info from my 1TB HDD.
> 
> I tried installing all of the latest drivers from my motherboard's website only to be greeted by even slower random speeds!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm really starting to regret spending extra money on this Samsung 830...


Not sure what ssd you have but I would upgrade firmware first. Check your overclock assuming you are oc'd.

Now I have an interesting problem of my own... every time I install w7 on my ssd it puts the boot partition on my hdd. My solution was to either remove the hdd during w7 install or pre format it. Why does it do that?

Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hellzlegend*
> 
> Is there a way to do a 4k alignment and still keep the system reserve partition?


Not that I could figure out. 1K will give you basically the same performance, don't sweat it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxfury2xx*
> 
> I've been very frustrated with my ssd lately. For some reason Windows 7 will just start stuttering, like it's running an intense program when the pc is idle at the desktop. I find this ridiculous considering the other components in system (8GB RAM, core i5-3570k). Also, while my sequential read and write speeds are fine, my random speeds are pathetically slow. I installed HD Tune to see if something was wrong with my drive, but the Health portion just comes up blank. HD Tune can give me all of the info from my 1TB HDD.
> 
> I tried installing all of the latest drivers from my motherboard's website only to be greeted by even slower random speeds!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm really starting to regret spending extra money on this Samsung 830...


Check out this guide and follow the steps in the first post and we can continue in that thread. I'm sure it is something simple.









www.overclock.net/t/1248358/seans-ssd-hdd-troubleshooting-guide
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Not sure what ssd you have but I would upgrade firmware first. Check your overclock assuming you are oc'd.
> 
> Now I have an interesting problem of my own... every time I install w7 on my ssd it puts the boot partition on my hdd. My solution was to either remove the hdd during w7 install or pre format it. Why does it do that?
> 
> Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2


It is normal. Windows puts the reserve partition on the secondary drive in case the main drive gets corrupted. It is stupid imo. lol


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is normal. Windows puts the reserve partition on the secondary drive in case the main drive gets corrupted. It is stupid imo. lol


Do you think I can get away with pre-wiping/formatting the secondary HDD with acronis(or similar)? Or should I just disconnect the HDD while installing Windows to the SSD to be safe? The reason I ask is because it's a federal project to disconnect/reconnect my drives.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is normal. Windows puts the reserve partition on the secondary drive in case the main drive gets corrupted. It is stupid imo. lol
> 
> 
> 
> Do you think I can get away with pre-wiping/formatting the secondary HDD with acronis(or similar)? Or should I just disconnect the HDD while installing Windows to the SSD to be safe? The reason I ask is because it's a federal project to disconnect/reconnect my drives.
Click to expand...

If the drive is connected the system reserve partition will be written to it with a normal install. If you don't want it to be made then follow the steps with 4k alignment where you manually set the offset and format with diskpart.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If the drive is connected the system reserve partition will be written to it with a normal install. If you don't want it to be made then follow the steps with 4k alignment where you manually set the offset and format with diskpart.


20 minutes too late







O well, I just removed the HD while I installed. Thanks for all the help!


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Now I have an interesting problem of my own... every time I install w7 on my ssd it puts the boot partition on my hdd. My solution was to either remove the hdd during w7 install or pre format it. Why does it do that?
> 
> 
> 
> It is normal. Windows puts the reserve partition on the secondary drive in case the main drive gets corrupted. It is stupid imo. lol
Click to expand...

First time I've heard of this. In all my builds, Windows usually puts the system reserve partition on the drive where I'm installing Windows. Hmm, curious, which drive is set as the primary boot drive in the BIOS?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *hellzlegend*
> 
> Is there a way to do a 4k alignment and still keep the system reserve partition?
> 
> 
> 
> Not that I could figure out. 1K will give you basically the same performance, don't sweat it.
Click to expand...

Windows 7 will automatically format SSDs and advanced format drives with 4K alignment. Even the system reserved partition is aligned to 4KB (although the 103,424K reported by AS-SSD tends to confuse some folks). A lot of people tend to divide the offset reported by AS-SSD by 4,096 when it should only be divided by 4. The number reported by AS-SSD is already in _kilobytes_ while the 4,096 requirement is in _bytes_ which is equal to 4KiB. A lot of folks also think that the number has to be equal to 4,096 which really isn't the case at all.

In fact, you have it specifically quoted in your guide:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Quote:


> A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:
> 
> 1024KB for the 100MB partition
> 101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.
> 
> Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.
> 
> The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. (again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.






Another comment, the following is not a valid comparison of 1K vs 4K alignment:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> OK everyone! I just reinstalled windows 7 using 4096 alignment and there is no performance increase as far as I can tell over 1024. I get the same results as I did before in AS SSD with my crucial M4 on firmware 0009. Maybe access times?
> So I am just going to use 4096 still.
> Before:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After:






You'll notice that AS-SSD reports the 1024 K alignment as "OK" meaning it's 4K aligned. You need to have AS-SSD show alignment as bad (e.g. delete partitions and format the drive using XP). Hmm, I'll try to do a benchmark on this one of these days.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Now I have an interesting problem of my own... every time I install w7 on my ssd it puts the boot partition on my hdd. My solution was to either remove the hdd during w7 install or pre format it. Why does it do that?
> 
> 
> 
> It is normal. Windows puts the reserve partition on the secondary drive in case the main drive gets corrupted. It is stupid imo. lol
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> First time I've heard of this. In all my builds, Windows usually puts the system reserve partition on the drive where I'm installing Windows. Hmm, curious, which drive is set as the primary boot drive in the BIOS?
Click to expand...

Really? There is a way to install and not have it put it on the secondary in the GUI when you choose the drive /partition to install to, but I can't be asked to think of and explain the situation.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *hellzlegend*
> 
> Is there a way to do a 4k alignment and still keep the system reserve partition?
> 
> 
> 
> Not that I could figure out. 1K will give you basically the same performance, don't sweat it.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Windows 7 will automatically format SSDs and advanced format drives with 4K alignment. Even the system reserved partition is aligned to 4KB (although the 103,424K reported by AS-SSD tends to confuse some folks). A lot of people tend to divide the offset reported by AS-SSD by 4,096 when it should only be divided by 4. The number reported by AS-SSD is already in _kilobytes_ while the 4,096 requirement is in _bytes_ which is equal to 4KiB. A lot of folks also think that the number has to be equal to 4,096 which really isn't the case at all.
> 
> In fact, you have it specifically quoted in your guide:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:
> 
> 1024KB for the 100MB partition
> 101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.
> 
> Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.
> 
> The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. (again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another comment, the following is not a valid comparison of 1K vs 4K alignment:
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/70#post_15532088
> 
> If you notice, AS-SSD reports the 1024 K alignment as "OK" meaning it's 4K aligned. You need to have AS-SSD show alignment as bad (e.g. delete partitions and format the drive using XP). Hmm, I'll try to do a benchmark on this one of these days.
Click to expand...

Wut. Are you just reiterating things...I can not process blocks of text with no specific questions...if you have any or are you proving something? o.0


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Windows 7 will automatically format SSDs and advanced format drives with 4K alignment. Even the system reserved partition is aligned to 4KB (although the 103,424K reported by AS-SSD tends to confuse some folks). A lot of people tend to divide the offset reported by AS-SSD by 4,096 when it should only be divided by 4. The number reported by AS-SSD is already in _kilobytes_ while the 4,096 requirement is in _bytes_ which is equal to 4KiB. A lot of folks also think that the number has to be equal to 4,096 which really isn't the case at all.
> 
> In fact, you have it specifically quoted in your guide:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:
> 
> 1024KB for the 100MB partition
> 101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.
> 
> Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.
> 
> The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. (again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Wut. Are you just reiterating things...I can not process blocks of text with no specific questions...if you have any or are you proving something? o.0
Click to expand...

I'm saying the system reserved partition is already 4K aligned. You keep saying it's just aligned to 1K (which it is since 4K is a multiple of 1K) but it's also aligned to 4K. xandypx's explanation regarding this is in your guide (spoiler in the quoted post).

You also have a post here (spoiler) comparing performance benchmarks with 1K and 4K alignment when in fact, both drives are 4K aligned:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> OK everyone! I just reinstalled windows 7 using 4096 alignment and there is no performance increase as far as I can tell over 1024. I get the same results as I did before in AS SSD with my crucial M4 on firmware 0009. Maybe access times?
> So I am just going to use 4096 still.
> Before:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After:






If you want a 1K vs 4K comparison, test the SSD with partition offsets at 1023 K (1,047,552) and 1024 K (1,048,576) respectively.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Got around to doing some benches today comparing unaligned vs 4K aligned. If you look at the screenshots, AS SSD shows the offset for unaligned partitions in red and specifically marks them as BAD. Not much difference with sequential read/write but you can see the performance penalty in random 4K writes is pretty significant.

Speed:


IOPS:


Only tested with SATA 3Gb/s (Intel DH57JG + Intel Core i3-530). Unfortunately, the only computer with SATA 6Gb/s port is the HTPC and it's too much of a hassle to remove from the entertainment shelf.


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## ecksodia

First off Sean, you have my utmost gratitude for this guide. It even inadvertently helped me fix a RSOD problem! I know appreciation from a random internet stranger isn't much, but it's the best I can do. I'm sure you've helped me and a lot of other PC/SSD newbies.









System specs:

Asrock z77 extreme4
G.Skill Ripjaws 8 gb
Crucial m4 128 gb
Caviar Blue 500 gb SATA3
i5-3570k
ASUS gtx 670 direct CU II

Followed the guide all the way through, this is a new system. Just a few questions about what exactly consume a lot of "writes" on the SSD.

I've done a clean install, and used ninite.com to install the following applications:

7zip
chrome
digsby
flash
java
launchy
malwarebytes
revo
skype
steam
sumatrapdf
teracopy
utorrent
vlc

Will these applications consume a large number of writes? I think that I can move the directory for logs/files/downloads for *skype*, *digsby*, *mbam*, *utorrent*, etc., but I'm not sure if that'll reduce the wear on the SSD. I also don't know exactly how teracopy, *7zip*, *vlc*, and *launchy* "use" the drive (I'll use the 500gb HDD for vlc files, but I'm not sure what difference it makes that the installation directory for VLC is in the SSD), or if they "use up" a lot of writes.

Also, about *flash*/*java* - will the constant updates also take up a lot of writes every day?

I'm also concerned about *temporary internet files* and the *temp folder*, etc. consuming a large number of writes every day - any way to remedy this? (The entire guide only mentions tempfiles in the part about CCleaner so I thought it would be a good thing to bring this up). Downloads are also a concern since they go to the temp folder by default right? Is there a way to move this?

*Steam*'s another concern - can I simply transfer games I'm not going to play anymore to the other drive so I don't have to redownload it?

Lastly, on *benchmarking software* - should I install SSD or it's better of on a secondary HDD? Any help'd be greatly appreciated, I'm just extremely paranoid about prolonging my SSD's life.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Windows 7 will automatically format SSDs and advanced format drives with 4K alignment. Even the system reserved partition is aligned to 4KB (although the 103,424K reported by AS-SSD tends to confuse some folks). A lot of people tend to divide the offset reported by AS-SSD by 4,096 when it should only be divided by 4. The number reported by AS-SSD is already in _kilobytes_ while the 4,096 requirement is in _bytes_ which is equal to 4KiB. A lot of folks also think that the number has to be equal to 4,096 which really isn't the case at all.
> 
> In fact, you have it specifically quoted in your guide:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:
> 
> 1024KB for the 100MB partition
> 101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.
> 
> Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.
> 
> The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. (again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Wut. Are you just reiterating things...I can not process blocks of text with no specific questions...if you have any or are you proving something? o.0
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I'm saying the system reserved partition is already 4K aligned. You keep saying it's just aligned to 1K (which it is since 4K is a multiple of 1K) but it's also aligned to 4K. xandypx's explanation regarding this is in your guide (spoiler in the quoted post).
> 
> You also have a post here (spoiler) comparing performance benchmarks with 1K and 4K alignment when in fact, both drives are 4K aligned:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> OK everyone! I just reinstalled windows 7 using 4096 alignment and there is no performance increase as far as I can tell over 1024. I get the same results as I did before in AS SSD with my crucial M4 on firmware 0009. Maybe access times?
> So I am just going to use 4096 still.
> Before:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you want a 1K vs 4K comparison, test the SSD with partition offsets at 1023 K (1,047,552) and 1024 K (1,048,576) respectively.
Click to expand...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Got around to doing some benches today comparing unaligned vs 4K aligned. If you look at the screenshots, AS SSD shows the offset for unaligned partitions in red and specifically marks them as BAD. Not much difference with sequential read/write but you can see the performance penalty in random 4K writes is pretty significant.
> 
> Speed:
> 
> 
> IOPS:
> 
> 
> Only tested with SATA 3Gb/s (Intel DH57JG + Intel Core i3-530). Unfortunately, the only computer with SATA 6Gb/s port is the HTPC and it's too much of a hassle to remove from the entertainment shelf.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Ok, I was getting 4K and 4KB mixed up. But I remember before xandyx saying that 4KB was better than the default 1KB offset for some reason (I think with a GPT formatted drvie) in a PM a while ago and it just stuck in my head. I forgot what it was exactly. Or it could have been with a RAID 0 set up.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ecksodia*
> 
> First off Sean, you have my utmost gratitude for this guide. It even inadvertently helped me fix a RSOD problem! I know appreciation from a random internet stranger isn't much, but it's the best I can do. I'm sure you've helped me and a lot of other PC/SSD newbies.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> System specs:
> 
> Asrock z77 extreme4
> G.Skill Ripjaws 8 gb
> Crucial m4 128 gb
> Caviar Blue 500 gb SATA3
> i5-3570k
> ASUS gtx 670 direct CU II
> 
> Followed the guide all the way through, this is a new system. Just a few questions about what exactly consume a lot of "writes" on the SSD.
> 
> I've done a clean install, and used ninite.com to install the following applications:
> 
> 7zip
> chrome
> digsby
> flash
> java
> launchy
> malwarebytes
> revo
> skype
> steam
> sumatrapdf
> teracopy
> utorrent
> vlc
> 
> Will these applications consume a large number of writes?


not in particular that I can think of.
Quote:


> I think that I can move the directory for logs/files/downloads for *skype*, *digsby*, *mbam*, *utorrent*, etc., but I'm not sure if that'll reduce the wear on the SSD. I also don't know exactly how teracopy, *7zip*, *vlc*, and *launchy* "use" the drive (I'll use the 500gb HDD for vlc files, but I'm not sure what difference it makes that the installation directory for VLC is in the SSD), or if they "use up" a lot of writes.
> 
> Also, about *flash*/*java* - will the constant updates also take up a lot of writes every day?
> 
> I'm also concerned about *temporary internet files* and the *temp folder*, etc. consuming a large number of writes every day - any way to remedy this? (The entire guide only mentions tempfiles in the part about CCleaner so I thought it would be a good thing to bring this up). Downloads are also a concern since they go to the temp folder by default right? Is there a way to move this?


I wouldn't be concerned about that and go through the hassle personally.

You can move your downloads folder to where ever you like via its properties > location tab, as shown in my guide.
Quote:


> *Steam*'s another concern - can I simply transfer games I'm not going to play anymore to the other drive so I don't have to redownload it?


Yes you can. Use Steam Mover: www.overclock.net/t/853462/ssd-owners-must-have-app
Quote:


> Lastly, on *benchmarking software* - should I install SSD or it's better of on a secondary HDD? Any help'd be greatly appreciated, I'm just extremely paranoid about prolonging my SSD's life.


Doesn't matter where it is, if you bench the drive data will be written to the drive you test anyways.

You shouldn't have any need for concern about SSD write life honestly. You are good for a long, long time. Check this out: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#user_SSDProsandCons

Look under lifespan.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok, I was getting 4K and 4KB mixed up. But I remember before xandyx saying that 4KB was better than the default 1KB offset for some reason (I think with a GPT formatted drvie) in a PM a while ago and it just stuck in my head. I forgot what it was exactly. Or it could have been with a RAID 0 set up.


4K (at least as reported by AS SSD) _is_ 4KB. What i think you're confusing is 4096K (as reported by AS-SSD) and 4096 bytes. If AS SSD is reporting 4096K, that means the offset is at 4MB or 4,194,304 bytes (4096 * 1024).

xandypx's explanation is spot on. I'm quoting the entirety in the spoiler below and highlighting some specific sections. Take note, in xandypx's post, numbers are already in KB unless he specifically shows MB. This is why he said to multiply by 1024 and divide by 4 and *not 4096*.


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15563542*
> I'm not really sure, but I think I read somewhere that aligning any SSD/HDD should start from the very beginning of the drive and that is the first partition (ESP for GPT). That means that the Offset for the System partition in your picture should be 4096KB and the rest will follow.
> 
> Can you confirm this?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx;15569282*
> The alignment parameter specifies the starting point for a particular partition. this may have been discussed earlier in this thread, but I'll clarify anyway.
> 
> In the case of an SSD, you want to ensure that a logical sector of the *Primary DATA partition* starts exactly at the beginning of a physical page of the SSD. Without the alignment, the sector boundaries and the page boundaries will not match and sectors will span pages. That would require for a Windows write operation to clear two blocks in lieu of only one, reducing the theoretical write speed by 50%.
> 
> The first two partition's relative locations under GPT don't matter. The only requirement is that the ESP (EFI) is the very first partition, preceding all others. It is also benefitial (although not required) that the free space (MSR), that you create resides in front of, and next to, your primary GPT data partition.
> 
> Since the very first partition is for the UEFI, once the EUFI hands control of the system to the OS, the ESP partition is no longer used. As I mentioned before, the MSR partition is only used by the OS for certain disk intensive operations, or dynamic disks etc.., so again the alignment (offset) is not important. It is the day to day OS operation where the alignment becomes important.
> 
> A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:
> 
> 1024KB for the 100MB partition
> 101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.
> 
> Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. *If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.*
> 
> The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. *(again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.*






Windows XP's default offset is 33KB. Windows 7's new offset of 1MB (1024KB) is actually ideally suited for advanced format drives, SSDs and RAID arrays.


----------



## rcmerlin

I have a setup I have not seen and need your advice on configuration.
I perform sw development (using Visual Studio, and eclipse environments)
I also do statistical analysis with large data sets (using SPSS, and sigmaPlot).
I want to create an environment which operationally appears to be 100% SSD based
or you could call it 100% virtual SSD

To maximize performance I am setting up a new workstation with
Intel i7-3770 3.4GHz processor, and 8 GB RAM
I have a 256GB OCZ Vertex 4 and a 500 GB spinner

My thought was to
1) Use the 500 GB HDD as a standard data storage drive, I also have a Team Foundation source server on my network for source version control.
Then
2) Partition the 256 SSD into 2 - 128 GB partitions
3) First 128GB as the Boot system drive (Windows 7 and apps)
2) Second 128 GB as a 'workspace',

When I want to work on a specific project, I would copy over all of the development source or SPSS data files into the 'workspace' for
optimal access times during compilation, statistical analysis etc. Then move them back into storage when I'm finished.

So basically, anything I am doing would be accessing files 100% on the SSD.
Questions:
1) Does this make sense on how to maximize SSD efficiency in daily use? or is this overkill
2) Should I locate the windows TEMP and TMP files on the HDD
3) I'm assuming the 128GB system partition will be big enough for system, apps, and user files, But should I leave the User files on the system partition or move them to the workspace partition for easier backups.
4) When creating the partitions (system reserve, my system, my workspace) how much should I leave unallocated for behind the scenes SDD maintenance (I have heard 5%)
Thanks for your thoughtful and comprehensive guide.
Ray


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok, I was getting 4K and 4KB mixed up. But I remember before xandyx saying that 4KB was better than the default 1KB offset for some reason (I think with a GPT formatted drvie) in a PM a while ago and it just stuck in my head. I forgot what it was exactly. Or it could have been with a RAID 0 set up.
> 
> 
> 
> 4K (at least as reported by AS SSD) _is_ 4KB. What i think you're confusing is 4096K (as reported by AS-SSD) and 4096 bytes. If AS SSD is reporting 4096K, that means the offset is at 4MB or 4,194,304 bytes (4096 * 1024).
> 
> xandypx's explanation is spot on. I'm quoting the entirety in the spoiler below and highlighting some specific sections. Take note, in xandypx's post, numbers are already in KB unless he specifically shows MB. This is why he said to multiply by 1024 and divide by 4 and *not 4096*.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002;15563542*
> I'm not really sure, but I think I read somewhere that aligning any SSD/HDD should start from the very beginning of the drive and that is the first partition (ESP for GPT). That means that the Offset for the System partition in your picture should be 4096KB and the rest will follow.
> 
> Can you confirm this?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xandypx;15569282*
> The alignment parameter specifies the starting point for a particular partition. this may have been discussed earlier in this thread, but I'll clarify anyway.
> 
> In the case of an SSD, you want to ensure that a logical sector of the *Primary DATA partition* starts exactly at the beginning of a physical page of the SSD. Without the alignment, the sector boundaries and the page boundaries will not match and sectors will span pages. That would require for a Windows write operation to clear two blocks in lieu of only one, reducing the theoretical write speed by 50%.
> 
> The first two partition's relative locations under GPT don't matter. The only requirement is that the ESP (EFI) is the very first partition, preceding all others. It is also benefitial (although not required) that the free space (MSR), that you create resides in front of, and next to, your primary GPT data partition.
> 
> Since the very first partition is for the UEFI, once the EUFI hands control of the system to the OS, the ESP partition is no longer used. As I mentioned before, the MSR partition is only used by the OS for certain disk intensive operations, or dynamic disks etc.., so again the alignment (offset) is not important. It is the day to day OS operation where the alignment becomes important.
> 
> A standard offset of 1024 is used for the EFI partition. This is done to avoid writing to sectors 0 through 33 of the EFI/gpt labeled "Logical Disk", and potentially overwriting the disk label. The second partition (MSR) starts at 101MB. Don't get confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Widows7 installation are shown as:
> 
> 1024KB for the 100MB partition
> 101MB for the next partition - which is the MSR partition.
> 
> Don't think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. *If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.*
> 
> The same goes for the important primary partition at 232MB. *(again multiply by 1024, and divide by 4). A whole number indicates alignment of the partition blocks, virtual sectors, and the logical disk volume blocks. This is what you want to acomplish with alignment.*
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Windows XP's default offset is 33KB. Windows 7's new offset of 1MB (1024KB) is actually ideally suited for advanced format drives, SSDs and RAID arrays.
Click to expand...

Yep, I already know all that, it is just that when he wrote me the guide on GPT install he put down 4096 as an offset and told me to use that.

Here is a conversation that may have confused me.
Quote:


> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Conversation between xandypx and you
> Sean Webster
> Nov 29, 2011 at 11:44 am
> What is the best stripe size for the OS for 2 SSDs in RAID 0? Also, does alignment come into play...I read stuff about 128 stripe and 128 alignment being the best performance and such and I want to know whats up.
> xandypx
> Nov 30, 2011 at 11:05 am
> Sorry it took so long to respond. I'm swamped right now.
> 
> I found very little performance difference in the available stripe size options under IRST, so 128K works fine.
> 
> Regarding alignment... Under GPT, a manual alignment of 4096 gives a huge boost in sequential writes (an increase of over 300MB/s), although it doesn't change anything else substantially. Windows default alignment is terrible in this respect under GPT, so it shouldn't be recommended.
> 
> For MBR, alignment of 1024K shows better performance than a 4096 alignment for everything but random writes (minimal performance difference, so I would still recommend 1024K align).
> 
> This is based on my testing with 2-128GB Corsair Performance 3 drives in RAID 0 on an ASUS P8P67 Pro Motherboard, with the drives connected to the native Intel 6Gb/s SATA ports.
> 
> Garbage collection has worked very well on these drives in RAID (they use a Marvell 88SS9174 controller [same as in the Intel 510 series; but without Intel's custom firmware]).
> 
> After about 7 months of running the RAID, (prior to all of the erasing of the drives, and OS installs for the RAID testing I did), the Array showed absolutely no signs of slowing down. TRIM??? Who needs TRIM? Actually, can only make this claim for the Marvel controller, I can't tell you how a Sandforce controller would fare. Unfortunately, I am way too busy with year end stuff right now to run any more tests with other hardware. It also didn't go over too well with the "Powers to Be" when I had a whole bunch of the guys in the lab running tests for me during the sales meeting. I guess they had "real" work to do.
> 
> Hope that helps you.
> Sean Webster
> Nov 30, 2011 at 11:24 am
> Quote:
> Sorry it took so long to respond. I'm swamped right now.
> 
> No problem, thanks for the help. smile.gif
> 
> Ok, so for this:
> Quote:
> Regarding alignment... Under GPT, a manual alignment of 4096 gives a huge boost in sequential writes (an increase of over 300MB/s), although it doesn't change anything else substantially. Windows default alignment is terrible in this respect under GPT, so it shouldn't be recommended.
> 
> For MBR, alignment of 1024K shows better performance than a 4096 alignment for everything but random writes (minimal performance difference, so I would still recommend 1024K align).
> 
> In Intel systems this applies, maybe AMD as well.
> 
> Under GPT
> 
> Alignment for a single non-RAID disc should be 4096.
> Alignment in a RAID array should be 4096.
> 
> Under MBR
> 
> Alignment for a single non-RAID disc should be 4096 or should it be 1024 as well?
> Alignment in a RAID array should be 1024.
> 
> For about the best reads performance?
> Quote:
> Garbage collection has worked very well on these drives in RAID (they use a Marvell 88SS9174 controller [same as in the Intel 510 series; but without Intel's custom firmware]).
> 
> After about 7 months of running the RAID, (prior to all of the erasing of the drives, and OS installs for the RAID testing I did), the Array showed absolutely no signs of slowing down. TRIM??? Who needs TRIM? Actually, can only make this claim for the Marvel controller, I can't tell you how a Sandforce controller would fare.
> 
> Wow, that's a little surprising! I guess TRIM isn't such a big deal over time, only for right major writing to the disks.
> 
> The new performance pro is looking good atm, I may grab 2 myself soon.
> 
> And did you know Intel is finally releasing drivers that support TRIM in RAID 0? smile.gif
> Quote:
> Unfortunately, I am way too busy with year end stuff right now to run any more tests with other hardware. It also didn't go over too well with the "Powers to Be" when I had a whole bunch of the guys in the lab running tests for me during the sales meeting. I guess they had "real" work to do.
> 
> Hopefully you don't get in trouble. You gotta do what you gotta do. redface.gif
> 
> xandypx
> Nov 30, 2011 at 12:29 pm
> Intel vs. AMD, I don't think makes a difference, the speeds will be proportionately the same.
> 
> MBR single drive, I think your initial goals of 4096K are correct, but not for RAID 0. Haven't had time to figure out why this is, but my guess would be that an Alignment of 4096 actually aligns to 2048 on each individual drive. The same rule probably does not apply to RAID 1, may apply to RAID 5, but maybe not.. another "test".
> 
> I didn't see much (if any) difference between read performance based on alignment. The reason for alignment is for write performance, so that a controller on an SSD doesn't need to erase/write 2 page blocks just to write a piece of data that could potentially fit in one. This occurs when the logical sector boundries span from the center of one page block to the center of another. Alignment causes the logical sectors to align to the begining of a page boundry so that a write is potentially just a single erase/single write operation. This can "theoretically" increase write performance by up to 50%.
> 
> The big question... Given the technology of today, do we really "see" this difference, even in benchmarks?
> 
> Although we would hope to see a hugh performance boost, the real answer is "only rarely", given the right conditions. here's why...
> 
> These discussions are normally centered around Windows 7. Running XP/2000 would make a huge difference, but that ship has sailed a long time ago, and has almost reached the horizon. Win7/(Microsoft) has gotten very good at making an acceptable alignment happen automatically. I was actually suprised to see the huge performance loss in the RAID 0 GPT alignment.
> 
> Add to that, with very few exceptions (at this time), most SSDs are still presenting a 512K psudo block size to the SATA controller on the motherboard (backward compatability), fooling it to believe that the SSD is formatted similar to an old 512K/sector block magnetic HDD. It's the SSD's controller that "knows" about the actual layout of the NAND memory, and how best to manage it.
> 
> The firmware of the SSD is as much (maybe more) of a factor, that makes this transition happen, and affects the actual speed of the SSD.
> 
> An example:
> As I mentioned in my last PM, the Corsair P3 and the Intel 510 share the same controller and 34nm NAND, yet the Intel SSD outperforms the Corsair drive, strickly due to the firmware for the drive's controller.
> 
> (SATA 6Gb/s)
> 
> 120/128GB drive performance:
> Intel 510 : 450/210 MB/s Seq Read/Write
> Corsair P3: 410/210 MB/s
> 
> 250/256GB
> Intel 510: 500/315 MB/s
> Corsair P3: 480/320 MB/s
> Sean Webster
> Nov 30, 2011 at 12:48 pm
> Hmmm, I wonder if 8K would make a difference in RAID 0. thinking.gif
> 
> And thanks for all the help, I am learning a lot from you biggrin.gif
> xandypx
> Nov 30, 2011 at 1:58 pm
> Nope.. thought the same thing. tried it, and 2048 also.. no better than 4K.. 1024 still outperformed everything else. I think it has something to do with the unformatted MSR partition. The reason I think this, is all things considered from a partitioning standpoint, it is the only thing different from MBR provided the partitions are created to the same size. And it sits, as unallocated space, right between the EFI and main partition on the drives (64MBs on each). I think it somehows messes with the actual alignment since there is such a dramatic difference in the sequential write performance. I figure I can mess around with the MSR size and location, to see if it makes a difference. The size I gave you in the guide is based on Microsoft's default of 32MB for drives <16GB and 128MB for all others. I also never tried anything other than let the "space" start immediately after the EFI partition.
> 
> Apple OSs uses GPT, and from what I understand, don't suffer this problem. They don't have the MSR, as it is strickly for Windows.


And this:
Quote:


> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Conversation between xandypx and you
> Sean Webster
> Dec 30, 2011 at 8:19 am
> 1. My friend has his alignment set to 8064kb rather than 1024. Is it OK at 8064? AS SSD shows it as OK. The weird part is that he just did a normal installation, nothing else. The SSD is brand new and never used before I am wondering about that too...lol
> 
> 2. Now how would one go about changing the alignment after and install? I figure some simple commands from a Linux live CD should do the trick? I haven't really looked around for a solution yet. I know there was a guide made before somewhere, but I can't find it.
> 
> Thanks bud
> xandypx
> Dec 30, 2011 at 8:55 am
> Hey Sean.. You've been rather busy with your thread.
> 
> Anyway, I don't know why he ended up with an 8064 alignment. That's a pretty odd starting location, since by no math I know of, does it seem to be aligned to a page. Actually... did a little more math. the 8064 divides by 128, placing the partition at the 63rd "sector". (a 128K sector is also odd, but the math works). If I just use the "sector" location, this is typical of a mechanical HDD alignment under IDE "old school" windows 98 stuff. The 63rd "sector" of a HDD was of great importance.
> 
> 63rd sector of a magnetic HDD is the location where the first partition always started when using older formatting utilities, and older OS's prior to Win7. A major problem for an SSD, because this was exactly the problem with the initial (early) SSDs being misaligned., and the requirement for alignment
> 
> what SSD, and what OS? what utility created the partition? I can't see windows 7 having done this on its own, unless somehow the SSD reported itself as a mechanical HDD. A fluke, maybe?
> 
> And unfortunately, once you place a partition, you cannot relocate it by any means that I am aware. this would require some type of program that could rewrite the partition table to a new location (sector) of the SSD, and then also move all of the data too. Best case senario if a reinstall is not possible, is to image the drive, clean, partition and reformat. Theoretically, the partition should be slightly larger with a corrected alignment, so placing the image back onto the new partition should not be a problem.
> 
> I'll do a little researh for you to find out which imaging software to use. One that won't copy the current alignment back during the reimaging process. alot of the software out there will wipe the drive and give you back the same mis-alignment.
> Sean Webster
> Dec 30, 2011 at 9:21 am
> Quote:
> Hey Sean.. You've been rather busy with your thread.
> hehe, yea a little. I plan on making 1-2 videos a week on a step to upload. Hopefully things will be easier to follow that way. smile.gif
> 
> He has a 128GB Crucial M4. There was the 0001 firmware on it when he got it and he updated to 0009. Then he installed the OS in AHCI mode. And it doesn't have any performance hit at all either. Weird.
> Sean Webster
> Dec 30, 2011 at 9:38 am
> Well, I figured it out! He used a program called minitool partition wizard to remove the 100MB partition. :/
> xandypx
> Dec 30, 2011 at 9:39 am
> Sean,
> 
> out of curiosity, did your friend use the crutial data transfer kit to move an installation from a HDD to the new SSD?
> xandypx
> Dec 30, 2011 at 9:40 am
> you beat me to the punch.. biggrin.gif
> Sean Webster
> Dec 30, 2011 at 10:20 am
> lol
> 
> he want to know if he should reinstall now
> xandypx
> Dec 30, 2011 at 10:27 am
> Really up to him. If it is showing no impact on performance, although it could as the drive fills up.
> 
> The other thing is, if it bothers him (I mean REALLY bothers him), that feeling won't go away, and it's easier to reinstall just the OS, before he starts to add a whole lot of programs that will also need to be reinstalled later. You just know he's not going to want to leave it the way it is.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rcmerlin*
> 
> I have a setup I have not seen and need your advice on configuration.
> I perform sw development (using Visual Studio, and eclipse environments)
> I also do statistical analysis with large data sets (using SPSS, and sigmaPlot).
> I want to create an environment which operationally appears to be 100% SSD based
> or you could call it 100% virtual SSD
> 
> To maximize performance I am setting up a new workstation with
> Intel i7-3770 3.4GHz processor, and 8 GB RAM
> I have a 256GB OCZ Vertex 4 and a 500 GB spinner
> 
> My thought was to
> 1) Use the 500 GB HDD as a standard data storage drive, I also have a Team Foundation source server on my network for source version control.
> Then
> 2) Partition the 256 SSD into 2 - 128 GB partitions
> 3) First 128GB as the Boot system drive (Windows 7 and apps)
> 2) Second 128 GB as a 'workspace',
> 
> When I want to work on a specific project, I would copy over all of the development source or SPSS data files into the 'workspace' for
> optimal access times during compilation, statistical analysis etc. Then move them back into storage when I'm finished.
> 
> So basically, anything I am doing would be accessing files 100% on the SSD.
> Questions:
> 1) Does this make sense on how to maximize SSD efficiency in daily use? or is this overkill


Sounds good to me.
Quote:


> 2) Should I locate the windows TEMP and TMP files on the HDD


Only to reduce writes, if you feel like it.
Quote:


> 3) I'm assuming the 128GB system partition will be big enough for system, apps, and user files, But should I leave the User files on the system partition or move them to the workspace partition for easier backups.


Do what you feel is best for your system. I have all my user files on my secondary HDD because it is quicker and easier for me to back up and keep organized.
Quote:


> 4) When creating the partitions (system reserve, my system, my workspace) how much should I leave unallocated for behind the scenes SDD maintenance (I have heard 5%)
> Thanks for your thoughtful and comprehensive guide.
> Ray


Depends on the workload and impact on the SSD. Start at 5% and see how performance is. If things low a lot then increase the unallocated space a little more.


----------



## kekotr

Hi Sean

First of all, I'd like to congratulate you. I learned a lot with this topic.

I have a serious problem with my PC that is getting me crazy for about 2 months, so maybe you can help me. I am Brazilian, my English is not that good, probably you'll find some mistakes but I'll try do my best.

Before I describe you my problem, let me tell you some informations:

I bought this PC on december-2011:
i7 2600K @3.4
Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z
GTX 580 Zotac
1200w Corsair Module
2x SSD 120 GB Corsair CSSD-F120GB3-BK (I am using RAID 0... actually trying I guess)
2x 4 GB Vegenance 2000mhz
1 HD 1 TB Samsung Sata 2 (not using anymore after my "RAID Problem")
HAF X nVidia Edition

I don't use overclock because I don't know how to do it. Probably you'll think as the others "OMG this PC with no OC?", but yeah... I don't know how to install a computer (connect VGA, Processor, cables etc in the motherboard) so I asked my friend to do it. And the PC was working fine till april-2012.

In april-2012, I got the bad idea to "reinstall my PC" (I don't know the word in English, but "Reinstall PC" I mean when you delete all files and install the SO again with the DVD). So, after 2 days that I did this, my RAID 0 started getting problems. After some hours using the PC, it crashes and appear a "blue window with a message in white" (that I don't remember what it says). It's needed push the reset button, when the PC is starting, shows the SSD informations (CTRL+I) with the message "RAID Failed". It's impossible to continue. So, I needed turn off the PC for about 5 minutes and then turned it on again. It doesn't show "RAID Failed" so I can use the computer. After some hours using same problem again (it crashes, appear blue window, RAID Failed...).

I am wondering why my PC started crashing and showing RAID Failed after a simple reinstall (when you re-install your SO). I did the install as usual that I did once before on january and no problem. I have no idea why my RAID started crashing. I was searching in some forums to try solve this problem (My friend that installed my PC and did the RAID is not living anymore in my city) so I needed do by my own. I tried do those steps:

1. Reinstall my SO, deletting and creating again the RAID (I did 3 times)
2. Change the power cable
3. Change the sata cable
4. Invert the positions of the sata cables (switch between SSD1 and SSD2 in the motherboard)
5. Use new sata slots in the motherboard (If I was using slot1 and slot2, tried slot3 and slot4)

Those steps didn't solve the problem. So, I understood that is not a problem with the power cables, it's not a problem with the sata cables and it's not a problem with the motherboard sata slots. So it could be a problem with the SSD itself? I tried use the SSD1 (only it connected) with the SO for about 2 weeks, didn't crash. I tried use the SSD2 (only it connected) with the SO for about 2 weeks, didn't crash either.

OMG, it's not a problem with my SSDs because they are working perfectly. What could be? A bios config wrongly? Am I creating a RAID 0 wrongly? Why my system is crashing and getting the message "RAID Failed"?

So please, help me find out what's wrong with my PC. Do you know my motherboard? Could you suggest me configs that I should use?

By the way, I am getting 2 errors (not connected with the RAID problem because started showing after I changed the sata slot)

Code:



Code:


JMicron Technology Corp. PCI Express to SATAII HOST Controller ROM v1.07.23
Copyright(C) 2005-2010. JMicron Technology Corp.

Detecting drives; Done; No drives found.

Code:



Code:


Marvell 88SE91xx Adapter - BIOS Version 1.0.0.0022
PCIe x2 5.0Gbps
Adapter 1 Diskis Information: IDE Mode
No hard disk is detected!

Reading some of your guides I read that is possible to update bios/firmware/SSD/drivers etc... Oh my God, I didn't know that is possible "update" the SSD.

So please, if you can help me with your experience in hardwares, computing, etc please... I wil be very greatfull.

If another member wants help me, I will be very greatfull too.

Thanks for the attention.
Kekotr


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kekotr*
> 
> Hi Sean
> 
> First of all, I'd like to congratulate you. I learned a lot with this topic.
> 
> I have a serious problem with my PC that is getting me crazy for about 2 months, so maybe you can help me. I am Brazilian, my English is not that good, probably you'll find some mistakes but I'll try do my best.
> 
> Before I describe you my problem, let me tell you some informations:
> 
> I bought this PC on december-2011:
> i7 2600K @3.4
> Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z
> GTX 580 Zotac
> 1200w Corsair Module
> 2x SSD 120 GB Corsair CSSD-F120GB3-BK (I am using RAID 0... actually trying I guess)
> 2x 4 GB Vegenance 2000mhz
> 1 HD 1 TB Samsung Sata 2 (not using anymore after my "RAID Problem")
> HAF X nVidia Edition
> 
> I don't use overclock because I don't know how to do it. Probably you'll think as the others "OMG this PC with no OC?", but yeah... I don't know how to install a computer (connect VGA, Processor, cables etc in the motherboard) so I asked my friend to do it. And the PC was working fine till april-2012.
> 
> In april-2012, I got the bad idea to "reinstall my PC" (I don't know the word in English, but "Reinstall PC" I mean when you delete all files and install the SO again with the DVD). So, after 2 days that I did this, my RAID 0 started getting problems. After some hours using the PC, it crashes and appear a "blue window with a message in white" (that I don't remember what it says). It's needed push the reset button, when the PC is starting, shows the SSD informations (CTRL+I) with the message "RAID Failed". It's impossible to continue. So, I needed turn off the PC for about 5 minutes and then turned it on again. It doesn't show "RAID Failed" so I can use the computer. After some hours using same problem again (it crashes, appear blue window, RAID Failed...).
> 
> I am wondering why my PC started crashing and showing RAID Failed after a simple reinstall (when you re-install your SO). I did the install as usual that I did once before on january and no problem. I have no idea why my RAID started crashing. I was searching in some forums to try solve this problem (My friend that installed my PC and did the RAID is not living anymore in my city) so I needed do by my own. I tried do those steps:
> 
> 1. Reinstall my SO, deletting and creating again the RAID (I did 3 times)
> 2. Change the power cable
> 3. Change the sata cable
> 4. Invert the positions of the sata cables (switch between SSD1 and SSD2 in the motherboard)
> 5. Use new sata slots in the motherboard (If I was using slot1 and slot2, tried slot3 and slot4)
> 
> Those steps didn't solve the problem. So, I understood that is not a problem with the power cables, it's not a problem with the sata cables and it's not a problem with the motherboard sata slots. So it could be a problem with the SSD itself? I tried use the SSD1 (only it connected) with the SO for about 2 weeks, didn't crash. I tried use the SSD2 (only it connected) with the SO for about 2 weeks, didn't crash either.
> 
> OMG, it's not a problem with my SSDs because they are working perfectly. What could be? A bios config wrongly? Am I creating a RAID 0 wrongly? Why my system is crashing and getting the message "RAID Failed"?
> 
> So please, help me find out what's wrong with my PC. Do you know my motherboard? Could you suggest me configs that I should use?
> 
> By the way, I am getting 2 errors (not connected with the RAID problem because started showing after I changed the sata slot)
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> JMicron Technology Corp. PCI Express to SATAII HOST Controller ROM v1.07.23
> Copyright(C) 2005-2010. JMicron Technology Corp.
> 
> Detecting drives; Done; No drives found.
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> Marvell 88SE91xx Adapter - BIOS Version 1.0.0.0022
> PCIe x2 5.0Gbps
> Adapter 1 Diskis Information: IDE Mode
> No hard disk is detected!
> 
> Reading some of your guides I read that is possible to update bios/firmware/SSD/drivers etc... Oh my God, I didn't know that is possible "update" the SSD.
> 
> So please, if you can help me with your experience in hardwares, computing, etc please... I wil be very greatfull.
> 
> If another member wants help me, I will be very greatfull too.
> 
> Thanks for the attention.
> Kekotr


Hi,

Well from the above do a few things.

First make sure your firmware is up to date. http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=107769 if you can use a secondary computer. If you can not you will need to install Windows temporary on your HDD and then update the drives while in AHCI mode.

Once you update them make sure you have both drives connected to the Intel SATA 6GB/s ports. I don't know if you have them in there or not already, but based off the Marvell error you may not. They should be plugged in the red ports next to the grey SATA 3Gb/s ports.



Then install again, we will continue from there if you still have the trouble.

Also, I recommend you disable the Marvell ports completely, and if you don't use the JMicron eSATA port, disable that in the BIOS as well. The settings for those should be under the advanced configuration tab under onboard devices I believe in your UEFI.

if you have any more questions just ask.


----------



## kekotr

Hum, to update the SSD firmware will be a little hard for me. I read the steps bud I coudn't understand some things.
Quote:


> First make sure your firmware is up to date. http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=107769 if you can use a secondary computer.


You said "use a secondary computer" do you mean update the firmware from another computer installing the SSD there? If yes, I can't use another computer, I need do by this.
Quote:


> If you can not you will need to install Windows temporary on your HDD and then update the drives while in AHCI mode.


Both my SSDs are equals, they have the SO installed, just 1 is connected. So, I need install the SO in another HDD and update those SSDs (it mean that the SSD should not running the SO while updating) is it right what I understood?

Yeah I am using those ports in the motherboard. To disable Marvell and JMicron ports I'll need to read the motherboard manual.

Hum, if I give you remote access by Team Viewer are you able to change my bios configs and update the firmware?

Really thanks Sean.


----------



## kekotr

Sorry for posting again. I have news:



Marvell Storage OPROM I set to Disabled.

I guess I turned off Marvell, because that error message doesn't show anymore
Quote:


> Marvell 88SE91xx Adapter - BIOS Version 1.0.0.0022
> PCIe x2 5.0Gbps
> Adapter 1 Diskis Information: IDE Mode
> No hard disk is detected!


Talking about Intel, there are 2 options that are disabled by default, should I let them as 'Disabled' or should I change to Enabled?

Intel 82583 LAN - Enabled
Intel 82583 PXE OPROM - *Disabled*

Intel 82579 LAN - Enabled
Intel 82579 PXE OPROM - *Disabled*

The 4 green sata slots I guess is JMB. Should I disabled them? I use 1 green sata slot to read my Blue-Ray Disc, and I'll use another green sata slot to read my HDD 1TB.

Anyway, I set JMB Storage Controller as Disabled and I can still use the Blu-Ray Disc and stopped showing that error message:
Quote:


> JMicron Technology Corp. PCI Express to SATAII HOST Controller ROM v1.07.23
> Copyright(C) 2005-2010. JMicron Technology Corp.
> 
> Detecting drives; Done; No drives found.


I think I'll let it as Disabled if there is no problem (The PC turn on quickly because doesn't need show that error messages).

Thank you.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kekotr*
> 
> Hum, to update the SSD firmware will be a little hard for me. I read the steps bud I coudn't understand some things.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> First make sure your firmware is up to date. http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=107769 if you can use a secondary computer.
> 
> 
> 
> You said "use a secondary computer" do you mean update the firmware from another computer installing the SSD there? If yes, I can't use another computer, I need do by this.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> If you can not you will need to install Windows temporary on your HDD and then update the drives while in AHCI mode.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Both my SSDs are equals, they have the SO installed, just 1 is connected. So, I need install the SO in another HDD and update those SSDs (it mean that the SSD should not running the SO while updating) is it right what I understood?
Click to expand...

Yep. And it is OS (Operating System), not SO.








Quote:


> Yeah I am using those ports in the motherboard. To disable Marvell and JMicron ports I'll need to read the motherboard manual.
> 
> Hum, if I give you remote access by Team Viewer are you able to change my bios configs and update the firmware?
> 
> Really thanks Sean.


I can't do any BIOS settings via teamviewer and updating firmware is easy, just run the exe from the corsair firmware page.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kekotr*
> 
> Sorry for posting again. I have news:
> 
> 
> 
> Marvell Storage OPROM I set to Disabled.
> 
> I guess I turned off Marvell, because that error message doesn't show anymore
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Marvell 88SE91xx Adapter - BIOS Version 1.0.0.0022
> PCIe x2 5.0Gbps
> Adapter 1 Diskis Information: IDE Mode
> No hard disk is detected!
> 
> 
> 
> Talking about Intel, there are 2 options that are disabled by default, should I let them as 'Disabled' or should I change to Enabled?
> 
> Intel 82583 LAN - Enabled
> Intel 82583 PXE OPROM - *Disabled*
> 
> Intel 82579 LAN - Enabled
> Intel 82579 PXE OPROM - *Disabled*
Click to expand...

You can leave them disabled.
Quote:


> The 4 green sata slots I guess is JMB. Should I disabled them? I use 1 green sata slot to read my Blue-Ray Disc, and I'll use another green sata slot to read my HDD 1TB.
> 
> Anyway, I set JMB Storage Controller as Disabled and I can still use the Blu-Ray Disc and stopped showing that error message:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> JMicron Technology Corp. PCI Express to SATAII HOST Controller ROM v1.07.23
> Copyright(C) 2005-2010. JMicron Technology Corp.
> 
> Detecting drives; Done; No drives found.
> 
> 
> 
> I think I'll let it as Disabled if there is no problem (The PC turn on quickly because doesn't need show that error messages).
> 
> Thank you.
Click to expand...

Yea, you can leave them disabled. Now, you said green ports? Or do you mean gray? I don't see any green ports for your mobo. However the 4 gray ports are the native SATA 3Gb/s ports.


----------



## kekotr

I told you I would commit English mistakes









We say SO in portuguese (Sistema Operacional), that's why I said wrongly. Ok it's OS, sorry.

It's not green, it's gray. I have no idea why I said green









When you said:
Quote:


> *Yep*. And it is OS (Operating System), not SO.


That 'Yep' what it does mean? To update the firmware the SSD should not run the OS in the same time? In my PC there is only one SSD connected, so will I need install another HD to update the SSDs?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kekotr*
> 
> I told you I would commit English mistakes
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We say SO in portuguese (Sistema Operacional), that's why I said wrongly. Ok it's OS, sorry.
> 
> It's not green, it's gray. I have no idea why I said green


Ok, makes sense. It was so weird seeing SO lol.







Quote:


> When you said:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *Yep*. And it is OS (Operating System), not SO.
> 
> 
> 
> That 'Yep' what it does mean? To update the firmware the SSD should not run the OS in the same time? In my PC there is only one SSD connected, so will I need install another HD to update the SSDs?
Click to expand...

The SSD drive should not have the OS being run on it at the same time as trying to update the firmware. You can update the one without the OS right now. Then you can mirror the OS onto the updated drive, boot from it, and then update the other SSD.


----------



## Moridin

Hey Sean, had a couple questions about moving the user folders to a different drive if you don't mind answering.

The whole point of moving them is to free up space on the OS SSD right?

I'm only trying to move Desktop, and Documents. You mentioned that it would create a duplicate of the Documents folder, does that happen everytime? How would I know that it has created a duplicate? Would it literally show "My Documents A" and "My Documents B?"


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Moridin*
> 
> Hey Sean, had a couple questions about moving the user folders to a different drive if you don't mind answering.
> 
> The whole point of moving them is to free up space on the OS SSD right?


Yes, if you choose to do it, and for me it helps organize my data and makes backups easier.
Quote:


> I'm only trying to move Desktop, and Documents. You mentioned that it would create a duplicate of the Documents folder, does that happen everytime? How would I know that it has created a duplicate? Would it literally show "My Documents A" and "My Documents B?"


Yea, it may or may not. Whne you click start and go to your user name and click it, in that window you may see two doc folders there after the location change. Simply boot into safe mode (possibly just restart) and you can delete the one with the location on the C: drive aka the one that has no data in it.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Sorry for this noobish question but what exactly does the 4k alignment do? The reason I ask is because I didn't do it on my recent fresh install and was wondering if windows does it by default by chance or if there was a way to tell if your drive is 4k aligned.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Sorry for this noobish question but what exactly does the 4k alignment do? The reason I ask is because I didn't do it on my recent fresh install and was wondering if windows does it by default by chance or if there was a way to tell if your drive is 4k aligned.


If you're running Windows 7, then yes, it's automatic. Run AS-SSD and see if you get an OK for offset.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> If you're running Windows 7, then yes, it's automatic. Run AS-SSD and see if you get an OK for offset.



Not seeing "offset - OK" anywhere...


----------



## indup

hope this is the right place to ask this.

i bought a laptop from the dell outlet and when i got it the primary drive was the regular mechanical(with the os on) and the secondary drive was the ssd. so with the help of dell support we did an os install and put it on the ssd. when this was done i had boot up times of about 30 seconds. a few days agoi installed a few programs from the net and my start up time increased to about 45 seconds. not really needing these programs i uninstalled them all and the start up time became a bit better and is now about 42 seconds. so now in msconfig i have the same number of programs on start up as when i did the clean install of the os.

why is it still at about 42 seconds start up and how can i get it back to about 30seocnds?

edit edit edit edit edit

ok i have managed to get it to 28 seconds now. how i did it in all honesty i dont know. i was messing about with the settings in ms config and when i tried i have boot up of 28 seconds.

i have the following settings in msconfig:

general: selective start up ; load system services

boot: no gui boot ;time out '0'

services: everthing enabled

start up: enabled: nwiz
nvidia hotkey
intel pro wireless
ff protection
alps pointing device driver
google update
dt start up
dell system

disabled: adobe reader
battery care
registry cleaner scheduler
show battery bar
realplayer

i have a few questions please:

1) is it safe to remove anything else from start up that the os doesnt need to function properly?

2) as far as i remember these three programs: battery care, registry cleaner scheduler and show battery bar i downloaded and uninstalled so why are they showing in the start uop menu?

3) in services tab, everthing is enabled. is it safe to disable anything there?


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not seeing "offset - OK" anywhere...


The 103424 K - OK is the offset so you're good to go.


----------



## kulayot74

Great tutorial, I am ready to buy SSD now. One question, is it alright to buy a 256gb SSD, then partition it to two, one partition for windows installation, and the other partition will be for my games like BF3 ? My reason is, if ever I need to reinstall windows, at least my games are still on the other partition untouched.
Thank you very much


----------



## kulayot74

I forgot to ask, will there be any negative effect on the SSD if I partition it? Is it better to buy one for OS and another one for my files?

==================

Also to add on your enhancement after Windows installation, I always download adobe flash and adobe reader, I also install winrar, and k-lite codec beforemaking a system image (backup).

cheers


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kulayot74*
> 
> Great tutorial, I am ready to buy SSD now. One question, is it alright to buy a 256gb SSD, then partition it to two, one partition for windows installation, and the other partition will be for my games like BF3 ? My reason is, if ever I need to reinstall windows, at least my games are still on the other partition untouched.
> Thank you very much


Yea
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kulayot74*
> 
> I forgot to ask, will there be any negative effect on the SSD if I partition it? Is it better to buy one for OS and another one for my files?


No
Quote:


> ==================
> 
> Also to add on your enhancement after Windows installation, I always download adobe flash and adobe reader, I also install winrar, and k-lite codec beforemaking a system image (backup).
> 
> cheers


Cool.


----------



## malikq86

-Nvm-


----------



## Ragsters

What is the Format option in Windows 7 when installing from Custom? Do I need to use it? I just deleted the partition and installed. Should I of used the Format first?


----------



## EarlZ

I have a question about superfetch, from what I understand it preloads frequently used files to RAM for faster loading, SSD's are fast no doubt about it but wouldnt it be even better if those frequently used files are already preloaded to RAM since its even faster?

Does superfecth perform a lot of writes ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> What is the Format option in Windows 7 when installing from Custom? Do I need to use it? I just deleted the partition and installed. Should I of used the Format first?


Windows automatically will format for you. Doesn't matter.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I have a question about superfetch, from what I understand it preloads frequently used files to RAM for faster loading, SSD's are fast no doubt about it but wouldnt it be even better if those frequently used files are already preloaded to RAM since its even faster?
> 
> Does superfecth perform a lot of writes ?


Not really, boot is a second quicker with it disabled, system uses less RAM, files will be loaded when needed when disabled instead of automatically and it doesn't affect performance.

Not really dsure on writes. heard it does, but not sure tho it doesn't really matter. Windows automatically disabled Superfetch anyways.


----------



## Ragsters

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows automatically will format for you. Doesn't matter.


Thanks Sean!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows automatically will format for you. Doesn't matter.
> Not really, boot is a second quicker with it disabled, system uses less RAM, files will be loaded when needed when disabled instead of automatically and it doesn't affect performance.
> Not really dsure on writes. heard it does, but not sure tho it doesn't really matter. Windows automatically disabled Superfetch anyways.


Does Superfetch have any effect on the loading of the icons of all files? It's just that I noticed that when I go to my directory that contains a lot of installer programs (each file with icons on them), they always load sequentially (one after the other) for a second or so. It's annoying and I don't know what's the problem. When they are already loaded, they stay loaded (no loading anymore) until I restart the computer again.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows automatically will format for you. Doesn't matter.
> Not really, boot is a second quicker with it disabled, system uses less RAM, files will be loaded when needed when disabled instead of automatically and it doesn't affect performance.
> Not really dsure on writes. heard it does, but not sure tho it doesn't really matter. Windows automatically disabled Superfetch anyways.
> 
> 
> 
> Does Superfetch have any effect on the loading of the icons of all files? It's just that I noticed that when I go to my directory that contains a lot of installer programs (each file with icons on them), they always load sequentially (one after the other) for a second or so. It's annoying and I don't know what's the problem. When they are already loaded, they stay loaded (no loading anymore) until I restart the computer again.
Click to expand...

No clue.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No clue.


Never had that problem?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No clue.
> 
> 
> 
> Never had that problem?
Click to expand...

With my HDD I noticed it a lot. However, now not much, but the taskbar icons do load up left to right for me going from white to what they should.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows automatically will format for you. Doesn't matter.
> Not really, boot is a second quicker with it disabled, system uses less RAM, files will be loaded when needed when disabled instead of automatically and it doesn't affect performance.
> Not really dsure on writes. heard it does, but not sure tho it doesn't really matter. Windows automatically disabled Superfetch anyways.


Boot tracing shows no difference with it enabled or disabled as for windows install, I've never seen it disable by default, maybe the latest ISO released by MS has it automatically disabled on SSD's but the one I got from MSDN with SP1 does not disable it automatically.

I think it does a hell a lot of writes, I just enabled it again today and Im already at 12Gb written


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Windows automatically will format for you. Doesn't matter.
> Not really, boot is a second quicker with it disabled, system uses less RAM, files will be loaded when needed when disabled instead of automatically and it doesn't affect performance.
> Not really dsure on writes. heard it does, but not sure tho it doesn't really matter. Windows automatically disabled Superfetch anyways.
> 
> 
> 
> Boot tracing shows no difference with it enabled or disabled as for windows install, I've never seen it disable by default, maybe the latest ISO released by MS has it automatically disabled on SSD's but the one I got from MSDN with SP1 does not disable it automatically.
Click to expand...

After you run WEI Superfetch should be set to manual in the services if you have a SSD which you do. I've had it do it automatically a few times, I can not remember it it happened all the time or not upon installs.
Quote:


> I think it does a hell a lot of writes, I just enabled it again today and Im already at 12Gb written


What you monitoring it with?


----------



## Jayjr1105

So I just bought this new HP Probook and I'm trying to figure out if the SATA controller supports 6.0Gbs. Speccy shows Sata II but I think that just may be because its just a SATA II drive... what do you guys think?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> With my HDD I noticed it a lot. However, now not much, but the taskbar icons do load up left to right for me going from white to what they should.


Well, I'm using a Crucial M4 128GB SSD for my OS so I don't know why is it occurring to me, it's really annoying







Could this be connected with disabling Superfetch or something?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> So I just bought this new HP Probook and I'm trying to figure out if the SATA controller supports 6.0Gbs. Speccy shows Sata II but I think that just may be because its just a SATA II drive... what do you guys think?


HDD= SATA 2, that is why.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> With my HDD I noticed it a lot. However, now not much, but the taskbar icons do load up left to right for me going from white to what they should.
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I'm using a Crucial M4 128GB SSD for my OS so I don't know why is it occurring to me, it's really annoying
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Could this be connected with disabling Superfetch or something?
Click to expand...

IDK, test it and find out. Enable superfetch and restart a few times, then disable and do the same. See if there is a difference.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> HDD= SATA 2, that is why.
> IDK, test it and find out. Enable superfetch and restart a few times, then disable and do the same. See if there is a difference.


Alright, thanks for a helpful tip.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Don't know if you guys caught it or not but the Samsung 830 128GB model went on sale for $85 last night on newegg and I snagged one up. Sean, do you think my laptop is 6GB/s? or will I have to try a sata III drive to find out?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Don't know if you guys caught it or not but the Samsung 830 128GB model went on sale for $85 last night on newegg and I snagged one up. Sean, do you think my laptop is 6GB/s? or will I have to try a sata III drive to find out?


Yea, I bought one for my buddy in Thailand XD.

From this:http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-business-class-notebooks/591679-hp-probook-4430s-4530s-owners-lounge-58.html

I would say it is SATA 3 capable.


----------



## axipher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> So I just bought this new HP Probook and I'm trying to figure out if the SATA controller supports 6.0Gbs. Speccy shows Sata II but I think that just may be because its just a SATA II drive... what do you guys think?


If you can tell us the chipset, we can look it up. Just open CPU-z and the motherboard tab will have the chipset.


----------



## nesh216

I am working my way through this awesome guide (new build). Windows 7 and some apps are installed on the SSD. Does it matter if I install apps on the non-OS HDD (assuming the installer gives me the option to specify installation location)?

These are apps that are not used everyday so speed doesn't really matter.

Any problems doing this or should all my apps be on the SSD and only 'data' on the HDD?

Thanks!


----------



## EarlZ

Sean,

Im using SSD ready the one you gave me.. a 30mins monitoring time shows 170Mb from chrome and 415mb from temp.


Im wondering why chrome does a lot of writes


----------



## peebs85

Hey all, I been a reader of this site for some time now and used these forums to help pick parts for my current build. I have finished ordering the parts today and will be receiving them Thursday the 2nd. My current desktop is outdated and I finally got around to putting a new system together. This is my first build from scratch and have some questions on getting it up and running. Sorry in advance if my questions are naive ,any help is greatly appreciated!

I want to use my SSD for the OS and maybe a few games. I do not have my windows install disk handy, can I just copy it from my current pc to the SSD and use my SSD to boot up my new computer? If so, is there any negative impact? I ask because my current system is running sluggish and I would rather not have any corrupted files or viruses have a chance to transfer on my new system.

Thanks!


----------



## JDMfanatic

I tried to move my My Documents file to my E: Drive and I guess I didn't do it right and here's what happened:

http://i.imgur.com/kPfbZ.png

What the heck can I do to fix this?


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JDMfanatic*
> 
> I tried to move my My Documents file to my E: Drive and I guess I didn't do it right and here's what happened:
> http://i.imgur.com/kPfbZ.png
> What the heck can I do to fix this?


You probably changed the location of whatever folder you were working on to E: instead of E:\"folder name"

That's just my guess.

So I have just installed my Samsung 830 in my laptop and followed the guide however I was wondering if there were any different tweaks specific to laptops? Obviously you can't really do any user folder redirection unless you have a laptop with 2 hdd bays or you use a 32gig SD card or similar. Maybe I missed that part of the guide but any laptop tips?


----------



## Sean Webster

Sorry about the late replies.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nesh216*
> 
> I am working my way through this awesome guide (new build). Windows 7 and some apps are installed on the SSD. Does it matter if I install apps on the non-OS HDD (assuming the installer gives me the option to specify installation location)?
> 
> These are apps that are not used everyday so speed doesn't really matter.
> 
> Any problems doing this or should all my apps be on the SSD and only 'data' on the HDD?
> 
> Thanks!


You can install them wherever you please.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> Im using SSD ready the one you gave me.. a 30mins monitoring time shows 170Mb from chrome and 415mb from temp.
> 
> 
> Im wondering why chrome does a lot of writes


Chrome is probably b/c you are browsing the internet and it is buildling up hist roy, cache, etc when you go from page to page data is written to the drive.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *peebs85*
> 
> Hey all, I been a reader of this site for some time now and used these forums to help pick parts for my current build. I have finished ordering the parts today and will be receiving them Thursday the 2nd. My current desktop is outdated and I finally got around to putting a new system together. This is my first build from scratch and have some questions on getting it up and running. Sorry in advance if my questions are naive ,any help is greatly appreciated!
> 
> I want to use my SSD for the OS and maybe a few games. I do not have my windows install disk handy, can I just copy it from my current pc to the SSD and use my SSD to boot up my new computer? If so, is there any negative impact?


The SSD will probably speed everythign right up with no issue.
Quote:


> I ask because my current system is running sluggish and I would rather not have any corrupted files or viruses have a chance to transfer on my new system.
> 
> Thanks!


Can't gurantee no viruses or corrupted files. You can do a few scans with malwarebytes and run Run the SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker (link) to verify and fix system files.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JDMfanatic*
> 
> I tried to move my My Documents file to my E: Drive and I guess I didn't do it right and here's what happened:
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/kPfbZ.png
> 
> What the heck can I do to fix this?


Can you change the properties on it or no? If not I think you can drag the public documents folder in your user folder and rename it and set the location up again. Make sure you back up all data on the E drive first! And I think the guy below is right that you changed the location to simply E: and you need to set a folder.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *JDMfanatic*
> 
> I tried to move my My Documents file to my E: Drive and I guess I didn't do it right and here's what happened:
> http://i.imgur.com/kPfbZ.png
> What the heck can I do to fix this?
> 
> 
> 
> You probably changed the location of whatever folder you were working on to E: instead of E:\"folder name"
> 
> That's just my guess.
> 
> So I have just installed my Samsung 830 in my laptop and followed the guide however I was wondering if there were any different tweaks specific to laptops? Obviously you can't really do any user folder redirection unless you have a laptop with 2 hdd bays or you use a 32gig SD card or similar. Maybe I missed that part of the guide but any laptop tips?
Click to expand...

Nothing really extra for laptops, just these may help a little.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/517916-how-improve-ssd-performance-intel-series-4-5-965-chipsets-stamatisx-tweak.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/513313-laptops-w-intel-series-5-chipset-can-not-take-full-advantage-fast-ssds.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/517917-how-improve-ssd-performance-intel-series-4-5-965-chipsets-jjb-tweak.html


----------



## Faster_is_better

I noticed in your guide it said any installed programs will have to be reinstalled after a reformat. Generally I would accept this as true, but I installed my Win 7 with the other guide, which separates some of the folders, such as appdata onto a 2nd hdd. Shouldn't all the programs installed off the HDD, still work with a reinstall of windows onto the SSD?

As far as I know most installed programs usually just add extra folders into the appdata or users folders (documents, etc), not necessarily anywhere else, so most of them should still work right?

I hadn't thought about this, I figured my Win7 install was kind of isolated by the way I did it... but it is pretty messed up now and I don't think I can fix it. But I also don't want to reinstall 500gb worth of games and various other programs either...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faster_is_better*
> 
> I noticed in your guide it said any installed programs will have to be reinstalled after a reformat. Generally I would accept this as true, but I installed my Win 7 with the other guide, which separates some of the folders, such as appdata onto a 2nd hdd. Shouldn't all the programs installed off the HDD, still work with a reinstall of windows onto the SSD?


idk, ive never done it. Plus, you will need to backup the registry settings too and what not.
Quote:


> As far as I know most installed programs usually just add extra folders into the appdata or users folders (documents, etc), not necessarily anywhere else, so most of them should still work right?


nope
Quote:


> I hadn't thought about this, I figured my Win7 install was kind of isolated by the way I did it... but it is pretty messed up now and I don't think I can fix it. But I also don't want to reinstall 500gb worth of games and various other programs either...


Steam doesn't need to be reinstalled. It with all your library is portable. Non-Steam will need re-installation and you need to backup game saves.


----------



## Faster_is_better

Hmm, I didn't think the registry was modified much for installing games, applications sure. So If I backed up the registry, and Users folder, then replaced a fresh install with those, would I "mostly" be back to where I was (working)?

Some how the SSD got corrupt, decided to run a chkdsk and after it "repaired" it now I can't get to the user screen, just goes to black screen with my mouse that I can move, like Windows stalls right before I can login to a user.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faster_is_better*
> 
> Hmm, I didn't think the registry was modified much for installing games, applications sure. So If I backed up the registry, and Users folder, then replaced a fresh install with those, would I "mostly" be back to where I was (working)?


No idea, I never did it.
Quote:


> Some how the SSD got corrupt, decided to run a chkdsk and after it "repaired" it now I can't get to the user screen, just goes to black screen with my mouse that I can move, like Windows stalls right before I can login to a user.


Put the install disc in and run the start up repair.

You can also try this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html?ltr=S

Also, Make sure all USB devices are disconnected from the system.


----------



## Faster_is_better

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Faster_is_better*
> 
> Hmm, I didn't think the registry was modified much for installing games, applications sure. So If I backed up the registry, and Users folder, then replaced a fresh install with those, would I "mostly" be back to where I was (working)?
> 
> 
> 
> No idea, I never did it.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Some how the SSD got corrupt, decided to run a chkdsk and after it "repaired" it now I can't get to the user screen, just goes to black screen with my mouse that I can move, like Windows stalls right before I can login to a user.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Put the install disc in and run the start up repair.
> 
> You can also try this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html?ltr=S
> 
> Also, Make sure all USB devices are disconnected from the system.
Click to expand...

There's nothing connected to it now, and startup repair fails. It starts repairing, then it just gives up and asks to send the report to microsoft.

I wanted to try the sfc /scannow but when i go into the system repair its kinda stuck in a repair loop. I try to run the command but it says to restart and finish with the repair process, which it can't do...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faster_is_better*
> 
> There's nothing connected to it now, and startup repair fails. It starts repairing, then it just gives up and asks to send the report to microsoft.
> 
> I wanted to try the sfc /scannow but when i go into the system repair its kinda stuck in a repair loop. I try to run the command but it says to restart and finish with the repair process, which it can't do...


Boot the install disc, once you get to the install screen press shift + F10 and it will bring up CMD. You can then run the scan.


----------



## Faster_is_better

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Boot the install disc, once you get to the install screen press shift + F10 and it will bring up CMD. You can then run the scan.


Just tried it, and it still throws the error, that it needs to complete a repair first. Just tried to force sfc to work, but now its coming up with something about Windows Resource Protection.. this is quite the wild goose chase lol


----------



## PTCB

Does Win 7 support TRIM in RAID0? Thank you.


----------



## MJSdanger

Sean.. Your dope man! What a guy - Just How the Foock do you know all that shiz?


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PTCB*
> 
> Does Win 7 support TRIM in RAID0? Thank you.


Unfortunately not.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faster_is_better*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Boot the install disc, once you get to the install screen press shift + F10 and it will bring up CMD. You can then run the scan.
> 
> 
> 
> Just tried it, and it still throws the error, that it needs to complete a repair first. Just tried to force sfc to work, but now its coming up with something about Windows Resource Protection.. this is quite the wild goose chase lol
Click to expand...









good luck with it, i can't think if much more atm. Make a thread or something?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PTCB*
> 
> Does Win 7 support TRIM in RAID0? Thank you.


As rui-no-onna said, nope.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MJSdanger*
> 
> Sean.. Your dope man! What a guy - Just How the Foock do you know all that shiz?


Google + LOTS of time, lol.


----------



## PTCB

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> As rui-no-onna said, nope.


Thanks for the comfirmation.









But why when I checked it with this command: "fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify", I got "0" which means TRIM command is enabled. I'm a bit confused. Please elaborate if you can. Cheers.









EDIT: Found that it is a mistake on Intel's part.


----------



## Floy

Excellent guide Sean!

Not sure if this has been posted already, but here is a quick tip to save a lot of time optimising the system.

When configuring the services, there is a neat little program called SMART that automatically sets the services to what BlackViper recommends with pre defined presets. If you want the safe settings, just select that preset and hit apply and the program will apply the changes to all the services.

I personally use this program and can highly recommend it!

Here is the link:

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/smart-a-utility-for-tweaking-windows-7-vista-xp-services


----------



## [email protected]

Sure that is great but the only dilemma is we don't have restore point enabled for SSD users.


----------



## Parzifal

Hello SEAN,

Please kindly assist if you can.

I have a 32gig msata ssd and 500gb hdd configured
With intel srt. Smart response.

Is it wise to format the msata and re-install my OS on
The 32gig msata or should I stick with the intel srt setup until I can afford a larger SSD?

Thank you for you reply.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Floy*
> 
> Excellent guide Sean!
> 
> Not sure if this has been posted already, but here is a quick tip to save a lot of time optimising the system.
> 
> When configuring the services, there is a neat little program called SMART that automatically sets the services to what BlackViper recommends with pre defined presets. If you want the safe settings, just select that preset and hit apply and the program will apply the changes to all the services.
> 
> I personally use this program and can highly recommend it!
> 
> Here is the link:
> 
> http://www.thewindowsclub.com/smart-a-utility-for-tweaking-windows-7-vista-xp-services


Cool, I'll check it out and add it to the thread.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Parzifal*
> 
> Hello SEAN,
> 
> Please kindly assist if you can.
> 
> I have a 32gig msata ssd and 500gb hdd configured
> With intel srt. Smart response.
> 
> Is it wise to format the msata and re-install my OS on
> The 32gig msata or should I stick with the intel srt setup until I can afford a larger SSD?
> 
> Thank you for you reply.


Up to you, I personally do not like SRT for my OS.


----------



## rafety58

I'm just posting to say thank you to Sean, using your guide I got my windows install plus all of my programs down to only 13GBs in size. My free space went from 30.2GBs to 46.5GBs


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rafety58*
> 
> I'm just posting to say thank you to Sean, using your guide I got my windows install plus all of my programs down to only 13GBs in size. My free space went from 30.2GBs to 46.5GBs


Sweet!


----------



## Parzifal

Hello Sean,
Thank you for your reply.

May I rephrase my question then , is it possible for me to squeeze in my OS into my 32gig msata comfortably and install everything else on my HDD?

Also Does a ramdisk take up space on the OS partition or I can specify the partition it takes up space of and is the space taken equal to the amount of ram used to make the Ramdisk?

Thank you for your reply once again.


----------



## rmike1991

First of all I have to say *THANK YOU* to Sean for this guide.

Now about what I have now, what my goal is and some questions. I included as much info in my rig as I could by running Belarc Advisor and dxdiag on my system. I'm not as advanced as all of you guys are here, so if I say something wrong or ask some stupid questions don't lough too loud








OK. Here I go. My system is currently running WinXP SP3 with 3GB of memory. The goal is to replace my C drive (I have 2 separate drives - one for OS and one for all data) with SSD Win7 64-bit and 16GB of memory. I ordered 128 GB SSD and 16 GB Memory. Everything is on the way and I want to be prepared by the time it gets here.
Well... Going down the checklist.
1. The first problem I bumped into is that I don't have the manual for the motherboard and it looks like there is no way I can get it from Dell. Spent couple of hours with Dell on the phone... Registered on Dell forum to see if anyone has it. Also I was trying to Google it with no success. Finally I gave up and took some pictures for you guys to look at. Maybe it's worth something. I don't know what Marvell SATA port is, so please advise if possible. I would guess that since I have 4 SATA ports on that board and all of them are taken, I'll just connect my SSD where the "C drive" is connected now...
All images are clickable. Click to see bigger size. Once you get there click it again to see full size.



2. Found the firmware update for BIOS. Will do that.
3. I also took couple pictures of BIOS settings just in case. Please see if everything is correct.




4. I haven't done Win install in years but still remember going through FDisk, create partition etc. I don't see anything in this guide about creating a partition. Is it done automatically now days or "Convert MBR" command is what I'm looking for?
5. I'm a little confused with 4K alignment. Should I still do it if if I install Win7 with the System Reserve Partition?

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your help. I'm sure I'll have more questions down the road








Mike


----------



## MAD-DUKE

I recently installed Windows 7 to my new machine and used the optimizations suggested. The difference between this machine and my old machine is that when I use "Playback Devices" under windows sound control, It takes several minutes before this control window appears. I was wondering what in windows controls this and how do I fix it?

I use playback devices to change my sound from my speakers to my headset and vice versa.

*

SOLUTION:*
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Imrac*
> 
> Edit: Found the issue!! If you have crossfire enabled, the second GPU's HDMI audio out makes it hang. If you go into device manager and disable the second one (Trial and error). It should solve the issue! Hopefully this will help someone in the future.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Parzifal*
> 
> Hello Sean,
> Thank you for your reply.
> 
> May I rephrase my question then , is it possible for me to squeeze in my OS into my 32gig msata comfortably and install everything else on my HDD?


You should be able to, however for my setup that would be a tight fit. I think that SRT amy be a better option for you than to install the OS separately.
Quote:


> Also Does a ramdisk take up space on the OS partition or I can specify the partition it takes up space of and is the space taken equal to the amount of ram used to make the Ramdisk?
> 
> Thank you for your reply once again.


You can set a RAM disk to save at any location on your PC. If you do not save the RAM disk, then it will not take up any room at all.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rmike1991*
> 
> First of all I have to say *THANK YOU* to Sean for this guide.
> 
> Now about what I have now, what my goal is and some questions. I included as much info in my rig as I could by running Belarc Advisor and dxdiag on my system. I'm not as advanced as all of you guys are here, so if I say something wrong or ask some stupid questions don't lough too loud
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> OK. Here I go. My system is currently running WinXP SP3 with 3GB of memory. The goal is to replace my C drive (I have 2 separate drives - one for OS and one for all data) with SSD Win7 64-bit and 16GB of memory. I ordered 128 GB SSD and 16 GB Memory. Everything is on the way and I want to be prepared by the time it gets here.
> Well... Going down the checklist.
> 1. The first problem I bumped into is that I don't have the manual for the motherboard and it looks like there is no way I can get it from Dell. Spent couple of hours with Dell on the phone... Registered on Dell forum to see if anyone has it. Also I was trying to Google it with no success. Finally I gave up and took some pictures for you guys to look at. Maybe it's worth something. I don't know what Marvell SATA port is, so please advise if possible. I would guess that since I have 4 SATA ports on that board and all of them are taken, I'll just connect my SSD where the "C drive" is connected now...
> 
> All images are clickable. Click to see bigger size. Once you get there click it again to see full size.


You do not have any Marvell SATA ports, you can plug the SSD in the first SATA port and you will be fine.

You can actually find out what motherboard it is by using CPU-z under the main board tab -> http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Then post the model.

You really only need your network and sound driver. All others should be downloaded automatically via Windows update.
Quote:


> 2. Found the firmware update for BIOS. Will do that.


✓
Quote:


> 3. I also took couple pictures of BIOS settings just in case. Please see if everything is correct.


✓ - Looks good.
Quote:


> 4. I haven't done Win install in years but still remember going through FDisk, create partition etc. I don't see anything in this guide about creating a partition. Is it done automatically now days or "Convert MBR" command is what I'm looking for?


Everything is automatic, you can use diskpart to create the partition manually if you like as I show in the guide or you can use the GUI.
Quote:


> 5. I'm a little confused with 4K alignment. Should I still do it if if I install Win7 with the System Reserve Partition?
> 
> Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your help. I'm sure I'll have more questions down the road
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mike


Doesn't matter, You can forget about it and just install normally. You can not create the System reserve partition when formatting with diskpart unless the drive is GPT formatted (and you would need a newer system with a UEFI BIOS).
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MAD-DUKE*
> 
> I recently installed Windows 7 to my new machine and used the optimizations suggested. The difference between this machine and my old machine is that when I use "Playback Devices" under windows sound control, It takes several minutes before this control window appears. I was wondering what in windows controls this and how do I fix it?
> 
> I use playback devices to change my sound from my speakers to my headset and vice versa.


No idea. You should make a thread in the Windows section.


----------



## rmike1991

Sean, thanks a lot for your answer.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can actually find out what motherboard it is by using CPU-z under the main board tab -> http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
> Then post the model.


Here it is. I also attached a log file from CPU-Z

LOG.txt 89k .txt file


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can not create the System reserve partition when formatting with diskpart unless the drive is GPT formatted (and you would need a newer system with a UEFI BIOS).


Now I'm confused. I read your guide again and
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> Type Convert MBR, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
> Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
> Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.


The way I understood it, I *can* create the System reserve partition when formatting with diskpart. Am I wrong?

Also I have another question. Since I'm going to have 128GB SSD OS drive and 1.5TB regular drive for data, should I do some kind of alignment/pair between those two?
Thanks again.
Mike


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rmike1991*
> 
> Sean, thanks a lot for your answer.
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can actually find out what motherboard it is by using CPU-z under the main board tab -> http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
> Then post the model.
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is. I also attached a log file from CPU-Z
> 
> LOG.txt 89k .txt file
Click to expand...

Ok, I was going to look for the latest drivers for you if I had the time, however, things have gotten very hectic lately with my family and I may not be able to for a while. If you can just google search around and find them on your own or make a thread and see if someone else can help.

Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can not create the System reserve partition when formatting with diskpart unless the drive is GPT formatted (and you would need a newer system with a UEFI BIOS).
> 
> 
> 
> Now I'm confused. I read your guide again and
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition:
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> Type Convert MBR, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
> Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
> Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> The way I understood it, I *can* create the System reserve partition when formatting with diskpart. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

From what I tried you can not make a system reserve partition with diskpart on a MBR formatted drive, it needs to be GPT, however you may not even need it. In case you do I have the steps layed out simple for both options. I myself do not need the Systme reserve partition so I use diskpart to format.

Above steps are to just use diskpart to clear off the partition table of the drive before you use the normal GUI to format and setup the system. You are not formatting or making any partitions there.
Quote:


> Also I have another question. Since I'm going to have 128GB SSD OS drive and 1.5TB regular drive for data, should I do some kind of alignment/pair between those two?
> Thanks again.
> Mike


Nothing to do really lol. Just use them however you like. everything will be fine.


----------



## rmike1991

Thanks Sean! Take care of your family.


----------



## bern43

Any downside to installing the OS on my new drive in RAID mode instead of AHCI? Right now I have an ssd boot drive (that I'm replaceing with a larger Samsung SSD) and one WD 1.5 tb storage drive. That's the setup I'll be using for the next few months. But I may want to switch out the storage drive down the road for a RAID 1 setup to avoid any work downtime. Was originally just going to install using AHCI mode.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bern43*
> 
> Any downside to installing the OS on my new drive in RAID mode instead of AHCI? Right now I have an ssd boot drive (that I'm replaceing with a larger Samsung SSD) and one WD 1.5 tb storage drive. That's the setup I'll be using for the next few months. But I may want to switch out the storage drive down the road for a RAID 1 setup to avoid any work downtime. Was originally just going to install using AHCI mode.


Nope, RAID is fine.


----------



## bern43

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope, RAID is fine.


So RAID is really just an enhanced AHCI mode and I'll be able to hook up the RAID array down the road without doing the registry hack? A bit new on the RAID stuff and just want to make sure I understand.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bern43*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope, RAID is fine.
> 
> 
> 
> So RAID is really just an enhanced AHCI mode and I'll be able to hook up the RAID array down the road without doing the registry hack? A bit new on the RAID stuff and just want to make sure I understand.
Click to expand...

correct.


----------



## kenrussell

so I just finished reading your guide. I am about to buy an SSD for the first time. I read that you prefer a fresh installation of windows rather than migration. One thing I like in migration is the time I save in installing the other apps *cough* Adobe *cough* (windows installation time is OK) and configuring the settings for the said apps. I also read the part regarding the 4k alignment. I also read your guide regarding which SSD to buy. I was eyeing the Corsair Force 3 SSD because of their migration tool which allows to 4k align it during the process of migration. But when I saw that it uses asynchronous NAND, I changed my mind and thought of buying the Intel 520 or Corsair Force GT. But the Intel Data Migration Software does not have the 4k align feature of the Force 3 software, and the Force Gt does not have any software at all. So what can you suggest?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kenrussell*
> 
> so I just finished reading your guide. I am about to buy an SSD for the first time. I read that you prefer a fresh installation of windows rather than migration. One thing I like in migration is the time I save in installing the other apps *cough* Adobe *cough* (windows installation time is OK) and configuring the settings for the said apps. I also read the part regarding the 4k alignment. I also read your guide regarding which SSD to buy. I was eyeing the Corsair Force 3 SSD because of their migration tool which allows to 4k align it during the process of migration. But when I saw that it uses asynchronous NAND, I changed my mind and thought of buying the Intel 520 or Corsair Force GT. *But the Intel Data Migration Software does not have the 4k align feature* of the Force 3 software, and the Force Gt does not have any software at all. So what can you suggest?


Intel uses acronis true image. It does align properly. If you did a normal install of Windows 7 before and are migrating over, then the partitions should already be 4k aligned.

Also, you can get many free migration softwares as well: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227835/how-to-disk-and-partition-cloning-backup-restoration-migration

Acronis still my favorite atm. I use both the Seagate and WD versions which are free like the intel version as long as you have a drive of their brand.


----------



## kenrussell

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Intel uses acronis true image. It does align properly. If you did a normal install of Windows 7 before and are migrating over, then the partitions should already be 4k aligned.
> Also, you can get many free migration softwares as well: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227835/how-to-disk-and-partition-cloning-backup-restoration-migration
> Acronis still my favorite atm. I use both the Seagate and WD versions which are free like the intel version as long as you have a drive of their brand.


my WD is not currently 4k aligned. according to AS SSD, it is 1024K aligned. Will it be aligned to 4k when I migrate to an intel SSD using Acronis?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kenrussell*
> 
> my WD is not currently 4k aligned. according to AS SSD, it is 1024K aligned. Will it be aligned to 4k when I migrate to an intel SSD using Acronis?


1024KB offset is 4k aligned. AS SSD is missing the "B" after the "K" to make it say "1024KB" as it should.


----------



## cyberpunkz

Hi, thank you for this great tutorial!
I have a question, I am planning to buy an Intel 330 120gb SSD as my boot drive but I am worried that my motherboard won't support it? I can't find the "AHCI SATA mode" in my BIOS








Also it is only SATA II.

Here is my motherboard: *Biostar MCP6PB M2+ w/ nForce 430 chipset*
http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=387&tab=1

Should I go on and buy an SSD or not? Thank you in advance!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cyberpunkz*
> 
> Hi, thank you for this great tutorial!
> I have a question, I am planning to buy an Intel 330 120gb SSD as my boot drive but I am worried that my motherboard won't support it?


It should.
Quote:


> I can't find the "AHCI SATA mode" in my BIOS


Look a little more, see what options does it list under the sata mode and list them. If you're stuck in IDE mode it is ok still.
Quote:


> Also it is only SATA II.


doesn't mater.
Quote:


> Here is my motherboard: *Biostar MCP6PB M2+ w/ nForce 430 chipset*
> http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=387&tab=1
> 
> Should I go on and buy an SSD or not? Thank you in advance!


Yea, SSDs are a great upgrade for any system.


----------



## cyberpunkz

I have read that IDE mode can lessen the life of an SSD, is this true? I'll snap pictures of my BIOS and post it here.

Here are the BIOS settings which I think are relevant:



Spoiler: More BIOS Settings


















Link to BIOS gallery:
http://postimage.org/gallery/g3h4inq/


----------



## bern43

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cyberpunkz*
> 
> I have read that IDE mode can lessen the life of an SSD, is this true? I'll snap pictures of my BIOS and post it here.
> Here are the BIOS settings which I think are relevant:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: More BIOS Settings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Link to BIOS gallery:
> http://postimage.org/gallery/g3h4inq/


Are you on the latest version of the bios for your board? I had a biostar board awhile back that didn't have AHCI listed until I updated the bios.


----------



## cyberpunkz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bern43*
> 
> Are you on the latest version of the bios for your board? I had a biostar board awhile back that didn't have AHCI listed until I updated the bios.


What board did you have? The bios updates for my motherboard don't stat to have AHCI in the update features.
Only for Fix sometimes cannot boot up properly and Fix POST time too long for Sempron CPU
http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=387&tab=1


----------



## bern43

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cyberpunkz*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *bern43*
> 
> Are you on the latest version of the bios for your board? I had a biostar board awhile back that didn't have AHCI listed until I updated the bios.
> 
> 
> 
> What board did you have? The bios updates for my motherboard don't stat to have AHCI in the update features.
> Only for Fix sometimes cannot boot up properly and Fix POST time too long for Sempron CPU
> http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=387&tab=1
Click to expand...

If I remember right it was a TA790GXE.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## cyberpunkz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bern43*
> 
> If I remember right it was a TA790GXE.
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


Your mobo's BIOS update indicates Support DVI dual link, update AGESA code and RAID ROM. Mine doesn't







not fair lol

*Edit:*

I've read here: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=505&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=12
Quote:


> TRIM is non-specific to either SATA controller mode, and will work equally well in both IDE and AHCI-mode. Benchmark Reviews will soon publish a detailed report that illustrates the recovery levels for each SSD controller tested here.


Is this true? I can still us TRIM in IDE mode? How come I see other posts saying otherwise, that TRIM is only for AHCI mode?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cyberpunkz*
> 
> I have read that IDE mode can lessen the life of an SSD, is this true?


Not really, the only reason I can think of is the lack of TRIM support with it. This you will have slightly more write amplification.
Quote:


> I'll snap pictures of my BIOS and post it here.
> 
> Here are the BIOS settings which I think are relevant:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: More BIOS Settings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Link to BIOS gallery:
> http://postimage.org/gallery/g3h4inq/


what are the access mode options and the extended ide drive options?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cyberpunkz*
> 
> *Edit:*
> 
> I've read here: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=505&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=12
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> TRIM is non-specific to either SATA controller mode, and will work equally well in both IDE and AHCI-mode. Benchmark Reviews will soon publish a detailed report that illustrates the recovery levels for each SSD controller tested here.
> 
> 
> 
> Is this true? I can still us TRIM in IDE mode? How come I see other posts saying otherwise, that TRIM is only for AHCI mode?
Click to expand...

Only with supporting driver. Good luck finding a modified driver that passes TRIM properly in IDE mode. The Windows one does not.


----------



## cyberpunkz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> Not really, the only reason I can think of is the lack of TRIM support with it. This you will have slightly more write amplification.


I see, here are the BIOS options for access mode and the extended ide drive




Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> Only with supporting driver. Good luck finding a modified driver that passes TRIM properly in IDE mode. The Windows one does not.


That would be quite a hassle I presume.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cyberpunkz*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> Not really, the only reason I can think of is the lack of TRIM support with it. This you will have slightly more write amplification.
> 
> 
> 
> I see, here are the BIOS options for access mode and the extended ide drive
Click to expand...

i'm not god with old or AMD tech lol

Maybe make a thread and see if anyone knows what each does. If not, you should be ok as is.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> Only with supporting driver. Good luck finding a modified driver that passes TRIM properly in IDE mode. The Windows one does not.
> 
> 
> 
> That would be quite a hassle I presume.
Click to expand...

Yea.


----------



## edo101

Hey Sean, I have noticed I get low memory problems. THis seems to happen when a program has been left on for some time. Things like chrome, itunes and firefox. Whatever it is, my memory consumption climbs.

I remember us doing something with my page file. I was wondering if that had anything to do with it. I ahve 6gB of ram and have never had a problem like this until I switched over to the SSD.

any advice. Its bugging me because i will try to load a game like company of heroes (its files are on my SSD) and it will say that computer out of memory. the game will crash and my desktop icons will dissappear.


----------



## cyberpunkz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> i'm not god with old or AMD tech lol
> Maybe make a thread and see if anyone knows what each does. If not, you should be ok as is.


I did some searching myself and I found other people who have been also trying to enable AHCI in my board they said the nForce 430 chipset doesn't support AHCI. So I'm SOL until I upgrade lol.
Thank you for your help! I really appreciate it


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> Hey Sean, I have noticed I get low memory problems. THis seems to happen when a program has been left on for some time. Things like chrome, itunes and firefox. Whatever it is, my memory consumption climbs.
> 
> I remember us doing something with my page file. I was wondering if that had anything to do with it. I ahve 6gB of ram and have never had a problem like this until I switched over to the SSD.
> 
> any advice. Its bugging me because i will try to load a game like company of heroes (its files are on my SSD) and it will say that computer out of memory. the game will crash and my desktop icons will dissappear.


replied to ur PM, you need to enable/expand your page file.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cyberpunkz*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> i'm not god with old or AMD tech lol
> Maybe make a thread and see if anyone knows what each does. If not, you should be ok as is.
> 
> 
> 
> I did some searching myself and I found other people who have been also trying to enable AHCI in my board they said the nForce 430 chipset doesn't support AHCI. So I'm SOL until I upgrade lol.
> Thank you for your help! I really appreciate it
Click to expand...


----------



## edo101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> replied to ur PM, you need to enable/expand your page file.


what does pagefile do and why did we reduce it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> replied to ur PM, you need to enable/expand your page file.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> what does pagefile do
Click to expand...

It is like extra RAM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paging

https://www.google.com/search?q=page+file&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a
Quote:


> and why did we reduce it?


idk why you did. It is step 4 in my guide, you can shrink it, disable it, or leave it alone. I always set mine to 512MB mini/max to free up space. You can set it to what ever you like or have the system manage it on its own.


----------



## TBGAPowa

thanks to corsair and their k90 keyboard it would work at POST but stopped working once the windows install page came up. i used an older hp keyboard instead but kept confusing the two keyboards since they were close together (habitually pressing the k90 since it was on the desk instead of the hp one on my lap).

i finished the 4k alignment partitioning but thought i made a mistake. from there i exited the installion process while it was around 30% on the expanding files section. i tried to go over the partitioning steps again but it got an error in the command prompt so i took out the w7 cd restarted the computer but now i can't even get the press any key option anymore. it keeps telling me that the bootmgr is missing and to press ctrl+alt+del to restart. i tried turning the comp off and going through the process again but i don't think the bootmgr message is a fluke. all the guides online for fixing/bypassing the message require to use the w7 disk to boot to the install page but i can't get there anymore. by default the priority was optical drive > ssd. i had the hdd unplugged as instructed.

and heck it is a pain using an ipod to view the view webpages i was taking the advice of installing w7 with. switching between tabs was too time consuming and youtube videos don't show up in the ocn forums.

if the k90 keyboard was working and i had a computer closer to the one i was setting up i doubt i would have been as prone to making such a mistake. makes setting up the first build more difficult. sorry for the long rant but how could i clear everything that i did to the ssd and start fresh again?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TBGAPowa*
> 
> t how could i clear everything that i did to the ssd and start fresh again?


Start the steps over again...


----------



## TBGAPowa

derp, i didn't know you had to restart with the w7 dvd inside...


----------



## edo101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is like extra RAM.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paging
> https://www.google.com/search?q=page+file&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a
> idk why you did. It is step 4 in my guide, you can shrink it, disable it, or leave it alone. I always set mine to 512MB mini/max to free up space. You can set it to what ever you like or have the system manage it on its own.


you left yourrs at 513mb?! How do you not get memory issues left and right?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is like extra RAM.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paging
> https://www.google.com/search?q=page+file&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a
> idk why you did. It is step 4 in my guide, you can shrink it, disable it, or leave it alone. I always set mine to 512MB mini/max to free up space. You can set it to what ever you like or have the system manage it on its own.
> 
> 
> 
> you left yourrs at 513mb?! How do you not get memory issues left and right?
Click to expand...

I normally disable page file completely as all my programs do not need it at all. I only have it enabled because when i have all my VMs open I usually max out my RAM and need more.


----------



## Rokabud

So, I was moving my User folders from my SSD to a secondary drive(RAID 0) for storage, and it went exactly like you said, then I booted into safe mode to delete the replicas on the C drive, booted back into normal mode, and the folders on the D drive are gone =S Where did they go?


----------



## Divey

Hey Sean, just wanted to say thank you for this excellent guide. I have used it 3 times now. So on this third time (2 days ago) of re-installing windows I was thinking to myself that it would be much easier if I could ghost my setup right after the initial install but I have never done that before. I was wondering if it was possible for you to make a short easy guide on how to do it. I have googled some stuff and there are a million programs with a million different ways to do it. A nice short and simple guide added onto this one would be great. If not thanks anyways for this awesome guide.

Thanks
Terry


----------



## EarlZ

Is it normal to expected between 10-20Gb/day of written data? about 17Gb of that is from Chrome or Firefox.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rokabud*
> 
> So, I was moving my User folders from my SSD to a secondary drive(RAID 0) for storage, and it went exactly like you said, then I booted into safe mode to delete the replicas on the C drive, booted back into normal mode, and the folders on the D drive are gone =S Where did they go?


No idea.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Divey*
> 
> Hey Sean, just wanted to say thank you for this excellent guide. I have used it 3 times now. So on this third time (2 days ago) of re-installing windows I was thinking to myself that it would be much easier if I could ghost my setup right after the initial install but I have never done that before. I was wondering if it was possible for you to make a short easy guide on how to do it. I have googled some stuff and there are a million programs with a million different ways to do it. A nice short and simple guide added onto this one would be great. If not thanks anyways for this awesome guide.
> 
> Thanks
> Terry


I do it all the time!









I use Acronis True Image WD Edition and Seagate disc wizard to make system images. Then when i want to restart my system back to the point where i started after the optimization and driver installation I restore the image and I'm done.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1227835/how-to-disk-and-partition-cloning-backup-restoration-migration
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Is it normal to expected between 10-20Gb/day of written data? about 17Gb of that is from Chrome or Firefox.


No idea, i havent monitored mine lately so idk. If you are using the internet a lot then yea it may be normal.


----------



## NoiseTemper

I was wondering is it still ideal to use 4mb alignment, or is it pretty much redundant these days. IIRC you recently said there was no difference in another thread.

If i did want to use the default 1mb alignment and have no system reserve partition, would this be all i change?

*
Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition and 4KB offset:*

Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
Type List Disk, press Enter.
Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type Clean, press Enter.
Type Convert MBR, press Enter.
Type Create Partition Primary Align=*4096* *1024* , press Enter.
Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
Type Exit, press Enter.
Close the Command Prompt window.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
Click the partition.
Click the "Next" button.
From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NoiseTemper*
> 
> I was wondering is it still ideal to use 4mb alignment, or is it pretty much redundant these days. IIRC you recently said there was no difference in another thread.
> 
> If i did want to use the default 1mb alignment and have no system reserve partition, would this be all i change?
> 
> *
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition and 4KB offset:*
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> Type Convert MBR, press Enter.
> Type Create Partition Primary Align=*4096* *1024* , press Enter.
> Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Click the partition.
> Click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.


Yea it really doesn't matter. And yes that is all you change.


----------



## VettePilot

So I just installed my new M4 128 in my samsung series 7 gaming laptop and when I try to disable hibernation like you show it tells me I am not allowed to do this. Is there a work around for this?

Edit: I figured it out and got it turned off

just ran a bench test on crystal disk and it got 491/198 seq read/writes which is below my destops speed with the same SSD that gets 525/200


----------



## edo101

So I am just now getting around to finishing what I needed to do on the old system HDD I had before i got my SSD. If I were to disable windows, would it delete my user folder which contains my music and documents?

If so how can I get around this.

Recap: I want to delete my windows installation on my HDD since I won't be using it anymore but I want to save my user folders such as documents, pictures, videos etc.


----------



## edo101

Hmm actually I think I'm gonna need some help in terms of making sure I can still boot into windows if I remove the old OS. I think I remember not doing something you said would be a problem later on because of the way i installed windows on the SSD


----------



## Jayjr1105

What do you guys (and Sean) think of the hybrid 2.5" drives for laptops? Reliable? Noticeably faster than HDD?

The reason I ask is because we build our own laptops here where I work and its only a $20 difference from a 500GB regular to a 500GB hybrid (Seagate XT) through our distributor.

Is there any tweaking that needs done with a hybrid or is it just like a spindle drive, install windows and your g2g.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Topgearfan*
> 
> So I just installed my new M4 128 in my samsung series 7 gaming laptop and when I try to disable hibernation like you show it tells me I am not allowed to do this. Is there a work around for this?
> 
> Edit: I figured it out and got it turned off
> 
> just ran a bench test on crystal disk and it got 491/198 seq read/writes which is below my destops speed with the same SSD that gets 525/200












Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> So I am just now getting around to finishing what I needed to do on the old system HDD I had before i got my SSD. If I were to disable windows, would it delete my user folder which contains my music and documents?


No, it will not delete anything if you remove it from the boot options. Go to MSCONFIG > boot tab > delete old install off of the list.
Quote:


> If so how can I get around this.
> 
> Recap: I want to delete my windows installation on my HDD since I won't be using it anymore but I want to save my user folders such as documents, pictures, videos etc.
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> Hmm actually I think I'm gonna need some help in terms of making sure I can still boot into windows if I remove the old OS. I think I remember not doing something you said would be a problem later on because of the way i installed windows on the SSD
Click to expand...

Also, you can simply create a new partition and move all the data off the old install you need to back up, then delete the old install's partition
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> What do you guys (and Sean) think of the hybrid 2.5" drives for laptops? Reliable? Noticeably faster than HDD?
> 
> The reason I ask is because we build our own laptops here where I work and its only a $20 difference from a 500GB regular to a 500GB hybrid (Seagate XT) through our distributor.
> 
> Is there any tweaking that needs done with a hybrid or is it just like a spindle drive, install windows and your g2g.


No idea, I've never used one. Make a thread, others should be able to help.


----------



## edo101

^but I know there is something you asked me about when i did the new install. You said if I were to remove the old stuff from the boot settings it would mess up my boot option?

Btw when I remove the old OS from boot settings, can I delete the windows folder and any of the folders the system uses? I will like to recover that space


----------



## VettePilot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No, it will not delete anything if you remove it from the boot options. Go to MSCONFIG > boot tab > delete old install off of the list.
> Also, you can simply create a new partition and move all the data off the old install you need to back up, then delete the old install's partition
> No idea, I've never used one. Make a thread, others should be able to help.


it turns out only one of the HDD sata plugs is SATA3 and I had it in the wrong slot. That combined with the fact I cant enable RAID in the BIOS pissed me off a bit but I know I am not going to game on it really so it is just an expense lappy for business purposses


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Hi Sean ... I will post asking for help and advice down the road, as you are certainly one of the SSD Guru's around here









In the meantime I'm reading through all your guides first trying to gain as much forehand knowledge as I can as I'm still learning how to set-up and properly configure my first build to function as well as possible so could use some advice in the near future.

However I wonder if this will have any effect on your advice in your guides ...

*Intel adds TRIM support for SSDs in RAID 0, 7-series motherboard required*

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6161/intel-brings-trim-to-raid0-ssd-arrays-on-7series-motherboards-we-test-it

http://www.techspot.com/news/49811-intel-adds-trim-support-for-ssds-in-raid-0-7-series-motherboard-required.html



Quote:


> Solid-state drives have supported TRIM for years in order to maintain performance over time. But the command has never worked on SSDs configured in RAID arrays -- until now, that is. Intel has released a new Rapid Storage Technology (RST) driver that enables TRIM for those using Intel drives with a RAID-0 array, although for now it's limited to Windows 7 systems with Intel 7 series chipsets.
> 
> Intel is working on Windows 8 compatibility but apparently last-generation 6-series motherboards are out of the picture, despite the fact that they share the same storage controller logic as the 7-series.


 

Does this mean I would still be SOL trying to use TRIM with my Z68 MoBo ? One would need an X79 or Z77 chipset board at the moment ?

What I have is a Crucial M4 64 GB SSD, Crucial M4 128 GB SSD and a WD Caviar Black 1 TB HDD, with an Asus ROG Maximus IV Gene Z68 MoBo and i7-2600K, and WIN 7 Pro 64 bit.

And my thought was, to use the 128 GB SSD as the BOOT/OS Drive, the 64 GB SSD as a Cache Drive, and the 1 TB HDD as the Data/Storage Drive, there's also a 500 GB HP Portable Pocket media HDD for back-ups and file transfers and such. Plus a Seagate 1 TB HDD and 2x's Seagate 500 GB HDD's from my Old HP computers that I could maybe somehow utilize in an external enclosure as a full time back-up drive, I only have about 350-400 GB of used space on the 1 TB HDD, so I could use the 500 GB in my OLD HP system still ? Kinda looking for some advice and guidance on my best options going forward. But I've never work with a RAID set-up before and as I mentioned this has been my first computer build I've done myself, always just bought mediocre off-the-shelf Computers before.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> ^but I know there is something you asked me about when i did the new install. You said if I were to remove the old stuff from the boot settings it would mess up my boot option?


I forgot what it was that i said, can you link me to it?
Quote:


> Btw when I remove the old OS from boot settings, can I delete the windows folder and any of the folders the system uses? I will like to recover that space


Yes. I suggest you make a new partition for the data you are keeping and delete the old OS partition instead of just deleting the folders.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Hi Sean ... I will post asking for help and advice down the road, as you are certainly one of the SSD Guru's around here
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In the meantime I'm reading through all your guides first trying to gain as much forehand knowledge as I can as I'm still learning how to set-up and properly configure my first build to function as well as possible so could use some advice in the near future.
> 
> However I wonder if this will have any effect on your advice in your guides ...
> 
> *Intel adds TRIM support for SSDs in RAID 0, 7-series motherboard required*
> 
> http://www.anandtech.com/show/6161/intel-brings-trim-to-raid0-ssd-arrays-on-7series-motherboards-we-test-it
> 
> http://www.techspot.com/news/49811-intel-adds-trim-support-for-ssds-in-raid-0-7-series-motherboard-required.html
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Solid-state drives have supported TRIM for years in order to maintain performance over time. But the command has never worked on SSDs configured in RAID arrays -- until now, that is. Intel has released a new Rapid Storage Technology (RST) driver that enables TRIM for those using Intel drives with a RAID-0 array, although for now it's limited to Windows 7 systems with Intel 7 series chipsets.
> 
> Intel is working on Windows 8 compatibility but apparently last-generation 6-series motherboards are out of the picture, despite the fact that they share the same storage controller logic as the 7-series.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Does this mean I would still be SOL trying to use TRIM with my Z68 MoBo ? One would need an X79 or Z77 chipset board at the moment ?
Click to expand...

TRIM will work for you as long as you do not have two SSDs configured in a RAID 0 array. The updated driver is so TRIM will function with SSDs in a RAID 0 array. You are not setting up SSDs in a RAID 0 array.

The 128GB boot drive will still have TRIM functioning. The other 64GB as a cache drive to the HDD will not have TRIM functioning as it is basically in a array with the HDD.
Quote:


> What I have is a Crucial M4 64 GB SSD, Crucial M4 128 GB SSD and a WD Caviar Black 1 TB HDD, with an Asus ROG Maximus IV Gene Z68 MoBo and i7-2600K, and WIN 7 Pro 64 bit.
> And my thought was, to use the 128 GB SSD as the BOOT/OS Drive, the 64 GB SSD as a Cache Drive, and the 1 TB HDD as the Data/Storage Drive


Sounds good.
Quote:


> , there's also a 500 GB HP Portable Pocket media HDD for back-ups and file transfers and such. Plus a Seagate 1 TB HDD and 2x's Seagate 500 GB HDD's from my Old HP computers that I could maybe somehow utilize in an external enclosure as a full time back-up drive, I only have about 350-400 GB of used space on the 1 TB HDD, so I could use the 500 GB in my OLD HP system still ?


Up to you on how you use then.

You could run the two 500GB drive in RAID 0 for speed for games or something.
The Extra 1TB as a mirror backup of your caviar black and/or if you choose to put the two 500GB in a RAID 0 array use it as a backup for that.
The 500GB portable HDD for the HP still if you like.
Quote:


> Kinda looking for some advice and guidance on my best options going forward. But I've never work with a RAID set-up before and as I mentioned this has been my first computer build I've done myself, always just bought mediocre off-the-shelf Computers before.


If you have more questions let me know.


----------



## B-Dawk20

Hey there Sean, wonderful thread and great job! I just got my new SSD and I've been using it for about a week now. I was wondering if these figures from SMART look okay to you. I have gotten back a good amount of my programs I use and the only program that writes on the SSD is firefox since I chose to keep the cache on it. Other than that, my media programs, Avast, and other stuff boot on the drive but the actual files I save or access are on other spinning discs. I just don't know how to read these figures well enough to determine if I am on a bad pace or not and need to adjust my use.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *B-Dawk20*
> 
> Hey there Sean, wonderful thread and great job! I just got my new SSD and I've been using it for about a week now. I was wondering if these figures from SMART look okay to you. I have gotten back a good amount of my programs I use and the only program that writes on the SSD is firefox since I chose to keep the cache on it. Other than that, my media programs, Avast, and other stuff boot on the drive but the actual files I save or access are on other spinning discs. I just don't know how to read these figures well enough to determine if I am on a bad pace or not and need to adjust my use.


Yep, looks fine


----------



## B-Dawk20

Ok thanks! What are the host writes and why are they so high if you don't mind me asking. Or in general what should I watch out for when trying to read these stats so I don't have to ask someone each time they change up.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *B-Dawk20*
> 
> Ok thanks! What are the host writes and why are they so high if you don't mind me asking. Or in general what should I watch out for when trying to read these stats so I don't have to ask someone each time they change up.


You don't really need to watch any of them unless you are having issues.

Host writes = The amount of data that has been written to the drive.

Edit: Corrected grammar failure lol.


----------



## B-Dawk20

Oh ok then...how have I accumulated 101GB already....


----------



## Mr HappyClam

Hiya guys. I'm working on installing w7 x64 professional on my new updated rig with an OCZ Agility 3 60gb as my primary boot SSD and mobo [ASRock X79 Extreme 4] . I got to the partition part , but then when j select the partition to install windows on, it says the selected partition cannot be used due to something in the bios. Now I have ahci enabled across the board. On the x79 club board I was told I needed the drivers on a USB drive but Idk how exactly to install it correctly because I wanna set this rig up right. My goal is to have my ocz agility 3 as the windows boot drive, I have 2x 640 wd caviars that is like to use as primary storage and finally my Kingston hyper x 120gb as my game drive. Thanks in advance <3


----------



## edo101

Okay Sean i see what I was telling you about. I did delete the windows folder and the removed the other OS boot file from my HDD.

Now what I was askigng you about:

I went to disk management and I see that on my HDD, there is the 100mb system reserved partion. It is not on my SSD which is where my OS is. So what do I do? How do i get that partition over to my SSD. I feel like it might be interfering with me trying to delete my ProgramData folder and System Volume information from my HDD

And No i couldn't delete that whole partition because I foolishly didn't separate an OS partition from my HDD so everything was on one partition and every thing was around 850Gb and I don't have any place to copy those things to for a temporal backup


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *B-Dawk20*
> 
> Oh ok then...how have I accumulated 101GB already....


It is said that these drives last upto 10years even with really high usage, Im at 2 months usage now with 968Gb written, Though I dont see my self keeping this drive for more than 5years but I do hope its still in top shape for the next 3 years.


----------



## B-Dawk20

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> It is said that these drives last upto 10years even with really high usage, Im at 2 months usage now with 968Gb written, Though I dont see my self keeping this drive for more than 5years but I do hope its still in top shape for the next 3 years.


I don't think that's untrue, I just know I haven't written 100+GB to the drive. It's just physically impossible lol. But apparently when I asked Intel, there is a problem with the 330 and 520 series in that they do not report SMART data correctly and the statistics can't be relied on.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *B-Dawk20*
> 
> I don't think that's untrue, I just know I haven't written 100+GB to the drive. It's just physically impossible lol. But apparently when I asked Intel, there is a problem with the 330 and 520 series in that they do not report SMART data correctly and the statistics can't be relied on.


The 894,962 for [09] Power-On Hours is what I find more funky. There's just no way that drive's been powered on for 102 years.









100GB after a week seems entirely normal (although from the SMART screenshot, that's actually 126GB after write amplification). The initial Windows and programs installation probably took a good chunk of that 100GB and you're likely writing just 5-10GB/day. Seriously, I wouldn't be concerned. Heck, I'm writing 50GB/day to one of my SSDs and I expect it'll still be working long past warranty has expired (barring controller or some other funky failure).


----------



## Manyak

This doesn't make any sense:
Quote:


> SSDs: It is best to use 4MB (4096kB) alignment (partition offset) over the default 1MB (1024kB) because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. Typically SSDs have a NAND Erase Block Size of 512kB and their NAND Page Size is 4kB. Thus by setting the offset to 4096 I skip over the first NAND page and start on the second one.


A 1MB offset aligns with 4kB pages perfectly fine. Setting the offset to 4096kB makes you skip over 1024 pages, not just 1.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr HappyClam*
> 
> Hiya guys. I'm working on installing w7 x64 professional on my new updated rig with an OCZ Agility 3 60gb as my primary boot SSD and mobo [ASRock X79 Extreme 4] . I got to the partition part , but then when j select the partition to install windows on, it says the selected partition cannot be used due to something in the bios. Now I have ahci enabled across the board. On the x79 club board I was told I needed the drivers on a USB drive but Idk how exactly to install it correctly because I wanna set this rig up right. My goal is to have my ocz agility 3 as the windows boot drive, I have 2x 640 wd caviars that is like to use as primary storage and finally my Kingston hyper x 120gb as my game drive. Thanks in advance <3


Can you try using other SATA ports?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> Okay Sean i see what I was telling you about. I did delete the windows folder and the removed the other OS boot file from my HDD.
> 
> Now what I was askigng you about:
> 
> I went to disk management and I see that on my HDD, there is the 100mb system reserved partion. It is not on my SSD which is where my OS is. So what do I do? How do i get that partition over to my SSD. I feel like it might be interfering with me trying to delete my ProgramData folder and System Volume information from my HDD


Guide here:

*Remove system reserve partition:*

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html

*My Improved failsafe Guide:*

Boot from your installation or repair disc.
When you get to the language screen, press Shift+F10.
Type *diskpart*, Enter
Type *list disk*, Enter after diskpart is loaded
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is your drive with the System reserve partition on it), Enter
Type *list partition*, Enter
Type *select partition X* (where *X* is your System reserve partition), Enter
Type *delete partition override*, Enter
Type *list disk*, Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is your OS drive), Enter
Type *list partition*, Enter
Type *select partition X* (where *X* is your OS partition), Enter
Type *active*, Enter
Close the command prompt
We have deleted the partition, and Windows will be unable to boot at this point. Now it is time to write a new boot loader and BCD to the Windows partition.

Now shut down, unplug any secondary drives, boot up and run start up repair up to 3 times.

If startup repair does not work follow this: (link)

In CMD type:

*bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup*, Enter
*c:*, Enter
*cd boot*, Enter
*attrib bcd -s -h -r*, Enter
*ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old*, Enter
*bootrec /RebuildBcd*, Enter
Quote:


> And No i couldn't delete that whole partition because I foolishly didn't separate an OS partition from my HDD so everything was on one partition and every thing was around 850Gb and I don't have any place to copy those things to for a temporal backup


You can always do a ton of shrinking and expanding of partitions as you move data from one to the other, I've done it before....it just takes a while and I am OCD about things sometimes. lol

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Manyak*
> 
> This doesn't make any sense:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> SSDs: It is best to use 4MB (4096kB) alignment (partition offset) over the default 1MB (1024kB) because of how SSD's perform their read/write operations. Typically SSDs have a NAND Erase Block Size of 512kB and their NAND Page Size is 4kB. Thus by setting the offset to 4096 I skip over the first NAND page and start on the second one.
> 
> 
> 
> A 1MB offset aligns with 4kB pages perfectly fine. Setting the offset to 4096kB makes you skip over 1024 pages, not just 1.
Click to expand...

Yea, old info I never got around to sorting out properly. There was a lot of confusion on the subject for me when I was first writing this. lol There was also something I was told about the 4MB offset being better for RAID 0 arrays when used with GPT formatted drives. That also made me wonder. I've just updated it now.


----------



## bern43

So should we be just using the default offset now? About to install a new ssd.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bern43*
> 
> So should we be just using the default offset now? About to install a new ssd.


Doesn't make a difference. Feel free to use 1024 or 4096 as they perform the same.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Doesn't make a difference. Feel free to use 1024 or 4096 as they perform the same.


Yes but which is better? Even with the very slightest difference. I'm using the 4096 offset.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Doesn't make a difference. Feel free to use 1024 or 4096 as they perform the same.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes but which is better? Even with the very slightest difference. I'm using the 4096 offset.
Click to expand...

Re-read my previous post.

Doesn't make a difference. Though, I am not sure on GPT formatted drives in RAID 0 as I heard it did make a difference for that, but I think that was false.

If you can get xandypx to clear it up everything then that would be nice.


----------



## edo101

Hmm well I did what you said and ran start up repair twice. Computer now boots up but there is no system reserved partition at all  and yet it boots up?!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> Hmm well I did what you said and ran start up repair twice. Computer now boots up but there is no system reserved partition at all  and yet it boots up?!


Oh did you need it for something? lol I'm pretty sure you can remake it, however, you really only need it for bitlocker if you use that.


----------



## edo101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Oh did you need it for something? lol I'm pretty sure you can remake it, however, you really only need it for bitlocker if you use that.


haha wait, I don't even need it? I thought Windows always put it there for booting/security lol. I don't even know what Bitlocker is.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> haha wait, I don't even need it? I thought Windows always put it there for booting/security lol. I don't even know what Bitlocker is.


It is just a backup for boot files and Windows recovery environment. Not needed at all.









Info from post 2 of the guide:
Quote:


> Well, here you can choose to keep the Microsoft system Reserve partition or not.
> 
> On a fresh (custom) installation of Windows 7, where Windows 7 is installed onto a new hard disk with unallocated disk space (no partition or volume been defined yet), or when user attempts to create a new partition out of empty drive, the Windows 7 installer will create an additional partition with the size of 100MB, and mark as System Reserved.
> 
> The 100MB volume is labeled as System Reserved with NTFS file system, and System, Active, Primary partition attribute with no drive letter in Disk Management. The 100MB system partition is used primarily as BitLocker partition for BitLocker encryption. Additionally, it also holds the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and boot files with boot manager for booting up the computer for troubleshooting when there is no Windows 7 installation DVD disc on hand.
> 
> The Windows 7 created 100MB partition is not the main boot partition or boot drive, but serve only as a backup.
> 
> For Windows 7 users who do not intend to use BitLocker, the 100MB partition can be removed subsequently and easily (link). However, users can stop and prevent the 100MB partition from been created in the first place during installation.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Re-read my previous post.
> Doesn't make a difference. Though, I am not sure on GPT formatted drives in RAID 0 as I heard it did make a difference for that, but I think that was false.
> If you can get xandypx to clear it up everything then that would be nice.


Yup, I read your previous post 100 times before posting that question.

There IS got to be a difference, really. I hope xandypx can enlighten me here as I believed that 4096 was the optimal value since last year.


----------



## Sean Webster

100 times!?! lol









Yea, the more I read on it the more confused I get anyways. All I know is that the default offset of 1MB is fine 99% of the time.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 100 times!?! lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yea, the more I read on it the more confused I get anyways. All I know is that the default offset of 1MB is fine 99% of the time.


Lol, just exaggerating









Hmmm, ok.

paging xandypx? are you there?


----------



## Sean Webster

Probably better to PM him, however, he has not been on in a month. :/

rui-no-onna is also good when it comes to explaining this stuff.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Probably better to PM him, however, he has not been on in a month. :/
> rui-no-onna is also good when it comes to explaining this stuff.


Just did PM both of them.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Re-read my previous post.
> Doesn't make a difference. Though, I am not sure on GPT formatted drives in RAID 0 as I heard it did make a difference for that, but I think that was false.
> If you can get xandypx to clear it up everything then that would be nice.


The GPT partition table takes up the first and last 37 LBA's (or 37 * 512B, which is 18kB). Doesn't matter if it's RAID or not. So you're still fine with a 1MB alignment. Unless you make your stripe size > 1MB, in which case you'd want to align to that instead just like in any HDD RAID setup.


----------



## sh0gunshin

Sorry but i couldn't filter through 360 pages, but i have a question regarding Intel RST. I recently made the swap from RAID to AHCI for the NCQ benefits and read about the RST portion here as well as your other thread. What i'd like to know is if i can use the most recent Intel RST drivers that specifically says it only works for RAID or if i can use this http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21633&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=

I have an i7

Intel(R) 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller - 1E03


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sh0gunshin*
> 
> Sorry but i couldn't filter through 360 pages, but i have a question regarding Intel RST. I recently made the swap from RAID to AHCI for the NCQ benefits and read about the RST portion here as well as your other thread.


RAID supports NCQ just like AHCI.
Quote:


> What i'd like to know is if i can use the most recent Intel RST drivers that specifically says it only works for RAID or if i can use this http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21633&lang=eng&OSVersion=%0A&DownloadType=
> 
> I have an i7
> 
> Intel(R) 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller - 1E03


What motherboard do you have?


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sh0gunshin*
> 
> I recently made the swap from RAID to AHCI for the NCQ benefits and read about the RST portion here as well as your other thread.


Setting the SATA ports to RAID mode in the BIOS/UEFI would automatically run drives in AHCI mode (so you get NCQ, TRIM, etc) if they're not part of a RAID array. You would've been better off sticking to RAID.

As for the driver you linked to, it's for both AHCI and RAID.
Quote:


> Intel® RSTe *AHCI* & SCU Software RAID driver for Windows


It appears to be specific to Intel server motherboards, though.


----------



## K2mil

Sean

First of all great guide I've been having a trouble with my OCZ SSD I submitted it to OCZ Forums I wonder if you could look into it and give me your thoughts

Hello After using the vertex 3 120 GB for nearly a year as my primary os drive I was getting numerous BSOD and random freezes. The firmware update seams to fix most of BSOD and make the random lock up less effective especially at the system start up right after the windows logo GUI.

I decided that the best option for me would be getting other brand SSD as my primary os drive. Well it solved all my problem as far system lock ups go and other things. I decided to us the vertex 3 drive as my main programs and games drive. And here is where problems started every time I install anything I have issues with that software like not responding or error saying something regarding write. Same things happened when I wanted to benchmark the drive using ATTO, all drives finished the benchmark except ocz drive that showed up with write errors. Even my itunes are not working

Technical info: I run this drive connected to Intel SATA 3 in AHCI mode On my ASROCK Z68 Extreme7 board with latest bios 2.30. The OCZ drive was updated to the latest firmware and secure erased also temp fix was applied. During clean windows install the drive was disconnected and reconnected after installation was completed. I'm using the lattes Intel RST drivers and Intel Management


----------



## Jayjr1105

So I'm building CAD workstations for a company @ work and I just finished setting up Windows on the first SSD, Can I just clone the drive over to the other 4 drives (5 systems total)? I normally just use ghost for cloning but I have many programs at my disposal here at work. What would you use?


----------



## Mr HappyClam

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Can you try using other SATA ports?


ha yeah, that will do it. xD. now all i have left is to move programs onto my storage drives, and i should be all set to go. also, i followed your guide from start to finish, except where you mention page filing and how you change yours when you first install windows. does that truly make a performance difference or not so much. i have 16gb of ram so i was curious if its worth it. thanks man for the guide too, ^^


----------



## Propensity

Hi i am currently in the process of moving files from my new ssd boot drive to my storage drive. I have everything formatted but now i can't seem to move many of the file locations and I am confused on how to continue. I read that the Appdata folder in the users folder is a big one to move but i can't move the folder, only the sub folder two or three levels down. I also cannot move and of the hidden folders no matter how far down in the folder maze they are. I have the same problem with many of the folders that i thought needed to be moved

I guess i am just confused on how to move many of the folders and files to help make it harder for me to accidentally save something unwanted to the ssd.

Thanks for any help. I am pretty much stuck starring at my screen right now.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *K2mil*
> 
> Sean
> 
> First of all great guide I've been having a trouble with my OCZ SSD I submitted it to OCZ Forums I wonder if you could look into it and give me your thoughts
> 
> Hello After using the vertex 3 120 GB for nearly a year as my primary os drive I was getting numerous BSOD and random freezes. The firmware update seams to fix most of BSOD and make the random lock up less effective especially at the system start up right after the windows logo GUI.
> 
> I decided that the best option for me would be getting other brand SSD as my primary os drive. Well it solved all my problem as far system lock ups go and other things. I decided to us the vertex 3 drive as my main programs and games drive. And here is where problems started every time I install anything I have issues with that software like not responding or error saying something regarding write. Same things happened when I wanted to benchmark the drive using ATTO, all drives finished the benchmark except ocz drive that showed up with write errors. Even my itunes are not working
> 
> Technical info: I run this drive connected to Intel SATA 3 in AHCI mode On my ASROCK Z68 Extreme7 board with latest bios 2.30. The OCZ drive was updated to the latest firmware and secure erased also temp fix was applied. During clean windows install the drive was disconnected and reconnected after installation was completed. I'm using the lattes Intel RST drivers and Intel Management


Either another reinstall and/or I'd say RMA if it is on the new 2.22 firmware.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> So I'm building CAD workstations for a company @ work and I just finished setting up Windows on the first SSD, Can I just clone the drive over to the other 4 drives (5 systems total)? I normally just use ghost for cloning but I have many programs at my disposal here at work. What would you use?


As long as they are built with the same hardware, or just about the same, mainly motherboard/cpu. You can also deply images over network with clonezilla simultaneously believe.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr HappyClam*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Can you try using other SATA ports?
> 
> 
> 
> ha yeah, that will do it. xD. now all i have left is to move programs onto my storage drives, and i should be all set to go.
Click to expand...

I keep my programs and OS all on my SSD, it is pointless to move them to an HDD imo.
Quote:


> also, i followed your guide from start to finish, except where you mention page filing and how you change yours when you first install windows. does that truly make a performance difference or not so much. i have 16gb of ram so i was curious if its worth it. thanks man for the guide too, ^^


Shrink your page file, you will gain back like 15-16GB of space lol. It does nothing for performance really. It is mainly for RAM space overflow. Some crappy programs will not work right with it disabled, so it is safe to just set it to say 512MB or something.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Propensity*
> 
> Hi i am currently in the process of moving files from my new ssd boot drive to my storage drive. I have everything formatted but now i can't seem to move many of the file locations and I am confused on how to continue. I read that the Appdata folder in the users folder is a big one to move but i can't move the folder, only the sub folder two or three levels down. I also cannot move and of the hidden folders no matter how far down in the folder maze they are.


You need to jump through hoops to move the appdata folder...I'd just leave it as there is really no point to move it unless you manage a bunch of user profiles and want them on the same location...

If you really want to look at this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html
Quote:


> I have the same problem with many of the folders that i thought needed to be moved
> 
> I guess i am just confused on how to move many of the folders and files to help make it harder for me to accidentally save something unwanted to the ssd.
> 
> Thanks for any help. I am pretty much stuck starring at my screen right now.


What folders are you trying to move and why? Nothing needs to be moved.


----------



## Propensity

I was referring to this guide for moving folders

http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization

So are you saying i dont need to move any folders after installing the boot drive because if so i was completely misinformed.

I guess i start as generic as i can... Do i need to move anything from the ssd to the storage drive right after install? Like any user folders, program files, etc...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Propensity*
> 
> I was referring to this guide for moving folders
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization










I do not like that guide one bit. lol
Quote:


> So are you saying i dont need to move any folders after installing the boot drive because if so i was completely misinformed.


Correct you do not.
Quote:


> I guess i start as generic as i can... Do i need to move anything from the ssd to the storage drive right after install? Like any user folders, program files, etc...


Nope. None at all.

However, I like to change the location of my Desktop, Downloads, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, and Saved Games folders to my HDD for organizational purposes. It is easier for my way of backing up my system.


----------



## Propensity

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I do not like that guide one bit. lol
> Correct you do not.
> Nope. None at all.
> However, I like to change the location of my Desktop, Downloads, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, and Saved Games folders to my HDD for organizational purposes. It is easier for my way of backing up my system.


Well thanks for all the help. I got into PC's this past winter (grew up on mac for 20 years). Finally feel good about all the components and hardware but still a complete novice when it comes to software stuff. I am going to just reinstall windows again because i am pretty sure i messed something up that would haunt me down the road. So as far as making sure things dont get saved to the ssd, i just have to make sure each time i download something that i am saving it to the storage drive?


----------



## Mr HappyClam

for the page filing size, would i just use the 512mb as the initial or maximum size, or both? lol. never tinkered with this before :x


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr HappyClam*
> 
> for the page filing size, would i just use the 512mb as the initial or maximum size, or both? lol. never tinkered with this before :x


both









If you ever get errors say you ran out of memory or something just change it to a larger # like 1GB (1024) or so.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Propensity*
> 
> Well thanks for all the help. I got into PC's this past winter (grew up on mac for 20 years).


Mac!







lol, I want a new retina display Macbook pro atm myself.








Quote:


> Finally feel good about all the components and hardware but still a complete novice when it comes to software stuff. I am going to just reinstall windows again because i am pretty sure i messed something up that would haunt me down the road. So as far as making sure things dont get saved to the ssd, i just have to make sure each time i download something that i am saving it to the storage drive?


I'd just change the downloads folder location to a folder somewhere on your HDD in the Download's properties > location tab.


----------



## Propensity

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Mac!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> lol, I want a new retina display Macbook pro atm myself.


Oh God please dont. Mac has become so user unfriendly for anyone that knows stuff about computers. The new mac's cannot be upgraded or have parts replaced for that matter. The motherboards are glued to the case and same with the screens. If a pixel dies or a ram stick goes bad you now have to replace the entire computer.

Just a further update on the whole situation.

Was most of the way through the other guide when you said it wasn't a good one, so i decided just to finish it just to see how it would work before going for a clean install again.
Turns out after i was "done" i restarted my comp and had 0 programs, like no internet browser or anything. So i restarted again and then found that i could no longer log on to any profile on the computer. So that was a good waste of 3 hours.

Thanks for letting me know, I really do appreciate all the help. Currently installing windows again and then hopefully I can start downloading all my games and such so that i can be operational again tomorrow.


----------



## Mr HappyClam

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> both
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you ever get errors say you ran out of memory or something just change it to a larger # like 1GB (1024) or so.


brought it down to 512mb and havent had any issues. however i have a question about a ramdisk. my mobo [asrock extreme 4] cam with this nifty utility, xfast ram. i was wondering, given now that i have 12gb of ram [last stick will be here in a day or so so ill have 16 overall [yay budgets]] would it be worth setting up and allocating a chunk of ram to make this virtual ram disk? curiosity is gonna get me killed one day. lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Propensity*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Mac!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> lol, I want a new retina display Macbook pro atm myself.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh God please dont. Mac has become so user unfriendly for anyone that knows stuff about computers.
Click to expand...

Hehe, well i do photography and the screens on the macbooks are some of the best when it comes to picture quality and the huge increase in resolution is a big plus. Besides, I would mainly only be using it for school and photo...tho it is a LOT of $.








Quote:


> The new mac's cannot be upgraded or have parts replaced for that matter. The motherboards are glued to the case and same with the screens. If a pixel dies or a ram stick goes bad you now have to replace the entire computer.


I saw.







Still sexy tho.









Quote:


> Just a further update on the whole situation.
> 
> Was most of the way through the other guide when you said it wasn't a good one, so i decided just to finish it just to see how it would work before going for a clean install again.
> Turns out after i was "done" i restarted my comp and had 0 programs, like no internet browser or anything. So i restarted again and then found that i could no longer log on to any profile on the computer. So that was a good waste of 3 hours.
> 
> Thanks for letting me know, I really do appreciate all the help. Currently installing windows again and then hopefully I can start downloading all my games and such so that i can be operational again tomorrow.












Same thing happened to me when i did it. lol. I even tried 3 times -_-.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr HappyClam*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> both
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you ever get errors say you ran out of memory or something just change it to a larger # like 1GB (1024) or so.
> 
> 
> 
> brought it down to 512mb and havent had any issues. however i have a question about a ramdisk. my mobo [asrock extreme 4] cam with this nifty utility, xfast ram. i was wondering, given now that i have 12gb of ram [last stick will be here in a day or so so ill have 16 overall [yay budgets]] would it be worth setting up and allocating a chunk of ram to make this virtual ram disk? curiosity is gonna get me killed one day. lol.
Click to expand...

Go ahead and try it, see if you ahve any use for a RAM disk. I use one for photo editing myself.


----------



## carinae

Hello, thank you for the detailed and informative guide. It's been a couple of weeks since I installed my SSD and I noticed that my HDDs including the plugged in the USB 3.0 take a moment when opening up a folder. My guess is it has something to do with Indexing but I couldn't find the option to control it for each drive. Any suggestions?


----------



## goldbranch

I was wondering if this optimization guide can be applied similarly to SSD Raid 0 setup or is it just for one solely SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *carinae*
> 
> Hello, thank you for the detailed and informative guide. It's been a couple of weeks since I installed my SSD and I noticed that my HDDs including the plugged in the USB 3.0 take a moment when opening up a folder. My guess is it has something to do with Indexing but I couldn't find the option to control it for each drive. Any suggestions?


Use No sleep: http://nosleephd.codeplex.com/

Your external is going into a power down mode after a certain mount of time. No sleep will prevent that.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *goldbranch*
> 
> I was wondering if this optimization guide can be applied similarly to SSD Raid 0 setup or is it just for one solely SSD?


It is for anything. Raid set ups aren't any different.


----------



## goldbranch

Gotcha. Thanks.


----------



## Tumael

Thank you so much for the great guide! I've followed this once before and had great results with my SSD.

I just put most of the parts into a new system, however, ad did a fresh install of Windows 7.

After repeating all the steps, my OCZ Agility 3 seems to be having the same low benchmarks as my old system before I optimized/enabled AHCI.

This time around I've changed the MOBO from an MSI P67-GD65 (B3) to an ASRock Z77 Extreme4.

The Extreme4 (2.0 BIOS) had AHCI enabled by default, so I ran through everything as normal.

I can't seem to figure out what else might be causing the low benchmarks (Avg'ing 200 MB Read/100MB Write) whereas I was closing in on 500/450 previously.



I checked the BIOS again and under another Storage Configuration option, it shows the SATA Drives and when you enter one, it has a toggle for "SSD" or "HDD." The OCZ was set to "HDD" and apparently wasn't auto-detected.

I really have no clue what this option may or may not have to do with setting up the SSD properly as there was no such option on my previous mobo. I'm wondering if installing with it set to "HDD" is causing the behavior.

Appreciate any input anyone might have on my predicament. Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tumael*
> 
> Thank you so much for the great guide! I've followed this once before and had great results with my SSD.
> 
> I just put most of the parts into a new system, however, ad did a fresh install of Windows 7.
> 
> After repeating all the steps, my OCZ Agility 3 seems to be having the same low benchmarks as my old system before I optimized/enabled AHCI.
> 
> This time around I've changed the MOBO from an MSI P67-GD65 (B3) to an ASRock Z77 Extreme4.
> 
> The Extreme4 (2.0 BIOS) had AHCI enabled by default, so I ran through everything as normal.
> 
> I can't seem to figure out what else might be causing the low benchmarks (Avg'ing 200 MB Read/100MB Write) whereas I was closing in on 500/450 previously.
> 
> 
> 
> I checked the BIOS again and under another Storage Configuration option, it shows the SATA Drives and when you enter one, it has a toggle for "SSD" or "HDD." The OCZ was set to "HDD" and apparently wasn't auto-detected.
> 
> I really have no clue what this option may or may not have to do with setting up the SSD properly as there was no such option on my previous mobo. I'm wondering if installing with it set to "HDD" is causing the behavior.
> 
> Appreciate any input anyone might have on my predicament. Thanks!


Scores are normal.

Use ATTO and you will see your 500MB/s read/write. The agility 3 can not achieve that in AS SSD as it test with compressed data which asynchronous NAND can not handle very well compared to synchronous or toggle.


----------



## Nimzo

hi,

i try some of the guide to optimise window 7 and ssd perfomance,
and now i try to boot into bios,and cant!
when i press DEL,i will show up a black screen with 2 option for me to chose,window 7 and memory dignostic tool.
no more blue bios screen.how to boot into it?

thanks for the help


----------



## K2mil

Hi Sean

I fallowed your guide. The SSD was not on dick defragment list, although it says it defragmented 2% is that normal what did I do wrong ??

Thanks K2


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nimzo*
> 
> hi,
> 
> i try some of the guide to optimise window 7 and ssd perfomance,
> and now i try to boot into bios,and cant!
> when i press DEL,i will show up a black screen with 2 option for me to chose,window 7 and memory dignostic tool.
> no more blue bios screen.how to boot into it?
> 
> thanks for the help


I need more info on what you did...
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *K2mil*
> 
> Hi Sean
> 
> I fallowed your guide. The SSD was not on dick defragment list, although it says it defragmented 2% is that normal what did I do wrong ??
> 
> Thanks K2


yea it is normal, my M3 is @ 6% and m4 @26% and the are not on the defragment list.


----------



## milespeed

hello Sean and esteemed ..back again with an issue that plagued me last time.. windows boot manager vanished upon updating bios... and i am hoping someone has a tidy workaround ...issue is that the windows install CD that was used to build the system is not 'recognized or compatable' so i cant get it into system repair ... i can F10 and get into command prompt ,and researched various BCD and bootrec fixes that did not work.. likely because i am GTP and IUED on crucial m4 128 SSD... i used Hirems CD and can see the drive and all data is there behind the partition, but MBR is gone (if thats what it is called on a GTP setup...any help would get you in my will...desperate 5 days of crazy making ..thanx in advance all


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> hello Sean and esteemed ..back again with an issue that plagued me last time.. windows boot manager vanished upon updating bios... and i am hoping someone has a tidy workaround ...issue is that the windows install CD that was used to build the system is not 'recognized or compatable' so i cant get it into system repair ... i can F10 and get into command prompt ,and researched various BCD and bootrec fixes that did not work.. likely because i am GTP and IUED on crucial m4 128 SSD... i used Hirems CD and can see the drive and all data is there behind the partition, but MBR is gone (if thats what it is called on a GTP setup...any help would get you in my will...desperate 5 days of crazy making ..thanx in advance all


http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/220#post_15563816

Basically boot the install disk via the UEFI: DVD/CD option on the BIOS and then run the repair PC.


----------



## milespeed

thank you for the quick Sean... will advise.. hope you are well


----------



## milespeed

option doesn't exist


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> option doesn't exist


----------



## milespeed

wondering if i can burn a new windows disk in UEFI format ..so the MoBo Bios can see it as such and then allow system repair? is there a tutorial you posted early on, like page one







... ( gonna go look now) about how to burn a win7 64 bit Ult disk in UEFI?....if so that's how i should have done it..and how i initially installed the OS and set up the system... i know i had also created a UEFI bootable USB jump drive..and that should work as well if i cna find it or create another one ..thanx


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> wondering if i can burn a new windows disk in UEFI format ..so the MoBo Bios can see it as such and then allow system repair? is there a tutorial you posted early on, like page one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... ( gonna go look now) about how to burn a win7 64 bit Ult disk in UEFI?....if so that's how i should have done it..and how i initially installed the OS and set up the system... i know i had also created a UEFI bootable USB jump drive..and that should work as well if i cna find it or create another one ..thanx


No you don't burn a disc in UEFI format, you just select the UEFI option for the drive in the BIOS.

AKA -> UEFI:


----------



## milespeed

well i thought it might be a workaround for the drives not being listed any longer as UEFI..and it wasn't...... not cd drive nor SSD or other HD on system...bios detected and listed in the past as UEFI...{exception, USB formatted UEFI per your tutorials) .....and running win7 cd or repair cd...or UEFI USB loaded with win7, wont let me get past clicking 'repair system' ..next window informs me :
" This Version of System Recovery Options is not compatable with the version of Windows you are trying to repair. Try using a recovery disc that is compatable with this version of Windows"

so GPT filesystem is my suspect and i think i am looking for a way to rebuild the boot section.. command prompt style likely....or some small prog for rebuilding GPT boot sector...... any ideas ?


----------



## edo101

Sean is there a way to get to more earlier restore points than the ones given when you check "show earlier restore points"?


----------



## milespeed

ok i am back.. thanx... the fix....bios set to IDE... all drives removed except SSD HD and CD drive...AND.. Important...they must be on the same controller on the MoBo.... also ...tho this seems crazy... a random geek blog i read
said it wouldn't work unless at start sceen for win7 cd you tell it you are UK, UK time, UK language,UK money and hit repair..... i dunno, it worked for me ..windows boot manager back ..system boots and i didnt have to rebuild drive (after 5 days of trying things and learnin about GPT and boot systems it uses and linux loaders GRUB2 etc etc i am finally happy .. hope this helps someone in the future...
keep kickin ass Sean!


----------



## akademiks

I'm about to install my first SSD, but I noticed that AHCI is not enabled already in my BIOS.

I'm planning on doing a clean install, but I was wondering, would turning on AHCI have any effect on my storage HDDs that I've got in my PC?


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akademiks*
> 
> I'm about to install my first SSD, but I noticed that AHCI is not enabled already in my BIOS.
> I'm planning on doing a clean install, but I was wondering, would turning on AHCI have any effect on my storage HDDs that I've got in my PC?


Good question. I'd like to know as well. I might be in the same situation this weekend.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> Sean is there a way to get to more earlier restore points than the ones given when you check "show earlier restore points"?


Nope...not that i can think of.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *milespeed*
> 
> ok i am back.. thanx... the fix....bios set to IDE... all drives removed except SSD HD and CD drive...AND.. Important...they must be on the same controller on the MoBo.... also ...tho this seems crazy... a random geek blog i read
> said it wouldn't work unless at start sceen for win7 cd you tell it you are UK, UK time, UK language,UK money and hit repair..... i dunno, it worked for me ..windows boot manager back ..system boots and i didnt have to rebuild drive (after 5 days of trying things and learnin about GPT and boot systems it uses and linux loaders GRUB2 etc etc i am finally happy .. hope this helps someone in the future...
> keep kickin ass Sean!


So...you didnt ahve the CD drive on the native Intel controller? If not that is the whole issue. Nothing to do with that UK thing.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *akademiks*
> 
> I'm about to install my first SSD, but I noticed that AHCI is not enabled already in my BIOS.
> I'm planning on doing a clean install, but I was wondering, would turning on AHCI have any effect on my storage HDDs that I've got in my PC?
> 
> 
> 
> Good question. I'd like to know as well. I might be in the same situation this weekend.
Click to expand...

Secondary HDDs will perform better. Nothing bad will happen.


----------



## wARNING LabeL

Thanks! Great guide!


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope...not that i can think of.
> So...you didnt ahve the CD drive on the native Intel controller? If not that is the whole issue. Nothing to do with that UK thing.
> Secondary HDDs will perform better. Nothing bad will happen.


Does the age (for compatibility reasons) of the HDDs matter or if they're 3 or 6Gbps? I really should know this myself by now, lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope...not that i can think of.
> So...you didnt ahve the CD drive on the native Intel controller? If not that is the whole issue. Nothing to do with that UK thing.
> Secondary HDDs will perform better. Nothing bad will happen.
> 
> 
> 
> Does the age (for compatibility reasons) of the HDDs matter or if their 3 or 6Gbps? I really should know this myself by now, lol.
Click to expand...

As long as it is SATA it is fine. 6GB/s does nothing to increase performance of HDDs atm.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> As long as it is SATA it is fine. 6GB/s does nothing to increase performance of HDDs atm.


Right on. Thanks for the quick clarification. I may get a SSD this weekend and would have two storage drives for samples and VMs! Getting Workstation 8 when I get home from work!


----------



## akademiks

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope...not that i can think of.
> So...you didnt ahve the CD drive on the native Intel controller? If not that is the whole issue. Nothing to do with that UK thing.
> Secondary HDDs will perform better. Nothing bad will happen.


Thanks, just went through with the install and so far, so good.

Another couple of questions I've got if it's not too much of a bother..

I have a Gigabyte EX58-UD4P mobo and after every restart, there's a message that appears. "**This version supports only Hard Disk and CDROM drives**'".. I'm assuming this is due to AHCI, is this normal?

Also, in my mobo, there are two options where I can select AHCI mode.. One is SATA/RAID AHCI mode (where you can select Disabled, RAID or AHCI), and another is Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl mode (where you can select IDE, AHCI, etc). Both of these I've enabled AHCI, but now in my device manager, ATA Channel 0 and ATA Channel 1 have errors saying they cannot start..

And finally, is it safe to connect the drive that Windows 7 was previously installed on?

So sorry about all the questions.. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to SSD's, etc.. It's very new ground for me..

Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akademiks*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope...not that i can think of.
> So...you didnt ahve the CD drive on the native Intel controller? If not that is the whole issue. Nothing to do with that UK thing.
> Secondary HDDs will perform better. Nothing bad will happen.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, just went through with the install and so far, so good.
> 
> Another couple of questions I've got if it's not too much of a bother..
> 
> I have a Gigabyte EX58-UD4P mobo and after every restart, there's a message that appears. "**This version supports only Hard Disk and CDROM drives**'".. I'm assuming this is due to AHCI, is this normal?
Click to expand...

No idea, maybe disable the GSATA/Marvell controller in the BIOS?
Quote:


> Also, in my mobo, there are two options where I can select AHCI mode.. One is SATA/RAID AHCI mode (where you can select Disabled, RAID or AHCI), and another is Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl mode (where you can select IDE, AHCI, etc). Both of these I've enabled AHCI, but now in my device manager, ATA Channel 0 and ATA Channel 1 have errors saying they cannot start..


I am not sure of that mobo, make a separate thread i'd say.
Quote:


> And finally, is it safe to connect the drive that Windows 7 was previously installed on?
> 
> So sorry about all the questions.. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to SSD's, etc.. It's very new ground for me..
> 
> Thanks.


Yep. Just set the boot priority to the correct drive.


----------



## akademiks

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No idea, maybe disable the GSATA/Marvell controller in the BIOS?
> I am not sure of that mobo, make a separate thread i'd say.
> Yep. Just set the boot priority to the correct drive.


Thanks again.. I've been dealing with PC for the last 5 or 6 hours, getting everything reinstalled and whatnot..

Didn't foresee this being such a pain in the butt...

Sadly, it seems like I may have done something wrong. All of my secondary drives (everything that is NOT my SSD) now show up as disks that can be ejected and removed.. They all have the suffix "ATA drive".. Apparently this means they're hot swappable.. But I've never experienced this before. Not sure if it's any reason to be alarmed.

And FYI, I installed a Samsung 830, so I don't think it's the Marvell controller in my BIOS..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akademiks*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> No idea, maybe disable the GSATA/Marvell controller in the BIOS?
> I am not sure of that mobo, make a separate thread i'd say.
> Yep. Just set the boot priority to the correct drive.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again.. I've been dealing with PC for the last 5 or 6 hours, getting everything reinstalled and whatnot..
> 
> Didn't foresee this being such a pain in the butt...
> 
> Sadly, it seems like I may have done something wrong. All of my secondary drives (everything that is NOT my SSD) now show up as disks that can be ejected and removed.. They all have the suffix "ATA drive".. Apparently this means they're hot swappable.. But I've never experienced this before. Not sure if it's any reason to be alarmed.
Click to expand...

You should be able to disable hotswap in the BIOS settings. If not then: http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware
Quote:


> And FYI, I installed a Samsung 830, so I don't think it's the Marvell controller in my BIOS..


DISABLE AND KILL THEM PORTS! RAWR! lol


----------



## akademiks

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You should be able to disable hotswap in the BIOS settings. If not then: http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware
> DISABLE AND KILL THEM PORTS! RAWR! lol


Going to dive back into the BIOS tomorrow and try to get this sorted out.

Here's a pic of the section in my BIOS that deals with SATA/RAID/AHCI/other pains in my ass


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!















And my device manager, which might be indicating the root of my problems..


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!















And my mistake, every drive I've plugged in is hot-swappable, including my SSD.

Is this usual for drives in AHCI mode? I don't really want to put my storage drives at risk or anything here.. It's got me a bit paranoid lol.


----------



## iARDAs

Hey there Sean

is there a, or will there be a Windows 8 version of this beautiful guide?

I installed my system and SSD thanks to your guide here, but will probably get my hands onto Windows 8 when it comes out.

Thank you.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akademiks*
> 
> Going to dive back into the BIOS tomorrow and try to get this sorted out.
> 
> Here's a pic of the section in my BIOS that deals with SATA/RAID/AHCI/other pains in my ass
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


I really don't understand all the stuff in your BIOS, I have only used ASUS. You may need to google that stuff/ read your mobo manual.
Quote:


> And my device manager, which might be indicating the root of my problems..
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


What does it say is the issue?
Quote:


> And my mistake, every drive I've plugged in is hot-swappable, including my SSD.


There is no way to disable hotswap on your mobo? That is dumb that they left that out.
Quote:


> Is this usual for drives in AHCI mode? I don't really want to put my storage drives at risk or anything here.. It's got me a bit paranoid lol.


Yea, AHCI enables the ability for hotswap. Nothing is at risk.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iARDAs*
> 
> Hey there Sean
> 
> is there a, or will there be a Windows 8 version of this beautiful guide?
> 
> I installed my system and SSD thanks to your guide here, but will probably get my hands onto Windows 8 when it comes out.
> 
> Thank you.


There has been one and it has been in the stickies and my sig for about 5 months now: http://www.overclock.net/t/1240779/seans-windows-8-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds

D:


----------



## akademiks

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I really don't understand all the stuff in your BIOS, I have only used ASUS. You may need to google that stuff/ read your mobo manual.
> What does it say is the issue?
> There is no way to disable hotswap on your mobo? That is dumb that they left that out.
> Yea, AHCI enables the ability for hotswap. Nothing is at risk.
> There has been one and it has been in the stickies and my sig for about 5 months now: http://www.overclock.net/t/1240779/seans-windows-8-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds
> D:


Sean, thanks so much for your help. I was able to figure everything out.

The first two parts of my BIOS ("SATA RAID/AHCI mode") were for the Intel ICH10 sata chipset, and the bottom two ("Onboard SATA/IDE") were for the Gigabyte GSATA. Since I wasn't using GSATA, I disabled it and the problems in my device manager went away.

Then I installed the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver and my drives don't show up anymore in the Add/Remove dialog.

Much appreciated!


----------



## iARDAs

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> months now: http://www.overclock.net/t/1240779/seans-windows-8-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds
> D:


Hmmmmmmm

Got it thanks 

I am guessing that the final build of Windows 8 will be just fine with that walkthrough?


----------



## milespeed

could be your are right... that is the physical /mathematical logic...on this Mobo.. Asus p68... there are 3 groups of controllers, 2 marvell SATA (dk Blu), the main 2wo Gray SATA 6 and 6 jmicron SATA 3.0 (lt Blu)... i had the CD drive on the slower marvell controller and the SSD and 10k spinner Hitachi 2TB on the 2wo main fast gray intel controller.....i mentioned the UK thing because i DIDNT switch the drives (CD and SSD) onto the same controller last time i had this issue and fixed it with a linux kernel boot repair program and using the UK settings ... thanx!


----------



## edo101

Sean, how do I set the documents folder and others on my OS to another HDD. I liked what you did on my computer (before I reinstalled again) where you changed the location of documents to be in D

BTW I read performance tests deteriorate SSDs? is this true?


----------



## TJ31

Hello. I've got SSD not long ago ( crucial m4 128gb) and I wonder if those test are ok... Tbh I think they do look about weird.
I made 2 partitions on it ( used Sean's guide from this thread with 1024 blocks ), C and Z. C has windows 7 and all that stuff, Z has some software and games ( 2 so far ).
Here's pics of tests with as ssd. C partition looks like it should be, but Z seems kinda slow. Crystal disk bench shows a bit different numbers, but still Z is much slower than C.
C: http://postimage.org/image/66x75ajzp/
Z: http://postimage.org/image/j0ubw44qp/
So my question obviously... is that ok?
Aligment for ssd looks like that.: http://postimage.org/image/ck8q6yz2d/
I mean it's the same ssd, both partitions aligned to 1024, but 2nd partition's so slow. I think it could be windows/drivers based, since 1st partitions works ok.

Other info ( doubt it's needed, but still ). asrock z68 mobo, sata 3 port ( intel ), intel rst drivers, 1 ssd ( this one) with 2 partitions, 1 hdd with 1 partition.

Edit:
After 2 more formats I fixed it... I think. Formating in to ntfs with 1024 blocks didnt't worked, so I set it to default and it actually worked. Now both partitions shows the same speed/score +-1-3%.
Still wonder why it's happened though.


----------



## Smackdabblefish

Thank you for your time and effort. Great job!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iARDAs*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> months now: http://www.overclock.net/t/1240779/seans-windows-8-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds
> 
> D:
> 
> 
> 
> Hmmmmmmm
> 
> Got it thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am guessing that the final build of Windows 8 will be just fine with that walkthrough?
Click to expand...

I don't know. The final Windows 8 has not been released yet.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101*
> 
> Sean, how do I set the documents folder and others on my OS to another HDD. I liked what you did on my computer (before I reinstalled again) where you changed the location of documents to be in D


User folder > folder you want to move > properties > location tab...it is in the guide.
Quote:


> BTW I read performance tests deteriorate SSDs? is this true?


After lots of writes it can, or if it is filled, or other stuff.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TJ31*
> 
> Hello. I've got SSD not long ago ( crucial m4 128gb) and I wonder if those test are ok... Tbh I think they do look about weird.
> I made 2 partitions on it ( used Sean's guide from this thread with 1024 blocks ), C and Z. C has windows 7 and all that stuff, Z has some software and games ( 2 so far ).
> Here's pics of tests with as ssd. C partition looks like it should be, but Z seems kinda slow. Crystal disk bench shows a bit different numbers, but still Z is much slower than C.
> C: http://postimage.org/image/66x75ajzp/
> Z: http://postimage.org/image/j0ubw44qp/
> So my question obviously... is that ok?
> Aligment for ssd looks like that.: http://postimage.org/image/ck8q6yz2d/
> I mean it's the same ssd, both partitions aligned to 1024, but 2nd partition's so slow. I think it could be windows/drivers based, since 1st partitions works ok.
> 
> Other info ( doubt it's needed, but still ). asrock z68 mobo, sata 3 port ( intel ), intel rst drivers, 1 ssd ( this one) with 2 partitions, 1 hdd with 1 partition.
> 
> Edit:
> After 2 more formats I fixed it... I think. Formating in to ntfs with 1024 blocks didnt't worked, so I set it to default and it actually worked. Now both partitions shows the same speed/score +-1-3%.
> Still wonder why it's happened though.


Why does the Z drive have a 24GB partition before the Z partition?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Smackdabblefish*
> 
> Thank you for your time and effort. Great job!


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> The final Windows 8 has not been released yet.


Final build's out already and has been released to OEMs and to MSDN/TechNet subscribers. It's just not available for sale to consumers at the moment.


----------



## gponcho

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Final build's out already and has been released to OEMs and to MSDN/TechNet subscribers. It's just not available for sale to consumers at the moment.


Not really liking the feel of Windows 8. I think it will be fine for Notbooks or Notepads but for PC's. I know you can kind of go back to a windows 7 feel but I would love to have my start button on the bottom left hand corner. Can someone elaborate a bit more on windows 8? I hear that not to many people like it.


----------



## Gunderman456

Will be using this guide shortly! Thanks OP!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> The final Windows 8 has not been released yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Final build's out already and has been released to OEMs and to MSDN/TechNet subscribers. It's just not available for sale to consumers at the moment.
Click to expand...

Are iARDAs and I not consumers?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gponcho*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Final build's out already and has been released to OEMs and to MSDN/TechNet subscribers. It's just not available for sale to consumers at the moment.
> 
> 
> 
> Not really liking the feel of Windows 8. I think it will be fine for Notbooks or Notepads but for PC's. I know you can kind of go back to a windows 7 feel but I would love to have my start button on the bottom left hand corner. Can someone elaborate a bit more on windows 8? I hear that not to many people like it.
Click to expand...

Windows 8 blows.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Are iARDAs and I not consumers?


Easy enough for anyone (even regular consumers) to get their hands on Windows 8 RTM iso. I think you're allowed a 90-day trial. You just can't _buy_ a license yet.


----------



## TJ31

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why does the Z drive have a 24GB partition before the Z partition?


That's not really a 24GB partition, that's how diskpart shows aligment for some partitions I think. Before reinstall I had ( on HDD ) that 100mb partition and diskpart had some "weird" offset numbers for my disk, while 100mb partition had 1024kb offset.
Here's quote from another forum I found.
Quote:


> Note: Some readers and users of this tutorial got confused because the alignment numbers in a typical Windows7 installation are shown as:
> 
> 1024KB for the 100MB partition
> 101MB for the next partition - which is most likely the C partition
> 
> They think that 101MB is not divisible by 4 and that there must be a problem. But that is not so. If you convert 101MBs into KBs (multiply by 1024), then the number is divisible by 4 and the partition is aligned.


On my 1TB HDD with 3 partitions I had 1024 for that 100mb one, then 101 for C and much higher for D.

Here's what I get with "wmic partition get BlockSize, StartingOffset, Name, Index"

>wmic partition get BlockSize, StartingOffset, Name, Index
BlockSize Index Name StartingOffset
512 0 Disk #0, Partition #0 1048576
512 1 Disk #0, Partition #1 26215448576
512 0 Disk #1, Partition #0 1048576

If divide those offsets by 1024, then partition C on SSD and HDD will have exactly 1024 offset and 26215448576/1024=25601024. Right what as ssd shows.
http://postimage.org/image/mj3kjw1jv/

I'm a bit confused myself and probably it would've been easier to not bother with partitions for SSD, but just in case if something goes wrong with windows, I prefer to not have anything installed there except windows itself and a few more drivers.
But seems now all works like it should be, although I didn't used SSDs before, so hard to tell if it's really like that. But if AS SSD shows "ok ok" and bench test are ok... then it must be ok.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TJ31*
> 
> Here's quote from another forum I found.


Lol, I believe it was Sean who posted that quote from xandypx in one of his guides.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TJ31*
> 
> That's not really a 24GB partition, that's how diskpart shows aligment for some partitions I think. Before reinstall I had ( on HDD ) that 100mb partition and diskpart had some "weird" offset numbers for my disk, while 100mb partition had 1024kb offset.
> 
> On my 1TB HDD with 3 partitions I had 1024 for that 100mb one, then 101 for C and much higher for D.
> 
> Here's what I get with "wmic partition get BlockSize, StartingOffset, Name, Index"
> 
> >wmic partition get BlockSize, StartingOffset, Name, Index
> BlockSize Index Name StartingOffset
> 512 0 Disk #0, Partition #0 1048576
> 512 1 Disk #0, Partition #1 26215448576
> 512 0 Disk #1, Partition #0 1048576
> 
> If divide those offsets by 1024, then partition C on SSD and HDD will have exactly 1024 offset and 26215448576/1024=25601024. Right what as ssd shows.
> http://postimage.org/image/mj3kjw1jv/
> 
> I'm a bit confused myself and probably it would've been easier to not bother with partitions for SSD, but just in case if something goes wrong with windows, I prefer to not have anything installed there except windows itself and a few more drivers.
> But seems now all works like it should be, although I didn't used SSDs before, so hard to tell if it's really like that. But if AS SSD shows "ok ok" and bench test are ok... then it must be ok.


Unless you manually created a partition starting at an offset of 25601024K, yes, you do have a 24GB partition. Actually, looking at your earlier post, C: is a 24GB partition at an offset of 1MB while Z: is a 94GB partition at an offset of 25,501MB. You can't have a 1024K offset for both partitions. That would mean the partitions overlap each other. Naturally, the offset for your 2nd partition would be _after_ the 1st partition.

However, it is weird that your 2nd partition is so much slower than the 1st.


----------



## TJ31

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rui-no-onna*
> 
> Lol, I believe it was Sean who posted that quote from xandypx in one of his guides.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Unless you manually created a partition starting at an offset of 25601024K, yes, you do have a 24GB partition. Actually, looking at your earlier post, C: is a 24GB partition at an offset of 1MB while Z: is a 94GB partition at an offset of 25,501MB. You can't have a 1024K offset for both partitions. That would mean the partitions overlap each other. Naturally, the offset for your 2nd partition would be _after_ the 1st partition.
> However, it is weird that your 2nd partition is so much slower than the 1st.


Ah I see, thanks for the information. Now it makes sense why 2nd/3rd/etc partitions on the same physical disk have so weird offsets compared to the 1st one.

And both partitions have about the same speed now.
At 1st I used Sean's guide to install Win7 without that hidden 100mb partition, then in windows I did shrink partition C. Then I've created new partion Z using that unallocated space I've got after shrinking. I've used windows 7 format tool and set it 1024 bytes, result was very slow partition Z, while C was fine.
I reformated it once more using 1024 and result was the same, then I reformated it and set default allocation size and now 2nd partition got the same speed as the 1st one.
http://postimage.org/image/m335y41t5/
So I guess it's really fixed and now I can finally enjoy silent and fast windows and software boot/work. Although now I hate GPUs cooling system even more ( still using original GF100 fermi ), it's a way too loud when GPU's temp reachs low 90s. >.>

Edit.
Maybe a bit offtopic question, but how do I move youtube/streams cache to HDD? Normal Firefox cache doesnt bother me, I clean it once a week and it rarely hits 1GB limit. But youtube/streams... It can reach over 50gb/day if I'm at PC for a whole day ( I do have youtube/streams on my 2nd monitor while I'm working).
I tried to move firefox cache to HDD, but it moved normal cache only, then I tried to move TEMP files from %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp to HDD, but youtube videos still caching on disk C. It does use about 600MB+ during caching of 20min long video in 720p, then after caching is done, those 600mb is free to use on disk C again.

Edit2:
Found a way how to do it by myself. Need to edit 4 environment variables. User variables for TEMP and TMP and system variables for both of those too. If edit either user or system ones, youtube cached videos still will be cached to ssd in the end.


----------



## kujon

Hey Sean, it's been about a year since I've reformatted my computer so it's about time. I remember there being sticky for a thread on those that owned a hdd and an ssd. I remember setting up the user profile (intially the example was called Pro-pc in their tutorial) and from there, they moved the folders in the users folder (including the hidden ones) and edited the registry slightly so that everything that normally happened in the user folders went to the hdd. does this thread still exist and wouldnt that be easier then having to manually edit each folders location inside of the user folder? thanks


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kujon*
> 
> Hey Sean, it's been about a year since I've reformatted my computer so it's about time. I remember there being sticky for a thread on those that owned a hdd and an ssd. I remember setting up the user profile (intially the example was called Pro-pc in their tutorial) and from there, they moved the folders in the users folder (including the hidden ones) and edited the registry slightly so that everything that normally happened in the user folders went to the hdd. does this thread still exist and wouldnt that be easier then having to manually edit each folders location inside of the user folder? thanks


I'm pretty sure that's covered/mentioned in the OP somewhere.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kujon*
> 
> Hey Sean, it's been about a year since I've reformatted my computer so it's about time. I remember there being sticky for a thread on those that owned a hdd and an ssd. I remember setting up the user profile (intially the example was called Pro-pc in their tutorial) and from there, they moved the folders in the users folder (including the hidden ones) and edited the registry slightly so that everything that normally happened in the user folders went to the hdd. does this thread still exist and wouldnt that be easier then having to manually edit each folders location inside of the user folder? thanks


Oh gosh, if you want that thread here you go: http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization

Have fun with that.


----------



## kujon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Oh gosh, if you want that thread here you go: http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization
> Have fun with that.


i get the sense you're not a big fan of that one. sorry if i sound misinformed because I've been out of the picture with ssds lately. Are there a couple reasons why you'd recommend manually editing each folders properties to change its save location? i searched through the guide for an answer but couldn't nail down a definitive answer. thanks sean


----------



## XiCynx

Hey there,

I just setup my new system. Have never had an OS installed on it, Only have an SSD(OCZ Vertex 4 w/ newest Firmware). The hard drive initially showed up and I was able to open the command prompt and it showed as disk 0. I selected it, and cleaned it. Everything was good. But when I entered in the command 'convert mbr' it took some time and then said that the HDD was offline. Since then it is not showing up.

I have tried 2 different sata cables, I have tried two different sata ports, one being sata 6, the other being sata 3. I can tell the drive is getting power as there is a faint green light by the sata power that does turn on when it is plugged into my power supply. The motherboard I am using is the ASUS Rampage IV Formula. The BIOS sata options are set to AHCI and I have tried with the Built in sata controller both on and off with no results. Any ideas on what may have happened of how to get this to show back up again?


----------



## r3pshow

I've got a OCZ vertex 4 128 as boot drive, if I install the browser on the SSD would that affect the performance and the life time of my SSD ??

thanks for the very helpful thread ^^ !


----------



## stellamonster7

Hi Sean,
I just want to thank you from one fellow Floridian to another for your hard work and dedication to this topic. I'm going all the way back to page number 1 when I say thank you. As long as we have patience and basic knowledge, clearly you can show us the way. I know you can't take credit for it all, but you can take credit for organizing it all in one place, uploading videos, providing your personal touch and knowledge, and continuing to support us all. It's probably been said thousands of times in this thread alone, but no amount of thank you's can express the joy that I get when I follow your instructions, your links, your info, then read, absorb it (this is the key part) and apply it....and presto chango...it works!
THANKS!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kujon*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Oh gosh, if you want that thread here you go: http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization
> Have fun with that.
> 
> 
> 
> i get the sense you're not a big fan of that one. sorry if i sound misinformed because I've been out of the picture with ssds lately. Are there a couple reasons why you'd recommend manually editing each folders properties to change its save location? i searched through the guide for an answer but couldn't nail down a definitive answer. thanks sean
Click to expand...

B/c that guide is excessive and not the best way to go about moving the user's folder and leaves much room for error. I've even done it 3 times without success lol. There are better ways to move the user folder if you like.

I like to just do the folders individually so I don't have my AppData folder on my HDD and keep it on my SSD. Also, it makes it easier to set up my system when i reinstall/revert to a backup image.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XiCynx*
> 
> Hey there,
> 
> I just setup my new system. Have never had an OS installed on it, Only have an SSD(OCZ Vertex 4 w/ newest Firmware). The hard drive initially showed up and I was able to open the command prompt and it showed as disk 0. I selected it, and cleaned it. Everything was good. But when I entered in the command 'convert mbr' it took some time and then said that the HDD was offline. Since then it is not showing up.
> 
> I have tried 2 different sata cables, I have tried two different sata ports, one being sata 6, the other being sata 3. I can tell the drive is getting power as there is a faint green light by the sata power that does turn on when it is plugged into my power supply. The motherboard I am using is the ASUS Rampage IV Formula. The BIOS sata options are set to AHCI and I have tried with the Built in sata controller both on and off with no results. Any ideas on what may have happened of how to get this to show back up again?


0.o I honestly have no clue. It definitely should not have disappeared. You can't even get it in the BIOS? Maybe corrupted MBR? Go to the OCZ forums for help maybe.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *r3pshow*
> 
> I've got a OCZ vertex 4 128 as boot drive, if I install the browser on the SSD would that affect the performance and the life time of my SSD ??
> 
> thanks for the very helpful thread ^^ !


Nope.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stellamonster7*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> I just want to thank you from one fellow Floridian to another for your hard work and dedication to this topic. I'm going all the way back to page number 1 when I say thank you. As long as we have patience and basic knowledge, clearly you can show us the way. I know you can't take credit for it all, but you can take credit for organizing it all in one place, uploading videos, providing your personal touch and knowledge, and continuing to support us all. It's probably been said thousands of times in this thread alone, but no amount of thank you's can express the joy that I get when I follow your instructions, your links, your info, then read, absorb it (this is the key part) and apply it....and presto chango...it works!
> THANKS!


----------



## XiCynx

I think I figured it out on a whim. I was using the supplied SATA III Cable. I guess SATA II Devices are not detected with SATA III Cables. Who would've thought! I decided to hook one of the Sata III Cables up after performing the following steps and it works great now. Not sure which part did it. I may get fancy after the Windows install and move it back over to a SATA III Cable just to see if that indeed was the issue. I appreciate the advice though guys! Thanks!

1. Remove all your SSD connector and RAM.
2. CLR CMOS.
3. Remove the motherboard battery (3-5 mins)
4. Put the battery back.
5. Put back the ram and OCZ SSD .
6. Power up and see if the bios detect the SSD or not.
7. Switched SATA III Cable for SATA II Cable, plugging SSD into SATA 3gbps port #1

Update: I performed the following steps


Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
Type List Disk, press Enter.
Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type Clean, press Enter.
Type Convert MBR, press Enter. (Do this if drive was previously GPT formatted)
Type Exit, press Enter.
Close the Command Prompt window.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
After I click install now it brings me to a screen asking for 'a driver to be installed'. But there are no drivers as I have everything set to AHCI mode. The drive is showing up in Diskpart still though. Is there any way to get around this 'load drivers' window asking me to insert a CD/DVD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XiCynx*
> 
> I think I figured it out on a whim. I was using the supplied SATA III Cable. I guess SATA II Devices are not detected with SATA III Cables. Who would've thought! I decided to hook one of the Sata III Cables up after performing the following steps and it works great now. Not sure which part did it. I may get fancy after the Windows install and move it back over to a SATA III Cable just to see if that indeed was the issue. I appreciate the advice though guys! Thanks!
> 
> 1. Remove all your SSD connector and RAM.
> 2. CLR CMOS.
> 3. Remove the motherboard battery (3-5 mins)
> 4. Put the battery back.
> 5. Put back the ram and OCZ SSD .
> 6. Power up and see if the bios detect the SSD or not.
> 7. Switched SATA III Cable for SATA II Cable, plugging SSD into SATA 3gbps port #1


All SATA cables are the same, no actual difference except that SATA 3 cables have a locking clip at the connector. Your cable you used may just be a bad cable or the CLR CMOS/battery removal did it.
Quote:


> Update: I performed the following steps
> 
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media.
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> Type Convert MBR, press Enter. (Do this if drive was previously GPT formatted)
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> After I click install now it brings me to a screen asking for 'a driver to be installed'. But there are no drivers as I have everything set to AHCI mode. The drive is showing up in Diskpart still though. Is there any way to get around this 'load drivers' window asking me to insert a CD/DVD?


It shouldn't be asking you for a driver...the default msahci one should load fine. Is the drive plugged into the native port for sure? lol

If anything get the IRST driver from your DVD/CD and put it on a USB or use the Disc and install the driver.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> All SATA cables are the same, no actual difference except that SATA 3 cables have a locking clip at the connector.


Correction, the locking clip came with SATA 2 so there shouldn't be a difference between SATA 2 and so-called SATA 3 cables.


----------



## Sean Webster

I thought I had read different before. Thanks.


----------



## XiCynx

I am going to switch it back over to the other cable and see if it still shows up. Just for poops and giggles while I try and figure out this driver thing.

Update:

After changing it to the other cable in the SATA 6gbps port, the drive no longer showed up. I switched the cable in the 6gbps port and nothing still showed up. I plugged it back into the 3gbps port and the drive is there again. very odd, I wonder if I have some bad 6gbps ports. :/


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XiCynx*
> 
> I am going to switch it back over to the other cable and see if it still shows up. Just for poops and giggles while I try and figure out this driver thing.
> 
> Update:
> 
> After changing it to the other cable in the SATA 6gbps port, the drive no longer showed up. I switched the cable in the 6gbps port and nothing still showed up. I plugged it back into the 3gbps port and the drive is there again. very odd, I wonder if I have some bad 6gbps ports. :/


Make sure it is in the Intel port, not the ASMedia.


----------



## XiCynx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *XiCynx*
> 
> I am going to switch it back over to the other cable and see if it still shows up. Just for poops and giggles while I try and figure out this driver thing.
> 
> Update:
> 
> After changing it to the other cable in the SATA 6gbps port, the drive no longer showed up. I switched the cable in the 6gbps port and nothing still showed up. I plugged it back into the 3gbps port and the drive is there again. very odd, I wonder if I have some bad 6gbps ports. :/
> 
> 
> 
> Make sure it is in the Intel port, not the ASMedia.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
Click to expand...

Love the paint skills.









I do in fact have it plugged into the Intel SATA port; SATA6G_1, it is plugged into the top one which is port 1.

Update: Now it is showing up in the 6gbps port. I have no idea what is going on. I have tried plugging in an alternate thumb drive to the one I am booting from but it isn't being detected. Unless I may have to have it plugged in before the windows installation has started.

I don't have access to a cd drive right now, which one of these is the correct one to put on the thumb drive?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XiCynx*
> 
> Love the paint skills.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I do in fact have it plugged into the Intel SATA port; SATA6G_1, it is plugged into the top one which is port 1.


Thanks.








Quote:


> Update: Now it is showing up in the 6gbps port. I have no idea what is going on. I have tried plugging in an alternate thumb drive to the one I am booting from but it isn't being detected. Unless I may have to have it plugged in before the windows installation has started.
> 
> I don't have access to a cd drive right now, which one of these is the correct one to put on the thumb drive?


Use the top driver. If it doesn't work then try the second from the top.


----------



## XiCynx

Looks like it wasn't the drivers after all. When I moved my USB drive from the 3.0 port in the back to the 2.0 port, the installation started no problem. Highly odd but a learning experience nonetheless! Lets hope that the rest of the installation goes good as I created my own stripped down installation using RT Seven Lite.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XiCynx*
> 
> Looks like it wasn't the drivers after all. When I moved my USB drive from the 3.0 port in the back to the 2.0 port, the installation started no problem. Highly odd but a learning experience nonetheless! Lets hope that the rest of the installation goes good as I created my own stripped down installation using RT Seven Lite.


You could have told me that before! lol Only native chipset USB ports should be used during install! Third party do not have driver support by the install disc.









let me know if you have any other issues.


----------



## kujon

any particular reason why to keep the appdata folder on an ssd? i figured it would be a good idea to move it since it's ~10 gigs for me


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

* RECAPPING* ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan* 

Hi Sean ... I will post asking for help and advice down the road, as you are certainly one of the SSD Guru's around here









In the meantime I'm reading through all your guides first trying to gain as much forehand knowledge as I can as I'm still learning how to set-up and properly configure my first build to function as well as possible so could use some advice in the near future.

What I have is a Crucial M4 64 GB SSD, Crucial M4 128 GB SSD and a WD Caviar Black 1 TB HDD, with an Asus ROG Maximus IV Gene Z68 MoBo and i7-2600K, and WIN 7 Pro 64 bit. And my thought was, to use the 128 GB SSD as the BOOT/OS Drive, the 64 GB SSD as a Cache Drive, and the 1 TB HDD as the Data/Storage Drive, there's also a 500 GB HP Portable Pocket media HDD for back-ups and file transfers and such. Kinda looking for some advice and guidance on my best options going forward. But I've never work with a RAID set-up before and as I mentioned this has been my first computer build I've done myself, always just bought mediocre off-the-shelf Computers before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Sean Webster* 
The 128GB boot drive will still have TRIM functioning. The other 64GB as a cache drive to the HDD will not have TRIM functioning as it is basically in a array with the HDD.
TRIM will work for you as long as you do not have two SSDs configured in a RAID 0 array. The updated driver is so TRIM will function with SSDs in a RAID 0 array. You are not setting up SSDs in a RAID 0 array.


> Sounds good. Up to you on how you use then.
> You could run the two 500GB drive in RAID 0 for speed for games or something.
> The Extra 1TB as a mirror backup of your caviar black and/or if you choose to put the two 500GB in a RAID 0 array use it as a backup for that.
> The 500GB portable HDD for the HP still if you like.
> If you have more questions let me know.


Hi again Sean ...

OK I've read through your guides and others around the Web ... and I'm just trying to get some feedback that I'm on the right path and what I'm doing is correct.

This is what I've done and/or am working on ...

Went into Asus ROG Maximus IV Gene Z68 MoBo BIOS and set *RAID* as default for future Intel SRT Cache use, (This created a *QUESTION* though, as I now have a RAID screen that pops up during the POST/BOOT stage, is there a way to turn this off, or do I need to enter the RAID screen to make adjustments ? or is that Screen just Part of using RAID ?)

Updated the SSD Firmware, Updating all MoBo BIOS, and Drivers.

I installed the Crucial M4 128 GB SSD as the *OS/Boot drive*, and did a clean Install of WIN 7 64bit, installed Kaspersky and Malawarebytes, in addition to a couple other Utility programs. And after some of your tweaks this uses up about *16* GB so far.

I installed the WD Caviar Black 1 TB HDD as the DATA / GAMES / PROGRAMS *Storage drive*, but I'm still in the middle of moving over my USER File, et all over and trying to decide what all should/would be best served going here and keeping OFF the SSD OS/Boot drive, not only for storage capacity reasons, but also for ease of set-up/re-installation of Windows if and when needed. As I assume in some ways it's best to actually minimize what is installed on the OS/Boot drive, and hopefully if the Storage HDD Drive is cached via the smaller SSD games and programs I load on it should be speed up as well to some degree correct ? I mean there's no real world reason to install MS Office on an SSD other than having it OPEN faster right, it won't speed up how fast you type or enter data into a spreed sheet, or is my thinking off and just go ahead and install MS Office on the OS/Boot SSD also to speed it up ?









I installed the Crucial M4 64 GB SSD, and will use it as the *Intel SRT cache drive*, don't have this set-up just yet, as there is still data I need to transfer off it, and do a secure erase before setting up the Cache Option.

I'm keeping the 500 GB HP Portable Pocket media HDD for Critical DATA/FILE back-ups and data/file transfers and such.

So far these are the various *Optimizations* and *Tweaks* I've either DONE and/or am in the middle of doing, plan to do ;

=========================================================================================


Disabled HIBERNATION (Desktop, so not needed anyway)
Shrink the size of the PAGE FILE, but keep it installed on the C:\ SSD Drive
Move the INDEXING FILE off of the C:\ SSD Drive and put it on the D:\ HDD Drive (is this worth doing ? was recommended elsewhere, will this even WORK if NOT on the C:\ drive ?)
Shrink the size of the SYSTEM 'PROTECTION' RESTORE File
Changed the POWER OPTIONS settings as YOU outline
Move the USER FOLDER (and sub-folders) OFF of the C:\ SSD Drive and put on the D:\ HDD Drive as *YOU* outline, not the ' Other ' way








Checked that TRIM was Enabled
Checked that DEFRAG is DISABLED
Shrink the SSD Volume or "SHORT STROKE" the SSD by 25% (is this worth doing ?)
Move GAMES FOLDER Off of the C:\ SSD Drive and put on the D:\ HDD Drive

(Maybe keep only the 1 game I play DAILY on the SSD ? will the other games on the HDD have faster load times, etc as a result of SSD cache or will it not effect them much ?)


 Maybe move MS OFFICE PRO 2010 Off of the C:\ SSD Drive and put on the D:\ HDD Drive

(Again will the SSD cache effect the performance enough ? or is the OFFICE program small enough as long as the DATA files are on the HDD, to be installed on the SSD,

as I guess it's not that much work to Re-Install it along with Windows should I have to redo the SSD in the future ?)


 Ran the WIN 7 Experience Index Assessment, got 7.9's

Again just looking for some advice and guidance that What I'm doing / plan on doing above is correct going forward.
Thanks again for your time Sean,


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kujon*
> 
> any particular reason why to keep the appdata folder on an ssd? i figured it would be a good idea to move it since it's ~10 gigs for me


Program and OS files are in there, having them on the SSD is beneficial for speeds. Also, for me it is easier to keep stuff organized from install to install buy not moving the whole User folder over to another and ti is faster.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Hi again Sean ...


OMG attack of the purple and BB code to match! lol.









Actually it does make it harder to read and reply to the post as I quote stuff then read it.








Quote:


> OK I've read through your guides and others around the Web ... and I'm just trying to get some feedback that I'm on the right path and what I'm doing is correct.
> 
> This is what I've done and/or am working on ...
> 
> Went into Asus ROG Maximus IV Gene Z68 MoBo BIOS and set *RAID* as default for future Intel SRT Cache use, (This created a*QUESTION* though, as I now have a RAID screen that pops up during the POST/BOOT stage, is there a way to turn this off, or do I need to enter the RAID screen to make adjustments ? or is that Screen just Part of using RAID ?)


I think you may have an option to disable it under onboard devices in your UEFI. At there very bottom there is a Intel something option you can enable and disable and i think that is what it is. However, I am not sure, I have forgotten when I was messing with it.
Quote:


> Updated the SSD Firmware, Updating all MoBo BIOS, and Drivers.
> 
> I installed the Crucial M4 128 GB SSD as the *OS/Boot drive*, and did a clean Install of WIN 7 64bit, installed Kaspersky and Malawarebytes, in addition to a couple other Utility programs. And after some of your tweaks this uses up about *16* GB so far.
> 
> I installed the WD Caviar Black 1 TB HDD as the DATA / GAMES / PROGRAMS *Storage drive*, but I'm still in the middle of moving over my USER File, et all over and trying to decide what all should/would be best served going here and keeping OFF the SSD OS/Boot drive, not only for storage capacity reasons, but also for ease of set-up/re-installation of Windows if and when needed. As I assume in some ways it's best to actually minimize what is installed on the OS/Boot drive, and hopefully if the Storage HDD Drive is cached via the smaller SSD games and programs I load on it should be speed up as well to some degree correct ?


I usually put all my programs on the OS disk as it is easier for me to know what will be lost during a system crash/failure/restore and to know if I have a backup of any data I need.

SSD caching will increase the performance of the programs/games on the HDD if they are used often, if other files are used more they may be cached instead.
Quote:


> I mean there's no real world reason to install MS Office on an SSD other than having it OPEN faster right, it won't speed up how fast you type or enter data into a spreed sheet, or is my thinking off and just go ahead and install MS Office on the OS/Boot SSD also to speed it up ?


Word 2010 opens right as I click a file or the icon. I like it fast, I like all my programs to work as fast as possible. I also like keeping things simple and kept grouped together for organizing and keeping track. So I say Office on the SSD imo.
Quote:


> I installed the Crucial M4 64 GB SSD, and will use it as the *Intel SRT cache drive*, don't have this set-up just yet, as there is still data I need to transfer off it, and do a secure erase before setting up the Cache Option.
> 
> I'm keeping the 500 GB HP Portable Pocket media HDD for Critical DATA/FILE back-ups and data/file transfers and such.
> 
> So far these are the various *Optimizations* and *Tweaks* I've either DONE and/or am in the middle of doing, plan to do ;
> =========================================================================================
> 
> Disabled HIBERNATION (Desktop, so not needed anyway)
> Shrink the size of the PAGE FILE, but keep it installed on the C:\ SSD Drive
> Move the INDEXING FILE off of the C:\ SSD Drive and put it on the D:\ HDD Drive (is this worth doing ? was recommended elsewhere, will this even WORK if NOT on the C:\ drive ?)


Up to you on the indexing, I've never moved mine as I never felt the need to take OS files off my OS drive. It should still work as normal.
Quote:


> [*] Shrink the size of the SYSTEM 'PROTECTION' RESTORE File
> [*] Changed the POWER OPTIONS settings as YOU outline
> [*] Move the USER FOLDER (and sub-folders) OFF of the C:\ SSD Drive and put on the D:\ HDD Drive as *YOU* outline, not the ' _Other_ ' way
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [*] Checked that TRIM was Enabled
> [*] Checked that DEFRAG is DISABLED
> [*] Shrink the SSD Volume or "SHORT STROKE" the SSD by 25% (is this worth doing ?)


Depends on your SSD usage when it comes to overparitioning. If you are writing many GB's of files to a SSD a day then yes, it is worth it to over provision. If you are an ordinary user writing a few GB a day say 5-15GB from normal tasks like internet, a few media downloads, etc. then it is not needed.

Quote:


> [*] Move GAMES FOLDER Off of the C:\ SSD Drive and put on the D:\ HDD Drive
> 
> (Maybe keep only the 1 game I play DAILY on the SSD ? will the other games on the HDD have faster load times, etc as a result of SSD cache or will it not effect them much ?)


Up to you on how you like to set things.
Quote:


> Maybe move MS OFFICE PRO 2010 Off of the C:\ SSD Drive and put on the D:\ HDD Drive
> (Again will the SSD cache effect the performance enough ? or is the OFFICE program small enough as long as the DATA files are on the HDD, to be installed on the SSD,


Caching should work adequately as long as that is used often enough for it to be cached.
Quote:


> as I guess it's not that much work to Re-Install it along with Windows should I have to redo the SSD in the future ?)


Nope, takes me about 15min to restore a backup image and then about 1-2 hours to set everything up how I like again when I start over. Thankfully my data is always backed up every night, I never have to worry about program files being lost or anything. I just do a restore and drag and drop the old custom program config files i need over.
Quote:


> Ran the WIN 7 Experience Index Assessment, got 7.9's
> 
> Again just looking for some advice and guidance that What I'm doing / plan on doing above is correct going forward.
> 
> Thanks again for your time Sean,


----------



## K2mil

Shan I've been having some isues with my SSD here is what i posted on Intel Forum

Hello
I purchased an Intel 330 SSD 60 GB. The main reason I did so was to replace my
OCZ Vertex 3 SSD that was unreliable. I decided that I will go with Intel brand
SSD for my operating system disk and ocz as my spare gaming, program disk. Well
I started getting the bad freezes its very random I would leave my pc on and
when I got to work I couldn't connect remotely to it. After I got back home I discovered
that its frozen. Everything would be on but the disk led on my case would not
blink no I/O device would work. Only thing left was hard reset. In even viewer
there was a critical error associated to unexpected shutdown kernel power 41.
There was no other error that would refer to the freeze. The other day
everything was fine I was able to connect remotely while at work, I got back
home everything was fine. I wanted to play some when I double click on the icon
system froze. I got mad I think maybe it's my Geforce 680 GTX but i have like
850W PSU so can't be. I had all the Intel Drivers Installed including RST and Management.
As someone suggested I uninstalled the RST driver and will see if there is any
issues from now on

Could you make any suggestions
Thanks


----------



## noobhell

A question shouldn't you change the location of your browser cache into the ram to prevent extra writes using an ssd?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *K2mil*
> 
> Shan I've been having some isues with my SSD here is what i posted on Intel Forum
> 
> Hello
> I purchased an Intel 330 SSD 60 GB. The main reason I did so was to replace my
> OCZ Vertex 3 SSD that was unreliable. I decided that I will go with Intel brand
> SSD for my operating system disk and ocz as my spare gaming, program disk. Well
> I started getting the bad freezes its very random I would leave my pc on and
> when I got to work I couldn't connect remotely to it. After I got back home I discovered
> that its frozen. Everything would be on but the disk led on my case would not
> blink no I/O device would work. Only thing left was hard reset. In even viewer
> there was a critical error associated to unexpected shutdown kernel power 41.
> There was no other error that would refer to the freeze. The other day
> everything was fine I was able to connect remotely while at work, I got back
> home everything was fine. I wanted to play some when I double click on the icon
> system froze. I got mad I think maybe it's my Geforce 680 GTX but i have like
> 850W PSU so can't be. I had all the Intel Drivers Installed including RST and Management.
> As someone suggested I uninstalled the RST driver and will see if there is any
> issues from now on
> 
> Could you make any suggestions
> Thanks


It's S*e*an...

This kind of veers of the topic of this thread. Please make a separate thread for your issue.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *noobhell*
> 
> A question shouldn't you change the location of your browser cache into the ram to prevent extra writes using an ssd?


You can if you like, no need to.


----------



## [email protected]

Hey Sean is a Intel 520 Cherryville 240gb a good SSD? Are all requirements in disabling a lot of stuff prior to your guide still a requirement for bigger SSD to have better gaming performance and as a primary OS?

As for security. Since a lot of things are disabled. I always wondered if that's safe? Like having UAC off?

As for OS would it be better to use a actual OEM or a upgrade version. I have the old vista but the code never works cuz i think my serials got stolen offline somehow. It just simply doesn't work anymore. As much i could call Microsoft and get a new number since i have a legit copy but i am very annoyed by the machine lol.

I cannot hear the phone that good.

I do have a WIN 7 upgrade and i have to use registry to trick it to make my serial work. And by any means I DO not pirate at ALL. This is a legit copy. This makes me wonder if i should go ahead and get the SSD and a OEM OS to be safe?

I'm trying to add new space since BF3 will have ARMORED KILL and fall is about to start and we all know there will be more new games coming out. Just wanted to get ready for a new build later.

For now i gotta go small cuz i know Sandy or Ivy costs a bit.

I could never do RAID cuz i had never done it before lol.

Would having a bigger SSD drive take more memory?

If so then i could consider getting 16gb for the time being and hold all my build plans til holiday season cuz we ALL know NewEgg will pull cheaper prices on Sandy Bridges and other stuff. It's been a year now and i am certain prices will be better this year. I know the sale wasn't so special last year but i am looking forward to this one because i think it's a major sale. Just a possibility.

If anyone is interested in my current SSD let me know







It's for sale. Haven't made a thread yet.

What would happen if i NEVER disabled anything on your guide? Would that harm the SSD at all?

But the moot point. OF COURSE i'll use your guide though lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Hey Sean is a Intel 520 Cherryville 240gb a good SSD?


Yes
Quote:


> Are all requirements in disabling a lot of stuff prior to your guide still a requirement for bigger SSD to have better gaming performance and as a primary OS?


There are no requirements in disabling a lot of stuff...
Quote:


> As for security. Since a lot of things are disabled. I always wondered if that's safe? Like having UAC off?


Yes
Quote:


> As for OS would it be better to use a actual OEM or a upgrade version. I have the old vista but the code never works cuz i think my serials got stolen offline somehow. It just simply doesn't work anymore. As much i could call Microsoft and get a new number since i have a legit copy but i am very annoyed by the machine lol.
> 
> I cannot hear the phone that good.
> 
> I do have a WIN 7 upgrade and i have to use registry to trick it to make my serial work. And by any means I DO not pirate at ALL. This is a legit copy. This makes me wonder if i should go ahead and get the SSD and a OEM OS to be safe?


Use Windows 7.
Quote:


> I'm trying to add new space since BF3 will have ARMORED KILL and fall is about to start and we all know there will be more new games coming out. Just wanted to get ready for a new build later.
> 
> For now i gotta go small cuz i know Sandy or Ivy costs a bit.
> 
> I could never do RAID cuz i had never done it before lol.
> 
> Would having a bigger SSD drive take more memory?


No
Quote:


> If so then i could consider getting 16gb for the time being and hold all my build plans til holiday season cuz we ALL know NewEgg will pull cheaper prices on Sandy Bridges and other stuff. It's been a year now and i am certain prices will be better this year. I know the sale wasn't so special last year but i am looking forward to this one because i think it's a major sale. Just a possibility.
> 
> If anyone is interested in my current SSD let me know
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's for sale. Haven't made a thread yet.
> 
> What would happen if i NEVER disabled anything on your guide?


It wouldn't be disabled.
Quote:


> Would that harm the SSD at all?


Defrag should not be enabled for the SSD.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It wouldn't be disabled.


----------



## [email protected]

Of course defragging can harm. What are the safe things you can leave on for a larger SSD drive?

As much disabling so much stuff only adds performance but i wonder if it affects the life span of the drive by doing that so?

I have no intention for benchmarks cuz i already know this SSD will run really good on anything.

Should i continue the same routine disabling a lot of things to make the SSD work well or only plug and play and disable the ONLY requirements to make it work without any problems like Defragging for example...

Just would like your input on this because i never had owned a LARGER SSD and it's gonna be my second SSD now.

I need to sell the 80gb drive.

I bet i am gonna get some buyers fast.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It wouldn't be disabled.
Click to expand...

lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Of course defragging can harm. What are the safe things you can leave on for a larger SSD drive?


Anything, everything listed is optional for small or large drives, size doesn't make a difference.
Quote:


> As much disabling so much stuff only adds performance but i wonder if it affects the life span of the drive by doing that so?


Maybe longer due to a few less writes....but insignificantly longer. lol
Quote:


> I have no intention for benchmarks cuz i already know this SSD will run really good on anything.


After full set up and after everything is installed you should post a screenshot of AS SSD just to verify.
Quote:


> Should i continue the same routine disabling a lot of things to make the SSD work well or only plug and play and disable the ONLY requirements to make it work without any problems like Defragging for example...


it is really up to you on what you want to do. I do certain things for my rig that i leave alone for other people's rigs as people have different uses from one to another.
Quote:


> Just would like your input on this because i never had owned a LARGER SSD and it's gonna be my second SSD now.


Nothing different from having a small SSD. You will just have more room.









I have a list of what I do most of the time for my system listed in the guide, feel free to do those more or less.


----------



## [email protected]

Thanks for all your help Sean. I will post pictures when the decision has come to end. Thanks again.

I also put up my INtel 80gig for sale on the marketplace. So swing by there if you wanna STEAL a deal from me.

LIMITED TIME PRICE! Go look up Main Components section







Game on!


----------



## Sean Webster

That would be nice for my laptop, yet I got no spending money for tech stuff atm.


----------



## [email protected]

SO TEMPTED and found a good great deal right now but i have NO clue if this even is a GOOD ssd at all.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3430185&Sku=P67-7024&cm_re=Homepage-_-Spot%2001a-_-CatId_5298_P67-7024

Not very aware with this brand and deserves to be known.

I figure you guys wanna see this anyways just to take an advantage of the price for such a large SSD drive.

No clue if it's a good SSD at all.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> SO TEMPTED and found a good great deal right now but i have NO clue if this even is a GOOD ssd at all.
> 
> http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3430185&Sku=P67-7024&cm_re=Homepage-_-Spot%2001a-_-CatId_5298_P67-7024
> 
> Not very aware with this brand and deserves to be known.
> 
> I figure you guys wanna see this anyways just to take an advantage of the price for such a large SSD drive.
> 
> No clue if it's a good SSD at all.


It's a great SSD. I have the 128GB version.


----------



## [email protected]

Really? I am just torn between the INtel 240gb and this one. Don't know what would be wise.

As much i am used to INtel and it's firmware and tool but this one i am not familiar with.

Never seen this brand before but i guess i can take your word for it. I haven't decided for the moment.

I do wanna sell my current SSD soon however. Surprised nobody has bothered to PM me for the sale. The sale thread has been up for an hour now.


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> OMG attack of the purple and BB code to match! lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Actually it does make it harder to read and reply to the post as I quote stuff then read it.


Sorry about that







... what can I say ... Die Hard LA Kings Hockey Fan, so I'm proud of my *Royal Purple*









Thanks for the feedback though ... looks like I'm on the correct path, thanks for your advice and these Guides, you're an asset to the OCN community.


----------



## Jayjr1105

I know this should probably go into the appraisals thread but what do you think this G.Skill Phoenix Pro is worth now?


And what do you guys think about replacing it with this
The G.Skill drive has been rock solid from day 1, even through all the FW updates. I would just like the extra space.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> I know this should probably go into the appraisals thread but what do you think this G.Skill Phoenix Pro is worth now?


Make the appraisal thread, like $50-60?
Quote:


> And what do you guys think about replacing it with this
> The G.Skill drive has been rock solid from day 1, even through all the FW updates. I would just like the extra space.


ewwwww, don't.

Get something from my suggested SSDs or highend SandForce drives listed here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#user_SeansrecommendedSSDs


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Make the appraisal thread, like $50-60?
> ewwwww, don't.
> Get something from my suggested SSDs or highend SandForce drives listed here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#user_SeansrecommendedSSDs


Thanks for the heads up on the Corsair. What would my Phoneix Pro be? Asynchronous? And what about this one? Out of the high end Sandforce drives on the list I suppose this would be the best buy unless that Phoenix III is "high end"


----------



## Kubi01

I have Windows 7 installed, as soon as I switch my bios to RAID from AHCI I get a BSOD right after the Windows splash screen on start up. It works perfectly fine when bios is set to AHCI. Any idea why this happens or know a way I can fix it?

I have 64 GB SSD as my main drive and 2 500 GB HD's I was planning on using in RAID 0.

EX58-UD5
i7 920
6GB 1600


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Make the appraisal thread, like $50-60?
> ewwwww, don't.
> Get something from my suggested SSDs or highend SandForce drives listed here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread#user_SeansrecommendedSSDs
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the heads up on the Corsair. What would my Phoneix Pro be? Asynchronous? And what about this one? Out of the high end Sandforce drives on the list I suppose this would be the best buy unless that Phoenix III is "high end"
Click to expand...

gskill one is asynchronous

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kubi01*
> 
> I have Windows 7 installed, as soon as I switch my bios to RAID from AHCI I get a BSOD right after the Windows splash screen on start up. It works perfectly fine when bios is set to AHCI. Any idea why this happens or know a way I can fix it?
> 
> I have 64 GB SSD as my main drive and 2 500 GB HD's I was planning on using in RAID 0.
> 
> EX58-UD5
> i7 920
> 6GB 1600


you need to change a registry value first: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kubi01*
> 
> I have Windows 7 installed, as soon as I switch my bios to RAID from AHCI I get a BSOD right after the Windows splash screen on start up. It works perfectly fine when bios is set to AHCI. Any idea why this happens or know a way I can fix it?
> I have 64 GB SSD as my main drive and 2 500 GB HD's I was planning on using in RAID 0.
> EX58-UD5
> i7 920
> 6GB 1600


That blue screen is normal when you switch from AHCI to RAID. You don't need to turn on RAID in the BIOS if you are striping your secondary drives. Just do a software RAID within Windows. If you wan't to do a hardware RAID you will need to adjust the registry to boot your SSD while on RAID mode. Otherwise you will need to do a fresh install with the BIOS set to RAID.


----------



## Kubi01

Thanks so much Sean and Jay.


----------



## Lord Xeb

This thread is a horrible piece of-OMG WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!

<3 Seans thread


----------



## solsamurai

Hey guys I tried searching for it first but must be really tired....after I install Windows on my new SSD (gift from an awesome friend) can I simply reconnect the old OS HDD and access whatever files I'd like to retrieve? Then I'd just use whatever program (diskpart?) after that to wipe the entire drive clean so I can use it as a dedicated drive for VMs and audio files/libraries for music production. Correct or major brain fart? Thanks doods.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Hey guys I tried searching for it first but must be really tired....after I install Windows on my new SSD (gift from an awesome friend) can I simply reconnect the old OS HDD and access whatever files I'd like to retrieve?


You are correct.
Quote:


> Then I'd just use whatever program (diskpart?) after that to wipe the entire drive clean so I can use it as a dedicated drive for VMs and audio files/libraries for music production. Correct or major brain fart? Thanks doods.


You can just go into disk management and delete the partitions on the disk then format the whole drive.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You are correct.
> You can just go into disk management and delete the partitions on the disk then format the whole drive.


Lol, see I didn't even think about using disk management. Looking forward to my son getting older and sleeping in. I miss getting more than 5 hours a night soooo bad!









Thanks as always Sean.


----------



## axipher

Hey Sean, I'm running a 120 GB Solid 3 in my LAN rig with a P55 + Xeon X3480 and my rig will randomly restart with no BSOD then get stuck on the "Insert Boot Media" error and requires a cold boot to power up.

Any idea on what could be causing this? I have the system back at stock and have tried another motherboard and same thing on both.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *axipher*
> 
> Hey Sean, I'm running a 120 GB Solid 3 in my LAN rig with a P55 + Xeon X3480 and my rig will randomly restart with no BSOD then get stuck on the "Insert Boot Media" error and requires a cold boot to power up.
> 
> Any idea on what could be causing this? I have the system back at stock and have tried another motherboard and same thing on both.


Firmware latest?


----------



## axipher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *axipher*
> 
> Hey Sean, I'm running a 120 GB Solid 3 in my LAN rig with a P55 + Xeon X3480 and my rig will randomly restart with no BSOD then get stuck on the "Insert Boot Media" error and requires a cold boot to power up.
> 
> Any idea on what could be causing this? I have the system back at stock and have tried another motherboard and same thing on both.
> 
> 
> 
> Firmware latest?
Click to expand...

I believe so, I'll check again tonight when I get home.


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> ... set *RAID* as default for future Intel SRT Cache use, (This created a *QUESTION* though, as I now have a RAID screen that pops up during the POST/BOOT stage, is there a way to turn this off, or do I need to enter the RAID screen to make adjustments ? or is that Screen just Part of using RAID ?)
> 
> 
> 
> I think you may have an option to disable it under onboard devices in your UEFI. At there very bottom there is a Intel something option you can enable and disable and i think that is what it is. However, I am not sure, I have forgotten when I was messing with it.
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Move the USER FOLDER (and sub-folders) OFF of the C:\ SSD Drive and put on the D:\ HDD Drive as *YOU* outline, not the ' Other ' way
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again for your time Sean,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

With regard to the RAID screen that pops up ... I take it it's the *Intel RST Option ROM screen* where I'm suppose to press ( ctrl + I ) , to be setting up the RAID volumes IF I were actually using RAID for something more than just the SSD Cache option ... and thus would the UEFI BIOS option you're talking about be the " *DISPLAY Option ROM in POST* " Enable / Disable ... this looks like it to me, but looking for a 2nd trusted opinion before I disable it.

Secondly ... in your Guide, and the way you actually set-up moving the USER file(s) / sub-folders ... do you actually move each sub-folder over to the HDD one by one ? can't you just move the USER Folder ? ... ie move your *SEAN Folder* over to HDD thus all the sub-folders come with it ... or is this *NOT* possible ?

I'm asking because SOMETHING I did really messed the hell out of things, and I think I'm going to have to *RE*-*re*-*install* Windows to fix it







as when I tried to move the My Pictures Sub-folder I either typed in the wrong location somehow, as it created some bizarre directory tree that put an D:\ drive icon on the C:\ drive User Folder, and put all the Sub-Folders in the My Pictures folders on the D:\ drive ... don't ask me I haven't a CLUE as to how I did it







*I'ma bonehead* ...







like I said I think I gotta RE-re-install Windows to fix this ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> With regard to the RAID screen that pops up ... I take it it's the _*Intel RST Option ROM screen*_ where I'm suppose to press ( ctrl + I ) , to be setting up the RAID volumes IF I were actually using RAID for something more than just the SSD Cache option ... and thus would the UEFI BIOS option you're talking about be the " _*DISPLAY Option ROM in POST*_ " Enable / _Disable _... this looks like it to me, but looking for a 2nd trusted opinion before I disable it.


Possibly, TEST IT!
Quote:


> Secondly ... in your Guide, and the way you actually set-up moving the USER file(s) / sub-folders ... do you actually move each sub-folder over to the HDD one by one ?


Yep, it is easier and safer to do it that way.
Quote:


> can't you just move the USER Folder ? ... ie move your *SEAN Folder* over to HDD thus all the sub-folders come with it ... or is this *NOT* possible ?


You can, but it calls for some actual work to do so. Definitely not as easy.
Quote:


> I'm asking because SOMETHING I did really messed the hell out of things, and I think I'm going to have to *RE*-*re*-*install* Windows to fix it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> as when I tried to move the My Pictures Sub-folder I either typed in the wrong location somehow, as it created some bizarre directory tree that put an D:\ drive icon on the C:\ drive User Folder, and put all the Sub-Folders in the My Pictures folders on the D:\ drive ... don't ask me I haven't a CLUE as to how I did it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *I'ma bonehead* ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> like I said I think I gotta RE-re-install Windows to fix this ?


You can fix it. i just did something similar today.

First, take your data and organize it how you want it to be on the disk, then do the reg edits for your folders that are messed up.
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html

Then adjust the user folder locations once more and don't set it to D:\, instead set to D:\Pictures or D:\Documents, etc.


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> Possibly, TEST IT!


 Nutz ... *NOT IT* ... switching it to DISABLED had no effect on the Intel RST RAID Volume screen pop up in the POST process, it still popped-up.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> You can fix it. i just did something similar today.
> First, take your data and organize it how you want it to be on the disk, then do the reg edits for your folders that are messed up.
> http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html
> Then adjust the user folder locations once more and don't set it to D:\, instead set to D:\Pictures or D:\Documents, etc.


Found link to the *WIN 7* version just in case it's different from the *VISTA* version ... http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html

Also ... *DERP!*







didn't think about it ... but I guess I could just create a NEW User Profile as the WIN 7 install is so fresh hardly no data in the Profile yet, and that would FIX it without having to re-install Win 7 too right ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Quote:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Possibly, TEST IT!
> 
> 
> 
> Nutz ... *NOT IT* ... switching it to DISABLED had no effect on the Intel RST RAID Volume screen pop up in the POST process, it still popped-up.
Click to expand...

Well, I have my SATA mode set to RAID and I can't get that screen to pop up in the first place myself, Ctrl + I doesn't work. I had to configure my RAID array in the OS lol.

Actually it is this. Go to the boot tab in your UEFI. > Option Rom Messages > Set to Keep current. It will no longer show you the press crtl + i screen at boot.







I just tested it out.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can fix it. i just did something similar today.
> 
> First, take your data and organize it how you want it to be on the disk, then do the reg edits for your folders that are messed up.
> http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html
> 
> Then adjust the user folder locations once more and don't set it to D:\, instead set to D:\Pictures or D:\Documents, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> Found link to the *WIN 7* version just in case it's different from the *VISTA* version ... http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html
> 
> Also ... *DERP!*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> didn't think about it ... but I guess I could just create a NEW User Profile as the WIN 7 install is so fresh hardly no data in the Profile yet, and that would FIX it without having to re-install Win 7 too right ?
Click to expand...

yea you could lol


----------



## XiCynx

Well, here we go again. I had everything working great on my PC, so I decided to plug in another sata hard drive for storage. I have my SSD plugged into my SATA6G_1 port(which is the intel) and I plugged my HDD into the SATA3G_3 port(1 and 2 are covered by the gfx). The HDD is showing up fine, the SSD disappeared from the bios. When I unplugged the HDD, the SSD did not show back up, when I plugged the SSD into the SATA3G_3 port, the SSD shows up. So I plugged it back into the Intel SATA6G_! slot and still nothing. But it was showing up before I plugged in the storage HDD. Any idea as to why my SSD won't show up in the 6G port but it does the 3G?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XiCynx*
> 
> Well, here we go again. I had everything working great on my PC, so I decided to plug in another sata hard drive for storage. I have my SSD plugged into my SATA6G_1 port(which is the intel) and I plugged my HDD into the SATA3G_3 port(1 and 2 are covered by the gfx). The HDD is showing up fine, the SSD disappeared from the bios. When I unplugged the HDD, the SSD did not show back up, when I plugged the SSD into the SATA3G_3 port, the SSD shows up. So I plugged it back into the Intel SATA6G_! slot and still nothing. But it was showing up before I plugged in the storage HDD. Any idea as to why my SSD won't show up in the 6G port but it does the 3G?


Your BIOS up to date?

My main idea is that it is the OCZ drive XD, jk.

I really can't think of a good reason why it would disappear tho. Make a separate thread, ill try to think of something when I get back home later today.


----------



## [email protected]

Got a Samsung 830 256gb on the way possibly by tomorrow and i'm stoked to try it out.

Glad this won't take long to install things now









Gonna have to use your guide again to be sure i don't miss anything important







:thumb:


----------



## CattleCorn

This guide worked great for me last time, and I'll be using it for my MITX build this time.


----------



## XiCynx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Your BIOS up to date?
> 
> My main idea is that it is the OCZ drive XD, jk.
> 
> I really can't think of a good reason why it would disappear tho. Make a separate thread, ill try to think of something when I get back home later today.


Lol! Oh you are a funny one.









It seems that I was able to fix it by pulling the motherboard battery. That was the only thing I was able to do. Restting the CMOS did not do anything. I did take the extra storage HDD out though, as I would rather just have my main system online. But I feel like this can be a big issue in the future when I put an additional 6 HDD's in there. So I know that this is not as issue with the SSD since pulling the battery did get it to show back up. I was able to put my overclock back on after pulling the battery and the SSD is still there. Does something change with the way the motherboard detect items in the SATA ports when you plug a new HDD in? I've never had something like this happen to me before. Almost makes me wish I could go back and get a different board now.


----------



## InnerUrge

Hi Sean (and everyone else), have read through the forms on several occasions but felt compelled to join this time and say thanks for putting together this great guide-- I was about to follow another that apparently has been giving pains to many users and literally only stopped because I saw this one. So thanks for saving me and my new build from potential chaos









I have a few lingering questions though I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me out with (sorry if any of them are newb







):

1. I'd already installed a fresh Win 7 on my brand new build when I saw this guide, so didn't know to disconnect my HDD while installing the OS on the SSD. Is there any way to check/make certain that the boot sector was installed on my SSD and not the HDD (as warned in the guide)?

2. When following the instructions to disable the Indexing feature I get the following warning:

"An error occurred applying attributes to the file: C:\Program Files\Commo...\Alphabet.xml Access is denied."

I chose 'Ignore All' and windows proceeded with processing. Has it been preformed correctly or am I doing something wrong?

* Also, I wasn't sure what to do in the following step within the "Indexing options" page. How is this different from the indexing feature I had disabled, and what adjustments should I make here?

3. I moved all the folders with the exception of 'Searches' from the User account in C:\ to my HDD.

Can I/Should I move any additional folders such as Temp, Program Files, etc from the SSD to the HDD?

4. Any tips on how to decide which programs to install on the SSD and which can go on the HDD?

(I know it's generally recommended to keep only intensive programs for Video/Image editing on the SSD--but what about device Drivers or applications like MS Office?)

Just wondering if there are some guidelines to follow her (like keeping all Windows related programs in one place or something like that)..

5. Lastly, I have an option to enable/disable/configure the following features:

-Intel Rapid Start
-Intel Smart Response
-Intel Smart Connect

But for the life of me I can't figure out what they are. Do they have anything to do with having an SSD boot drive? Should I enable them?

Thanks in advance!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XiCynx*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Your BIOS up to date?
> 
> My main idea is that it is the OCZ drive XD, jk.
> 
> I really can't think of a good reason why it would disappear tho. Make a separate thread, ill try to think of something when I get back home later today.
> 
> 
> 
> Lol! Oh you are a funny one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It seems that I was able to fix it by pulling the motherboard battery. That was the only thing I was able to do. Restting the CMOS did not do anything. I did take the extra storage HDD out though, as I would rather just have my main system online. But I feel like this can be a big issue in the future when I put an additional 6 HDD's in there. So I know that this is not as issue with the SSD since pulling the battery did get it to show back up. I was able to put my overclock back on after pulling the battery and the SSD is still there. Does something change with the way the motherboard detect items in the SATA ports when you plug a new HDD in? I've never had something like this happen to me before. Almost makes me wish I could go back and get a different board now.
Click to expand...

Weird. Sounds like something that would happen on an AMD mobo. lol
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *InnerUrge*
> 
> Hi Sean (and everyone else), have read through the forms on several occasions but felt compelled to join this time and say thanks for putting together this great guide-- I was about to follow another that apparently has been giving pains to many users and literally only stopped because I saw this one. So thanks for saving me and my new build from potential chaos
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a few lingering questions though I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me out with (sorry if any of them are newb
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ):
> 
> 1. I'd already installed a fresh Win 7 on my brand new build when I saw this guide, so didn't know to disconnect my HDD while installing the OS on the SSD. Is there any way to check/make certain that the boot sector was installed on my SSD and not the HDD (as warned in the guide)?


Yep, in disk management you will see a 100MB system reserve partition. If it is on the HDD then it is tied to your booting of the OS on the SSD. If it is on the SSD then it is on the SSD. If you don't see a 100MB system reserve then you don't need to think about it.
Quote:


> 2. When following the instructions to disable the Indexing feature I get the following warning:
> 
> "An error occurred applying attributes to the file: C:\Program Files\Commo...\Alphabet.xml Access is denied."
> 
> I chose 'Ignore All' and windows proceeded with processing. Has it been preformed correctly or am I doing something wrong?


Normal.
Quote:


> * Also, I wasn't sure what to do in the following step within the "Indexing options" page. How is this different from the indexing feature I had disabled, and what adjustments should I make here?


That is just the windows to adjust all then Indexing settings on how you use Windows search (indexing is Windows search). You can leave it as i or adjust to your liking. I enabled indexing in there for my D: drive as that is where all my personal files are and I use the Windows search often to look for my items.
Quote:


> 3. I moved all the folders with the exception of 'Searches' from the User account in C:\ to my HDD.
> 
> Can I/Should I move any additional folders such as Temp, Program Files, etc from the SSD to the HDD?


You can, however I wouldn't bother going through the hassle myself.
Quote:


> 4. Any tips on how to decide which programs to install on the SSD and which can go on the HDD?
> 
> (I know it's generally recommended to keep only intensive programs for Video/Image editing on the SSD--but what about device Drivers or applications like MS Office?)
> 
> Just wondering if there are some guidelines to follow her (like keeping all Windows related programs in one place or something like that)..


ALL programs are installed to my SSD. I only use HDDs for mass data storage. I never install programs on slow HDDs...besides my steam library that contains the steam app.








Quote:


> 5. Lastly, I have an option to enable/disable/configure the following features:
> 
> -Intel Rapid Start
> -Intel Smart Response
> -Intel Smart Connect
> 
> But for the life of me I can't figure out what they are. Do they have anything to do with having an SSD boot drive? Should I enable them?
> 
> Thanks in advance!


I have no clue, I never looked into those things before. I am guessing that you have a laptop or something? Maybe make a separate thread for that.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ALL programs are installed to my SSD. I only use HDDs for mass data storage. I never install programs on slow HDDs...besides my steam library that contains the steam app.


So you install Steam and games to HDD or just the Steam library? I was thinking about installing one or two games on the SSD and when finished deleting them and moving on the the next two.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ALL programs are installed to my SSD. I only use HDDs for mass data storage. I never install programs on slow HDDs...besides my steam library that contains the steam app.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So you install Steam and games to HDD or just the Steam library? I was thinking about installing one or two games on the SSD and when finished deleting them and moving on the the next two.
Click to expand...

I just have my steam folder placed on my D drive (RAID 0 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12s). I don't really game much either.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just have my steam folder placed on my D drive (RAID 0 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12s). I don't really game much either.


I'm wondering if it will make that much difference on my current system to do the same vs. installing on the SSD. I don't have much time for games these days...


----------



## InnerUrge

Thanks for the quick response, Sean!
Quote:


> Yep, in disk management you will see a 100MB system reserve partition. If it is on the HDD then it is tied to your booting of the OS on the SSD.


Yep -- there it is on the HDD... I thought I'd read somewhere that this 100mb partition is only used for backup/restore rather than boot, but I must have misread something. Should I then follow the instructions in your Extra Tips section to move the Reserve Partition to the SSD, or would it be better to just do a clean install?
Quote:


> That is just the windows to adjust all then Indexing settings on how you use Windows search (indexing is Windows search). You can leave it as i or adjust to your liking. I enabled indexing in there for my D: drive as that is where all my personal files are and I use the Windows search often to look for my items.


Sorry for if I'm being thick, just to make sure -- if I leave it as is after I'd already disabled indexing on C:\ Drive via Right-Click-->Properties, would there be any additional wear to the SSD simply by using the Windows Start menu search box to search items located on my C:\ drive?
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> 3. I moved all the folders with the exception of 'Searches' from the User account in C:\ to my HDD.
> 
> Can I/Should I move any additional folders such as Temp, Program Files, etc from the SSD to the HDD?
> 
> 
> 
> You can, however I wouldn't bother going through the hassle myself.
Click to expand...

So I guess the main purpose of doing these optimizations in your view is to conserve SSD space rather than minimize writes?

Thanks again for your help!


----------



## nickrsk

Just some notes about UEFI win7 installations at nova days
Manufactures of mobos are in preparation for win8.
Asus just moved to ".CAP" BIOS versions (p9x79) and as a result you have just only two options for system download: "win8" or "*UEFI and other legasy bios*"
So if you want to install win7 in UEFI mode it's very important to use right source: USB FAT32 or CD prepared for only UEFI boot (it's easy to do with oscdimg.exe).
And you do not have use step "convert to GPT" for system drive, it will be done automatically by windows.( There is always a possibility of conflict between BIOS shell and windows automatic installation steps (I met it with Asus rampage extreme IV installing RAID 0))


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *solsamurai*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just have my steam folder placed on my D drive (RAID 0 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12s). I don't really game much either.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm wondering if it will make that much difference on my current system to do the same vs. installing on the SSD. I don't have much time for games these days...
Click to expand...

probably not much, just a little slower/not as snappy.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *InnerUrge*
> 
> Thanks for the quick response, Sean!
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Yep, in disk management you will see a 100MB system reserve partition. If it is on the HDD then it is tied to your booting of the OS on the SSD.
> 
> 
> 
> Yep -- there it is on the HDD... I thought I'd read somewhere that this 100mb partition is only used for backup/restore rather than boot, but I must have misread something. Should I then follow the instructions in your Extra Tips section to move the Reserve Partition to the SSD, or would it be better to just do a clean install?
Click to expand...

you can leave it if you like, if you want to remove it then just do the small guide on removing it.No need to reinstall.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> That is just the windows to adjust all then Indexing settings on how you use Windows search (indexing is Windows search). You can leave it as i or adjust to your liking. I enabled indexing in there for my D: drive as that is where all my personal files are and I use the Windows search often to look for my items.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for if I'm being thick, just to make sure -- if I leave it as is after I'd already disabled indexing on C:\ Drive via Right-Click-->Properties, would there be any additional wear to the SSD simply by using the Windows Start menu search box to search items located on my C:\ drive?
Click to expand...

wear? the writes from indexing doesnt' matter.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> 3. I moved all the folders with the exception of 'Searches' from the User account in C:\ to my HDD.
> 
> Can I/Should I move any additional folders such as Temp, Program Files, etc from the SSD to the HDD?
> 
> 
> 
> You can, however I wouldn't bother going through the hassle myself.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> So I guess the main purpose of doing these optimizations in your view is to conserve SSD space rather than minimize writes?
> 
> Thanks again for your help!
Click to expand...

correct, no need to be concerned about writes on your SSD.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nickrsk*
> 
> Just some notes about UEFI win7 installations at nova days
> Manufactures of mobos are in preparation for win8.
> Asus just moved to ".CAP" BIOS versions (p9x79) and as a result you have just only two options for system download: "win8" or "*UEFI and other legasy bios*"
> So if you want to install win7 in UEFI mode it's very important to use right source: USB FAT32 or CD prepared for only UEFI boot (it's easy to do with oscdimg.exe).
> And you do not have use step "convert to GPT" for system drive, it will be done automatically by windows.( There is always a possibility of conflict between BIOS shell and windows automatic installation steps (I met it with Asus rampage extreme IV installing RAID 0))


cool, ill look into that more. got any links?


----------



## BradleyW

What is the best 120GB SSD that is mega quick and cheap?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> What is the best 120GB SSD that is mega quick and cheap?


Any lol.

Samsung 830, Plextor M3/M5, Crucial M4, SandFroce drives with Toggle NAND.


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> Well, I have my SATA mode set to RAID and I can't get that screen to pop up in the first place myself, Ctrl + I doesn't work. I had to configure my RAID array in the OS lol.
> Actually it is this. Go to the boot tab in your UEFI. > Option Rom Messages > Set to Keep current. It will no longer show you the press crtl + i screen at boot.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I just tested it out.


 *Danke* that did the trick









Quote:



> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> yea you could lol.


I'm over thinking your reply here aren't I







... because I'm reading it as one of two ways,

either ' Yea you COULD ' ... IF you're a moron and want to screw things up even further









or/ ' YEA you could ' ... but you'd be better off doing what I showed you in that Link so you learn from your mistakes about how to properly correct them









or/ maybe just maybe a 3rd way in ' Yea you could ', why didn't I think of that too, it's the easiest fix.

*EDIT:*

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> You can fix it. i just did something similar today.
> First, take your data and organize it how you want it to be on the disk, then do the reg edits for your folders that are messed up.
> http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html
> Then adjust the user folder locations once more and don't set it to D:\, instead set to D:\Pictures or D:\Documents, etc.


 Quote:



> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Found link to the *WIN 7* version just in case it's different from the *VISTA* version ... http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html


Well ... I didn't take the easy way out ... *I FIXED IT* with that link (used the *WIN7* version for the *needed* downloads!), thanks for making me *LEARN* from my mistakes dude ...







thanks for all your Help SEAN, you rock


----------



## nickrsk

Quote:
Originally Posted by nickrsk

Just some notes about UEFI win7 installations at nova days
Manufactures of mobos are in preparation for win8.
Asus just moved to ".CAP" BIOS versions (p9x79) and as a result you have just only two options for system download: "win8" or "UEFI and other legasy bios"
So if you want to install win7 in UEFI mode it's very important to use right source: USB FAT32 or CD prepared for only UEFI boot (it's easy to do with oscdimg.exe).
And you do not have use step "convert to GPT" for system drive, it will be done automatically by windows.( There is always a possibility of conflict between BIOS shell and windows automatic installation steps (I met it with Asus rampage extreme IV installing RAID 0))
cool, ill look into that more. got any links?

Dear Sean,
regarding Asus BIOS:

ASUS P9x79 WS BIOS 3101, Rampage IV Extreme BIOS 2105
*Boot\Security boot parameters\OS\Windows 8 UEFI/Other legacy and UEFI*

regarding CD prepared for only UEFI boot with os
I found it here
http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=184349
works perfect with win7.iso
I'm not sure that it will work with win7SP1.iso

regarding UEFI Raid 0
"convert" gpt does not works (you will get mbr after pushing "new")
manual creation UEFI partitions does not works (you will get error message and shadowed "next" button)

for UEFI ANCI mode
"convert gpt" does not make anything wrong, but it's just not necessary at all

What do you thing about "clean all" command in diskpart as a security cleaning tool for SSD?
It take about 30 min for 240 MB
I personally hate magic party and others...

King Regards

PS Personal "THANK YOU" for your great work!


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> ... SOMETHING I did really messed the hell out of things, and I think I'm going to have to *RE*-*re*-*install* Windows to fix it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> as when I tried to move the My Pictures Sub-folder I either typed in the wrong location somehow, as it created some bizarre directory tree that put an D:\ drive icon on the C:\ drive User Folder, and put all the Sub-Folders in the My Pictures folders on the D:\ drive ... don't ask me I haven't a CLUE as to how I did it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *I'ma bonehead* ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> like I said I think I gotta RE-re-install Windows to fix this ?


 Quote:



> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Well ... I didn't take the easy way out ... *I FIXED IT* with that link (used the *WIN7* version for the *needed* downloads!), thanks for making me *LEARN* from my mistakes dude ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thanks for all your Help SEAN, you rock


*Darn it







* ... I thought it looked like this also got fixed when I did the other Folder Reg Edits ... *but it's back* ...

 Somehow ... the E:\ Drive HDD shows up in my USER Folder, and ...

 When I right Click on the icon, and try to "Restore Default" Location, it tells me it's default is C:\Users\User_Name\Pictures ... instead of E:\ ... like it SHOULD ... I assume I need to do some other REGISTRY EDIT to fix this, something I typed or accidently drag & dropped messed this up and I don't know how to fix it ?







I did FIX the OTHER User Folder Reg Edit's from your LINK, but they involved downloading a Zip Reg Edit File from the site to Fix ... so how would I fix this ? any clue ?









*EDIT / UPDATE :* OK *** ? ... nevermind for now I guess, Restarted the computer and it's GONE again ?

HDD not in USER Folder, and LOCATION Tab GONE from when Right Clicking on HDD drive letter, So ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nickrsk*
> 
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by nickrsk
> 
> Just some notes about UEFI win7 installations at nova days
> Manufactures of mobos are in preparation for win8.
> Asus just moved to ".CAP" BIOS versions (p9x79) and as a result you have just only two options for system download: "win8" or "UEFI and other legasy bios"
> So if you want to install win7 in UEFI mode it's very important to use right source: USB FAT32 or CD prepared for only UEFI boot (it's easy to do with oscdimg.exe).
> And you do not have use step "convert to GPT" for system drive, it will be done automatically by windows.( There is always a possibility of conflict between BIOS shell and windows automatic installation steps (I met it with Asus rampage extreme IV installing RAID 0))
> cool, ill look into that more. got any links?
> 
> Dear Sean,
> regarding Asus BIOS:
> 
> ASUS P9x79 WS BIOS 3101, Rampage IV Extreme BIOS 2105
> *Boot\Security boot parameters\OS\Windows 8 UEFI/Other legacy and UEFI*
> 
> regarding CD prepared for only UEFI boot with os
> I found it here
> http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=184349
> works perfect with win7.iso
> I'm not sure that it will work with win7SP1.iso
> 
> regarding UEFI Raid 0
> "convert" gpt does not works (you will get mbr after pushing "new")
> manual creation UEFI partitions does not works (you will get error message and shadowed "next" button)
> 
> for UEFI ANCI mode
> "convert gpt" does not make anything wrong, but it's just not necessary at all


Interesting. I wish I had something to test it on.








Quote:


> What do you thing about "clean all" command in diskpart as a security cleaning tool for SSD?
> It take about 30 min for 240 MB
> I personally hate magic party and others...
> 
> King Regards
> 
> PS Personal "THANK YOU" for your great work!


"Clean all" on a SSD only wears the drive out for nothing, it is not the same as a secure erase at all! It does nto even erase all the data on the drive like a secure erase does. It is only for HDDs! You should only use "clean" on SSDs. After a "clean all" the NAND is not in a reset clean/default state as they would have been with a secure erase. The drive will run far slower after a clean all because you just wrote a TON of 0's to the drive. Secure erase sends a voltage spike to all the NAND cells at once to flush the electrons out of the gates in order to wipe all previous set charge. That is how you wipe a SSD clean.

Have you read this? www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Quote:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> ... SOMETHING I did really messed the hell out of things, and I think I'm going to have to *RE*-*re*-*install* Windows to fix it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> as when I tried to move the My Pictures Sub-folder I either typed in the wrong location somehow, as it created some bizarre directory tree that put an D:\ drive icon on the C:\ drive User Folder, and put all the Sub-Folders in the My Pictures folders on the D:\ drive ... don't ask me I haven't a CLUE as to how I did it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *I'ma bonehead* ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> like I said I think I gotta RE-re-install Windows to fix this ?
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Well ... I didn't take the easy way out ... *I FIXED IT* with that link (used the *WIN7* version for the *needed* downloads!), thanks for making me *LEARN* from my mistakes dude ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thanks for all your Help SEAN, you rock
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> *Darn it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> * ... I thought it looked like this also got fixed when I did the other Folder Reg Edits ... *but it's back* ...
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1037023/ Somehow ... the E:\ Drive HDD shows up in my USER Folder, and ...
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1037025/ When I right Click on the icon, and try to "Restore Default" Location, it tells me it's default is C:\Users\User_Name\Pictures ... instead of E:\ ... like it SHOULD ... I assume I need to do some other REGISTRY EDIT to fix this, something I typed or accidently drag & dropped messed this up and I don't know how to fix it ?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did FIX the OTHER User Folder Reg Edit's from your LINK, but they involved downloading a Zip Reg Edit File from the site to Fix ... so how would I fix this ? any clue ?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *EDIT / UPDATE :* OK *** ? ... nevermind for now I guess, Restarted the computer and it's GONE again ?
> HDD not in USER Folder, and LOCATION Tab GONE from when Right Clicking on HDD drive letter, So ?
Click to expand...

I PM'd you, I need to check it out on teamviewer or something, let me know when you want to do it.


----------



## iARDAs

@ Sean

I currently have a 120 gb SSD as C drive (boot)

and 1TB HDD as E drive

When i upgrde to Windows 8, i am thinking of grabing a 2nd SSD for Steam games.

Will i still use the AHCI mode? and will it be as simple as plug and play?

Edit :

My C drive is a OCZ Agility 3 and i know you hate it.

I am thinking of grabbing a 60gb OCZ vertex 3 and this will be BOOT ONLY nothing else

On my current 120gb Agility 3, it is my boot drive as well as some games on steam and BF3 are on it.

I am thinking of this now

60 GB SSD Windows and boot only

120 GB SSD for Battlefield 3 and other Steam games that I will move from my HDD to the 120 GB SSD via the Steam Mover application

1 TB HDD for the other games in Steam, pictures, videos, program install files etc...


----------



## nasmith2000

sean--I'm joining the chorus of others in thanking you for this extraordinary tool. hands down the most helpful step by step guide on ssd / performance on the internet. many thanks for putting this together and keeping it up-to-date. every computer user should read and follow this guide.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iARDAs*
> 
> @ Sean
> 
> I currently have a 120 gb SSD as C drive (boot)
> 
> and 1TB HDD as E drive
> 
> When i upgrde to Windows 8, i am thinking of grabing a 2nd SSD for Steam games.
> 
> Will i still use the AHCI mode? and will it be as simple as plug and play?


Plug and play.








Quote:


> Edit :
> 
> My C drive is a OCZ Agility 3 and i know you hate it.
> 
> I am thinking of grabbing a 60gb OCZ vertex 3 and this will be BOOT ONLY nothing else
> 
> On my current 120gb Agility 3, it is my boot drive as well as some games on steam and BF3 are on it.
> 
> I am thinking of this now
> 
> 60 GB SSD Windows and boot only
> 120 GB SSD for Battlefield 3 and other Steam games that I will move from my HDD to the 120 GB SSD via the Steam Mover application
> 1 TB HDD for the other games in Steam, pictures, videos, program install files etc...


Sounds good.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nasmith2000*
> 
> sean--I'm joining the chorus of others in thanking you for this extraordinary tool. hands down the most helpful step by step guide on ssd / performance on the internet. many thanks for putting this together and keeping it up-to-date. every computer user should read and follow this guide.


----------



## iARDAs

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Plug and play.


Thank you Sean


----------



## K2mil

is it ok to make partitions on ssd ??


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *K2mil*
> 
> is it ok to make partitions on ssd ??


Yea


----------



## InnerUrge

Quote:


> you can leave it if you like, if you want to remove it then just do the small guide on removing it.No need to reinstall.


I tried using the steps in your Extra Tips section for moving the SRP but didn't work ("Bootmgr is missing" error during boot) so I ended up rebuilding the MBR from installation disk as per this thread.

Now I'm trying to extend my D:\ (data) drive to absorb the 100mb unallocated space previously used by the SRP but the Windows Wizard pops up a warning that the disk would be converted to a Dynamic Disk in the process -- is this desirable? Is there a way to merge the unallocated space while maintaining the drive as a Basic disk?

Thanks again!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *InnerUrge*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> you can leave it if you like, if you want to remove it then just do the small guide on removing it.No need to reinstall.
> 
> 
> 
> I tried using the steps in your Extra Tips section for moving the SRP but didn't work ("Bootmgr is missing" error during boot) so I ended up rebuilding the MBR from installation disk as per this thread.
> 
> Now I'm trying to extend my D:\ (data) drive to absorb the 100mb unallocated space previously used by the SRP but the Windows Wizard pops up a warning that the disk would be converted to a Dynamic Disk in the process -- is this desirable? Is there a way to merge the unallocated space while maintaining the drive as a Basic disk?
> 
> Thanks again!
Click to expand...

use this: http://download.cnet.com/EaseUS-Partition-Master-Home-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html


----------



## Prpntblr95

I am doing a build for a friend and he couldn't afford the full version with disk or win 7 home premium so I got the upgrade one, I have the product key but can I boot from a flash drive? If so what programs or steps do I need to follow to get me to the booting process?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Prpntblr95*
> 
> I am doing a build for a friend and he couldn't afford the full version with disk or win 7 home premium so I got the upgrade one, I have the product key but can I boot from a flash drive? If so what programs or steps do I need to follow to get me to the booting process?


http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html

http://www.overclock.net/t/595921/windows-7-upgrade-clean-installation-is-definitely-possible

Basically install, then reinstall and it will accept the key.


----------



## Prpntblr95

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html
> http://www.overclock.net/t/595921/windows-7-upgrade-clean-installation-is-definitely-possible
> Basically install, then reinstall and it will accept the key.


Awesome thank you!


----------



## EliteReplay

thanks


----------



## Jayjr1105

Just an FYI for all Sean's faithful following...

All Crucial M4's are on a crazy good sale at Amazon today.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2JL2A/ref=ox_ya_os_product


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Just an FYI for all Sean's faithful following...
> 
> All Crucial M4's are on a crazy good sale at Amazon today.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2JL2A/ref=ox_ya_os_product


lol

Better to post that here: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> lol
> Better to post that here: www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread


Done


----------



## hertzuk

Quite possibly the greatest thread of all time.

Thanks so much Sean, prior to finding this I had about 9 million bookmarks in my chrome folder regarding how to do various stuff on my SSD when it came to getting it, now all that's necessary is this and the search function!

Truly a hero.


----------



## K2mil

Sean I tried to secure erase my intel SSD 330 using Tool Box. The SSD was set up as a D drive I removed the partition and tried secure erase. Tool Box informed me about drive freeze and about performing power cycle procedure to unfreeze it. I did it many times and drive was still frozen according to Tool Box. it was late so I decided I will take a drive to work and try to do same thing there It worked out without any problems. I wonder why it did not want to do it at home and worked out work
I have my OS installed on OCZ Vertex 3 SSD then I planned to have Intel SSD for games. And E: HDD drive for music and movies.
My home set up you can see in the signature my work setup is very simple HP pc


----------



## EliteGhost

Hey Sean I just bought a Crucial M4 128GB for windows 7 and games. And I like to know it there is a proper way to install all of my programs like Photoshop, 3ds Max, Mudbox, CE3 SDK and more on my D: drive. What I mean is am I just supposed to create a program files/programs files (x86) folder and install there and that's it? Because I was wondering about the app data folder programs create on the C: drive.


----------



## hits79

wow dude, great thread. One day I will actually read all this and do the settings on my ssd's. I am just too lazy to do all this atm


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hertzuk*
> 
> Quite possibly the greatest thread of all time.
> 
> Thanks so much Sean, prior to finding this I had about 9 million bookmarks in my chrome folder regarding how to do various stuff on my SSD when it came to getting it, now all that's necessary is this and the search function!
> 
> Truly a hero.












Quote:


> Originally Posted by *K2mil*
> 
> Sean I tried to secure erase my intel SSD 330 using Tool Box. The SSD was set up as a D drive I removed the partition and tried secure erase. Tool Box informed me about drive freeze and about performing power cycle procedure to unfreeze it. I did it many times and drive was still frozen according to Tool Box. it was late so I decided I will take a drive to work and try to do same thing there It worked out without any problems. I wonder why it did not want to do it at home and worked out work
> I have my OS installed on OCZ Vertex 3 SSD then I planned to have Intel SSD for games. And E: HDD drive for music and movies.
> My home set up you can see in the signature my work setup is very simple HP pc


Did you have hot swap enabled for the port you where using? Was the port a native Intel SATA port? When you tried to unfreeze it you unplugged the drive and replugged it in while the system was still on correct?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteGhost*
> 
> Hey Sean I just bought a Crucial M4 128GB for windows 7 and games. And I like to know it there is a proper way to install all of my programs like Photoshop, 3ds Max, Mudbox, CE3 SDK and more on my D: drive. What I mean is am I just supposed to create a program files/programs files (x86) folder and install there and that's it? Because I was wondering about the app data folder programs create on the C: drive.


I just install my programs like normal on my SSD (C: drive), I don't do anything different myself.

What about the appdata folder?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hits79*
> 
> wow dude, great thread. One day I will actually read all this and do the settings on my ssd's. I am just too lazy to do all this atm


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:
Originally Posted by *Sean Webster* 



> What about the appdata folder?


I think he's asking because he's seen/read this ( http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization ) guide also, where the guy said ...

Quote:


> AppData" folder can get huge, and because this is one of the most active folders this is the best folder to move to ensure less random use of the SSD to help it extends its life.
> 
> quantum tunneling is the achilles heel of SSD technology and why it has a expiration date based on hours used. in other words you can only punch so many holes in silicone.
> so, moving the "AppData" folder would be the biggest optimization a user can do with Windows on a SSD.
> Im pretty sure we all knew how to right click on the none hidden folders in the "users" folder far before this guide was ever produced, so please stay on topic.
> 
> The entire "Users" folder CANNOT be moved with a right click in properties, and that includes the "AppData" (temp internet folder, etc).


*I've questioned it too* ... but I think it's a bigger concern / issue on a *64* GB SSD or smaller as the Boot/OS Drive


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> What about the appdata folder?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think he's asking because he's seen/read this ( http://www.overclock.net/t/664738/how-to-setup-ssd-boot-drive-with-secondary-hard-disc-optimization ) guide also, where the guy said ...
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> AppData" folder can get huge, and because this is one of the most active folders this is the best folder to move to ensure less random use of the SSD to help it extends its life.
> quantum tunneling is the achilles heel of SSD technology and why it has a expiration date based on hours used. in other words you can only punch so many holes in silicone.
> 
> so, moving the "AppData" folder would be the biggest optimization a user can do with Windows on a SSD.
> 
> Im pretty sure we all knew how to right click on the none hidden folders in the "users" folder far before this guide was ever produced, so please stay on topic.
> The entire "Users" folder CANNOT be moved with a right click in properties, and that includes the "AppData" (temp internet folder, etc).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> *I've questioned it too* ... but I think it's a bigger concern / issue on a *64* GB SSD or smaller as the Boot/OS Drive
Click to expand...

Oh, that guide...I tried it, I failed miserably with it and it just corrupted everything...3 times.









I gave up on that and found other alternatives, however, I don't even bother with moving my appdata folder, it belongs on my SSD imo. And my appdata folder is only 1.4GB, the biggest I ever had it was like 5GB or something. Never gave issue when my OS was on a 64GB drive. I always had 20-35GB free space.


----------



## EliteGhost

Alright thanks for answers, so I'll just create the two program file folder's on my secondary drive and install all of my programs there.


----------



## Offender_Mullet

I'm sure this has been brought up somewhere in this huge thread (I might even have before - don't remember though), but here's what I've been doing for a while. It has cut down overall Windows 7 install time dramatically. After Shawn's first few steps, which are:
Quote:


> Disabled Hibernation
> Page file set to 512MB
> Shutdown for the first time
> Install Motherboard Drivers
> Install newest SATA and chipset drivers


Then, do this: Instead of running Windows Update, *install SP1 first*. You can go to Microsoft's website and download just SP1 separately. I throw it on a usb stick or external hard drive. SP1 has the majority of older updates that Automatic Updating will scan for anyway. Also, SP1 installs _much much quicker_ using this method. Finally, you can return back to his remaining steps:

Quote:


> Run Windows Update
> Change power options
> Run Windows Experience Index Assessment
> Install virus protection and apps
> Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD
> Disabled UAC


Hope that helps someone out.


----------



## Prpntblr95

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html
> http://www.overclock.net/t/595921/windows-7-upgrade-clean-installation-is-definitely-possible
> Basically install, then reinstall and it will accept the key.


I made a back up disk from my computer and stuck it in his tower that has never had an OS, what file should I be looking for that contains windows or the SP-1 or something I can boot off of and get me to where I can input a product key?

I don't have a flash drive large enough apparently. It's a 8gb Sony.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteGhost*
> 
> Alright thanks for answers, so I'll just create the two program file folder's on my secondary drive and install all of my programs there.


Why install programs on the HDD? It defeats the purpose of having a SSD in the first place imo. lol I also do not count games as programs.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Offender_Mullet*
> 
> I'm sure this has been brought up somewhere in this huge thread (I might even have before - don't remember though), but here's what I've been doing for a while. It has cut down overall Windows 7 install time dramatically. After Shawn's first few steps, which are:
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Disabled Hibernation
> Page file set to 512MB
> Shutdown for the first time
> Install Motherboard Drivers
> Install newest SATA and chipset drivers
> 
> 
> 
> Then, do this: Instead of running Windows Update, *install SP1 first*. You can go to Microsoft's website and download just SP1 separately. I throw it on a usb stick or external hard drive. SP1 has the majority of older updates that Automatic Updating will scan for anyway. Also, SP1 installs _much much quicker_ using this method. Finally, you can return back to his remaining steps:
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Run Windows Update
> Change power options
> Run Windows Experience Index Assessment
> Install virus protection and apps
> Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD
> Disabled UAC
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Hope that helps someone out.
Click to expand...

I just use a SP1 install iso so i don't need to download it.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Prpntblr95*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html
> http://www.overclock.net/t/595921/windows-7-upgrade-clean-installation-is-definitely-possible
> Basically install, then reinstall and it will accept the key.
> 
> 
> 
> I made a back up disk from my computer and stuck it in his tower that has never had an OS, what file should I be looking for that contains windows or the SP-1 or something I can boot off of and get me to where I can input a product key?
> 
> I don't have a flash drive large enough apparently. It's a 8gb Sony.
Click to expand...

ummm im lost lol. Why not just download the windows 7 iso from the second post and put it on the usb then install the OS without the key then reinstall selecting upgrade and use the upgrade key?


----------



## Prpntblr95

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why install programs on the HDD? It defeats the purpose of having a SSD in the first place imo. lol I also do not count games as programs.
> I just use a SP1 install iso so i don't need to download it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ummm im lost lol. Why not just download the windows 7 iso from the second post and put it on the usb then install the OS without the key then reinstall selecting upgrade and use the upgrade key?


Because the only option with the iso is to burn it to a disk.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Prpntblr95*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why install programs on the HDD? It defeats the purpose of having a SSD in the first place imo. lol I also do not count games as programs.
> I just use a SP1 install iso so i don't need to download it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ummm im lost lol. Why not just download the windows 7 iso from the second post and put it on the usb then install the OS without the key then reinstall selecting upgrade and use the upgrade key?
> 
> 
> 
> Because the only option with the iso is to burn it to a disk.
Click to expand...

*Windows 7 ISO download links:*


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



These are new SP1-U ISOs directly from Microsoft; having a direct Digital River download from Microsoft is the only way you can link Windows 7 downloads on this site. You will still need an activation key to use these copies after the 30 day grace period is over.

*Windows 7 Home Premium SP1-U ISO:*
English 32-bit
English 64-bit

*Windows 7 Professional SP1-U ISO:*
English 32-bit
English 64-bit

*Windows 7 Professional N SP1-U ISO:* (Note: N editions come without media components)
English 32-bit
English 64-bit

*Windows 7 Ultimate SP1-U ISO:*
English 32-bit
English 64-bit

Multilingual Windows 7 versions here: (link)



Then you can use this: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

Or this, to make a bootable USB:

*Make a Windows 7 Bootable USB Installer:*


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



*How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB installer with CMD:*

Open and run CMD as Administrator.
Type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type *Clean*, press Enter.
Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
Type *Active*, press Enter.
Type *Format Quick FS=FAT32*, press Enter.
Type *Assign*, press Enter.
Type *Exit*, press Enter.
Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract or mount first).

*Video Tut:*


----------



## Prpntblr95

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Windows 7 ISO download links:*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> These are new SP1-U ISOs directly from Microsoft; having a direct Digital River download from Microsoft is the only way you can link Windows 7 downloads on this site. You will still need an activation key to use these copies after the 30 day grace period is over.
> *Windows 7 Home Premium SP1-U ISO:*
> English 32-bit
> English 64-bit
> *Windows 7 Professional SP1-U ISO:*
> English 32-bit
> English 64-bit
> *Windows 7 Professional N SP1-U ISO:* (Note: N editions come without media components)
> English 32-bit
> English 64-bit
> *Windows 7 Ultimate SP1-U ISO:*
> English 32-bit
> English 64-bit
> Multilingual Windows 7 versions here: (link)
> 
> 
> Then you can use this: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
> Or this, to make a bootable USB:
> *Make a Windows 7 Bootable USB Installer:*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> *How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB installer with CMD:*
> 
> Open and run CMD as Administrator.
> Type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
> Type *Active*, press Enter.
> Type *Format Quick FS=FAT32*, press Enter.
> Type *Assign*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract or mount first).
> *Video Tut:*


Thank you!


----------



## EliteGhost

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Why install programs on the HDD? It defeats the purpose of having a SSD in the first place imo. lol I also do not count games as programs.


I wanted to use the ssd for games and windows since I don't think there is enough room for all of my programs on the ssd as well. I figured games would benefit more from the ssd than say 3dsmax.


----------



## K2mil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Did you have hot swap enabled for the port you where using? Was the port a native Intel SATA port? When you tried to unfreeze it you unplugged the drive and replugged it in while the system was still on correct?


Yes I'm using native Intel on my board. Not sure is it hot swap enable. but every time I unplug it and plug it back I get a detected pop out windows from IRST software. Yes I did the power cycle while system was on but according to ToolBox SSD was still frozen. I removed the SSD from my system and next day tried at work and it work without any security freeze warning.


----------



## Jayjr1105

So, just installed an Intel 320 SSD in a workstation here at work and followed the guide but the hard drive space is still somewhere around 20GB used. I know when I have done this in the past on Windows 7, the usage is somewhere between 11 and 15 gigs used? I checked and it looks like C:\Windows is almost 20GB alone! The only thing that is different about this instance is that the OS is Windows 7 Enterprise. What is causing the Enterprise version to be 7-8 gigs bigger??


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> The only thing that is different about this instance is that the OS is Windows 7 Enterprise. What is causing the Enterprise version to be 7-8 gigs bigger??


Additional features in Windows 7 Enterprise include support for Multilingual User Interface (MUI) packages {35 languages supported}, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support .


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> So, just installed an Intel 320 SSD in a workstation here at work and followed the guide but the hard drive space is still somewhere around 20GB used. I know when I have done this in the past on Windows 7, the usage is somewhere between 11 and 15 gigs used? I checked and it looks like C:\Windows is almost 20GB alone! The only thing that is different about this instance is that the OS is Windows 7 Enterprise. What is causing the Enterprise version to be 7-8 gigs bigger??


double check your page file and hibernation file sizes.

Free space sniffer will help you out, link in guide under maintenance..


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Additional features in Windows 7 Enterprise include support for Multilingual User Interface (MUI) packages {35 languages supported}, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support .


Yeah, I knew enterprise had those additional features but I didn't think they would be an extra ~7 gigs.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> double check your page file and hibernation file sizes.
> Free space sniffer will help you out, link in guide under maintenance..


\

pagefile.sys is exactly 1gb and no hyberfil.sys on the root of C meaning hibernate was successfully toggled off. I will try the space sniffer next. Thanks to you both.


----------



## DracoManX69

Probably one of the most useful threads i've ever had the pleasure of reading, great job man


----------



## axipher

CCleaner is really good at finding random space hogs as well.


----------



## solsamurai

Little update: my board can't find the SSD with IDE settings in BIOS. The only reason I know this is I had to boot into my existing Windows on the HDD to back up some files before installing on the SSD. I'm hoping the SSD shows up once I switch everything to AHCI and give it a go this evening.


----------



## EliteReplay

hi, i just bought a Crucial 128GB

i have a question.... is ther any problem if i want to partition this SSD, i would like to have it like this
40GB for windows and programs and the rest for my games...

its there any problem regarding performance by doing this?
is there any problem regarding life of my SSd with this?

thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteReplay*
> 
> hi, i just bought a Crucial 128GB
> 
> i have a question.... is ther any problem if i want to partition this SSD, i would like to have it like this
> 40GB for windows and programs and the rest for my games...
> 
> its there any problem regarding performance by doing this?
> is there any problem regarding life of my SSd with this?
> 
> thanks


Partition as you please.


----------



## EliteReplay

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Partition as you please.


thanks man... another question
i read heere that SSD need an amount of spare space to avoid slowness on them
if i go ahead a partition it... and the 40GB partiotion its full... can that cause any type of issue?


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteReplay*
> 
> thanks man... another question
> i read heere that SSD need an amount of spare space to avoid slowness on them
> if i go ahead a partition it... and the 40GB partiotion its full... can that cause any type of issue?


It's more about the total space of the drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteReplay*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Partition as you please.
> 
> 
> 
> thanks man... another question
> i read heere that SSD need an amount of spare space to avoid slowness on them
> if i go ahead a partition it... and the 40GB partiotion its full... can that cause any type of issue?
Click to expand...

By default they already have a little bit. You can increase that amount by not partitioning some of your drive space if you like, but for normal use you do not need to.


----------



## CyberDemonz101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Make a Windows 7 Bootable USB Installer:*
> 
> How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB for the BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format install:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> *How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB installer with CMD:*
> 
> Open and run CMD as Administrator.
> Type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
> Type *Active*, press Enter.
> Type *Format Quick FS=FAT32*, press Enter.
> Type *Assign*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract or mount first).
> *Video Tut:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB for the UEFI motherboard and GPT format install:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Your USB drive must be bootable and be formatted with a FAT32 file system. The UEFI is unable to identify a USB drive formatted with NTFS as a UEFI boot device.
> *How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB installer with CMD:*
> Open and run CMD as Administrator.
> Type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
> Type *Active*, press Enter.
> Type *Format Quick FS=FAT32*, press Enter.
> Type *Assign*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract or mount first).
> 
> Your USB drive must also contain the directory and file: "*:\efi\boot\bootx64.efi" (* is the drive letter of your USB key that holds the Windows 7 installation files). This is the ".efi" installation boot loader extension. If you do not have this directory or file on your USB drive this is how you create it:
> First, create a new directory called *boot* inside the "efi" folder on the USB.
> You will then need to copy all of the files from the "*:\efi\microsoft\boot" directory into the directory you just created ("*:\efi\boot").
> Next, use 7-Zip to open the archive located at: "*:\sources\install.wim."
> Inside the archive, find the file located in folder "1\Windows\boot\efi\*bootmgfw.efi*."
> Copy this file to "*:\EFI\Boot\" location you created earlier. (Not in the 7-zip) (This file is also available from any current windows 7 installation. It is located in the "C:\Windows\Boot\EFI" folder.)
> After copying the file to the "*:\efi\boot" directory, rename the file in "*:\EFI\Boot\*bootmgfw.efi*" to "*bootx64.efi*". You should now have an EFI boot loader folder for Windows called *:\efi\boot\" with all of the files copied from the "*:\efi\microsoft\boot" folder and the newly named "bootx64.efi."
> Your install media (DVD/USB) must be inserted into your PC prior to powering it up. This will allow your UEFI to register your device (DVD/USB drive) as a UEFI boot enabled device.
> *Video Tut:*
> *Step 1:*
> 
> 
> 
> *Step 2:*


I used this to make my flash drive bootable from usb. This Microsoft tool thats a free download did everything for me. Well had to have the ISO of coarse.

Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool This is directly off Microsoft website too.

Note:

The only issue I had with this is it wouldn't let me make a bootable 64bit on my XP 32bit. So I had to go over to a friends house who had a 64 bit system to use the tool and make the drive work. Otherwise it did it all wonderfully when installing win7 ultimate on my pc.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CyberDemonz101*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Make a Windows 7 Bootable USB Installer:*
> 
> How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB for the BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format install:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> *How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB installer with CMD:*
> 
> Open and run CMD as Administrator.
> Type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
> Type *Active*, press Enter.
> Type *Format Quick FS=FAT32*, press Enter.
> Type *Assign*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract or mount first).
> *Video Tut:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB for the UEFI motherboard and GPT format install:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Your USB drive must be bootable and be formatted with a FAT32 file system. The UEFI is unable to identify a USB drive formatted with NTFS as a UEFI boot device.
> *How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB installer with CMD:*
> Open and run CMD as Administrator.
> Type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your USB drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
> Type *Active*, press Enter.
> Type *Format Quick FS=FAT32*, press Enter.
> Type *Assign*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Copy everything from the Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB key (a simple drag and drop will do; if you have an .iso extract or mount first).
> 
> Your USB drive must also contain the directory and file: "*:\efi\boot\bootx64.efi" (* is the drive letter of your USB key that holds the Windows 7 installation files). This is the ".efi" installation boot loader extension. If you do not have this directory or file on your USB drive this is how you create it:
> First, create a new directory called *boot* inside the "efi" folder on the USB.
> You will then need to copy all of the files from the "*:\efi\microsoft\boot" directory into the directory you just created ("*:\efi\boot").
> Next, use 7-Zip to open the archive located at: "*:\sources\install.wim."
> Inside the archive, find the file located in folder "1\Windows\boot\efi\*bootmgfw.efi*."
> Copy this file to "*:\EFI\Boot\" location you created earlier. (Not in the 7-zip) (This file is also available from any current windows 7 installation. It is located in the "C:\Windows\Boot\EFI" folder.)
> After copying the file to the "*:\efi\boot" directory, rename the file in "*:\EFI\Boot\*bootmgfw.efi*" to "*bootx64.efi*". You should now have an EFI boot loader folder for Windows called *:\efi\boot\" with all of the files copied from the "*:\efi\microsoft\boot" folder and the newly named "bootx64.efi."
> Your install media (DVD/USB) must be inserted into your PC prior to powering it up. This will allow your UEFI to register your device (DVD/USB drive) as a UEFI boot enabled device.
> *Video Tut:*
> *Step 1:*
> 
> 
> 
> *Step 2:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I used this to make my flash drive bootable from usb. This Microsoft tool thats a free download did everything for me. Well had to have the ISO of coarse.
> 
> Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool This is directly off Microsoft website too.
> 
> Note:
> 
> The only issue I had with this is it wouldn't let me make a bootable 64bit on my XP 32bit. So I had to go over to a friends house who had a 64 bit system to use the tool and make the drive work. Otherwise it did it all wonderfully when installing win7 ultimate on my pc.
Click to expand...

yep, that works good too, i could have sworn i had a link to it in the guide already. weird. thanks.


----------



## Baasha

I used to swear by CCleaner but it has messed up my system twice so far.

I don't know if there are specific settings you have to setup in order to make sure important files are not removed but most recently, I had this issue of not being able to access the Device Manager, System Restore didn't work, and neither did a repair install!









I think the "Registry Cleaner" in that app should be avoided. I'm not sure about the regular cleaning feature as I too thought it worked without issue but it removes system files etc. that could potentially nuke your OS.

Of course, this is my experience with it so far. Sean, is there a good way to optimize the settings for CCleaner to make sure it doesn't touch any important files?

I'm most likely never going to use it again but it is/was helpful to remove a ton of left over crap in the system.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Baasha*
> 
> I used to swear by CCleaner but it has messed up my system twice so far.
> I don't know if there are specific settings you have to setup in order to make sure important files are not removed but most recently, I had this issue of not being able to access the Device Manager, System Restore didn't work, and neither did a repair install!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think the "Registry Cleaner" in that app should be avoided. I'm not sure about the regular cleaning feature as I too thought it worked without issue but it removes system files etc. that could potentially nuke your OS.
> Of course, this is my experience with it so far. Sean, is there a good way to optimize the settings for CCleaner to make sure it doesn't touch any important files?
> I'm most likely never going to use it again but it is/was helpful to remove a ton of left over crap in the system.


I mostly use it to more efficiently remove temp files from several apps at once.







Going on 2 years without any problems.


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Baasha*
> 
> I used to swear by CCleaner but it has messed up my system twice so far.
> I don't know if there are specific settings you have to setup in order to make sure important files are not removed but most recently, I had this issue of not being able to access the Device Manager, System Restore didn't work, and neither did a repair install!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think the "Registry Cleaner" in that app should be avoided. I'm not sure about the regular cleaning feature as I too thought it worked without issue but it removes system files etc. that could potentially nuke your OS.
> Of course, this is my experience with it so far. Sean, is there a good way to optimize the settings for CCleaner to make sure it doesn't touch any important files?
> I'm most likely never going to use it again but it is/was helpful to remove a ton of left over crap in the system.


I absolutely never had an issue with CCleaner and I've been using it for years. Both file cleaning and registry cleaning on regular basis. AFAIK it will not delete any important files inside OS.
That said, I don't use that OS integrated system protection/restore, never did. You have excellent FREE softwares for backup like CloneZilla that do wonders.
cheers.


----------



## KhaoticKomputing

I have used CClean for quite a while now, Both the File and Registry cleaner. Never had a problem with it thus far. I don't know if it matter's or not but I always make sure its the most recent version possible and only use it on clean installs, never an older install.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Baasha*
> 
> I used to swear by CCleaner but it has messed up my system twice so far.
> 
> I don't know if there are specific settings you have to setup in order to make sure important files are not removed but most recently, I had this issue of not being able to access the Device Manager, System Restore didn't work, and neither did a repair install!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think the "Registry Cleaner" in that app should be avoided. I'm not sure about the regular cleaning feature as I too thought it worked without issue but it removes system files etc. that could potentially nuke your OS.
> 
> Of course, this is my experience with it so far. Sean, is there a good way to optimize the settings for CCleaner to make sure it doesn't touch any important files?
> 
> I'm most likely never going to use it again but it is/was helpful to remove a ton of left over crap in the system.


I've never had an issue with ccleaner. I think it is something else.









Also, you are to check the items it deletes too, not just blindly delete everything...tho i do and i still never had an issue.


----------



## Baasha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geronimo*
> 
> I absolutely never had an issue with CCleaner and I've been using it for years. Both file cleaning and registry cleaning on regular basis. AFAIK it will not delete any important files inside OS.
> That said, I don't use that OS integrated system protection/restore, never did. You have excellent FREE softwares for backup like CloneZilla that do wonders.
> cheers.


Hmm.. will have to check out CloneZilla.

Also, if my OS drive is the C: drive and if I have games/programs on the F: drive, is it possible to "clone"/"image" both of them in case something happens again and I just re-clone or re-image the drives to their working state after a secure-erase (both are ssd)?

The reason I ask is because if I clone just the system drive (C, that is of no use since all the games/programs are on the F: drive and they will not work again if I just clone the C: drive right? What is the best way to clone the drives so that I can avoid this debacle again?

Also, are there any specific settings to CCleaner like unchecking the "Windows" section so that it leaves the system files alone?


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Baasha*
> 
> Hmm.. will have to check out CloneZilla.
> Also, if my OS drive is the C: drive and if I have games/programs on the F: drive, is it possible to "clone"/"image" both of them in case something happens again and I just re-clone or re-image the drives to their working state after a secure-erase (both are ssd)?
> The reason I ask is because if I clone just the system drive (C, that is of no use since all the games/programs are on the F: drive and they will not work again if I just clone the C: drive right? What is the best way to clone the drives so that I can avoid this debacle again?
> Also, are there any specific settings to CCleaner like unchecking the "Windows" section so that it leaves the system files alone?


affcorse, you can clone whatever you want. I backup only my SSD 64gb OS drive (and never in my life have I had a drive or OS to crach ). the other drives are unlikely to crash except the hardware problem and if they do it's only installed games and some staff that I keep backed up on external drives.

just be careful when using CC and read before cleaning as Sean said.

read this, It has a good explanation what is what in CC:

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=25513&st=20

cheers.

edit: for using clonezilla check these and don't be scared off when you see all the options and stuff, cos It's really easy to use if you follow the simple instructions. You probably wont need any of the advanced options ;-).

http://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live.php

http://clonezilla-sysresccd.hellug.gr/backup.html

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/free_imaging_software.html

http://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live/doc/01_Save_disk_image/advanced/09-advanced-param.php

http://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live/doc/02_Restore_disk_image/advanced/09-advanced-param.php

cheers.


----------



## K2mil

This will be a tricky but I'm sure you will get back with short answer.
I have vertex 3 120 GB installed as my os. I have like 90 GB + free space on it
My 60 GB Intel SSD is installed as D drive and I have very little space left I use it for games
Now is there a way to move the free space from vertex C drive to Intel D drive without making additional partition ??


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *K2mil*
> 
> This will be a tricky but I'm sure you will get back with short answer.
> I have vertex 3 120 GB installed as my os. I have like 90 GB + free space on it
> My 60 GB Intel SSD is installed as D drive and I have very little space left I use it for games
> Now is there a way to move the free space from vertex C drive to Intel D drive without making additional partition ??


I don't think you can do something like this. These are 2 separate drives and you can't combine their "space".
Why just not install new stuff/games to vertex drive








cheers.


----------



## K2mil

because all the game I have are either on origin or steam and I like to keep this software and installed games away from windows


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *K2mil*
> 
> because all the game I have are either on origin or steam and I like to keep this software and installed games away from windows


fair enough. than create another partition on the big drive and use it for this purpose maybe?
cheers.


----------



## Mattb2e

Hey guys, just got my SSD up and running. I saw on another thread its a good idea to disable file indexing on the SSD. Is this true? I know that disabling prefetch and superfetch are good, but I wasnt sure about indexing.


----------



## extreme4241

Hi, I followed this guide and everything has turned out great. The only problem I am having is moving the User folders to the secondary hard drive. I moved the contacts and desktop folder over from my SSD to my HDD and they remain hidden and do not show up in my HDD. The other problem I am having is that the desktop is now showing all the folders from my HDD on my Desktop and I don't want that. Is there a way to fix this or at least move it back to its orginial location?

I tried undoing the process by restoring it to the original location, but it now says "Failed to build list of regular subfolders under E:\Config.msi" Access is denied.

Any help would greatly be appreciated it. Thank you.

EDIT: I found the solution in case anyone has the same problem as me: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mattb2e*
> 
> Hey guys, just got my SSD up and running. I saw on another thread its a good idea to disable file indexing on the SSD. Is this true? I know that disabling prefetch and superfetch are good, but I wasnt sure about indexing.


disable the indexing. I do it for HDD also for the past few years. just go to win explorer, right click on drive and remove the "allow the files on this drive to have..."
cheers.


----------



## EliteReplay

what is the lastest firmware for Crucial M4 128GB?? i have the 000F but seems to be slow... i have read that 0009 its very good... any inputs?

this is my current benchmark which is awful


----------



## felix

Your drive is Un-aligned...You'll see major improvement by aligning it.

Your Firmware is the lates, 0009 is even before 0309 which is the previous of 000F, you don't need to do anything.

You can search for Paragon Alignment Tool v3.0 to automatically align your system, or you can google for other ways to manually align with live cd's.


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteReplay*
> what is the lastest firmware for Crucial M4 128GB?? i have the 000F but seems to be slow... i have read that 0009 its very good... any inputs?
> this is my current benchmark which is awful


000F us the latest firmware for the M4's ... but yeah your scores seem low ...

are you sure you're running off the NATIVE AMD SATA III 6Gb/s ports ? are you sure you're running AHCI SATA mode /or RAID mode in the UEFI/BIOS ?

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *felix*
> Your drive is Un-aligned...You'll see major improvement by aligning it.
> You can search for Paragon Alignment Tool v3.0 to automatically align your system, or you can google for other ways to manually align with live cd's.


Yeah didn't catch this at first until I enlarged your Photo ... the *31K = BAD* reading is showing your SSD isn't aligned and will hurt performance, *Sean* lays out how to fix this somewhere


----------



## EliteReplay

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> 000F us the latest firmware for the M4's ... but yeah your scores seem low ...
> 
> are you sure you're running off the NATIVE AMD SATA III 6Gb/s ports ? are you sure you're running AHCI SATA mode /or RAID mode in the UEFI/BIOS ?


yeah im actually using one of the six port that come with the motherboard


----------



## EliteReplay

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *felix*
> 
> Your drive is Un-aligned...You'll see major improvement by aligning it.
> Your Firmware is the lates, 0009 is even before 0309 which is the previous of 000F, you don't need to do anything.
> You can search for Paragon Alignment Tool v3.0 to automatically align your system, or you can google for other ways to manually align with live cd's.


so with the 000f i should be ok? let go ahead and look for that alignment tool... it doesnt matter if i already installed windows on it?


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteReplay*
> 
> so with the 000f i should be ok? let go ahead and look for that alignment tool... it doesnt matter if i already installed windows on it?


Here's what you want ... http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions ... good luck


----------



## felix

Since his screenshot shows *amd_sata* as driver, he is using Native SATA III ports of SB950 southbridge on AHCI mode.

Be sure to also upgrade the AHCI driver to the latest (version 1.2.1.331 as we speak) and after all the align and other processes let it idle for some hours, it will get back to normal performance....


----------



## EliteReplay

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Here's what you want ... http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions ... good luck


thanks how long does it take to complete this task? 15mins? 30mins?


----------



## EliteReplay

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *felix*
> 
> Since his screenshot shows *amd_sata* as driver, he is using Native SATA III ports of SB950 southbridge on AHCI mode.
> Be sure to also upgrade the AHCI driver to the latest (version 1.2.1.331 as we speak) and after all the align and other processes let it idle for some hours, it will get back to normal performance....


i have the lastest one... like half hour ago i installed them


----------



## EliteReplay

thanks everyone of you for helping, i have another question what mean when one of my HHDs its in RED? and cant be align?


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteReplay*
> 
> thanks everyone of you for helping, i have another question what mean when one of my HHDs its in RED? and cant be align?


Red in BIOS or Windows Explorer?


----------



## grunion

Any different tip/tricks when adding an SSD as a storage drive?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteReplay*
> 
> thanks everyone of you for helping, i have another question what mean when one of my HHDs its in RED? and cant be align?


What is red?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *grunion*
> 
> Any different tip/tricks when adding an SSD as a storage drive?


Nah.


----------



## EliteReplay

omg i was in the middle of aligning my 2tb hdd and my pc just rebooted!! and now in windows all i get is this...


----------



## Rebelord

What is the winsxs folder again? Its getting rather large on my drive lately. 20G so far....


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rebelord*
> 
> What is the winsxs folder again? Its getting rather large on my drive lately. 20G so far....


Basically stores different versions of the same DLL, etc in case you have programs installed requiring the different versions.


----------



## tipsytoto

"Disable GUI on boot:
This speeds boot up a second or two. You will no longer see the boot splash screen.
Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type msconfig and press Enter.
When the "System Configuration" window opens click the "Boot" tab.
Check the checkbox for "No GUI boot."
Click the "Apply" button and restart."

So i did this and i get these blue dots in the top left corner instead of the gui, but it isn't necessarily faster? Only happened on my desktop and not my laptop (followed the guide for both). Any ideas?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tipsytoto*
> 
> "Disable GUI on boot:
> This speeds boot up a second or two. You will no longer see the boot splash screen.
> Open the Start Menu, in the search line, type msconfig and press Enter.
> When the "System Configuration" window opens click the "Boot" tab.
> Check the checkbox for "No GUI boot."
> Click the "Apply" button and restart."
> 
> So i did this and i get these blue dots in the top left corner instead of the gui, but it isn't necessarily faster? Only happened on my desktop and not my laptop (followed the guide for both). Any ideas?


Blue dashes are normal.

Did you time it over multiple restarts?

I dropped ~3 seconds by disabling it on my laptop just the other day.


----------



## tipsytoto

Well, I disabled it on both my laptop/desktop. I don't see any blue dashes on the laptop but the desktop i do... i do have a faster ssd in my laptop so that could be part of the reason, but I guess if its normal then there is no issue.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tipsytoto*
> 
> Well, I disabled it on both my laptop/desktop. I don't see any blue dashes on the laptop but the desktop i do... i do have a faster ssd in my laptop so that could be part of the reason, but I guess if its normal then there is no issue.


Same here. I have an old G.Skill drive on my desktop and I see the blue dashes in the top left corner. On my laptop I have the Samsung 830 and don't see a thing.


----------



## tipsytoto

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Same here. I have an old G.Skill drive on my desktop and I see the blue dashes in the top left corner. On my laptop I have the Samsung 830 and don't see a thing.


yeah this is exactly what is happening to me. ssd issue, or desktop/laptop issue? Honestly, its not the biggest deal, but I just feel like I'm losing out on the most tangible ssd advantage, boot time, because of some weird issue.


----------



## Hyzer

Hi guys,

I've read the guide. I'm still confused on how this will work out for me. I have a 1 TB and 2 TB harddrive, along with my 128gb Crucial M4 SSD. I would have to format both my HD's, yes? Then just plug ONLY my SSD in, fresh install, then reconnect my other 2 harddrives after (which are clean) and it should work? I'm kind of confused still, so any information would be helpful. Thanks and cheers.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tipsytoto*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Same here. I have an old G.Skill drive on my desktop and I see the blue dashes in the top left corner. On my laptop I have the Samsung 830 and don't see a thing.
> 
> 
> 
> yeah this is exactly what is happening to me. ssd issue, or desktop/laptop issue? Honestly, its not the biggest deal, but I just feel like I'm losing out on the most tangible ssd advantage, boot time, because of some weird issue.
Click to expand...

*IT IS NOT AN ISSUE, IT IS NORMAL, FORGET IT. IT IS NOT SLOWING DOWN BOOT TIME.*
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hyzer*
> 
> Hi guys,
> 
> I've read the guide. I'm still confused on how this will work out for me. I have a 1 TB and 2 TB harddrive, along with my 128gb Crucial M4 SSD. I would have to format both my HD's, yes?


No, why would you need to format both your HDDs?
Quote:


> Then just plug ONLY my SSD in, fresh install, then reconnect my other 2 harddrives after (which are clean) and it should work? I'm kind of confused still, so any information would be helpful. Thanks and cheers.


Yea, install on SSD, once installed then plug in the HDDs, or you can leave them. It is up to you.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *IT IS NOT AN ISSUE, IT IS NORMAL, FORGET IT. IT IS NOT SLOWING DOWN BOOT TIME.*


I never said it was an issue, I just confirmed it happens to me as well. I'm fully aware it's strictly cosmetic.


----------



## saka-rauka1

Copying over from another thread:
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *saka-rauka1*
> 
> Alright I'll clarify:
> 1 New 256 GB SSD
> 1 Old 250 GB HDD - 5 partitions: C, E, F, G, H - XP installed on C
> 1 Old 1TB HDD - 1 partition: I
> I have maybe 20 GB free between those 2 HDDs.
> The plan is to create a partition on the SSD and install win 7 on it. A second partition will the house programs. This, as well as formatting C will clear up some space on the HDDs so I can download more. I'm giving win 7 it's own partition on the SSD because in the past I've had to reinstall windows multiple times, each time losing data which could have been avoided had I simply partitioned the HDD more intelligently. I'm trying to avoid making the same mistakes.
> EDIT: I have a sata cable connected to the case's esata port, so I'll have to enable hot plugging for that port. I suppose I might as well do it for the rest while I'm there unless there's some drawback.


Is it alright for me to do this?


----------



## BradleyW

Yes it is fine.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tipsytoto*
> 
> yeah this is exactly what is happening to me. ssd issue, or desktop/laptop issue? Honestly, its not the biggest deal, but I just feel like I'm losing out on the most tangible ssd advantage, boot time, because of some weird issue.


That is the result of cracking Win7!


----------



## saka-rauka1

Alright, what about the following?
Quote:


> One more thing: I'm probably going to install xp mode. That requires 15GBs of space correct? So what size partition should I use for C? 40?
> 
> If I allocate too much it should be a simple matter of shrinking the partition in windows right?
> 
> Finally, if I were to create a backup image in case things were to go wrong I would only need to image the C drive right? As I see it, in the event of a major problem, I would have 2 options: I could format C and have to reinstall my program's again since the registry will be wiped. Or I could reimage the drive and be able to continue without reinstalling said programs. But what If I backed-up my registry? In theory I should be able to reinstall windows on C and double click the saved reg file. That would bypass the need to image. Correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## fritx

By any chance do you know where can I download a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.iso?


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fritx*
> 
> By any chance do you know where can I download a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.iso?


 A fast google came back with ...

Maybe? - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=25129







/or

EDIT by Sean Webster: *Link removed* - Sorry, can't link downloads that are not from Microsoft.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fritx*
> 
> By any chance do you know where can I download a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.iso?


Do you have dream spark? Possibly there if you are a student.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *fritx*
> 
> By any chance do you know where can I download a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.iso?
> 
> 
> 
> A fast google came back with ...
> 
> Maybe? - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=25129
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> /or
> 
> EDIT by Sean Webster: *Link removed* - Sorry, can't link downloads that are not from Microsoft.
Click to expand...

That first link is just the service pack.

The second link I edited out cause you can only link Windows downloads from M$ directly on OCN.


----------



## LA_Kings_Fan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do you have dream spark? Possibly there if you are a student.
> That first link is just the service pack.
> The second link I edited out cause you can only link Windows downloads from M$ directly on OCN.


 My bad ... didn't know ... sorry


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LA_Kings_Fan*
> 
> My bad ... didn't know ... sorry


No problem, now you know.


----------



## fritx

Quote:


> Do you have dream spark? Possibly there if you are a student.


I believe I have something like that let me check and I tell you


----------



## fritx

Well I do have dream spark but I only have windows xp, even though I don't need it anymore thanks for all the quick replies and btw sean nice guides they been very helpful.


----------



## Gunderman456

Sean's Guide is chalk full of good stuff, but you only need to use what works for you. To maximize your time, I simplified things and cut to the chase. Most of you here will not need to do more than these steps. I listed the 18 personal steps I used to optimize my Windows Install in combination with the SSD;

01. Initially, only have the SSD connected to your mobo
02. Enable AHCI SATA mode in UEFI/Bios
03. Enable ACPI 2.0 in the UEFI/Bios (if available)
04. Install Windows
05. Disable Hibernation;
a. Open Start Menu and type CMD
b. Right-click CMD icon and chose "run as administrator"
c. Type powercfg -h off and press enter to delete
06. Disable System Protection;
a. Open Start Menu
b. Right-click Computer
c. Click Properties
d. Click System Protection
e. Select C:
f. Click the Configure button
g. Click "turn off system protection"
h. Click Ok
07. Turn off Drive Indexing;
a. Open Start Menu
b. Click Computer
c. Right-click C: drive>properties and uncheck drive indexing
d. Click apply (ignore all when comes up)
08. Set Page File to 512MB;
a. Open Start Menu
b. Right-click Computer
c. Click Properties
d. Click Advanced System Settings
e. Go to the Advanced Tab
f. Under Virtual Memory click change
g. Uncheck the "automatically manage paging file"
h. Select the C: drive
i. Set the min and max to 512
j. Click "Set"
k. Choose Yes for the Dialog Box
l. Click Ok (x2)
09. Restart, turn off and unplug Computer
10. Plug in secondary drive(s)
11. Install latest mobo/chipset drivers
12. Install Windows Updates
13. Change Power Options;
a. Open Start Menu and type Power Options
b. Select the High Performance Power Plan
c. Click "change plan settings"
d. Click "change advanced power settings"
e. Expand the Hard Disk option and change settings to "never"
f. Expand the Sleep option and change settings to "never"
g. Click Ok
14. Enable Trim;
a. Open Start Menu and type CMD
b. Right-click the icon and run as Administrator
c. Type fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0
15. Check Defragmentation Schedule/Disable Defrag;
a. Verify that Defrag is not checked for you SSD
b. Open Disk Defragmenter
c. Click the Configure schedule button
d. Click the select disks button
16. Disable Prefetch and Superfetch;
a. Open Start Menu and type Services.msc and press enter
b. Scroll down until you see the "Superfetch" entry
c. Double-click on it and choose "Disable" from the list
d. Next, open the Start Menu and type regedit and press enter
e. Go to - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
f. Double-click on "Enable Prefetcher" and enter 0 (default value is 3)
g. Double-click on "Enable Superfetch" and enter 0 (default value is 3)
17. Disable UAC;
a. Open Start Menu and type UAC and press enter
b. Move slider to "never notify"
c. Click Ok
d. Click Yes
e. Restart Computer
18. Empty Windows update download cache;
a. Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
b. Delete all of them
19. Overclock your CPU/RAM/GPU
20. Install games and play!


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gunderman456*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Sean's Guide is chalk full of good stuff, but you only need to use what works for you. To maximize your time, I simplified things and cut to the chase. Most of you here will not need to do more than these steps. I listed the 18 personal steps I used to optimize my Windows Install in combination with the SSD;
> 01. Initially, only have the SSD connected to your mobo
> 02. Enable AHCI SATA mode in UEFI/Bios
> 03. Enable ACPI 2.0 in the UEFI/Bios (if available)
> 04. Install Windows
> 05. Disable Hibernation;
> a. Open Start Menu and type CMD
> b. Right-click CMD icon and chose "run as administrator"
> c. Type powercfg -h off and press enter to delete
> 06. Disable System Protection;
> a. Open Start Menu
> b. Right-click Computer
> c. Click Properties
> d. Click System Protection
> e. Select C:
> f. Click the Configure button
> g. Click "turn off system protection"
> h. Click Ok
> 07. Turn off Drive Indexing;
> a. Open Start Menu
> b. Click Computer
> c. Right-click C: drive>properties and uncheck drive indexing
> d. Click apply (ignore all when comes up)
> 08. Turn Off Page File;
> a. Open Start Menu
> b. Right-click Computer
> c. Click Properties
> d. Click Advanced System Settings
> e. Go to the Advanced Tab
> f. Under Virtual Memory click change
> g. Uncheck the "automatically manage paging file"
> h. Select the C: drive
> i. Click "No Paging File"
> j. Click "Set"
> k. Choose Yes for the Dialog Box
> l. Click Ok (x2)
> 09. Restart, turn off and unplug Computer
> 10. Plug in secondary drive(s)
> 11. Install latest mobo/chipset drivers
> 12. Install Windows Updates
> 13. Change Power Options;
> a. Open Start Menu and type Power Options
> b. Select the High Performance Power Plan
> c. Click "change plan settings"
> d. Click "change advanced power settings"
> e. Expand the Hard Disk option and change settings to "never"
> f. Expand the Sleep option and change settings to "never"
> g. Click Ok
> 14. Enable Trim;
> a. Open Start Menu and type CMD
> b. Right-click the icon and run as Administrator
> c. Type fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0
> 15. Check Defragmentation Schedule/Disable Defrag;
> a. Verify that Defrag is not checked for you SSD
> b. Open Disk Defragmenter
> c. Click the Configure schedule button
> d. Click the select disks button
> 16. Disable Prefetch and Superfetch;
> a. Open Start Menu and type Services.msc and press enter
> b. Scroll down until you see the "Superfetch" entry
> c. Double-click on it and choose "Disable" from the list
> d. Next, open the Start Menu and type regedit and press enter
> e. Go to - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
> f. Double-click on "Enable Prefetcher" and enter 0 (default value is 3)
> g. Double-click on "Enable Superfetch" and enter 0 (default value is 3)
> 17. Disable UAC;
> a. Open Start Menu and type UAC and press enter
> b. Move slider to "never notify"
> c. Click Ok
> d. Click Yes
> e. Restart Computer
> 18. Empty Windows update download cache;
> a. Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
> b. Delete all of them
> 19. Overclock your CPU/RAM/GPU
> 20. Install games and play!
> Next, I will provide pics of my overclocks!


One bad thing and one small thing missing, You shouldn't turn off page file completely. Even with 16GB of RAM some programs are coded to use page file. Setting a static 512 on the SSD is recommended. The small thing you forgot is to disable Windows GUI boot. Other than those things, it looks good.

Edit: Also, the alignment via DISKPART is pretty important pre-windows install as well *"create partition primary align = 4096"* etc.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Edit: Also, the alignment via DISKPART is pretty important pre-windows install as well *"create partition primary align = 4096"* etc.


Windows 7 automatically aligns the partition to 4K (for MBR, starting offset is usually at 1024K or 1,048,576, or 103424K or 105,906,176 with a 100MB system reserved partition). Unless you're still using XP or something, that part doesn't really matter.


----------



## Gunderman456

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> One bad thing and one small thing missing, You shouldn't turn off page file completely. Even with 16GB of RAM some programs are coded to use page file. Setting a static 512 on the SSD is recommended. The small thing you forgot is to disable Windows GUI boot. Other than those things, it looks good.
> Edit: Also, the alignment via DISKPART is pretty important pre-windows install as well *"create partition primary align = 4096"* etc.


Thanks, I changed the Page File set-up in my 18 steps and will follow through with your suggestion when I get home!

As for the GUI, my computer, from cold boot, launches to desktop in 5 seconds, no need to turn off the Win bar, also it's nice to have the Win bar in my opinion as a visual queue in case the computer fails to boot for some reason. As for the 3rd suggestion rui-no-onna's chime I hope is on the ball as I can't go back now as Win has been installed.


----------



## Systemlord

I have indeed installed Windows 7 Ultimate on the Asmedia SATA III 6Gbps connectors that were set to AHCI instead of using the Intel SATA III 6Gbps connectors! Now I know I have been told not to use those third party SATA III 6Gbps connector for installing Windows 7, would it make a difference if I started over installing Windows 7 using the Intel SATA III 6Gbps connectors this time around?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Systemlord*
> 
> I have indeed installed Windows 7 Ultimate on the Asmedia SATA III 6Gbps connectors that were set to AHCI instead of using the Intel SATA III 6Gbps connectors! Now I know I have been told not to use those third party SATA III 6Gbps connector for installing Windows 7, would it make a difference if I started over installing Windows 7 using the Intel SATA III 6Gbps connectors this time around?


Just move your drive from the ASMedia port to the Intel port. No need to reinstall.


----------



## Systemlord

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just move your drive from the ASMedia port to the Intel port. No need to reinstall.


When I got to Windows 7 desktop I notice an Intel message to the effect of drivers configuring Intel Storage Technology initializing or something like that and after that a restart was required, my manual states that these two Intel SATA III 6Gbps ports are configured by default to AHCI mode which is why there's no option to change them in BIOS anymore.


----------



## SirWooties

So I'll be ordering my parts for my intel rig soon and I need help on a few questions. I'm ordering a fresh new Windows 7 Retail copy and 3570K+z77 mobo. So if I want to re-use my SSD + HDD I just do complete deletion on my data right? Intel has a program where I can wipe the ssd clean. That's all I need to do right? Help a noobie


----------



## AznDud

Is it better to move the Desktop folder to the HDD?


----------



## Gunderman456

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SirWooties*
> 
> So I'll be ordering my parts for my intel rig soon and I need help on a few questions. I'm ordering a fresh new Windows 7 Retail copy and 3570K+z77 mobo. So if I want to re-use my SSD + HDD I just do complete deletion on my data right? Intel has a program where I can wipe the ssd clean. That's all I need to do right? Help a noobie


Part of a fresh install of windows you will be prompted and you can just delete your ssd partition and install windows a new.


----------



## Gunderman456

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AznDud*
> 
> Is it better to move the Desktop folder to the HDD?


It's so small I would not bother.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AznDud*
> 
> Is it better to move the Desktop folder to the HDD?


If you are like me and constantly use your desktop as a temp folder for large 10+GB files and everything else you can think of then I'd move it. It doesn't affect anything by moving it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gunderman456*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *SirWooties*
> 
> So I'll be ordering my parts for my intel rig soon and I need help on a few questions. I'm ordering a fresh new Windows 7 Retail copy and 3570K+z77 mobo. So if I want to re-use my SSD + HDD I just do complete deletion on my data right? Intel has a program where I can wipe the ssd clean. That's all I need to do right? Help a noobie
> 
> 
> 
> Part of a fresh install of windows you will be prompted and you can just delete your ssd partition and install windows a new.
Click to expand...

This^ You only need to delete the old OS partition. You don't need to delete anything else. Backup what ever data you need that is on the old OS partition and then wipe it and reinstall over.


----------



## PcG_AmD

Best Guide for Windows ever!!


----------



## ski-bum

You should publish this.
Install Windows for Dummies!


----------



## scorpscarx

Which driver is better for Crucial M4, the AMD ahci or Windows AHCI? AMD seems to be a tad faster but my speeds are way low for some reason according to WinSat atleast.

160MB/s read and 180MB/s write on this drive which is 500/260 advertised on Sata 3.

What am I doing wrong here, my mb bios is current and the drive firmware is current, am I using the wrong driver maybe install the Gigabyte sata driver rather than amd or windows?
Is it the cord?

Sorry this is my first SSD, finally.

---tried AS SSD and everything looks normal, those were random reads in winsat.

Thanks for reading.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *scorpscarx*
> 
> Which driver is better for Crucial M4, the AMD ahci or Windows AHCI? AMD seems to be a tad faster but my speeds are way low for some reason according to WinSat atleast.
> 
> 160MB/s read and 180MB/s write on this drive which is 500/260 advertised on Sata 3.
> 
> What am I doing wrong here, my mb bios is current and the drive firmware is current, am I using the wrong driver maybe install the Gigabyte sata driver rather than amd or windows?
> Is it the cord?
> 
> Sorry this is my first SSD, finally.
> 
> ---tried AS SSD and everything looks normal, those were random reads in winsat.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


AMD driver

Post a screenshot of AS SSD

What motehrboard?


----------



## scorpscarx

m4 256, everything is cool now(besides it being in German lol), I think, followed your guide, thank you very much.

GA-880GA-UD3H (rev. 2.0)

Only thing of note is that I cloned my other HDD, but changed everything you suggested and reaping the rewards, feels great to finally have one.


----------



## scorpscarx

One last quick question: should I try to edit group policy or something and uninstall windows ahci driver so that it won't keep installing on boot, disable it, or just let it run as well and not worry about it?

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *scorpscarx*
> 
> One last quick question: should I try to edit group policy or something and uninstall windows ahci driver so that it won't keep installing on boot, disable it, or just let it run as well and not worry about it?
> 
> Thanks


Wait it is installing upon boot? It shouldn't be...


----------



## Systemlord

I need to start over, I have to install Windows 7 Ultimate a second time cause I screwed the up the registry to name a few. What is required before installing Windows 7 Ultimate? Do I need to delete partition or format my SSD before installing Windows 7?


----------



## Gunderman456

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Systemlord*
> 
> I need to start over, I have to install Windows 7 Ultimate a second time cause I screwed the up the registry to name a few. What is required before installing Windows 7 Ultimate? Do I need to delete partition or format my SSD before installing Windows 7?


Yes delete partition and then install win.


----------



## scorpscarx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean*
> Wait it is installing upon boot? It shouldn't be...


Only because I tried to uninstall it twice







, guess it's fine to just keep it disabled.


----------



## adamvan2000

Thanks Sean for the guide! It definitely helped my windows install run MUCH smoother. I will recommend this guide to any Windows friends who get SSD drives. Great job!


----------



## lukeman3000

After installing the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver, my SSD disappeared from the bios and I couldn't boot into Windows. Resetting bios to default settings fixed the problem, but I have no clue what could've changed because I was already in ACHI mode.

Has this happened to anyone else?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lukeman3000*
> 
> After installing the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver, my SSD disappeared from the bios and I couldn't boot into Windows. Resetting bios to default settings fixed the problem, but I have no clue what could've changed because I was already in ACHI mode.
> 
> Has this happened to anyone else?


I have no clue, ho I've had a similar thign liek that happen. After a failed cache array I could not access a HDD. I uninstalled the driver and I was able to use it. Turns out there was some RAID metadata screwing with the HDD when I had the driver installed.


----------



## Jayjr1105

I'm still not crystal clear on what to choose for this policy. Since it's a notebook am I safe to have both checked since technically it has a battery backup?

For my desktop at home (sig rig) I think I just have the top one checked.. is that correct as well?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> 
> 
> I'm still not crystal clear on what to choose for this policy. Since it's a notebook am I safe to have both checked since technically it has a battery backup?
> 
> For my desktop at home (sig rig) I think I just have the top one checked.. is that correct as well?


Yep, all good.


----------



## squib

Hi.

I bought an _Asus N56 R501VZ_, just received it yesterday, and also recently purchased a _Liteon LZT-256M3S 256GB SSD_ for it, as well as a caddy. I'm planning on replacing the optical drive with the SSD. First time I'm ever attempting something like this - opening up the laptop, shoving something in, doing a clean install, etc. I was linked to this guide, but I think there is just a lot of assumed knowledge packed in here which I simply don't have.

I want it so everything will be booting from the SSD, as well as my programs and applications. What will happen to my C: and D: drives? Will there still be an OS on it; will that be a 'separate', dual OS? I'm cool with completely wiping those two clean and using it as extra storage, since its brand new and has nothing of value in it right now. I just want faster boot times and loading times, why is this so complicated ;-;
Quote:


> Make sure you have all your drivers for your motherboard and other hardware.


I have a CD with Asus drivers which came with the laptop. Is that what this is referring to? Cause I have nothing else.
Quote:


> How to make a custom Windows 7 .iso:
> 
> -How to use RT Se7en Lite: (link)
> -Guide to stripping down Windows 7 for Benching: (link)


Do I need to do this?
Quote:


> Read your motherboard manual! This saves you the hassle of asking which SATA port is which and much more; almost everything is in there!


Don't have one.
Quote:


> - If your hardware is overclocked please revert to stock clocks for installation to prevent data corruption.
> - Enable AHCI SATA mode in the UEFI/BIOS. Use RAID mode if you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT aka. SSD caching. Guide here: (link)
> - Check to see if ACPI 2.0 or newer is in the UEFI/BIOS and enable it if it is there, if not then don't worry about it.


I really don't know what any of this means =\ Is it necessary?
Quote:


> - Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of your SSD/HDD and update if necessary. Storage drivers, firmware, and utilities here: (link)


So does this mean, after I get around to physically installing it, I should boot the laptop up as normal and update the drivers? Or is this something I do after the clean install and everything else?
Quote:


> Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.


So, double checking, when I get around to opening up my laptop and replacing the optical drive with the SSD, I should remove/disconnect the HDD(s) as well? What is this doing to all the files and set up already present in the C: drive?

Sorry if these questions seem basic or have been asked a lot. I'm feeling really clueless and don't want to make any mistakes, so please bear with me.

So, so far I made back ups of the laptop's factory settings using an Asus program that launched during boot. I downloaded Windows 7 HP x64 .iso file and burned it on a DVD. Now I'm trying to set up the USB drive, and run into an error.










I typed in 'exit' and started over a couple of times; no luck. I tried doing 'ntfs' instead of fat32, no luck. I tried doing it without 'quick', still same thing happens when I try to 'assign' it. I don't even know how to look at the log it's referring to. I thought it was the USB drive's fault, so I tried another one. Same exact error. What's up?


----------



## SirWooties

So I plugged in my storage drive (HDD) from my last build into my new Intel build and my data is still there. Do I need to reformat my HDD or is it just plug n play without worrying about anything? I used an ssd for my os and programs and I used my HDD as a storage drive. I won't run into problems will I?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *squib*
> 
> Hi.
> 
> I bought an _Asus N56 R501VZ_, just received it yesterday, and also recently purchased a _Liteon LZT-256M3S 256GB SSD_ for it, as well as a caddy. I'm planning on replacing the optical drive with the SSD. First time I'm ever attempting something like this - opening up the laptop, shoving something in, doing a clean install, etc. I was linked to this guide, but I think there is just a lot of assumed knowledge packed in here which I simply don't have.
> 
> I want it so everything will be booting from the SSD, as well as my programs and applications. What will happen to my C: and D: drives? Will there still be an OS on it; will that be a 'separate', dual OS? I'm cool with completely wiping those two clean and using it as extra storage, since its brand new and has nothing of value in it right now. I just want faster boot times and loading times, why is this so complicated ;-;


You can wipe them if you don't need the data.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Make sure you have all your drivers for your motherboard and other hardware.
> 
> 
> 
> I have a CD with Asus drivers which came with the laptop. Is that what this is referring to? Cause I have nothing else.
Click to expand...

yea
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> How to make a custom Windows 7 .iso:
> 
> -How to use RT Se7en Lite: (link)
> -Guide to stripping down Windows 7 for Benching: (link)
> 
> 
> 
> Do I need to do this?
Click to expand...

Nope
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Read your motherboard manual! This saves you the hassle of asking which SATA port is which and much more; almost everything is in there!
> 
> 
> 
> Don't have one.
Click to expand...









Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> - If your hardware is overclocked please revert to stock clocks for installation to prevent data corruption.
> - Enable AHCI SATA mode in the UEFI/BIOS. Use RAID mode if you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT aka. SSD caching. Guide here: (link)
> - Check to see if ACPI 2.0 or newer is in the UEFI/BIOS and enable it if it is there, if not then don't worry about it.
> 
> 
> 
> I really don't know what any of this means =\ Is it necessary?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> - Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of your SSD/HDD and update if necessary. Storage drivers, firmware, and utilities here: (link)
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> So does this mean, after I get around to physically installing it, I should boot the laptop up as normal and update the drivers? Or is this something I do after the clean install and everything else?
Click to expand...

Before you install.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.
> 
> 
> 
> So, double checking, when I get around to opening up my laptop and replacing the optical drive with the SSD, I should remove/disconnect the HDD(s) as well?
Click to expand...

Yes, disconnect the current drives that you are not installing the OS on.
Quote:


> What is this doing to all the files and set up already present in the C: drive?


Nothing.
Quote:


> Sorry if these questions seem basic or have been asked a lot. I'm feeling really clueless and don't want to make any mistakes, so please bear with me.
> 
> So, so far I made back ups of the laptop's factory settings using an Asus program that launched during boot. I downloaded Windows 7 HP x64 .iso file and burned it on a DVD. Now I'm trying to set up the USB drive, and run into an error.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I typed in 'exit' and started over a couple of times; no luck. I tried doing 'ntfs' instead of fat32, no luck. I tried doing it without 'quick', still same thing happens when I try to 'assign' it. I don't even know how to look at the log it's referring to. I thought it was the USB drive's fault, so I tried another one. Same exact error. What's up?


You can windows tool: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SirWooties*
> 
> So I plugged in my storage drive (HDD) from my last build into my new Intel build and my data is still there. Do I need to reformat my HDD or is it just plug n play without worrying about anything? I used an ssd for my os and programs and I used my HDD as a storage drive. I won't run into problems will I?


You shouldn't have any issue.


----------



## SirWooties

I was in the process of moving my User folders to my storage drive but something weird happened. My storage drive icon now shows up in my original C: User folder? It won't go away.

Is there any easier way to move all my folders at once?


----------



## SirWooties

Why is my storage drive shown as a primary drive? Is something wrong?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SirWooties*
> 
> I was in the process of moving my User folders to my storage drive but something weird happened. My storage drive icon now shows up in my original C: User folder? It won't go away.
> 
> Is there any easier way to move all my folders at once?


You set the location to the HDD itself, you need to set it to a folder on the HDD.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SirWooties*
> 
> 
> 
> Why is my storage drive shown as a primary drive? Is something wrong?


Nope, your HDD is just plugged into a port before the other drive.


----------



## squib

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> "You can windows tool: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool


Thank you! For some reason that link didn't work the other day - took me straight to the Australian site.

Ok, I physically installed the SSD. I turned on the laptop to see if I had to update any drivers - Liteon's official website doesn't have any downloads for the product. Also I looked in My Computer, and I don't see the SSD there. Is something wrong? I saw a 'installing drive...' when I started up the laptop after physically installing it, but it disappeared before I could check its status. I haven't done the clean install yet btw, but I was just wondering whether the drive would be visible on My Computer or not.

Afterwards, I'll be doing the clean install. How exactly do I boot from the USB to make it a clean install? Would that automatically happen if my internal drive with the OS is not connected? And once I start that, should I follow the "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" method or "Just put in your install media, boot from it, and follow the onscreen instructions." ?

Ok so I followed the MBR thing. Now I'm up to System after installation, "6. Install Motherboard Drivers". I have the CD with all the Asus drivers, but I realised I just replaced the optical drive for this SSD. <_< Now what? To the Asus website...

Wait **** I can't even connect to the internet with this. I have stuff from my old C: drive though, is there a way I can transfer drivers to my SSD?

Okay I remembered this Silverstone Caddy/USB Optical Drive thingy. All is well, for now.


----------



## SimpleTech

Hey Sean, I was contemplating on making a new Windows 7 stripping guide using Win Toolkit instead of RT7Lite since it's outdated. What do you think?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> Hey Sean, I was contemplating on making a new Windows 7 stripping guide using Win Toolkit instead of RT7Lite since it's outdated. What do you think?


Do it!









I could use a little bit of slimming down on my installs.


----------



## SimpleTech

Great.









I use it religiously, especially since I'm installing an OS every few days for various builds.


----------



## Sean Webster

Win Toolkit looks sweet after looking it up, cant wait to rep you...I mean follow your guide.







lol


----------



## SimpleTech

Alright. I finished it.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1313265


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> Alright. I finished it.
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1313265


Hahaha, I posted in that thread as you were writing this post.


----------



## SimpleTech




----------



## k1suk3

Hello Guys, i'm new here
This is a great thread, really help me alot. Thx Sean







you did a great job with this guide

i have a question, i have 3 HDD ... SSD Team XS3 Pro 120GB, WD 1 TB Black 7200 RPM (SATA 3), SSD OCZ Vertex 3 60GB. Now i'm using SSD Team for my OS, OCZ as Cache disk for my 1 TB WD Black. My ASus P8PZ77 V Pro have 6 intel sata ( sata 2 x 4, sata 3 x 2 ) and Azmodia Sata 3 x 2 port. Which setup is better :
- SSD Team on Azmodia SATA 3, WD 1 TB Black and OCZ on intel sata 3
- SSD Team and OCZ on Intel SATA 3, WD 1 TB Black on intel Sata 2
- SSD Team and WD 1TB Black on intel sata 3, OCZ on Intel Sata 2
Please advice

Thx
Ben


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *k1suk3*
> 
> Hello Guys, i'm new here
> This is a great thread, really help me alot. Thx Sean
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> you did a great job with this guide
> 
> i have a question, i have 3 HDD ... SSD Team XS3 Pro 120GB, WD 1 TB Black 7200 RPM (SATA 3), SSD OCZ Vertex 3 60GB. Now i'm using SSD Team for my OS, OCZ as Cache disk for my 1 TB WD Black. My ASus P8PZ77 V Pro have 6 intel sata ( sata 2 x 4, sata 3 x 2 ) and Azmodia Sata 3 x 2 port. Which setup is better :
> - SSD Team on Azmodia SATA 3, WD 1 TB Black and OCZ on intel sata 3
> - SSD Team and OCZ on Intel SATA 3, WD 1 TB Black on intel Sata 2
> - SSD Team and WD 1TB Black on intel sata 3, OCZ on Intel Sata 2
> Please advice
> 
> Thx
> Ben


SSDs on the Intel SATA 3 ports. HDDs on the Intel SATA 2. Disable the ASMedia in the UEFI.


----------



## k1suk3

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> SSDs on the Intel SATA 3 ports. HDDs on the Intel SATA 2. Disable the ASMedia in the UEFI.


Thx For the advise, will try it tonight


----------



## Steelbarrage

First I would like to thank you for the guide but I am at my wits end trying to get my clean install to function properly.
I followed your guide to the letter but I am having numerous problems with installing programs to my hdd only to have them revert to my ssd after restart.
I just finished with a clean install onto a 128 gb Crucial M4.
My hdd is a 640 gb Caviar Black.
I moved my desktop, documents, downloads, and other file folders on the my black drive (drive F).
I will install a program onto my F: drive and after a restart I will try to open the application and it will open from the ssd.
I don't really know whats wrong with my install.
If i try and open the program through the start menu it will show an error trying to trace the program to my F: drive for some reason but the files will be in the x86 folder of my ssd.
Some of the programs I do install stay on my F: drive but it seems that most end up installing on my C: drive and I don't understand why.
I shouldn't be having this many problems with using a ssd and hdd right after a clean install right?
Thank you in advance for the help.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steelbarrage*
> 
> First I would like to thank you for the guide but I am at my wits end trying to get my clean install to function properly.
> I followed your guide to the letter but I am having numerous problems with installing programs to my hdd only to have them revert to my ssd after restart.
> I just finished with a clean install onto a 128 gb Crucial M4.
> My hdd is a 640 gb Caviar Black.
> I moved my desktop, documents, downloads, and other file folders on the my black drive (drive F).
> I will install a program onto my F: drive and after a restart I will try to open the application and it will open from the ssd.
> I don't really know whats wrong with my install.
> If i try and open the program through the start menu it will show an error trying to trace the program to my F: drive for some reason but the files will be in the x86 folder of my ssd.
> Some of the programs I do install stay on my F: drive but it seems that most end up installing on my C: drive and I don't understand why.
> I shouldn't be having this many problems with using a ssd and hdd right after a clean install right?
> Thank you in advance for the help.


How are you installing your programs to the F: drive? Are you just moving the program folders to it? Or are you actually redirecting them to a folder you made for programs there when you install them? You shouldn't have any issues if y ou are just redirecting them upon install.


----------



## squib

Just wanted to say thanks for the guide, all the extra links and all the help you've provided throughout the thread. Really appreciated.


----------



## Steelbarrage

I followed your guide and created the program files and program file x86 folders on my F: drive.
I also made the appropriate registry edits to make my F: drive the default install location as per your instructions in the extras part of your guide.
If this shouldn't be that difficult should I just start from scratch and do another clean install and see if that fixes my issues?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *squib*
> 
> Just wanted to say thanks for the guide, all the extra links and all the help you've provided throughout the thread. Really appreciated.











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steelbarrage*
> 
> I followed your guide and created the program files and program file x86 folders on my F: drive.
> I also made the appropriate registry edits to make my F: drive the default install location as per your instructions in the extras part of your guide.
> If this shouldn't be that difficult should I just start from scratch and do another clean install and see if that fixes my issues?


Oh you did the registry edit to move your program folders, that could be the issue right there. I wouldn't do that myself.


----------



## EarlZ

4 months, 1 day and 8hours of total usage (2912 hours) and I'm at 1.472Tb of written data.. Is that with in the 'normal' or 'expected' range?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> 4 months, 1 day and 8hours of total usage (2912 hours) and I'm at 1.472Tb of written data.. Is that with in the 'normal' or 'expected' range?


thats normal/lowish, about/below expected. at that rate your nand will outlast you. lol


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> thats normal/lowish, about/below expected. at that rate your nand will outlast you. lol


Glad to hear


----------



## [email protected]

Hey Sean sorry been so busy but here's a picture of my benchmark on my SSD. Please tell me what you think.

This Samsung ssd ain't half bad. I don't know why i like INtel better.


----------



## lukeman3000

I think it might be important to add to the Windows installation section that how you boot from your installation DVD makes a difference.

At least, I think it does.

In my bios, I had two boot options:

ASUS DVD/CD
UEFI ASUS DVD/CD

This isn't verbatim but the point is that one of them had the prefix "UEFI". Whenever I booted with the UEFI option, everything looked the same, but when it got to the part where you can delete partitions, it said that Windows couldn't be installed on my drive because it was an "EFI" system, or something like that. But it would go ahead and install anyways and Windows would boot up fine.

However, after installing Windows that way, I noticed that I had a problem with certain.. ahem.. software. I won't go into the details because it's likely forbidden here but let's just say that I lost my original Windows install disk.

That said, a certain thing in particular wouldn't work because it said that the drive wasn't formatted as MBR even though I had explicitly typed "clean" and "convert MBR" during the initial setup as instructed. I went back and chose the non-UEFI boot option, reinstalled Windows, and everything worked fine.

I'm not sure if this is just a coincidence or perhaps there was some other variable that I had changed unknowingly, but I saw a post on hardforum in which some guy said the same exact thing. Food for thought..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Hey Sean sorry been so busy but here's a picture of my benchmark on my SSD. Please tell me what you think.
> 
> This Samsung ssd ain't half bad. I don't know why i like INtel better.


It's fine.

Haven't anything yet? lol You have been here reading so much, by now I would have thought you would have learned a thing or two.

*I'm not being a meany*
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lukeman3000*
> 
> I think it might be important to add to the Windows installation section that how you boot from your installation DVD makes a difference.
> 
> At least, I think it does.
> 
> In my bios, I had two boot options:
> 
> ASUS DVD/CD
> UEFI ASUS DVD/CD
> 
> This isn't verbatim but the point is that one of them had the prefix "UEFI". Whenever I booted with the UEFI option, everything looked the same, but when it got to the part where you can delete partitions, it said that Windows couldn't be installed on my drive because it was an "EFI" system, or something like that. But it would go ahead and install anyways and Windows would boot up fine.
> 
> However, after installing Windows that way, I noticed that I had a problem with certain.. ahem.. software. I won't go into the details because it's likely forbidden here but let's just say that I lost my original Windows install disk.
> 
> That said, a certain thing in particular wouldn't work because it said that the drive wasn't formatted as MBR even though I had explicitly typed "clean" and "convert MBR" during the initial setup as instructed. I went back and chose the non-UEFI boot option, reinstalled Windows, and everything worked fine.
> 
> I'm not sure if this is just a coincidence or perhaps there was some other variable that I had changed unknowingly, but I saw a post on hardforum in which some guy said the same exact thing. Food for thought..


Ok, i'll make the obvious more obvious for people with UEFI mobos.







lol


----------



## lukeman3000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ok, i'll make the obvious more obvious for people with UEFI mobos.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> lol


Whoops -- guess I must have missed that part : /

"(If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)"

^^ You should bold this!


----------



## Carniflex

I noticed that in the guide the suggestion is to just move some of the user folder from the \Users\{Username} on the system disk, however, in my opinion its better to move the whole {Users} folder to another disk and replace the {Users} folder in the C:\Users with a junction to the new location. There is many scenarios where programs just ignore your efforts to direct you to some other disk and just beeline straight to C:\Users\{Username}.

Usual guidelines for moving Users folder are rather arcane involving registry hacks and stuff. However, I stumbled upon relatively straightforward way which worked for me right after install in relatively straightforward way. The procedure was as follows:

In here: C is the system disk, your SSD; G is the target disk (a HDD) where you want to move the \Users directory - *note that drive letters in recovery mode can be different than they are in Windows* - make sure you have the correct drive letters, if you mess up with drive letters your windows user will end up unable to login.

(1) Install Windows, Create Username, etc and log in first time.
(2) Restart, boot again from the install media (I was using USB stick), Pick recovery mode and get command line (Shift+F10 or just pick it from the recovery menu)
(3) Robocopy /copyall /mir /xj C:\Users G:\Users
(4) rmdir /S /Q C:\Users
(5) mklink /J C:\Users G:\Users
(6) restart and boot into windows

Explanations and notes. (1) - It should work also if your windows installation is already in use, however I tried it just after fresh install. (2) Getting CMD in recovery mode allows you do stuff which windows does not let you to do while you are logged in even if you go into admin mode, (3) - /xj is important here, it ignores the hard links in that directory /copyall is self explanationary and /mir means "mirror", again note that in recovery mode the drive letters can be different than they are in windows, for me, for example, the system drive was "D" disk, not C, (4) rmdir with those keys forces the delete on a system directory, if you are unsure you can always do couple of copies from your "Users" directory first with robocopy, but if you mess up in here then the windows will end up unable to login into any user account (happened to me first time when I did wrong junction by messing up drive letters), note also that rmdir is also capable of deleting junctions not only directories (5) - does the hard link, for all practical purposes windows still believes that it is using C:\Users while its actually using the directory on the hard disk. Double chek in the end by doing "dir C:\Users" - if your junction is working you will see G:\Users in response to that. Note that the HDD to which you moved "Users" directory will be also considered a system drive thereafter and will be included when you are doing backup images even if you put a tickbox only for the C drive. Both of my disk involved were with NTFS filesystem.

Why bother ? Well as I mentioned there is crap going into the "Users" directory which will end up wasting valuable SSD space, starting with various downloads, some windows update crap, Google Earth cache, many games dump their savegames and settings and screenshots in there, etc.


----------



## lukeman3000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Carniflex*
> 
> I noticed that in the guide the suggestion is to just move some of the user folder from the \Users\{Username} on the system disk, however, in my opinion its better to move the whole {Users} folder to another disk and replace the {Users} folder in the C:\Users with a junction to the new location. There is many scenarios where programs just ignore your efforts to direct you to some other disk and just beeline straight to C:\Users\{Username}.
> Usual guidelines for moving Users folder are rather arcane involving registry hacks and stuff. However, I stumbled upon relatively straightforward way which worked for me right after install in relatively straightforward way. The procedure was as follows:
> In here: C is the system disk, your SSD; G is the target disk (a HDD) where you want to move the \Users directory - *note that drive letters in recovery mode can be different than they are in Windows* - make sure you have the correct drive letters, if you mess up with drive letters your windows user will end up unable to login.
> (1) Install Windows, Create Username, etc and log in first time.
> (2) Restart, boot again from the install media (I was using USB stick), Pick recovery mode and get command line (Shift+F10 or just pick it from the recovery menu)
> (3) Robocopy /copyall /mir /xj C:\Users G:\Users
> (4) rmdir /S /Q C:\Users
> (5) mklink /J C:\Users G:\Users
> (6) restart and boot into windows
> Explanations and notes. (1) - It should work also if your windows installation is already in use, however I tried it just after fresh install. (2) Getting CMD in recovery mode allows you do stuff which windows does not let you to do while you are logged in even if you go into admin mode, (3) - /xj is important here, it ignores the hard links in that directory /copyall is self explanationary and /mir means "mirror", again note that in recovery mode the drive letters can be different than they are in windows, for me, for example, the system drive was "D" disk, not C, (4) rmdir with those keys forces the delete on a system directory, if you are unsure you can always do couple of copies from your "Users" directory first with robocopy, but if you mess up in here then the windows will end up unable to login into any user account (happened to me first time when I did wrong junction by messing up drive letters), note also that rmdir is also capable of deleting junctions not only directories (5) - does the hard link, for all practical purposes windows still believes that it is using C:\Users while its actually using the directory on the hard disk. Double chek in the end by doing "dir C:\Users" - if your junction is working you will see G:\Users in response to that. Note that the HDD to which you moved "Users" directory will be also considered a system drive thereafter and will be included when you are doing backup images even if you put a tickbox only for the C drive. Both of my disk involved were with NTFS filesystem.
> Why bother ? Well as I mentioned there is crap going into the "Users" directory which will end up wasting valuable SSD space, starting with various downloads, some windows update crap, Google Earth cache, many games dump their savegames and settings and screenshots in there, etc.


Any opinion on this Sean?

Also, I didn't comb through the entire guide but you should make mention of the Acronis True Image boot CD if you haven't. It is free and it makes a reinstall so much easier.


----------



## Carniflex

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lukeman3000*
> 
> Any opinion on this Sean?


I'm not Sean but to be honest I see it more as relevant for users with 30 - 40 GB drives. With 60-64 GB drive one should be already able to manage if only a select few programs are installed on the SSD (although its going to be a bit tight probably) and with 80+ GB I dont think its worth the hassle anymore. Afterall - after doing that you will have 2 potential breaking points in the system instead of one, i.e., windows breaks if either SSD or the HDD with the Users folder break. Although it depends on the user habits. Stuff like My Pictures and so on can already moved within windows settings as highlighted in the guide. The main reason to move in my opinion is the "AppData" hidden folder in "Users" where some programs, like, for example, Google Earth are keen on dropping several GB of stuff without easy way of making them to do it elsewhere.

With the price of good quality 120+ Drives already often at less than 1$ for a GB its more of a niche trick.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lukeman3000*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Carniflex*
> 
> I noticed that in the guide the suggestion is to just move some of the user folder from the \Users\{Username} on the system disk, however, in my opinion its better to move the whole {Users} folder to another disk and replace the {Users} folder in the C:\Users with a junction to the new location. There is many scenarios where programs just ignore your efforts to direct you to some other disk and just beeline straight to C:\Users\{Username}.
> Usual guidelines for moving Users folder are rather arcane involving registry hacks and stuff. However, I stumbled upon relatively straightforward way which worked for me right after install in relatively straightforward way. The procedure was as follows:
> In here: C is the system disk, your SSD; G is the target disk (a HDD) where you want to move the \Users directory - *note that drive letters in recovery mode can be different than they are in Windows* - make sure you have the correct drive letters, if you mess up with drive letters your windows user will end up unable to login.
> (1) Install Windows, Create Username, etc and log in first time.
> (2) Restart, boot again from the install media (I was using USB stick), Pick recovery mode and get command line (Shift+F10 or just pick it from the recovery menu)
> (3) Robocopy /copyall /mir /xj C:\Users G:\Users
> (4) rmdir /S /Q C:\Users
> (5) mklink /J C:\Users G:\Users
> (6) restart and boot into windows
> Explanations and notes. (1) - It should work also if your windows installation is already in use, however I tried it just after fresh install. (2) Getting CMD in recovery mode allows you do stuff which windows does not let you to do while you are logged in even if you go into admin mode, (3) - /xj is important here, it ignores the hard links in that directory /copyall is self explanationary and /mir means "mirror", again note that in recovery mode the drive letters can be different than they are in windows, for me, for example, the system drive was "D" disk, not C, (4) rmdir with those keys forces the delete on a system directory, if you are unsure you can always do couple of copies from your "Users" directory first with robocopy, but if you mess up in here then the windows will end up unable to login into any user account (happened to me first time when I did wrong junction by messing up drive letters), note also that rmdir is also capable of deleting junctions not only directories (5) - does the hard link, for all practical purposes windows still believes that it is using C:\Users while its actually using the directory on the hard disk. Double chek in the end by doing "dir C:\Users" - if your junction is working you will see G:\Users in response to that. Note that the HDD to which you moved "Users" directory will be also considered a system drive thereafter and will be included when you are doing backup images even if you put a tickbox only for the C drive. Both of my disk involved were with NTFS filesystem.
> Why bother ? Well as I mentioned there is crap going into the "Users" directory which will end up wasting valuable SSD space, starting with various downloads, some windows update crap, Google Earth cache, many games dump their savegames and settings and screenshots in there, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> Any opinion on this Sean?
> 
> Also, I didn't comb through the entire guide but you should make mention of the Acronis True Image boot CD if you haven't. It is free and it makes a reinstall so much easier.
Click to expand...

I like my appdata where it is.







Plus I hate doing long complicated things like this myself lol. I like just adjusting the properties to link my pc, doc, vid, etc folders over to my HDD after a reinstall and having my temp files and crap in the appdata folder on the SSD.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Carniflex*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *lukeman3000*
> 
> Any opinion on this Sean?
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not Sean but to be honest I see it more as relevant for users with 30 - 40 GB drives. *With 60-64 GB drive one should be already able to manage if only a select few programs are installed on the SSD (although its going to be a bit tight probably*) and with 80+ GB I dont think its worth the hassle anymore. Afterall - after doing that you will have 2 potential breaking points in the system instead of one, i.e., windows breaks if either SSD or the HDD with the Users folder break. Although it depends on the user habits. Stuff like My Pictures and so on can already moved within windows settings as highlighted in the guide. The main reason to move in my opinion is the "AppData" hidden folder in "Users" where some programs, like, for example, Google Earth are keen on dropping several GB of stuff without easy way of making them to do it elsewhere.
> 
> With the price of good quality 120+ Drives already often at less than 1$ for a GB its more of a niche trick.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Only do it if you need to for a network set up with multiple users to have all their data on a single drive, or if you need to for space.

Pfft, 60/64GB is plenty for a os/programs drive, not a tight fit at all, especially after shrinking the pagefile and disabling hibernation. I usually only use 30-40GB for my OS and all my programs and the rest is just free space. I have a bunch of large programs on my PC too. Adobe Photoshop, lightroom, aftereffects, premeire pro, autocad 2012, MS visual studio, MS office, VMware workstation, and some other stuff. 64GB plenty unless you are like someone who installs everything you see lol.


----------



## Dizzy82

I've purchased a pre-built PC with an OCZ SSD and a 2TB HDD, I will be installing my own copy of Windows 7 Ultimate onto the SSD, do I still need to unplug the HDD before installing Windows 7 onto the SSD?
I've read a lot of differing articles about if this is necessary with brand new PCs but I'm still not sure, I would rather not have to start unplugging the HDD if I don't need to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks


----------



## Jayjr1105

May I ask why the Intel RST service is set to a delayed start by default instead of auto?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dizzy82*
> 
> I've purchased a pre-built PC with an OCZ SSD and a 2TB HDD, I will be installing my own copy of Windows 7 Ultimate onto the SSD, do I still need to unplug the HDD before installing Windows 7 onto the SSD?
> I've read a lot of differing articles about if this is necessary with brand new PCs but I'm still not sure, I would rather not have to start unplugging the HDD if I don't need to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
> Many Thanks


Unplug it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> May I ask why the Intel RST service is set to a delayed start by default instead of auto?


Go ahead and ask Intel.


----------



## MLJS54

Sean, thank you very much for this guide.

Have two quick questions:

I finally decided to upgrade to an SSD and purchased the Samsung 830 256gb SSD.

a) I will be doing a clean W7 install - when and how should I "wipe" my old HDD which originally had W7 on it. Do I do this prior to the new install or after? The HDD will only be used as a media storage drive.

b) With the 830, do I need to do anything other than turn AHCI on in my mobo's BIOS?

Thank you


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MLJS54*
> 
> Sean, thank you very much for this guide.
> 
> Have two quick questions:
> 
> I finally decided to upgrade to an SSD and purchased the Samsung 830 256gb SSD.
> 
> a) I will be doing a clean W7 install - when and how should I "wipe" my old HDD which originally had W7 on it. Do I do this prior to the new install or after? The HDD will only be used as a media storage drive.


Doesn't matter when. Just delete the partitions on the drive in disk management.
Quote:


> b) With the 830, do I need to do anything other than turn AHCI on in my mobo's BIOS?
> 
> Thank you


There is nothing really specific to the 830.


----------



## Jayjr1105

So typically we build our own laptops here at work but we ordered one that came pre-installed with a Crucial M4 and Win7 Pro and look at the blunder I found...

So, how do you fix this?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> So typically we build our own laptops here at work but we ordered one that came pre-installed with a Crucial M4 and Win7 Pro and look at the blunder I found...
> 
> So, how do you fix this?


http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions

Use acronis true image.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions
> Use acronis true image.


Awesome, it worked (I'm not suprised) however it is kind of a pain in the butt. There has to be something a little more straight forward and quicker. Have you tried Ghost or Clonezilla? Basically using the same process?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions
> Use acronis true image.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Awesome, it worked (I'm not suprised) however it is kind of a pain in the butt. There has to be something a little more straight forward and quicker. Have you tried Ghost or Clonezilla? Basically using the same process?
Click to expand...

How is 5 quick steps a pain in the butt? How much straight forward /quicker/simpler can one get? lol Clonezilla and ghost would be the exact same...I just haven't verified that they will wipe the drive and reformat/align it themselves or if they will carry over the current partition alignment..

It is a lot easier than to use the Gparted method tho. lol, that crap is a lot more complicated!









There are also tools like paragon's alignment tool...*cough*$$$*cough*


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> How is 5 quick steps a pain in the butt? How much straight forward /quicker/simpler can one get? lol Clonezilla and ghost would be the exact same...I just haven't verified that they will wipe the drive and reformat/align it themselves or if they will carry over the current partition alignment..
> It is a lot easier than to use the Gparted method tho. lol, that crap is a lot more complicated!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There are also tools like paragon's alignment tool...*cough*$$$*cough*


I'll have to test clonezilla and ghost. I personally did not like the acronis method but it worked so who cares right. There was just too much "make sure this is clicked" and "check this setting".. I just want a big button that says backup and one that says restore LOL.









To sum it up I just felt Acronis was _too_ detailed.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> How is 5 quick steps a pain in the butt? How much straight forward /quicker/simpler can one get? lol Clonezilla and ghost would be the exact same...I just haven't verified that they will wipe the drive and reformat/align it themselves or if they will carry over the current partition alignment..
> It is a lot easier than to use the Gparted method tho. lol, that crap is a lot more complicated!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There are also tools like paragon's alignment tool...*cough*$$$*cough*
> 
> 
> 
> I'll have to test clonezilla and ghost. I personally did not like the acronis method but it worked so who cares right. There was just too much "make sure this is clicked" and "check this setting".. I just want a big button that says backup and one that says restore LOL.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To sum it up I just felt Acronis was _too_ detailed.
Click to expand...

Holy crap, I just started to try with clonezilla. You said that Acronis is too much? HAHAHA, dude, have you ever freaking used clonezilla? My head hurts and I am completely lost with it. Have fun with that! Bahaha! You can make a guide on that crap if you want, I'll stick to my simple to use ****** friendly softwares.


----------



## carinae

Hello, am I going to have problems if I move User/Appdata folder from my SSD system drive to a separate drive? I already have my Windows 7 running (not freshly installed) for a few months now. The way I understand it is windows is just going to reference to the new folder so everything should run the same? Thanks for the help!


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Holy crap, I just started to try with clonezilla. You said that Acronis is too much? HAHAHA, dude, have you ever freaking used clonezilla? My head hurts and I am completely lost with it. Have fun with that! Bahaha! You can make a guide on that crap if you want, I'll stick to my simple to use ****** friendly softwares.


I love it but then again I use it just about once or twice a week when I have failing drives that need cloning. Stop being a GUI spoiled brat!


----------



## Carniflex

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *carinae*
> 
> Hello, am I going to have problems if I move User/Appdata folder from my SSD system drive to a separate drive? I already have my Windows 7 running (not freshly installed) for a few months now. The way I understand it is windows is just going to reference to the new folder so everything should run the same? Thanks for the help!


It should not cause any problems as long as nothing is messed up during the process. If the Users directory ends up inaccsessible to the system though then its no longer possible to log in any existing user into windows so its reasonable to do a backup before moving that folder. Only difference with Users dir that has been in use for a while should be the copy speed. Robocopy is not the fastest way to copy something.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Holy crap, I just started to try with clonezilla. You said that Acronis is too much? HAHAHA, dude, have you ever freaking used clonezilla? My head hurts and I am completely lost with it. Have fun with that! Bahaha! You can make a guide on that crap if you want, I'll stick to my simple to use ****** friendly softwares.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I love it but then again I use it just about once or twice a week when I have failing drives that need cloning. Stop being a GUI spoiled brat!
Click to expand...

At least the options and settings are written out in plain, grammatically correct and comprehensible English! Someone needs to redo Clonezilla and actually write out better what does what in the options/settings.









So yea, I like my fewer steps to do the same thing as the 80 different steps you have to do with clonezilla.









And I noticed there was one more thing I need to add to my guide on acronis during the restoring of the time to make sure it is aligned right, or just have the person do a different step before hand and make them delete the drives partitions before the restore somehow.

And tried Macrium reflect free and it kept the bad alignment unless you clean the drive first I think. I haven't got Ghost so i cant test it yet...

I know EaseUs todo backup works fine. Also I know how to use Windows backup to do the alignment as well...maybe I need to refresh my memory on that.


----------



## bigkahuna360

Hey Sean, my SSDs drive letter is G:\ is there anyway I can change it to C:\ and have all my programs work just fine?

EDIT: Wooh! 3k posts!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigkahuna360*
> 
> Hey Sean, my SSDs drive letter is G:\ is there anyway I can change it to C:\ and have all my programs work just fine?
> 
> EDIT: Wooh! 3k posts!


Not any way I know of.

Pfft, you need more posts.


----------



## AngelTigerShark

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the guide I will use it today to install my new ssd. Its the Samsung 830 128Gb. What I was wondering, besides searching all the posts for the answer, (sorry) Is how do I partition my "old" HDD after I get to step 5 of the after installation process when I hook up my other HDD? And if I do need to partition then am I supposed to format afterwards? I think that is the process, I was told by a friend to do it in the disk management part of my computer management. Just right-click and choose partition drive then right-click and format. I could be wrong maybe there is some other way. idk?


----------



## bigkahuna360

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *bigkahuna360*
> 
> Hey Sean, my SSDs drive letter is G:\ is there anyway I can change it to C:\ and have all my programs work just fine?
> 
> EDIT: Wooh! 3k posts!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not any way I know of.
> 
> Pfft, you need more posts.
Click to expand...

Haha I'm still "new" here.







Is there any way I would be able to fix it if I do?


----------



## Floy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bigkahuna360*
> 
> Haha I'm still "new" here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is there any way I would be able to fix it if I do?


You would most likely have to go and change each application drive path manually in the registry and even that does not guarantee that it will work. It's messy and is not worth your time to try that to be honest.


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngelTigerShark*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> Thanks for the guide I will use it today to install my new ssd. Its the Samsung 830 128Gb. What I was wondering, besides searching all the posts for the answer, (sorry) Is how do I partition my "old" HDD after I get to step 5 of the after installation process when I hook up my other HDD? And if I do need to partition then am I supposed to format afterwards? I think that is the process, I was told by a friend to do it in the disk management part of my computer management. Just right-click and choose partition drive then right-click and format. I could be wrong maybe there is some other way. idk?


Correct. Just go into Computer Management → Storage → Disk Management and you should be able to partition your drive there.


----------



## AngelTigerShark

Quote:


> Correct. Just go into Computer Management → Storage → Disk Management and you should be able to partition your drive there.


Thanks. I think I am going to be able to do this. I read the guide three times skimmed it a couple more. I am going to follow it on this laptop during my install. Fingers crossed.


----------



## AngelTigerShark

I went to format the disk with the video on page one and typed the command format quick fs=ntfs, and I got the error

"Diskpart has encountered an error: The parameter is incorrect"
See the system event viewer for more informatioon"

Now what?


----------



## Nocturin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngelTigerShark*
> 
> I went to format the disk with the video on page one and typed the command format quick fs=ntfs, and I got the error
> "Diskpart has encountered an error: The parameter is incorrect"
> See the system event viewer for more informatioon"
> Now what?


were you running CMD in admin?

like this:

open cmd

Code:



Code:


diskpart
list disk (it will give you #s and select the disk you want to format that matches the size or lables)
select disk #
clean
create primary parition
format fs=ntfs quick

for help with diskpart's command (what i used to get the commands in the code box) type help after it loads. "Help format" for more information and an example on how to properly structure the command


----------



## AngelTigerShark

I ran it using shift F10 at the start of windows install process as the guide says to do. now i think i am screwed because nothing will load to the ssd and windows install cd wont work, and the shift f10 wont let me load the diskpart cmd


----------



## AngelTigerShark

now i get the error "windows cannot format a partition on the disk 0. the error occured while preparing the partition selected for installation. error code 0x80070057


----------



## Nocturin

Use your laptop to make a bootable USB drive, disconnect the HDD and install directly onto the SSD and do the formatting from within the OS on the HDD after it's loaded







.

Update the firmware on the SSD first









Change sata ports to the native controller if your not using them, aswell.

edit: bootable of Win7*


----------



## AngelTigerShark

I went and got another windows install cd. I dont know how to do the firmware update. I am in the native controller and no other hdd are connected


----------



## Nocturin

you update the firmware - not nescessary but recommended, because sometimes it can wipe the ssd.

on your spare laptop, download samsung's ssd magician and go to the firmware tab, and it will help you make usb stick to update the firmware

did the second disc work?

you don't need to format the SSD if this is the first time you're using the SSD, btw,


----------



## AngelTigerShark

something is wrong, getting me aggrivated. I boot from disk it is new. I loaded the drivers for the ahci as my mb told me to last time, but currently I need to do the firmware and will get back to you. will the firmware wipe the disk so I can get windows installed or does this sound some other hardware?


----------



## Nocturin

if it's a brand new SSD, it shouldn't need to be wiped, and I'm not 100% that the firmware install will do it.

you set AHCI throuh the bios, unless your updating the drivers from it.

Describe your process and the errors in detail so either I or others can help figure out what's going wrong an where.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngelTigerShark*
> 
> something is wrong, getting me aggrivated. I boot from disk it is new. I loaded the drivers for the ahci as my mb told me to last time, but currently I need to do the firmware and will get back to you. will the firmware wipe the disk so I can get windows installed or does this sound some other hardware?


Is the drive connected to this SATA port?


----------



## AngelTigerShark

I got a hold of samsung and was able to get the drive to start the windows install.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngelTigerShark*
> 
> I got a hold of samsung and was able to get the drive to start the windows install.


Cool.









Samsung are great.


----------



## AngelTigerShark

Ok. So thanks for the support here. I got to ask just so I know. The beginning of the guide has the instructions under the label "system setup after installation" that said. What of those steps should I do? I have yet to install my storage drive btw. waiting for a new sata cable to get here soon from a friend. The one I was using must been bad cause when I used another and had already did a secure erase on the samsung it loaded windows fine. What type of partition on that drive should I use and what format? It is unallocated space right now. Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngelTigerShark*
> 
> Ok. So thanks for the support here. I got to ask just so I know. The beginning of the guide has the instructions under the label "system setup after installation" that said. What of those steps should I do?


What ever ones you feel to do. I'd install the motherboard drivers for sure.
Quote:


> I have yet to install my storage drive btw. waiting for a new sata cable to get here soon from a friend. The one I was using must been bad cause when I used another and had already did a secure erase on the samsung it loaded windows fine. What type of partition on that drive should I use and what format? It is unallocated space right now. Thanks


On the HDD? What capacity is it? 2TB and below use MBR format, 2.5TB+ use GPT. Make a NTFS partition on it.


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngelTigerShark*
> 
> Ok. So thanks for the support here. I got to ask just so I know. The beginning of the guide has the instructions under the label "system setup after installation" that said. What of those steps should I do? I have yet to install my storage drive btw. waiting for a new sata cable to get here soon from a friend. The one I was using must been bad cause when I used another and had already did a secure erase on the samsung it loaded windows fine. What type of partition on that drive should I use and what format? It is unallocated space right now. Thanks


I would do them all except for "Run Windows Experience Index Assessment" (not needed), "Check Defragmentation schedule" (automatically disabled if you have a SSD anyways), and "Disable Prefetch and Superfetch" (preference). Note that a lot of those things can be automatically done for you if you use my Win Toolkit guide found *here*.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> I would do them all except for "Run Windows Experience Index Assessment" (not needed), "Check Defragmentation schedule" (automatically disabled if you have a SSD anyways), and "Disable Prefetch and Superfetch" (preference). Note that a lot of those things can be automatically done for you if you use my Win Toolkit guide found *here*.


I seriously need to remake my ISO and use the guide lol. I've been slackin tho. School is annoying.


----------



## AngelTigerShark

Is a 1TB samsung spinpoint. Drivers are all installed at this point waiting for the sata cable. I did use the magician software to optimize the os. Will just stick to that.

I know this sounds goofy but what is the process to do the partition/formatting when I get there? B/c I do not think I quite understand what I am going to need to do. I think after that I will have this licked besides programs and games on my storage HDD. Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AngelTigerShark*
> 
> Is a 1TB samsung spinpoint. Drivers are all installed at this point waiting for the sata cable. I did use the magician software to optimize the os. Will just stick to that.


I dont like that magician disables windows search, it is my favorite feature in Win 7.
Quote:


> I know this sounds goofy but what is the process to do the partition/formatting when I get there? B/c I do not think I quite understand what I am going to need to do. I think after that I will have this licked besides programs and games on my storage HDD. Thanks.


When you get the drive go and do this: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227647/how-to-initialize-and-format-a-new-disk-for-use-in-windows-7#post_16684788


----------



## Sturmangriff

Thanks a bunch for putting this guide together. It got me back on track after I tried to freestyle my first ssd install to an existing system.


----------



## AngelTigerShark

Ok all is up and going. Thanks all who helped. Rep for Sean here. Here is a screenshot of my benchmark.



Thanks I got my second drive up and my user files moved and I am going. Its a relief since my machine has been down a week uuhhhjh sigh.


----------



## africangrey

Hello,
I just followed the guide creating a GPT partition on my OCZ vertex 4 SSD, when trying to install w7 to the 3rd partition (system partition) the error message said window can't be installed, the selected disk is of the GPT partition disk , please help. My MB supports UEFI, what gives.
Spencer


----------



## Carniflex

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *africangrey*
> 
> Hello,
> I just followed the guide creating a GPT partition on my OCZ vertex 4 SSD, when trying to install w7 to the 3rd partition (system partition) the error message said window can't be installed, the selected disk is of the GPT partition disk , please help. My MB supports UEFI, what gives.
> Spencer


You need to also boot in UEFI mode. If you are booting from an optical disk then in UEFI boot menu you should be able to see different selections for the optical drive a "normal" mode (which is a BIOS mode) and "UEFI" mode which is needed for installing stuff on GPT partitions. If you are booting from USB stick then I'm not sure, I think it should be still possible to get into UEFI mode on most motherboards but I'm not exactly sure how. Probably depends on the motherboard. If you have Gigabyte "hybrid EFI" motherboard then getting it to boot into UEFI can be problematic from USB stick.


----------



## africangrey

I booted in from MicroSoft W7 disk, there are selections on the boot priority, one is UEFI's optical drive and another is just the regular optical drive, do you mean to boot up from the regular CD/DVD drive and install from that. instead.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *africangrey*
> 
> I booted in from MicroSoft W7 disk, there are selections on the boot priority, one is UEFI's optical drive and another is just the regular optical drive, do you mean to boot up from the regular CD/DVD drive and install from that. instead.


If you are installing on a GPT formatted drive you need to use the UEFI boot option.

I wouldn't even bother with GPT unless your boot drive drive is 2.5TB or larger anyways.


----------



## Carniflex

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *africangrey*
> 
> I booted in from MicroSoft W7 disk, there are selections on the boot priority, one is UEFI's optical drive and another is just the regular optical drive, do you mean to boot up from the regular CD/DVD drive and install from that. instead.


If you booted from the UEFI optical drive you should be in UEFI mode and able to install on GPT partition. I assume you are trying to install 64 bit version of W7? If so then it should work.


----------



## africangrey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you are installing on a GPT formatted drive you need to use the UEFI boot option.
> I wouldn't even bother with GPT unless your boot drive drive is 2.5TB or larger anyways.


My SSD is only 128gb, and I went through the guide to create three GPT partitions, would it harm my SSD should I remove it and use the regular MBR boot. I have already successfully installed w7 in the build, can I still convert the partition to MBR if so how.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *africangrey*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you are installing on a GPT formatted drive you need to use the UEFI boot option.
> I wouldn't even bother with GPT unless your boot drive drive is 2.5TB or larger anyways.
> 
> 
> 
> My SSD is only 128gb, and I went through the guide to create three GPT partitions, would it harm my SSD should I remove it and use the regular MBR boot. I have already successfully installed w7 in the build, can I still convert the partition to MBR if so how.
Click to expand...

If everything is now up and running don't worry about it, leave it as it is. You're good.

Changing to MBR wont hurt the drive lol. Smashing the SSD into a wall and putting it on fire _may_ "hurt" it tho.


----------



## Lord Xeb

Hey guys, if any of you have issues where if you are installing from a USB and it says something about "unable to find CD/DVD driver". It is a REALLY simple fix.

What you do is just yank the USB from where you have it put it into another port. If you have it on the front port, put it on one of the back ones. Then go back to the beginning of the windows install and continue as normal. No more issues.

PEACE!


----------



## barrystraw

hi
thanks for yur guide, very clear and easy
my issue:
hotmail has stopped working on Chrome
it works on other browsers
it works on other pc with Chrome (so is not an hotmail issue)
i can browse mails but if i try to reply i have a an error message (see attached)

i tryied to uninstall and reinstall
i tryied to uninstall all extensions
i also tryied to go back with my backup image, before any changment was done
but is like something still doesn't work.

please help! is very annoyng to use 2 browsers at one time one for the mails and one for the rest.
attached you see the message. is in italian, it means "Hotmail%3a impossible to complete the request. Microsoft could contact you for in relation to this issue" (of course no contact from microsoft and no help on any forums, microsoft and chrome)


----------



## Rage19420

Ok so i jumped in to get a larger SSD, a Samsung 830 256gb. How easy is it to transfer over my existing M4 128 Boot drive? Is it just a simple clone transfer?


----------



## ajresendez

I've got the same question as above poster.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> Ok so i jumped in to get a larger SSD, a Samsung 830 256gb. How easy is it to transfer over my existing M4 128 Boot drive? Is it just a simple clone transfer?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ajresendez*
> 
> I've got the same question as above poster.


Just clone it over...

Or create a system image and restore it to the new drive...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *barrystraw*
> 
> hi
> thanks for yur guide, very clear and easy
> my issue:
> hotmail has stopped working on Chrome
> it works on other browsers
> it works on other pc with Chrome (so is not an hotmail issue)
> i can browse mails but if i try to reply i have a an error message (see attached)
> 
> i tryied to uninstall and reinstall
> i tryied to uninstall all extensions
> i also tryied to go back with my backup image, before any changment was done
> but is like something still doesn't work.
> 
> please help! is very annoyng to use 2 browsers at one time one for the mails and one for the rest.
> attached you see the message. is in italian, it means "Hotmail%3a impossible to complete the request. Microsoft could contact you for in relation to this issue" (of course no contact from microsoft and no help on any forums, microsoft and chrome)


I have no idea.


----------



## Nocturin

I would go through and uninstall and remove all registry entries (what they are I don't know) and any files that chome has used (all in safe mode) and then go from there.

Other than completely removing every trace of chrome from the OS, the OS re-install is the next solution to that very unique issue.


----------



## Rage19420

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just clone it over...
> Or create a system image and restore it to the new drive...


Thanks dude. I wasn't sure if there was some magic Webster Joojoo i needed to throw down. But I found some of the other Webster-God threads that answered it as well.


----------



## ajresendez

What if I don't know how to do either of those? I :/
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just clone it over...
> Or create a system image and restore it to the new drive...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ajresendez*
> 
> What if I don't know how to do either of those? I :/
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just clone it over...
> Or create a system image and restore it to the new drive...
Click to expand...

You know how to use Google?







That's how I learned almost everything I know.

Here are some options/guides: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227835/how-to-disk-and-partition-cloning-backup-restoration-migration


----------



## ipv89

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ajresendez*
> 
> What if I don't know how to do either of those? I :/


Use windows backup and restore feture than select create a system image.

or google any drive cloning software









Good luck


----------



## ajresendez

Thanks both of you


----------



## Rage19420

There needs to be a Sean Webster section of all things Sean Webster. With a paypal subscription service. lol

His info has saved my bum many times.

What happen to all the Sean Webster stickies???


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ajresendez*
> 
> Thanks both of you











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> There needs to be a Sean Webster section of all things Sean Webster. With a paypal subscription service. lol
> 
> His info has saved my bum many times.
> 
> What happen to all the Sean Webster stickies???


Paypal subscription service would be epic! lol

They are all in the storage essentials thread in the sticky box at the top of each of the storage forums.


----------



## BradleyW

Your windows 7 guide says the following line:
"6.Now uncheck all the features that you don't use in Windows 8." Not sure if that should be there.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Your windows 7 guide says the following line:
> "6.Now uncheck all the features that you don't use in Windows 8." Not sure if that should be there.


XD As you can see I was editing both of my guides at the same time. lol


----------



## KaRLiToS

Is this a good drive

Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe 240 GB Solid State Drive MKNSSDCL240 GB-DX (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TSTDLM/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KaRLiToS*
> 
> Is this a good drive
> 
> Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe 240 GB Solid State Drive MKNSSDCL240 GB-DX (Black)
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TSTDLM/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


yea it is ok.


----------



## barrystraw

Hey Nocturin, your hint was right: it worked!
i followed this guide http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/show/432-clean-up-google-chrome-remnants-after-an-uninstall

now i only hope that doing again the ssd optimization the issue doesn't came back.
thanks.


----------



## barrystraw

sorry, hotmail worked for the first half hour, now the issue is back again


----------



## EarlZ

Whats the optimal free space to leave on a 240Gb Corsair ForceGT drive? I have like 58mb and it has lost around 100mb/s in write speed for seq.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Whats the optimal free space to leave on a 240Gb Corsair ForceGT drive? I have like 58mb and it has lost around 100mb/s in write speed for seq.


you have 58*MB?!?*

10%+ Is usually recommended.


----------



## linus12

Just built my new rig, but unfortunately, the memory I ordered (as described in my sig) is still on backorder







, so I'm limping along with just 4GB of 1600 DDR3.

The SSD which I spec'ed out will be the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB (at least once I get over the sticker shock), but it won't be released for at least another week. So my question is......

Should I :

1) Wait for the SSD before doing anything, or
2) Play around and install Windows on the HDD, then wipe it and re-install when the SSD arrives, or
3) Set up a 250 GB partition on one of the 3 HDD and go forward with the install, then clone the partition to the SSD when it arrives, or
4) Put in a slow SATA II drive (1.5 TB) I have laying around, go forward with the install, then clone the partition to the SSD when it arrives.

I'd really like to start to playing with things, but don't want to really mess things up too much and just waste my time.

Would love to hear your opinion.

Linus

Edit: Cleaned up some misspelled words....


----------



## ski-bum

Do what you want now, then just do a fresh install when you get the SSD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *linus12*
> 
> Just built my new rig, but unfortunately, the memory I ordered (as described in my sig) is still on backorder
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , so I'm limping along with just 4GB of 1600 DDR3.
> 
> The SSD which I spec'ed out will be the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB (at least once I get over the sticker shock), but it won't be released for at least another week. So my question is......
> 
> Should I :
> 
> 1) Wait for the SSD before doing anything, or
> 2) Play around and install Windows on the HDD, then wipe it and re-install when the SSD arrives, or
> 3) Set up a 250 GB partition on one of the 3 HDD and go forward with the install, then clone the partition to the SSD when it arrives, or
> 4) Put in a slow SATA II drive (1.5 TB) I have laying around, go forward with the install, then clone the partition to the SSD when it arrives.
> 
> I'd really like to start to playing with things, but don't want to really mess things up too much and just waste my time.
> 
> Would love to hear your opinion.
> 
> Linus
> 
> Edit: Cleaned up some misspelled words....


I'd do option 2. Make sure everything works.


----------



## linus12

Thanks everyone one. Guess I'll start the install tonight and see how things go.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *linus12*
> 
> Thanks everyone one. Guess I'll start the install tonight and see how things go.


It ill take forever in comparison to installing to a SSD. lol

Have fun.


----------



## Oubadah

..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oubadah*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> A system utilizing a UEFI boot, will boot and recover from sleep faster than the same machine using MBR.
> 
> 
> 
> Where is some evidence on this? I just got the UEFI BIOS update for my board, and it already boots very fast. Will it be even _faster_ if I reformat with GPT?
Click to expand...

Not really noticeable, but I did have slightly faster resume from sleep and you may or may not get a second or two faster boot.


----------



## bicyclechris

This might be helpful for you as well:


----------



## bicyclechris

Here is a video tutorial which shows how to automate installation for Windows 7 Pro, using WAIK, System Image Manager, and OSCDIMG.
There are helpful links in the video description.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> you have 58*MB?!?*
> 10%+ Is usually recommended.


Typo 58Gb


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> you have 58*MB?!?*
> 10%+ Is usually recommended.
> 
> 
> 
> Typo 58Gb
Click to expand...

good cause that would be crazy lol


----------



## lyleville

guys, is it safe to use [email protected] kill disk than parted magic to erase all my data on my SSD?


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lyleville*
> 
> guys, is it safe to use [email protected] kill disk than parted magic to erase all my data on my SSD?


Just use Parted Magic. You're going to degrade the SSD by using KillDisk or dBAN.


----------



## HiCZoK

FANTASTIC TOPIC. thanks sean !

I fallowed Your topic with installation of my new pc.
that is p67 pro3 asrock mobo + 2x4gb kingston 1333 1,5 and 1tb WD ezex hard drive. It is a new single platter 1tb wd drive.
Wanting to use it's all potential I turned on AHCI in uefi and reinstalled windows 7x64.

Disabled hibernation file and set page file to 512mb.
I have this wd partitioned 50gb for C: (only system and some programs like office) and all the rest for D:. I like it simple.

The "problem" is with the drivers. for last 5 years I had nvidia chipset mobo, which only required one file from nvidia site.
This time around there is this site for drivers:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?cat=Download&os=Win764&Model=P67%20Pro3

It lists Drivers and Utilities. I guess I don't want any of those utilities right ?

From the drivers - I've installed:
-Realtek high definition driver - but new version from realtek site. 2.7 instead of 2.51 aviable on the asrock site
-inf driver from that site. Couldnt find any newer
-Intel management engine - Installed it from asrock site. Don't know what it is tho...
-Realtek Lan driver from asrock site
-Intel Rapid storage technology - installed from intel site. I have system installed with ahci mode enabled in Bios, so this is important right ? It enables ncq ? intel driver site sucks and I am not sure if I found proper driver in newest version. After installation, there is a small blue tray icon. Nothing special in there.
-and etron USB3.0 controller.

In UEFI - I've disabled those (So i don't get unknows devices):
-Intel rapid start (well it is disabled by default anyway)
-Intel Smart connect - I don't need this right ?It is enabled in uefi by default

I also don't need anything with raid in name right ? AHCI is enough for me. I only have 1tb wd new hdd. it supports ncq so I want ahci.


----------



## edwardamin13

Hi guys,
I hope this question hasnt been asked yet
Just got my Y580, installed Samsung 830 256 GB. (fresh install wins 7 following some of the guide/tweak posted by Sean)

I have 2 partitions, 1 for OS and 1 for anything other than that.

I put most of my drivers in C: (wins 7 OS) I observe a slower boot time from ard 8 secs to 20 secs after all the drivers have been loaded.

My question is, will it help if I install the driver in the non-OS partition instead?
Will it work and will it have any consequences in the future?

and what is the average Samsung 830 boot time with drivers and programs? just for comparison..

Thank you very much for your help


----------



## duox

So does that corruption thing when installing while overclocked happen often ? I've installed windows 3 or 4 times and never had any file corruption.


----------



## NoiseTemper

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *duox*
> 
> So does that corruption thing when installing while overclocked happen often ? I've installed windows 3 or 4 times and never had any file corruption.


No, only if your overclock is slightly unstable which you may not know of. So, defaulting to stock clocks is just to rule out being overclocked as a cause for an issue you may encounter.

I've installed Windows on a pc while overclocked it's still running fine after two years.


----------



## duox

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NoiseTemper*
> 
> No, only if your overclock is slightly unstable which you may not know of. So, defaulting to stock clocks is just to rule out being overclocked as a cause for an issue you may encounter.
> I've installed Windows on a pc while overclocked it's still running fine after two years.


ahh ok , I'm only at 4.3 ghz and done a million stability tests so thats prolly why I haven't experienced it. I am going to buy an ssd soon but seriously my pc is for playing video games and I don't feel like ocing again haha.


----------



## NoiseTemper

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *duox*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *NoiseTemper*
> 
> No, only if your overclock is slightly unstable which you may not know of. So, defaulting to stock clocks is just to rule out being overclocked as a cause for an issue you may encounter.
> I've installed Windows on a pc while overclocked it's still running fine after two years.
> 
> 
> 
> ahh ok , I'm only at 4.3 ghz and done a million stability tests so thats prolly why I haven't experienced it. I am going to buy an ssd soon but seriously my pc is for playing video games and I don't feel like ocing again haha.
Click to expand...

Just save your current one as a profile in the bios. Load defaults, change settings to ahci or turn of things you dont need if needed and then save that as another profile. Now you have an 'overclocked' and a 'preferred default' profile.

Use the default profile you made to install windows then switch back once your done. Simple!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HiCZoK*
> 
> FANTASTIC TOPIC. thanks sean !
> 
> I fallowed Your topic with installation of my new pc.
> that is p67 pro3 asrock mobo + 2x4gb kingston 1333 1,5 and 1tb WD ezex hard drive. It is a new single platter 1tb wd drive.
> Wanting to use it's all potential I turned on AHCI in uefi and reinstalled windows 7x64.
> 
> Disabled hibernation file and set page file to 512mb.
> I have this wd partitioned 50gb for C: (only system and some programs like office) and all the rest for D:. I like it simple.
> 
> The "problem" is with the drivers. for last 5 years I had nvidia chipset mobo, which only required one file from nvidia site.
> This time around there is this site for drivers:
> http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?cat=Download&os=Win764&Model=P67%20Pro3
> 
> It lists Drivers and Utilities. I guess I don't want any of those utilities right ?


Up to You on the utilities.
Quote:


> From the drivers - I've installed:
> -Realtek high definition driver - but new version from realtek site. 2.7 instead of 2.51 aviable on the asrock site


Use the newest driver, usually the newest isnt on the site for download.
Quote:


> -inf driver from that site. Couldnt find any newer
> -Intel management engine - Installed it from asrock site. Don't know what it is tho...


The Intel® ME software components that need to be installed depend on the system's specific hardware and firmware features. The installer detects the system's capabilities and installs the relevant drivers and applications.
Quote:


> -Realtek Lan driver from asrock site
> -Intel Rapid storage technology - installed from intel site. I have system installed with ahci mode enabled in Bios, so this is important right ? It enables ncq ? intel driver site sucks and I am not sure if I found proper driver in newest version. After installation, there is a small blue tray icon. Nothing special in there.
> -and etron USB3.0 controller.


Latest Intel Rapid storage tech driver: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/21852/a08/iata_cd.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=21852&OSFullname=%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09%09

Quote:


> In UEFI - I've disabled those (So i don't get unknows devices):
> -Intel rapid start (well it is disabled by default anyway)


http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/responsiveness-technologies.html
Quote:


> -Intel Smart connect - I don't need this right ?It is enabled in uefi by default


http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/smart-connect-technology.html
Quote:


> I also don't need anything with raid in name right ? AHCI is enough for me. I only have 1tb wd new hdd. it supports ncq so I want ahci.


Yep, no need for RAID mode for you unless you want to set up a RAID array.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edwardamin13*
> 
> Hi guys,
> I hope this question hasnt been asked yet
> Just got my Y580, installed Samsung 830 256 GB. (fresh install wins 7 following some of the guide/tweak posted by Sean)
> 
> I have 2 partitions, 1 for OS and 1 for anything other than that.
> 
> I put most of my drivers in C: (wins 7 OS) I observe a slower boot time from ard 8 secs to 20 secs after all the drivers have been loaded.
> 
> My question is, will it help if I install the driver in the non-OS partition instead?
> Will it work and will it have any consequences in the future?


No If anything it would be slower as the first partition is faster than the second.
Quote:


> and what is the average Samsung 830 boot time with drivers and programs? just for comparison..
> 
> Thank you very much for your help


About the same as every other SSD. It just depends on the system and configuration. My whole system boots in 25-35 seconds. POST takes me ~14-15 seconds of that time. So windows will take ~9-20 seconds to boot
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NoiseTemper*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *duox*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *NoiseTemper*
> 
> No, only if your overclock is slightly unstable which you may not know of. So, defaulting to stock clocks is just to rule out being overclocked as a cause for an issue you may encounter.
> I've installed Windows on a pc while overclocked it's still running fine after two years.
> 
> 
> 
> ahh ok , I'm only at 4.3 ghz and done a million stability tests so thats prolly why I haven't experienced it. I am going to buy an ssd soon but seriously my pc is for playing video games and I don't feel like ocing again haha.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Just save your current one as a profile in the bios. Load defaults, change settings to ahci or turn of things you dont need if needed and then save that as another profile. Now you have an 'overclocked' and a 'preferred default' profile.
> 
> Use the default profile you made to install windows then switch back once your done. Simple!
Click to expand...

This^

Just save a profile of the OS then save a new one exactly the same but without the OC. Once windows is installed switch back to the OC profile.


----------



## oogits

Hello,

Can someone help me create an Answer File for WAIK with the settings from this guide?

My goal is to have Windows 7 Installation USB with all these mods (for SSD).

Is it possible?

Thanks,

Oogits


----------



## HiCZoK

Thanks sean.
Ok, So that is
sound
lan
intel me
etron usb3
intel rapid storage iata driver.

Thanks !


----------



## meloj17

Hey Sean, do you have any Firefox optimizations? Don't think i've seen any on thise guide?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *meloj17*
> 
> Hey Sean, do you have any Firefox optimizations? Don't think i've seen any on thise guide?


http://www.overclock.net/t/969796/a-guide-to-browsing-faster-on-mozilla-firefox-optimizations-etc

I've never done anything for firefox myself even though it is all i use lol.


----------



## blib

Sean , i have tried all the tips and guides( didn't really read all the 3986 posts !- but around 3-rd of them) and i still can't install win7 on my new samsung 830 ssd! i have tried both mbr and gpt instalation from cd and usb- have been trying for a week now! i have updated uefi and ssd drivers! when trying to install win7 (64bit) in both mbr and gpt i have a message : "windows can not be installed to this disk.This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk.Ensure that the disk's controler is enabled in the computer's bios menu."....now in the gpt installation method i am able to click "next" and begin installation ,but when it restarts it all goes back to the beginning and loads the installation process ..., when i go in eufi in the boot options windows boot manager is not present - i have tried the repair function in the installation process( i have read in one post that this brings back the win boot manager) but it is still missing!(- in fact i saw it only once i all of the installation attempts but at that time didn't now what is it ). in my asrock fatality pro z68 uefi boot menu i have options for legacy rom an efi rom priority - i assume efi rom priority is for the gpt installation but still tried both options. in the mbr version of install i can not continue past the win7 message( i think in some attempts i was able to continue with the install but still there was no option to boot from the ssd after restart) . i have wrote to asrock support and still waiting (4 days ago). Help please!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blib*
> 
> Sean , i have tried all the tips and guides( didn't really read all the 3986 posts !- but around 3-rd of them) and i still can't install win7 on my new samsung 830 ssd! i have tried both mbr and gpt instalation from cd and usb- have been trying for a week now! i have updated uefi and ssd drivers! when trying to install win7 (64bit) in both mbr and gpt i have a message : "windows can not be installed to this disk.This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk.Ensure that the disk's controler is enabled in the computer's bios menu."....now in the gpt installation method i am able to click "next" and begin installation ,but when it restarts it all goes back to the beginning and loads the installation process ..., when i go in eufi in the boot options windows boot manager is not present - i have tried the repair function in the installation process( i have read in one post that this brings back the win boot manager) but it is still missing!(- in fact i saw it only once i all of the installation attempts but at that time didn't now what is it ). in my asrock fatality pro z68 uefi boot menu i have options for legacy rom an efi rom priority - i assume efi rom priority is for the gpt installation but still tried both options. in the mbr version of install i can not continue past the win7 message( i think in some attempts i was able to continue with the install but still there was no option to boot from the ssd after restart) . i have wrote to asrock support and still waiting (4 days ago). Help please!


*FIRST:*Make sure your SSD is connected to an INTEL SATA port. Not a marvell or anything non native to the chipset. Intel only.

Have the sata mode set to ACHI for the Intel SATA ports.

Disable any non native SATA ports such as marvell 6Gb/s, asmedia 6Gb/s, or whatever you see if you have one.

Make sure the DVD drive you are using is connected to the Intel SATA controller too, not any third party ones.

*Then:*

Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type *Clean*, press Enter.
Type *Create Partition Primary*, press Enter.
Type *Format Quick FS=NTFS*, press Enter.
Type *Exit*, press Enter.
Close the Command Prompt window.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
Click the partition.
Click the "Next" button.
*If you get the prompt again*

Reboot
Load up the install disk again with the same non-uefi option
Do NOT go into diskpart or anything. Just go though the steps to continue to advanced install.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
Click next and try to install.
If it shows the message again then go to advanced disk options
delete the partition in the menu
then click next and see if it works
if not again then format the partition in the menu
then click next to continue
If you get again try to ignore it and continue with the install.
Try clicking next while the error message is showing.
Try another reboot
Just hit continue and don't do any formatting or anything.
if the error shows unplug the drive, replug it in, then refresh the drives to install on in the menu. and try again.
If it gives you the problem again then make sure you downloaded the newest ISO file. If not then try it, links in beginning of the guide if you haven't already.

Burn to a disk and have it verify the burn one completed. And try again.


----------



## SimpleTech

Try turning off hot-swap in the BIOS if it's enabled. I had the same issue where I was getting, "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu." After disabling it I was able to get it to install.

As for having it going back to the main Windows install menu issue, make sure you're device priority is setup correctly. If you go into the BIOS and boot from the USB it will then do the same thing again after it restarts.


----------



## blib

Solved ! I just changed the sata3 ports-from asmedia to the intel one ! I have done it in the previous times but wrongly from one asmedia to another(they look the same!). So this time I did it all over again and i read the mobo guide carefully and i swap the port connection .I was able to see strait away the ssd disk in the uefi boot menu . From there the installation went sweet and i am downloading and installing graphic drivers now! Thank you guys ! Sean your the King!


----------



## MJSdanger

A gift to OCN..



1920x1080p link
Let me know if other resolutions are required.

- Cheers


----------



## ballnuts

I followed the Win7 installation guide, (Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition: 4KB alignment) but when I took a look @ the drive after win7 was loaded, it shows 96.1gb free of 119gb. From what I can see, Win7 is taking up less than 11gb. So somewhere I am losing ~12gb. Since this is a 128gb drive, I am also losing another 9gb somewhere. This may be normal for initial loading, but I do not understand it.

I am using a new Samsung 830, 128gb drive.

Can you help me understand what is going on a bit better? It may not be important, but I am curious as to why this is happening. Thank you.


----------



## UZ7

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ballnuts*
> 
> I followed the Win7 installation guide, (Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition: 4KB alignment) but when I took a look @ the drive after win7 was loaded, it shows 96.1gb free of 119gb. From what I can see, Win7 is taking up less than 11gb. So somewhere I am losing ~12gb. Since this is a 128gb drive, I am also losing another 9gb somewhere. This may be normal for initial loading, but I do not understand it.
> I am using a new Samsung 830, 128gb drive.
> Can you help me understand what is going on a bit better? It may not be important, but I am curious as to why this is happening. Thank you.


Several things can take up space.

You can look at your Add/Remove programs and you have Windows Features you can uninstall.

There is Disk Clean up and you can delete the Windows 7 temporary install/update/service pack files.

There is Recycling Bin reserved space so when you delete something it keeps it in recycling bin which usually reserves a few gigs.

There is also System Restore/Protection that reserves a few gigs.

There is also page files (virtual memory) that takes up a few gigs. This one you can lower it down to a small a mount though I wouldn't put it to 0, maybe 1024 or something as some games or programs will start going crazy but this option is basically wanting to use your harddrive space as RAM and if you have 8GB~ or so ram you won't really need it.

So all this added up can free you a lot of gigs on initial install
















Though if some features are important to you (they are to others) such as system protection/backup then leave those.


----------



## Sean Webster

That^
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ballnuts*
> 
> I followed the Win7 installation guide, (Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition: 4KB alignment) but when I took a look @ the drive after win7 was loaded, it shows 96.1gb free of 119gb. From what I can see, Win7 is taking up less than 11gb. So somewhere I am losing ~12gb. Since this is a 128gb drive, I am also losing another 9gb somewhere. This may be normal for initial loading, but I do not understand it.
> 
> I am using a new Samsung 830, 128gb drive.
> 
> Can you help me understand what is going on a bit better? It may not be important, but I am curious as to why this is happening. Thank you.


Mainly page file and hibernation file. Disable//shrink as stated in the guide and you will get space back.


----------



## SuperDeo

Sean Webster great info you got here Thank you


----------



## ballnuts

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> That^
> Mainly page file and hibernation file. Disable//shrink as stated in the guide and you will get space back.


Thanks UZ7 and Sean. I also looked and can't find much information about updating my Bios on the RIVE. It is currently v.1404, but there are many new versions available. In order to update, I must convert the structure from .ROM to .CAP. Since CAP is mainly for Win8 users, I've been hearing Win7 users are having problems. I will continue to look into it, but was wondering if you knew anything about this, and if it would be safe to update the BIOS. Admittedly, as of yet (though I just installed) everything seems to be working fine, so not sure I need to change anything.


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ballnuts*
> 
> Thanks UZ7 and Sean. I also looked and can't find much information about updating my Bios on the RIVE. It is currently v.1404, but there are many new versions available. In order to update, I must convert the structure from .ROM to .CAP. Since CAP is mainly for Win8 users, I've been hearing Win7 users are having problems. I will continue to look into it, but was wondering if you knew anything about this, and if it would be safe to update the BIOS. Admittedly, as of yet (though I just installed) everything seems to be working fine, so not sure I need to change anything.


I have a RIVE as well and it was a easy to update from an older BIOS. I went to the BIOS Utilities and downloaded the CAP converter. I took the .ROM file placed it on a USB flash drive and used EZ Flash 2 in the BIOS to do the update. The process requires a secondary flash after it restarts, so don't do anything until it's all said and done. After that you can update to the latest 3101.

I'm using Windows 7, no issues.


----------



## ballnuts

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> I have a RIVE as well and it was a easy to update from an older BIOS. I went to the BIOS Utilities and downloaded the CAP converter. I took the .ROM file placed it on a USB flash drive and used EZ Flash 2 in the BIOS to do the update. The process requires a secondary flash after it restarts, so don't do anything until it's all said and done. After that you can update to the latest 3101.
> I'm using Windows 7, no issues.


Excellent, thank you for this info ST.


----------



## ballnuts

mods remove comment, sorry.

Actually, going to use this.

Having trouble right now. My drives that I hooked up after the install are recognized in the BIOS, but not in Win7 (my computer).

I have another Samsung 830, and a Corsair ForceGT. I have followed the guides to a T from what I can tell. I'm not sure why win7 is not recognizing them. Having a hard time figuring out what is going on.

Answer to above question per Sean:
Quote:


> Here is a guide I made on it a while ago: www.overclock.net/t/1227647/how-to-initialize-and-format-a-new-disk-for-use-in-windows-7#post_16684788


Also, since I have the RIVE mobo, it only comes with 2- intel 6gb/s SATA ports. The other 2 6gb SATA ports are ASmedia, which I hear are slower than even the 3GB intel SATA ports. Since I have 3 drives, and only 2 Intel 6GB SATA ports, wondering which port to hook the Corsair and possibly future drives to.

The Bios recognizes my Corsair Force GT, but it doesn't appear that disk management does. It is hooked up to the ASmedia 6GB/s port. I'll try switching to the Intel to see if it helps.

Hooking up to Intel 3gb port worked, drive now recognized. Will just leave it like this for the time being.


----------



## Rage19420

Hey Sean, whats your thoughts on the SLC SSD's?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> Hey Sean, whats your thoughts on the SLC SSD's?


What about Enterprise SSDs?


----------



## Rage19420

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What about Enterprise SSDs?


I see some price drops mentioned on Slickdeals that people are excited over. $275 for 128gb. Specs look impressive, just not sure if something thats worth it for general gaming performance, etc.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What about Enterprise SSDs?
> 
> 
> 
> I see some price drops mentioned on Slickdeals that people are excited over. $275 for 128gb. Specs look impressive, just not sure if something thats worth it for general gaming performance, etc.
Click to expand...

lol, gaming performance! XD







hahaha LOL

They are not for the consumer market. I makes no difference to consumers as to whether or not their SSD is a SLC or MLC. Let people pay a lot for a drive, yes it is better overall, but for normal desktop/laptop users it is not needed 99.9999% of the time what so ever.


----------



## Rage19420

So you are saying that it wont improve my K/D ratio?









Yeah thats what i thought. Heck im still pushing an old X58 mobo with 3gb sata on 6gb SSD and the thing is plenty fast. With the way the MLC prices are dropping the 512gb will soon be under the $300 price point.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> So you are saying that it wont improve my K/D ratio?


Nope,









Once the game is loaded then the drive doesn't do anything for game play. The only time it helps is when textures and things need to be loaded during the game play. That really doesn't affect much, only allows for a smoother experience. And that si just HDD vs SSD in general there. SLC drives will not show any difference for gaming applications compared to MLC or TLC drives.
Quote:


> Yeah thats what i thought. Heck im still pushing an old X58 mobo with 3gb sata on 6gb SSD and the thing is plenty fast. With the way the MLC prices are dropping the 512gb will soon be under the $300 price point.


Yea, there isn't really any difference b/w SATA 6Gb/s and SATA 3Gb/s atm anyways. lol I can't wait for 512GB SSDs to be under $150 myself.


----------



## probst

I recently went through your guide for my new build and found it very helpful. However I find I am now unable to play any game on Steam, I was wondering if it could have anything to do with some of the steps in the guide.


----------



## Rage19420

Prices are crazy, just recently bought a 256gb Samsung for less then what i bought a 128gb M4 by $50 bones. Time frame between price drops? 10 months! Crazy cheap!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *probst*
> 
> I recently went through your guide for my new build and found it very helpful. However I find I am now unable to play any game on Steam, I was wondering if it could have anything to do with some of the steps in the guide.


Nah, nothing in my guide affects steam. Maybe install direct x? What issues are you having exactly? Possibly try deleting all the folders and files in your steam folder except the steamapps folder and steam.exe. Then run steam.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rage19420*
> 
> Prices are crazy, just recently bought a 256gb Samsung for less then what i bought a 128gb M4 by $50 bones. Time frame between price drops? 10 months! Crazy cheap!


----------



## probst

Quote:


> Nah, nothing in my guide affects steam. Maybe install direct x? What issues are you having exactly? Possibly try deleting all the folders and files in your steam folder except the steamapps folder and steam.exe. Then run steam.


Well, this is embarrassing. As it turns out, I forgot to install the drivers for my fancy new graphics card. Once I did that, all the problems went away. I did however just have windows fail to start when I booted up, it basically said I had changed settings and ****ed things up. But I restarted multiple times after following your guide with no problems, and it worked after a restart, so I think it's fine. Thanks for the reply.


----------



## Roman5

Hi Sean. I used your guide to reduce my shutdown time and it works great, went from 8 to about 5 seconds.









Got a question about superfetch and prefetch. I disabled them like you said in the guide, and edited the registry values from 3 to 0. However, a friend of mine didn't approve. He said "It could do more harm than good and that it's not doing any writes by keeping them enabled. It's only putting the most used programmes in the memory and windows is very good this. So if a game/app needs more memory, it throws the apps out of the memory." What's your opinion on this, is he right? I've re-enabled them now, lol, just in case.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Roman5*
> 
> Hi Sean. I used your guide to reduce my shutdown time and it works great, went from 8 to about 5 seconds.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Got a question about superfetch and prefetch. I disabled them like you said in the guide, and edited the registry values from 3 to 0. However, a friend of mine didn't approve. He said "It could do more harm than good and that it's not doing any writes by keeping them enabled. It's only putting the most used programmes in the memory and windows is very good this. So if a game/app needs more memory, it throws the apps out of the memory." What's your opinion on this, is he right? I've re-enabled them now, lol, just in case.


Yea, that is what it does. Up to you personally. It makes no difference for me except I get a 1 second faster boot time and a little more free RAM with them disabled. They never did anything to speed anything up in my use with a SSD.


----------



## Roman5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, that is what it does. Up to you personally. It makes no difference for me except I get a 1 second faster boot time and a little more free RAM with them disabled. They never did anything to speed anything up in my use with a SSD.


The thing is, I've found something that seems to qualify what you said about it doing writes by keeping fetch enabled.
http://communities.intel.com/thread/28771

"_I believe one of the reasons Super and Pre-fetch are suggested to be disabled, is due to something that Prefetch does with the list of boot files and/or applications that it maintains in a list for pre-loading. By default, every three days it sends a defragmentation command to the C:/OS drive, with an option that causes it to move the boot files and applications in that list to the beginning/fastest portion of a HDD to further decrease the loading time of those files.

Not only is that not applicable to SSDs (there isn't any faster or slower access or speed NAND in a SSD) it also runs a useless defragmentation on the SSD. Not only are the additional writes from the defrag to the SSD providing no gain in performance, the defrag will ruin the SSDs wear leveling, by putting all the files in near-sequential LBAs. The SSDs firmware will need to do extra work to undo the crowding of files into one or two NAND chips, out of the four, eight, or more that the SSD may have. That will cause unnecessary writing on the SSD. If that defrag is allowed to run all the time, the SSD's firmware will be constantly trying to fix it's wear leveling that the defrag just ruined again. The amount of writing and write amplification occurring during those processes is useless wear on a SSD, much more than simply using the SSD normally.

Superfetch is an extension of Prefetch, so it may not be possible to only have Superfetch running without Prefetch running. There is also the question of will the scheduled special Defragmentation occur if the defrag service is disabled, or if it can be stopped from occurring. Both of those services are not "free", the file list must be maintained and is updated regularly, so there is some overhead involved. There was also supposedly an issue with Superfetch in Vista that caused it to constantly access the OS drive, and cause the general performance of the PC to slow down. That may have been fixed in Windows 7, I've never heard about it again.

IMO, there are so many low level details in Windows services like these, and in SSDs that we do not understand, or the affects on the SSD that may or may not occur. I tend to trust Intel in this case. The explanations for disabling them are really not given, but this defragmentation thing may just be the tip of the iceberg."_


----------



## Jayjr1105

So is running the AS SSD program (without running the bench) a good way to tell if a HDD is mis-aligned as well? I noticed on my home server running server 2003 that both my boot drive (320GB WD enterprise) and data drive (1TB hitachi) show as red text when I scan them with AS SSD. Seeing this got me thinking and started to do some research and here, anything pre-Vista that wasn't custom "DISK PART" aligned is most likely mis-aligned. This would make total sense because I always felt my server was really slow. I don't use it for much other than ftp, small ventrilo server, etc so it really has no reason to be slow. Especially with fairly new 7200RPM sata II drives.

Nothing I can do about it being IDE since it's server '03 right? AHCI wasn't supported until 2008 R1.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> *So is running the AS SSD program (without running the bench) a good way to tell if a HDD is mis-aligned as well?* I noticed on my home server running server 2003 that both my boot drive (320GB WD enterprise) and data drive (1TB hitachi) show as red text when I scan them with AS SSD. Seeing this got me thinking and started to do some research and here, anything pre-Vista that wasn't custom "DISK PART" aligned is most likely mis-aligned. This would make total sense because I always felt my server was really slow. I don't use it for much other than ftp, small ventrilo server, etc so it really has no reason to be slow. Especially with fairly new 7200RPM sata II drives.


Yep.

Quote:


> Nothing I can do about it being IDE since it's server '03 right? AHCI wasn't supported until 2008 R1.


You'd have to google that, I haven't ever looked into that OS.


----------



## ATISTANG

so i just followed this guide for my new SSD and everything seems to be running good.

i still have my HHD unhooked with all my backed up data including my old win7 installation

my question is, can i just hook my HHD back up and delete all the windows files from it now? all i want to use that drive for is Picture, movies, videos, and systems backups.


----------



## ChrisToePha

I had a quick question, I am about to use your guide to install my new SSD into my ASUS G73jh-BST7, but one of your steps says before we start make sure:

- Make sure you have all your drivers for your motherboard and other hardware.

Not sure how to do this step, like are these drivers able to be re-installed from online, or is it on a disc that came with my laptop, because I do not have a disc but I may have left it at home cause I am currently at school. Very nervous about installing the new SSD, I do not want anything to go wrong, or to ruin this laptop. Thanks haha.


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ChrisToePha*
> 
> I had a quick question, I am about to use your guide to install my new SSD into my ASUS G73jh-BST7, but one of your steps says before we start make sure:
> - Make sure you have all your drivers for your motherboard and other hardware.
> Not sure how to do this step, like are these drivers able to be re-installed from online, or is it on a disc that came with my laptop, because I do not have a disc but I may have left it at home cause I am currently at school. Very nervous about installing the new SSD, I do not want anything to go wrong, or to ruin this laptop. Thanks haha.


You can get them on Asus' website:

http://usa.asus.com/Notebooks/Gaming_Powerhouse/G73Jh/#download

The ones you will need are:
-Chipset
-Audio
-VGA (try AMD.com instead)
-LAN
-Card Reader
-Touchpad
-Wireless
-Bluetooth
-Camera

Save them to a USB flash drive.


----------



## NoiseTemper

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATISTANG*
> 
> so i just followed this guide for my new SSD and everything seems to be running good.
> i still have my HHD unhooked with all my backed up data including my old win7 installation
> my question is, can i just hook my HHD back up and delete all the windows files from it now? all i want to use that drive for is Picture, movies, videos, and systems backups.


Yes i did the exact same thing. Windows boots from and is installed on your SSD now, and so it will look for the files it needs to run, from that drive.


----------



## madLyfe

my samsung 830 ssd is showing up as a removeable drive in my fresh win7 install.. i set it to ahci in bios and not raid before the fresh install.. i didnt discon my other two sata hdds during the install but im not sure that it should matter?


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> my samsung 830 ssd is showing up as a removeable drive in my fresh win7 install.. i set it to ahci in bios and not raid before the fresh install.. i didnt discon my other two sata hdds during the install but im not sure that it should matter?


It's because hot-swap is enabled in the BIOS. Although some BIOSes don't have that option and you have to just deal with it.


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> It's because hot-swap is enabled in the BIOS. Although some BIOSes don't have that option and you have to just deal with it.


ya i dont remember there being a hotswap option in my bios.. i first did the install with the bios sata set to raid(but not having the ssd in an array) and it didnt have this issue.. im 50% sure i will be adding a raid array for two other storage drives in mirror on the same intel controller later on. could i just run the ssd in raid as long as its not in any array? i know that its posted you can do that but will it affect performance at all?

if it is ok to run the ssd under the raid setting, can i just switch it from AHCI to RAID or do i have to do a fresh install again?


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> ya i dont remember there being a hotswap option in my bios.. i first did the install with the bios sata set to raid(but not having the ssd in an array) and it didnt have this issue.. im 50% sure i will be adding a raid array for two other storage drives in mirror on the same intel controller later on. could i just run the ssd in raid as long as its not in any array? i know that its posted you can do that but will it affect performance at all?
> if it is ok to run the ssd under the raid setting, can i just switch it from AHCI to RAID or do i have to do a fresh install again?


Running your SSD with the RAID setting is perfectly fine. TRIM will still work and you get all the benefits of AHCI. The only drawback is that your board may have a RAID Config screen popup after every reboot.

What board are you using?


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> Running your SSD with the RAID setting is perfectly fine. TRIM will still work and you get all the benefits of AHCI. The only drawback is that your board may have a RAID Config screen popup after every reboot.
> What board are you using?


i am using this gigabyte board, i got it back in like 2009-2010ish:

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3012#ov


----------



## SimpleTech

I checked the manual and it looks like hot plug (what they refer to it as) isn't enabled with RAID. I think you don't need to do a registry change in Windows when going from AHCI to RAID.


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> I checked the manual and it looks like hot plug (what they refer to it as) isn't enabled with RAID. I think you don't need to do a registry change in Windows when going from AHCI to RAID.


ok thanks. ill try and just change that setting and see if everything goes smoothly.. but if not ill do a total install again.. ive been doing the fresh installs with my two other HDDs running and plugged in. not sure if that is a huge deal or not.. they are on a secondary controller and should prolly move them over to the intel controller now that i have room for them on there..


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> I checked the manual and it looks like hot plug (what they refer to it as) isn't enabled with RAID. I think you don't need to do a registry change in Windows when going from AHCI to RAID.


does it matter what sata ports i use(out of the 6) on my board for the ssd? i noticed in my bios that there is a setting to have ports 1-3 or something set to native or legacy(IDE i think).. if thats the case, should i have those ports set to native or legacy?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> my samsung 830 ssd is showing up as a removeable drive in my fresh win7 install.. i set it to ahci in bios and not raid before the fresh install.. i didnt discon my other two sata hdds during the install but im not sure that it should matter?
> 
> 
> 
> It's because hot-swap is enabled in the BIOS. Although some BIOSes don't have that option and you have to just deal with it.
Click to expand...

Deal with it? why?
There is a fix for it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> my samsung 830 ssd is showing up as a removeable drive in my fresh win7 install.. i set it to ahci in bios and not raid before the fresh install.. i didnt discon my other two sata hdds during the install but im not sure that it should matter?


Follow this: http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Deal with it? why?
> There is a fix for it.
> Follow this: http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware


I've just started the reinstall process and figured I'm going to want to use the raid in the future on the Intel controller anyways so I'm going to go that route.. hopefully the performance is the same..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Deal with it? why?
> There is a fix for it.
> Follow this: http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware
> 
> 
> 
> I've just started the reinstall process and figured I'm going to want to use the raid in the future on the Intel controller anyways so I'm going to go that route.. hopefully the performance is the same..
Click to expand...

It is the same. It is basically the same as AHCI only you get to use RAID options as well.


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is the same. It is basically the same as AHCI only you get to use RAID options as well.


i cant figure out which of the intel rapid storage drivers i need.. there are like 4 to choose from:

RAID Enterprise: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise Driver for Intel® Desktop Boards - 3.5.1.1009

AHCI: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards - 11.6.0.1030

AHCI: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel 6 Series Chipset-Based Desktop Boards - 11.6.0.1030

RAID: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards - 11.6.0.1030

also im not sure if i just need to driver and not the whole intel suite software stuff that you end up downloading?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It is the same. It is basically the same as AHCI only you get to use RAID options as well.
> 
> 
> 
> i cant figure out which of the intel rapid storage drivers i need.. there are like 4 to choose from:
> 
> RAID Enterprise: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise Driver for Intel® Desktop Boards - 3.5.1.1009
> 
> AHCI: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards - 11.6.0.1030
> 
> AHCI: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel 6 Series Chipset-Based Desktop Boards - 11.6.0.1030
> 
> RAID: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards - 11.6.0.1030
> 
> also im not sure if i just need to driver and not the whole intel suite software stuff that you end up downloading?
Click to expand...

what mobo do you have? And if in RAID mode use the RAID driver....

RAID: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards - 11.6.0.1030


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> what mobo do you have? And if in RAID mode use the RAID driver....
> RAID: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards - 11.6.0.1030


i have this mobo:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3012#ov


----------



## JMatzelle3

Sean, I am confused i have my ssd and im getting the Z77-GD65 and i know it has a uefi bios does that mean i use the guide labled "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" i mean could i just insert the windows 7 cd select my optical drive and just install it and then follow the optimize guide


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMatzelle3*
> 
> Sean, I am confused i have my ssd and im getting the Z77-GD65 and i know it has a uefi bios does that mean i use the guide labled "Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format" i mean could i just insert the windows 7 cd select my optical drive and just install it and then follow the optimize guide


yes...


----------



## JMatzelle3

Is there anything bad about doing that.

Could i do the MBR formate guide on the UEFI? i mean it says UEFI/Bios so i would think its for both.

What guide do you suggest i follow


----------



## JMatzelle3

Im just nervous and dont understand that part


----------



## Sean Webster

Boot the install disk with the non-uefi option in your UEFI and install like normal....


----------



## JMatzelle3

when you say non-uefi you mean like advanced mode

http://i.imgur.com/VyjoD.png

Like that above ^

Sorry to bother you im just making sure i do what im suppose to


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMatzelle3*
> 
> when you say non-uefi you mean like advanced mode
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/VyjoD.png
> 
> Like that above ^
> 
> Sorry to bother you im just making sure i do what im suppose to


Boot > boot option > boot from the installer.

How it is so hard to choose the installer and install the OS? lol.


----------



## JMatzelle3

Oh you meant don't even enter the bios there is a option to just select what to load with thanks just needed to make sure

I didnt know you can select a the dvd drive as a boot option without going into the bios


----------



## JMatzelle3

Just reliazed it was F8 then choose my optical drive and thats it sorry. Just wasnt thinking


----------



## ballnuts

I'm having an issue where when I first boot my computer and windows loads, MSE and my internet connection take almost 1 full minute to become active. MSE shows as not protected, and the internet connection looks like it is searching for a connection. It could be in part because I am running internet on my desktop through an ethernet cord plugged into my laptop, which is using a wireless card to receive signal. Not sure. I seem to be clean of virii/malware, and I have no other issues on the PC besides this. I did a full clean install per Sean's guide, everything else is working perfectly. My windows scores are 7.9 across the board. It's not that big of deal, but my paranoia gets the best of me, just trying to figure out why this is happening. Thank you.


----------



## axipher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ballnuts*
> 
> I'm having an issue where when I first boot my computer and windows loads, MSE and my internet connection take almost 1 full minute to become active. MSE shows as not protected, and the internet connection looks like it is searching for a connection. It could be in part because I am running internet on my desktop through an ethernet cord plugged into my laptop, which is using a wireless card to receive signal. Not sure. I seem to be clean of virii/malware, and I have no other issues on the PC besides this. I did a full clean install per Sean's guide, everything else is working perfectly. My windows scores are 7.9 across the board. It's not that big of deal, but my paranoia gets the best of me, just trying to figure out why this is happening. Thank you.


The first to test would be plugging directly in to the router/switch and avoiding the wireless to see if that is the actual issue.


----------



## WeirdHarold

First off once again Thanks so much for the guide it really makes SSD setup a breeze! Second would the notebook speedup section work for new 7 Series chipsets? My new notebook is based on the Mobile Intel HM76 Express Chipset.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WeirdHarold*
> 
> First off once again Thanks so much for the guide it really makes SSD setup a breeze! Second would the notebook speedup section work for new 7 Series chipsets? My new notebook is based on the Mobile Intel HM76 Express Chipset.


idk


----------



## WeirdHarold

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> idk


Oh Well, thanks for the reply


----------



## kij123

*RAID-1 DRIVE PULL OUT TO TRANSFER AND REFORMAT...*

I have an old pair of mirrored RAID-1 drives (these have been removed and sitting as is for about 6months or so)

There is no important data on this that im concerned about preserving.

What i want to do is reformat them into 2 separate single (NON-RAID) regular storage HDD's after installing them into my new system ... is this possible? ... or will I mess them both up? ...How do i do this properly?

anybody with experience in these matters would be greatly appreciated

_Thanks_


----------



## essam999

awesome work thanks alot keep it up
i want to ask u about the
Disable RDP password to log on my gpedit.msc is not working cuz my windows is Home Premium if u know other way to make it work please help me out


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kij123*
> 
> *RAID-1 DRIVE PULL OUT TO TRANSFER AND REFORMAT...*
> I have an old pair of mirrored RAID-1 drives (these have been removed and sitting as is for about 6months or so)
> There is no important data on this that im concerned about preserving.
> What i want to do is reformat them into 2 separate single (NON-RAID) regular storage HDD's after installing them into my new system ... is this possible? ... or will I mess them both up? ...How do i do this properly?
> anybody with experience in these matters would be greatly appreciated
> _Thanks_


i actually just did this.. the warnings in the raid controller told me that everything would be wiped when converting it to non raid by deleting the raid 1 mirror well i just did the one drive and everything was still on the drive.. but you dont have any important data on them so i wouldnt see a problem.. but you might want to wait for a couple other responses..


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *essam999*
> 
> awesome work thanks alot keep it up
> i want to ask u about the
> Disable RDP password to log on my gpedit.msc is not working cuz my windows is Home Premium if u know other way to make it work please help me out


idk, it always works for me, tho im on Professional. I never used home premium, only pro and ult.


----------



## WeirdHarold

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *essam999*
> 
> awesome work thanks alot keep it up
> i want to ask u about the
> Disable RDP password to log on my gpedit.msc is not working cuz my windows is Home Premium if u know other way to make it work please help me out


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> i actually just did this.. the warnings in the raid controller told me that everything would be wiped when converting it to non raid by deleting the raid 1 mirror well i just did the one drive and everything was still on the drive.. but you dont have any important data on them so i wouldnt see a problem.. but you might want to wait for a couple other responses..


To the best of my knowledge the only differences between Home Premium and Pro are certain features that pertain more to networking security, Home Prem. has fewer features when hooked to a network. Home Prem. doesn't let you set permissions for files and folders things that a home user would be less worried about or in need of, but beyond that they are built on the same kernel so most things that work on one should work on the other. In all actuality they are the exact same OS but as you step up the ladder more features are enabled, cause if you do an anytime upgrade from Home to Pro you don't actually install a new OS you just give it a new License Key and it enables the new features that had been disabled.


----------



## kij123

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> i actually just did this.. the warnings in the raid controller told me that everything would be wiped when converting it to non raid by deleting the raid 1 mirror well i just did the one drive and everything was still on the drive.. but you dont have any important data on them so i wouldnt see a problem.. but you might want to wait for a couple other responses..


Thanks madLyfe .. i appreciate your response. Every little bit of info helps . . . Now lets see if Sean has any interest in commenting.

Toodaloo!


----------



## kij123

NIL


----------



## JMatzelle3

Quick little question will a wd green drive be enough to put my user folder and some apps on like skype and stuff or will i take a hit on other stuff. was looking to go like this

Main Drive: Corsair 120GB SSD
HDD One: Western Digital Green Drive (For My User folder,skype,teamspeak, some other apps)
HDD two: WD Cavier Blue (Steam Games)
HDD three: WD Cavier Blue (Flight Simulator X)


----------



## WeirdHarold

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMatzelle3*
> 
> Quick little question will a wd green drive be enough to put my user folder and some apps on like skype and stuff or will i take a hit on other stuff. was looking to go like this
> Main Drive: Corsair 120GB SSD
> HDD One: Western Digital Green Drive (For My User folder,skype,teamspeak, some other apps)
> HDD two: WD Cavier Blue (Steam Games)
> HDD three: WD Cavier Blue (Flight Simulator X)


Well, technically that would work but you really don't need that many drives for what you want to do. Here is how my rig is set up:
Main Drive: Crucial M4 128GB SSD - Windows, Drivers and frequently used Programs and Games
HDD 1: User files and less used games and programs - 320GB Samsung
HDD 2: Music, Video and pictures (Media Drive) - 1TB - Samsung

So since you don't have a Media drive I'd personally say you could get away with just the SSD and one HDD, Probably a 500GB would be more than enough for what you're going to install. Now I don't know how much space Flight Sim X needs but I don't really see it needing it's own drive.

Hope this helps


----------



## Steve Mc

Great guide so thanks for that.









I'm having a bit of a problem with the secondary HDD drive.
In Computer I have
Local Disk (C 84.2 GB free of 119 GB
System Reserved (D 71.8 MB free off 99.9 MB
The other is hooked up and is recognized but not sure on how to proceed now. Took a snippy of what I see in Disk Management.

Thanks in advance.
~Steve


----------



## Steve Mc

OK beginning to think I may have gone wrong from the start.
I followed these steps -
Quote:


> Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format


Quote:


> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition


including
Quote:


> Create Partition Primary Align=4096


Installed windows, drivers, updates etc... but haven't been able to see the 1TB HDD in Computer yet.
Hope that makes things clearer.
Not sure if I'm supposed to have activated any sort of RAID or SSD caching...
~Steve


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steve Mc*
> 
> but haven't been able to see the 1TB HDD in Computer yet.
> Hope that makes things clearer.
> Not sure if I'm supposed to have activated any sort of RAID or SSD caching...
> ~Steve


*Assuming the drive is empty!*
Click start, right click computer, click manage, click disk management, and your drive should show there!

Right click on the drive and look at your options and follow your nose


----------



## Steve Mc

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ACHILEE5*
> 
> *Assuming the drive is empty!*
> Click start, right click computer, click manage, click disk management, and your drive should show there!
> Right click on the drive and look at your options and follow your nose


If you look at the post above I stuck an image of what I see there, still a bit lost on what to do next.


----------



## ACHILEE5

So now you have two options!
1, Pull out the HDD and re-install Windows on the SSD!
2, leave it as it is, and right click and use the rest of the HDD. by right clicking on the unallocated part


----------



## Steve Mc

Sorry about the multi post, couldn't see an edit








Windows is installed on the SSD, there is nothing at all on the HDD.
What you see as C and D is all part of the SSD, the unallocated part is the HDD.
Very weird...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steve Mc*
> 
> Great guide so thanks for that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm having a bit of a problem with the secondary HDD drive.
> In Computer I have
> Local Disk (C 84.2 GB free of 119 GB
> System Reserved (D 71.8 MB free off 99.9 MB
> The other is hooked up and is recognized but not sure on how to proceed now. Took a snippy of what I see in Disk Management.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> ~Steve


You should be able to delete the system reserve, right click the unallocated space, create new simple volume, rightclick the SSD space, mark as active.


----------



## Steve Mc

Thanks for the help getting that done Sean.








I didn't want to go messing about in there as it's the 1st time I've used this kind of setup so was very apprehensive.
No problems on the restart so now going to carry on with your other suggestions after calling my ISP, something very wrong with my connection the last couple of days as I said.
Will report back when I've finished, thanks again.
~Steve


----------



## Sean Webster




----------



## kj1060

These may be a stupid questions:

1. Is there anything special that needs to be done when re-installing windows on a raid 0 array?
2. Also I recall having to select a driver when installing windows which one was that? I am assuming there is a newer version than the one that is on the CD that came with the motherboard that I can put on a flash drive.
3. Is there any way to update the firmware while in a raid array?

Thanks for the help.

Edit: Also another possible stupid question but how do you get Intel SSD Toolbox to work with raid 0 520s?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> These may be a stupid questions:
> 
> 1. Is there anything special that needs to be done when re-installing windows on a raid 0 array?


Nope. Just the driver loading if you can't see the RAID 0 array to install to. And delete the partitions on the OS drive.
Quote:


> 2. Also I recall having to select a driver when installing windows which one was that? I am assuming there is a newer version than the one that is on the CD that came with the motherboard that I can put on a flash drive.


Here are the latest: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?lang=eng&ProductID=2101&ProductFamily=Software+Products&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel%C2%AE+RST%29&DwnldID=21852

the f6 driver either x64 for 64bit or x86 for 32 bit.
Quote:


> 3. Is there any way to update the firmware while in a raid array?
> 
> Thanks for the help.


IDK for the Intel 520's.


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope. Just the driver loading if you can't see the RAID 0 array to install to. And delete the partitions on the OS drive.
> Here are the latest: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?lang=eng&ProductID=2101&ProductFamily=Software+Products&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel%C2%AE+RST%29&DwnldID=21852
> the f6 driver either x64 for 64bit or x86 for 32 bit.
> IDK for the Intel 520's.


As always thanks for the prompt and great response Sean.








I looked around a bit more and it seems there is no firmware update for the Intel 520s.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nope. Just the driver loading if you can't see the RAID 0 array to install to. And delete the partitions on the OS drive.
> Here are the latest: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?lang=eng&ProductID=2101&ProductFamily=Software+Products&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel%C2%AE+RST%29&DwnldID=21852
> the f6 driver either x64 for 64bit or x86 for 32 bit.
> IDK for the Intel 520's.
> 
> 
> 
> As always thanks for the prompt and great response Sean.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I looked around a bit more and it seems there is no firmware update for the Intel 520s.
Click to expand...

Yea, there shouldn't be now that you say that, they haven't released an update since they have first been released if I remember correctly. Only a few of them had a first batch firmware that were preshipped/released or something so they released the current firmware out to upgrade those.

400i is the latest.


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steve Mc*
> 
> Sorry about the multi post, couldn't see an edit
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Windows is installed on the SSD, there is nothing at all on the HDD.
> What you see as C and D is all part of the SSD, the unallocated part is the HDD.
> Very weird...


No worries dude








I was using my phone, so didn't have much of an overview of the thread when I replied (my bad)








But I see you're sorted now, so that cool


----------



## Ramsey77

Just a quick question for our resident SSD guru, and I'm sorry if this has been covered a million times, search hasn't really showed me any results.
I have a Crucial M4 128gb that currently I am using for a boot drive, but recently I purchased a Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 60gb to run as a boot drive, therefore freeing up the M4 to be used as a Steam drive. My question is, what is the best way, performance wise, to format/delete the M4? Would it be sufficient to just go through the OS and delete all of the info, and let garbage collection do its thing, or is it better to do some type of reformat on it? A point in the right direction is all I am really looking for. Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ramsey77*
> 
> Just a quick question for our resident SSD guru, and I'm sorry if this has been covered a million times, search hasn't really showed me any results.
> I have a Crucial M4 128gb that currently I am using for a boot drive, but recently I purchased a Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 60gb to run as a boot drive, therefore freeing up the M4 to be used as a Steam drive. My question is, what is the best way, performance wise, to format/delete the M4? Would it be sufficient to just go through the OS and delete all of the info, and let garbage collection do its thing, or is it better to do some type of reformat on it? A point in the right direction is all I am really looking for. Thanks.


All you need to do is quick format.


----------



## Ramsey77

Through disk management in windows?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ramsey77*
> 
> Through disk management in windows?


Or in My Computer or with the Windows installer, or with a linux live CD or anything that does a quick format. Doesn't matter as long as it is a quick format and not a full format.


----------



## Ramsey77

Very much appreciated Sean. Thanks again.


----------



## Steve Mc

Yeah, thankfully got there in the end ACHILEE5 but then ended up reinstalling again for other reasons but all went well.
Carried out a few of the tweaks and all is running great,









Sean, remember the speed issues? After much messing about It turns out it wasn't the ISP and there was no conflicting drivers or anything usual.
Through trial and error I've worked out that it's actually the ASUS AI SUITE II! Stick it on and speeds are crippled, take it off and all goes back to normal. Tested this on Windows 7 Ultimate and Pro with the same results. All updates up to date and speed tests carried out prior to Suite install.
I heard that disabling Network iControl worked for some, didn't for me so it's now gone.
I'm pretty annoyed as it's a very publicised feature of their boards, hopefully they address this issue in a future BIOS Update but I won't be holding breath.
Hopefully this info might help some others out, it was the last thing I thought of and had to back of the ISP, lol.
~Steve


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steve Mc*
> 
> Yeah, thankfully got there in the end ACHILEE5 but then ended up reinstalling again for other reasons but all went well.
> Carried out a few of the tweaks and all is running great,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sean, remember the speed issues? After much messing about It turns out it wasn't the ISP and there was no conflicting drivers or anything usual.
> Through trial and error I've worked out that it's actually the ASUS AI SUITE II! Stick it on and speeds are crippled, take it off and all goes back to normal. Tested this on Windows 7 Ultimate and Pro with the same results. All updates up to date and speed tests carried out prior to Suite install.
> I heard that disabling Network iControl worked for some, didn't for me so it's now gone.
> I'm pretty annoyed as it's a very publicised feature of their boards, hopefully they address this issue in a future BIOS Update but I won't be holding breath.
> Hopefully this info might help some others out, it was the last thing I thought of and had to back of the ISP, lol.
> ~Steve


Wow, thanks for letting us know.







I never use any of that software that comes with my mobo CD.


----------



## Arizonian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steve Mc*
> 
> Yeah, thankfully got there in the end ACHILEE5 but then ended up reinstalling again for other reasons but all went well.
> Carried out a few of the tweaks and all is running great,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sean, remember the speed issues? After much messing about It turns out it wasn't the ISP and there was no conflicting drivers or anything usual.
> Through trial and error I've worked out that it's actually the ASUS AI SUITE II! Stick it on and speeds are crippled, take it off and all goes back to normal. Tested this on Windows 7 Ultimate and Pro with the same results. All updates up to date and speed tests carried out prior to Suite install.
> I heard that disabling Network iControl worked for some, didn't for me so it's now gone.
> I'm pretty annoyed as it's a very publicised feature of their boards, hopefully they address this issue in a future BIOS Update but I won't be holding breath.
> Hopefully this info might help some others out, it was the last thing I thought of and had to back of the ISP, lol.
> ~Steve


Hi Steve MC,

I must say this is new info for me regarding ASUS Suite II crippling speeds. I use ASUS Suite II for my Sabertooth board to customize a user preference on my chassis and two assist fans that even though are little make a hell of a whirling sound, I just have to control. I have no other way to my knowledge how to control those little fans.

I wonder if turning off all the monitoring that ASUS Suite II software offers would free up sys resources. I'm going to have to do some testing to find out if this is effecting me.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Arizonian*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Steve Mc*
> 
> Yeah, thankfully got there in the end ACHILEE5 but then ended up reinstalling again for other reasons but all went well.
> Carried out a few of the tweaks and all is running great,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sean, remember the speed issues? After much messing about It turns out it wasn't the ISP and there was no conflicting drivers or anything usual.
> Through trial and error I've worked out that it's actually the ASUS AI SUITE II! Stick it on and speeds are crippled, take it off and all goes back to normal. Tested this on Windows 7 Ultimate and Pro with the same results. All updates up to date and speed tests carried out prior to Suite install.
> I heard that disabling Network iControl worked for some, didn't for me so it's now gone.
> I'm pretty annoyed as it's a very publicised feature of their boards, hopefully they address this issue in a future BIOS Update but I won't be holding breath.
> Hopefully this info might help some others out, it was the last thing I thought of and had to back of the ISP, lol.
> ~Steve
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Steve MC,
> 
> I must say this is new info for me regarding ASUS Suite II crippling speeds. I use ASUS Suite II for my Sabertooth board to customize a user preference on my chassis and two assist fans that even though are little make a hell of a whirling sound, I just have to control. I have no other way to my knowledge how to control those little fans.
> 
> I wonder if turning off all the monitoring that ASUS Suite II software offers would free up sys resources. I'm going to have to do some testing to find out if this is effecting me.
Click to expand...

I am pretty sure you can adjust the fan RPM in the UEFI to a degree.


----------



## EarlZ

I messed up my windows so I decided to reformat my SSD with a secure erase using diskpart's clean all option upon creating a primary partition the windows installer shows me 3 partitions like this:

Disk 0 unallocated space 3MB
Disk 0 Partition 1 223.6Gb Primary
Disk 0 unallocated space 3.0MB

I've never seen this before and Im wondering whats wrong? I followed the guide on the first page to skip the creation of system reserved space, also If I do create a system reserved space the 2x 3MB unallocated drives dont show up.. Not sure whats wrong..

After windows install I see the unallocated spaces on my disk management, anyway to fix this ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I messed up my windows so I decided to reformat my SSD with a secure erase using diskpart's clean all option upon creating a primary partition the windows installer shows me 3 partitions like this:
> 
> Disk 0 unallocated space 3MB
> Disk 0 Partition 1 223.6Gb Primary
> Disk 0 unallocated space 3.0MB
> 
> I've never seen this before and Im wondering whats wrong? I followed the guide on the first page to skip the creation of system reserved space, also If I do create a system reserved space the 2x 3MB unallocated drives dont show up.. Not sure whats wrong..


*CLEAN ALL* DOES NOT SECURE ERASE! IT ERASES THE PARTITION TABLE ON THE DRIVE AND WRITES 0s TO THE CAPACITY OF THE DRIVE. That is not a secure erase...All that does is put excessive wear on the drive for no reason what so ever. It will not even wipe all the data off of it. You basically just wrote to the drives capacity for nothing. lol Performance will actually be slower for a slight amount of time till TRIM and GC fixes it.

Secure erase is when you use a special command with special software. This is how to secure erase: www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic#post_16684060

As for the 3MB unallocated spaces. They shouldn't be there. How are you seeing that? Just run the clean command. That will delete all partitions and set the drive to unallocated space. When you make the primary partition and do the *QUICK* format it will use all the space of the partition.


----------



## EarlZ

I used the guide you posted on the first page on how to install with out the system reserved and I also used the quick format, upon completing all the steps I see the 3 drives, so what I did was redo everything and refreshed the 'partition view' after each step, after doing the create partition primary align = 4096 thats where the 2x 3mb partitions come out and doing the format quick=ntfs still shows the 2x 3mb partitions.

I just tried to partition it now with out the 4096 alignment and I dont see 3 drives, this is very odd.

EDIT:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/91339-ssd-hdd-optimize-windows-reinstallation.html

That guide mentions that using clean all does perform a secure wipe on an SSD where it zero's in all of the sectors just like what a secure wipe would do.

From what I've gathered on this thread its not a big deal even if I wasted maybe upto 1Tb of a write cycle.

But for the sake of it, ill find a way to make a bootable USB and use the tool you linked just now.
Great for people like me who have trouble making bootable USB drives!

EDIT2:
Found this great little guide that does all the work to make a bootable parted magic, it even downloads the app for the user

http://linhost.info/2010/06/how-to-create-a-parted-magic-bootable-usb-flash-drive/


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I used the guide you posted on the first page on how to install with out the system reserved and I also used the quick format, upon completing all the steps I see the 3 drives, so what I did was redo everything and refreshed the 'partition view' after each step, after doing the create partition primary align = 4096 thats where the 2x 3mb partitions come out and doing the format quick=ntfs still shows the 2x 3mb partitions.
> 
> I just tried to partition it now with out the 4096 alignment and I dont see 3 drives, this is very odd.


that is strange.
Quote:


> EDIT:
> 
> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/91339-ssd-hdd-optimize-windows-reinstallation.html
> 
> That guide mentions that using clean all does perform a secure wipe on an SSD where it zero's in all of the sectors just like what a secure wipe would do.
> 
> From what I've gathered on this thread its not a big deal even if I wasted maybe upto 1Tb of a write cycle.


Whoever wrote that does not understand how SSDs work and needs to be corrected. Writing data to the drive doesn't work because the software writing doesn't to teh SSD has no say in where the data is being written. During a clean all what is happening is that the SSD's controller is writing 0's to the virtual sectors it is programmed to according to its firmware algorithms. It can end up writing to the same area multiple times and skip others completely. And writing 0s also leaves the NAND set in a non-clean state because the NAND is actually retaining data when it is set to 0, thus it will be slower when it is written to (without proper GC time) because it will have to perform real time GC.
Quote:


> But for the sake of it, ill find a way to make a bootable USB and use the tool you linked just now.
> Great for people like me who have trouble making bootable USB drives!
> 
> EDIT2:
> Found this great little guide that does all the work to make a bootable parted magic, it even downloads the app for the user
> 
> http://linhost.info/2010/06/how-to-create-a-parted-magic-bootable-usb-flash-drive/


Yea, there are a few guides with UNetbootin.


----------



## EarlZ

Bah im running into an issue where parted magic would just freeze on its desktop and boot me out on a blue screen with some options... properly cleaning an SSD for the first time is so much of a hassle compared to a regular drive.. now im stuck.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Bah im running into an issue where parted magic would just freeze on its desktop and boot me out on a blue screen with some options... properly cleaning an SSD for the first time is so much of a hassle compared to a regular drive.. now im stuck.


All you need to do is just treat it like any other drive and format it. lol Don't worry about S/E now.

If you really want to you can also try HDParm and HDDErase: as well. guides in my S/E guide.


----------



## EarlZ

All the methods I've tried for a secure erase has lead to a failure, so skipping that part I still have the 2x 3MB partitions issue when I align to 4096 but no such issues with 1024, Im guessing the 3MB is needed on the start and end of the drive to get a 4096 alignment? Although I never had this issue when I got my drive and diskpart was even performed when I still had my OS on my mechanical drive, Im wondering whats really causing this issue. Also is there no performance difference on 1024 vs 4096 alignment on a corsair forcegt ?


----------



## Shempio

<<_>>>>>

I wish this was true for me, but every time i set up a new ssd on win 7 the disk defrag is never disabled.

On my disk properties msachi from 2006 is always there also. how do I get the new driver to install from Intel.. does it have to be loaded while installing a fresh copy of windows and what is it called?

I'm using the sata 3.0 6 gb port on asrock extreme 11 which is made by marvel and the intel ports only support sata 2 so I don't want to use that.
I have the samsung 840 pro ssd_


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> All the methods I've tried for a secure erase has lead to a failure, so skipping that part I still have the 2x 3MB partitions issue when I align to 4096 but no such issues with 1024, Im guessing the 3MB is needed on the start and end of the drive to get a 4096 alignment? Although I never had this issue when I got my drive and diskpart was even performed when I still had my OS on my mechanical drive, Im wondering whats really causing this issue. Also is there no performance difference on 1024 vs 4096 alignment on a corsair forcegt ?


I think what you see is this:


It is not 3MB offset, that is just free space or whatever. You need to select the drive then type *list part* to see the offset.

And there is no difference b/w 1024 and 4096 offset.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shempio*
> 
> <<_>>>>>
> 
> I wish this was true for me, but every time i set up a new ssd on win 7 the disk defrag is never disabled._


_Do you run WEI? The restart? Then check? Defrag should still be enabled, just not for the SSD._
_Quote:_


> _On my disk properties msachi from 2006 is always there also. how do I get the new driver to install from Intel.. does it have to be loaded while installing a fresh copy of windows and what is it called?_


_You download it from the link in the guide...You need the RSTe driver for X79 atm.
_
_Quote:_


> _I'm using the sata 3.0 6 gb port on asrock extreme 11 which is made by marvel and the intel ports only support sata 2 so I don't want to use that.
> I have the samsung 840 pro ssd_


_There are two Intel SATA 6GB/s ports, 4 Intel SATA 3Gb/s ports, and 8 LSI SATA 6Gb/s ports...._


----------



## EarlZ

Under list disk I only see 1 drive as I only have my SSD connected during the process, I see 3 partitions during the drive selection on the windows 7 setup and even under the GUI disk management.. I think something is wrong with my drive as it is now refusing to boot after I've installed everything (sigh) anyway is there a place where I can get an ISO for Win7 with the latest updates compounded into it ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Under list disk I only see 1 drive as I only have my SSD connected during the process, I see 3 partitions during the drive selection on the windows 7 setup and even under the GUI disk management.. I think something is wrong with my drive as it is now refusing to boot after I've installed everything (sigh) anyway is there a place where I can get an ISO for Win7 with the latest updates compounded into it ?


Links in the first post.


----------



## Shempio

Quote:


> Do you run WEI? The restart? Then check? Defrag should still be enabled, just not for the SSD.


I haven't run WEI yet. The ssd is the only disk in my system right now. Do you mean after I run the WEI that the defrag option will disappear from ssd properties?

Quote:


> You download it from the link in the guide...You need the RSTe driver for X79 atm


Do I load this driver before windows starts its installation?
Quote:


> There are two Intel SATA 6GB/s ports, 4 Intel SATA 3Gb/s ports, and 8 LSI SATA 6Gb/s ports.


Those 2 gray ports for sata 3 6GB are marvel not intel. When I'm in the bios and I enable ahci it comes up as marvel not Intel for the 6GB ports.
When I bought the board I could of sworn I read somewhere they where Intel ports and now they turned up to be marvel.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shempio*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Do you run WEI? The restart? Then check? Defrag should still be enabled, just not for the SSD.
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't run WEI yet. The ssd is the only disk in my system right now. Do you mean after I run the WEI that the defrag option will disappear from ssd properties?
Click to expand...

It will disable defrag for the SSD.

Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> You download it from the link in the guide...You need the RSTe driver for X79 atm
> 
> 
> 
> Do I load this driver before windows starts its installation?
Click to expand...

You can do it after.
Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> There are two Intel SATA 6GB/s ports, 4 Intel SATA 3Gb/s ports, and 8 LSI SATA 6Gb/s ports.
> 
> 
> 
> Those 2 gray ports for sata 3 6GB are marvel not intel. When I'm in the bios and I enable ahci it comes up as marvel not Intel for the 6GB ports.
> When I bought the board I could of sworn I read somewhere they where Intel ports and now they turned up to be marvel.
Click to expand...

The Marvell 9172 controller is to control the eSATA ports...


The top grey SATA 6GB/s port is the X79 chipset's port along with the 4 black ones next to it.

Both reviewers state so and it even states on the SATA ports itself as it says for boot and speed use the native Intel ports below the sticker.











AND IN THE MANUAL!


----------



## Shempio

Sean, thanks for the help.

I made a mistake your right the ports are intel but the controller is marvell

I'm going to install the Intel drivers later tonight on the asrock. I tried this on my x58 chipset asus rive mb after installation.

And under hardware properties I click driver and it still says

"Driver Provider' Microsoft Driver date 06/21/2006

Driver version 6.1.7600.16385

Digital signer. Microsoft windows.


----------



## Chesskid1

hey Sean,

thanks so much for this thread. i'm sure you know it's very popular among the PC community.

anywho, i just scored a 120gb kingston 3k for $60 off newegg. I was wondering if it's okay to install it as a secondary drive for now, with my 1TB mechanical as main.

I need to update the firmware, and maybe i might as well benchmark it too (im only on sata 2 but everyone says its still worth it!), maybe i'll install some stuff to it as well just to the test the speed. i'll eventually put my OS on it, but i have to go through my entire 1TB and make sure everything i want is safe so that could take many hours and i'm quite busy and my files aren't organized at all!

basically, i can install an SSD as a secondary drive and leave my 1 TBB as the main drive and that's okay right? i tried searching around for an answer, but not many people do this it seems.

i already setup everything in AHCI and such as well.

thanks so much for this guide once again.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Chesskid1*
> 
> hey Sean,
> 
> thanks so much for this thread. i'm sure you know it's very popular among the PC community.
> 
> anywho, i just scored a 120gb kingston 3k for $60 off newegg. I was wondering if it's okay to install it as a secondary drive for now, with my 1TB mechanical as main.
> 
> I need to update the firmware, and maybe i might as well benchmark it too (im only on sata 2 but everyone says its still worth it!), maybe i'll install some stuff to it as well just to the test the speed. i'll eventually put my OS on it, but i have to go through my entire 1TB and make sure everything i want is safe so that could take many hours and i'm quite busy and my files aren't organized at all!
> 
> basically, i can install an SSD as a secondary drive and leave my 1 TBB as the main drive and that's okay right? i tried searching around for an answer, but not many people do this it seems.
> 
> i already setup everything in AHCI and such as well.
> 
> thanks so much for this guide once again.


Yea, an SSD is just like a HDD, you can have it as a secondary for however long you want. Tho you will want to have it for the OS soon, you will start getting that itch to move to it quickly.









As for your data organization. Here is how mine is laid out: www.overclock.net/t/1125994/seans-data-backup-guide

maybe that can help you.


----------



## Shempio

Sean, I updated to the intel rst drivers and the mcsi 2006 is still there. It also changed my ssd from an ata device to an scsi device.

I also ran the WEI and the disk defrag is still an available option. It's not shaded out.


----------



## Shempio

Sean, Here is what as ssd benchmark states I have. it says IASTORA but it also says in the upper drop menue scsi disk device.

I'm happy with this score so I'm going to keep it as is. thanks for the help.


----------



## Sean Webster

looks good.


----------



## EarlZ

Pretty low latency compared to a SF based drive!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Pretty low latency compared to a SF based drive!


It's cause of the Toggle NAND.


----------



## EarlZ

I see, though real world performance difference barely shows anything aside from moving really large files, for day to day usage and gaming I think they are no different but it bums me out that the GS and GTX came out a month after I got my GT and my GT died after 5 months.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I see, though real world performance difference barely shows anything aside from moving really large files, for day to day usage and gaming I think they are no different but it bums me out that the GS and GTX came out a month after I got my GT and my GT died after 5 months.


whats up with the GT?


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> whats up with the GT?


It prematurely died after I finished installed everything, rebooted my system and got the bootmgr missing so I inserted the Windows 7 installation disk, it sees the SSD as unpartitioned but can no longer access it, getting an I/O error.. also tried it on another PC.. same problem.


----------



## baronnight

Hi sean,

got question here, im going to change my SSD to samsung 840 pro as my ssd is old enough while samsung is on sata 3 and my motherboard does not support sata 6gb/s unless its the marvell one, will it effect a lot in performance wise to connect sata 3 ssd to sata 2?

regards


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *baronnight*
> 
> Hi sean,
> 
> got question here, im going to change my SSD to samsung 840 pro as my ssd is old enough while samsung is on sata 3 and my motherboard does not support sata 6gb/s unless its the marvell one, will it effect a lot in performance wise to connect sata 3 ssd to sata 2?
> 
> regards


You're fine on SATA 2. Mainly seq speeds are cut in half. Everything else will be roughly the same. Thus, the performance you use 90% of the time will be the same on SATA 2 as it would be on SATA 3.


----------



## Carey934

Just an FYI that I have put together a full Windows 7 installation tutorial using your guide as a template that covers a new Windows 7 install from soup-to-nuts. You can check it out here:





Thanks,
Carey


----------



## KalashNK

Great Guide! Why setting the page file at 512MB btw?
Thanks


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KalashNK*
> 
> Great Guide! Why setting the page file at 512MB btw?
> Thanks


So windows has the room to create a file with tech data should you get a blue screen.


----------



## KalashNK

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> So windows has the room to create a file with tech data should you get a blue screen.


Yes but isn't like 1/10 of the page file windows would automatically create?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KalashNK*
> 
> Yes but isn't like 1/10 of the page file windows would automatically create?


Yes because Windows is dumb in automatically creating a humungous page file size.


----------



## Manyak

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KalashNK*
> 
> Yes but isn't like 1/10 of the page file windows would automatically create?


When you have 64GB of memory, do you really need a 98GB pagefile?


----------



## KalashNK

Understood. Thanks


----------



## Rebelord

I havent Secure Erased my SSD in probably close to two years now. Should I do that since I am about to wipe and reinstall my OS's?
Original OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SSD.

Or, can I just do a format/align and reinstall as usual?


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rebelord*
> 
> I havent Secure Erased my SSD in probably close to two years now. Should I do that since I am about to wipe and reinstall my OS's?
> Original OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SSD.
> Or, can I just do a format/align and reinstall as usual?


I would but I'm OCD like that.


----------



## KalashNK

Is the "No GUI boot" command working properly to you?
I opened msconfig with administrator privileges and checked it, but the windows logo is still there...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rebelord*
> 
> I havent Secure Erased my SSD in probably close to two years now. Should I do that since I am about to wipe and reinstall my OS's?
> Original OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SSD.
> 
> Or, can I just do a format/align and reinstall as usual?


No need to S/E unless you are having speed troubles.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KalashNK*
> 
> Is the "No GUI boot" command working properly to you?
> I opened msconfig with administrator privileges and checked it, but the windows logo is still there...


Works for me. All I get is the welcome screen.


----------



## Rebelord

Thanks for the replies guys. But, ended up doing a SE anyways. As I checked the OCZ site and I was on firmware version 1.01(?) and the latest is 1.37 to fix some stuff.
So, updated the firmware and performed the SE using OCZ bootable toolbox.
Everything is working great so far. Just finished the initial install. Now working through getting drivers installed and setting up proper indexing, page file, etc.

Thanks again Sean.


----------



## Chesskid1

alright, my SSD came today, installed today, and installed windows and everything. still need to do your tweaks.

i'm on SATA II (M4A78T-E) with a Kingston HyperX 3k 120gb

looking good?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Chesskid1*
> 
> alright, my SSD came today, installed today, and installed windows and everything. still need to do your tweaks.
> 
> i'm on SATA II (M4A78T-E) with a Kingston HyperX 3k 120gb
> 
> looking good?


Looks fine.


----------



## EarlZ

Is the vertex 4 any better than the ForceGT?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Is the vertex 4 any better than the ForceGT?


ya


----------



## KBriggs

Quote:


> The Checklist:
> 
> 
> Read your motherboard manual! This saves you the hassle of asking which SATA port is which and much more; almost everything is in there!
> If your hardware is overclocked please revert to stock clocks for installation to prevent data corruption.
> Enable AHCI SATA mode in the UEFI/BIOS. Use RAID mode if you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT aka. SSD caching. Guide here: (link)
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 or newer is in the UEFI/BIOS and enable it if it is there, if not then don't worry about it.
> Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of your SSD/HDD and update if necessary. Storage drivers, firmware, and utilities here: (link)
> Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.
> If you are using a SSD use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, I advise that you do NOT use the Marvell or other 3rd party SATA ports for your SSD/HDD.


I will be building a PC sometime in the next few months, and before I start, as a first-timer I have some newbie questions about the above:

3) Prior to installing the OS, how do you get into whatever menu you need to choose the SATA mode? Basically, how do you actually get into BIOS?
4) Same question as previous
5) How do you actually go about installing the updates? Presumably you would download it to a USB drive or something similar, but how do you actually go about applying it?


----------



## meloj17

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KBriggs*
> 
> I will be building a PC sometime in the next few months, and before I start, as a first-timer I have some newbie questions about the above:
> 3) Prior to installing the OS, how do you get into whatever menu you need to choose the SATA mode? Basically, how do you actually get into BIOS?
> 4) Same question as previous
> 5) How do you actually go about installing the updates? Presumably you would download it to a USB drive or something similar, but how do you actually go about applying it?


Hey Briggs,

When you have your rig assembled and ready to boot, your mobo will show a splash screen with their logo. They usually show a caption on that screen telling what key to press ( commonly DELETE or one of the F keys).

Installing requires you to download the firmware from the manufactures website.
edit: installing the firmware would be from BIOS. your mobo manual will give you a more detailed approach to doing this. Be patient.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KBriggs*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> The Checklist:
> 
> 
> Read your motherboard manual! This saves you the hassle of asking which SATA port is which and much more; almost everything is in there!
> If your hardware is overclocked please revert to stock clocks for installation to prevent data corruption.
> Enable AHCI SATA mode in the UEFI/BIOS. Use RAID mode if you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT aka. SSD caching. Guide here: (link)
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 or newer is in the UEFI/BIOS and enable it if it is there, if not then don't worry about it.
> Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of your SSD/HDD and update if necessary. Storage drivers, firmware, and utilities here: (link)
> Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.
> If you are using a SSD use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, I advise that you do NOT use the Marvell or other 3rd party SATA ports for your SSD/HDD.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I will be building a PC sometime in the next few months, and before I start, as a first-timer I have some newbie questions about the above:
> 
> 3) Prior to installing the OS, how do you get into whatever menu you need to choose the SATA mode? Basically, how do you actually get into BIOS?
> 4) Same question as previous
> 5) How do you actually go about installing the updates? Presumably you would download it to a USB drive or something similar, but how do you actually go about applying it?
Click to expand...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KBriggs*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> The Checklist:
> 
> 
> Read your motherboard manual! This saves you the hassle of asking which SATA port is which and much more; almost everything is in there!
> If your hardware is overclocked please revert to stock clocks for installation to prevent data corruption.
> Enable AHCI SATA mode in the UEFI/BIOS. Use RAID mode if you are going to use a RAID array or Intel SRT aka. SSD caching. Guide here: (link)
> Check to see if ACPI 2.0 or newer is in the UEFI/BIOS and enable it if it is there, if not then don't worry about it.
> Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of your SSD/HDD and update if necessary. Storage drivers, firmware, and utilities here: (link)
> Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.
> If you are using a SSD use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, I advise that you do NOT use the Marvell or other 3rd party SATA ports for your SSD/HDD.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I will be building a PC sometime in the next few months, and before I start, as a first-timer I have some newbie questions about the above:
> 
> 3) Prior to installing the OS, how do you get into whatever menu you need to choose the SATA mode? Basically, how do you actually get into BIOS?
> 4) Same question as previous
> 5) How do you actually go about installing the updates? Presumably you would download it to a USB drive or something similar, but how do you actually go about applying it?
Click to expand...

What are the specs of you PC? What mobo?


----------



## kuri0n

Hi guys I'm having issues with my build.

I'm getting bsod on occasion and my boot time on my SSD is around ~30-40s (as defined in microsoft's event viewer).

I'm wondering if this is because I did not wipe clean my HDD prior to going through this guide...

Also. I was overclocking my processor at around 3.4ghz but after the errors clocked it back to stock 2.6. Still getting BSOD but figured that would take away one possibility of the crashing.

At the moment I disconnected the HDD and am running solely on the SSD. It does seem to boot maybe a few seconds faster but that may just be my imagination as I have not timed it. So far there's no crashes, though (crosses fingers).



Here's my results from the AS SSD benchmark program.

help plz TT


----------



## meloj17

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kuri0n*
> 
> Hi guys I'm having issues with my build.
> I'm getting bsod on occasion and my boot time on my SSD is around ~30-40s (as defined in microsoft's event viewer).
> I'm wondering if this is because I did not wipe clean my HDD prior to going through this guide...
> Also. I was overclocking my processor at around 3.4ghz but after the errors clocked it back to stock 2.6. Still getting BSOD but figured that would take away one possibility of the crashing.
> At the moment I disconnected the HDD and am running solely on the SSD. It does seem to boot maybe a few seconds faster but that may just be my imagination as I have not timed it. So far there's no crashes, though (crosses fingers).
> 
> Here's my results from the AS SSD benchmark program.
> help plz TT


A good start would be to reset your BIOS from all the BSODs and errors. Remove the battery from your mobo for about 5 minutes.


----------



## kuri0n

Okay, I reset the bios and reinstalled all of the windows updates. Haven't had a crash since, thanks







.

My boot times are around the 30-40 second range, although it's still faster than booting from my HDD (which takes at least a minute). Is this just how it goes or is this due to lack of optimization, etc?


----------



## soundx98

You are on a SATA 2 controller are you not?
Probably the reason


----------



## WallyBrian

Hey guys, i found your forum by googling "optimizing windows 7"...i've built few PCs in my years so I dont see making a mistake in the buildup process, but it's lagging on startup. These are my specs;

AsRock B75 PRO3 mobo
WD Caviar Blue 750 with 100GB partition for Windows 7 x64 (connected on 6GBs SATA port on the mobo)
i5 2500 3,3
8GB DDR3
additional WD 1TB Green for photo, video and overall storage
nvidia GT440 1 GB VGA

So, the PC works perfectly in CS 5.5 Photoshop, Premiere etc, I haven't touched any of their cache/scratch disk options, I don't know if I should - but the programs work very nicely. The only thing that bothers me is the startup. The drive keeps gurgling and gurgling for a minute when I start the Windows up...it's pretty annoying.

I don't know if you need my startup list, if you do, here it is, so maybe there's a clue you guys see and I don't that clogs my startup

http://pastebin.com/39j4FPyg

i've done this benchmark if its of any use - http://i.imgur.com/irmxe.jpg

so, if there are any ideas how to stop the startup drive grinding - please help


----------



## kuri0n

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *soundx98*
> 
> You are on a SATA 2 controller are you not?
> Probably the reason


I believe so. This is a page showing my motherboard: http://www.evga.com/articles/425.asp

Quote:


> 9 SATA-2 ports with support for RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5, JBOD


Is this the cause of the slow boot times? If so are there any solutions such as 3rd party hardware that I can buy? Is the gains from such hardware (if existent) noticeable or recommended?


----------



## soundx98

You WILL notice an improvement in boot and benchmarks if you spend the time to optimize the SSD per Sean's directions.
But you will be limited on speed due to the SATA 2 connection.
You can buy a PCI SATA 3 controller but don't expect much of an improvement.

Just take your time and follow the guide and you'll wind up smiling.
If I get the time tonight I'll look for my benchs of a Kingston 120GB on SATA 2 vs SATA 3 controller.


----------



## kuri0n

I have done all the steps except disable the fancy graphics for windows. That said I don't doubt that it increased performance; however, because I did the steps immediately after installing windows I never had the chance to compare and contrast the non-optimized vs the optimized.

I was a bit concerned that the boot times were nothing compared to the 10-20 second boot times I keep hearing people boast about. However, since it doesn't seem like anything is grossly wrong with my setup I guess my query is finished. After all I haven't had a bsod since I restarted my bios.

I am wondering though, since it has been concerning me, was it okay that I didn't format my HDD or wipe it clean prior to installing and hooking my SSD up? I did what Sean said, which was to disconnect the HDD while installing Windows on the SSD and then reconnect it only after everything was setup.


----------



## soundx98

"I did what Sean said, which was to disconnect the HDD while installing Windows on the SSD and then reconnect it only after everything was setup."

And you did good then man. Always disconnect other drives when installing an OS









Here is an SSD scrennie with my Kingston HyperX 120GB SSD on SATA 2 controller (Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P v1.0)


----------



## kuri0n

My SSD benchmark scores are so much lower than that TT


----------



## soundx98

Not really comparing Apples to Apples here.
Totally different SATA controllers on different mobos with different SSDs with different SSD controllers with (probably) different amounts of SSD space used.









from what I am googling the 790SLI FTW has both JMicron and Intel ICH10R controllers.(?)
Are you sure you are plugged into the Intel-and using the latest driver-

something does seem amiss


----------



## SimpleTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *soundx98*
> 
> from what I am googling the 790SLI FTW has both JMicron and Intel ICH10R controllers.(?)


His board doesn't use either of those. It's controlled by a nForce 790i SLI MCP which is inferior to Intel's ICH10R found on their P45 and X58 boards.


----------



## soundx98

Now it makes sense.
My apologies to those concerned, I was confused by this on the eVGA forum.
http://boardreader.com/thread/Evga_790_FTW_not_sure_what_to_use_Intel_r1gu9Xyty7.html

So it appears that kuriOn's bench is normal for the nVidia controller. Thanks for your help ST!


----------



## kuri0n

Okay guys, thanks for all your help! Especially you, soundx98, you're awesome dude.

Glad to know there are no hidden major issues and that everything is normal.


----------



## soundx98

The "Thanks" really go to Sean for his expertise and creating this thread.
I was "newbier" that you before I read it/did it/saw the improvements LOL.
And of course SimpleTech for pointing out the correct controller was a nVidia (D-Oh)

As a bonus, it's that "present" time of year, and you have already started the upgrade process








Some sweet deals can be had for those looking to upgrade MOBO+CPU (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)
I mean you been good. You'd probably look awesome in an Intel SATA3 controller.
Forget friends and family. Blow the gift money on yourself


----------



## Deano99

Hey guys
New to the forum, so cut me a little slack... please.









New Win 8 MSI GT70 notebook in need of an SSD
Installing a new Vertex 4 SSD drive by cloning the HHD.
- YES I know that's considered taboo... but all of my programs are up and running.
The new Vertex 4 was first initialized in Disc Management
The Existing drive is GPT so that is how I started with the new drive.

ROOKIE mistake:








I loaded the SSD in the spare bay and performed the clone...
- Didn't work, found out about "Secure Boot" issues and ACHI requirements, also UEFI vs legacy.
When it appeared to work, I switched drives and found nothing but "unallocated" space on the SSD.
Old HHD went back in and the problem solving search was on.

More research led to placing the HHD (source drive) in a USB enclosure, then putting the new SSD
into the primary drive spot in the laptop. Making an Acronis TI (plus pack) bootable DVD was next.
The BIOS was set to AHCI, disabled secure boot, etc...

All went very well this time around. Using the TI off the DVD on bootup was the way to go. I made
sure to stop (turn off) the computer when finished. I then removed the source HHD and checked
the BIOS for the new drive.

I found it using the "legacy" function. It disappears using "UEFI". Either way, it won't boot into
Windows 8. It will come right back into the BIOS setup screen.

Back to research, and found a suggestion to have Windows repair the problem using a bootable
Windows 8 repair disk. Made one and also made a bootable USB key with Windows 8 >iso on it.
Ran both and they "couldn't repair" my problem.

I put the SSD in a USB enclosure, plugged it in and checked it out in Disk Management. It seems
to be fine. The partitions (all 5) are there and it is also GPT. I looked for a way to make it a "primary"
partition, but it was greyed out. (probably already is one). My guess is some kind of issue with drive
letters (but the repair disk would have corrected that), or something to do with the fact that it is
recognized using legacy but not using UEFI.

ANY ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I'd rather not do a new install as MSI didn't send me an install disc with the necessary drivers for
this machine. When I asked them for one, they told me to burn a recovery disk.

Thanks in advance


----------



## LuckySe7ens

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SimpleTech*
> 
> His board doesn't use either of those. It's controlled by a nForce 790i SLI MCP which is inferior to Intel's ICH10R found on their P45 and X58 boards.


I have my 570 sli nforce board getting better numbers than that. Are you on the jmicron Sata port or the nforce ones?

Well my 4k read sucks


----------



## EarlZ

Is there a way to 'uninstall' windows w/o performing a format on my harddrive as I am getting my replacement SSD tomorrow and I dont have a spare drive to move all of my files and perform a format.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Is there a way to 'uninstall' windows w/o performing a format on my harddrive as I am getting my replacement SSD tomorrow and I dont have a spare drive to move all of my files and perform a format.


Format only the OS partition.









Shrink current OS partition > make new > move data you need to keep to the new (may need to shrink and expand the partitions as you go) > once moved delete the old OS partition.


----------



## EarlZ

Problem is there is only 1 partition


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Problem is there is only 1 partition


So im guessing you didn't read the steps to take? Shrink your current one and make a new one.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> So im guessing you didn't read the steps to take? Shrink your current one and make a new one.


Didnt think about that, when my SSD went south I had no other way to boot my PC.


----------



## joedavies87

How do I know which Intel controller is used on my P55 board?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *joedavies87*
> 
> How do I know which Intel controller is used on my P55 board?
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412


read your motherboard manual...............................

any port that is not GSATA.


----------



## joedavies87

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> read your motherboard manual...............................
> any port that is not GSATA.


Manual says "controlled by P55 chipset." I'm trying to figure out which Intel driver I need. Your instruction says "For Intel systems, use the newest Rapid Storage Technology driver."

Since I'm not running RAID, I assume I need the "AHCI: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards" released on 12/6/12. Now trying to determine if my board falls under their list of supported AHCI controllers:
- Intel(R) 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) 7 Series Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) Desktop/Workstation/Server Express Chipset SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) Mobile Express Chipset SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) 5 Series/3400 Series SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) 5 Series 4 Port SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) 5 Series 6 Port SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) ICH10D/DO SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) ICH10R SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) ICH7M/MDH SATA AHCI Controller
- Intel(R) ICH7R/DH SATA AHCI Controller

I don't see P55 on that list.

Maybe I'm included under "Intel(R) Desktop/Workstation/Server Express Chipset SATA AHCI Controller"?


----------



## Sean Webster

p55 is 5 series.


----------



## joedavies87

Is the Intel RST driver necessary if you aren't setting up a RAID configuration? The Intel driver update utility says I only need the Chipset INF driver. It does not mention RST at all.

This is the only part of the instructions that confuses me (Step 7 of the "System Setup after Installation" section).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *joedavies87*
> 
> Is the Intel RST driver necessary if you aren't setting up a RAID configuration?


Not needed but nice to have the SATA driver made for your chipset rather than MS's generic driver from 2006.
Quote:


> The Intel driver update utility says I only need the Chipset INF driver. It does not mention RST at all.


It never mentions it.
Quote:


> This is the only part of the instructions that confuses me (Step 7 of the "System Setup after Installation" section).


Just download and install lol. It isn't hard...

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/22194/a08/iata_cd.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=22194&OSFullname=%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09%09&ProductID=2101


----------



## trdyn4m1t3

Hi Sean,

Let me preface this with my gratitude for your hard work. This guide is EXTREMELY useful and very easy to follow. It's amazing that you did this for everyone. Thank you very very much









So I did a clean install on my Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB SSD and it all went smoothly. I followed the "Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition" section. I thought that this meant that Windows 7 would reserve a partition for recovery purposes, in case I ever needed to repair start up or w/e, and I didn't have the CD handy. So I did exactly what your guide said, and I got to my desktop, however, I do not see a reserved partition or anything. All I see is my SSD and my storage hard drive, but no partition is visible. Is that supposed to happen? If not, is there a way for me to still reserve a partition and use that for recovery needs?

Thank you in advance!


----------



## lem_

Nice, guide, but when I install my second drive my boot on SSD is very slow.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lem_*
> 
> Nice, guide, but when I install my second drive my boot on SSD is very slow.


Mechanical ?


----------



## Sine Nomine

I installed Windows 8 last night on my new SSD, followed your instructions to the letter, and wound up with four MBR partitions on the drive instead of two. I clicked the bottom one to finish the installation. Thanks.


----------



## lem_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Mechanical ?


indeed the second drive is not a SSD drive, 2TB seagate, it's normal for the boot speed to slow down quite heavy?


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lem_*
> 
> indeed the second drive is not a SSD drive, 2TB seagate, it's normal for the boot speed to slow down quite heavy?


I have the same issue and probably a lot of other people, not sure why its doing that.. feels like a bug.


----------



## MrHamm

Hi Sean, thanks for this great post! Its my go-to whenever I need to reinstall windows 7.

Questions:

1) I'm removing my SSD and going to be installing a HDD only. Do I need to Disable AHCI SATA or just leave it as be?

2) I noticed that you removed under the extra section "remove software distribution files" is there a reason why?

All your help and assistance is greatly appecirated as always.

Regards,

Note: The reason I'm removing the SSD is i'm giving my brother my old rig and building a new one =)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *trdyn4m1t3*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> Let me preface this with my gratitude for your hard work. This guide is EXTREMELY useful and very easy to follow. It's amazing that you did this for everyone. Thank you very very much
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So I did a clean install on my Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB SSD and it all went smoothly. I followed the "Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 with the System Reserve Partition" section. I thought that this meant that Windows 7 would reserve a partition for recovery purposes, in case I ever needed to repair start up or w/e, and I didn't have the CD handy. So I did exactly what your guide said, and I got to my desktop, however, I do not see a reserved partition or anything. All I see is my SSD and my storage hard drive, but no partition is visible. Is that supposed to happen? If not, is there a way for me to still reserve a partition and use that for recovery needs?
> 
> Thank you in advance!


it is in disk management.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lem_*
> 
> Nice, guide, but when I install my second drive my boot on SSD is very slow.


how slow? a few seconds longer is normal cause the drive needs to be spun up before it is used and checked in POST.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MrHamm*
> 
> Hi Sean, thanks for this great post! Its my go-to whenever I need to reinstall windows 7.
> 
> Questions:
> 
> 1) I'm removing my SSD and going to be installing a HDD only. Do I need to Disable AHCI SATA or just leave it as be?


Leave AHCI enabled.
Quote:


> 2) I noticed that you removed under the extra section "remove software distribution files" is there a reason why?
> 
> All your help and assistance is greatly appecirated as always.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Note: The reason I'm removing the SSD is i'm giving my brother my old rig and building a new one =)


That is to delete old windows update installers that are no longer needed if they are still there taking up space. No need to even bother with it. I never do.


----------



## lem_

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> it is in disk management.
> how slow? a few seconds longer is normal cause the drive needs to be spun up before it is used and checked in POST.


Slower than my HDD would take.

When switching from IDE to ACHI you BSOD, microsoft has a quick fix:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976
I dunno if thats been said.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lem_*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> it is in disk management.
> how slow? a few seconds longer is normal cause the drive needs to be spun up before it is used and checked in POST.
> 
> 
> 
> Slower than my HDD would take.
Click to expand...

....that is a great time reference.
















Quote:


> When switching from IDE to ACHI you BSOD, microsoft has a quick fix:
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976
> I dunno if thats been said.


http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## WallyBrian

Hey can anyone help me with http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/4120#post_18749697


----------



## tallen234

I am an admitted noob that will attempt to install a Crucial M4 (as a boot drive) in my Dell XPS 435t tomorrow. I will follow this guide religiously, but have a quick question regarding installing firmware (I am assuming it doesn't have the latest). Should I attach the drive first (before disconnecting the HD) and download the firmware before I attempt to install the OS on M4?

Thanks


----------



## EarlZ

Sean,

My replacement drive does not have those 3mb partitions at the start and end of the drive, I guess that was a sign that the drive is defective.

I need to confirm something in using Wintoolkit, I've used my Win7 w/ SP1 disk and used its built-in image copy to and placed it on my E:\Win7SP1_Updated and proceeded to download updates from both KUC and McRip servers then I followed your image guide on how to integrate the updates the process took 2 hours and would it be correct to assume that it has integrated those updates to the win7 copy on my harddrive right and if I need to burn it back to ISO I would need to use the ISO maker and the "capture" folder to set to my E:\Win7SP1_Updated ? for USB install just copy paste the whole thing after following your guide?


----------



## Rayce185

Hola!

I would like to use this guide to do a fresh Win7 installation on a three-SSD RAID0 array, and I was wondering if it were recommendable to create a dual boot on the same array, as I want to use this guide to make stripped down benching OS.

I know that SSD's scatter the data throughout the drive for faster acces, ehnce why defragmenting isn't recommendable. But how about partition positioning? Would it make sense to split the array into three partitions: One at the beginning of the array for the stripped Win7, one for the main version (with most of the space), and one for the pagefile in the back of the array?

Thanks for your guide and your help!


----------



## EarlZ

SSD's read at the same speed where ever the files are located.


----------



## btx926

Thanks for the great guide.

Someone on the steam forums pointed me over here for a steam problem:

So, just installed an SSD. After reading lots, it seemed like the best way to deal with this without redownloading the world would be to maintain my steam folder on my HDD and use Junctions (symbolic links) on the new SSD to point stuff towards the old folder on the HDD. I want a few of the games on the SSD, so I am symlinking each game seperately.

This worked for quite a few games, but not all. It seems that the ones it didn't are on the "old content system". (for example: HL2 stuff, COD MW3, Torchlight, Saints Row the Third and so on). Even though the folder and the link is in the correct location, when I go to install, the system doesn't even look to see if the old files are there and just starts redownloading again. I have checked, and I do not see the system trying to create a folder for these games anywhere than in the main folder I am putting the junctions in (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common).

Is there anyway to fix this that I'm not seeing so I don't have to redownload 100GB of stuff?

Anyone have a link to a guide on how to fix this issue? Thanks!


----------



## noobhell

I've had my sig rig for a half a year now and I can't get it to work.

Whenever I put my pc to sleep and wake it up again, drivers get deinstalled including the CCC making Aero very laggy. Also other drivers get deinstalled and I know this because i hear the sound multiple times after wake-up that Windows makes when it detects a device which unusuable.

Did I set something which I shouldn't have supposed to or what? Thanks for the help.


----------



## EarlZ

I've moved my TEMP folder to another drive under the environmental variable but SssReady shows its still writing a lot of things under Windows/TEMP


----------



## czin125

Did your youtube die? It says something like "violation...." and such


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *czin125*
> 
> Did your youtube die? It says something like "violation...." and such


Old one did. Had to make a new one. Why? The videos are working now in the guide and have been for months.


----------



## s2ne1

thanks for the awesome guide!


----------



## Grandyzer

Hey Sean,

I'm completely new to this, and I recently built my first PC (you can check out the specs below).

I noticed that there are certain steps I have to follow _before installing Windows 7._
I unfortunately stumbled upon your guide only after I had installed Windows 7 SP1 64-bit, and set up my drivers etc.
I'm pretty worried right now. Is there anything I can do to optimize my SSD post-Windows 7 installation? What would you recommend I do?
I'm worried I may have done something wrong, or counterproductive in the long run. Any advice would be highly appreciated.
As I mentioned earlier, I am completely new to this.

Also, after installing Windows 7 and various drivers onto my 64GB SSD, I have 16.3 GB of space left. Is this normal or should I have more left?

Thanks


----------



## twerk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Grandyzer*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> I'm completely new to this, and I recently built my first PC (you can check out the specs below).
> I noticed that there are certain steps I have to follow _before installing Windows 7._
> I unfortunately stumbled upon your guide only after I had installed Windows 7 SP1 64-bit, and set up my drivers etc.
> I'm pretty worried right now. Is there anything I can do to optimize my SSD post-Windows 7 installation? What would you recommend I do?
> I'm worried I may have done something wrong, or counterproductive in the long run. Any advice would be highly appreciated.
> As I mentioned earlier, I am completely new to this.
> Also, after installing Windows 7 and various drivers onto my 64GB SSD, I have 16.3 GB of space left. Is this normal or should I have more left?
> Thanks


The most important pre-install thing you have to do is enable AHCI mode in the BIOS. You can however do this post-install with a few tweaks, if you Google it there are plenty of guides. If you enable AHCI and follow all of the post-install optimization guide that Sean provides then you'll be good to go








That Windows 7 install seems pretty big, have you disabled Hibernation and shrunk/removed the pagefile?


----------



## Grandyzer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AndyM95*
> 
> The most important pre-install thing you have to do is enable AHCI mode in the BIOS. You can however do this post-install with a few tweaks, if you Google it there are plenty of guides. If you enable AHCI and follow all of the post-install optimization guide that Sean provides then you'll be good to go
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That Windows 7 install seems pretty big, have you disabled Hibernation and shrunk/removed the pagefile?


Thanks!

I found guide right here http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=313676.

I've installed several drivers (for my Motherboard, GPU, Audio Devices etc).
Should I still go ahead with optimization with these drivers installed?


----------



## twerk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Grandyzer*
> 
> Thanks!
> I found guide right here http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=313676.
> I've installed several drivers (for my Motherboard, GPU, Audio Devices etc).
> Should I still go ahead with optimization with these drivers installed?


Yeah, go ahead







If you follow all the optimization procedures that Sean provides your Windows install should shrink by at least 16GB, probably by even more because you have 16GB of RAM.


----------



## Grandyzer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AndyM95*
> 
> Yeah, go ahead
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you follow all the optimization procedures that Sean provides your Windows install should shrink by at least 16GB, probably by even more because you have 16GB of RAM.


Phew! Good to know! Thanks a lot for the help. Can't wait to get started on this.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AndyM95*
> 
> Yeah, go ahead
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you follow all the optimization procedures that Sean provides your Windows install should shrink by at least 16GB, probably by even more because you have 16GB of RAM.


On systems with 16GB ram windows sets a 16Gb pagefile ?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *AndyM95*
> 
> Yeah, go ahead
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you follow all the optimization procedures that Sean provides your Windows install should shrink by at least 16GB, probably by even more because you have 16GB of RAM.
> 
> 
> 
> On systems with 16GB ram windows sets a 16Gb pagefile ?
Click to expand...

yes, 1GB will have a 16GB page file, 32GB = 32GB page file. I think 1GB will be 1.5GB page file tho. I think i remember a friend telling me that before.


----------



## amd955be5670

My relative had Mac, and he also had 'The Dark Knight Returns'. I wanted the movie, so he formatted my PenDrive using exFAT. For some reason he made 2 partitions, 500Mb & 7Gb for the movie.
Now,
#1 he had viruses, the 500Mb drive was actually readable, and had several viruses.
#2 the volume with Batman wasn't even accessible.

So I fired up Windows Disk Management, and was somehow not able to recover the volume with Batman. Hell I wasn't even able to delete all the volumes and create a 7.47Gb Volume, which was like having a 500Mb Flashdrive.

I fired up the guide here, used diskpart, select disk, clean commands for the PenDrive, and everything worked out









So from me, a round of applause to Sean for taking his time to write this guide. I also used this guide to install Windows 7 on my new 1Tb Caviar Black.


----------



## kuri0n

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *soundx98*
> 
> As a bonus, it's that "present" time of year, and you have already started the upgrade process
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some sweet deals can be had for those looking to upgrade MOBO+CPU (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)
> I mean you been good. You'd probably look awesome in an Intel SATA3 controller.
> Forget friends and family. Blow the gift money on yourself


Hey sound, I got a new mobo and processor recently. Thought I'd give you an update, I just timed my boot with the ssd and it was roughly 15 seconds from turning the power button on to the windows login screen


----------



## JMatzelle3

Sean, What user folders should i move over from my drive should i move them all including the app folder?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JMatzelle3*
> 
> Sean, What user folders should i move over from my drive should i move them all including the app folder?


Up to you, not my PC I can't tell you how to manage your space. I wouldn't move the appdata folder tho.


----------



## ViTosS

I want to know please if my performance/scores are good to a Corsair Force GS 128GB using latest firmware (5.05A), AHCI mode (on BIOS), Sata 6Gb/s on Intel grey port and with the last RST version, anything I am missing? Because I saw people with Force GT getting 500Mb/s+ READ and I get only 380Mb/s, and everyone told me the GS series is better than GT series that's why I bought GS one and I just did a fresh install of Windows:



Thanks!


----------



## epiroska

Sean - Thanks so much for this guide. It is very helpful for someone like me getting their first SSD. I'm sure this has been covered but I am asking how the HDD is set up after installing the SSD and operating system (Windows 7). I plan on getting a 256 GB capacity drive but I know it will fill up fast from programs, pictures, music, and video. I would like to locate the subfolders in the :\users directory to the HDD and have Windows recognize them there. Is this done during the OS install or post OS install. What other folders should be moved to the HDD?


----------



## kevindd992002

What would be the best SSD (with lowest capacity) to be used with XP? And what do I need to do to enable TRIM in XP? Do I need to do anything special for XP?


----------



## eBombzor

Quote:


> *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:*
> 
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary Align=4096*, press Enter. (You can use 1024 instead of 4096 for offset, there is no difference)
> Type *Format Quick FS=NTFS*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Click the partition.
> Click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.


So the 4MB (or GB?) partition is for that 4K alignment thing, right? After we do this we're set and we have our hard drives properly aligned, right? If I do this on an SSD during the W7 install, do I have to do anything else for my 1TB HDD after installing the OS? Or am I set?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *epiroska*
> 
> Sean - Thanks so much for this guide. It is very helpful for someone like me getting their first SSD. I'm sure this has been covered but I am asking how the HDD is set up after installing the SSD and operating system (Windows 7). I plan on getting a 256 GB capacity drive but I know it will fill up fast from programs, pictures, music, and video. I would like to locate the subfolders in the :\users directory to the HDD and have Windows recognize them there. Is this done during the OS install or post OS install. What other folders should be moved to the HDD?


You change their location after install. It is one of the steps in the guide. You move whatever folders you choose. I do my desktop, music, pics, vids, saved games, and documents folders.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> What would be the best SSD (with lowest capacity) to be used with XP?


Anything you choose.
Quote:


> And what do I need to do to enable TRIM in XP?


Not supported.
Quote:


> Do I need to do anything special for XP?


Alignment. Install on the drive preformated. Do not let the XP installer format it. Only windows vista, 7 or 8.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:*
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
> Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
> Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type *Clean*, press Enter.
> Type *Create Partition Primary Align=4096*, press Enter. (You can use 1024 instead of 4096 for offset, there is no difference)
> Type *Format Quick FS=NTFS*, press Enter.
> Type *Exit*, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Click the partition.
> Click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So the 4MB (or GB?) partition is for that 4K alignment thing, right?
Click to expand...

yea and MB.
Quote:


> After we do this we're set and we have our hard drives properly aligned, right?


yea
Quote:


> If I do this on an SSD during the W7 install, do I have to do anything else for my 1TB HDD after installing the OS? Or am I set?


ur set


----------



## kevindd992002

Thanks. Is there no way to enable TRIM on XP? Software?

If TRIM isn't enabled in XP, how do I maintain the performance of the drive through time?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Thanks. Is there no way to enable TRIM on XP? Software?


Intel toolbox i believe. You need an intel drive with it.
Quote:


> If TRIM isn't enabled in XP, how do I maintain the performance of the drive through time?


Garbage collection still does that. TRIM only aids in it.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Intel toolbox i believe. You need an intel drive with it.
> Garbage collection still does that. TRIM only aids in it.


Is Garbage Collection present in XP?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Intel toolbox i believe. You need an intel drive with it.
> Garbage collection still does that. TRIM only aids in it.
> 
> 
> 
> Is Garbage Collection present in XP?
Click to expand...

Garbage collection does not depend on the OS. It is something the drive does on its own...

http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread/0_50#user_Maintenance


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Garbage collection does not depend on the OS. It is something the drive does on its own...
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread/0_50#user_Maintenance


Ok. So even without TRIM, I'm all good when using it with XP?

Can you give me SSD recommendations now?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Garbage collection does not depend on the OS. It is something the drive does on its own...
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread/0_50#user_Maintenance
> 
> 
> 
> Ok. So even without TRIM, I'm all good when using it with XP?
Click to expand...

ya
Quote:


> Can you give me SSD recommendations now?


http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread/0_50#user_SeansrecommendedSSDs


----------



## eBombzor

Do I have to install RST w/ my config? I'm going to use a 240GB Intel 520 with a 1TB Seagate for extra storage. I'm not using RAID or anything, so do I still have to install it?

Also,

Quote:


> Intel SATA Preinstall driver
> (For AHCI / RAID Mode)
> Note: Press F6 during Windows setup to read from floppy.


http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4327#dl - Do I have to install this? B4 or After the installation of OS?


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Do I have to install RST w/ my config? I'm going to use a 240GB Intel 520 with a 1TB Seagate for extra storage. I'm not using RAID or anything, so do I still have to install it?
> 
> Also,
> http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4327#dl - Do I have to install this? B4 or After the installation of OS?


Only for RAID


----------



## Dynamiteboy

Hey Sean, with all this moving of programs between SSD and HDD and with an OS on one of them, What backup program (maybe any work) could backup everything to an image and then restore if i had issues with the system crashing in the future, viruses, whatever. Maybe that is the wrong question, but i am just looking for the best way to back up your system, when you have the setup of OS-SSD, Files and programs-HDD. What is the correct way to go about this?

Thank you in advance


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ya
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread/0_50#user_SeansrecommendedSSDs


But your recommendations there usually are for SSDs 128GB and above. I want an SSD that has the least capacity size.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Hey Sean, with all this moving of programs between SSD and HDD and with an OS on one of them, What backup program (maybe any work) could backup everything to an image and then restore if i had issues with the system crashing in the future, viruses, whatever. Maybe that is the wrong question, but i am just looking for the best way to back up your system, when you have the setup of OS-SSD, Files and programs-HDD. What is the correct way to go about this?
> 
> Thank you in advance


http://www.overclock.net/t/1125994/seans-data-backup-guide
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> ya
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1179518/seans-ssd-buyers-guide-information-thread/0_50#user_SeansrecommendedSSDs
> 
> 
> 
> But your recommendations there usually are for SSDs 128GB and above. I want an SSD that has the least capacity size.
Click to expand...

no they are not.


----------



## Dynamiteboy

So does Acronis not support file backup? or do you just prefer to use 2 separate programs? Now let's say i have my data backed up from seperate drives, OS and some programs-SSD, Programs and folders-HD. Are you suggesting using Acronis, solely for the SSD? and then Free file sync for your HDD? I understand the concept, I'm just having trouble how it all comes together with a restore, such as if 1 drive goes out and the other doesn't, and if My OS drive gets corrupted but my HDD doesn't.

Thanks


----------



## burntheskies

Hey Sean-

looked like everything is up to stuff thus far ( followed your guides)

This is probably a redundant question but ill ask anyway.

1 Would I be able to move say the User prof, windows temp dir ( installer temp dir/ win temp )-

and firefox internet cache,

and is doing that even worth it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> So does Acronis not support file backup?


It does.
Quote:


> or do you just prefer to use 2 separate programs?


I just like freefilesync for my file backup
Quote:


> Now let's say i have my data backed up from seperate drives, OS and some programs-SSD, Programs and folders-HD.


Why not just have programs on the SSD and user data on the HDDs?
Quote:


> Are you suggesting using Acronis, solely for the SSD?


I create system images with acronis. Only backing up the OS drive which has all my programs and the OS.
Quote:


> and then Free file sync for your HDD?


Free filesync is to mirror over all my user data I have located on my HDD. I dont have any programs besides portables on the HDDs, just data.

Quote:


> I understand the concept, I'm just having trouble how it all comes together with a restore, such as if 1 drive goes out and the other doesn't, and if My OS drive gets corrupted but my HDD doesn't.
> 
> Thanks


If OS drive dies do a image restore to a new drive and you are set. if the HDD dies with your data just mirror your data to the new HDD. If both die you have to do both the image and data restoring.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *burntheskies*
> 
> Hey Sean-
> 
> looked like everything is up to stuff thus far ( followed your guides)
> 
> This is probably a redundant question but ill ask anyway.
> 
> 1 Would I be able to move say the User prof, windows temp dir ( installer temp dir/ win temp )-
> 
> and firefox internet cache,
> 
> and is doing that even worth it?


why would you want to do that? Seems like a waste of time to me.


----------



## Kingkau

Hey Sean,

I followed you guide to the very end! This was a very big help thank you for putting in the time for doing this. Just a question now. This morning I turned on my computer a very cold start probably 20 something degrees F. It gave me BSOD, after it restarted it started fine. Then later on in the day I was downloading GTA4 from steam and it crashed again, now I dont know what happen cause I left it going when I came back and hour later it said that it just recovered from a crash. SSD im using is Intel X25-m 160 GB, computer specs are the same as below. Thank you again!


----------



## Dynamiteboy

Say you install some discs or something to the HDD or just large programs you don't want on your SSD. Then i'm assuming you could only do an image of one drive, and then you would have to manually re-install games or programs on the HDD if it crashed. Does an image also back-up files and folders?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kingkau*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> I followed you guide to the very end! This was a very big help thank you for putting in the time for doing this. Just a question now. This morning I turned on my computer a very cold start probably 20 something degrees F. It gave me BSOD, after it restarted it started fine. Then later on in the day I was downloading GTA4 from steam and it crashed again, now I dont know what happen cause I left it going when I came back and hour later it said that it just recovered from a crash. SSD im using is Intel X25-m 160 GB, computer specs are the same as below. Thank you again!


If you have any crash dumps I would look here for assistance: http://www.overclock.net/f/17986/crash-analysis-and-debugging

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Say you install some discs or something to the HDD or just large programs you don't want on your SSD. Then i'm assuming you could only do an image of one drive, and then you would have to manually re-install games or programs on the HDD if it crashed. Does an image also back-up files and folders?


When you make a system image it creates an exact mirror of the drive you are imaging at that moment. If the SSD goes you just copy back the backed up data.

And if the HDD crashes you just copy back the backup data...


----------



## Dynamiteboy

So i guess my question is why not just do system images of both drives? isn't that easiest? Whats the benefits of just data back-up other than i suppose using it on a different computer?

Thanks

Sorry for all the questions


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> So i guess my question is why not just do system images of both drives?


You can
Quote:


> isn't that easiest? Whats the benefits of just data back-up other than i suppose using it on a different computer?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Sorry for all the questions


I just don't like having image backups of my data drive. Making large images of my 1TB of data takes a long time. Also, it takes up a lot of room and requires me to delete the old image before the new one is made because there is no room on my backup drive for two images at once. Also, with the folder backup every time my backup is ran it will only mirror over new or modified files rather than everything, thus it will backup a lot faster. And there is no need for the special software to read the data on the backup I can just read the files off the backup drive on any PC with no issue.


----------



## Dynamiteboy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can I just don't like having image backups of my data drive. Making large images of my 1TB of data takes a long time. Also, it takes up a lot of room and requires me to delete the old image before the new one is made because there is no room on my backup drive for two images at once. Also, with the folder backup every time my backup is ran it will only mirror over new or modified files rather than everything, thus it will backup a lot faster. And there is no need for the special software to read the data on the backup I can just read the files off the backup drive on any PC with no issue.


Perfect, that makes complete sense, that's what i was missing. I'm guessing Acronis can configure to keep a backup of original image as well as more recent ones. Thank you for all your help, your guide is awesome, thanks for putting in all that work. Do you happen to have any guides on dual booting with Windows 7 and 8?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Perfect, that makes complete sense, that's what i was missing. I'm guessing Acronis can configure to keep a backup of original image as well as more recent ones. Thank you for all your help, your guide is awesome, thanks for putting in all that work. Do you happen to have any guides on dual booting with Windows 7 and 8?


http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2344-dual-boot-installation-windows-8-windows-7-vista.html


----------



## burntheskies

Yeah after about an hour or so of reading up on it and trying to get a handle of what I'd get back performance wise, it wasnt really worth it-

but i still wonder what junk is on my ssds right now ( installer files unpacks, and temp dir) I can do away with









for instance in one of my apps when I do a rebuild it puts a file ( varies by density of the model) into a temp dir on C ( where my ssds are )


----------



## kevindd992002

What is the besy cloning software that we can use to clone a whole ssd/hdd with a fresh winxp installation?


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> What is the besy cloning software that we can use to clone a whole ssd/hdd with a fresh winxp installation?


Acronis DD 11 because it will repair misaligned drives during the clone. But why XP on a ssd?

Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Acronis DD 11 because it will repair misaligned drives during the clone. But why XP on a ssd?
> Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2


Is it free though?

XP on SSD because these are for POS systems in the office and they only run in XP.


----------



## Dynamiteboy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2344-dual-boot-installation-windows-8-windows-7-vista.html


Do you know if that type of dual boot with the win 8 OS selection boot-up will work with SSD on one and SSD on the other? The guide wasn't super clear on using a separate HDD instead of partition, it only mentioned, "the clean drive". Or what if i have windows 8 on a HDD, and then i put an SSD in the second bay of the laptop and install windows 7, can i dual boot? I was thinking you couldn't because doesn't it only read 1 drive (whichever you config in bios) for boot? So i guess the question is can the computer read 2 drives on boot-up?


----------



## Mega Man

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Do you know if that type of dual boot with the win 8 OS selection boot-up will work with SSD on one and SSD on the other? The guide wasn't super clear on using a separate HDD instead of partition, it only mentioned, "the clean drive". Or what if i have windows 8 on a HDD, and then i put an SSD in the second bay of the laptop and install windows 7, can i dual boot? I was thinking you couldn't because doesn't it only read 1 drive (whichever you config in bios) for boot? So i guess the question is can the computer read 2 drives on boot-up?


i use 2 different ssds for dual boot, as you asked. i have in the past done the select which os at startup method, and it works fine. although i couldnt set that up without researching it again.

i just go to bios and boot override ( select the HD i want to boot with ) i find it easier and i like my ~10 sec boot times


----------



## xStark

thank you very much for this guide








i'll be getting my new vertex 4 ssd this saturday and i don't wanna mess up installing it


----------



## MorgsTouch

Thank you for this guide Sean.


----------



## evoll88

Yeah the guide is great,used it yest. to set up my new samsung 830.


----------



## Dynamiteboy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mega Man*
> 
> i use 2 different ssds for dual boot, as you asked. i have in the past done the select which os at startup method, and it works fine. although i couldnt set that up without researching it again.
> i just go to bios and boot override ( select the HD i want to boot with ) i find it easier and i like my ~10 sec boot times


So what your saying is you prefer selecting the drive to boot from, from bios?

Sean any suggestions on this?


----------



## Blaze0303

Just used this again, always helpful


----------



## Dynamiteboy

Hey Sean i was a bit hesitant to purchase Acronis 2013 from amazon. There were sooo many bad reviews saying that restores did not work. Have you ever tried a restore of your drive using Acronis? Do you have faith in the program?


----------



## whitek

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Hey Sean i was a bit hesitant to purchase Acronis 2013 from amazon. There were sooo many bad reviews saying that restores did not work. Have you ever tried a restore of your drive using Acronis? Do you have faith in the program?


before you buy acronis please check out drivesnap - one of my all time favorite utilities

http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/index.htm


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Mega Man*
> 
> i use 2 different ssds for dual boot, as you asked. i have in the past done the select which os at startup method, and it works fine. although i couldnt set that up without researching it again.
> i just go to bios and boot override ( select the HD i want to boot with ) i find it easier and i like my ~10 sec boot times
> 
> 
> 
> So what your saying is you prefer selecting the drive to boot from, from bios?
> 
> Sean any suggestions on this?
Click to expand...

If you install win 8 over the Win 7 install like while Win 7 is hooked up you can select the OS you want to boot from after the BIOS loads.

I also don't dual boot, it is not for my needs.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Hey Sean i was a bit hesitant to purchase Acronis 2013 from amazon. There were sooo many bad reviews saying that restores did not work. Have you ever tried a restore of your drive using Acronis? Do you have faith in the program?


I've never had an issue restoring or backing up anything with it. However, I am not as dumb as the general public. lol


----------



## RedNeckBLues

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Do you know if that type of dual boot with the win 8 OS selection boot-up will work with SSD on one and SSD on the other? The guide wasn't super clear on using a separate HDD instead of partition, it only mentioned, "the clean drive". Or what if i have windows 8 on a HDD, and then i put an SSD in the second bay of the laptop and install windows 7, can i dual boot? I was thinking you couldn't because doesn't it only read 1 drive (whichever you config in bios) for boot? So i guess the question is can the computer read 2 drives on boot-up?


Can you please let us know how successful you are? This is pretty much what i wish to do as well.

Thanks


----------



## RedNeckBLues

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mega Man*
> 
> i use 2 different ssds for dual boot, as you asked. i have in the past done the select which os at startup method, and it works fine. although i couldnt set that up without researching it again.
> i just go to bios and boot override ( select the HD i want to boot with ) i find it easier and i like my ~10 sec boot times


Mega Man,

This is *EXACTLY* what i want to do .. the problem is i have no clue on how to. I've been searching and can't find any concise direction. Wondering if you can help?

Thanks


----------



## eBombzor

When I move my desktop folder to my HDD, it moves it to the HDD but keeps a folder named "Desktop" on my C drive. Should I delete it? Pics shown below.

Also, will there be any problems with my game settings (stored in My Documents) if I move "My Documents" to the HDD? Pic shown below.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> When I move my desktop folder to my HDD, it moves it to the HDD but keeps a folder named "Desktop" on my C drive. Should I delete it? Pics shown below.
> Also, will there be any problems with my game settings (stored in My Documents) if I move "My Documents" to the HDD? Pic shown below.


This is how you should be "moving" personal folders off of the SSD...

Right click on the desktop (just an example) folder under the user folder, hit properties, then select the Location tab and simply change the C: to whatever your HDD drive letter is. Hit apply and say yes when it offers to move all the existing data over.


----------



## eBombzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> When I move my desktop folder to my HDD, it moves it to the HDD but keeps a folder named "Desktop" on my C drive. Should I delete it? Pics shown below.
> Also, will there be any problems with my game settings (stored in My Documents) if I move "My Documents" to the HDD? Pic shown below.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is how you should be "moving" personal folders off of the SSD...
> 
> Right click on the desktop (just an example) folder under the user folder, hit properties, then select the Location tab and simply change the C: to whatever your HDD drive letter is. Hit apply and say yes when it offers to move all the existing data over.
Click to expand...

But I followed Sean's video and it shows that you can just put, for example, "D:\Desktop" (D is my HDD).
I'm doing that but whenever I move JUST the desktop, it keeps a Desktop folder (that's empty) and it's just a normal folder. I don't know what I should do with it.


----------



## Sean Webster

I also stated as a note of that happens just delete the folder on the C drive lol. make sure ti is empty first.
Quote:


> Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:
> 
> Go to your User folder.
> Right click your user folder you want to move (ex. the "My Pictures" folder).
> Click "Properties."
> Click the "Location" tab.
> Change the destination to another location bu clicking "Move..." and selecting the destination (ex. "D:\Pictures").
> Note 1: If there are two of the same folder in the User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
> Note 2: If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.


----------



## eBombzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I also stated as a note of that happens just delete the folder on the C drive lol. make sure ti is empty first.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:
> 
> Go to your User folder.
> Right click your user folder you want to move (ex. the "My Pictures" folder).
> Click "Properties."
> Click the "Location" tab.
> Change the destination to another location bu clicking "Move..." and selecting the destination (ex. "D:\Pictures").
> Note 1: If there are two of the same folder in the User folder after the move (ie. My Documents "A" and My Documents "B") you should delete the empty one located on the C: drive. (May need to go into safe mode to delete it) Do not delete the other User folders, only duplicates that come up after the move within the User folder.
> Note 2: If the folder already exists that you are linking it to you may want to merge the folders.
Click to expand...

Yea but you only said for the My Docs / Pics / Music files. I just got confused since it was the Desktop file.
I moved all of my User folders to the HDD


----------



## eBombzor

OH. One more question, when I install the AMD graphics drivers, you know how there's this part where it asks for a location to extract something, should I extract it onto my HDD? I currently have it on my SSD ATM.


----------



## kpo6969

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RedNeckBLues*
> 
> Mega Man,
> This is *EXACTLY* what i want to do .. the problem is i have no clue on how to. I've been searching and can't find any concise direction. Wondering if you can help?
> Thanks


=Installation]http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2344-dual-boot-installation-windows-8-windows-7-vista.html?filter[2]=Installation and Setup


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> OH. One more question, when I install the AMD graphics drivers, you know how there's this part where it asks for a location to extract something, should I extract it onto my HDD? I currently have it on my SSD ATM.


doesnt matter


----------



## epiroska

Sean - At the beginning of your guide, you discuss setting up the SSD either with or without a system reserve partion during Windows installation (MBR method). I don't understand the difference between doing it one way or the other and if one method is preferred over the other.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *epiroska*
> 
> Sean - At the beginning of your guide, you discuss setting up the SSD either with or without a system reserve partion during Windows installation (MBR method). I don't understand the difference between doing it one way or the other and if one method is preferred over the other.


Quote:


> Well, here you can choose to keep the Microsoft system Reserve partition or not.
> 
> On a fresh (custom) installation of Windows 7, where Windows 7 is installed onto a new hard disk with unallocated disk space (no partition or volume been defined yet), or when user attempts to create a new partition out of empty drive, the Windows 7 installer will create an additional partition with the size of 100MB, and mark as System Reserved.
> 
> The 100MB volume is labeled as System Reserved with NTFS file system, and System, Active, Primary partition attribute with no drive letter in Disk Management. The 100MB system partition is used primarily as BitLocker partition for BitLocker encryption. Additionally, it also holds the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and boot files with boot manager for booting up the computer for troubleshooting when there is no Windows 7 installation DVD disc on hand.
> 
> The Windows 7 created 100MB partition is not the main boot partition or boot drive, but serve only as a backup.
> 
> For Windows 7 users who do not intend to use BitLocker, the 100MB partition can be removed subsequently and easily (link). However, users can stop and prevent the 100MB partition from been created in the first place during installation.


Without the reserve you get 100MB more space.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *epiroska*
> 
> Sean - At the beginning of your guide, you discuss setting up the SSD either with or without a system reserve partion during Windows installation (MBR method). I don't understand the difference between doing it one way or the other and if one method is preferred over the other.


Keeping it can cause problems when cloning because of proportional re-sizing. I cloned my old 120 gig to my new 240 and my system reserve partition swelled to 200MB. It was simple to shrink back down and then merge the unallocated space with the C: partition but time consuming, so I vote for nixing it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *epiroska*
> 
> Sean - At the beginning of your guide, you discuss setting up the SSD either with or without a system reserve partion during Windows installation (MBR method). I don't understand the difference between doing it one way or the other and if one method is preferred over the other.
> 
> 
> 
> Keeping it can cause problems when cloning because of proportional re-sizing. I cloned my old 120 gig to my new 240 and my system reserve partition swelled to 200MB. It was simple to shrink back down and then merge the unallocated space with the C: partition but time consuming, so I vote for nixing it.
Click to expand...

Weird. 0.o

What software?


----------



## RedNeckBLues

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kpo6969*
> 
> =Installation]http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2344-dual-boot-installation-windows-8-windows-7-vista.html?filter[2]=Installation and Setup


thanks


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Weird. 0.o
> What software?


Anything that does proportional resizing when going to a larger drive. You would think it would be smart enough to just make the main partition larger but it enlarges the system reserve partition as well. Acronis, ghost, partition wizard home edition that I can think of right now. Luckily this doesn't ruin the offset but just wastes space.


Note that I just googled this image... The "manual" option has never been there using Acronis in the past.


----------



## johnmerrick

Hi,

I have to re install my Win 7 for my rig (see sig) because my current OS drive has developed a bad block. Rather than take any risks I am backing up my data and making the jump to SSD (Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5 inch SATA Solid State Drive) using this guide.

Up to now I have:

Win 7 on a USB
Backed up media to another internal drive.
Backed up some 'roaming' folders with config files in etc for applications I will reinstall.
Backed up all system drivers with Driver Genius

I am removing my os drive before I install because it is the cause of system crashes (according to event viewer). I will plug the new ssd into that sata port.

My question's are:

1. Shall I just go ahead with the install from this point or do I enter BIOS first to make changes?
2. At what stage do I install the drivers? Once win 7 has loaded?
3. Will backing up the roaming folders above cause any problems? (i have copied roaming folders to different pc's before and it's worked ok. Certain apps like xbmc allow this.)
4. Is there a way of backing up network config etc? (no big deal if not) Although with the pc being in the loft I operate it mainly with wake on lan then realvnc so it would be handy to have network access pretty quickly.

Thanks


----------



## Skibo2012

OK. I am not an overclocker or a person that tries to tweak my PC (though I wouldn't mind trying sometimes). I just ordered 2 Samsung 840Pro 128G SSDs. I will use one as my OS drive and the other for games. My present system is:

Win 7 64bit
Asus P6X58D Premium MB
Presently boot with WD Raptor 150G
2 1T WD Black drives
6G RAM
i7 950 CPU

I will still be using the other drives for storage and the raptor for games and such that I don't use as much.

If I was to just start the Win 7 64bit OS install and just go through the MS prompts without doing the 4096 tweaks and all, things for the most part should be good, correct? Or should I at least do the 4096 part as mentioned at the beginning of this post?

I don't use Bitlocker or anything that is mentioned for the 100M partition mentioned, but if that reserved space doesn't matter to me then it shouldn't be a problem to just leave that on my system instead of the mentioned partioning without system reserve.

I've done many system builds (for myself) but this will be my first dive into SSDs and never dealt with the 4096 idea.

Thanks


----------



## koulaid

I have an issue here. My motherboard is UEFI. Do I still install using MBR or GPT? I installed using MBR and it keeps boot looping after the asrock splash screen.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Weird. 0.o
> What software?
> 
> 
> 
> Anything that does proportional resizing when going to a larger drive. You would think it would be smart enough to just make the main partition larger but it enlarges the system reserve partition as well. Acronis, ghost, partition wizard home edition that I can think of right now. Luckily this doesn't ruin the offset but just wastes space.
> 
> 
> Note that I just googled this image... The "manual" option has never been there using Acronis in the past.
Click to expand...

I just manually cloned over my M3 to my new M5 Pro with the manual option.







I don't think i remember seeing anything on proportional cloning. When I get my 1TB portable drive I'll mess around more.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *johnmerrick*
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I have to re install my Win 7 for my rig (see sig) because my current OS drive has developed a bad block. Rather than take any risks I am backing up my data and making the jump to SSD (Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5 inch SATA Solid State Drive) using this guide.
> 
> Up to now I have:
> 
> Win 7 on a USB
> Backed up media to another internal drive.
> Backed up some 'roaming' folders with config files in etc for applications I will reinstall.
> Backed up all system drivers with Driver Genius
> 
> I am removing my os drive before I install because it is the cause of system crashes (according to event viewer). I will plug the new ssd into that sata port.
> 
> My question's are:
> 
> 1. Shall I just go ahead with the install from this point or do I enter BIOS first to make changes?


Enter BIOS and make sure the SATA mode is set to AHIC or RAID before the install. And make sure there are no overclocks. Set up the BIOS how you want first.
Quote:


> 2. At what stage do I install the drivers? Once win 7 has loaded?


Yep, after install. I have a step stating when to, however ti doesn't matter really.
Quote:


> 3. Will backing up the roaming folders above cause any problems? (i have copied roaming folders to different pc's before and it's worked ok. Certain apps like xbmc allow this.)


I do the same thing, no issue.
Quote:


> 4. Is there a way of backing up network config etc? (no big deal if not) Although with the pc being in the loft I operate it mainly with wake on lan then realvnc so it would be handy to have network access pretty quickly.
> 
> Thanks


IDK, you'd have to make a new thread on that or google.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Skibo2012*
> 
> OK. I am not an overclocker or a person that tries to tweak my PC (though I wouldn't mind trying sometimes). I just ordered 2 Samsung 840Pro 128G SSDs. I will use one as my OS drive and the other for games. My present system is:
> 
> Win 7 64bit
> Asus P6X58D Premium MB
> Presently boot with WD Raptor 150G
> 2 1T WD Black drives
> 6G RAM
> i7 950 CPU
> 
> I will still be using the other drives for storage and the raptor for games and such that I don't use as much.
> 
> If I was to just start the Win 7 64bit OS install and just go through the MS prompts without doing the 4096 tweaks and all, things for the most part should be good, correct? Or should I at least do the 4096 part as mentioned at the beginning of this post?


Doesn't make a difference.
Quote:


> I don't use Bitlocker or anything that is mentioned for the 100M partition mentioned, but if that reserved space doesn't matter to me then it shouldn't be a problem to just leave that on my system instead of the mentioned partioning without system reserve.


Yea, you can leave it.
Quote:


> I've done many system builds (for myself) but this will be my first dive into SSDs and never dealt with the 4096 idea.
> 
> Thanks


the 4096 offset was a misunderstanding from before, it is not needed. the default 1024 is fine.


----------



## eBombzor

I moved my IE10 temp folder to the D: drive (D:\Temporary Internet Files) but I can only see it through the "View Files" button through the IE10 internet options.

Is this O.K. or should I move it back to my SSD?

Are there any other temp folders that I could move to my D drive?

Also, do these scores look ok for my Intel 520 240GB SSD?


----------



## johnmerrick

hi Sean,

Further to your reply above I have been downloading the latest drivers for my MB. I have found the latest ahci drivers which come with this message:

GIGABYTE SATA2 Preinstall driver
(For AHCI / RAID Mode)
Note: Press F6 during Windows setup to read from floppy.

I don't have a floppy so does it mean i need a separate usb with the drivers on?

Also at what stage do I press F6?

My os hdd is crashing a lot more now so it looks like it's on it's way out very soon.

thanks

there is also one for the sata1!


----------



## EarlZ

Whats the best app to use to perform a partition only clone from an HDD to an SSD ?


----------



## Dynamiteboy

Any guides on how to put iTunes on the SSD, and music and files on the HDD?


----------



## Grandyzer

Hey Sean,

I followed your guide, and I have a TON of space free on my SSD.

I've run into a bit of an issue, and I was hoping you could help me out.
I don't think this has anything to do with the optimizations you suggested, but I thought you might know what the problem is considering it's probably SSD related.

After and hour or so, my computer freezes. My mouse cursor doesn't even move, and I can't even start task manager. I have to do a hard reset to get my computer running again. Even then, the computer, shuts off (around 20 seconds after I push the reset button), and then starts up again.

I'm also having random intermittent booting issues, where I am confronted with a "Run Startup Repair or Start Widows Normally: Screen. After 2-3 times of hitting "start windows normally", the OS eventually boots. This happens erratically. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

Worth mentioning, I am running the latest firmare 040H.

What could be causing these problems?

Nick


----------



## KPJZKC

edit

Think I've figured it out


----------



## CdePappe

Hi Sean,
This guide has been a tremendous help for someone new to SSDs and adding a second drive to my build. I just had a couple things i wanted to ask before i go on, First is this the best way or will cloning work just as well? I basicly just want to add the SSD to my build and keep my existing HDD with all my games and files still hooked up, without having to wipe it clean or lose my files or anything ( i dont have them backed up atm, and am wondering if its completely necessary or not) I will just be using the SSD for my OS and a few games i play alot,so it seems this guide will work justfine, just want to have these things clarified. If you could take a second to help out that would be amazing! Again thank you for the guide.


----------



## CdePappe

Sorry, I also realised you wanted system specs. I am not currently at hom : / but this is my build and links to the parts. thanks.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131733
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103962
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148046
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175 X2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 X2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609


----------



## DeanCoulson

Hi Sean

This is a great thread. I am posting a comment on here because I am now tearing my hair out on an issue that someone may have an answer to.

I have a set up that includes an Asus P5Q3 Deluxe motherboard. recently my hdd went down so I decided to buy a new Sandisk extreme 240gb ssd. I literally plugged into where the old hdd was. Sata one on the intel controller on the board. I have read up and some BIOS settings and so changed the configuration to AHCI from IDE (don't know why it was set to ide with no ide disks in there).

I created a boot disk from my microsoft WIn 7 64bit Ultimate ISO, changed the boot order and off I went.

However, I cannot get this to install at all. It comes up with loading windows files, changes to the starting windows screen and hangs immediately. either that or it goes tothe boot manager screen saying there is a problem and asks if there has been a hardware/software change recently.

I then created a bootable USB drive to install and got exactly the same to rule it out. All I can surmise is that There is some kind of conflict between the original hardware and the new Sandisk SSD.

I have no idea what to try now. Any advice would be appreciated.

kind regards

Dean


----------



## Selquist979

Just wanted to say that this guide is just plain awesomesauce! helped me get my Intel520 off and running!!! Thanks Sean.


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DeanCoulson*
> 
> Hi Sean
> 
> This is a great thread. I am posting a comment on here because I am now tearing my hair out on an issue that someone may have an answer to.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> I have a set up that includes an Asus P5Q3 Deluxe motherboard. recently my hdd went down so I decided to buy a new Sandisk extreme 240gb ssd. I literally plugged into where the old hdd was. Sata one on the intel controller on the board. I have read up and some BIOS settings and so changed the configuration to AHCI from IDE (don't know why it was set to ide with no ide disks in there).
> 
> I created a boot disk from my microsoft WIn 7 64bit Ultimate ISO, changed the boot order and off I went.
> 
> However, I cannot get this to install at all. It comes up with loading windows files, changes to the starting windows screen and hangs immediately. either that or it goes tothe boot manager screen saying there is a problem and asks if there has been a hardware/software change recently.
> 
> I then created a bootable USB drive to install and got exactly the same to rule it out. All I can surmise is that There is some kind of conflict between the original hardware and the new Sandisk SSD.
> 
> I have no idea what to try now. Any advice would be appreciated.
> 
> 
> kind regards
> Dean


Hi









You could try installing Windows in IDE mode, and then changing to AHCI once windows is installed!
You just have to; once windows is installed!
Quote:


> To resolve this issue, enable the AHCI driver in the registry before you change the SATA mode of the boot drive. To do this, follow these steps:
> Exit all Windows-based programs.
> 
> Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
> 
> If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
> 
> Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:
> 
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Msahci
> 
> In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
> 
> In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
> 
> On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.


Then re-boot and change to AHCI in the bios








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CdePappe*
> 
> Sorry, I also realised you wanted system specs. I am not currently at hom : / but this is my build and links to the parts. thanks.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131733
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103962
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148046
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175 X2
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 X2
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609


In my Sig is a link to "How to put your Rig in your Sig" if you was wanting to know how


----------



## CdePappe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ACHILEE5*
> 
> In my Sig is a link to "How to put your Rig in your Sig" if you was wanting to know how


Thanks







Any thoughts on my question btw? the more opinions the merrier. I believe i have it figured out finally. Planning to just back up my HDD, unplug and and fresh install the new SSD with drivers and all, reformat my HDD, then load everything i need back onto the HDD and then move anything i need over to the SSD. and from my understanding I will also have to re install some of my games onto the HDD for them to work . is this all correct? (thanks again for the Sig help)

Also just realized the link for Steam Mover....







i love you! gonna make this process so much easier!


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CdePappe*
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any thoughts on my question btw? the more opinions the merrier. I believe i have it figured out finally. Planning to just back up my HDD, unplug and and fresh install the new SSD with drivers and all, reformat my HDD, then load everything i need back onto the HDD and then move anything i need over to the SSD. and from my understanding I will also have to re install some of my games onto the HDD for them to work . is this all correct? (thanks again for the Sig help)


Most game will need re-installing!
But for Steam games, you can just save the Steam directory/folder and then run the Steam .exe and Steam will repair it's self








But your game saves could be lost!

bump









Yeah, Steam Mover is cool


----------



## CdePappe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ACHILEE5*
> 
> Most game will need re-installing!
> But for Steam games, you can just save the Steam directory/folder and then run the Steam .exe and Steam will repair it's self
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But your game saves could be lost!
> 
> bump
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, Steam Mover is cool


Awesome! thanks a ton! and for re installing the games, I just re install them too the HDD correct? and that will fix them?
Also did everything i described for setting up the SSD sound correct to you?








And thanks a ton! you have been so much help!


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CdePappe*
> 
> Awesome! thanks a ton! and for re installing the games, I just re install them too the HDD correct? and that will fix them?
> Also did everything i described for setting up the SSD sound correct to you?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And thanks a ton! you have been so much help!


You're welcome bud









Yep, just make folders on your HDD for the games you want to install. Then when installing them, choose the folder you made









And as for Steam!
Like I said, you can just move the whole Steam folder to the HDD and then run the Steam .exe, and Steam will sort itself out


----------



## CdePappe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ACHILEE5*
> 
> You're welcome bud
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yep, just make folders on your HDD for the games you want to install. Then when installing them, choose the folder you made
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And as for Steam!
> Like I said, you can just move the whole Steam folder to the HDD and then run the Steam .exe, and Steam will sort itself out


Well for the games, I currently have everything on my old HDD, the SSD will be new so it will only have Win 7 and Drivers on it. So do i still just make another folder on my HDD and just reinstall my games into that folder, and then i will be able to run them from my HDD even though im booting from my SSD? so helpful!!!!!!!!! your the best ha!


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CdePappe*
> 
> Well for the games, I currently have everything on my old HDD, the SSD will be new so it will only have Win 7 and Drivers on it. So do i still just make another folder on my HDD and just reinstall my games into that folder, and then i will be able to run them from my HDD even though im booting from my SSD? so helpful!!!!!!!!! your the best ha!


Yep, just make folders on the HDD, Far Cry3, WarFrame, etc, and then choose the folder when installing the games!



And then you can use Steam Mover to move games on and off of your SSD, at will


----------



## CdePappe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ACHILEE5*
> 
> Yep, just make folders on the HDD, Far Cry3, WarFrame, etc, and then choose the folder when installing the games!
> 
> 
> 
> And then you can use Steam Mover to move games on and off of your SSD, at will


Okay I think that's everything. Pretty much all the questions I had. seems pretty simple at this point. I'll be doing all of this when I get home today, So if anything else comes up I will let you know. You have been very helpful and basically answered all my questions! thank you for all the help!


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CdePappe*
> 
> Okay I think that's everything. Pretty much all the questions I had. seems pretty simple at this point. I'll be doing all of this when I get home today, So if anything else comes up I will let you know. You have been very helpful and basically answered all my questions! thank you for all the help!


You're welcome


----------



## DeanCoulson

Thank you for your reply, however that did not work. I had originally had it set to IDE when it first didn't work. I have just changed it back and it is still the same, it hangs at exactly the same place.

In my mind, I am guessing that once the files are loaded it is trying to access the SSD, but cannot. I have unplugged everything except teh optical drive and ssd. I would assume that you would just let the windows setup define any partition and format the drive.

I cannot think what else could be the problem.


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> I moved my IE10 temp folder to the D: drive (D:\Temporary Internet Files) but I can only see it through the "View Files" button through the IE10 internet options.
> 
> Is this O.K. or should I move it back to my SSD?


id keep on the ssd
Quote:


> Are there any other temp folders that I could move to my D drive?


your environmental variables temp folders you can
Quote:


> Also, do these scores look ok for my Intel 520 240GB SSD?


yes
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *johnmerrick*
> 
> hi Sean,
> 
> Further to your reply above I have been downloading the latest drivers for my MB. I have found the latest ahci drivers which come with this message:
> 
> GIGABYTE SATA2 Preinstall driver
> (For AHCI / RAID Mode)
> Note: Press F6 during Windows setup to read from floppy.
> 
> I don't have a floppy so does it mean i need a separate usb with the drivers on?
> 
> Also at what stage do I press F6?
> 
> My os hdd is crashing a lot more now so it looks like it's on it's way out very soon.
> 
> thanks
> 
> there is also one for the sata1!


what mobo? you should be able to just run the driver exe file.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Whats the best app to use to perform a partition only clone from an HDD to an SSD ?


anything you're comfortable with. i like easeus todo backup

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> Any guides on how to put iTunes on the SSD, and music and files on the HDD?


install itunes on the ssd and move your music users folder to the hdd via the properties > location tab
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Grandyzer*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> I followed your guide, and I have a TON of space free on my SSD.
> 
> I've run into a bit of an issue, and I was hoping you could help me out.
> I don't think this has anything to do with the optimizations you suggested, but I thought you might know what the problem is considering it's probably SSD related.
> 
> After and hour or so, my computer freezes. My mouse cursor doesn't even move, and I can't even start task manager. I have to do a hard reset to get my computer running again. Even then, the computer, shuts off (around 20 seconds after I push the reset button), and then starts up again.
> 
> I'm also having random intermittent booting issues, where I am confronted with a "Run Startup Repair or Start Widows Normally: Screen. After 2-3 times of hitting "start windows normally", the OS eventually boots. This happens erratically. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.
> 
> Worth mentioning, I am running the latest firmare 040H.
> 
> What could be causing these problems?
> 
> Nick


if you get any bsods the crash analysis subforum should help more.

i'd do another re-install and see if that does anything.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CdePappe*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> This guide has been a tremendous help for someone new to SSDs and adding a second drive to my build. I just had a couple things i wanted to ask before i go on, First is this the best way or will cloning work just as well? I basicly just want to add the SSD to my build and keep my existing HDD with all my games and files still hooked up, without having to wipe it clean or lose my files or anything ( i dont have them backed up atm, and am wondering if its completely necessary or not) I will just be using the SSD for my OS and a few games i play alot,so it seems this guide will work justfine, just want to have these things clarified. If you could take a second to help out that would be amazing! Again thank you for the guide.


First. GET A BACKUP DRIVE.

Second if you want the OS on the SSD then clone it. space permitting that is.

Also if your mobo is capable you can simply enable Intel caching.


----------



## Skibo2012

In your system Preperations section you have about enabling AHCI or RAID. Right now I have SATA set to EIDE, but will change that when I put in my Samsung 840Pro 128G and reload Win 7 64. Which setting should I put it (AHCI or RAID).

You also then have in the checklist #3 to set it for RAID if going to use Intel SRT. What then is Intel SRT?

My BIOS also has ACPI 2.0 support setting that is presently set to disabled. You ahve to set it to enabled. What advantage is this setting?

There is also a ACPI APIC Support that is presently set to enables. Leave it that way?

Thanks.


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DeanCoulson*
> 
> Thank you for your reply, however that did not work. I had originally had it set to IDE when it first didn't work. I have just changed it back and it is still the same, it hangs at exactly the same place.
> 
> In my mind, I am guessing that once the files are loaded it is trying to access the SSD, but cannot. I have unplugged everything except teh optical drive and ssd. I would assume that you would just let the windows setup define any partition and format the drive.
> 
> I cannot think what else could be the problem.


Are you able to install Windows 7 on your HDD OK?

Plus, In my Sig is a link to "How to put your Rig in your Sig" if you was wanting to know how








Because it would help us if we can see your PC specs


----------



## Dynamiteboy

If am am to dual boot with windows 7 and 8 on seperate Hard drives. 7 on SSD, 8 on HDD. If i boot into 7, can i still install programs to the HDD even though that is the windows 8 drive?


----------



## hyperkite

I dual boot Vista/Win 7.
Another Rig XP/Win 7
I hard drive for each operating system

Method 1.
a. 1st SSD OS
b. Partition 1st half Win 7/ 2nd half Win 8

Method 2.
Add new drive for Window 7
a. 1st SSD OS
b. 2nd HDD Win 7 programs-add new hard dive (dual boot)
c. 3rd HD windows 8 OS/programs (dual boot)-Leave it alone (you may have to reinstall Win 8 or
use this program below) You have to install older operating system first.

This program is good and has been around quite a few years.
(EasyBCD) for Dual Booting OS's.
I have used the free version, easy setup.
http://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/#comparison
The free version works great.

Get you system stable with SSD and Win 7 first and read Sean's Install program again.
Hope this clears thing up a little.
What ever you do hang in there









You need to put your signature in so we help you.








http://www.overclock.net/t/1258253/how-to-put-your-rig-in-your-sig/0_50#post_17255926


----------



## DeanCoulson

HI

Ok Rig now in the sig 

I cannot install anything. Most of the hardware is getting on for 4 years old. only the GPU and SSD are brand new. I bought the GPU before the old HDD went down and that worked.

I am now trying to install WIndows 7 ultimate 64 bit. it gets past post, it recognises the SSD in the BIOS, I have the boot order selected to the optical drive, it loads windows files, starting windows comes up and that is in, no graphics, no windows logo, just the text "Starting Windows" and stops.


----------



## goodwidp

Just installed my new 128gb Plextor M5 Pro last night and wanted to confirm with the experts here that I made the correct choices in BIOS. When I first connected the SSD, I got an error when installing Windows saying that it couldn't be installed on this disk (I believe it said no bootable partition found, but am not 100% sure) and to check BIOS settings. I had already enabled AHCI (OnChip SATA Type) so when I went back into BIOS, I changed two settings, which then allowed Windows to install with no issues. Again, I just want to confirm those changes were correct. As you can see in the pic below, I changed "OnChip SATA Speed" to SATA 6.0Gb/s (was set to AUTO) and I changed "SATA Port5 - Port6" to IDE (was set to AHCI).

Everything seems to be running fine so I'm assuming they're OK, but just wanted to get some confirmation. Thanks very much.


----------



## kpo6969

If your WD drive is sata and not ide the last setting should be sata 3.0 or 6.0.


----------



## goodwidp

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kpo6969*
> 
> If your WD drive is sata and not ide the last setting should be sata 3.0 or 6.0.


Thanks very much for the response. The only two options I have for the last setting (SATA Port5 - Port6) are IDE and AHCI. I'm pretty sure that was giving me the error when i first tried installing Windows on my SSD last night, which is why I changed it in the first place. Should I be OK with it left on IDE? Thanks again. I sincerely appreciate the advice.


----------



## ACHILEE5

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DeanCoulson*
> 
> HI
> 
> Ok Rig now in the sig
> 
> I cannot install anything. *Most of the hardware is getting on for 4 years old*. only the GPU and SSD are brand new. I bought the GPU before the old HDD went down and that worked.
> 
> I am now trying to install WIndows 7 ultimate 64 bit. it gets past post, it recognises the SSD in the BIOS, I have the boot order selected to the optical drive, it loads windows files, starting windows comes up and that is in, no graphics, no windows logo, just the text "Starting Windows" and stops.


Maybe try installing Vista, and then try doing an upgrade from that








And you could also try installing 32bit to see if that's the problem!


----------



## eBombzor

Hey guys, I have a problem.

After I installed the latest RST drivers for AHCI, my Intel 520 240GB freezes up for like a minute after I use Intel SSD Optimizer inside Intel's SSD Toolbox. What could it be? I installed RST after I installed the OS, is this why?


----------



## goodwidp

This is probably a dumb question, but I just wanted to make sure what I plan to do is the best method.

I did a fresh install on Win 7 on my SSD, so my old boot drive (HDD) still has the old Windows directory and associated files on it. I don't want to format the drive, as I still have other files and directories I want to keep, and don't have a backup of them, so can I just manually delete the old Windows directories using Windows Explorer? I had the old HDD unplugged when I installed Win on my new SSD, so I don't think this would be an issue, but I just wanted to confirm that. Thanks very much.


----------



## eskamobob1

need some help

i installed windows 7 from a bootable disk i made... i used an SSD because the USB kept giving me an error saying it couldn't find the drivers (they were both made from the same ISO using universal USB installer 1.9.2.1)... now that i have successfully installed and configured widows, unplugged the disk i had the ISO installed on... when i try to boot without it though, i get an error saying that there is no boot disk... this is my second install, and the same thing happened both times (the install is on a Vertex 4, and the ISO is on a Agility 3 both with the newest firmware)


----------



## eBombzor

Sean, you should add a few other things to this guide.

1. Install IRST before the OS install so that you don't get weird errors and freezes when you install them after the OS.
2. Please make a guide for moving cache and temporary internet files off the SSD (Chrome especially). I now you might recommend people to put these things on their SSD, but it really makes no speed difference IMO and internet files quickly take up a lot of space. I used Chrome for a day and saw almost 2GB missing from my SSD.


----------



## DeanCoulson

I have had windows 7 ultimate 64bit installed on my last seagate hdd that went down and it installed no problem. tried an old 74gb raptor drive today instead, still nothing. tried a completely different install disk, same thing.

I will post this on another thread so I don't clog this one up


----------



## eBombzor

Sean, did you change the alignment size to 1024 instead of 4096 inside the spoiler of "MBR Install etc."?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Skibo2012*
> 
> In your system Preperations section you have about enabling AHCI or RAID. Right now I have SATA set to EIDE, but will change that when I put in my Samsung 840Pro 128G and reload Win 7 64. Which setting should I put it (AHCI or RAID).


Up to you either or, doesn't matter.
Quote:


> You also then have in the checklist #3 to set it for RAID if going to use Intel SRT. What then is Intel SRT?


Intel Smart response technology.
Quote:


> My BIOS also has ACPI 2.0 support setting that is presently set to disabled. You ahve to set it to enabled. What advantage is this setting?


Power settings.
Quote:


> There is also a ACPI APIC Support that is presently set to enables. Leave it that way?
> 
> Thanks.


leave it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dynamiteboy*
> 
> If am am to dual boot with windows 7 and 8 on seperate Hard drives. 7 on SSD, 8 on HDD. If i boot into 7, can i still install programs to the HDD even though that is the windows 8 drive?


yes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DeanCoulson*
> 
> HI
> 
> Ok Rig now in the sig
> 
> I cannot install anything. Most of the hardware is getting on for 4 years old. only the GPU and SSD are brand new. I bought the GPU before the old HDD went down and that worked.
> 
> I am now trying to install WIndows 7 ultimate 64 bit. it gets past post, it recognises the SSD in the BIOS, I have the boot order selected to the optical drive, it loads windows files, starting windows comes up and that is in, no graphics, no windows logo, just the text "Starting Windows" and stops.


try reburning the iso? try the optical drive in another sata port?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *goodwidp*
> 
> Just installed my new 128gb Plextor M5 Pro last night and wanted to confirm with the experts here that I made the correct choices in BIOS. When I first connected the SSD, I got an error when installing Windows saying that it couldn't be installed on this disk (I believe it said no bootable partition found, but am not 100% sure) and to check BIOS settings.


that could be because the drive is on a separate sata controller than the windows installer disk.
Quote:


> I had already enabled AHCI (OnChip SATA Type) so when I went back into BIOS, I changed two settings, which then allowed Windows to install with no issues. Again, I just want to confirm those changes were correct. As you can see in the pic below, I changed "OnChip SATA Speed" to SATA 6.0Gb/s (was set to AUTO) and I changed "SATA Port5 - Port6" to IDE (was set to AHCI).
> 
> Everything seems to be running fine so I'm assuming they're OK, but just wanted to get some confirmation. Thanks very much.


the SSD should be on one of the first SATA ports so it will not be in IDE, but AHCI. Unless you have ti plugged into one of the last SATA ports you set to IDE...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Hey guys, I have a problem.
> 
> After I installed the latest RST drivers for AHCI, my Intel 520 240GB freezes up for like a minute after I use Intel SSD Optimizer inside Intel's SSD Toolbox. What could it be? I installed RST after I installed the OS, is this why?


Just uninstall IRST. some mobos/windows installs have issues with it. Possibly just try another version.

Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *goodwidp*
> 
> This is probably a dumb question, but I just wanted to make sure what I plan to do is the best method.
> 
> I did a fresh install on Win 7 on my SSD, so my old boot drive (HDD) still has the old Windows directory and associated files on it. I don't want to format the drive, as I still have other files and directories I want to keep, and don't have a backup of them, so can I just manually delete the old Windows directories using Windows Explorer? I had the old HDD unplugged when I installed Win on my new SSD, so I don't think this would be an issue, but I just wanted to confirm that. Thanks very much.
Click to expand...

You need to delete the hidden files as well and the old system reserve partition if the drive had one.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eskamobob1*
> 
> need some help
> 
> i installed windows 7 from a bootable disk i made... i used an SSD because the USB kept giving me an error saying it couldn't find the drivers (they were both made from the same ISO using universal USB installer 1.9.2.1)... now that i have successfully installed and configured widows, unplugged the disk i had the ISO installed on... when i try to boot without it though, i get an error saying that there is no boot disk... this is my second install, and the same thing happened both times (the install is on a Vertex 4, and the ISO is on a Agility 3 both with the newest firmware)


Is the boot order set for the SSD to be the only boot option? it should be. Also, you can mark the C partition as active with diskpart and it should boot after that.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Sean, you should add a few other things to this guide.
> 
> 1. Install IRST before the OS install so that you don't get weird errors and freezes when you install them after the OS.


Doesn't give me issues...and I like having my Intel control center








Quote:


> 2. Please make a guide for moving cache and temporary internet files off the SSD (Chrome especially). I now you might recommend people to put these things on their SSD, but it really makes no speed difference IMO and internet files quickly take up a lot of space. I used Chrome for a day and saw almost 2GB missing from my SSD.


Bleh, I have guides on some of that, I find it pointless myself >
http://www.overclock.net/t/1227803/how-to-set-up-and-utilize-ram-disks
under: Put your browser cache on your RAM disk

and you can change the location of environmental variables as well. Just google it. there are plenty lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DeanCoulson*
> 
> I have had windows 7 ultimate 64bit installed on my last seagate hdd that went down and it installed no problem. tried an old 74gb raptor drive today instead, still nothing. tried a completely different install disk, same thing.
> 
> I will post this on another thread so I don't clog this one up


change the sata port
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Sean, did you change the alignment size to 1024 instead of 4096 inside the spoiler of "MBR Install etc."?


yea, i always had 1024 and 4096, but there is no difference.


----------



## goodwidp

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need to delete the hidden files as well and the old system reserve partition if the drive had one.


Thanks very much for the reply. The pic below was taken from disk management and shows the reserve partitions for my old boot drive and current SSD boot drive. The old boot drive is now labeled H: (OLD C DRIVE) and my new SSD is C:. Am I correct in assuming that my old boot drive's partition is the one labeled G: (System Reserved) in the pic below? If so, could I just delete it by right-clicking on it in Disk Management and choose "Delete Volume" (or Format) or is there another method to delete System Partitions? Finally, what would be the best method to delete the old Windows directory and it's associated hidden files? I've tried deleting some stuff from my old boot drive, but keep getting permission errors which are blocking me from making any changes to those files. I've been able to gain Admin rights in the past by going to Properties-Security and then editing the permissions, but I've yet to get past that in this instance.

Sorry for the constant barrage of questions, but your help truly has been invaluable to me since I first started looking to purchase an SSD a few weeks ago. I really can't thank you enough for all the time & effort you've put in to helping me and the rest of this community. I sincerely appreciate it.


----------



## seektherapy

I thought I setup everything correctly lastnight.. Found out tonight, I didn't







... I almost went out and celebrated:cheers .. Looks like I will be starting over


----------



## eBombzor

Should I disable C3/C6 State for better performance on my SSD? I heard that "deep C states" will make SSDs a bit slower on Toms, is C3/C6 state the "deep C state" they were talking about?

Also, do you think that my freeze problem is happening because IRST automates TRIM, and Intel's SSD Optimizer uses TRIM manually? Should I just not use it?
Thanks for you're help Sean, you are truly the best.


----------



## Jo0

so sean, my motherboard's sata 6gb/s ports are the marvell ports. Am I fine? or should i just go to use the intel 3gb/s ports

I'm on a MSI X58A-GD45 using a Intel 330 120gb ssd


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Should I disable C3/C6 State for better performance on my SSD? I heard that "deep C states" will make SSDs a bit slower on Toms, is C3/C6 state the "deep C state" they were talking about?
> 
> Also, do you think that my freeze problem is happening because IRST automates TRIM, and Intel's SSD Optimizer uses TRIM manually? Should I just not use it?
> Thanks for you're help Sean, you are truly the best.


I had a look at your issue and I've read in a number of places that if you disable C1/C3/C6 state support in the bios it should up the performance, they called it 'Ultra SSD Performance'. I'm guessing this would fix your issue, not quite sure why it's happening (Sean teaches me as much as he can about SSD's so I'm going off his help, he pushes me to give advice to get smarter over OCN) but I guess your assumptions are right.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jo0*
> 
> so sean, my motherboard's sata 6gb/s ports are the marvell ports. Am I fine? or should i just go to use the intel 3gb/s ports
> 
> I'm on a MSI X58A-GD45 using a Intel 330 120gb ssd


You should use the marvel ports, they won't necessarily always be slower. With driver and firmware updates, those ports may catch up to the normal 6GB/s ports running off the Intel chipset.


----------



## Jo0

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> You should use the marvel ports, they won't necessarily always be slower. With driver and firmware updates, those ports may catch up to the normal 6GB/s ports running off the Intel chipset.


Mkay, also I cant seem to update my ssd's firmware. I downloaded the iso and booted it in bios, the updater doesnt recognize the ssd. Also windows doesnt recognize i have the ssd installed. How do I approach this problem?


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jo0*
> 
> Mkay, also I cant seem to update my ssd's firmware. I downloaded the iso and booted it in bios, the updater doesnt recognize the ssd. Also windows doesnt recognize i have the ssd installed. How do I approach this problem?


Just spoke to Sean and he says that there is a mixed debate between which to use, he prefers to use the native chipset sata ports. There are a number of things you need to try:

- Check the essentials thread, there is a guide to initalize and format a new drive
- Make sure the drive is plugged into the native chipset SATA port
- if changing the SATA port doesn't work try changing the sata mode to IDE or AHCI or RAID depending on what they have now
- Try another SATA cable
- Make sure the SATA driver is up to date
- Some AMD boards don't show the SSD in the bios menu sometimes


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *goodwidp*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You need to delete the hidden files as well and the old system reserve partition if the drive had one.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks very much for the reply. The pic below was taken from disk management and shows the reserve partitions for my old boot drive and current SSD boot drive. The old boot drive is now labeled H: (OLD C DRIVE) and my new SSD is C:. Am I correct in assuming that my old boot drive's partition is the one labeled G: (System Reserved) in the pic below? If so, could I just delete it by right-clicking on it in Disk Management and choose "Delete Volume" (or Format) or is there another method to delete System Partitions? Finally, what would be the best method to delete the old Windows directory and it's associated hidden files? I've tried deleting some stuff from my old boot drive, but keep getting permission errors which are blocking me from making any changes to those files. I've been able to gain Admin rights in the past by going to Properties-Security and then editing the permissions, but I've yet to get past that in this instance.
> 
> Sorry for the constant barrage of questions, but your help truly has been invaluable to me since I first started looking to purchase an SSD a few weeks ago. I really can't thank you enough for all the time & effort you've put in to helping me and the rest of this community. I sincerely appreciate it.
Click to expand...

You can simply delete the system reserve partition.

I would shrink the H partition, make a new one, move all the data you want to keep on the new partition and then delete the old one. That way you will have no issues with permissions.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Should I disable C3/C6 State for better performance on my SSD? I heard that "deep C states" will make SSDs a bit slower on Toms, is C3/C6 state the "deep C state" they were talking about?


Depends on SSD/chipset. all it is si a power mode setting. less power going to your components means less frequencys and power they operate at thus lower performance. However hardware will up the voltage when needed and there will only usually be a slight delay untill it does. I'd just leave them enabled.
Quote:


> Also, do you think that my freeze problem is happening because IRST automates TRIM, and Intel's SSD Optimizer uses TRIM manually? Should I just not use it?
> Thanks for you're help Sean, you are truly the best.


IRST passes trim, it doesn't automate it as far as I know, windows does that. And it could just be a driver and chipset conflict causing the freezing. Uninstall IRST and see if it stops...unless you have a RAID array, then you cant.


----------



## rseiler

You could add a warning about reducing the hiberfil.sys size below 75%. Even with compression, it wouldn't be far-fetched for all memory not to be able to fit into a file that's half the size of memory.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/E/7/7E7662CF-CBEA-470B-A97E-CE7CE0D98DC2/HiberFootprint.docx

If Windows fails to hibernate because the hibernation file is too small, a Stop error occurs and the following message appears:

STOP 0x000000A0 INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR
Parameter 1
Parameter 2
Parameter 3
Parameter 4

The parameters provide the following information:
• Parameter 1 is always equal to 0x0000000B.
• Parameter 2 is equal to the size of the hibernation file in bytes.
• Parameter 3 is equal to the number of bytes of data that remain to compress and write to the hibernation file.
• Parameter 4 is unused for this error


----------



## eskamobob1

i just set it as active, and it is the only boot option, but i still get an error (though now it says "no boot manager")... but when i boot off of the agility with both attached it works just fine (though it doesnt when only the agility is plugged in)... im getting ready to try a reinstall off of USB2, but do you guys have any other ideas before i do that?


----------



## Skoobs

I am having trouble reinstalling windows. currently, for some reason, i have accidentally installed windows in such a way that i have to set a small SSD i had plugged in as the boot drive, even though everything is installed on the large SSD. I guess it is the system reserved partition.

anyway, when i shut down, unplug everything except the flash drive and the large SSD, and boot into the flash drive, it takes me into the windows install screen. Then, however, when i hit install, it takes me to some other screen which gives me a message saying that the boot device is missing a driver or some junk. I should take a picture, because i cant remember what it is saying.

do i need to wipe my SSD before installing windows on it again? Usually the big install button does everything i need it to do.

oh, and it gives me the same error when i boot my windows dvd as well, which is a retail copy.


----------



## Skoobs

This is what I get when I hit install on this screen



I would Google more, but I cleaned my hard drive by using disk part in the cmd through this screen also


----------



## Selquist979

Seems like something is off with this new intel drive. the write speeds seems slow. Can I get some opinions? I followed Sean's guide to the letter and every tweak and such is spot on. Firmware is up to date. this is the OS drive.


----------



## eskamobob1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Skoobs*
> 
> 
> 
> This is what I get when I hit install on this screen
> 
> 
> 
> I would Google more, but I cleaned my hard drive by using disk part in the cmd through this screen also


I JUST HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!! Luckly I figured out the problem







... The system reserve got put on the SSD u used as an install disk... Reinstall with only the main disk pluged in, and make absolutely sure the USB is not plugged into a 3.0 port (they are use salt a different color)... Going to a 2.0 port is what fixed it for me







... Once you've done that just follow the guide


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eskamobob1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Skoobs*
> 
> 
> 
> This is what I get when I hit install on this screen
> 
> 
> 
> I would Google more, but I cleaned my hard drive by using disk part in the cmd through this screen also
> 
> 
> 
> I JUST HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!! Luckly I figured out the problem
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... The system reserve got put on the SSD u used as an install disk... Reinstall with only the main disk pluged in, and make absolutely sure the USB is not plugged into a 3.0 port (they are use salt a different color)... Going to a 2.0 port is what fixed it for me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... Once you've done that just follow the guide
Click to expand...

Yea, the instal device needs to be plugged into the native port. USB or SATA.


----------



## goodwidp

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can simply delete the system reserve partition.
> 
> I would shrink the H partition, make a new one, move all the data you want to keep on the new partition and then delete the old one. That way you will have no issues with permissions.


Thanks for your advice. I managed to delete my old boot drive's system reserve partition (was labeled as G: in pic in previous post) but when I try and shrink the H: partition (which was the old boot drive), I'm only able to shrink it by 28MB. Windows won't allow me to make it any lower than that. The files that I want to keep on that drive will be several GB, at least, so I would need to be able to create a much bigger partition than what Windows is currently allowing me. Any ideas on how to get past this? Thanks again for all your help.


----------



## rseiler

@Selquist979, it does seem a little low, but not by much.


http://imgur.com/KOzfn


----------



## seektherapy

Just like to say, ":Thank YOU!!" Sean !! you really know how to treat a person who is new at this.








I've been hyperfocusing on YOUR intructions for almost a week and havent made much progress. You really are the best! Again Thankyou.


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seektherapy*
> 
> Just like to say, ":Thank YOU!!" Sean !! you really know how to treat a person who is new at this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been hyperfocusing on YOUR intructions for almost a week and havent made much progress. You really are the best! Again Thankyou.


If you've been stuck installing Windows for a week you're not following his instructions correct, what kinds of issues are you having? Nobody can help you if you don't ask for it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *goodwidp*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can simply delete the system reserve partition.
> 
> I would shrink the H partition, make a new one, move all the data you want to keep on the new partition and then delete the old one. That way you will have no issues with permissions.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for your advice. I managed to delete my old boot drive's system reserve partition (was labeled as G: in pic in previous post) but when I try and shrink the H: partition (which was the old boot drive), I'm only able to shrink it by 28MB. Windows won't allow me to make it any lower than that. The files that I want to keep on that drive will be several GB, at least, so I would need to be able to create a much bigger partition than what Windows is currently allowing me. Any ideas on how to get past this? Thanks again for all your help.
Click to expand...

Use easeus partition master home edition. It will allow you to shrink the partition smaller. Also, as you move the data you may have to shrink and expand the partitions more....this may take a while, if possible I would just backup and wipe the disk then move the files you need back on.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seektherapy*
> 
> Just like to say, ":Thank YOU!!" Sean !! you really know how to treat a person who is new at this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been hyperfocusing on YOUR intructions for almost a week and havent made much progress. You really are the best! Again Thankyou.


I sense sarcasm and frustration towards me....

Based upon what tho? I don't know as you never asked me a question to assist you with...this is all I have seen in this thread so far from you:
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seektherapy*
> 
> I thought I setup everything correctly lastnight.. Found out tonight, I didn't
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... I almost went out and celebrated:cheers .. Looks like I will be starting over


What's the question you have? I can't help you if you don't ask....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *seektherapy*
> 
> Just like to say, ":Thank YOU!!" Sean !! you really know how to treat a person who is new at this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been hyperfocusing on YOUR intructions for almost a week and havent made much progress. You really are the best! Again Thankyou.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you've been stuck installing Windows for a week you're not following his instructions correct, what kinds of issues are you having? Nobody can help you if you don't ask for it.
Click to expand...

Yep lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rseiler*
> 
> You could add a warning about reducing the hiberfil.sys size below 75%. Even with compression, it wouldn't be far-fetched for all memory not to be able to fit into a file that's half the size of memory.
> 
> http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/E/7/7E7662CF-CBEA-470B-A97E-CE7CE0D98DC2/HiberFootprint.docx
> 
> If Windows fails to hibernate because the hibernation file is too small, a Stop error occurs and the following message appears:
> 
> STOP 0x000000A0 INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR
> Parameter 1
> Parameter 2
> Parameter 3
> Parameter 4
> 
> The parameters provide the following information:
> • Parameter 1 is always equal to 0x0000000B.
> • Parameter 2 is equal to the size of the hibernation file in bytes.
> • Parameter 3 is equal to the number of bytes of data that remain to compress and write to the hibernation file.
> • Parameter 4 is unused for this error


I'll add a note about this post when i get a chance .









thanks.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eskamobob1*
> 
> i just set it as active, and it is the only boot option, but i still get an error (though now it says "no boot manager")... but when i boot off of the agility with both attached it works just fine (though it doesnt when only the agility is plugged in)... im getting ready to try a reinstall off of USB2, but do you guys have any other ideas before i do that?


Sounds like the system reserve partition is on the second drive. Follow the steps in my 4th or 5th post on how to remove teh system reserve.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Skoobs*
> 
> I am having trouble reinstalling windows. currently, for some reason, i have accidentally installed windows in such a way that i have to set a small SSD i had plugged in as the boot drive, even though everything is installed on the large SSD. I guess it is the system reserved partition.
> 
> anyway, when i shut down, unplug everything except the flash drive and the large SSD, and boot into the flash drive, it takes me into the windows install screen. Then, however, when i hit install, it takes me to some other screen which gives me a message saying that the boot device is missing a driver or some junk. I should take a picture, because i cant remember what it is saying.
> 
> do i need to wipe my SSD before installing windows on it again? Usually the big install button does everything i need it to do.
> 
> oh, and it gives me the same error when i boot my windows dvd as well, which is a retail copy.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Skoobs*
> 
> 
> 
> This is what I get when I hit install on this screen
> 
> 
> 
> I would Google more, but I cleaned my hard drive by using disk part in the cmd through this screen also


Plug the CD/DVD drive and other drives in your system into the native SATA ports. You have it on a third party port most likely. That is why it says you need a driver.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Selquist979*
> 
> Seems like something is off with this new intel drive. the write speeds seems slow. Can I get some opinions? I followed Sean's guide to the letter and every tweak and such is spot on. Firmware is up to date. this is the OS drive.


looks fine to me


----------



## eskamobob1

That was exactly the case... Luckily I already fixed this issue, but I was wondering why would you delet the system reserve since it is only 100mb... Does not having it speed up the boot up?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eskamobob1*
> 
> That was exactly the case... Luckily I already fixed this issue, but I was wondering why would you delet the system reserve since it is only 100mb... Does not having it speed up the boot up?


I dont think it does anything really, it is just a backup of boot files.


----------



## eskamobob1

Lol... Fair enough


----------



## Jo0

On the "change power options" section about turning off the "sleep/power down HDDs after time idle", is there a way I can set a profile to keep my SSD on and have my other HDDs power off during idle?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jo0*
> 
> On the "change power options" section about turning off the "sleep/power down HDDs after time idle", is there a way I can set a profile to keep my SSD on and have my other HDDs power off during idle?


They usually should do that on their own whether or not that settings is set.


----------



## bfollowell

Sean,

I installed my first two SSDs today and most everything went off without a hitch. My system boots much faster and my system raided almost two whole points in the Windows Experience Index Assessment. I look forward to seeing what kind of performance boost I get while gaming.

I do have one question though and I hate to seem dense, but I can't quite seem to figure out the Rapid Storage Technology driver for Intel systems back in step 7 of System Setup after Installation. My system didn't seem to like this driver and I had to go back to a restore point in order to boot after installing this. When I look at the details for the various versions of this driver, I see all sorts of compatible boards listed, but none of them are mine. In fact, they all appear to be Intel branded boards. I was assuming this was a download for Intel _based_ boards, not Intel _branded_ boards. I have an EVGA P55 SLI (132-LF-E655) mobo. Am I missing something?

My system seems to be running fine without this but I'd prefer to install it if it will have my system a little more up-to-date.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Sincerely,
- Byron Followell


----------



## seektherapy

I called Asus support and the technical support person told me to just set my bios advance Sata to raid ... Then just combine them all together using Raid 5. So that's what i did .. Oh we'll


----------



## adam7054

"Make sure you have all your personal you want to keep data backed up, all the data on your OS drive will be deleted before installation."
At which point in the installation do I format the old drive?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bfollowell*
> 
> Sean,
> 
> I installed my first two SSDs today and most everything went off without a hitch. My system boots much faster and my system raided almost two whole points in the Windows Experience Index Assessment. I look forward to seeing what kind of performance boost I get while gaming.
> 
> I do have one question though and I hate to seem dense, but I can't quite seem to figure out the Rapid Storage Technology driver for Intel systems back in step 7 of System Setup after Installation. My system didn't seem to like this driver and I had to go back to a restore point in order to boot after installing this. When I look at the details for the various versions of this driver, I see all sorts of compatible boards listed, but none of them are mine. In fact, they all appear to be Intel branded boards. I was assuming this was a download for Intel _based_ boards, not Intel _branded_ boards. I have an EVGA P55 SLI (132-LF-E655) mobo. Am I missing something?
> 
> My system seems to be running fine without this but I'd prefer to install it if it will have my system a little more up-to-date.
> 
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
> 
> Sincerely,
> - Byron Followell


This is the driver you use if you want it installed. Just the plain basic Intel® Rapid Storage Technology



You don't have to, but it is best imo.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/22194/a08/iata_cd.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=22194&OSFullname=%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09%09&ProductID=2101
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seektherapy*
> 
> I called Asus support and the technical support person told me to just set my bios advance Sata to raid ... Then just combine them all together using Raid 5. So that's what i did .. Oh we'll


So you got mad at me for not helping you, yet you still never asked me a question for me to answer to help you...okay...

Just don't get mad at me for no reason. Since you never asked me for help, I can't help you. How else am I supposed to treat and help you? Read your mind?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adam7054*
> 
> "Make sure you have all your personal you want to keep data backed up, all the data on your OS drive will be deleted before installation."
> At which point in the installation do I format the old drive?


In the diskpart steps where it says clean and format.


----------



## goodwidp

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Use easeus partition master home edition. It will allow you to shrink the partition smaller. Also, as you move the data you may have to shrink and expand the partitions more....this may take a while, if possible I would just backup and wipe the disk then move the files you need back on.


Thanks for the tip on EaseUS! It worked perfectly. I was able to move what I wanted (mainly old ProgramFiles and User directories) and format everything else with no issues once I tried that program. Thanks again for all your help. You've made this entire process of buying/setting up my new SSD infinitely easier.


----------



## adam7054

"Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:
1.Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
2.After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
3.At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
4.Type List Disk, press Enter.
5.Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
6.Type Clean, press Enter.
7.Type Create Partition Primary Align=1024, press Enter.
8.Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
9.Type Exit, press Enter."

are these the steps to format my old drive? It seems this is for the new SSD that i want to install the OS on. Can you point me to the step that tells me to format my old HDD? Or am i missing something here. I'm sorry, total PC and Forum noob.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adam7054*
> 
> "Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:
> 1.Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
> 2.After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> 3.At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> 4.Type List Disk, press Enter.
> 5.Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> 6.Type Clean, press Enter.
> 7.Type Create Partition Primary Align=1024, press Enter.
> 8.Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> 9.Type Exit, press Enter."
> 
> are these the steps to format my old drive? It seems this is for the new SSD that i want to install the OS on. Can you point me to the step that tells me to format my old HDD? Or am i missing something here. I'm sorry, total PC and Forum noob.


You can do that for your old drive too. Just select it as the proper disk #, clean, then create the partition and then format it.


----------



## bfollowell

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This is the driver you use if you want it installed. Just the plain basic Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
> 
> You don't have to, but it is best imo.


Thanks for the help. I guess, since I'd put the controller in AHCI mode in the BIOS, I assumed that was the version I needed. I missed the plain Jane version. Everything is good now. Thanks for your help and for this awesome guide. I am very pleased with my new SSD based system. I was relatively pleased with my system before but this gave it a nice little boost.

Now I need to go install Steam and setup Steam Mover...

- Byron


----------



## X4v3r

Thank you for your great guides! They helped to answer a lot of my questions.









I have one question left regarding proper formatting (with diskpart) though. I will assemble a new build today which includes a SSD as my boot and program drive and a 3TB HDD for pure data storage (i.e. music) which I want to format after the initial Windows 7 installation.
How would I correctly go about doing that using diskpart, so that I can properly use its full capacity? Would I simply have to omit the ESP partition and follow your UEFI GPT boot drive guide for the MSR and primary partition?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bfollowell*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This is the driver you use if you want it installed. Just the plain basic Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
> 
> You don't have to, but it is best imo.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the help. I guess, since I'd put the controller in AHCI mode in the BIOS, I assumed that was the version I needed. I missed the plain Jane version. Everything is good now. Thanks for your help and for this awesome guide. I am very pleased with my new SSD based system. I was relatively pleased with my system before but this gave it a nice little boost.
> 
> Now I need to go install Steam and setup Steam Mover...
> 
> - Byron
Click to expand...










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *X4v3r*
> 
> Thank you for your great guides! They helped to answer a lot of my questions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have one question left regarding proper formatting (with diskpart) though. I will assemble a new build today which includes a SSD as my boot and program drive and a 3TB HDD for pure data storage (i.e. music) which I want to format after the initial Windows 7 installation.
> How would I correctly go about doing that using diskpart, so that I can properly use its full capacity? Would I simply have to omit the ESP partition and follow your UEFI GPT boot drive guide for the MSR and primary partition?


*2.5TB drives and larger:*

Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *convert gpt*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter


----------



## marlo

Hello great guide. I got my first SSD - Kingston 120gb and I have a few questions related to programs and Intel Tech.

My boot up time is very fast. 13 seconds or so. Huge change coming from a 6gb HD.

My SSD has 96/111gb free. It's a 120gb. Not sure if the OS is taking up too much space.

I have installed Windows 7 + drivers and the following programs to my SSD.

- Firefox
- Anti virus
- Media player

I have over 400gb of music. Do I want to have my music player, in this case Foobar and iTunes on the SSD or my HDD? Obviously I can't hold all that music on my SSD.

Do I want Steam on my SSD? Again I can't install all the games I play on there.

Should I put programs like Sony Vegas on the SSD or no?

Any other programs?

What about Intel Smart response technology. Isn't that the SSD caching? I have a 3570k. Do you recommend this or no?

Also why do you recommend moving the user folders? Downloads, pictures, etc?

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marlo*
> 
> Hello great guide. I got my first SSD - Kingston 120gb and I have a few questions related to programs and Intel Tech.
> 
> My boot up time is very fast. 13 seconds or so. Huge change coming from a 6gb HD.


6GB HDD?!?!?








Quote:


> My SSD has 96/111gb free. It's a 120gb. Not sure if the OS is taking up too much space.
> 
> I have installed Windows 7 + drivers and the following programs to my SSD.
> 
> - Firefox
> - Anti virus
> - Media player


Seems fine. Updates will take some room as well. And you did disable hibernation and shrink page file I assume?
Quote:


> I have over 400gb of music. Do I want to have my music player, in this case Foobar and iTunes on the SSD or my HDD? Obviously I can't hold all that music on my SSD.


Program installed on SSD. You can leave your music in your user music folder, then change the location of the music folder to the HDD via the properties so that the music is on the HDD.
Quote:


> Do I want Steam on my SSD? Again I can't install all the games I play on there.


Drop the whole steam folder on the HDD. Run the steam.exe and sign in and you will have your whole steam library on the HDD now.
Quote:


> Should I put programs like Sony Vegas on the SSD or no?


Yes
Quote:


> Any other programs?


All programs on SSD if possible. Steam is an exception as it is a portable program and stores the games in its folder.
Quote:


> What about Intel Smart response technology. Isn't that the SSD caching?


Yes it is.
Quote:


> I have a 3570k. Do you recommend this or no?


If you have another 64GB SSD or smaller to use as a cache drive feel free to set it up, otherwise don't bother.
Quote:


> Also why do you recommend moving the user folders? Downloads, pictures, etc?
> 
> Thanks!


So the user data is on the HDD and not on the SSD. I have almost a TB of user files and that would never fit on my SSD and non of the files really need a SSD as the OS and programs do so i just have everything stored on the HDD.


----------



## marlo

Thanks I don't have many pictures, but I will move the folders since you mentioned music.

I don't have another SSD as this is my first. I wasn't sure how the smart response worked. This is my first Intel chip since 2000.

What do you mean drop the whole steam folder on the HD? Shouldn't I just install steam to D: in this case.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marlo*
> 
> Thanks I don't have many pictures, but I will move the folders since you mentioned music.
> 
> I don't have another SSD as this is my first. I wasn't sure how the smart response worked. This is my first Intel chip since 2000.
> 
> What do you mean drop the whole steam folder on the HD? Shouldn't I just install steam to D: in this case.


Oh, so you don't have a backup of your steam folder anywhere? Well then yea, just install to wherever on D:


----------



## marlo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Oh, so you don't have a backup of your steam folder anywhere? Well then yea, just install to wherever on D:


no this is a fresh install.

I have Windows 7 installed on my 1TB hd in another computer with steam. Am I able to remove the OS from the HD and then I don't have to reinstall?

Also Service Pack 1 ate 8GB of space. I am now 82/111gb.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marlo*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Oh, so you don't have a backup of your steam folder anywhere? Well then yea, just install to wherever on D:
> 
> 
> 
> no this is a fresh install.
> 
> I have Windows 7 installed on my 1TB hd in another computer with steam. Am I able to remove the OS from the HD and then I don't have to reinstall?
Click to expand...

Yep, just drag the steam folder over, no need to re-download all the games. Also, find all your game save files as well!
Quote:


> Also Service Pack 1 ate 8GB of space. I am now 82/111gb.


Run Windows disk cleanup and you should get some space back.


----------



## marlo

thanks for your help. one last thing.

Do I need to update the SSD drivers? I mean it's my first and it's working perfect out of the box. I have heard people who update firmware can brick the SSD and then it's garbage. What benefit would I get updating firmware and taking this risk? My computer already boots fast and programs open much faster now.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marlo*
> 
> thanks for your help. one last thing.
> 
> Do I need to update the SSD drivers? I mean it's my first and it's working perfect out of the box. I have heard people who update firmware can brick the SSD and then it's garbage. What benefit would I get updating firmware and taking this risk? My computer already boots fast and programs open much faster now.


Leave as it is. If it ever gives issues we can see if there is an update to help troubleshoot. Otherwise since it works great now leave as it is.


----------



## X4v3r

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *2.5TB drives and larger:*
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *convert gpt*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter


Thank you very much! Given that the drive supports 4K, should I also align the primary partition appropriately?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *X4v3r*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *2.5TB drives and larger:*
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *convert gpt*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you very much! Given that the drive supports 4K, should I also align the primary partition appropriately?
Click to expand...

it will be aligned automatically.


----------



## hyperkite

I setup my 3 TB drive last week Win 7 with computer management and it setup with NTFS, Hopefully I am saying it right.
Gigabyte motherboard had this software 3TB+Unlock for 2.2TB and over.

Is this why I did not have to use GPT this time ?

If I installed this drive on a motherboard that did not support 3TB would I then have to change drive
back to GPT to use drive?

I remember 3 years ago when I added 2TB to my system then and motherboard did not support 2TB or larger I used GPT.

3TB Drivem Setup 67k .JPG file


Thanks again


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hyperkite*
> 
> I setup my 3 TB drive last week Win 7 with computer management and it setup with NTFS, Hopefully I am saying it right.
> Gigabyte motherboard had this software 3TB+Unlock for 2.2TB and over.
> 
> Is this why I did not have to use GPT this time ?


IDK exactly what the unlocker programs work, however that is why you don't need to use GPT when you use one. They somehow combine the MBR partitions.
Quote:


> If I installed this drive on a motherboard that did not support 3TB would I then have to change drive
> back to GPT to use drive?


IDK, there shouldn't be an issue.
Quote:


> I remember 3 years ago when I added 2TB to my system then and motherboard did not support 2TB or larger I used GPT.
> 
> 3TB Drivem Setup 67k .JPG file
> 
> 
> Thanks again


weird, it should have supported 2TB if it was SATA 3Gb/s.


----------



## X4v3r

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> it will be aligned automatically.


Thanks again!

In the description for manually partitioning a GPT boot drive it says for step 11 to _"Type *Create Partition Primary Align=1024*, press Enter."_
What technical difference requires alignment in this step and no alignment on a GPT drive with just a single partition?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *X4v3r*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> it will be aligned automatically.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks again!
> 
> In the description for manually partitioning a GPT boot drive it says for step 11 to _"Type *Create Partition Primary Align=1024*, press Enter."_
> What technical difference requires alignment in this step and no alignment on a GPT drive with just a single partition?
Click to expand...

it is just excessive lol. I could cut the align part out actually I just liked showing it as it shows you can align to anything, not just he default 1024.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> it is just excessive lol. I could cut the align part out actually I just liked showing it as it shows you can align to anything, not just he default 1024.


But 1024 is better for GPT, even for a small difference, right? And 4096 for MBR.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> it is just excessive lol. I could cut the align part out actually I just liked showing it as it shows you can align to anything, not just he default 1024.
> 
> 
> 
> But 1024 is better for GPT, even for a small difference, right? And 4096 for MBR.
Click to expand...

No difference. I had bad info/judgment before lol


----------



## hyperkite

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *hyperkite*
> 
> I setup my 3 TB drive last week Win 7 with computer management and it setup with NTFS, Hopefully I am saying it right.
> Gigabyte motherboard had this software 3TB+Unlock for 2.2TB and over.
> 
> Is this why I did not have to use GPT this time ?
> 
> 
> 
> IDK exactly what the unlocker programs work, however that is why you don't need to use GPT when you use one. They somehow combine the MBR partitions.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> If I installed this drive on a motherboard that did not support 3TB would I then have to change drive
> back to GPT to use drive?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> IDK, there shouldn't be an issue.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> I remember 3 years ago when I added 2TB to my system then and motherboard did not support 2TB or larger I used GPT.
> 
> 3TB Drivem Setup 67k .JPG file
> 
> 
> Thanks again
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> weird, it should have supported 2TB if it was SATA 3Gb/s.
Click to expand...

Thanks for responding, I appreciate it


----------



## DirT

The most helpful guide on the internets EVER! Thanks SEAN!


----------



## JML10166

I'm looking to perk things up a bit by using a RAM disk, probably for cache and temp files, as well as save writes to my SSDs. I've never bothered relocating my temp files before, so I am wondering.. is there anything I should be concerned about before changing the path for temp files to my RAM disk? Or is it safe to just change the paths without a second thought? Is there any conceivable thing in a temp directory that could cause Windows a problem by its absence (I'd be setting the RAM disk get wiped when I power-off rather than write to my SSDs)?

JML


----------



## bruflot

On a MacBook Pro, that comes with an SSD by default; is Trim enabled?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JML10166*
> 
> I'm looking to perk things up a bit by using a RAM disk, probably for cache and temp files, as well as save writes to my SSDs. I've never bothered relocating my temp files before, so I am wondering.. is there anything I should be concerned about before changing the path for temp files to my RAM disk? Or is it safe to just change the paths without a second thought? Is there any conceivable thing in a temp directory that could cause Windows a problem by its absence (I'd be setting the RAM disk get wiped when I power-off rather than write to my SSDs)?
> 
> JML


IDK if there is any issue. You should be able to move them fine.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bruflot*
> 
> On a MacBook Pro, that comes with an SSD by default; is Trim enabled?


i believe so.


----------



## GunMetal

I cannot boot my system with AHCI enabled. The system boots but only with the SSD. With my old HDD connected it just won't work. The HDD is my past OS drive which contains all my past files, I think it needs to be reformatted right? If yes, is there any other way to make it run in AHCI mode?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GunMetal*
> 
> I cannot boot my system with AHCI enabled. The system boots but only with the SSD. With my old HDD connected it just won't work. The HDD is my past OS drive which contains all my past files, I think it needs to be reformatted right? If yes, is there any other way to make it run in AHCI mode?


Is the SSD set as the boot drive in BIOS when you hook up the HDD? Then you have all other boot options disabled?

Maybe reset CMOS and reconfigure your BIOS.


----------



## GunMetal

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Is the SSD set as the boot drive in BIOS when you hook up the HDD? Then you have all other boot options disabled?
> 
> Maybe reset CMOS and reconfigure your BIOS.


I can boot the system with both SSD and HDD connected but only on IDE mode. I think it's IDE mode (not really sure) next to the AHCI in bios.


----------



## kj1060

Is there anything special that needs to be done to secure erase a raid 0 array? I was just figuring I might as well just do a complete restart of my install once I finish with the mods.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Is there anything special that needs to be done to secure erase a raid 0 array? I was just figuring I might as well just do a complete restart of my install once I finish with the mods.


Just follow my S/E guide and you will be set.


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Just follow my S/E guide and you will be set.


Thanks again for all the tips and tricks!


----------



## SmellyMoot

great thread!!!!!!!!


----------



## penguinz

Do you need to install the Intel RST drivers if you're not using raid? Can anyone point me to which one I should download, intel has a few different choices with the same version number? I'm using the Asus p8z77-v pro and a Samsung 830 128gb SSD with a WD caviar black 1tb for storage. (I'll try to get the rest of my rig in my sig as soon as I can). Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *penguinz*
> 
> Do you need to install the Intel RST drivers if you're not using raid? Can anyone point me to which one I should download, intel has a few different choices with the same version number? I'm using the Asus p8z77-v pro and a Samsung 830 128gb SSD with a WD caviar black 1tb for storage. (I'll try to get the rest of my rig in my sig as soon as I can). Thanks.


http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/4300_50#post_19080094

Install this: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/22194/a08/iata_cd.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=22194&ProductID=3449&keyword=%222012+Intel+Rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel+RST%29%22


----------



## eBombzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *penguinz*
> 
> Do you need to install the Intel RST drivers if you're not using raid? Can anyone point me to which one I should download, intel has a few different choices with the same version number? I'm using the Asus p8z77-v pro and a Samsung 830 128gb SSD with a WD caviar black 1tb for storage. (I'll try to get the rest of my rig in my sig as soon as I can). Thanks.


No you don't NEED to install IRST but it helps 4k writes. Go here http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=%222012+Intel+Rapid+Storage+Technology+(Intel+RST)%22#

Select your OS and sort by date. Click on the latest one that says AHCI. Now you get 3 choices, one is the F6 method, which is irrelevant if you already installed your OS, and the other two are 32-bit and 64-bit zips.

For the regular zips, all you need to do is extract the files to wherever and click on setup.exe

The F6 method installs before the OS. You load the F6 files onto a USB and when you get to select your drive partitions, you click on the partition and click load driver. It should auto detect the file and then your done.

Both methods usually have the same results. If you have problems, try re-installing the OS and using the F6 method.


----------



## Snuckie7

So I just installed the Intel RST drivers, and my PC locks up for a few minutes every day. I checked the event viewer, and it gives this error: "Reset to device, \Device\RaidPort0, was issued." followed by a series of errors: "The IO operation at logical block address 155d58 for Disk 0 was retried." with different addresses. The problem goes away when I uninstall the Intel drivers, but any idea of what went wrong?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snuckie7*
> 
> So I just installed the Intel RST drivers, and my PC locks up for a few minutes every day. I checked the event viewer, and it gives this error: "Reset to device, \Device\RaidPort0, was issued." followed by a series of errors: "The IO operation at logical block address 155d58 for Disk 0 was retried." with different addresses. The problem goes away when I uninstall the Intel drivers, but any idea of what went wrong?


no


----------



## Snuckie7

Alright thanks for the response. I'll try your troubleshooting thread to see if the screenshots provide a little more insight into the problem.


----------



## marlo

How do you think my boot time is?

It's about 16 seconds from hitting the power button.

When the screen first turns on, in the bottom right hand corner it says 99 and other numbers / letters. Post checkpoints or something I assume? Anyway to disable this?

After that it goes to the MSI screen quickly, then to Windows and it goes fast enough before the Windows logo can be made.

Then desktop and I can open Firefox in a second.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marlo*
> 
> How do you think my boot time is?
> 
> It's about 16 seconds from hitting the power button.


Ridiculously fast.








Quote:


> When the screen first turns on, in the bottom right hand corner it says 99 and other numbers / letters. Post checkpoints or something I assume? Anyway to disable this?
> 
> After that it goes to the MSI screen quickly, then to Windows and it goes fast enough before the Windows logo can be made.
> 
> Then desktop and I can open Firefox in a second.


i've never heard of that before.


----------



## choc4late

very good guide. i decided to just clone my current ssd to my new ssd. its just way too much effort to start from scratch.


----------



## eBombzor

Hey Sean. I just noticed here that you recommend installing this IRST driver. I've been using the driver that says "AHCI: IRST Driver for Intel...", while you recommend the "IRST (RAID) driver". I see you recommend this driver to AHCI users, but it says in the description that it's a RAID driver. Should I be installing that driver or am I fine with the one that says AHCI: IRST? I use a single SSD with a HDD, so I'm in AHCI mode.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Hey Sean. I just noticed here that you recommend installing this IRST driver. I've been using the driver that says "AHCI: IRST Driver for Intel...", while you recommend the "IRST (RAID) driver". I see you recommend this driver to AHCI users, but it says in the description that it's a RAID driver. Should I be installing that driver or am I fine with the one that says AHCI: IRST? I use a single SSD with a HDD, so I'm in AHCI mode.


I recommend the plain labeled one because sometimes one or two of the other labeled ones will give people issues. IDK what the heck the difference is b/w them besides their names honestly as they are the same file size...

The plain one is fine for AHCI or RAID. It doesn't matter.


----------



## eBombzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Hey Sean. I just noticed here that you recommend installing this IRST driver. I've been using the driver that says "AHCI: IRST Driver for Intel...", while you recommend the "IRST (RAID) driver". I see you recommend this driver to AHCI users, but it says in the description that it's a RAID driver. Should I be installing that driver or am I fine with the one that says AHCI: IRST? I use a single SSD with a HDD, so I'm in AHCI mode.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I recommend the plain labeled one because sometimes one or two of the other labeled ones will give people issues. IDK what the heck the difference is b/w them besides their names honestly as they are the same file size...
> 
> The plain one is fine for AHCI or RAID. It doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

Issues? That's weird. I'll install the ones you recommended for my fresh install now, thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Issues? That's weird. I'll install the ones you recommended for my fresh install now, thanks.


Yea, some times people will have freezing or sometimes their speeds will be terrible.


----------



## Snuckie7

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, some times people will have freezing or sometimes their speeds will be terrible.


Yea I get freezing unfortunately. The speeds are great though when it's not frozen.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snuckie7*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, some times people will have freezing or sometimes their speeds will be terrible.
> 
> 
> 
> Yea I get freezing unfortunately. The speeds are great though when it's not frozen.
Click to expand...

What driver did you use?


----------



## Snuckie7

Latest regular RST drivers.


----------



## kij123

Sean please make this avialable:

Empty windows update download cache:
This is a safe and easy way to get rid of any left over windows update files.
Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
Delete all of them.

*Here is a .bat that will do it automatically when you run it: Empty windows update download cache.zip 1k .zip file*

cant get to it unfortunately.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kij123*
> 
> Sean please make this avialable:
> 
> Empty windows update download cache:
> This is a safe and easy way to get rid of any left over windows update files.
> Go to: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
> Delete all of them.
> 
> *Here is a .bat that will do it automatically when you run it: Empty windows update download cache.zip 1k .zip file*
> 
> cant get to it unfortunately.
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds


Why can't you donwload it? i can perfectly fine.

does his link work?

http://www.overclock.net/attachments/3121

or this?

Empty windows update download cache.zip 1k .zip file


----------



## Scotty99

First time poster here in SSD forums.

About a year ago i got an SSD for my PC and absolutely hated it, because i have had a single storage device in my PC for 15 years having to allocate where stuff downloaded/installed to bothered me to the point of ripping it out.

Now, i have decided to buy a large SSD and use it as my only drive, but i got a couple questions!

1. In your guide it initially says "Just turn on AHCI and install it, thats all you need!" Then later on there is a massive guide on how to optimize your SSD install, what gives lol?
2. Im going to try and install windows with a USB stick which ive never done. I have a legit copy of windows on a disc atm, do i just get the image onto my USB stick (i can figure out how to do this, i think







) and then use the key from my disc?
3. Ive heard some brands offer software that you can to make SSD's run better, is there a consensus brand that offers the best type of this software? Id much rather just run some software for optimizing than changing anything in windows like page files and crap like that.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Scotty99*
> 
> First time poster here in SSD forums.
> 
> About a year ago i got an SSD for my PC and absolutely hated it, because i have had a single storage device in my PC for 15 years having to allocate where stuff downloaded/installed to bothered me to the point of ripping it out.
> 
> Now, i have decided to buy a large SSD and use it as my only drive, but i got a couple questions!
> 
> 1. In your guide it initially says "Just turn on AHCI and install it, thats all you need!" Then later on there is a massive guide on how to optimize your SSD install, what gives lol?


Extra info and guides and crap for people who want more than that for a guide.








Quote:


> 2. Im going to try and install windows with a USB stick which ive never done. I have a legit copy of windows on a disc atm, do i just get the image onto my USB stick (i can figure out how to do this, i think
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) and then use the key from my disc?


Guides at the bottom of POST 1.
Quote:


> 3. Ive heard some brands offer software that you can to make SSD's run better, is there a consensus brand that offers the best type of this software? Id much rather just run some software for optimizing than changing anything in windows like page files and crap like that.


I think that software is stupid myself. lol


----------



## MikeDod

Hi Sean,
before asking my question I'd like to say thank you and congratulate you for your amazing work !
here it is I have a question for you. Well whenever I try to listen to a CD via my CD drive, it won't start up automatically, instead I have an error message saying : D:/ application not found. I think it's related to the fact that I'm using a second HDD with windows files installed on a SSD. So I was wondering if you could help me with that ! And also I'm having a hard time with the shortcut icon whenever I install a new program I need to recreate the shortcut via the program file folder.

Thank you !

Mike


----------



## kottke

Hi Sean,

Sorry to bother you, but I was following along with you "Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide for SSDs & HDDs" and I encountered a problem. I was hoping maybe you could tell me how to fix it.

I was doing the "System Setup After Installation Portion," working on moving my user folders from my newly installed SSD to my other installed hard drive, when I discovered that all of the folders I transferred over had disappeared. Not only that, now I have a bunch of "Desktop" folders in my user file on the SSD. All of those "Desktop" folders contain a shortcut to "[email protected]," which I don't even know what that is. I've put screenshots below:

http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1281351/

http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1281355/width/350/height/700/flags/LL

How can I get my original folders back?

Thank you for your help!

Mark


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MikeDod*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> before asking my question I'd like to say thank you and congratulate you for your amazing work !
> here it is I have a question for you. Well whenever I try to listen to a CD via my CD drive, it won't start up automatically, instead I have an error message saying : D:/ application not found. I think it's related to the fact that I'm using a second HDD with windows files installed on a SSD. So I was wondering if you could help me with that ! And also I'm having a hard time with the shortcut icon whenever I install a new program I need to recreate the shortcut via the program file folder.
> 
> Thank you !
> 
> Mike


idk what you did, i never have that issue. What did you do with the SSD and HDD exactly? I just have all my OS and programs on my main drive and my data on my secondary.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kottke*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> Sorry to bother you, but I was following along with you "Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide for SSDs & HDDs" and I encountered a problem. I was hoping maybe you could tell me how to fix it.
> 
> I was doing the "System Setup After Installation Portion," working on moving my user folders from my newly installed SSD to my other installed hard drive, when I discovered that all of the folders I transferred over had disappeared. Not only that, now I have a bunch of "Desktop" folders in my user file on the SSD. All of those "Desktop" folders contain a shortcut to "[email protected]," which I don't even know what that is. I've put screenshots below:
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1281351/
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1281355/width/350/height/700/flags/LL
> 
> How can I get my original folders back?
> 
> Thank you for your help!
> 
> Mark


Based on the screenshots I have absolutely no idea what you did lol. IDK how you did that but, I'd just make a new user profile, delete the old. Then start over with that. However, you can look into this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html

I've used that before to get the folders back for people when they improperly set up the locations before.


----------



## HiCZoK

One question.
Just got 128gb plextor m5s.. It is a system drive + apps and steam. Windows takes 15gb.
Can i fill it up how I want or should I leave some free space on it (how much?

And more important - Should I defragment it ?

edit: Oh, sorry - Found the defrag guid - "DO NOT DEFRAG SSD" oh then







I also disabled indexing.

btw. Can I safely merge my old c: 50gb partition of wdz1tbezex with it's second partition ? I now don't use the old c: so I want too add it to rest of the disk (It is only partitioned for c: and d


----------



## Icekilla

I merged both partitions on my 500GB last night when I finally installed my new SSD. So I don't see why you can't.

Also, I'm loving my new SSD! I followed your guide, Sean, and now my system ROCKS!


----------



## MikeDod

So basically , I installed windows 7 and everything related to it on my SSD (C and then I changed the default intallation path to my HDD (E,
After that, I installed every other program I use on it. So now I'm having this issue with my CD Drive (D it seems like it doesn't find Windows Media Player or something everytime I put a mucis CD in it I get the D:/ Application data not found error, but If I go to windows media player manually everything is there I can listen to the disk and work just fine, problem is, if I rip the CD, I can't listen to it from my computer since I can use WMP as the deafault program ... that's weird ... because I followed every step of your tutorial ...

Thank you !

Mike


----------



## HiCZoK

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Icekilla*
> 
> I merged both partitions on my 500GB last night when I finally installed my new SSD. So I don't see why you can't.
> 
> Also, I'm loving my new SSD! I followed your guide, Sean, and now my system ROCKS!


how ?


----------



## Icekilla

Use Disk Management.


----------



## scheibler

Do you guys think it's necessary to buy windows 7/8 basically just for the TRIM feature? I ordered an SSD today and will be following this guide, but I'm on Vista 64bit


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *scheibler*
> 
> Do you guys think it's necessary to buy windows 7/8 basically just for the TRIM feature? I ordered an SSD today and will be following this guide, but I'm on Vista 64bit


Yes I would say so.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MikeDod*
> 
> So basically , I installed windows 7 and everything related to it on my SSD (C and then I changed the default intallation path to my HDD (E,
> After that, I installed every other program I use on it. So now I'm having this issue with my CD Drive (D it seems like it doesn't find Windows Media Player or something everytime I put a mucis CD in it I get the D:/ Application data not found error, but If I go to windows media player manually everything is there I can listen to the disk and work just fine, problem is, if I rip the CD, I can't listen to it from my computer since I can use WMP as the deafault program ... that's weird ... because I followed every step of your tutorial ...
> 
> Thank you !
> 
> Mike


I wouldn't do that. I'd just leave the install path alone. That definitely is the issue. Reset it or reinstall to fix it.


----------



## HiCZoK

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Icekilla*
> 
> Use Disk Management.


but my files wont get deleted ?


----------



## MikeDod

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I wouldn't do that. I'd just leave the install path alone. That definitely is the issue. Reset it or reinstall to fix it.


What do you mean by Reset it or reinstall it ?


----------



## johnmerrick

I'm having a problem getting Service pack 1 to install with a Samsung 830. I used the guide here to get the drive set up etc (fresh install) but Service pack 1 installs then reboots just before the windows logo ends with a quick blue screen. The system reboots in a loop with and tries a repair but I have to settle for a system restore to get it back.

However, the key is 'possibly' AHCI mode.

Last night I installed a Samsung 840 into an Acer Aspire revo r3700 (downstairs computer) with a back up of the previous drive (with Acronis backup & restore) and windows loaded up fine with service pack 1 already included. BUT! when i was doing my system tweaks (with samsung magician etc) i then went to the bios and enable AHCI mode (it was set to IDE) and the reboot loop started again!

So after a quick google of Windows 7 (all x64) AHCI settings i http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/61869-ahci-enable-windows-7-vista.html I tweaked the registry as in the link and the sytem rebooted, installed new drivers, rebooted again and now all is well with that one.

So I went back to my loft pc with the original problem thinking 'that must be it'. However, AHCI mode is already set and the registry is identical and yet it won't accept Service pack 1.

I'm stumped! any ideas?, All firmwares are up to date for both drives etc.

thanks.


----------



## CrAsHnBuRnXp

Great guide Sean. Seems like you have updated it since the last time I was here. I do have a question though (maybe ive overlooked it). Do you still recommend moving the TEMP file folder to a hdd from the SSD? I didnt see that in the guide. Thanks!


----------



## iARDAs

I got 2 SSDs and 1 HDD.

I don't have to do raid or anything right guys?

If I just add a 3rd SSD or perhaps a 2nd HDD, will I have to do something in the UEFI?


----------



## HiCZoK

how many partitions do You guys mostly use ?
I have one for c: 128gb ssd (not partitioned - used for win7 and steam)
and D: 1tb wd10ezex drive.

Any preferred ways to do partitioning? I always used to make E partition for software etc but it is kinda useless.
I also have old wd500 drive but it is 5 years and I unplugged it. it is still working but is much louder and slower than new drives


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HiCZoK*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Icekilla*
> 
> Use Disk Management.
> 
> 
> 
> but my files wont get deleted ?
Click to expand...

there is always a chance of file corruption. Always backup first.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MikeDod*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I wouldn't do that. I'd just leave the install path alone. That definitely is the issue. Reset it or reinstall to fix it.
> 
> 
> 
> What do you mean by Reset it or reinstall it ?
Click to expand...

reset the changes you made or reinstall the OS.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *johnmerrick*
> 
> I'm having a problem getting Service pack 1 to install with a Samsung 830. I used the guide here to get the drive set up etc (fresh install) but Service pack 1 installs then reboots just before the windows logo ends with a quick blue screen. The system reboots in a loop with and tries a repair but I have to settle for a system restore to get it back.
> 
> However, the key is 'possibly' AHCI mode.
> 
> Last night I installed a Samsung 840 into an Acer Aspire revo r3700 (downstairs computer) with a back up of the previous drive (with Acronis backup & restore) and windows loaded up fine with service pack 1 already included. BUT! when i was doing my system tweaks (with samsung magician etc) i then went to the bios and enable AHCI mode (it was set to IDE) and the reboot loop started again!
> 
> So after a quick google of Windows 7 (all x64) AHCI settings i http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/61869-ahci-enable-windows-7-vista.html I tweaked the registry as in the link and the sytem rebooted, installed new drivers, rebooted again and now all is well with that one.
> 
> So I went back to my loft pc with the original problem thinking 'that must be it'. However, AHCI mode is already set and the registry is identical and yet it won't accept Service pack 1.
> 
> I'm stumped! any ideas?, All firmwares are up to date for both drives etc.
> 
> thanks.


install with an iso with SP1 already integrated?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CrAsHnBuRnXp*
> 
> Great guide Sean. Seems like you have updated it since the last time I was here. I do have a question though (maybe ive overlooked it). Do you still recommend moving the TEMP file folder to a hdd from the SSD? I didnt see that in the guide. Thanks!


I never did. You can, but i don't bother.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iARDAs*
> 
> I got 2 SSDs and 1 HDD.
> 
> I don't have to do raid or anything right guys?
> 
> If I just add a 3rd SSD or perhaps a 2nd HDD, will I have to do something in the UEFI?


Just add it and initialize it in disk management.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HiCZoK*
> 
> how many partitions do You guys mostly use ?
> I have one for c: 128gb ssd (not partitioned - used for win7 and steam)
> and D: 1tb wd10ezex drive.
> 
> Any preferred ways to do partitioning? I always used to make E partition for software etc but it is kinda useless.
> I also have old wd500 drive but it is 5 years and I unplugged it. it is still working but is much louder and slower than new drives


i have just a single partition for my drives.


----------



## HiCZoK

That answered all my questions







thanks again.

I actually just backed up what i wanted and formatted that 1tb wd10ezex to 1 partition. Works great and have high benchmarks.
As for m5s 128gb. It's as ssd score is 764 while it scores over 820 online.
I guess that is because I am running win764 bit on it


----------



## eBombzor

When I do a fresh install, can I keep the old user folders on my HDD from the previous install or should I delete them and move the new user folders to the HDD?


----------



## HiCZoK

If the user name is the same, I think You can just backup the files and copy them back after fresh install ?

btw.
How do I properly check my ssd speed?
my m5s 128gb (1.2) have 760 as ssd score while reviews claim it have about 720-30 score. That is windows 764bit with newest rapid storage drivers etc.

Also , as I am new to ssd and Just set up this ssd for c: That is only windwos, apps and games(steam). Will the drive degrade fast and I need to take special care? Or can I just use it as I want and install unninstall steam games?
I have 104gb of free space after fresh install and apps setup. Hibernation file deleted. page file 512mb. No indexing.

so to sum my questions - as ssd score and degradation becaues of write








edit: I actually found the answer to that on last page but can someone explain further. ssd vs defragmentation


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> When I do a fresh install, can I keep the old user folders on my HDD from the previous install or should I delete them and move the new user folders to the HDD?


the folders like docs pix vids etc? you can keep them and then redirect the new user folders to that location.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HiCZoK*
> 
> If the user name is the same, I think You can just backup the files and copy them back after fresh install ?
> 
> btw.
> How do I properly check my ssd speed?
> my m5s 128gb (1.2) have 760 as ssd score while reviews claim it have about 720-30 score. That is windows 764bit with newest rapid storage drivers etc.


AS SSD is fine.

Overall that score seems fine.
Quote:


> Also , as I am new to ssd and Just set up this ssd for c: That is only windwos, apps and games(steam). Will the drive degrade fast and I need to take special care? Or can I just use it as I want and install unninstall steam games?
> I have 104gb of free space after fresh install and apps setup. Hibernation file deleted. page file 512mb. No indexing.


You can treat it like any other drive.
Quote:


> so to sum my questions - as ssd score and degradation becaues of write
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> edit: I actually found the answer to that on last page but can someone explain further. ssd vs defragmentation


Do not defrag a SSD, no need to nor any advantage in doing so.

Explained more here:
Quote:


> Why you shouldn't defrag a SSD:
> Basically a SSD never needs defragmenting because it doesn't matter where the data is on the drive, they have ~.1 access time to anywhere on the the SSD's NAND cells and is always the same. All defragging does to an ssd is reduce its life by moving the data around on the drive.
> 
> There is a difference in defragging a SSD vs a HDD.
> 
> With HDDs the OS knows where the data on the HDD. Defrag programs assume that LBA (Logical Block Addresses) are fixed to a specific physical point on the hard disk. for example, LBA=1 is next to LBA=2, which is in turn next to LBA=3, thus when you defrag, it moves adjusts the files locations on the disk's platters where they can be read sequentially to increase the speeds. This is not the case for SSDs as LBAs for flash pages change based on its wear leveling algorithm.
> 
> For SSDs since they have flash memory and have a controller that takes care of wear leveling, when you defrag, it is a waste of writes to the drive on the drive, the OS thinks it knows where it is, but it really does not. It simply tells the SSD to read and write the data over in a certain location, but the controller of the SSD actually tells the data where to go. So, the OS does not know how data is being mapped on the SSD, the controller maintains the OS's understanding of the LBA but keeps it own internal LBA map.
> 
> Fragmentation is not going to hurt a SSD's speed. As a matter of fact SSDs fragment data on purpose to increase performance through parallel access, fragmentation is a requirement for maximum SSD performance. SSD controllers use multiple channels (typically 8-10) to improve performance (like RAID 0). Fragmenting data helps to ensure best performance. Even if a file is stored in sequential blocks according to its LBA address (ie. the file is not fragmented according to the OS/defrag program), it might be sprawled across several flash chips.


----------



## kevindd992002

Just a note for redirecting user folders. They do not copy the exact security settings to that of the original location. With this, you might have problems installing msi installers if they are ran from the redirected folders. I'll try to find the thread I made at seven forums about this and will post it here. I hope you take note of this, Sean.


----------



## HiCZoK

again, thanks


----------



## eBombzor

Thanks Sean.

For an HDD, should I fully format it or can I get away with a quick format? It's one TB and I barely wrote anything on it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Just a note for redirecting user folders. They do not copy the exact security settings to that of the original location. With this, you might have problems installing msi installers if they are ran from the redirected folders. I'll try to find the thread I made at seven forums about this and will post it here. I hope you take note of this, Sean.


SOOO, what does that mean exactly? All my installers including msi installers have run perfectly from my downloads folder.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Thanks Sean.
> 
> For an HDD, should I fully format it or can I get away with a quick format? It's one TB and I barely wrote anything on it.


quick format is fine.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> SOOO, what does that mean exactly? All my installers including msi installers have run perfectly from my downloads folder.
> quick format is fine.


Don't get offended so easily. You reply always seems to be implying that way, at least. Here's a link to my thread discussing it:

http://www.sevenforums.com/software/259504-installing-msi-packages.html


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> SOOO, what does that mean exactly? All my installers including msi installers have run perfectly from my downloads folder.
> quick format is fine.
> 
> 
> 
> Don't get offended so easily. You reply always seems to be implying that way, at least. Here's a link to my thread discussing it:
> 
> http://www.sevenforums.com/software/259504-installing-msi-packages.html
Click to expand...

Oh, I'm not offended. LOL. I am just asking a question. I am not sure what the difference is b/w the security things and was just asking. I love hearing more info!









Sorry for sounding that way, sometimes i dont feel like sugar coating replies and feel like blatantly saying things.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Oh, I'm not offended. LOL. I am just asking a question. I am not sure what the difference is b/w the security things and was just asking. I love hearing more info!


Lol, I thought so. I hope you give that thread a read.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Oh, I'm not offended. LOL. I am just asking a question. I am not sure what the difference is b/w the security things and was just asking. I love hearing more info!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lol, I thought so. I hope you give that thread a read.
Click to expand...

I just read it.









hmm, i think that issue you had may be a odd occurrence. I just checked my folders security options and the folders i relocated carried over the settings. Was it only the downloads folder for you or did your other user folders you move strip away the settings?

Below is a picture of a folder I moved (desktop) and one i never touched (contacts).



From that I found i didn't lose any settings, one was actually added.

hmmm, now I want to figure out what caused yours to get messed up!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I just read it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hmm, i think that issue you had may be a odd occurrence. I just checked my folders security options and the folders i relocated carried over the settings. Was it only the downloads folder for you or did your other user folders you move strip away the settings?
> 
> Below is a picture of a folder I moved (desktop) and one i never touched (contacts).
> 
> 
> 
> From that I found i didn't lose any settings, one was actually added.
> 
> hmmm, now I want to figure out what caused yours to get messed up!


That's weird. It was actually true for all the relocated folders including the Downloads folder.

Yeah, I hope you can help me what caused that.


----------



## kj1060

Hi Sean,

I am having some trouble re-installing Windows on my raid array.

When I try to Secure Erase I get stuck on this screen:


If I try to just skip the Secure Erase and when I try to install Windows with the files from f6flpy-x64.zip I select either of the Raid Drivers, but it does not show my raid array after loading the drivers.


Edit: My old installation is still there and I can get to it, so is there something special that I need to do?


----------



## z0ki

Guys i got an issue. I disabled all the services listed in the link i've posted, But now my permissions are all screwed up! Can't copy anything to C:\Programs Files
Can't load Origin or Steam as it stats i don't have access even though i am admin? I go into Properties, then security tab and all my permission boxes are ticked.

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?63273-*-Windows-7-Ultimate-Tweaks-amp-Utilities-*

Here the list from the site of the services i've disabled.

Application Experience
Computer Browser (If your PC does not connect to any network)
Desktop Window Manager Session Manager (If you don't want the aero effects)
Diagnostic Policy Service
Disk Defragmenter
Distributed Link Tracking Client
IP Helper
Offline Files
Portable Device Enumerator Service
Print Spooler (If you do not use Printer)
Protected Storage
Remote Registry (You can safely disable it for more Security)
Secondary Logon
Security Center
Server (If your computer do not connect with any network)
Tablet PC Input Service
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Windows Defender
Windows Error Reporting Service
Windows Media Center Service Launcher
Windows Search (If you rarely use Windows Search feature )
Windows Time (If you do not want to synchronize system time with internet time automatically)


----------



## hyperkite

"This guide was written in 2009. With the 3rd generation of SSD's now in full production, many of these tweaks are not necessary."
I am re-iterating that these tweaks are 100% optional, not required to use an SSD.

Last time I did this was with Black Viper's and I messed up. So I did a System Restore to fix it
and System Restore worked just fine for me...
Hope this helps


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> I am having some trouble re-installing Windows on my raid array.
> 
> When I try to Secure Erase I get stuck on this screen:


I dont even know what that is. What are you using to secure erase?
Quote:


> If I try to just skip the Secure Erase and when I try to install Windows with the files from f6flpy-x64.zip I select either of the Raid Drivers, but it does not show my raid array after loading the drivers.


C600 chipset should be the driver you need.
Quote:


> Edit: My old installation is still there and I can get to it, so is there something special that I need to do?


can you get the driver from that install? Maybe use it.

If anything you can not make the raid volume when you install, you can make it after the system is set up, add in the extra drive and then set up RAID. Intel mobos allow you to migrate from a single drive to multi drive raid config.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *z0ki*
> 
> Guys i got an issue. I disabled all the services listed in the link i've posted, But now my permissions are all screwed up! Can't copy anything to C:\Programs Files
> Can't load Origin or Steam as it stats i don't have access even though i am admin? I go into Properties, then security tab and all my permission boxes are ticked.
> 
> http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?63273-*-Windows-7-Ultimate-Tweaks-amp-Utilities-*
> 
> Here the list from the site of the services i've disabled.
> 
> Application Experience
> Computer Browser (If your PC does not connect to any network)
> Desktop Window Manager Session Manager (If you don't want the aero effects)
> Diagnostic Policy Service
> Disk Defragmenter
> Distributed Link Tracking Client
> IP Helper
> Offline Files
> Portable Device Enumerator Service
> Print Spooler (If you do not use Printer)
> Protected Storage
> Remote Registry (You can safely disable it for more Security)
> Secondary Logon
> Security Center
> Server (If your computer do not connect with any network)
> Tablet PC Input Service
> TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
> Windows Defender
> Windows Error Reporting Service
> Windows Media Center Service Launcher
> Windows Search (If you rarely use Windows Search feature )
> Windows Time (If you do not want to synchronize system time with internet time automatically)


Start by reinabling all those services?

Make a new user account then delete the old one?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hyperkite*
> 
> "This guide was written in 2009. With the 3rd generation of SSD's now in full production, many of these tweaks are not necessary."
> I am re-iterating that these tweaks are 100% optional, not required to use an SSD.
> 
> Last time I did this was with Black Viper's and I messed up. So I did a System Restore to fix it
> and System Restore worked just fine for me...
> Hope this helps


? this one was made in 2011, and correct, everything thing is optional. Shoot, I don't even do half the stuff in my Windows 8 guide lol.


----------



## hyperkite

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?63273-*-Windows-7-Ultimate-Tweaks-amp-Utilities

Exclamation * Windows 7 Ultimate Tweaks & Utilities *

This guide was written in 2009. With the 3rd generation of SSD's now in full production, many of these tweaks are not necessary. I am re-iterating that these tweaks are 100% optional, not required to use an SSD.

I was just repling to his link to this website.. lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Ah, I didn't connect that. Gotcha.


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I dont even know what that is. What are you using to secure erase?
> C600 chipset should be the driver you need.
> can you get the driver from that install? Maybe use it.
> 
> If anything you can not make the raid volume when you install, you can make it after the system is set up, add in the extra drive and then set up RAID. Intel mobos allow you to migrate from a single drive to multi drive raid config.


Sorry for being so vague, I was frustrated at the time of posting and should know better than that.

I am trying to just start from scratch and I figured might as well get some of the benefits of doing a Secure Erase if I was going to be starting from scratch. Currently I have 2 240GB Intel 520s in Raid 0 and I do see the Intel RSTe screen before POST.

I am using Parted Magic from a DVD and using any of the options I always get to that screen and no matter how long I wait it just sits on that screen. a couple other things I am not sure if it would affect Parted Magic: Does it matter which SATA port the DVD drive is plugged into? Does it matter if I have a SATA Cable plugged in for a hot swap, but no drive in the hot swap?

I thought the C600 chipset was the the right one, but further research is leading me to think that because I am on x79 I need to use different drivers. I might be able to grab the drivers from that install.

I did not think I could make a raid volume during install, I thought since I had already created the raid volume and see the Intel RSTe screen before POST, the raid volume was already set up.

Hopefully this post will be more clear about what I am trying to do. Once again sorry for the vague post.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I dont even know what that is. What are you using to secure erase?
> C600 chipset should be the driver you need.
> can you get the driver from that install? Maybe use it.
> 
> If anything you can not make the raid volume when you install, you can make it after the system is set up, add in the extra drive and then set up RAID. Intel mobos allow you to migrate from a single drive to multi drive raid config.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for being so vague, I was frustrated at the time of posting and should know better than that.
> 
> I am trying to just start from scratch and I figured might as well get some of the benefits of doing a Secure Erase if I was going to be starting from scratch. Currently I have 2 240GB Intel 520s in Raid 0 and I do see the Intel RSTe screen before POST.
> 
> I am using Parted Magic from a DVD and using any of the options I always get to that screen and no matter how long I wait it just sits on that screen. a couple other things I am not sure if it would affect Parted Magic: Does it matter which SATA port the DVD drive is plugged into? Does it matter if I have a SATA Cable plugged in for a hot swap, but no drive in the hot swap?
> 
> I thought the C600 chipset was the the right one, but further research is leading me to think that because I am on x79 I need to use different drivers. I might be able to grab the drivers from that install.
> 
> I did not think I could make a raid volume during install, I thought since I had already created the raid volume and see the Intel RSTe screen before POST, the raid volume was already set up.
> 
> Hopefully this post will be more clear about what I am trying to do. Once again sorry for the vague post.
Click to expand...

I'll guide you through this. I'll make everything simple. Hopefully it works lol.

*Prep:*

Forget about Secure Erasing, no need to honestly
Leave your mode SATA mode set to RAID.
Have the windows installer CD plugged into a Intel SATA port or if you are using USB then plug into native USB 2.0 port.
Have all drives unplugged except for a single OS drive. One of your 520's.

*Install:*

Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press *Shift + F10* to open a command prompt.
At the command prompt, type *Diskpart*, press Enter.
Type *List Disk*, press Enter.
Type *Select Disk #* (where *#* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type *Clean*, press Enter.
Type *Exit*, press Enter.
Close the Command Prompt window.
Click the "Next" button.
Click the "Install now" button.
Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Two partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
*Once your are done installing on the one drive do this to set up the RAID array after the install:*

Plug in your other drives.
Install the Intel rapid storage technology driver, the exe, it has the control center with it. This is the one I think it is, there should be one your mobo driver CD as well. Here is a link: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=22106&ProdId=3449&lang=eng
When installing click the Install the Control Center check box as well
Then open the Intel Control center, go to Create > Select RAID level (RAID 0) > select the drives drives and choose to keep data from the old drive (current OS drive) > continue and create it.
Once made it will build the array without losing any data.
Let it finish building the array before you restart, if you restart before then it will have to rebuild again.
Go to disk management once it is finished and expand the partition.

After this you are golden.


----------



## JML10166

I have all SSDs in my rig these days. I'm running Win 7 64-bit. So, my non-OS SSDs are treated as hot-swappable. As I understand it., I need to "Safely Remove Hardware" to take them out.

The problem is, if I try to do that, I get a problem alert that pops up telling me, "This device is currently in use. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device, and then try again." This is mighty vexxing, as there are no applications running that are using the drives, just Windows processes that I can't for the life of me get to let go (I've tried Unlocker-64, Lockhunter-64, Sysinternals Process Explorer--not of them can get Win 7 let go!) This also applies to an external usb backup drive as well.

Is there some way, short of a registry hack, to get Windows to just treat my SSDs the nice old fashioned way?

JML


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JML10166*
> 
> I have all SSDs in my rig these days. I'm running Win 7 64-bit. So, my non-OS SSDs are treated as hot-swappable. As I understand it., I need to "Safely Remove Hardware" to take them out.
> 
> The problem is, if I try to do that, I get a problem alert that pops up telling me, "This device is currently in use. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device, and then try again." This is mighty vexxing, as there are no applications running that are using the drives, just Windows processes that I can't for the life of me get to let go (I've tried Unlocker-64, Lockhunter-64, Sysinternals Process Explorer--not of them can get Win 7 let go!) This also applies to an external usb backup drive as well.
> 
> Is there some way, short of a registry hack, to get Windows to just treat my SSDs the nice old fashioned way?
> 
> JML


Disable hotswap in the BIOS.

You can do this as well: http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware


----------



## kj1060

I attempted to follow your guide. However in order to complete step 6 I had to reset the drives (from the Intel RSTe, using CTRL+I before POST) previously in the raid array, I only cleaned 1 of the drives.

I am currently stuck and have uploaded a video of the road block.




Sorry for the shaky video.

I am assuming I will have to load the drivers from a USB, but just wanted to make sure I was doing it properly. I am not sure how but the usb that was plugged in (at time of filming) was de-allocated some how.

Thank you for your help.

Edit: I am going to try the IRST drivers from the Motherboard website. Not sure why, but according to the website the F6 drivers are from 01/02/12, but the .exe drivers is from 01/18/13 and they have the same version number.


----------



## JML10166

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Disable hotswap in the BIOS.
> 
> You can do this as well: http://www.overclock.net/t/974023/fix-ahci-sata-drives-showing-in-safely-remove-hardware


Thanks, I'll go with the former, since I prefer to avoid messing with the Registry. Hopefully the change doesn't freak out Windows or anything, since it's being done after install. lol

JML


----------



## JML10166

Well, so much for that...

When I go into the UEFI, it doesn't give me a Hot Swap option for either of the SSDs. They are on a Marvell controller and it does offer the option for my optical drives, but not the SSDs.









Frankly, if Windows would just LET GO of them, and my USB devices, like it's supposed to I'd be a lot happier. Perhaps I am forced to (grudgingly) look at the Registry hack, for the SSDs at least.

However, an overall solution that makes the darn "Safely Remove" function behave would be appreciated if anyone knows something that I've not already tried.

Thanks,
JML


----------



## JML10166

Solved.

I went into Device Manager and selected the Marvell Controller and un-checked the "Safely Remove" option. Restarted and ka-zam the SSDs no longer appear on the Safe Remove item menu, just my USB drive... and now, if I can just get Windows to let got of THAT...









JML


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> I attempted to follow your guide. However in order to complete step 6 I had to reset the drives (from the Intel RSTe, using CTRL+I before POST) previously in the raid array, I only cleaned 1 of the drives.
> 
> I am currently stuck and have uploaded a video of the road block.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for the shaky video.
> 
> I am assuming I will have to load the drivers from a USB, but just wanted to make sure I was doing it properly. I am not sure how but the usb that was plugged in (at time of filming) was de-allocated some how.
> 
> Thank you for your help.
> 
> Edit: I am going to try the IRST drivers from the Motherboard website. Not sure why, but according to the website the F6 drivers are from 01/02/12, but the .exe drivers is from 01/18/13 and they have the same version number.


So you only have one drive plugged in? And you ran the clean command in diskpart on it already? Then restarted the install with only the DVD and cleaned SSD plugged in? And it still asks for the driver?

Try installing in AHCI mode and if the drive is viewable then we can change the SATA mode to RAID after the install.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JML10166*
> 
> Solved.
> 
> I went into Device Manager and selected the Marvell Controller and un-checked the "Safely Remove" option. Restarted and ka-zam the SSDs no longer appear on the Safe Remove item menu, just my USB drive... and now, if I can just get Windows to let got of THAT...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JML


All fixed?


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> So you only have one drive plugged in? And you ran the clean command in diskpart on it already? Then restarted the install with only the DVD and cleaned SSD plugged in? And it still asks for the driver?
> 
> Try installing in AHCI mode and if the drive is viewable then we can change the SATA mode to RAID after the install.


Yes to all those questions. I will try that.


----------



## kj1060

Got windows installed via AHCI.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Got windows installed via AHCI.


Do this now:
*Change to RAID mode from AHCI mode or IDE mode:*

Exit all Windows-based programs.
Press [Win] + R or take the RUN option from the start menu.
Now type regedit there and press Enter Key to open up the Registry Editor Window.
If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
Locate and then click the following registry subkeys:

Code:



Code:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor


In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 [3 is default], and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.
Restart your computer
Go to UEFI/BIOS and enable RAID, Save & Reboot
Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.
*Note:* If you have an AMD systems you may need to look here too: http://superuser.com/questions/300035/how-to-install-amd-raid-driver-after-windows-installation
Then follow the guide i previously wrote for RAID 0 set up.


----------



## Goathornz

I'm sure someone has already said this but this is an amazing guide. Worked like a charm and the only problems I had were form me making mistakes. The one thing I did notice was that you don't need to use websters way of creating a junction because steam actually gives you the option to change the directory of where you choose to instal games. The method he uses is still useful for software. Thanks again Webster!


----------



## kj1060

I only found iaStorV with a value of 3 and no iaStor. Am I good to go, just want to be sure.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Goathornz*
> 
> I'm sure someone has already said this but this is an amazing guide. Worked like a charm and the only problems I had were form me making mistakes. The one thing I did notice was that you don't need to use websters way of creating a junction because steam actually gives you the option to change the directory of where you choose to instal games. The method he uses is still useful for software. Thanks again Webster!











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> I only found iaStorV with a value of 3 and no iaStor. Am I good to go, just want to be sure.


Install the IRST driver first. Then change the values. Once you boot after changing to RAID you should reinstall the IRST driver. Then you can start to create the RAID 0 array.


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Install the IRST driver first. Then change the values. Once you boot after changing to RAID you should reinstall the IRST driver. Then you can start to create the RAID 0 array.


Alright I installed the IRSTe from the motherboard manufacturer's website. I am now seeing iaStorA, IAStorDataMgrSvc, and iaStorF. The data manager is the only one with a value, of 2, and iaStorV has 3. I changed the V one, but I am not sure if I should change IAStorDataMgrSvc?


----------



## kj1060

Also of note after switching to RAID, Windows is failing to start.


----------



## JML10166

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *JML10166*
> 
> Solved.
> 
> I went into Device Manager and selected the Marvell Controller and un-checked the "Safely Remove" option. Restarted and ka-zam the SSDs no longer appear on the Safe Remove item menu, just my USB drive... and now, if I can just get Windows to let got of THAT...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JML
> 
> 
> 
> All fixed?
Click to expand...

As far as the SSDs go, yup.







Still looking for ways to make Win 7 let go of my USB devices.

JML


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Also of note after switching to RAID, Windows is failing to start.


You're mobo's cursed.

Others have changed the SATA mode from AHCI to RAID that way including me many times.

Maybe make a new thread cause idk what's the issue with your set up. No IRST driver is working when it should.


----------



## kj1060

Lol. Would it have mattered if I used the regular or enterprise version of RST?

Edit: Also what are the benefits of creating the raid array in windows over doing CTRL + I before POST?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Lol. Would it have mattered if I used the regular or enterprise version of RST?


You should use the enterprise version at least till you get it working.
Quote:


> Edit also what are the benefits of creating the raid array in windows over doing CTRL + I before POST?


No advantage or disadvantage. I was just trying to see if you could get windows installed at all.

When you do it in the OROM you just have to load teh driver before you can see the array with some chipsets like yours, x79. However, that wasn't working or some reason when it should have.


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You should use the enterprise version at least till you get it working.
> No advantage or disadvantage. I was just trying to see if you could get windows installed at all.
> 
> When you do it in the OROM you just have to load teh driver before you can see the array with some chipsets like yours, x79. However, that wasn't working or some reason when it should have.


I have not tried the "updated" drivers from MSI on a USB stick yet. As I said before I was confused by the release date. So I will try that, but is there anything special I need to do to wipe the drive of the install that I did with AHCI?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> I have not tried the "updated" drivers from MSI on a USB stick yet. As I said before I was confused by the release date. So I will try that, but is there anything special I need to do to wipe the drive of the install that I did with AHCI?


Just run the clean command and reformat in diskpart like always.


----------



## kj1060

Quick update: I created the raid array via the OROM (CTRL + I), used the MSI drivers on a USB drive and I am currently almost finished expanding windows files. Interesting thing to note I have the DVD drive attached to the Asmedia controller and I saw the drive when I was browsing for the drivers.

Edit: And we have lift off (well more like Windows has completed installation).


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kj1060*
> 
> Quick update: I created the raid array via the OROM (CTRL + I), used the MSI drivers on a USB drive and I am currently almost finished expanding windows files. Interesting thing to note I have the DVD drive attached to the Asmedia controller and I saw the drive when I was browsing for the drivers.
> 
> Edit: And we have lift off (well more like Windows has completed installation).


Wait, so you weren't able to see the RAID array when the DVD drive was on the Intel port, but you were able to see it when it was on the ASMedia port?

If so that is odd. lol

Congrats on getting it tho!


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Wait, so you weren't able to see the RAID array when the DVD drive was on the Intel port, but you were able to see it when it was on the ASMedia port?
> 
> If so that is odd. lol
> 
> Congrats on getting it tho!


I never saw the raid array before, which I am guessing is because I was using the wrong drivers. I was saying that I was able to see the DVD drive, because when that was plugged into the Intel port it was not visible.


----------



## kj1060

Well here is the latest from running some benchmarks:


I haven't done any optimization besides the one from Intel SSD Toolbox.


----------



## Accelerate

Excellent work. Thanks for the guide. It all seems to have worked perfectly for me.


----------



## [email protected]

I had a crazy week with pc problems with my old i7 760 Sabretooth motherboard. So now i switched to Ivy and i'm appreciating the power in it. I wonder if it's ok to just set Maxmium Peformance when using SSD Magician Tool or should i continue use your method anyways?

I am sure it'll be fine but i never really have done this and i perfer your way Sean. What should i do? Here's a pic of my performance on my SSD.

Any ideas what i should do?

Also i don't know why my WEI is not showing my score cuz it says my disk is 5.9? Really? 

Help.

Bear with me in a few hours or less cuz i have to update Windows but i want to do this SSD setting first so should i go ahead and use the tool or depend on Sean's method like always?


----------



## kj1060

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Also i don't know why my WEI is not showing my score cuz it says my disk is 5.9? Really?


My raid 0 array was doing the same thing until I ran the Intel RST.exe driver from the motherboard manufacturer's website. Maybe do that and check it again?


----------



## [email protected]

Actually i solved my problem. I decided to FOLLOW every STEP Sean's guide list and NOT miss a beat and keep a proper installation of Windows 7. It's very common when Windows doesn't update right and you'd have to restart.

Everything is a go and my WEI is 7.8 so i'm happy anyways. I don't need help no more.

Instead of using the Magician Tool i'll stick with Sean's guide.


----------



## guinner16

I am doing my first build next week so I want to ask some totally noob questions. I just want to get as much info and have the best plan I can when starting the build. If it is a fresh build, with all fresh components, can I set up the SSD while launching W7 via the optical bay, which is set in the Bios. Are my steps below in the total wrong order.

1. Install components
2. Boot
3. Change bios so W7 loads from optical bay
4. Start your tutorial here by holding Shift +F10
5. Follow steps in your tutorial
6. Launch Windows
7. Install Drivers

...or am I way off.


----------



## twerk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *guinner16*
> 
> I am doing my first build next week so I want to ask some totally noob questions. I just want to get as much info and have the best plan I can when starting the build. If it is a fresh build, with all fresh components, can I set up the SSD while launching W7 via the optical bay, which is set in the Bios. Are my steps below in the total wrong order.
> 
> 1. Install components
> 2. Boot
> 3. Change bios so W7 loads from optical bay
> 4. Start your tutorial here by holding Shift +F10
> 5. Follow steps in your tutorial
> 6. Launch Windows
> 7. Install Drivers
> 
> ...or am I way off.


Pretty much spot on, you want to get your BIOS sorted before you even think about booting from the disk. That includes setting the SATA to AHCI mode and messing with your boot priorities. Everything else is good. The tutorial extends past launching into Windows, it also covers which drivers you need to install and any optimisations you need to do


----------



## guinner16

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AndyM95*
> 
> Pretty much spot on, you want to get your BIOS sorted before you even think about booting from the disk. That includes setting the SATA to AHCI mode and messing with your boot priorities. Everything else is good. The tutorial extends past launching into Windows, it also covers which drivers you need to install and any optimisations you need to do


Yeah, my next question was the best way to set boot priorities, but I figured that was from a different thread. Also, on the first boot I am assuming I should just leave my HDD unplugged, and leave only the SSD plugged in. Once windows is up I can then plug in the HDD?


----------



## twerk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *guinner16*
> 
> Yeah, my next question was the best way to set boot priorities, but I figured that was from a different thread. Also, on the first boot I am assuming I should just leave my HDD unplugged, and leave only the SSD plugged in. Once windows is up I can then plug in the HDD?


I have my boot priority set to:
SSD
CD/DVD
USB

I don't need to set the CD to the top of the boot priority because on my board you can just press F12 on the splash screen and it will ask which device to boot from.
Yes, you should leave every SATA device unplugged until you boot into Windows other than your SSD and your DVD/D drive (if you're using a DVD/CD to install from)


----------



## guinner16

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AndyM95*
> 
> I have my boot priority set to:
> SSD
> CD/DVD
> USB
> 
> I don't need to set the CD to the top of the boot priority because on my board you can just press F12 on the splash screen and it will ask which device to boot from.
> Yes, you should leave every SATA device unplugged until you boot into Windows other than your SSD and your DVD/D drive (if you're using a DVD/CD to install from)


thanks for the info. Like I said I have no problem admitting I am a noob, and I have taken this project on as a challenge to myself. My wife said I wouldn't be able to do it, so I am going to prover her wrong. LOL. My goal is to take my time and just get everything correct to that first Windows install. Once I am there I should be fine.

Edit: In case I need to boot from the CD, I can do that then start the tutorial at at the Windows load screen. Once everything is done can't I just go back into the bios and swap the CD/dvd and make the SSD priority?


----------



## [email protected]

Wow ok i am baffled why by PC went to sleep mode when i already had disable that in High Performance power options before i installed everything. I followed everything to the letter and would LOVE to know what caused it set back to "Balanced power" mode ? I had it on High Performance mode. Something isn't right. What is causing it to revert back?

I set it back again the way it was. It was quite confusing why it did that when i had already disabled it anyways. Any ideas what could had caused it?


----------



## TomcatV

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *guinner16*
> 
> thanks for the info. Like I said I have no problem admitting I am a noob, and I have taken this project on as a challenge to myself. My wife said I wouldn't be able to do it, so I am going to prover her wrong. LOL. My goal is to take my time and just get everything correct to that first Windows install. Once I am there I should be fine.
> 
> Edit: In case I need to boot from the CD, I can do that then start the tutorial at at the Windows load screen. Once everything is done can't I just go back into the bios and swap the CD/dvd and make the SSD priority?


Yes you can and SHOULD ... lots of guys forget to do that then wonder why their machine keeps re-booting off the Win7 disk ... add in the excitement of booting such an all-star cast of components (your sig) and it is a simple thing easily overlooked. Have fun







I remember my 1st build back in the P4/Ti4200 days with 56k modem (no you-tube) and essentially no guides like Sean's awesome work


----------



## guinner16

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TomcatV*
> 
> Yes you can and SHOULD ... lots of guys forget to do that then wonder why their machine keeps re-booting off the Win7 disk ... add in the excitement of booting such an all-star cast of components (your sig) and it is a simple thing easily overlooked. Have fun
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I remember my 1st build back in the P4/Ti4200 days with 56k modem (no you-tube) and essentially no guides like Sean's awesome work


Thanks for the help. Hopefully next weekend I will be having a boot party. I am thinking the swiftech 220 will be holding the party back though. I doubt it will be at my door by next weekend. However the SLI titans will be delivered monday.


----------



## Nimand

Hey! Awesome guide. I found this very helpful because I will be installing a SSD in the next few days. I have some questions.

Is there a way to just copy my Admin User from my existing Windows installation on my HDD to my SSD copying my music/pics/etc?
While installing my OEM Windows on the SSD will I have any issues because it is already installed on my HDD? (Key issues)
Would it be best to re-install steam or any stand alone games on my SSD or just copy my folders from HDD to SSD?
Finally, what is the best way to wipe my HDD and start over w/ it as well once I have everything backed up/moved to SSD?

Thanks for your help!

Edit: I noticed a few posts back you do not do all of those suggestions for optimization. Which ones do you think are absolutely important?


----------



## bustacap22

Excited for my new RIVE build that was completed 2 days ago. Having problems installing Windows 7 to Samsung SSD Pro. Followed the guide and everytime I get to "Where do you want to install Windows" There is a yellow asterisk stating " Windows cannot be installed to this disk. Computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu. What am I missing here.

replaced sata cable, using the intel sata port #1, Samsung firmware current. RIVE BIOS 3204. There are no other harddrives that are connected. NO overclocks. Really stuck here. Losing my mind due to the lack of sleep trying to get this build up and running. Plus my 30 day to return defective products is less than a week. Would appreciate some sort of direction in what else I can troubleshoot. Thanks.


----------



## bustacap22

Wow...now RIVE bios is not detecting Samsung SSD...What did I get myself into with this....The funny thing is. Its probably something so simple as always.


----------



## bustacap22

ok...got Samsung SSD back to being detected in RIVE bios. Took SSD out of the hot swap drive and installed in one of the 5.25 bays. So again, making progress. I have read Sean's windows 7 install literally 6x. I am always hitting some kind of snag that is still preventing me from installing windows. Brand new build. Please see sig. I kinda understand the whole booting from bios vs UEFI, and also MBR vs GPT. Sean's guide does well in distinguishing between the two. I am just at a stand still now because of fear that I will go back into the command prompts encounter the same issue again and then bios no longer detecting SSD. Here is where I have my Boot options priorities:

Boot option 1 P3: Asus DVD
Boot option 2 P1: Samsung SSD
Boot option 3 UEFI: Asus DVD

CD/DVD rom drive BBS priorities
-Boot option 1 P3 Asus DVD. no other options

Hard Drive BBS priorities
-Boot option 1 P1: Samsung SSD
-Boot option 2 MultipleCard Reader. no other options

Boot override
- UEFI: Asus DVD
-P3 Asus DVD
-Multiple Card reader
-P1 Samsung SSD

Disabled the other Sata 3rd party Asmedia or something. So any suggestions for me to move forward is greatly appreciated. thanks.


----------



## hyperkite

Boot option 1 P3: Asus DVD
Boot option 2 P1: Samsung SSD
Boot option 3 UEFI: Asus DVD

Mine set up the same way..


----------



## bustacap22

SUCCESS!!!!! Windows now installed. Now my dilemma is I disabled Asmedia in RIVE bios. I have 2 WD caviar black that are Sata 6gbs that I want to plugged. Following the steps Sean has in his guide. Hoping these drives are recognized in the bios. I forsee more problems. Wondering why I didnt just get a MAC.....joke


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bustacap22*
> 
> SUCCESS!!!!! Windows now installed. Now my dilemma is I disabled Asmedia in RIVE bios. I have 2 WD caviar black that are Sata 6gbs that I want to plugged. Following the steps Sean has in his guide. Hoping these drives are recognized in the bios. I forsee more problems. Wondering why I didnt just get a MAC.....joke


Just enable the controller or plug the HDDs in the native intel ports...


----------



## bustacap22

If I am not mistaken, I only have 2 native intel sata 6 gbs and 2 Asmedia sata 6gbs in my RIVE. I am using 1 on the intel with the SSD. Both of my HDD are sata 6gbs. I was planning in installing 1 in the intel sata and the other asmedia. Is this not correct?????


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bustacap22*
> 
> If I am not mistaken, I only have 2 native intel sata 6 gbs and 2 Asmedia sata 6gbs in my RIVE. I am using 1 on the intel with the SSD. Both of my HDD are sata 6gbs. I was planning in installing 1 in the intel sata and the other asmedia. Is this not correct?????


Use the intel SATA 3Gb/s ports for the HDDs. Most HDDs do not saturate the full bandwidth of SATA 1.5Gb/s let a lone SATA 3Gb/s or 6Gb/s.


----------



## bustacap22

Sean thanks for the guide and all that you have done here on OCN. Ya, your pretty sweet.


----------



## kpa2727

I know i'm late to the party but a little insight, I had this same issue with my Samsung and Sabertooth board. Idk *** they were thinking but apparently Samsungs Controller in the SSd hates EFi. I went through more stages of hell then Dante's inferno to get it running. my only way i got it all to play nice was I installed win 7 with the hdd in my shuttle pc which is about 5 years old now then it was detected in my sabertooth bios and played nice in win 7 setup. My best guess is somthing with the controller setup on the asus board and the samsungs ssd controller on the disk is unable to support each other until a certain driver is installed which installing win 7 on a older pc does. Ether way, one the first install was done ssd runs fine. i've only had this isue on the Samsung drive. Also usb adapters refused to see the ssd to even format it till i put it in my shuttle. Drove me insane to set it up, as for hdd configs anything is posssible. on my sabertooth 990 fx i currently have 13 thousand gigs hooked up with a ssd boot drive. I run 3, 3tb drives and 2, 2 tb drives and the 120 gig ssd. all inside a corsair obsideon case.


----------



## eBombzor

I'm installing a build for my poor friend that can only afford a HDD. Is this guide applicable to HDDs, too?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kpa2727*
> 
> I know i'm late to the party but a little insight, I had this same issue with my Samsung and Sabertooth board. Idk *** they were thinking but apparently Samsungs Controller in the SSd hates EFi. I went through more stages of hell then Dante's inferno to get it running. my only way i got it all to play nice was I installed win 7 with the hdd in my shuttle pc which is about 5 years old now then it was detected in my sabertooth bios and played nice in win 7 setup. My best guess is somthing with the controller setup on the asus board and the samsungs ssd controller on the disk is unable to support each other until a certain driver is installed which installing win 7 on a older pc does. Ether way, one the first install was done ssd runs fine. i've only had this isue on the Samsung drive. Also usb adapters refused to see the ssd to even format it till i put it in my shuttle. Drove me insane to set it up, as for hdd configs anything is posssible. on my sabertooth 990 fx i currently have 13 thousand gigs hooked up with a ssd boot drive. I run 3, 3tb drives and 2, 2 tb drives and the 120 gig ssd. all inside a corsair obsideon case.


Whats the question?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> I'm installing a build for my poor friend that can only afford a HDD. Is this guide applicable to HDDs, too?


Sean's Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide for SSDs & *HDDs*


----------



## eBombzor

Ok thanks. Also, is IRST 12.0 the new stable release? Or is it still 11.7? Which one should I use?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Ok thanks. Also, is IRST 12.0 the new stable release? Or is it still 11.7? Which one should I use?


12.0.0.1083 WHQL from what ive seen on station-drivers.


----------



## eBombzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Ok thanks. Also, is IRST 12.0 the new stable release? Or is it still 11.7? Which one should I use?
> 
> 
> 
> 12.0.0.1083 WHQL from what ive seen on station-drivers.
Click to expand...

What are station-drivers?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Ok thanks. Also, is IRST 12.0 the new stable release? Or is it still 11.7? Which one should I use?
> 
> 
> 
> 12.0.0.1083 WHQL from what ive seen on station-drivers.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> What are station-drivers?
Click to expand...

http://www.station-drivers.com/


----------



## overclockMT

Hi Sean.

First of all thanks a lot for the guide, it's been extremely useful as I installed Windows 7 on an advanced format drive with no issues after following your steps.

Unfortunately I have a problem with my secondary drive, which I installed in my laptop in place of the optical drive. Basically, if I open an Excel spreadsheet(but also a simple text file), make a small change and save, it takes 2 seconds to complete instead of the expected split-of-a-second.

This is also an advanced format drive that I formatted from Windows' Computer Management as GPT and default allocation file unit size (with Windows setting the Partition Starting Offset to 135,266,304).

What I tried to diagnose the problem is:

1. Scanned the drive(it's a WD5000BPVT) with WD's tool and a quick SMART test returned no errors.

2. Copied the excel spreadsheet to my c:\ and also to a USB drive and from there, saving was normal, so it's not a "global" OS problem.

3. Made sure, since this is a laptop, to specify NEVER in the power options for "turn off hard disk".

As there is no data I cannot afford to lose in the drive, do you recommend trying to re-format the drive, this time specifying the allocation file unit size myself, maybe 1024?

Thank you.


----------



## Divey

Third time using your guide Sean and I love it. But this time I am getting some weird things happening. The first thing was during the initial install about half way through an error came up that toom me to a screen where I had a couple options to choose from, like normal boot/safe boot. There was a 20 second countdown and I didn't choose anything to see what would happen. After the timer it went back to the install screen and finished all the way with no problems. Second thing is some of the windows updates are failling to update. While booting up for the updates I see the normal update screen then I see it says update failed then reboots itself back to windows. I went to the update log to see what was happening and it seems there are several that have failed. And the last thing is the computer is freezing on certain things then it says windows will restart so the desktop will refresh itself. I have had this happen before but not on a fresh install and this many times.

Any ideas on what could be going on.

Thanks
Terry


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overclockMT*
> 
> Hi Sean.
> 
> First of all thanks a lot for the guide, it's been extremely useful as I installed Windows 7 on an advanced format drive with no issues after following your steps.
> 
> Unfortunately I have a problem with my secondary drive, which I installed in my laptop in place of the optical drive. Basically, if I open an Excel spreadsheet(but also a simple text file), make a small change and save, it takes 2 seconds to complete instead of the expected split-of-a-second.


Could be the drive is in a sleep mode and the head is parked. Laptops will send drives into sleep mode faster than desktops.
Quote:


> This is also an advanced format drive that I formatted from Windows' Computer Management as GPT and default allocation file unit size (with Windows setting the Partition Starting Offset to 135,266,304).


That is a weird offset.
Quote:


> What I tried to diagnose the problem is:
> 
> 1. Scanned the drive(it's a WD5000BPVT) with WD's tool and a quick SMART test returned no errors.
> 
> 2. Copied the excel spreadsheet to my c:\ and also to a USB drive and from there, saving was normal, so it's not a "global" OS problem.
> 
> 3. Made sure, since this is a laptop, to specify NEVER in the power options for "turn off hard disk".
> 
> As there is no data I cannot afford to lose in the drive, do you recommend trying to re-format the drive, this time specifying the allocation file unit size myself, maybe 1024?
> 
> Thank you.


Post a screenshot of HDTune's smart data.

And I would do a reformat:

Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter
If you want GPT do this one:

Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
Type *list disk*, press Enter
Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
Type *clean*, press Enter
Type *convert gpt*, press Enter
Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
Type *assign*, press Enter
Type *exit*, press Enter


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Divey*
> 
> Third time using your guide Sean and I love it. But this time I am getting some weird things happening. The first thing was during the initial install about half way through an error came up that toom me to a screen where I had a couple options to choose from, like normal boot/safe boot. There was a 20 second countdown and I didn't choose anything to see what would happen. After the timer it went back to the install screen and finished all the way with no problems.


Sounds like a bad windows iso.

Quote:


> Second thing is some of the windows updates are failling to update. While booting up for the updates I see the normal update screen then I see it says update failed then reboots itself back to windows. I went to the update log to see what was happening and it seems there are several that have failed.


if you used a bad iso then that could be from that.
Quote:


> And the last thing is the computer is freezing on certain things then it says windows will restart so the desktop will refresh itself. I have had this happen before but not on a fresh install and this many times.
> 
> Any ideas on what could be going on.
> 
> Thanks
> Terry


Do a filesystem error scan. Run CMD as admin and type "sfc /scannow" and hit enter and it will look for corrpt OS files and try to fix them. Also, do a chkdsk, http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html


----------



## overclockMT

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you want GPT do this one:
> 
> Open the Start Menu, type *diskpart*, press Enter
> Type *list disk*, press Enter
> Type *select disk X* (where *X* is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> Type *clean*, press Enter
> Type *convert gpt*, press Enter
> Type *create partition primary*, press Enter
> Type *format quick fs=ntfs*, press Enter
> Type *assign*, press Enter
> Type *exit*, press Enter


Hi Sean.

You're a star, mate, it looks ok now, as quick as light after following your GPT steps.

Just one thing, the Partition Starting Offset is still the same.

In your steps there was no align=1024, just want to make sure it's ok.

Thank you.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overclockMT*
> 
> Hi Sean.
> 
> You're a star, mate, it looks ok now, as quick as light after following your GPT steps.
> 
> Just one thing, the Partition Starting Offset is still the same.
> 
> In your steps there was no align=1024, just want to make sure it's ok.
> 
> Thank you.


good









And windows diskpart automatically sets alignment to 1024 (1MiB).


----------



## overclockMT

Apologies for another question....

So I should not worry about the Partition Starting Offset by you called as "weird", correct?

One more question, please. Is your guide applicable to NON AF hard drives?

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overclockMT*
> 
> Apologies for another question....
> 
> So I should not worry about the Partition Starting Offset by you called as "weird", correct?


what was the number in kilobytes? Cause windows doesn't ever make offsets like that.
Quote:


> One more question, please. Is your guide applicable to NON AF hard drives?
> 
> Thanks


yea, doesn't make a difference.


----------



## overclockMT

I have the value of msinfo32.exe

It's 135,266,304

The c:\ one, the one I aligned as you said has this value:

1,048,576

These are in bytes.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overclockMT*
> 
> I have the value of msinfo32.exe
> 
> It's 135,266,304


that is 129MiB, that is because of the GPT format. Its fine I almost forgot about that.
Doesn't matter now that you fixed it.
Quote:


> The c:\ one, the one I aligned as you said has this value:
> 
> 1,048,576
> 
> These are in bytes.


yep, that is 1MiB


----------



## GOTFrog

What are the advantages of gtp instal. And is there a way to check if it did install as gtp?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GOTFrog*
> 
> What are the advantages of gtp instal.


It is GPT, not gtp. States in beginning of the guide.
Quote:


> And is there a way to check if it did install as gtp?


Use open diskpart, type "list disk". There should be a asterick (*) next to your drive under where it states GPT.


----------



## Divey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Sounds like a bad windows iso.
> if you used a bad iso then that could be from that.
> Do a filesystem error scan. Run CMD as admin and type "sfc /scannow" and hit enter and it will look for corrpt OS files and try to fix them. Also, do a chkdsk, http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html


Ran sfc/scannow and sure enough it found corrupt files but was unable to fix them. chkdsk came out fine with no issues. Should I reinstall windows or is there a better way. I just installed most of my programs too.

Thanks

Terry


----------



## Sean Webster

try this: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix

if sfc scannow shows errors after then reinstall with a new iso


----------



## Divey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> try this: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix
> 
> if sfc scannow shows errors after then reinstall with a new iso


Darn it, I am never this lucky. Looks like a fresh install is the only option. Thanks for your help Sean, I greatly appreciate it. Also, my Windows 7 disk was bought and it is the only one I have. Maybe it was dirty or do I need to copy it then reinstall.

Thanks

Terry


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Divey*
> 
> Darn it, I am never this lucky. Looks like a fresh install is the only option. Thanks for your help Sean, I greatly appreciate it. Also, my Windows 7 disk was bought and it is the only one I have. Maybe it was dirty or do I need to copy it then reinstall.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Terry


If you want to know what errors are found (and cannot be fixed) by sfc you can try opening an elevated prompt and pasting this:

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"

It will make a sfcdetails.txt file in your desktop that will show the output of the sfc /scannow command in a more understandable block of text. From there, you could try manually fixing the error.


----------



## Divey

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> If you want to know what errors are found (and cannot be fixed) by sfc you can try opening an elevated prompt and pasting this:
> 
> findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"
> 
> It will make a sfcdetails.txt file in your desktop that will show the output of the sfc /scannow command in a more understandable block of text. From there, you could try manually fixing the error.


I tried this already and nothing happens. I copied/pasted the exact text and nothing. I have now reinstalled windows and just about done with the drivers.
Thanks for your help mate.

Terry


----------



## selcuk

Hi, name's selcuk from Taiwan, I just wanna say a very quick and very sincere thank you for putting this amazing guide together and posting it up. I've been reading this thread and getting prepared for a clean format and reinstall of win7 on my laptop. Before I ask my question, let me give you the background story.

So I have a lenovo y580 with an additional 128G Crucial m4 as my main drive and I use a 1T SAMSUNG Spinpoint m8 (500+500) HDD as the storage.

The reason why I decided to wipe the slate clean is because of the persistent obfuscator.xz giving me sleepless nights no matter what I've tired over the course of weeks, and I just wanna get the hang of using a SSD with all its possibilities, tweaks, etc.

So far, I have updated my SSD's firmware to the latest (04mh), backed up my stuff, and have my SATA mode to AHCI in the BIOS, but I haven't seen any ACPI 2.0 in the BIOS so I just ignored that step.

My question is about Checklist items number 6 and 7, how do I do those on a laptop?
Quote:


> *6.* Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.
> *7.* If you are using a SSD use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, I advise that you do NOT use the Marvell or other 3rd party SATA ports for your SSD/HDD.


Is there anything else that I should be aware of or have any suggestions?

As a side note: Interesting story is, my laptop at first didn't have the SSD, it only had the HDD with Win8 on it. When I requested SSD to be installed, the vendor told me it was not possible to install Win8 on a SSD and have spare HDD at the same time. He gave me some lengthy explanation which I manage to forget real fast. So recently I've realized that some remnants of Win8 wandering somewhere in the wilderness of my data storage HDD. I realized it after experiencing a few blue screen errors, all of a sudden there is this Win8 troubleshooting page welcoming me after a forced reboot of the system. It doesn't actually do anything other than that, and the system starts up with Win7 again. I'm not sure if this will cause any problem in the future, but I just wanted to share to see if there is anyone else who have a similar experience.

Thank you all for your time and patience with my ignorance.
S.


----------



## hyperkite

After you get your system running..

Do you have the Windows 7 drivers for your motherboard you
will need to get it up and running
These would be:
Bios
Chipset
Networking-Lan
Networking-wireless
Bluetooth/modem
Card reader/camera
Video
Intel USB 3.0

If you could just answer these 2 questions I will find out the rest for you
unless you have the information









What version of Windows 7 are you running?
Do you have the lastest drivers for your motherboard?


----------



## hyperkite

My question is about Checklist items number 6 and 7, how do I do those on a laptop?
Quote:
6. Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.
7. If you are using a SSD use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, I advise that you do NOT use the Marvell or other 3rd party SATA ports for your SSD/HDD.
Is there anything else that I should be aware of or have any suggestions?

6.
If you do have external drive plugged in when installing Windows 7 just in case
you had OS on there and you were booting form external drive before
7. Should not pertain to you..


----------



## BENSON519

I did a clean install of windows 7 ultimate and did all the updates and drivers and it reboots just fine. However when I shut off my pc, it will not boot and goes to a black screen and something about partitioning hard drives over 1 tb but nothing works except I can go into the bios. Won't start by pushing f8 either. Tried many settings in the gigabyte bios and am getting very frustrated with it. Why would it work with home premium but not ultimate?


----------



## hyperkite

Did you go to Bios and change back to boot off HDD instead of DVD?


----------



## BENSON519

Yes I did that as well. I partitioned the ssd before the install of ultimate. I don't see why that would cause the problem. But everything works great until I shut it off and then that other crap starts and will not even start in safe mode


----------



## hyperkite

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BENSON519*
> 
> Yes I did that as well. I partitioned the ssd before the install of ultimate. I don't see why that would cause the problem. But everything works great until I shut it off and then that other crap starts and will not even start in safe mode


Your partitioned SSD?
Why type SSD/brand and how big?
Did you have HDD plugged in when you installed OS on SSD?
Partitioning of HDD could cause Windows to install files on 2nd partition,
that is why is not recommended to have only SSD plugged in when installing OS

Check out Sean's Guide here on OCN:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/0_50


----------



## BENSON519

I only have the ssd installed in pc when I installed ultimate. I did this with home premium and it worked great. I have a intel 330 ssd 180gb that I want OS and drivers with a few games. Why can I not install it on a ssd? Do I need to install it on my WD 500gb hdd first and then migrate it to the ssd?


----------



## BENSON519

I just checked to make sure but after the 4th try of installation I now have ssd in port 0 and hdd in port 1. Both show up in bios. Ssd first boot and hdd as 2nd. Ssd shows 167.7gb and 130 gb available. OS is on there but why won't it read. Ssd is partitioned as 100mb. 80gb and 86.7gb on the 3rd partition


----------



## hyperkite

You should unplug all HDD's from your system except SSD and reinstall OS.
You have multiple problems and we need to simplfy installation of OS..
ONLY have SSD plugged in computer, unplug any other HDD's in you system when installing OS.

I would only have 1 partition on SSD unless you have a reason for it?
If not then make it easy and quick format SSD

Also name of SSD would help and size..
Like I have OCZ Vertex 4 128GB


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *selcuk*
> 
> Hi, name's selcuk from Taiwan, I just wanna say a very quick and very sincere thank you for putting this amazing guide together and posting it up. I've been reading this thread and getting prepared for a clean format and reinstall of win7 on my laptop. Before I ask my question, let me give you the background story.
> 
> So I have a lenovo y580 with an additional 128G Crucial m4 as my main drive and I use a 1T SAMSUNG Spinpoint m8 (500+500) HDD as the storage.
> 
> The reason why I decided to wipe the slate clean is because of the persistent obfuscator.xz giving me sleepless nights no matter what I've tired over the course of weeks, and I just wanna get the hang of using a SSD with all its possibilities, tweaks, etc.
> 
> So far, I have updated my SSD's firmware to the latest (04mh), backed up my stuff, and have my SATA mode to AHCI in the BIOS, but I haven't seen any ACPI 2.0 in the BIOS so I just ignored that step.
> 
> My question is about Checklist items number 6 and 7, how do I do those on a laptop?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *6.* Disconnect all the drives but the one you are installing to. You will reconnect them in step 5 of "System Setup after Installation." This is to prevent the installer from installing the Windows 7 boot partition on another drive in the system and so you don't accidentally format or delete data on the wrong drive.
> 
> 
> 
> You can ignore this step
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *7.* If you are using a SSD use the native Intel or AMD SATA 3Gb/s or SATA 6Gb/s ports, I advise that you do NOT use the Marvell or other 3rd party SATA ports for your SSD/HDD.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Is there anything else that I should be aware of or have any suggestions?
Click to expand...

You can ignore this as well.

Quote:


> As a side note: Interesting story is, my laptop at first didn't have the SSD, it only had the HDD with Win8 on it. When I requested SSD to be installed, the vendor told me it was not possible to install Win8 on a SSD and have spare HDD at the same time. He gave me some lengthy explanation which I manage to forget real fast. So recently I've realized that some remnants of Win8 wandering somewhere in the wilderness of my data storage HDD. I realized it after experiencing a few blue screen errors, all of a sudden there is this Win8 troubleshooting page welcoming me after a forced reboot of the system. It doesn't actually do anything other than that, and the system starts up with Win7 again. I'm not sure if this will cause any problem in the future, but I just wanted to share to see if there is anyone else who have a similar experience.
> 
> Thank you all for your time and patience with my ignorance.
> S.


If you like you can reinstall windows 8 on it. And a secondary drive will be usable as well. If you need a iso you should be able to get one from my windows 8 thread via the steps and the windows 8 serial should be on the bottom of the laptop.


----------



## BENSON519

I have intel 330 series 180gb. I installed first 3 times with just ssd and same thing. Then I added my hdd and tried it that way and still get the same thing to come up. It works both ways until I shut off pc to finish all installs and then the problems begin where the message about partitioning drives over 1 tb even though I don't have one that big. But my buddy keeps saying I need to have partitions but isn't that for older hdd to try and get more performance?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BENSON519*
> 
> I only have the ssd installed in pc when I installed ultimate. I did this with home premium and it worked great. I have a intel 330 ssd 180gb that I want OS and drivers with a few games. Why can I not install it on a ssd? Do I need to install it on my WD 500gb hdd first and then migrate it to the ssd?


What is your issue exactly? It runs fine but you have an issue on shut down?

DO you have 1 or two operating systems on the SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BENSON519*
> 
> I only have the ssd installed in pc when I installed ultimate. I did this with home premium and it worked great. I have a intel 330 ssd 180gb that I want OS and drivers with a few games. Why can I not install it on a ssd? Do I need to install it on my WD 500gb hdd first and then migrate it to the ssd?


What is your issue exactly? It runs fine but you have an issue on shut down?

DO you have 1 or two operating systems on the SSD?


----------



## BENSON519

1 system. Did a fresh clean install of ultimate and it works great until I shut the pc off to finish updates. Then it will not re-boot and that same message comes up. I cannot start in safe mode or anything I made sure I. The bios that my ssd is boot option 1 and nothing. OS is on the ssd. (167.8gb total. About 145gb available). It is like the bios doesn't read it right


----------



## BENSON519

I just don't get why everything works just fine until I shut my pc off and it will not reboot again


----------



## BENSON519

There is another message something about bootsect but I type it in exactly as it shows in commands and nothing changes


----------



## Sean Webster

What is the error message that keeps showing up?


----------



## BENSON519

Says I need to setup partitions for hdd over 1 tb. Says to type in bootsect but nothing happens


----------



## BENSON519

This is all I can get into besides bios


----------



## Sean Webster

In the BIOS the boot option is set to the SSD correct?

Was there previously a OS on the HDD?

Can you post a picture of the error message? i've never heard of it before.

Where did you get your OS from? Windows would never show that.

Boot without the DVD/CD in the drive?


----------



## Solonowarion

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BENSON519*
> 
> 
> 
> This is all I can get into besides bios


This is some modded OS or something. Listing Gparted and such.


----------



## BENSON519

I don't think it's modded. It's my buddies disk right from his box. I am trying to install it and then purchase a key from Microsoft. But if I can't get it to work, I am not paying anything for it. Lol


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BENSON519*
> 
> I don't think it's modded. It's my buddies disk right from his box. I am trying to install it and then purchase a key from Microsoft. But if I can't get it to work, I am not paying anything for it. Lol


Based on that image it is definitely modded lol.

Use a iso from my guide. You can purchase a key after installing it. You have a 30 day free trial.


----------



## BENSON519

I tried all of the suggested and doesn't work. I am stumped


----------



## BENSON519

Home premium was on my ssd and worked great. Did clean install of windows ultimate and this crap has been happening. There is another message before this and when I install it again I will take pics through the whole reboot of each screen


----------



## eBombzor

What is Intel Management Engine Interface? I can't find any good explanations on the internet. Do I need it? And what's the difference between the ones with firmware + ROM and ones without?

http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte/30530-latest-overclocking-programs-system-info-benchmarking-stability-tools.html

And what are the latest INF drivers for 7-series chipsets? Is it Intel® INF Driver 9.3.0.1026? I tried installing a newer version but it installed this version instead.


----------



## selcuk

First of all, thank you hyperkite and Sean for your replies.

@hyperkite:
I do have all the drivers, I think. I got them from Lenovo's webpage as a driver package. I stored them away in my HDD and USB just in case.
I tried to update my BIOS, but it says the new one I downloaded is not newer than what I already have. I checked my BIOS version under system information and both the version and the date are older than what is available on Lenovo's webpage. But still, I cannot update it.
I am running Win7 64 Home Premium.

@Sean:
Well then I will ignore those items. Lucky me.
Interestingly enough I only have a stupid Windows 8 hologram under my laptop and no serial key. Unless it is somewhere somehow stored in the HDD, I'd better stick to good old Win7.

Once again thank you for your enlightening posts guys.
S.


----------



## DBEAU

Hey guys. I think I remember there being an issue with trim with a raid 0. Is this still true (if it ever was)? I'm considering getting a second drive for raid and want to make sure of a few things.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> What is Intel Management Engine Interface? I can't find any good explanations on the internet. Do I need it? And what's the difference between the ones with firmware + ROM and ones without?
> 
> http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte/30530-latest-overclocking-programs-system-info-benchmarking-stability-tools.html


http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/80mx01ww.txt
Quote:


> Intel Management Engine Interface Intel(R) Management Engine Interface
> 
> Refer to marketing materials to find out what computer models support which
> devices.
> 
> If this package has been installed, updating (overwrite-installing) this
> package will fix problems, add new functions, or expand functions as noted
> below.
> 
> This program is language independent and can be used with any language system.


http://software.intel.com/sites/default/files/m/2/3/8/9/c/17992-intel_amt_overview.pdf
Quote:


> And what are the latest INF drivers for 7-series chipsets? Is it Intel® INF Driver 9.3.0.1026? I tried installing a newer version but it installed this version instead.


9.4.0.1016 WHQL

chipset drivers: http://www.station-drivers.com/page/intel%20chipset.htm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *selcuk*
> 
> First of all, thank you hyperkite and Sean for your replies.
> 
> @hyperkite:
> I do have all the drivers, I think. I got them from Lenovo's webpage as a driver package. I stored them away in my HDD and USB just in case.
> I tried to update my BIOS, but it says the new one I downloaded is not newer than what I already have. I checked my BIOS version under system information and both the version and the date are older than what is available on Lenovo's webpage. But still, I cannot update it.
> I am running Win7 64 Home Premium.
> 
> @Sean:
> Well then I will ignore those items. Lucky me.
> Interestingly enough I only have a stupid Windows 8 hologram under my laptop and no serial key. Unless it is somewhere somehow stored in the HDD, I'd better stick to good old Win7.
> 
> Once again thank you for your enlightening posts guys.
> S.


Wow, you should call the company and complain about it. They are supposed to have the generic key attached in case of a reinstall.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DBEAU*
> 
> Hey guys. I think I remember there being an issue with trim with a raid 0. Is this still true (if it ever was)? I'm considering getting a second drive for raid and want to make sure of a few things.


you have RAID 0 trim support with your Z77 mobo.


----------



## solsamurai

So I'm kinda stuck here...put everything together for my new 3570K system but can't see the SSD in diskpart.









I get the following message: "There are no fixed disks to show."

The SSD is not detected in Windows Install either. ACHI is enabled in the BIOS (ver F1). Am I missing anything?


----------



## Sean Webster

plug your ssd and/or your dvd drive into different ports.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> plug your ssd and/or your dvd drive into different ports.


I was suspicious of a SATA power cable I ordered awhile ago and wouldn't you know that was the problem.







It's a three SATA power cable and the bottom connector is bunk. So lame as I now have to use the really-annoying-to-cable-manage PSU SATA power cable.







At least I can get on with installing Windows!

Sorry for the false alarm!


----------



## bronxbomber90

I have a Lenovo Ideapad U410, I just bought it like 4 months ago. Was planning in adding a bigger SSD later on but I am trying to install Win 7 Ultimate in the SSD.
my laptop doesn't have a cd rom so im using a flash drive I already made it bootable and transfer the os files and none of my drives shows up saids "no drives were found. Click load driver to provide a mass storage driver for installation" I already did that no drives comes up

This is what my HDD and SSD looks like from diskmanager


----------



## bronxbomber90

BUMP


----------



## iwalkwithedead

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bronxbomber90*
> 
> I have a Lenovo Ideapad U410, I just bought it like 4 months ago. Was planning in adding a bigger SSD later on but I am trying to install Win 7 Ultimate in the SSD.
> my laptop doesn't have a cd rom so im using a flash drive I already made it bootable and transfer the os files and none of my drives shows up saids "no drives were found. Click load driver to provide a mass storage driver for installation" I already did that no drives comes up
> 
> This is what my HDD and SSD looks like from diskmanager


Honeslty I am not sure. Try using another SATA driver to preload and then refresh the drive list.

Maybe make a separate thread.


----------



## TheAntiMartyr

Thank you so much for this guide. My Win7 disc is scratched and it takes me about 3 trys to get an install to go thru. The ISO you provided is a lifesaver! You saved me from having to venture off into the _less desirable_ reaches of the internet!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheAntiMartyr*
> 
> Thank you so much for this guide. My Win7 disc is scratched and it takes me about 3 trys to get an install to go thru. The ISO you provided is a lifesaver! You saved me from having to venture off into the _less desirable_ reaches of the internet!


----------



## TheAntiMartyr

My 256GB ADATA SX900 (my first SSD) should be here around 3:00 my time. I've followed your tutorial on prepping a USB thumb drive to load the OS. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks again!


----------



## TheAntiMartyr

It all went very well. Thanks for the detailed guide.


----------



## Sean Webster

your welcome.


----------



## TheAntiMartyr

I am having a strange issue and was wondering if it might be the SSD. I've had the PC freeze twice while playing Guild Wars 2. The screen froze for about ten seconds and then everything resumed normally. Twice its happened in four hours of game-play in Guild Wars 2. Could this have something to do with the SSD? Thanks in advance, Sean.

EDIT: Another forum suggested turning off prefetch and superfetch. What do you recommend?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheAntiMartyr*
> 
> I am having a strange issue and was wondering if it might be the SSD. I've had the PC freeze twice while playing Guild Wars 2. The screen froze for about ten seconds and then everything resumed normally. Twice its happened in four hours of game-play in Guild Wars 2. Could this have something to do with the SSD? Thanks in advance, Sean.
> 
> EDIT: Another forum suggested turning off prefetch and superfetch. What do you recommend?


You can try that.

I would look into using another gfx card driver or it may just be the game. I've had that happen to me some times.


----------



## xxrabid93

Hey guys, quick question. So i just installed Windows onto my SSD. I haven't done any of these optimizations yet but will. Anyways, it is a 128gb Samsung 840 pro SSD and shows up as 119gb formatted and all that obviously. After installing Windows 7 Pro 64, i have about 60gb free. Does that seem to make any sense that Windows would take up 60gb? I highlighted all the folders on the drive and went to properties and it didn't add up to anywhere near 60gb though. Is there something in the firmware for the SSD that saves or locks 30gb+ of the SSD for some reason?


----------



## TheAntiMartyr

These steps will help you recover some of that space. Go to the first page of this thread and read : *Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format*, particularly section : *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition*

This has to be done at the time of installation and is only going to give you a tiny bit of your disk space back.

Now, if you follow the directions closely in the *System Setup after Installation* section of Sean's guide, you should be able to recover several GB of space.


----------



## xxrabid93

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheAntiMartyr*
> 
> These steps will help you recover some of that space. Go to the first page of this thread and read : *Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format*, particularly section : *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition*
> 
> This has to be done at the time of installation and is only going to give you a tiny bit of your disk space back.
> 
> Now, if you follow the directions closely in the *System Setup after Installation* section of Sean's guide, you should be able to recover several GB of space.


Yes i know all of that, i read the guide already. And that all will get me a few GB of space back, but i'm pretty sure it won't get me 30+gb back...

And my main question was this: Is there something in the firmware for the SSD that saves or locks 30gb+ of the SSD for some reason?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxrabid93*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *TheAntiMartyr*
> 
> These steps will help you recover some of that space. Go to the first page of this thread and read : *Configure a drive using a BIOS/UEFI motherboard and MBR format*, particularly section : *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition*
> 
> This has to be done at the time of installation and is only going to give you a tiny bit of your disk space back.
> 
> Now, if you follow the directions closely in the *System Setup after Installation* section of Sean's guide, you should be able to recover several GB of space.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes i know all of that, i read the guide already. And that all will get me a few GB of space back, but i'm pretty sure it won't get me 30+gb back...
> 
> And my main question was this: Is there something in the firmware for the SSD that saves or locks 30gb+ of the SSD for some reason?
Click to expand...

After an install without updates and disabling hibernation file and shrinking page file to 1 GB, disabling system restore, and indexing I had 7GB of space used....depending on the amount of ram you have hibernation file and page file vary greatly in size. All that is in my guide if you follow it you will free up a ton of space.


----------



## xxrabid93

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> After an install without updates and disabling hibernation file and shrinking page file to 1 GB, disabling system restore, and indexing I had 7GB of space used....depending on the amount of ram you have hibernation file and page file vary greatly in size. All that is in my guide if you follow it you will free up a ton of space.


I have 24gb ram. I guess i will go through your steps and see where that gets me. I still find 60gb used after installing Windows perplexing though...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xxrabid93*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> After an install without updates and disabling hibernation file and shrinking page file to 1 GB, disabling system restore, and indexing I had 7GB of space used....depending on the amount of ram you have hibernation file and page file vary greatly in size. All that is in my guide if you follow it you will free up a ton of space.
> 
> 
> 
> I have 24gb ram. I guess i will go through your steps and see where that gets me. I still find 60gb used after installing Windows perplexing though...
Click to expand...

haha, there is 24GB of space wasted right there due to page file. Possibly 16-20GB more from hibernation file. Like i said if you actually follow the steps in my guide you will get somewhere. If not then that is your own loss.


----------



## xxrabid93

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> haha, there is 24GB of space wasted right there due to page file. Possibly 16-20GB more from hibernation file. Like i said if you actually follow the steps in my guide you will get somewhere. If not then that is your own loss.


Welp







Didn't know that the page file is as big as the ram. Ya, i am going to follow your steps, don't worry.







I just asked this stuff before i did because i wanted to make sure the huge amount of used space wasn't a bigger issue (like some glitch with the SSD or its firmware or anything like that).


----------



## Sean Webster




----------



## JML10166

I have Windows 7 64-bit running on two 128 GB Samsung 840 Pros in RAID0. The OS is in a smaller partition (thanks for showing me how to get a nice, compact Windows installation!), while I have a larger partition for applications. I use RST and TRIM is working. My cpu is moderately over-clocked to 4.5GHz, with C-states on.

Would any of these factors--partitioning, TRIM, C-states--likely have much affect, good or bad, on the speed of my SSDs? Here's the numbers I got benchmarking the other day.



Should I be getting better than this? At least one person has told me so, but he also suggested the difference would come from doing things I'd already done. The only difference was he disables C-states. Any other factors I should take into account that may affect performance of my OS/Applications SSD array?

In case it matters, I get an error when I run the benchmark and the Acc.time Read fails. Hence, the lack of a result there. It's kind of driving me crazy.

Thanks,
JML


----------



## Conners

I have a need to re-install win 7 on a SSD and have my programs and libraries located on a HD. My question is how to your relink these programs and libraries with reinstall of such?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JML10166*
> 
> I have Windows 7 64-bit running on two 128 GB Samsung 840 Pros in RAID0. The OS is in a smaller partition (thanks for showing me how to get a nice, compact Windows installation!), while I have a larger partition for applications. I use RST and TRIM is working. My cpu is moderately over-clocked to 4.5GHz, with C-states on.
> 
> Would any of these factors--partitioning, TRIM, C-states--likely have much affect, good or bad, on the speed of my SSDs? Here's the numbers I got benchmarking the other day.
> 
> 
> 
> Should I be getting better than this? At least one person has told me so, but he also suggested the difference would come from doing things I'd already done. The only difference was he disables C-states. Any other factors I should take into account that may affect performance of my OS/Applications SSD array?
> 
> In case it matters, I get an error when I run the benchmark and the Acc.time Read fails. Hence, the lack of a result there. It's kind of driving me crazy.
> 
> Thanks,
> JML


why do you have a 40GB partition offset?

also, C-states enabled = lower scores. Certain drivers = lower scores. Not enabling write cache buffer flushing = lower scores. OS on the drives = lower scores.

You should be getting higher 4k writes with the array.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Conners*
> 
> I have a need to re-install win 7 on a SSD and have my programs and libraries located on a HD. My question is how to your relink these programs and libraries with reinstall of such?


reinstall programs and simply relink libraries like you normally add them...


----------



## JML10166

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> why do you have a 40GB partition offset?
> 
> also, C-states enabled = lower scores. Certain drivers = lower scores. Not enabling write cache buffer flushing = lower scores. OS on the drives = lower scores.
> 
> You should be getting higher 4k writes with the array


I have two partitions on the RAID0 DDS array. The first if ~40GB and has the OS. The remainder is for applications. I ran the benchmark selecting the applications partition. That's why I was wondering if partitioning would have an impact.

Thanks for the list of things that affect scores. A couple apply: C-states, OS on drives. I don't really want to go through the hassle of re-installing at this point, but I'll try the C-states and see what results.

Thanks!
JML


----------



## JML10166

Well..

Disabling C-states really did make some difference, especially in the 4k writes, which Sean did say were low. Do these numbers look more reasonable?



Of course this is all relevant to benchmarking, not "real" applications. Unless I would get less performance with, say, games I imagine its fine to leave C-states enabled generally. Tell me if I'm wrong. lol

Thanks,
JML


----------



## Rubin85

thanks Sean Webster, great job







Very usefull guide.


----------



## JML10166

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rubin85*
> 
> thanks Sean Webster, great job
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Very usefull guide.


I second that!

JML


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JML10166*
> 
> Well..
> 
> Disabling C-states really did make some difference, especially in the 4k writes, which Sean did say were low. Do these numbers look more reasonable?
> 
> 
> 
> Of course this is all relevant to benchmarking, not "real" applications. Unless I would get less performance with, say, games I imagine its fine to leave C-states enabled generally. Tell me if I'm wrong. lol
> 
> Thanks,
> JML


Ive seen 200-300 4k write speeds with those in an array. Also, having the partitions and not having unpartitioned space (over provisioning) = less bench speeds.

It's possible that write caching is not properly enabled.

1.) Go to Device Manager in Windows.
2.) Right-click on your drive and select Properties.
3.) Click on the Policies tab.
4.) If "Enable write caching on the device" is checked then un-check it, click ok, re-check it, click ok. (both check boxes should be checked in the end)
5.) Go to Intel's control center and enable caching:

6.) Run AS-SSD again and see if that helps.


----------



## JML10166

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ive seen 200-300 4k write speeds with those in an array. Also, having the partitions and not having unpartitioned space (over provisioning) = less bench speeds.
> 
> It's possible that write caching is not properly enabled.
> 
> 1.) Go to Device Manager in Windows.
> 2.) Right-click on your drive and select Properties.
> 3.) Click on the Policies tab.
> 4.) If "Enable write caching on the device" is checked then un-check it, click ok, re-check it, click ok. (both check boxes should be checked in the end)
> 5.) Go to Intel's control center and enable caching:
> 
> 6.) Run AS-SSD again and see if that helps.


Hi Sean,

I actually do have the SSDs over-provisioned by about 22%. The OS partition is about 40GB and the applications partition is about 160GB, leaving the rest un-formatted.

I followed the steps above but want to double check a couple things. When you say "both check boxes" do you mean both of these? I was under the impression that buffer flushing should be left on, generally.



When I get to the RST I don't get the Cache Mode radio button options you do. Does it matter?



Thanks, you're the best.

JML


----------



## Sean Webster

both boxes checked. Have them both unchecked first then apply then recheck both of them.

Quote:


> When I get to the RST I don't get the Cache Mode radio button options you do. Does it matter?


the newest irst driver has it. Don't worry about it.


----------



## JML10166

And indeed, flushing the flushing goes a long way!



You. Da. Man.

JML


----------



## DrClaw

this helped alot still having trouble with removing my parition though i need to reset my ssd's


----------



## Conners

Great thread people and props to Sean!

I do have a few questions.

1) I read a peep should now have the page file on the SSD. Does that also go for the temp files?
2) I also see you suggest running steam on the SSD and programs on a separate HD. Or something like that and all that other good stuff about junctions and so on. Is it really worth it? I now have it installed to my HDD instead of SSD.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Conners*
> 
> Great thread people and props to Sean!
> 
> I do have a few questions.
> 
> 1) I read a peep should now have the page file on the SSD. Does that also go for the temp files?
> 2) I also see you suggest running steam on the SSD and programs on a separate HD. Or something like that and all that other good stuff about junctions and so on. Is it really worth it? I now have it installed to my HDD instead of SSD.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Have everything on the SSD as long as you dont have any space issues, the avg user wont even write more than 1Tb pero 2.5 - 3 months and a lot of SSD's today can have writes of anything between 100Tb to 1Pb as seen on XS endurance testing.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Conners*
> 
> Great thread people and props to Sean!
> 
> I do have a few questions.
> 
> 1) I read a peep should now have the page file on the SSD. Does that also go for the temp files?


yea, up to you tho.
Quote:


> 2) I also see you suggest running steam on the SSD and programs on a separate HD. Or something like that and all that other good stuff about junctions and so on. Is it really worth it? I now have it installed to my HDD instead of SSD.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


idk, I don't bother with that. lol. I just have the whole steam folder on my HDD RAID 0 array and it works fine for me.


----------



## quipers

Does Intel Management Engine have any purpose other than for remote access functions?
I am not planning on using any remote access on the computer I am building, so is there any reason for me to install the Intel ME driver? Remote access would seem to just introduce another potential vulnerability to web attacks, so if someone doesn't really need this functionality, why install it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *quipers*
> 
> Does Intel Management Engine have any purpose other than for remote access functions?
> I am not planning on using any remote access on the computer I am building, so is there any reason for me to install the Intel ME driver? Remote access would seem to just introduce another potential vulnerability to web attacks, so if someone doesn't really need this functionality, why install it?


no idea. your pc, you can choose to install what ever you like


----------



## quipers

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> no idea. your pc, you can choose to install what ever you like


Well, of course, that's always true. I was just wondering whether there was some other function that ME provides, apart from what it does for remote access.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> How is it detecting the wrong drive? How do you know? lol
> 
> Make sure your SSD is not in IDE mode too.
> 
> You can try this:
> 
> *Fix W.E.I. scores reporting wrong:*
> 
> Go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT and delete the winsat.txt
> Then go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore and delete all the files in there.
> Now restart W.E.I.
> *Note:* The scores should be the proper score now.


Did you mean winsat.log?
I haven't been able to find a winsat.txt file.


----------



## Sean Webster

same thing lol
http://i.imgur.com/2xR2tkA.png


----------



## TigerSFA8

I recently installed windows 7 ultimate on my ssd harddrive. When I came back to the home screen, I looked at my hard drive and it was about 63 gb full. There wasn't any other programs that I installed, but is this normal? I did install the 64 bit version though.

Thanks~


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TigerSFA8*
> 
> I recently installed windows 7 ultimate on my ssd harddrive. When I came back to the home screen, I looked at my hard drive and it was about 63 gb full. There wasn't any other programs that I installed, but is this normal? I did install the 64 bit version though.
> Thanks~


hibernation, page file (virtual mem), system restore. those are the 3 main things that will eat up your space. in my case those 3 are on disabled for a very long time (XP times). except page file which I keep at 512mb currently (8gb of RAM).
cheers.

edit: also limit "temp internet files" folder size (mine is 50mb) and maybe move windows "TEMP folder" on some other drive (I didn't cos I clean it very often and it doesn't get very big anyways)


----------



## Jon301

Hay there, just got my Samsung 840 120GB SSD yesterday, and so did a fresh install, this that and the other, did a speed test and the Seq. read time was down at 150 MB/s and the Random Read was about 25000, when they should be 530MB/s and 32000 IOPS. the Seq. write times were good at 128 MB/s but the Random write was at 19000 ish IOPS, when it should have been at 32000 IOPS.

So i did some investigating and came across this guide, followed it exactly, and still got around the same read and write times, with a slight improvement in the Seq. Read time going up to 190MB/s.
Now, im no genius but i know something isn't right here... so i followed the guide twice more, and got the same speeds.
On one of the installs, the samsung Magician software told me that it was not AHCI mode, and i was not connected to a SATA 3 port, which i was. So i plugged it into my other SATA 3 6GB/s port and then it recognized it, but i still get the same read speeds.

My motherboard (Asus P7P55D-E LX) has 6 SATA 2 ports which i believe to be Intel, and has 2 SATA 3 ports which are Marvell - Could this be the problem?
I have installed all the latest drivers from the motherboard website, but surely the low read times can't be because its a Marvell controller, can it?

Thank you in advance for any help given,
- Jon


----------



## Jon301

Okay, so an update to the last post ^

Whilst on my motherboard page, i saw in the 'IO Level Up' picture that the SATA 6Gb/s had 250MB/s with an arrow going up to 500MB/s, so im guessing that the SATA 3 ports on my motherboard can only normally handle up to 250MB/s.
So the IO Level UP "boost the USB 3.0 or SATA 6Gb/s data transfer rate to up to 500MB/s!" but half's the PCIe x16 down to x8.
So i Leveled up the SATA 3 ports to '500MB/s', redid the tests, and in the samsung Magician, i got:


Now, This is still no where near the 500Mb/s, but im amazed that Samsung say this SSD can go upto 130 Seq. Read, but int this test i got 139 Mb/s!
Are these tests accurate?
And also, is there still any other way of making this thing faster?

Regards,
- Jon.


----------



## TigerSFA8

Is there a way to turn these settings off then? Or uninstall the hibernation and system files?

I didn't see an option to turn them off during installation.

Thanks~


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TigerSFA8*
> 
> I recently installed windows 7 ultimate on my ssd harddrive. When I came back to the home screen, I looked at my hard drive and it was about 63 gb full. There wasn't any other programs that I installed, but is this normal? I did install the 64 bit version though.
> 
> Thanks~


yea, now go through the guide to streamline your OS and reduce it down to 7-20GB.

Mainly shrink page file and disable hibernation and you will get a lot of space back.


----------



## iwalkwithedead

Ordered my Samsung 840 Pro 128gb, hopefully worth it. xD joking, I know it's worth it, saved a few bucks, not a lot but a few. Will arrive Monday.

Thanks for guide, a good amount of space saved.

Too bad couldn't edit instal files to do this for us but it's not that much time.

-Thanks Again


----------



## kevindd992002

Is the samsung 840 pro the best ssd right now?


----------



## CoD511

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is the samsung 840 pro the best ssd right now?


There isn't really a "best" SSD due to a number of factors and varying benchmarks in different circumstances, but I'd say the Samsung 840 Pro is definitely among any that are considered the best and is the top recommended drive to be getting for the best from most


----------



## Betsy601

Rated and Rep'ed, should help come tax time since Im getting a boot drive


----------



## iwalkwithedead

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CoD511*
> 
> There isn't really a "best" SSD due to a number of factors and varying benchmarks in different circumstances, but I'd say the Samsung 840 Pro is definitely among any that are considered the best and is the top recommended drive to be getting for the best from most


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Cost a little more than I wanted to pay as well but the 830 is sold out most places or higher. I only saved a few bucks paid 136$ compared to the 140$ NewEgg price so yeah, like I said only a few bucks. xD

I wanted a Crucial if I couldn't find this, it said it was on sale for 120$ but when I went into it, the price drop wasn't to be seen. Amazon has it for 130$ but I just went with the Samsung both top of the line in SSD, IMO.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is the samsung 840 pro the best ssd right now?


Performance wise I would say so. However, price wise I wouldn't.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Performance wise I would say so. However, price wise I wouldn't.


Oh ok. But of course, real-world performance you wouldn't notice the performance increase of the 840 pro compared to other ssd's?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Performance wise I would say so. However, price wise I wouldn't.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh ok. But of course, real-world performance you wouldn't notice the performance increase of the 840 pro compared to other ssd's?
Click to expand...

for the most part. Everything depends on actual workload demand.

For normal internet browsing and office work you wont notice any difference.


----------



## TigerSFA8

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Oh ok. But of course, real-world performance you wouldn't notice the performance increase of the 840 pro compared to other ssd's?


I don't think you would notice that much of a difference per se... but if you run tests, and compare results, it may bother you a little bit...


----------



## TigerSFA8

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea, now go through the guide to streamline your OS and reduce it down to 7-20GB.
> 
> Mainly shrink page file and disable hibernation and you will get a lot of space back.


Is there a guide on overclock.net to streamline your os?

The page file system helped me get back a very large portion of my hard drive. Wonder why that was set so high to start with.

Thanks~


----------



## itznfb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TigerSFA8*
> 
> Is there a guide on overclock.net to streamline your os?
> 
> The page file system helped me get back a very large portion of my hard drive. Wonder why that was set so high to start with.
> 
> Thanks~


Windows default configuration for the pagefile is to be large enough for a full memory dump. So it'll typically be a little larger than your physical memory. This is so that in the event of a blue screen it will dump everything in memory and you will be able to diagnose the issue. Also known as a giant waste of space.

Not really directly related to this thread but I typically disable the Windows firewall for the Domain Profile and the Private Profile and turn off password protected sharing. Probably not a good idea in a dorm setting or something like that though.


----------



## itznfb

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Performance wise I would say so. However, price wise I wouldn't.


SK Hynix 128GB SSDs were only $80 up until about a week ago. I purchased a bunch from Newegg and the next day the price shot up $30... still great drives for the price.


----------



## Viper9

Sean:

I have 2 questions:

Question #1:

In your Windows 7 installation guide for SSDs and HDDs, you state to install the OS in "non-UEFI" mode. Can you explain why? I'm about to install Windows 7 x64 on a new Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD and I want to make sure to install the OS correctly. I have an ASUS Rampage IV Formula motherboard and on the ASUS ROG Forums, they are fairly emphatic about installing the OS under UEFI mode.

Question #2:

My current configuration (before installing the Samsung 840 Pro SSD) is an ASUS Rampage IV Formula motherboard, 2 HHDs in RAID 0 and another HDD for data. What I would like to do is to install the Samsung 840 Pro SSD (as boot drive) and keep the current 2 HDDs in RAID 0 as the data drive (D. I will be doing a fresh install of Windows 7 x64 on the SSD. So, during Windows install/setup, I would configure RAID in the BIOS, and then load the RAID driver (F6) at the appropriate time during Windows installation. Right? I would only have the SSD connected during Windows installation and then connect the 2 HDDs once Windows is installed. What other steps do I need to take in order to ensure that the 2 HDDs are properly configured to operate in RAID 0 mode as the D: drive?


----------



## kevindd992002

Is it accurate that the Crucial M500 is faster than the Samsung 840 Pro? It seems that the review in Anandtech is kind of gearing towards that result.


----------



## iwalkwithedead

When you customize an ISO, can you turn off most of these settings?

I never done custom Win7, I have only done WinXP with nLite.


----------



## quipers

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is it accurate that the Crucial M500 is faster than the Samsung 840 Pro? It seems that the review in Anandtech is kind of gearing towards that result.


How could you possibly have read the review that way? (Assuming we are talking about the same review.)

Anandtech Crucial M500 review:
Quote:


> The M500's performance is by no means bad, but it's definitely slower than the competition. Crucial targeted Samsung's SSD 840, but in most cases the TLC based 840 is faster than the M500. There's probably some room for improvement in the M500's firmware, but there's no escaping the fact that read, program and erase latencies are all higher as a result of the move to larger pages/blocks with the drive's 128Gbit NAND die. The benefit to all of this should be cost, but we'll have to wait and see just how competitive the smaller capacities of the M500 are on cost.


----------



## quipers

Sean, you might consider adding a link in the section on shrinking or disabling the pagefile to this article at tweakhound.

For those who are unfamiliar with what the pagefile does, the article lays out an explanation and describes one user's experience extensively testing the effects on his (non SSD-based) system of keeping the pagefile on versus disabling it.

(I'm sure the article has been discussed elsewhere, but this is an extremely long thread that probably nobody coming to it new these days has time to read completely.)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TigerSFA8*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea, now go through the guide to streamline your OS and reduce it down to 7-20GB.
> 
> Mainly shrink page file and disable hibernation and you will get a lot of space back.
> 
> 
> 
> Is there a guide on overclock.net to streamline your os?
> 
> The page file system helped me get back a very large portion of my hard drive. Wonder why that was set so high to start with.
> 
> Thanks~
Click to expand...

Links in the first post. Also, this is a guide for that as well...
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Viper9*
> 
> Sean:
> 
> I have 2 questions:
> 
> Question #1:
> 
> In your Windows 7 installation guide for SSDs and HDDs, you state to install the OS in "non-UEFI" mode. Can you explain why? I'm about to install Windows 7 x64 on a new Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD and I want to make sure to install the OS correctly. I have an ASUS Rampage IV Formula motherboard and on the ASUS ROG Forums, they are fairly emphatic about installing the OS under UEFI mode.


Because you have no need for GPT /UEFI set up unless you want a 2.5TB or larger boot partition.
Quote:


> Question #2:
> 
> My current configuration (before installing the Samsung 840 Pro SSD) is an ASUS Rampage IV Formula motherboard, 2 HHDs in RAID 0 and another HDD for data. What I would like to do is to install the Samsung 840 Pro SSD (as boot drive) and keep the current 2 HDDs in RAID 0 as the data drive (D. I will be doing a fresh install of Windows 7 x64 on the SSD. So, during Windows install/setup, I would configure RAID in the BIOS, and then load the RAID driver (F6) at the appropriate time during Windows installation. Right? I would only have the SSD connected during Windows installation and then connect the 2 HDDs once Windows is installed. What other steps do I need to take in order to ensure that the 2 HDDs are properly configured to operate in RAID 0 mode as the D: drive?


you can just install with RAID mode with the SSD only and once you boot up you can plug your other drives in and the RAID array should still be there. If anything you have to reload the driver.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Is it accurate that the Crucial M500 is faster than the Samsung 840 Pro? It seems that the review in Anandtech is kind of gearing towards that result.


No, look at the benchmarks again...look at other review sites.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iwalkwithedead*
> 
> When you customize an ISO, can you turn off most of these settings?
> 
> I never done custom Win7, I have only done WinXP with nLite.


some, look at the custom iso links in the first post.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *quipers*
> 
> Sean, you might consider adding a link in the section on shrinking or disabling the pagefile to this article at tweakhound.
> 
> For those who are unfamiliar with what the pagefile does, the article lays out an explanation and describes one user's experience extensively testing the effects on his (non SSD-based) system of keeping the pagefile on versus disabling it.
> 
> (I'm sure the article has been discussed elsewhere, but this is an extremely long thread that probably nobody coming to it new these days has time to read completely.)


I thought I had already. 0.o thanks,


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *quipers*
> 
> How could you possibly have read the review that way? (Assuming we are talking about the same review.)
> 
> Anandtech Crucial M500 review:


I haven't read the whole guide but just based my conclusion here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6884/crucial-micron-m500-review-960gb-480gb-240gb-120gb/4

Why is it that in those graphs the M500 performed better?


----------



## Viper9

I'm having problems trying to install Windows 7 x64 on a new Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD with my ASUS Rampage IV Formula motherboard. I'm trying to install Windows with a USB flash drive under non-UEFI mode.

I have the SSD connected to the Intel SATA6G_1 port.

In the BIOS, under the Boot tab, under Boot Option Priorities, only the USB flash drive is listed as an option. When I click on Hard Drive BBS Priorities, Boot Option #1 & #2 both show the SSD as an option. Under Boot Override, the SSD does show as an option. Under the Advanced tab, SATA Configuration, the SSD is displayed on the SATA6G_1 port. Hot Plug is Disabled. I have the SATA Mode configured as RAID because I will be installing 2 HDDs as a data drive after Windows is loaded on the SSD. (Only the SSD is connected to the MOBO, currently). That tells me that the SSD is being recognized by the BIOS.

Exiting out of the BIOS, Windows begins loading files from the USB flash drive. When the "Install Windows 7 Screen" appears, I hit Shift + F10, type Diskpart, then type List Disk. The only thing listed is the USB flash drive -- the SSD is not listed so I can't install Windows to the SSD.

Can anyone help me?


----------



## Sean Webster

Does it show you it under the advanced install GUI menu?

You may have to load the Intel RAID F6 driver first.


----------



## seektherapy

After Asus told me to combine my SSD drive and three of my HDD into one... my entire system crashed!!


----------



## seektherapy

ASUS TOLD ME to use Raid 5 for all


----------



## TemplarLord

Someone please help me, I just bought a new OCZ Vector 256GB, installed Win7 x64 on it, and everything went great up until the point I installed the chipset drivers from Gigabyte. Upon installing the drivers, the PC boots into Windows but only displays the default Windows 7 screen, doesn't load up explorer.exe. Also if I do CTRL+ALT+DEL, I get a blank screen, and if I press ESC I get back ot the default Win7 screen, no Explorer.

I reinstalled Windows again, this time using the drivers that were provided in the tutorial, and then it works great, BUT when I install graphics drivers, the same thing occurs as above.

Please someone help me, I'm baffled at what to do next. The rig details are in my sig, rig is Heavy.


----------



## TemplarLord

Guys, I'm the dumbest **** there is.

Had the TV connected via HDMI. Drivers decided it was primary display. All this time.


----------



## Elfanger

What software do you use to take an image of your clean installation?

Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Elfanger*
> 
> What software do you use to take an image of your clean installation?
> 
> Thanks.


acronis true image 2013


----------



## lastsd

I just wanted final check before opening my ssd and try clean install

My laptop -> Sony Vaio FW 590
My SSD -> Samsung 840 250G (non-pro version)

My plan for clean win 7 install

1. Download the Win7 + SP1 home 64bit (since the disk didn't come with the laptop)
2. Found my OWN win 7 key by using product key finding program (my sticker at the back of my laptop is ruined)
3. Copy the iso to dvd using the microsoft program.
4. Follow the steps from this guide.
5. Check everything is running correctly using AS SSD program

Questions
1. Sony BIOS is very limited -> does not allow me to set AHCI/IDE/RAID (only change I can make is enabling Intel virtualization technology, date, boot up drive, etc.)
1a. I checked if TRIM is enabled using CMD command and it is enabled
1b. However, AHCI is not enabled right now (by checking regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesMsahci -> start is set to 3 instead of 0)

=> I was planning to just try ssd install and see if it will automatically use AHCI and if it doesn't try changing the regedit and hope it fixes it. Is there any better plan than this?
It's weird that there is TRIM can be enabled but no AHCI

2. My laptop only has SATAII. From what I have read, it shouldn't be that much slower in real life situations but if I end up with SATAII with IDE, I would imagine that would be actually slow. Is there actually something really wrong with using IDE other than speed?

3. I couldn't find any firmware update to Samsung 840 (The official website version is 1.0 last time I checked) am I looking at a wrong place? (I think there is no update yet because it is fairly new?)

4. Any other way to check if my ssd install was successful other than AS SSD?

That's all I can think of now.
Thank you in advance.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lastsd*
> 
> I just wanted final check before opening my ssd and try clean install
> 
> My laptop -> Sony Vaio FW 590
> My SSD -> Samsung 840 250G (non-pro version)
> 
> My plan for clean win 7 install
> 
> 1. Download the Win7 + SP1 home 64bit (since the disk didn't come with the laptop)
> 2. Found my OWN win 7 key by using product key finding program (my sticker at the back of my laptop is ruined)
> 3. Copy the iso to dvd using the microsoft program.
> 4. Follow the steps from this guide.
> 5. Check everything is running correctly using AS SSD program
> 
> Questions
> 1. Sony BIOS is very limited -> does not allow me to set AHCI/IDE/RAID (only change I can make is enabling Intel virtualization technology, date, boot up drive, etc.)
> 1a. I checked if TRIM is enabled using CMD command and it is enabled
> 1b. However, AHCI is not enabled right now (by checking regedit
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesMsahci -> start is set to 3 instead of 0)
> 
> => I was planning to just try ssd install and see if it will automatically use AHCI and if it doesn't try changing the regedit and hope it fixes it. Is there any better plan than this?
> It's weird that there is TRIM can be enabled but no AHCI


Check and see if there is a BIOS update...that is odd there is no SATA mode option list.
Quote:


> 2. My laptop only has SATAII. From what I have read, it shouldn't be that much slower in real life situations but if I end up with SATAII with IDE, I would imagine that would be actually slow. Is there actually something really wrong with using IDE other than speed?


it shouldn't be too slow in actual use.
Quote:


> 3. I couldn't find any firmware update to Samsung 840 (The official website version is 1.0 last time I checked) am I looking at a wrong place? (I think there is no update yet because it is fairly new?)


Use SSD magician, otherwise it should have the latest.
Quote:


> 4. Any other way to check if my ssd install was successful other than AS SSD?
> 
> That's all I can think of now.
> Thank you in advance.


If it boots to the desktop it was successful!


----------



## lastsd

Such a fast reply!
Quote:


> Check and see if there is a BIOS update...that is odd there is no SATA mode option list.
> it shouldn't be too slow in actual use.
> Use SSD magician, otherwise it should have the latest.
> If it boots to the desktop it was successful!


Yeah I thought that was it too but it seems like it's Sony's way to prevent people from "screwing up" and call their help center
Quote:


> it shouldn't be too slow in actual use.


Good to know that even SataII + IDE is not that slow.

So I guess IDE has no disadvantage other than speed? I was afraid it might now allow SSD to work properly
Quote:


> Use SSD magician, otherwise it should have the latest.


I thought SSD magician was necessary only if I wanted to clone HDD to SSD. Does SSD magician do something else?

Thanks again


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lastsd*
> 
> Such a fast reply!
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Check and see if there is a BIOS update...that is odd there is no SATA mode option list.
> it shouldn't be too slow in actual use.
> Use SSD magician, otherwise it should have the latest.
> If it boots to the desktop it was successful!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah I thought that was it too but it seems like it's Sony's way to prevent people from "screwing up" and call their help center
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> it shouldn't be too slow in actual use.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Good to know that even SataII + IDE is not that slow.
> 
> So I guess IDE has no disadvantage other than speed? I was afraid it might now allow SSD to work properly
Click to expand...

IDE just limits speed.

Here is the benefit of AHCI:
Quote:


> AHCI makes Native Command Queuing (NCQ) along with hot-plugging or hot swapping through SATA Serial-ATA host controllers possible. NCQ is one of the important features of AHCI for SSDs. SSDs can process requests faster than HDDs. It can process so fast that the SSD could end up waiting for work. NCQ allows the OS/controller to request up to 32 simultaneous requests at once. So you basically get more performance from your drive over older IDE mode.


Quote:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Use SSD magician, otherwise it should have the latest.
> 
> 
> 
> I thought SSD magician was necessary only if I wanted to clone HDD to SSD. Does SSD magician do something else?
> 
> Thanks again
Click to expand...

It is just Samsung's SSD tool box. It checks for firmware updates and has a few other useless features (for my use) lol.


----------



## lastsd

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> IDE just limits speed.
> 
> Here is the benefit of AHCI:
> 
> It is just Samsung's SSD tool box. It checks for firmware updates and has a few other useless features (for my use) lol.


Thanks!

I shall try it tomorrow (have to download the WIN 7 iso first somewhere else) and probably will come back with million questions


----------



## scorpscarx

Is the latest RST Raid Driver link dead for everyone else as well?

Also when updating this I assume I can just install over the top to the new version and that will replace the older driver and software all in one go. Or should I uninstall, and then reinstall.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=2101&DwnldID=22676&keyword=Intel+rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel+RST%29&lang=eng

Click the .exe, click I accept, and then watch as the mirror is broken.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *scorpscarx*
> 
> Is the latest RST Raid Driver link dead for everyone else as well?
> 
> Also when updating this I assume I can just install over the top to the new version and that will replace the older driver and software all in one go. Or should I uninstall, and then reinstall.
> 
> https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=2101&DwnldID=22676&keyword=Intel+rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel+RST%29&lang=eng
> 
> Click the .exe, click I accept, and then watch as the mirror is broken.


works for me.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/22676/a08/SetupRST.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=22676&ProductID=2101&keyword=Intel+rapid+Storage+Technology+%28Intel+RST%29

Here is a mirror: www.station-drivers.com/telechargement/intel/sata/intel_rst_12.5.0.1066(www.station-drivers.com).exe


----------



## scorpscarx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> works for me.
> 
> Here is a mirror: www.station-drivers.com/telechargement/intel/sata/intel_rst_12.5.0.1066(www.station-drivers.com).exe


Weird, thank you for the link!


----------



## GMcDougal

I am going through the optimization checklist and see i need to change my page file. i have 8gb of ram, what would be a good setting? thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GMcDougal*
> 
> I am going through the optimization checklist and see i need to change my page file. i have 8gb of ram, what would be a good setting? thanks


1GB is fine


----------



## scorpscarx

Hey another quick couple of questions with this new Rapid Storage Technology Driver.

2 new options that it gives:

1. Should LPM, Link Power Management, be disabled or enabled? It was enabled by default.

2. Seems you can override the windows policy of turning off write cache flushing and use RST instead?

Did some OC.net site searches came up with only one thread with no replies, might be helpful.


----------



## GMcDougal

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 1GB is fine


min and max should be at 1000 correct?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GMcDougal*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 1GB is fine
> 
> 
> 
> min and max should be at 1000 correct?
Click to expand...

1000 or 1024 or whatever you like


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *scorpscarx*
> 
> Hey another quick couple of questions with this new Rapid Storage Technology Driver.
> 
> 2 new options that it gives:
> 
> 1. Should LPM, Link Power Management, be disabled or enabled? It was enabled by default.


your choice
Quote:


> 2. Seems you can override the windows policy of turning off write cache flushing and use RST instead?
> 
> Did some OC.net site searches came up with only one thread with no replies, might be helpful.


do both separately


----------



## lastsd

So I did the following so far,

So for my window optimization so far,
1. I shrank the hibernation to 50
2. Left the system protection as is
3. turned off indexing
4. shrank page file size to 1024MB (although it still shows 4086 at the bottom?)
5. restarted computer
6. in process of installing drivers

I wasn't sure about the
7. Install newest SATA and chipset drivers
My computer is Sony Vaio FW 590-CTO
which has Intel Core 2 Duo p8800
which one(s) am I suppose to install?

EDIT:

This is the number I got using AS SSD program (apparently I downloaded non-ENG version of AS SSD lol)
Note that my laptop is using SATAII + ACHI (step #7 still missing)

Also still having trouble getting FN keys and Media keys working -> works now


----------



## Rubin85

What u think guys about the speed ? :>


----------



## iwalkwithedead

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rubin85*
> 
> 
> 
> What u think guys about the speed ? :>


Looks good to me


----------



## GMcDougal

I noticed that things werent quite as snappy with my pagefile set to 1024 and my benchmarks suffered also. Am i doing harm by keeping my pagefile in automatic mode (basically at 8000)?


----------



## GMcDougal

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GMcDougal*
> 
> I noticed that things werent quite as snappy with my pagefile set to 1024 and my benchmarks suffered also. Am i doing harm by keeping my pagefile in automatic mode (basically at 8000)?


bump...anyone have an answer?


----------



## PhilWrir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GMcDougal*
> 
> bump...anyone have an answer?


Its increasing writes on your drive and decreasing your total available space, but it shouldn't really impact the life of the drive very much.


----------



## GMcDougal

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PhilWrir*
> 
> Its increasing writes on your drive and decreasing your total available space, but it shouldn't really impact the life of the drive very much.


awesome, thanks.


----------



## No_LiMiT

I have 8 gb ram and 128gb ssd, my page file is annoyingly big for that size of SSD so I'm thinking about either shrinking it or moving. I prefer to have it on SSD for any potential speed gain so I'd like to know if by shrinking it I lose anything beside option for full memory dump if windows gets BSOD?


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *No_LiMiT*
> 
> I have 8 gb ram and 128gb ssd, my page file is annoyingly big for that size of SSD so I'm thinking about either shrinking it or moving. I prefer to have it on SSD for any potential speed gain so I'd like to know if by shrinking it I lose anything beside option for full memory dump if windows gets BSOD?


for normal computer usage (games, movies, internet,...) you don't loose nothing. shrink it to 512/1024 and leave it on SSD. some games will make problems for you if you disable it (at least one did for me in the past) and you need to leave some on for log/error purposes.
cheers.


----------



## No_LiMiT

Thanks. I'm worried about games, it will cause problems if I disable it, but what if it's just shrunk to 1024?


----------



## PhilWrir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *No_LiMiT*
> 
> Thanks. I'm worried about games, it will cause problems if I disable it, but what if it's just shrunk to 1024?


The only way to know is to try it.
If things don't work right you can just size it back up.


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *No_LiMiT*
> 
> Thanks. I'm worried about games, it will cause problems if I disable it, but what if it's just shrunk to 1024?


games will not be a problem if you put 512 or 1024. they might make problems if you disable it. You have more than enough RAM for gaming so you don't really need big page.
I have it at 512 for a year and play all the newest games. no problems.
I any case you should have it at custom size so it doesn't eat up your SSD drive space unnecessary.
cheers.


----------



## No_LiMiT

Thanks, put it on 1024 and hope it will be fine!


----------



## kevindd992002

I have mine set to the minimum of 400MB and haven't encountered any problems yet.


----------



## TigerSFA8

These are my results from my SSD. It seems a bit under par from what the previous people posted. Anything that I need to tweak or check on?

The samsung ssd pro that I have does have a 100 gb of files on it, would that affect the performance of it?

Thanks~


----------



## PhilWrir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TigerSFA8*
> 
> These are my results from my SSD. It seems a bit under par from what the previous people posted. Anything that I need to tweak or check on?
> 
> The samsung ssd pro that I have does have a 100 gb of files on it, would that affect the performance of it?
> 
> Thanks~


Those look pretty normal to me, or at least within the margin of error for differing systems.
Do you have the latest SATA drivers or RST drivers installed?


----------



## TigerSFA8

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PhilWrir*
> 
> Those look pretty normal to me, or at least within the margin of error for differing systems.
> Do you have the latest SATA drivers or RST drivers installed?


I let windows 7 just install and update all drivers.

Would the latest drivers be the ones for my motherboard? Go to website homepage and download them?


----------



## PhilWrir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TigerSFA8*
> 
> I let windows 7 just install and update all drivers.
> 
> Would the latest drivers be the ones for my motherboard? Go to website homepage and download them?


Correct.
They will probably give you better performance, But the only way to really know is to try.


----------



## MaFi0s0

I just updated my RST software and drivers can someone tell me if these settings are correct, I have 2 520s in raid 0.


Spoiler: Screenshot


----------



## Tropic55

Your guide help do my first SSD 512 install and ( 1 call to an OCN member here to make sure I read some info correctly ), Thanks for the guide! ..Went flawless


----------



## No_LiMiT

Here's my SSD, it's 128 gb and I followed the guide and did most things. Does this look ok? Write speed seems bit low hm


Edit: Installed ISRT drivers and score went up, is this OK now?


----------



## HiCZoK

Guys how do I speed up system shutdown and disable the "shut down" blue splash screen ? (just so my wallpapers stays there)

I have a rather dark wallpaper and it is blinding to turn off my pc in the late night









edit:

Also. Can someone please comment on my score with Plextor 128 M5S ? I have installed those intel rst raid drivers (it says raid in the title but I have only one ssd... There are so many rst drivers on intel site. i have choosed mine from recommended tab on the right)
those - https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=22194

This is ma as ssd score. win7 64.


ncq is enabled as it says in rst control panel and so is trim according to cmd


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaFi0s0*
> 
> I just updated my RST software and drivers can someone tell me if these settings are correct, I have 2 520s in raid 0.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Screenshot


i enable write through
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tropic55*
> 
> Your guide help do my first SSD 512 install and ( 1 call to an OCN member here to make sure I read some info correctly ), Thanks for the guide! ..Went flawless












Quote:


> Originally Posted by *No_LiMiT*
> 
> Here's my SSD, it's 128 gb and I followed the guide and did most things. Does this look ok? Write speed seems bit low hm
> 
> 
> Edit: Installed ISRT drivers and score went up, is this OK now?


looks fine

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HiCZoK*
> 
> Guys how do I speed up system shutdown and disable the "shut down" blue splash screen ? (just so my wallpapers stays there)
> 
> I have a rather dark wallpaper and it is blinding to turn off my pc in the late night
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> edit:
> 
> Also. Can someone please comment on my score with Plextor 128 M5S ? I have installed those intel rst raid drivers (it says raid in the title but I have only one ssd... There are so many rst drivers on intel site. i have choosed mine from recommended tab on the right)
> those - https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=22194
> 
> This is ma as ssd score. win7 64.
> 
> 
> ncq is enabled as it says in rst control panel and so is trim according to cmd


its fine.


----------



## GMcDougal

Whats this thing called Dynamic Storage Accelerator? updated my intel rst drivers and now its saying to enable this for better performance. anyone know which is the right choice here?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GMcDougal*
> 
> Whats this thing called Dynamic Storage Accelerator? updated my intel rst drivers and now its saying to enable this for better performance. anyone know which is the right choice here?


Even though it is present in our systems, this feature only supports the Z77 chipsets and above. So enabling it pretty much won't do anything for us. I even remember that I've read that enabling it and then restarting the computer will revert it back to being disabled. Try and see.


----------



## quipers

Apparently, Windows offers different management options for the page file for each drive. In Sean's guide, "none" is marked as the option for the non-C: drives.
Are there situations in which it makes sense to have separate page files maintained on each drive (say, none on the C: drive that is an SSD but maybe 2GB on an HDD that is also part of the system)? Or is Windows only capable of recognizing a single page file?


----------



## kevindd992002

Sean, did you remove in your guide the option regarding doing something to the Hardware Reliability Monitor that is beneficial to the life of the SSD? I swear that I saw something about that in your guide before that I did but now I'm looking for it but it's gone.


----------



## darrenwks

Hello guys, i've recently bought a OCZ vector 120gb SSD and i want to install window7 on it because my HDD is just too damn slow! But well im suck at these things so im wondering how do i exactly install it into my SSD?

I downloaded Window7 here: *~illegal download links not allowed~*

Can i put it into a flash drive and install instead of burning it into disc?? Is so how?

Do i nid to format my whole HDD?

~Edited by Sean Webster to remove link.~


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *darrenwks*
> 
> Hello guys, i've recently bought a OCZ vector 120gb SSD and i want to install window7 on it because my HDD is just too damn slow! But well im suck at these things so im wondering how do i exactly install it into my SSD?
> 
> I downloaded Window7 here: *~illegal download links not allowed~*
> 
> Can i put it into a flash drive and install instead of burning it into disc?? Is so how?
> 
> Do i nid to format my whole HDD?
> 
> ~Edited by Sean Webster to remove link.~


If you just mount the .iso using Daemon Tools and run it you can install it and select what drive you want without shutting your PC off or reformatting your current drive. Once you have everything installed on your SSD just grab everything you want off it (obviously not much) and format your drive then drag all your stuff back over.


----------



## eBombzor

Sean are you ever going to do a guide with Linux?


----------



## darrenwks

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> If you just mount the .iso using Daemon Tools and run it you can install it and select what drive you want without shutting your PC off or reformatting your current drive. Once you have everything installed on your SSD just grab everything you want off it (obviously not much) and format your drive then drag all your stuff back over.


You mean i install my SSD, run the ISO and select which drive i want to install at? But will i have a new partition if i install my SSD?? right now i only have C: and D:..


----------



## warrior177

Greetings all!

I found this Guide recently, and have used the information to help me with installation of a Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD in my desktop computer which I built about a year and a half ago. I haven't had too many problems with the initial build, but a few months ago, one of the HD's in the Raid 0 failed, and I decided to try to install a SSD for the OS (Windows 7 Pro), and use the remaining good HD as a data drive.

Followed the instructions faithfully on the install; which went smoothly. No issues. (I had only the SSD plugged in during installation.)

Went to the "System Setup after Installation" section, and followed the instructions pertaining to SSD's. #1 thru 6, didn't do #7, and #8 thru 12. Still OK, no issues.

Went through "Optimizations after System Setup" This is where I have the problem. I moved the user folders to my "data" HD; didn't do anything with the hidden AppData folder. Then deleted the original user folders on the C: drive User folder. At that time, everything still seemed to work well. I started to install my application software; Office 2010, Firefox, etc. All seemed to work well. Shut down the computer.

The next day when I started up, and for no reason in particular, I clicked on Start, and on my personal folder, and saw the "Desktop" folder had re-appeared. I then checked my data drive for the personal folder, and found that "Desktop" folder was the only folder present.....no Video, Pictures, My Documents, or any other folders???

I don't know what I did, but it must have been BAD!

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks, Charlie


----------



## Fahrenheit85

I run into an issue with this "Next, use 7-Zip to open the archive located at: "*:\sources\install.wim.". 7zip says its invalid archive. Any help?


----------



## FranBunnyFFXII

Just a quick question.

I have an mSATA boot SSD(59gb/33gb free space), and an HDD with a caching SSD.
I need to change the default install directory to the HDD.

I have all of my drivers installed, and this is the only thing I have left to do. but everytime I do it, it bricks the OS and I have to reinstall.
What am I doing wrong? I don't want to freaking reinstall windows and do all my optimizations and stuff again.

Can anyone show me how to change the default install directory and paths?


----------



## Crizume

Wanted the best viable option so figured I would ask here since googles hot helping.

I am fortunate enough to be upgrading my motherboard and cpu today (3770k) and wanted to do a fresh install on my Samsung 830 SSD. This is no problem as I did it when I bought the SSD and configured everything.

My question in is I have a 2TB HDD that I use for storage. Games, programs, etc. Do I have to do a clean install of the games/programs on that hard drive? will they still work if I just plug in the Hard drive after my fresh install?

What would be my best approach with the Storage HDD?


----------



## ACMH-K

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *How to have steam on the SSD while having the games on either the SSD or HDD:*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Delete everything in the Steam folder except for the "steam.exe" and the "steamapps" folder
> Have the "steam.exe" to a folder made on the C:\ drive (C:\Users\Sean\Steam)
> Have the "steamapps" folder on the HDD you want to store your games (D:\User\Program Files\Steam\steamapps)
> Make a junction from the "steamapps" folder to the SSD folder with the "steam.exe" in it
> Open the "steam.exe" and it will reconfigure steam
> Logged in and BAM! All your games are recognized and steam is on the SSD and the games on the other drive.
> Now, you can put what ever games you want on the SSD with Steam Mover (or junctions)
> Create another folder on the C:\ drive and name it (C:\Users\Sean\Steam Games)
> Run Steam Mover and have it move the game to that location and you are done!
> Now go play the games you want!


Wow!!
I tried this the other day and I think I completely screwed Steam up.
1.) I don't think I followed these steps to a T.
2.) For some odd reason I remember having to do something to my Black Ops 2 game after installing it (to actually get it to work) I can't remember though.
3.) All of my other Steam Games work fine (Just Cause 2, Blops 1, and so on.)

Here is what happens:
I clear local content (ok) Reinstall games.
Verify Game data (ok) finishes the verify with 2 steps
Click play (not ok) It freezes immediately. (whole computer is frozen)
Ctrl+Alt+Del (it's frozen dummy that won't work







)
Fiiiine, Reset

Then the broken record starts to skip, any suggestions?


----------



## serviceman

I am little bit confused. At the beginning of this thread is strictly recommended for Win 7 installation from USB flash FAT32 or using Windows USB/DVD tool. This tool ALWAYS without asking format flash stick to NTFS.
So, does it really matter?

Thanks


----------



## tryceo

Which Intel Rapid Storage driver should I download??


----------



## Sean Webster

Sorry about the late replies, I've just been busy with a lot lately.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *quipers*
> 
> Apparently, Windows offers different management options for the page file for each drive. In Sean's guide, "none" is marked as the option for the non-C: drives.
> Are there situations in which it makes sense to have separate page files maintained on each drive (say, none on the C: drive that is an SSD but maybe 2GB on an HDD that is also part of the system)? Or is Windows only capable of recognizing a single page file?


idk, i just leave mine to 1gb on my SSD/C: drive

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sean, did you remove in your guide the option regarding doing something to the Hardware Reliability Monitor that is beneficial to the life of the SSD? I swear that I saw something about that in your guide before that I did but now I'm looking for it but it's gone.


yea, it doesn't do anything for me. lol

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> Sean are you ever going to do a guide with Linux?


Nope, I'm a Windows kind of guy. lol. I would do one, but there are too many to choose from and different things you can do with each...It would take me too long. Maybe you or someone else who is into major linux distros can.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *warrior177*
> 
> Greetings all!
> 
> I found this Guide recently, and have used the information to help me with installation of a Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD in my desktop computer which I built about a year and a half ago. I haven't had too many problems with the initial build, but a few months ago, one of the HD's in the Raid 0 failed, and I decided to try to install a SSD for the OS (Windows 7 Pro), and use the remaining good HD as a data drive.
> 
> Followed the instructions faithfully on the install; which went smoothly. No issues. (I had only the SSD plugged in during installation.)
> 
> Went to the "System Setup after Installation" section, and followed the instructions pertaining to SSD's. #1 thru 6, didn't do #7, and #8 thru 12. Still OK, no issues.
> 
> Went through "Optimizations after System Setup" This is where I have the problem. I moved the user folders to my "data" HD; didn't do anything with the hidden AppData folder. Then deleted the original user folders on the C: drive User folder. At that time, everything still seemed to work well. I started to install my application software; Office 2010, Firefox, etc. All seemed to work well. Shut down the computer.
> 
> The next day when I started up, and for no reason in particular, I clicked on Start, and on my personal folder, and saw the "Desktop" folder had re-appeared. I then checked my data drive for the personal folder, and found that "Desktop" folder was the only folder present.....no Video, Pictures, My Documents, or any other folders???
> 
> I don't know what I did, but it must have been BAD!
> 
> Any help would be appreciated!
> 
> Thanks, Charlie


did you disconnect the secondary drive you moved the folders to? You did it via the folders' properties correct? The drive may be bad or something.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fahrenheit85*
> 
> I run into an issue with this "Next, use 7-Zip to open the archive located at: "*:\sources\install.wim.". 7zip says its invalid archive. Any help?


redownload, file is corrupt
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FranBunnyFFXII*
> 
> Just a quick question.
> 
> I have an mSATA boot SSD(59gb/33gb free space), and an HDD with a caching SSD.
> I need to change the default install directory to the HDD.
> 
> I have all of my drivers installed, and this is the only thing I have left to do. but everytime I do it, it bricks the OS and I have to reinstall.
> What am I doing wrong? I don't want to freaking reinstall windows and do all my optimizations and stuff again.
> 
> Can anyone show me how to change the default install directory and paths?


not sure on what you are doing, can you explain better? Maybe make the questions more objective?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crizume*
> 
> Wanted the best viable option so figured I would ask here since googles hot helping.
> 
> I am fortunate enough to be upgrading my motherboard and cpu today (3770k) and wanted to do a fresh install on my Samsung 830 SSD. This is no problem as I did it when I bought the SSD and configured everything.
> 
> My question in is I have a 2TB HDD that I use for storage. Games, programs, etc. Do I have to do a clean install of the games/programs on that hard drive? will they still work if I just plug in the Hard drive after my fresh install?
> 
> What would be my best approach with the Storage HDD?


You would have to reinstall most if not all the programs, some games will work, some won't. You need to check and see which.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ACMH-K*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *How to have steam on the SSD while having the games on either the SSD or HDD:*
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Delete everything in the Steam folder except for the "steam.exe" and the "steamapps" folder
> Have the "steam.exe" to a folder made on the C:\ drive (C:\Users\Sean\Steam)
> Have the "steamapps" folder on the HDD you want to store your games (D:\User\Program Files\Steam\steamapps)
> Make a junction from the "steamapps" folder to the SSD folder with the "steam.exe" in it
> Open the "steam.exe" and it will reconfigure steam
> Logged in and BAM! All your games are recognized and steam is on the SSD and the games on the other drive.
> Now, you can put what ever games you want on the SSD with Steam Mover (or junctions)
> Create another folder on the C:\ drive and name it (C:\Users\Sean\Steam Games)
> Run Steam Mover and have it move the game to that location and you are done!
> Now go play the games you want!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wow!!
> I tried this the other day and I think I completely screwed Steam up.
> 1.) I don't think I followed these steps to a T.
> 2.) For some odd reason I remember having to do something to my Black Ops 2 game after installing it (to actually get it to work) I can't remember though.
> 3.) All of my other Steam Games work fine (Just Cause 2, Blops 1, and so on.)
> 
> Here is what happens:
> I clear local content (ok) Reinstall games.
> Verify Game data (ok) finishes the verify with 2 steps
> Click play (not ok) It freezes immediately. (whole computer is frozen)
> Ctrl+Alt+Del (it's frozen dummy that won't work
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )
> Fiiiine, Reset
> 
> Then the broken record starts to skip, any suggestions?
Click to expand...

IDK, have you tried playing it normally in it's original location?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *serviceman*
> 
> I am little bit confused. At the beginning of this thread is strictly recommended for Win 7 installation from USB flash FAT32 or using Windows USB/DVD tool. This tool ALWAYS without asking format flash stick to NTFS.
> So, does it really matter?
> 
> Thanks


For GPT install the USB needs to be FAT32, for a normal install NTFS is fine.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tryceo*
> 
> Which Intel Rapid Storage driver should I download??


the newest lol.

www.station-drivers.com/telechargement/intel/sata/intel_rst_12.6.0.1033(www.station-drivers.com).exe


----------



## FranBunnyFFXII

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> not sure on what you are doing, can you explain better? Maybe make the questions more objective?


The Default install directory.

where everything defaults to install, I needed to change that, but I figured it out.


----------



## ACMH-K

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> IDK, have you tried playing it normally in it's original location?


Yes I have, but like a dummy I didn't back it up or keep it there alltogether, I deleted it before I tried to play the copied version on the new drive. I've even done a complete deletion of the whole Steam directory with games and everything in it after it started screwing up on me, (clean install of steam & apps alike)
Reinstalled it like 4 different times (from disc & downloaded through steam), tried steam mover after it wouldn't work on the default C:

I just purchased and did a chkdsk on 4x 1.5TB drives and I already have an extra one on hand, so I am currently in the process of backing up all my data on a 3TB ex-disk, once that is done I am going to do a clean install of my OS (







) and follow this guide to a T for optimization.








I'll throw my RAID setup in when it says to in the guide.

I have a feeling my registry got screwed up in my attempt to move my steamapps folder (making steam rebuild). I don't feel comfortable messing with that and I can't find any fixes to this problem through google so I figure a clean install will fix the problem, unless you have a less invasive suggestion.

I also had a pipe dream that it could be because of my previous resolution settings. I've thought about using GeForce Experience to optimize my game settings, so the pipe dream is: maybe my old resolution settings are causing it to crash.
Does steam save any config setting files in appdata or programdata that you know of?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea, it doesn't do anything for me. lol


What made you say that it doesn't do anything for you? I hope you put it back in your guide because I follow your guide always when reinstalling a fresh OS.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ACMH-K*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> IDK, have you tried playing it normally in it's original location?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes I have, but like a dummy I didn't back it up or keep it there alltogether, I deleted it before I tried to play the copied version on the new drive. I've even done a complete deletion of the whole Steam directory with games and everything in it after it started screwing up on me, (clean install of steam & apps alike)
> Reinstalled it like 4 different times (from disc & downloaded through steam), tried steam mover after it wouldn't work on the default C:
> 
> I just purchased and did a chkdsk on 4x 1.5TB drives and I already have an extra one on hand, so I am currently in the process of backing up all my data on a 3TB ex-disk, once that is done I am going to do a clean install of my OS (
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) and follow this guide to a T for optimization.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll throw my RAID setup in when it says to in the guide.
> 
> I have a feeling my registry got screwed up in my attempt to move my steamapps folder (making steam rebuild). I don't feel comfortable messing with that and I can't find any fixes to this problem through google so I figure a clean install will fix the problem, unless you have a less invasive suggestion.
> 
> I also had a pipe dream that it could be because of my previous resolution settings. I've thought about using GeForce Experience to optimize my game settings, so the pipe dream is: maybe my old resolution settings are causing it to crash.
> Does steam save any config setting files in appdata or programdata that you know of?
Click to expand...

The steam folder usually has everything contained within itself. Gamesaves are the only things that are out side of it sometimes.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yea, it doesn't do anything for me. lol
> 
> 
> 
> What made you say that it doesn't do anything for you? I hope you put it back in your guide because I follow your guide always when reinstalling a fresh OS.
Click to expand...

I did not notice it affecting any of my systems at all by disabling it. So I took it out of the guide.


----------



## guest182

Hi all. I have recently purchased Kingston v300 120gb and it's already in my laptop. Special thanks to @Sean Webster for the awesome guide.

I am little worried about the speeds from the tests. The laptop is significantly faster, my boot up time dropped from 60+ seconds to about 15 seconds, which I think is OK. See for yourself the results:



I think my laptop is SATA 2 and the SSD is SATA 3 and I know it can't reach the limit of the Kingston which is 450mb read/write, but these speeds are too slow even for SATA 2, where can be the problem be ? I think the SSD is properly connected, because they did that in a service. I opened the laptop to see which port have they used but I understood nothing







Here is a pic:


What I did after I received the laptop.
1 .I checked in the BIOS if the SATA is in AHCI mode and it was.
2. After that I booted Win 7 from a USB and when it came to the part where I have to chose on which disk to install it I chose the SSD it was like 110gb available. I also formatted my HDD and created 2 disks from it.
After that everything went OK.

Thanks in advance for your help.


----------



## ACMH-K

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> The steam folder usually has everything contained within itself. Gamesaves are the only things that are out side of it sometimes.


I got it straightened out. Re-installed OS on a new SSD & used your guide to optimize my new install.
Installed steam and games, then used Steam Mover, worked like a charm.
+1 rep, thanks Sean.
Btw I left a few things out of the optimizing process. But changing the directories of "My" Media files was a huge help, now I can finally organize my pics, music, vids, & docs without running out of room.


----------



## RoflWaffle17

So, when I have asked a couple of people about setting up two hard drives (1 SSD for the OS only, and a 1TB Barracuda for everything else(music, movies, programs, etc)) they have said this:
1) only hook up the ssd and install windows
2) hook up 1TB
3) When installing a new program or downloading a new movie, when asked where you want the program to be saved, just select the HDD.

That sound about right? It just seemed a little to easy/good to be true. (FYI I have never utilized 2 hard drives and have never used an SSD before, so I am extremely new to setting this configuration up.)


----------



## ACMH-K

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RoflWaffle17*
> 
> So, when I have asked a couple of people about setting up two hard drives (1 SSD for the OS only, and a 1TB Barracuda for everything else(music, movies, programs, etc)) they have said this:
> 1) only hook up the ssd and install windows
> 2) hook up 1TB
> 3) When installing a new program or downloading a new movie, when asked where you want the program to be saved, just select the HDD.
> 
> That sound about right? It just seemed a little to easy/good to be true. (FYI I have never utilized 2 hard drives and have never used an SSD before, so I am extremely new to setting this configuration up.)


Yep. Sounds right to me. Some programs by default won't let you choose where to install though. In one of the first few posts in this thread there is a section related to a workaround, but it involves the registry and I wasn't comfortable editing the registry so personally I skipped right over that section.


----------



## andrewjamesperc

hey guys, first post. built my first comp, followed all the steps for installing windows and it worked like a charm. this was a fantastic guide and i really appreciate all the hard work that was put into it.

I for sure screwed up, i am running 8gb of ram and installed a 32 bit by accident. i want to do a clean install, however im not sure what the difference is when windows is already set up.

any help would be great.


----------



## solsamurai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *andrewjamesperc*
> 
> hey guys, first post. built my first comp, followed all the steps for installing windows and it worked like a charm. this was a fantastic guide and i really appreciate all the hard work that was put into it.
> 
> I for sure screwed up, i am running 8gb of ram and installed a 32 bit by accident. i want to do a clean install, however im not sure what the difference is when windows is already set up.
> 
> any help would be great.


Follow the guide (this post specifically) and you will wipe the drive clean in the process. That's all you need to do to start fresh.









Btw, welcome to OCN!


----------



## Ziltoid43

Hi all,

I´m getting crazy!! I´ve tried everything without success and have being searching on the web for a solution without success. I´ve followed Sean´s instructions but it seems that I´m getting stuck just at the beginning!!

Last week I bought an Intel Board (Intel® Desktop Board DH87RL) and Intel SSD (Intel® Solid-State Drive 525 Series). I plugged everything (SSD into the mSATA PCI MiniCard port), started computer and great! It works! BIOS recognizes the mSATA SSD and I was happy . Next step was to install Windows7 from a USB stick. Everything works fine, it boots from USB, starts Windows and when I select the drive to install Windows on it I see the following:

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu".

I´ve tried to format it, to create a volume, to give attributes... but nothing works. Windows7 installation thinks that the SSD is not a boot disk and can not install windows on it. What I´m doing wrong? Is my hardware compatible with this? Do I need to add some drivers to the installation?

Many thanks in advance!


----------



## eBombzor

I would try installing the RST files during installation. Download RST and go into the x64 (or x86 if 32-bit) and you'll see like 5 or 7 things. Put that on a USB and when you get to the drive install option page during installation, click on load drivers and browse for drivers in the USB that you put the files in.


----------



## Ziltoid43

Thanks!!

Looks like the problem was something related to these drivers since now it worked fine. YES! FINALLY!!


----------



## The Nephilim

Hi ! I'm pretty new to this stuff and I just bought my first SSD(840 PRO). I haven't unboxed it yet. Right now i have the OS and other stuff installed on a WD Black 1 TB, but I don't want to keep any of it. I wanna start from scratch. My question is: if I do a low level format now, before I plug in the SSD, will I still be able to "set" the SSD in BIOS? Is it better to format the HDD after I installed the Windows on the SSD? Or should I just delete everything and not bother with formatting?(after I installed the win on SSD). I'm new at all this stuff and I really don't know what to do!
Thanks!


----------



## The Nephilim

I just thought of something. If I begin the instalation of the Windows with both the SSD and HDD plugged in and I quick format them both, will that work? From what I read, the HDD needs to be removed while installing the windows, but I guess I can remove the HDD after formatting it, right?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *The Nephilim*
> 
> Hi ! I'm pretty new to this stuff and I just bought my first SSD(840 PRO). I haven't unboxed it yet. Right now i have the OS and other stuff installed on a WD Black 1 TB, but I don't want to keep any of it. I wanna start from scratch. My question is: if I do a low level format now, before I plug in the SSD, will I still be able to "set" the SSD in BIOS? Is it better to format the HDD after I installed the Windows on the SSD? Or should I just delete everything and not bother with formatting?(after I installed the win on SSD). I'm new at all this stuff and I really don't know what to do!
> Thanks!


First backup any data you want to keep at all away from the system.


disconnect the HDD
plug in the SSD
install OS
plug in HDD
Go to disk management and delete all partitions on the HDD
format the unallocated space on the HDD


----------



## The Nephilim

Wouldn't it be easier if I just quick format it while I try to install the windows and unplug it after that? Or can't I do that?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *The Nephilim*
> 
> Wouldn't it be easier if I just quick format it while I try to install the windows and unplug it after that? Or can't I do that?


do what ever you like. doesnt make a difference as along as all partitions on the drive are gone. formatting does not delete partitions.


----------



## The Nephilim

Didn't know that. I'll follow your advice then. Thanks!


----------



## ACMH-K

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> do what ever you like. doesnt make a difference as along as all partitions on the drive are gone. formatting does not delete partitions.


IIRC you can delete partitions on a drive while you are in the Windows Install walkthrough.

I agree though, backing up data is a must for me.
There must not be anything all that important on that HDD, Wow!









To each his own I guess, huh Sean?

*Edit:*
If your HDD or SSD for that matter, has different partitions and you decide you want to format, it will only format that particular partition, so yes you have to delete partitions first if you want to format the entire HDD/SSD as one complete drive.


----------



## Inaldt

I put a new SSD in my laptop this weekend and this thread has been of great help to me! I have a few questions:

Without deliberately telling it so, it appears W7 formatted the drive the GPT way. How does this happen, and what do you guys advise me to do?

Also, since the SSD is the only drive in my laptop I'd like to partition it. Any advise on the best way to do this?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Inaldt*
> 
> I put a new SSD in my laptop this weekend and this thread has been of great help to me! I have a few questions:
> 
> Without deliberately telling it so, it appears W7 formatted the drive the GPT way. How does this happen,


UEFI install option and use used a DVD?
Quote:


> and what do you guys advise me to do?


whatever you want
Quote:


> Also, since the SSD is the only drive in my laptop I'd like to partition it. Any advise on the best way to do this?


disk management... i don't see any point in partitioning it tho.


----------



## ChristmasInJuly

I have a question that I can't seem to find help for anywhere (including searching this thread). I'm currently running Windows 7 off of a mSATA drive in my Lenovo X220, and using the 300GB Hitachi drive that came with the laptop for data and other programs, of which I only use ~180GB. I just purchased a Samsung 840 250GB to upgrade the Hitachi but I'm not entirely sure what the first step should be.

It looks like my ADATA mSATA drive is SATA II, so the Samsung SSD should be faster, and if so I'd prefer to boot from there. Can anyone offer any advice on how to copy Windows from the mSATA drive and data from the Hitachi to the SSD? Should I make a partition on the Samsung, and copy the data off of the Hitachi onto the larger partition, then remove the Hitachi, replacing it with the Samsung, then clone Windows from the mSATA to the Windows partition on the SSD, then remove the mSATA or at least reformat it? Is there a better procedure?

Any advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
Greg


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ChristmasInJuly*
> 
> I have a question that I can't seem to find help for anywhere (including searching this thread). I'm currently running Windows 7 off of a mSATA drive in my Lenovo X220, and using the 300GB Hitachi drive that came with the laptop for data and other programs, of which I only use ~180GB. I just purchased a Samsung 840 250GB to upgrade the Hitachi but I'm not entirely sure what the first step should be.
> 
> It looks like my ADATA mSATA drive is SATA II, so the Samsung SSD should be faster, and if so I'd prefer to boot from there. Can anyone offer any advice on how to copy Windows from the mSATA drive and data from the Hitachi to the SSD? Should I make a partition on the Samsung, and copy the data off of the Hitachi onto the larger partition, then remove the Hitachi, replacing it with the Samsung, then clone Windows from the mSATA to the Windows partition on the SSD, then remove the mSATA or at least reformat it? Is there a better procedure?
> 
> Any advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated!
> 
> Thank you,
> Greg


Just clone the disk or just install Windows onto the SSD and format the old drive you were using.


----------



## ChristmasInJuly

If I want to end up with Windows AND the storage HDD data on the SSD do I need to partition the SSD, or can I just clone the mSATA then copy the data to the remaining space?


----------



## ChristmasInJuly

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> Just clone the disk or just install Windows onto the SSD and format the old drive you were using.


Oops, I meant to reply to this comment.

If I want to end up with Windows AND the storage HDD data on the SSD do I need to partition the SSD, or can I just clone the mSATA then copy the data to the remaining space?


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ChristmasInJuly*
> 
> Oops, I meant to reply to this comment.
> 
> If I want to end up with Windows AND the storage HDD data on the SSD do I need to partition the SSD, or can I just clone the mSATA then copy the data to the remaining space?


You don't need to partition the drive. You will just drag the stuff you want onto the remaining space. I do suggest still keeping your old hard drives though since you really don't have much space.


----------



## ChristmasInJuly

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> You don't need to partition the drive. You will just drag the stuff you want onto the remaining space. I do suggest still keeping your old hard drives though since you really don't have much space.


Yeah, I'll hang on to them, but I have a large external drive I use for most things. This is just my mobile rig for when I go in the field, so performance is more important than space.

Thanks for the advice!


----------



## MegaBouncyBall

Many thanks, I was trying for hours with no luck until I found this tutorial


----------



## Nestala

Hey Sean, is it really safe to disable UAC? I mean it's annoying as ****, and I would like to disable it, but when it gives more security...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nestala*
> 
> Hey Sean, is it really safe to disable UAC? I mean it's annoying as ****, and I would like to disable it, but when it gives more security...


yea, all it does is prompt you asking to proceed with stuff. I see no security in that. It is just annoying and useless.


----------



## MusicalPulse

How do I turn on AHCI if I'm booting from a SSD but want to RAID two storage HDDs?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MusicalPulse*
> 
> How do I turn on AHCI if I'm booting from a SSD but want to RAID two storage HDDs?


just use RAID mode.


----------



## MusicalPulse

Thanks for the super fast reply! I was just worried because I have RAID mode on but Samsung Magician says AHCI is not working.


----------



## kriickz

Hey. So I bought this new PC like 6-7 months ago. With a Samsung SSD 830 where I installed Windows 7. And additionally a Western Digital 1TB next to it.
However, when I started installing games on the Western Digital HDD I noticed that there was some kind of 1-3 sec freezelag in any game, games such as Counter-Strike, GTA & World of Warcraft.
Then I tried installing one of the games on the SSD instead, and it worked fine till a few weeks ago where the game has now started to stop responding a few times a day. So when I install games on the HDD all games happen to freezelag a couple of times a day for around 1-3 seconds. And when I install games on the SSD they now stop responding at times. And then I started wondering if it might be because I installed my SSD incorrectly. I installed Windows 7 on my SSD like I'd do on a normal HDD. I've tried to format the SSD as well as the HDD to see if that helped but it didn't. So I was wondering if maybe this guide would solve my problem?


----------



## twerk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kriickz*
> 
> Hey. So I bought this new PC like 6-7 months ago. With a Samsung SSD 830 where I installed Windows 7. And additionally a Western Digital 1TB next to it.
> However, when I started installing games on the Western Digital HDD I noticed that there was some kind of 1-3 sec freezelag in any game, games such as Counter-Strike, GTA & World of Warcraft.
> Then I tried installing one of the games on the SSD instead, and it worked fine till a few weeks ago where the game has now started to stop responding a few times a day. So when I install games on the HDD all games happen to freezelag a couple of times a day for around 1-3 seconds. And when I install games on the SSD they now stop responding at times. And then I started wondering if it might be because I installed my SSD incorrectly. I installed Windows 7 on my SSD like I'd do on a normal HDD. I've tried to format the SSD as well as the HDD to see if that helped but it didn't. So I was wondering if maybe this guide would solve my problem?


This doesn't sound like a drive problem. Seems more like a problem with your memory, or even your graphics card. I'd create a new thread in this section:
http://www.overclock.net/f/8/intel-general


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MusicalPulse*
> 
> Thanks for the super fast reply! I was just worried because I have RAID mode on but Samsung Magician says AHCI is not working.


Magician is ******ed lol.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kriickz*
> 
> Hey. So I bought this new PC like 6-7 months ago. With a Samsung SSD 830 where I installed Windows 7. And additionally a Western Digital 1TB next to it.
> However, when I started installing games on the Western Digital HDD I noticed that there was some kind of 1-3 sec freezelag in any game, games such as Counter-Strike, GTA & World of Warcraft.
> Then I tried installing one of the games on the SSD instead, and it worked fine till a few weeks ago where the game has now started to stop responding a few times a day. So when I install games on the HDD all games happen to freezelag a couple of times a day for around 1-3 seconds. And when I install games on the SSD they now stop responding at times. And then I started wondering if it might be because I installed my SSD incorrectly. I installed Windows 7 on my SSD like I'd do on a normal HDD. I've tried to format the SSD as well as the HDD to see if that helped but it didn't. So I was wondering if maybe this guide would solve my problem?


try different drives or make a new thread.


----------



## IAmKhyam

In a bit of a muddle here... Any help is appreciated









say i have W8 installed, with both SSD+HDD connected during the installation (i found this thread afterwards). Before I do the steps above should i reset the HDD/both drives and just start from scratch?

OR

should i go about a different way? EG. can i remove/move that partition? Should i just leave it and set this up a different way? (please specify..)

----

back to the first scenario...
- if i did just reset the HDD and unplug it will windows even launch? (350MB of my HDD is partitioned ""system reserved" and i didnt do it so i suppose windows did)
- will my windows key work if i reset both drives and start completely from scratch?

cheers







, as I said.. any help is appreciated..

Khyam


----------



## EarlZ

Hey sean, do you know of a easy to use tool for secure erasing SSD's? I really hate fumbling around with parted magic and finding a version that works for my PC. maybe even something that has auto executes upon USB boot is good enough.


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IAmKhyam*
> 
> In a bit of a muddle here... Any help is appreciated
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> say i have W8 installed, with both SSD+HDD connected during the installation (i found this thread afterwards). Before I do the steps above should i reset the HDD/both drives and just start from scratch?
> 
> OR
> 
> should i go about a different way? EG. can i remove/move that partition? Should i just leave it and set this up a different way? (please specify..)
> 
> ----
> 
> back to the first scenario...
> - if i did just reset the HDD and unplug it will windows even launch? (350MB of my HDD is partitioned ""system reserved" and i didnt do it so i suppose windows did)
> - will my windows key work if i reset both drives and start completely from scratch?
> 
> cheers
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , as I said.. any help is appreciated..
> 
> Khyam


Well just install Windows to the SSD and overwrite the previous installation then use disk cleanup to remove the previous version you installed. It doesn't matter how many versions of Windows you've had installed on the hard drives in your PC you shouldn't run into any problems.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Hey sean, do you know of a easy to use tool for secure erasing SSD's? I really hate fumbling around with parted magic and finding a version that works for my PC. maybe even something that has auto executes upon USB boot is good enough.


http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *IAmKhyam*
> 
> In a bit of a muddle here... Any help is appreciated
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> say i have W8 installed, with both SSD+HDD connected during the installation (i found this thread afterwards). Before I do the steps above should i reset the HDD/both drives and just start from scratch?
> 
> OR
> 
> should i go about a different way? EG. can i remove/move that partition? Should i just leave it and set this up a different way? (please specify..)
> 
> ----
> 
> back to the first scenario...
> - if i did just reset the HDD and unplug it will windows even launch? (350MB of my HDD is partitioned ""system reserved" and i didnt do it so i suppose windows did)
> - will my windows key work if i reset both drives and start completely from scratch?
> 
> cheers
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , as I said.. any help is appreciated..
> 
> Khyam
> 
> 
> 
> Well just install Windows to the SSD and overwrite the previous installation then use disk cleanup to remove the previous version you installed. It doesn't matter how many versions of Windows you've had installed on the hard drives in your PC you shouldn't run into any problems.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Hey sean, do you know of a easy to use tool for secure erasing SSD's? I really hate fumbling around with parted magic and finding a version that works for my PC. maybe even something that has auto executes upon USB boot is good enough.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/SecureErase.shtml
Click to expand...

So I just make a regular USB bootable drive and copy the contents and run hdderase.exe?


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> So I just make a regular USB bootable drive and copy the contents and run hdderase.exe?


I guess so yea, never used it myself since I'll never sell any hard drives. Once mine are useless to me they're being killed with magnets


----------



## TIEAdvanced

Hi I followed this guide and it's an amazing resource but now I have a problem, when I try to launch for example a .jpg file i get the RunDLL error:

There was a problem starting E:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Photo Viewer\PhotoViewer.dll

I am running Windows 7 Home Premium with a Samsung Pro 128gb as my C: Boot Drive and a 1TB HDD as my E: Storage Drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TIEAdvanced*
> 
> Hi I followed this guide and it's an amazing resource but now I have a problem, when I try to launch for example a .jpg file i get the RunDLL error:
> 
> There was a problem starting E:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Photo Viewer\PhotoViewer.dll
> 
> I am running Windows 7 Home Premium with a Samsung Pro 128gb as my C: Boot Drive and a 1TB HDD as my E: Storage Drive.


Something corrupted.

Try running this in CMD run as admin:

sfc /scannow


----------



## TIEAdvanced

That seemed to do the trick. You, sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. I'd rep you if i could.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> So I just make a regular USB bootable drive and copy the contents and run hdderase.exe?
> 
> 
> 
> I guess so yea, never used it myself since I'll never sell any hard drives. Once mine are useless to me they're being killed with magnets
Click to expand...

Its for an SSD to restore performance, gonna change from a P67 to a Z87 platform.. might as well format.


----------



## IAmKhyam

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> Well just install Windows to the SSD and overwrite the previous installation then use disk cleanup to remove the previous version you installed. It doesn't matter how many versions of Windows you've had installed on the hard drives in your PC you shouldn't run into any problems.


EDIT: please excuse the lazy grammar and punctuation... wrote this in a hurry..

(using custom install) trying to over-write.. I cant install windows anywhere... drive 0 (SSD) is divided into 4 partitions; recovery, system, MSR reserved and primary. And only the primary can be accessed, and i get this error message after the installation starts and, almost immediately, ends: windows detected that the EFI system partition was formatted as NTFS (i dont remember doing that.). format the EFI system partition as FAT32, and restart the installation. I dont know how to do this... I dont want to install windows onto the HDD as well.. thats silly.

(repair you pc)
Refresh PC - drive is locked. unlock it, and try again (idk how)
reset pc - unable, a required drive partition is missing
auto repair - auto repair failed, shutdown pc or select another advanced option
system restore - havent had it for long enough to back it up. ha.
system image recovery - 'same as above'
command prompt - havent tried.. i dont know that much.

*TLR im wondering if there is any way i could factory reset the hard drives with command prompt... or hook them up to another pc to delete everything manually..?*


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IAmKhyam*
> 
> EDIT: please excuse the lazy grammar and punctuation... wrote this in a hurry..
> 
> (using custom install) trying to over-write.. I cant install windows anywhere... drive 0 (SSD) is divided into 4 partitions; recovery, system, MSR reserved and primary. And only the primary can be accessed, and i get this error message after the installation starts and, almost immediately, ends: windows detected that the EFI system partition was formatted as NTFS (i dont remember doing that.). format the EFI system partition as FAT32, and restart the installation. I dont know how to do this... I dont want to install windows onto the HDD as well.. thats silly.
> 
> (repair you pc)
> Refresh PC - drive is locked. unlock it, and try again (idk how)
> reset pc - unable, a required drive partition is missing
> auto repair - auto repair failed, shutdown pc or select another advanced option
> system restore - havent had it for long enough to back it up. ha.
> system image recovery - 'same as above'
> command prompt - havent tried.. i dont know that much.
> 
> *TLR im wondering if there is any way i could factory reset the hard drives with command prompt... or hook them up to another pc to delete everything manually..?*


The guide states to wipe the drives with diskpart via the clean command.


----------



## phaseshift

just a quick question, I just got a Samsung 840 250gb ssd, following these settings will disable sleep correct?


----------



## IAmKhyam

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> The guide states to wipe the drives with diskpart via the clean command.


thanks for the help man, i didnt know how to 'bridge' where i was and the start of the guide..

cheers


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *phaseshift*
> 
> just a quick question, I just got a Samsung 840 250gb ssd, following these settings will disable sleep correct?


why would anything in the guide disable sleep?

if you want to disable sleep just go to your power options and disable it there.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> why would anything in the guide disable sleep?
> 
> if you want to disable sleep just go to your power options and disable it there.


Guessing he's confusing hibernate (restore session from HDD/SSD) with sleep (restore session from RAM).


----------



## RoflWaffle17

Is there a way to set my Local Drive (E as the default install location; rather than my C:?? Because sometime when I download programs it won't give me the option to install it on my E and it automatically goes to my C (which is only a 128gb ssd) So I want to save as much space on that as I possibly can!


----------



## EarlZ

Can anyone recommend me an easy to use Imaging software, Id like to make a back up image on my current install so that I wont have to re-install everything when I mess up. It would be good if the said software can back up/restore from a different drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

acronis true image is what i use


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Can anyone recommend me an easy to use Imaging software, Id like to make a back up image on my current install so that I wont have to re-install everything when I mess up. It would be good if the said software can back up/restore from a different drive.


I would highly recommend clonezilla.
It's not really hard to use.

I was using norton ghost for years and finally tried clonezilla like 6 month ago, never looked back ;-).

If you want I can give you screen shots of standard setup going thrue clonzilla to create backup.

cheers.


----------



## Sean Webster

make a thread on clonezilla please. I hate it since idk how the hell to get it working lol


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> make a thread on clonezilla please. I hate it since idk how the hell to get it working lol


I'll do that mate. this afternoon when I get some time.
I'll post the link here.
cheers.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> make a thread on clonezilla please. I hate it since idk how the hell to get it working lol


What would you recommend for us to use?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geronimo*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> make a thread on clonezilla please. I hate it since idk how the hell to get it working lol
> 
> 
> 
> I'll do that mate. this afternoon when I get some time.
> I'll post the link here.
> cheers.
Click to expand...

Thanks, if you can also PM me the link here incase I miss it. Is clonezilla included with parted magic?


----------



## geronimo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> make a thread on clonezilla please. I hate it since idk how the hell to get it working lol


here you go guys.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1411659/clonezilla-image-creating-restoring-quick-guide#post_20450739

any questions left, ask away

cheers.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> acronis true image is what i use


----------



## RoflWaffle17

Sean, is there a way to change my default installation location from my SSD (C to my HD (E??


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RoflWaffle17*
> 
> Sean, is there a way to change my default installation location from my SSD (C to my HD (E??


in the last post of the guide, but i wouldn't do it. causes issues some times


----------



## RoflWaffle17

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> in the last post of the guide, but i wouldn't do it. causes issues some times


Ahh, okay. Thank you for your input.


----------



## m4paws

Sean, just wanted to say thank you for your guide. I plan on using it this weekend when I (hopefully) complete my new build.

To the poster who was looking for good imaging software, I use Paragon Hard Disk Manager 12 and it works great.


----------



## EarlZ

Slight OT:

Whats the highest performing SATA based SSD these days between 120-256Gb sizes?


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Slight OT:
> 
> Whats the highest performing SATA based SSD these days between 120-256Gb sizes?


Have you checked out the Samsung Evo benches? The 1TB model is breaking 40MB/s 4k reads!


----------



## internalaudit

Just signed up on overclock.net to thank Sean for the very thorough walkthrough. I've seen a few sites where the author couldn't even back up the reasons for doing such and such.









Once I do migrate over to Windows 8 (with the purchase of a touch screen laptop), I'll be sure to follow the new guide.

Really appreciate your sharing all these power user tips Sean.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Slight OT:
> 
> Whats the highest performing SATA based SSD these days between 120-256Gb sizes?


The Evo looks sweet as Tom said. I like my SanDisk Extreme 2 performance, check some benches out on that.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *internalaudit*
> 
> Just signed up on overclock.net to thank Sean for the very thorough walkthrough. I've seen a few sites where the author couldn't even back up the reasons for doing such and such.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Once I do migrate over to Windows 8 (with the purchase of a touch screen laptop), I'll be sure to follow the new guide.
> 
> Really appreciate your sharing all these power user tips Sean.


No prob, glad to help.


----------



## sweeper240

Has anyone ever created an automated install for Windows 8 for a 2 drive SSD+HDD system that from the very beginning has all the high write/rewrite folders moved to HDD (like Temp, Browser Cache, Docs, Music, Games, etc.)?


----------



## twerk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sweeper240*
> 
> Has anyone ever created an automated install for Windows 8 for a 2 drive SSD+HDD system that from the very beginning has all the high write/rewrite folders moved to HDD (like Temp, Browser Cache, Docs, Music, Games, etc.)?


I doubt it because it's so easy and quick to do manually.

Normally people only create custom installers for doing things that are complex and would take time to do otherwise.


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sweeper240*
> 
> Has anyone ever created an automated install for Windows 8 for a 2 drive SSD+HDD system that from the very beginning has all the high write/rewrite folders moved to HDD (like Temp, Browser Cache, Docs, Music, Games, etc.)?


Thing is high number of writes just isn't a concern with SSDs at the moment. Even TLC is good enough to last 10 years or so with normal usage (heck, even with abnormal if you get one of the bigger drives). The only reason I'd move the temp and browser cache off the SSD is if I'm offloading to a RAM disk.


----------



## stnz

Thank you again for this great guide, had done most of the stuff but learned a few thanks to you, thank you for sharing your sources as well, good lectures in there. +1


----------



## Thoth420

Well this is exactly what I was looking for. Sean Webster if you happen to read this thank you.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stnz*
> 
> Thank you again for this great guide, had done most of the stuff but learned a few thanks to you, thank you for sharing your sources as well, good lectures in there. +1


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Thoth420*
> 
> Well this is exactly what I was looking for. Sean Webster if you happen to read this thank you.


Your welcome guys.


----------



## Thoth420

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Your welcome guys.












Def know most of the stuff on there and I am about to format win 7 on 2 TB HDD but when I move the OS to a smaller SSD those space savers are going to be amazing. The install order after the OS was more what I was looking at for today.


----------



## madLyfe

hey sean i used this guide for tips and tricks on win7, but i just got all my new parts for a win8 build and am transferring my ssd over to the new build.. how do you suggest wiping or not wiping and all these tips and tricks from a used ssd? thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madLyfe*
> 
> hey sean i used this guide for tips and tricks on win7, but i just got all my new parts for a win8 build and am transferring my ssd over to the new build.. how do you suggest wiping or not wiping and all these tips and tricks from a used ssd? thanks


quick format, you can just follow my windows 8 guide if you like.


----------



## madLyfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> quick format, you can just follow my windows 8 guide if you like.


oh I'm sorry Sean I didn't know you had a win 8 guide.. thanks for your help!


----------



## kirschi

What a superb guide! Thank you for the detailed and accurate info.

I've found the following guide helpful for moving the c:\users folder to a separate drive:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-files/win7-how-do-i-move-user-folder-to-a-different/565f16a5-e5ed-43c9-8422-4f56aebb296e
It also worked like a charm.


----------



## EarlZ

A friend of mine gave me this screenshot, idk where to start









Its a SanDisk SDSSDP-128G

Installed on a grey sata port on an Asrock Z77 Pro3, also tried the black sata port.

Disabled Aggressive Link Power to Sata port ( or something along those lines )
Set the SATA mode to SSD
Disabled Hot swap


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A friend of mine gave me this screenshot, idk where to start
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Its a SanDisk SDSSDP-128G
> 
> Installed on a grey sata port on an Asrock Z77 Pro3, also tried the black sata port.
> 
> Disabled Aggressive Link Power to Sata port ( or something along those lines )
> Set the SATA mode to SSD
> Disabled Hot swap


Looks fine to me. From memory, IOPS on that drive is around 2,000 so those numbers are right around what I'd expect to see from that drive. If your friend wanted a better drive, he should have done his research first before buying and not just bought whatever SSD he found on sale.


----------



## EarlZ

I actually expected more from the SSD but yeah I told her to spend $25 more for a modern ssd.
So with that model that is the actual performance?


----------



## rui-no-onna

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> I actually expected more from the SSD but yeah I told her to spend $25 more for a modern ssd.
> So with that model that is the actual performance?


Yeah, pretty much.


----------



## EarlZ

Good thing we are able to exchange it for a Corsair Neutron 256Gb for an additional $116, yes SSD is still that expensive in where we live.
I would suppose the Neturon 256GB ( not the 240 ) is better and faster than the ForceGT 240 ?


----------



## gdubc

Yeah its better. That neutron model is a good one.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gdubc*
> 
> Yeah its better. That neutron model is a good one.


She is now getting 600+ on the ASSD benchmark, lower than expected but better than the 160.

http://www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1366606857NfbPMf7rQ1_9_1.png

on hardocp shows 1.1k


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Nvm, figured it out.


----------



## Agoniizing

Do any of you recommend that I disable the page file completely? Or should I make it 1GB?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Agoniizing*
> 
> Do any of you recommend that I disable the page file completely? Or should I make it 1GB?


i do 1GB myself, it is usually good for most systems


----------



## Agoniizing

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> i do 1GB myself, it is usually good for most systems


Is it bad if I have it disabled? Or does it make my system slower if I have it disabled?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Agoniizing*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> i do 1GB myself, it is usually good for most systems
> 
> 
> 
> Is it bad if I have it disabled? Or does it make my system slower if I have it disabled?
Click to expand...

check the notes in the guide.


----------



## stnz

Personally, I put it on another HDD, a classic one, not a SSD. As I wasn't truly sure about disabling entirely and 1GB just makes no sense to me.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stnz*
> 
> Personally, I put it on another HDD, a classic one, not a SSD. As I wasn't truly sure about disabling entirely and 1GB just makes no sense to me.


why does it not make sense? it is more than you need for a memory dump, and enough for program use if needed. However, it isn't so much to use up a lot of disk space.

its also better to have it on the SSD because most of the page file is small random reads/writes, which SSDs excel at.


----------



## Agoniizing

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> why does it not make sense? it is more than you need for a memory dump, and enough for program use if needed. However, it isn't so much to use up a lot of disk space.
> 
> its also better to have it on the SSD because most of the page file is small random reads/writes, which SSDs excel at.


So what do you think I should do? Or what would you do?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Agoniizing*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> why does it not make sense? it is more than you need for a memory dump, and enough for program use if needed. However, it isn't so much to use up a lot of disk space.
> 
> its also better to have it on the SSD because most of the page file is small random reads/writes, which SSDs excel at.
> 
> 
> 
> So what do you think I should do? Or what would you do?
Click to expand...

read the guide where i talk about Page file and you would know....JUST SET TO 1GB


----------



## gdubc

But what do you really think? 

 haha just kidding!


----------



## stnz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> read the guide where i talk about Page file and you would know....JUST SET TO 1GB


Thanks for your input on the matter


----------



## EarlZ

Im secure erasing an ssd for my friend who has a samung 830 series 128gb, we are using partedmagic and using its SE tool. Its showing approx time 32 mins. With my forcegt it was like 2 seconds.. can we safely interrupt this??


----------



## BradleyW

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Im secure erasing an ssd for my friend who has a samung 830 series 128gb, we are using partedmagic and using its SE tool. Its showing approx time 32 mins. With my forcegt it was like 2 seconds.. can we safely interrupt this??


No. And it should only take a few seconds. Something wrong there. Could be incorrect BIOS settings or the SSD might be plugged into the wrong port. Or the BIOs might be out of date. Try updating the SSD firmware as well. If all that fails, try different versions of parted magic. Some work better than others for certain software. That's been proven time and time again.


----------



## JackTheShipper

Hi there, Just gone trough the guide.

Now to be fair, I had installed everything about 2 weeks ago, with some minor programs that I knew I wanted on the SSD already installed.
The other programs I did not install untill now, because of coming across this guide and wanting to install my non-essential programs to another drive.

I have, as requested in this guide, included my setup as closely as I could (im not the most tech-savy person) in my signature.

Now, the issue im having is with this post, that is linked to in the guide as well:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1170#post_15989972

I followed that one as well, to the letter. This is one of the main things in this guide that truly appealed to me and felt like a MUST DO, to save space on my SSD for the years to come. (Its only 128gb)

And now tons of problems are arrising that are just driving me insane, and I cant seem to fix them. Perhaps notable I'm running windows 7 64-bit.

The main problem I'm having is that *lots of shortcuts on the desktop and inside the start menu are no longer working correctly*. They simply say windows cant find 'program name here'.
And for some of those, but not all, *the icons look really ugly (the default no icon found one)*. Furthermore, when I'm installing new programs now, and its a program that gives me the option to choose where to install it still has the C directory as a default. (although this last one might be normal?) If it is a program that does not give me the option to choose where to install tho, I have noticed that it autoinstalls in my M drive (which is my HDD for storage, so that is working fine).

I'd really like to fix all these broken shortcuts and icons missing, its annoying me so so much.

I started browsing trough the thread a little bit trying to find people with simular issues, but gave up fairly quick because of how many posts there are in here. (just being honest)

I would say I created an account just for this, but thats a lie, I was planning on creating an account eitherway just to say thank you to Sean, this guide is incredibly long and I can appreciate the effort put into this.

Any assistance would be much appreciated.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Im secure erasing an ssd for my friend who has a samung 830 series 128gb, we are using partedmagic and using its SE tool. Its showing approx time 32 mins. With my forcegt it was like 2 seconds.. can we safely interrupt this??
> 
> 
> 
> No. And it should only take a few seconds. Something wrong there. Could be incorrect BIOS settings or the SSD might be plugged into the wrong port. Or the BIOs might be out of date. Try updating the SSD firmware as well. If all that fails, try different versions of parted magic. Some work better than others for certain software. That's been proven time and time again.
Click to expand...

Its on the intel port where my SSD was connected, firmware is at the latest version and the actual time it took was about 7mins.


----------



## Mike813

great write-up works great


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackTheShipper*
> 
> Hi there, Just gone trough the guide.
> 
> Now to be fair, I had installed everything about 2 weeks ago, with some minor programs that I knew I wanted on the SSD already installed.
> The other programs I did not install untill now, because of coming across this guide and wanting to install my non-essential programs to another drive.
> 
> I have, as requested in this guide, included my setup as closely as I could (im not the most tech-savy person) in my signature.
> 
> Now, the issue im having is with this post, that is linked to in the guide as well:
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds/1170#post_15989972
> 
> I followed that one as well, to the letter. This is one of the main things in this guide that truly appealed to me and felt like a MUST DO, to save space on my SSD for the years to come. (Its only 128gb)
> 
> And now tons of problems are arrising that are just driving me insane, and I cant seem to fix them. Perhaps notable I'm running windows 7 64-bit.
> 
> The main problem I'm having is that *lots of shortcuts on the desktop and inside the start menu are no longer working correctly*. They simply say windows cant find 'program name here'.
> And for some of those, but not all, *the icons look really ugly (the default no icon found one)*. Furthermore, when I'm installing new programs now, and its a program that gives me the option to choose where to install it still has the C directory as a default. (although this last one might be normal?) If it is a program that does not give me the option to choose where to install tho, I have noticed that it autoinstalls in my M drive (which is my HDD for storage, so that is working fine).
> 
> I'd really like to fix all these broken shortcuts and icons missing, its annoying me so so much.
> 
> I started browsing trough the thread a little bit trying to find people with simular issues, but gave up fairly quick because of how many posts there are in here. (just being honest)
> 
> I would say I created an account just for this, but thats a lie, I was planning on creating an account eitherway just to say thank you to Sean, this guide is incredibly long and I can appreciate the effort put into this.
> 
> Any assistance would be much appreciated.


Usually that is for when you first install the OS. If you do it after you install programs the issues you describe do result. Whatever programs you are having issues with you will have to reinstall since Windows is looking at the new location for the programs rather than the old one.

I really don't recommend doing that change myself.









I'd just do a reinstall and leave the default install locations.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Im secure erasing an ssd for my friend who has a samung 830 series 128gb, we are using partedmagic and using its SE tool. Its showing approx time 32 mins. With my forcegt it was like 2 seconds.. can we safely interrupt this??
> 
> 
> 
> No. And it should only take a few seconds. Something wrong there. Could be incorrect BIOS settings or the SSD might be plugged into the wrong port. Or the BIOs might be out of date. Try updating the SSD firmware as well. If all that fails, try different versions of parted magic. Some work better than others for certain software. That's been proven time and time again.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Its on the intel port where my SSD was connected, firmware is at the latest version and the actual time it took was about 7mins.
Click to expand...

I've had a old kingston drive take 12mins before myself. But most of the drives I've S/E'd usually too a few seconds besides that one. I've not done it on my Samsung 830 yet so IDK.


----------



## JackTheShipper

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Usually that is for when you first install the OS. If you do it after you install programs the issues you describe do result. Whatever programs you are having issues with you will have to reinstall since Windows is looking at the new location for the programs rather than the old one.
> 
> I really don't recommend doing that change myself.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'd just do a reinstall and leave the default install locations.


When you say you'd just do a reinstall, do you mean of the programs that are currently on the SSD? or the OS? And what exactly do you mean with leave the default installation? There are some programs that I absolutely must have on the SSD (work-related) which is the main reason why Ive gotten a new pc


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackTheShipper*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Usually that is for when you first install the OS. If you do it after you install programs the issues you describe do result. Whatever programs you are having issues with you will have to reinstall since Windows is looking at the new location for the programs rather than the old one.
> 
> I really don't recommend doing that change myself.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'd just do a reinstall and leave the default install locations.
> 
> 
> 
> When you say you'd just do a reinstall, do you mean of the programs that are currently on the SSD? or the OS?
Click to expand...

Do OS reinstall.
Quote:


> And what exactly do you mean with leave the default installation?


Don't do the changes described on the link you had in the last post to change the default install directory location...
Quote:


> There are some programs that I absolutely must have on the SSD (work-related) which is the main reason why Ive gotten a new pc


If you use the SSD for the OS and programs they will automatically be installed onto the SSD by default...why would you change the default install directory location?


----------



## PhilWrir

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do OS reinstall.
> Don't do the changes described on the link you had in the last post to change the default install directory location...
> If you use the SSD for the OS and programs they will automatically be installed onto the SSD by default...why would you change the default install directory location?


Slow down a little Sean.
Your space bar is getting excited in strange p la ce s


----------



## Sean Webster

Lies


----------



## JackTheShipper

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do OS reinstall.
> Don't do the changes described on th elink you had in the last post to chang eth edefault install directory location...
> If you use the SSD for the OS and programs they will automatically be installed onto the SSD by default...why would you change the default install directory location?


Well, I only need a few programs to run fast, and I only have a small SSD, while I have alot of non essential programs as well. Like games and such that I do not want to run from SSD to save space for my work programs.

If I opt to reinstall the programs I have installed on my SSD now and for them, choose the ssd as the default location, will that work fine going forward? I know it seems like more of a chore then just doing a fresh install, but I keep large complex databases on my ssd that function with my work related programs and they would need like a week to reimport, while If I just reinstall the program that takes like 10 mins or less... so reinstalling 10 programs might be faster then reinstalling the OS and having to reimport all the files that go INTO the programs for analysing.


----------



## Hyolyn

Nice guide, but i would recommend to stay away from r7lite or similar software unless you know exactly what you are doing, why?
The project is near dead and the bug's left are horrendous, it can literately cripple your windows or worse if not done right!

Just wanted to warn you


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JackTheShipper*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Do OS reinstall.
> Don't do the changes described on th elink you had in the last post to chang eth edefault install directory location...
> If you use the SSD for the OS and programs they will automatically be installed onto the SSD by default...why would you change the default install directory location?
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I only need a few programs to run fast, and I only have a small SSD, while I have alot of non essential programs as well. Like games and such that I do not want to run from SSD to save space for my work programs.
Click to expand...

What size SSD? Typically you should be fine to fit all the OS and programs on a 60/64GB drive. If you really need the space you should just get a larger SSD and sell off the smaller.

For games you just install them to a secondary via the advanced install option. Or if you have steam or origin you can just put the directory for games on another drive. I have steam folder and all my steam games on my D drive since it is portable.
Quote:


> If I opt to reinstall the programs I have installed on my SSD now and for them, choose the ssd as the default location, will that work fine going forward?


IDK, i never messed with changing th edefault location myself, but that is what I have read from others who have that issue you described.
Quote:


> I know it seems like more of a chore then just doing a fresh install, but I keep large complex databases on my ssd that function with my work related programs and they would need like a week to reimport, while If I just reinstall the program that takes like 10 mins or less... so reinstalling 10 programs might be faster then reinstalling the OS and having to reimport all the files that go INTO the programs for analysing.


Try it and see.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hyolyn*
> 
> Nice guide, but i would recommend to stay away from r7lite or similar software unless you know exactly what you are doing, why?
> The project is near dead and the bug's left are horrendous, it can literately cripple your windows or worse if not done right!
> 
> Just wanted to warn you


really? what are some of the issues?

I've been using Win Toolkit myself no issue. I haven't used R7lite much.


----------



## Nexo

Great guide!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nexo*
> 
> Great guide!


----------



## WizrdSleevz

Hey Sean, I've followed this guide for all of my SSD OS Installs. I'm about to do a reinstall on my Samsung 830 & was wondering if you would recommend using Samsung Magician Software? Will using the software & letting it optimize my OS be similar to manually doing it following this guide?

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WizrdSleevz*
> 
> Hey Sean, I've followed this guide for all of my SSD OS Installs. I'm about to do a reinstall on my Samsung 830 & was wondering if you would recommend using Samsung Magician Software? Will using the software & letting it optimize my OS be similar to manually doing it following this guide?
> 
> Thanks!


i dont like it myself.


----------



## kevindd992002

How about the Plextor tool, is that needed and useful?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> How about the Plextor tool, is that needed and useful?


last time i used it it didn't do anything but show the expected life and smart data really


----------



## EarlZ

I just got a Seagate 3TB drive and I would prefer it to be in a single partition for now, should it be initialized as GPT or MBR?


----------



## Sean Webster

gpt


----------



## EarlZ

thanks gpt it is then


----------



## RoflWaffle17

I'm looking to do a clean wipe of my OS drive (120 GB SSD) and reinstalling my windows 7 ultimate. What's the best route to go about this, Sean?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RoflWaffle17*
> 
> I'm looking to do a clean wipe of my OS drive (120 GB SSD) and reinstalling my windows 7 ultimate. What's the best route to go about this, Sean?


follow the guide lol


----------



## overclockMT

Hi Sean.

Some six months ago, I added a 2nd hard drive to Windows 7 and I set-it up as GPT.

Never had issues.

But, I am now reading that GPT is only for >2TB drives so I would like to convert this 2nd hard drive to MBR.

Considering that I can afford to format the drive, can you kindly confirm the below steps will format the drive, convert it to MBR and also correctly align the drive?

- Open the Start Menu, type diskpart, press Enter
- Type list disk, press Enter
- Type select disk X (where X is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
- Type clean, press Enter
- Type convert MBR, press Enter
- Type create partition primary, press Enter
- Type format quick fs=ntfs, press Enter
- Type assign, press Enter
- Type exit, press Enter

(Hence no convert gpt + ENTER) command.

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overclockMT*
> 
> Hi Sean.
> 
> Some six months ago, I added a 2nd hard drive to Windows 7 and I set-it up as GPT.
> 
> Never had issues.
> 
> But, I am now reading that GPT is only for >2TB drives so I would like to convert this 2nd hard drive to MBR.
> 
> Considering that I can afford to format the drive, can you kindly confirm the below steps will format the drive, convert it to MBR and also correctly align the drive?
> 
> - Open the Start Menu, type diskpart, press Enter
> - Type list disk, press Enter
> - Type select disk X (where X is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
> - Type clean, press Enter
> - Type create partition primary, press Enter
> - Type format quick fs=ntfs, press Enter
> - Type assign, press Enter
> - Type exit, press Enter
> 
> (Hence no convert gpt + ENTER) command.
> 
> Thanks!


thats it!


----------



## overclockMT

Very helpful mate, for the record those are steps you kindly provided months ago, just wanted to make sure


----------



## overclockMT

Sean, apologies, but I remember that months ago I already performed these steps to try and fix an issue with the HDD going to sleep every "n" seconds, then turning out to be just the way the HDD works.

Now in one of your past replies you said, "You can simply use the clean command and that will automatically make the drive MBR format by default." but this was not the case for me, maybe because when I initialised the drive in Windows I specified GPT.

In fact, diskpart still shows the drive as GPT (the asterisks).

Am I therefore right in saying that we have to add "convert mbr" after "Type clean, press Enter"?

Also, can I achieve the same if I delete all volumes from Disk Management and then choose "Convert to MBR"?

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overclockMT*
> 
> Sean, apologies, but I remember that months ago I already performed these steps to try and fix an issue with the HDD going to sleep every "n" seconds, then turning out to be just the way the HDD works.
> 
> Now in one of your past replies you said, "You can simply use the clean command and that will automatically make the drive MBR format by default." but this was not the case for me, maybe because when I initialised the drive in Windows I specified GPT.
> 
> In fact, diskpart still shows the drive as GPT (the asterisks).
> 
> Am I therefore right in saying that we have to add "convert mbr" after "Type clean, press Enter"?
> 
> *Also, can I achieve the same if I delete all volumes from Disk Management and then choose "Convert to MBR"?*
> 
> Thanks!


yea


----------



## antaponeto

i think so,Gonna rep and sub and bump you. Triple threat! ,thank you


----------



## BradleyW

Hey Sean, what is the best budget gaming SSD to replace my OCZ's? I'm looking for 120GB/128GB.
Here's the current state of my SSD's.


Cheers.


----------



## kirkgames

i agree with you,Gonna rep and sub and bump you. Triple threat! thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> Hey Sean, what is the best budget gaming SSD to replace my OCZ's? I'm looking for 120GB/128GB.
> Here's the current state of my SSD's.
> 
> 
> Cheers.


make a separate thread.

people like the samsung 840 Evo and 840 Pro as of late.


----------



## Hyolyn

Can anyone explain if i would gain much performance purchasing another identical hard drive and use it to RAID?
Or should i just get a ssd instead?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hyolyn*
> 
> Can anyone explain if i would gain much performance purchasing another identical hard drive and use it to RAID?
> Or should i just get a ssd instead?


You'd get theoretically double the sequential speeds, but that's it. Depending on the application, random speeds can increase, but that's uncommon. Access times stay the same. An SSD gets double the sequential speeds of your HDD out of the box, random speeds will be 50-100 times as fast, and access times are dependent on the controller and speed of electricity, not latency from a spinning disk. If you aren't running out of space, I'd take the SSD.


----------



## BradleyW

When disabling prefetch / superfetch in regedit, It seems there are other values within current control set 002 and 003 which have a value of 3 (64 HEX I believe), which can be set to 0. What is your response to this? Do these values need changing? Thanks Sean!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> When disabling prefetch / superfetch in regedit, It seems there are other values within current control set 002 and 003 which have a value of 3 (64 HEX I believe), which can be set to 0. What is your response to this? Do these values need changing? Thanks Sean!


You don't touch them

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/100010


----------



## BradleyW

In the guide, you suggest using 1024 alignment, but the video you made says to enter 4096 alignment, so which is it?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> 
> In the guide, you suggest using 1024 alignment, but the video you made says to enter 4096 alignment, so which is it?


either will be fine


----------



## BradleyW

Deleted.


----------



## CriticalKush

Good and easy guide to follow. Went from 35gb install down to 7gb. Thanks man.


----------



## MKUL7R4

You're the man Sean. I especially love how fast the browser menus are because of that registry edit. Awesome!


----------



## Jayjr1105

Sean, what is the trick to temporarily removing a windows password in order to get an accurate reading with the reboot timer VBS. I remember you saying it a while back but I can't remember what it was.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Sean, what is the trick to temporarily removing a windows password in order to get an accurate reading with the reboot timer VBS. I remember you saying it a while back but I can't remember what it was.


type in the search "netplwiz" and then uncheck that users have to put in a password.


----------



## jam3y80

Hello Sean,
I must say, that is a very nice tutorial. I'm trying to install Windows 7 64x AHCI onto my MSATA drive. If I follow your tutorial I get windows up and running. When I run AS SSD on the HD the Seq. Read: 263.70MB/s Write: 247.76 MB/s. I have used the Intel 7 AHCI Drive, Windows AHCI driver, and some other drivers.
Here comes the fun part. If I install windows in ATA mode and then make the registry changes in iastore, and msahci, reboot and change it to AHCI it will boot a lot fast and when I run AS SSD on the HD the Seq. is something like Read: 500.00MB/s Write: 400.00 MB/s. Which is awesome, however I get a blue screen when I try to do anything fast (ie. right click My Computer and go to Manage, open my computer while its still trying loading up).
I trying changing different drivers, disabling devices, look at the system information and drive versions of both installs, I have 339GB total host writes from just windows installing and troubleshooting. I am going to compare registrys and see if anything stands out.
Any recommendations you might have would be great!
Thanks in advance

Edited
Ok, I installed windows 7 64x in ATA mode and made reg. changes to boot with AHCI. I also set the power settings of the laptop to High Performance. Changed to AHCI in the BIOS and everything boot and ran just fine. But after further investigation it I unplug the power, I get the blue screen. I have changed the advanced power setting "Plugged in" to match the settings for "Battery mode", and don't have the problem. It seems the power is the problem. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Edited
If I use the Microsoft Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA, I get the speed but still have to have power plugged in or I will bet BSOD when running AS SSD 4k write test. If I use intel 7 SATA AHCI 11.7.0.1013, slower speeds, slow cold boot. If I use intel 7 SATA AHCI 12.8.0.1016, slow speeds, fast boot. I dont know if it is the drive or what would be causing this problem?


----------



## Divey

Hello Sean, 4th time using this guide but this time around I have ran into an issue. I am reinstalling W7 but this time setting to raid mode from ahci mode. I get to the point in the install where you can create a partition but this time it is asking for a driver. If I switch to ahci mode I can install like normal. After some research I think I need raid drivers. Well i went to intels website and dl the newest rst driver and put them on a usb drive. Now when I browse for the driver during the install I can see the usb drive but no info on it. I even have the unsigned driver un-ticked. I am lost at this point. I have been messing with this raid stuff for days now until I finally decided to do a fresh install due to not being able to change to raid mode once it is set in ahci mode. Even the registry hacks didn't work. Anyways any advice on this. Thanks


----------



## jam3y80

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jam3y80*
> 
> Hello Sean,
> I must say, that is a very nice tutorial. I'm trying to install Windows 7 64x AHCI onto my MSATA drive. If I follow your tutorial I get windows up and running. When I run AS SSD on the HD the Seq. Read: 263.70MB/s Write: 247.76 MB/s. I have used the Intel 7 AHCI Drive, Windows AHCI driver, and some other drivers.
> Here comes the fun part. If I install windows in ATA mode and then make the registry changes in iastore, and msahci, reboot and change it to AHCI it will boot a lot fast and when I run AS SSD on the HD the Seq. is something like Read: 500.00MB/s Write: 400.00 MB/s. Which is awesome, however I get a blue screen when I try to do anything fast (ie. right click My Computer and go to Manage, open my computer while its still trying loading up).
> I trying changing different drivers, disabling devices, look at the system information and drive versions of both installs, I have 339GB total host writes from just windows installing and troubleshooting. I am going to compare registrys and see if anything stands out.
> Any recommendations you might have would be great!
> Thanks in advance


Ok, I installed windows 7 64x in ATA mode and made reg. changes to boot with AHCI. I also set the power settings of the laptop to High Performance. Changed to AHCI in the BIOS and everything boot and ran just fine. But after further investigation it I unplug the power, I get the blue screen. I have changed the advanced power setting "Plugged in" to match the settings for "Battery mode", and don't have the problem. It seems the power is the problem. Any suggestions? Thanks!


----------



## Thoth420

Hey guys I just built my new gaming system (Qingu in my signature) and this is my first SSD as well as my first system with more than one drive. Applied all of the tweaks in the main post successfully but I believe I installed on thing too many. I am running Samsung Magician or w/e for my SSD boot drive but prior to that I installed Intel Rapid Storage Technologies driver and software. I would like to remove it but don't want to mess anything up. As far as I understand it is for AHCI and RAID but if uninstalled windows will automatically install their AHCI drivers. Is this correct? I have no need for RAID as I have one SSD boot and one HDD storage for games etc.

I have my system protection turned off so I don't want to change anything I am unsure of until I have a chance to get to the store to grab an external for a backup image.

Anyway thanks! Guide was very informative.


----------



## laughingthunder

I am going to buy sshd with fresh windows 7, does this guide work for sshd too?


----------



## EarlZ

Has anyone found a solution for the boot up speed delay when an HDD is connected to a system booting from an SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Has anyone found a solution for the boot up speed delay when an HDD is connected to a system booting from an SSD?


unplug the drive









How long of a difference is it for you? I can't image much of a diff for me.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Has anyone found a solution for the boot up speed delay when an HDD is connected to a system booting from an SSD?
> 
> 
> 
> unplug the drive
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How long of a difference is it for you? I can't image much of a diff for me.
Click to expand...

About 3-4seconds. If they started selling SSD's at 3TB that has an equal price to an hdd I would get rid of this


----------



## sonofsam0981

Sorry to post to such an old thread, but thanks for all of your work!
I just got a 120gb SSD and, which everything is indeed smoother, I was looking for night and day differences, vs day and afternoon. I know some if it has to do with my aging CPU (AMD P2 X3), which will be upgraded in a few months, but this guide proves that theres a few tricks that'll help out


----------



## daydream3r

Noob Here:
I am trying to install an SSD to my computer because the computer has been running really slowly. Hopefully this will make my computer last a few more years until I get enough money to buy a new one.I have a few virus I think I have a few questions, if anyone can answer them great. 1. Can I install a fresh window onto the SSD using a window ISO I download from the Microsoft website? When I brought my Dell computer it didn't come with any CD. 2. Do I have to deactivate my Window OS on my current hard drive before installing window OS on the SSD? 3. After installing the window 7 what will happen to my drivers. All the hardware came per-build with the computer so I don't have the cd to reinstall the drivers for the video card, sound card etc. 4. Should I wipe my current hard drive before installing to ensure that virus won't get into the new ssd? Thank you


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daydream3r*
> 
> Noob Here:
> I am trying to install an SSD to my computer because the computer has been running really slowly. Hopefully this will make my computer last a few more years until I get enough money to buy a new one.I have a few virus I think I have a few questions, if anyone can answer them great.


Need more info, What model is your computer?
What size is your new SSD?
How much space is used on your current HDD?
Quote:


> 1. Can I install a fresh window onto the SSD using a window ISO I download from the Microsoft website? When I brought my Dell computer it didn't come with any CD.


If your computer didn't come with a restore CD it should have a restore partition on the HDD
1. backup all your important files to a separate storage device.
2. Unplug all devices except monitor, mouse & keyboard
3. Restore your computer to factory defaults by rebooting and tapping or holding the F11 or F8 key (this may vary by your specific model)
4. Once restored, clone your HDD to your SSD using free software and instructions from here. http://www.disk-partition.com/resource/clone-os-to-new-hard-drive.html
5. Once cloned, replace your HDD with the SSD.
6. I would perform the factory recovery once again to ensure that the OS is optimized for the SSD.

Other options would be to contact dell for a Recovery CD
Quote:


> 2. Do I have to deactivate my Window OS on my current hard drive before installing window OS on the SSD?


No
Quote:


> 3. After installing the window 7 what will happen to my drivers.


If you use the clone method above, all you drivers will be installed once completed, however I recommend downloading the latest drivers for your system from dell's support site.
Quote:


> All the hardware came per-build with the computer so I don't have the cd to reinstall the drivers for the video card, sound card etc.
> 
> 4. Should I wipe my current hard drive before installing to ensure that virus won't get into the new ssd? Thank you


No. Factory restore will wipe out all viruses/files in your HDD.


----------



## daydream3r

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Buehlar*
> 
> Need more info, What model is your computer?
> What size is your new SSD?
> How much space is used on your current HDD?
> If your computer didn't come with a restore CD it should have a restore partition on the HDD
> 1. backup all your important files to a separate storage device.
> 2. Unplug all devices except monitor, mouse & keyboard
> 3. Restore your computer to factory defaults by rebooting and tapping or holding the F11 or F8 key (this may vary by your specific model)
> 4. Once restored, clone your HDD to your SSD using free software and instructions from here. http://www.disk-partition.com/resource/clone-os-to-new-hard-drive.html
> 5. Once cloned, replace your HDD with the SSD.
> 6. I would perform the factory recovery once again to ensure that the OS is optimized for the SSD.
> 
> Other options would be to contact dell for a Recovery CD
> 
> No
> If you use the clone method above, all you drivers will be installed once completed, however I recommend downloading the latest drivers for your system from dell's support site.
> No. Factory restore will wipe out all viruses/files in your HDD.


I have a Dell XPS 8300. Right now I am using 32GB, my new SSD has 256GB. I just performed the factory recovery so everything is wiped from my hard drive. I will be cloning the OS tomorrow in the morning. If you have any suggesting that will help the SSD be correctly aligned, I would love to hear it. Also, after cloning my hard drive should I leave the old HDD plug in before performing the factory reset again? Thank you for the help.


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daydream3r*
> 
> ]I have a Dell XPS 8300. Right now I am using 32GB, my new SSD has 256GB. I just performed the factory recovery so everything is wiped from my hard drive.
> I will be cloning the OS tomorrow in the morning. If you have any suggesting that will help the SSD be correctly aligned, I would love to hear it.


1. After cloning, replace the HDD with the SSD, leave the HDD drive unplugged and boot from the SSD

2. If you haven't kept your BIOS updated I recommend going to Dell's support site and updating your BIOS.

Look on your PC for a Service tag -> How to find your Dell service tag
Type it in here Dell Service Tag Locater
You may also choose to let the site automatically detect your service tag.

The results will be your systems support page with driver and software downloads.
Click on BIOS and for the update download and instructions on flashing.

You may also analyze your system for hardware changes which may or may not be beneficial but it's recommended anyway.
You'll also see all hardware driver & updates for your system as well as applications your system came with. Don't download them now, just the BIOS.

3. After flashing the BIOS and performing reboot, shut down and repeat the factory reset again as described in my previous post.

4. After factor reset go to check windows update and update the OS as needed. After each batch of updates, reboot and recheck for windows updates again.
You'll have to repeat this until Windows reports up to date as the downloads come in several patches.

5. Go back to Dell's support site for more instructions to download and install all the driver updates for the hardware that came with your system.

6. If all is working well then plug in your HDD

7. Click Start Menu and type "computer management" press enter

8. From the console, click disk management and locate your HDD

9. Delete all volumes on the HDD only.

10. create a new single large volume

11. Format the volume to assign it a drive letter.

12. and use it as a storage drive









Windows 7/8 has actually been pretty optimize for SSD's since ...SP1.
You may wan't to do the SSD page file tweak and/or reduce or remove system restore but it's not necessary. More info is in the guide on the 1st post of this thread


----------



## daydream3r

I am having a bit of an issue installing the sata cable. I plugged the sata cable to one of the ports of the motherboard, and the other end to the hard drive but it is not showing up. The cable still has the 4 pin connector so I am assuming I need to plug that in somewhere on the motherboard, but I do not see where to plug it in. Can you show me an imagine of where that connector with 4 pin should go? Or it is my wire is a defect? thank you


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daydream3r*
> 
> I am having a bit of an issue installing the sata cable. I plugged the sata cable to one of the ports of the motherboard, and the other end to the hard drive but it is not showing up. The cable still has the 4 pin connector so I am assuming I need to plug that in somewhere on the motherboard, but I do not see where to plug it in. Can you show me an imagine of where that connector with 4 pin should go? Or it is my wire is a defect? thank you


http://www.computershopper.com/storage/howto/install-a-new-hard-drive-in-five-easy-steps


----------



## daydream3r

Since I have a new drive there is not enough cables to install my cd drive, my old hard drive and the new ssd. I brought new cables that is shown in the picture. I followed the YouTube video already, but I don't see a slot to install a new power sata cable. I plugged one end of the sata cable into the motherboard and one end to the hard drive. I am not sure where white/clear 4 pin suppose to be plug in at. Do I have to open up my power supply to plug the power sata cable for it to work?


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daydream3r*
> 
> Since I have a new drive there is not enough cables to install my cd drive, my old hard drive and the new ssd. I brought new cables that is shown in the picture. I followed the YouTube video already, but I don't see a slot to install a new power sata cable. I plugged one end of the sata cable into the motherboard and one end to the hard drive. I am not sure where white/clear 4 pin suppose to be plug in at. Do I have to open up my power supply to plug the power sata cable for it to work?


The white 4-pin molex connects to the power supply only if it is not equipped with the new power connectors shown below..


If your power supply has the above connector then you don't need the adapter cable you purchased, the only other cable that you need is the data SATA cable shown below which connects the drive to the motherboard.


----------



## daydream3r

OK I got it. I guess I will place an order for a new sata cable. Thank you so much for the help here. Sorry for all the newbie questions. I am not very good with computer.


----------



## Buehlar

No problem, we all start somewhere








Once you receive the new cable post back here with the status of your upgrade. Contributing from your experience may be beneficial to many others in the community


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daydream3r*
> 
> Since I have a new drive there is not enough cables to install my cd drive, my old hard drive and the new ssd. I brought new cables that is shown in the picture. I followed the YouTube video already, but I don't see a slot to install a new power sata cable. I plugged one end of the sata cable into the motherboard and one end to the hard drive. I am not sure where white/clear 4 pin suppose to be plug in at. Do I have to open up my power supply to plug the power sata cable for it to work?


That 4pin cable goes to the 4pin molex of the PSU for power.


----------



## glenquagmire

hey sean thanks for the installation guide. I for the most part followed it to a "T".

Question, since you time in making the article in 2011, where there any significant changes you would make since you did the original article? There are 480 pages here and would take a lifetime to read every page.

Also, I assumed in following your guide, especially around SSD specific tasks, that I would use the same numbers and such as you did in your videos for my SSD regardless of the SSD size. My SSD is 128 Vertex 4. Is this accurate?

Also, since I am new to SSD and HDD for storage setup, noob question, when installing a program like 123 Copy DVD Platinum, should I install it to the SSD? Do I install everything to the SSD? Whats the right way to do this?


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *glenquagmire*
> 
> Also, since I am new to SSD and HDD for storage setup, noob question, when installing a program like 123 Copy DVD Platinum, should I install it to the SSD? Do I install everything to the SSD? Whats the right way to do this?


If you want speedy app access then install 123 Copy DVD to the SSD and if you work with editing very large files (HD media, CAD, etc) then define your project/work folder path to a separate HDD via the program's settings.
What I do is install all the programs I use most frequently onto the SSD for speedy access provided the SSD has the sufficient disk space.
Everything else gets installed onto a HDD.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *glenquagmire*
> 
> hey sean thanks for the installation guide. I for the most part followed it to a "T".
> 
> Question, since you time in making the article in 2011, where there any significant changes you would make since you did the original article? There are 480 pages here and would take a lifetime to read every page.


It is always updated as needed. Not much of anything has really changed tho. But, I update the OP if I need to.
Quote:


> Also, I assumed in following your guide, especially around SSD specific tasks, that I would use the same numbers and such as you did in your videos for my SSD regardless of the SSD size. My SSD is 128 Vertex 4. Is this accurate?


elaborate?
Quote:


> Also, since I am new to SSD and HDD for storage setup, noob question, when installing a program like 123 Copy DVD Platinum, should I install it to the SSD? Do I install everything to the SSD? Whats the right way to do this?


I liek all programs on the SSD/OS drive.


----------



## daydream3r

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Buehlar*
> 
> 1. After cloning, replace the HDD with the SSD, leave the HDD drive unplugged and boot from the SSD
> 
> 2. If you haven't kept your BIOS updated I recommend going to Dell's support site and updating your BIOS.
> 
> Look on your PC for a Service tag -> How to find your Dell service tag
> Type it in here Dell Service Tag Locater
> You may also choose to let the site automatically detect your service tag.
> 
> The results will be your systems support page with driver and software downloads.
> Click on BIOS and for the update download and instructions on flashing.
> 
> You may also analyze your system for hardware changes which may or may not be beneficial but it's recommended anyway.
> You'll also see all hardware driver & updates for your system as well as applications your system came with. Don't download them now, just the BIOS.
> 
> 3. After flashing the BIOS and performing reboot, shut down and repeat the factory reset again as described in my previous post.
> 
> 4. After factor reset go to check windows update and update the OS as needed. After each batch of updates, reboot and recheck for windows updates again.
> You'll have to repeat this until Windows reports up to date as the downloads come in several patches.
> 
> 5. Go back to Dell's support site for more instructions to download and install all the driver updates for the hardware that came with your system.
> 
> 6. If all is working well then plug in your HDD
> 
> 7. Click Start Menu and type "computer management" press enter
> 
> 8. From the console, click disk management and locate your HDD
> 
> 9. Delete all volumes on the HDD only.
> 
> 10. create a new single large volume
> 
> 11. Format the volume to assign it a drive letter.
> 
> 12. and use it as a storage drive
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Windows 7/8 has actually been pretty optimize for SSD's since ...SP1.
> You may wan't to do the SSD page file tweak and/or reduce or remove system restore but it's not necessary. More info is in the guide on the 1st post of this thread


I did all the steps above today. The only step I could not perform was the factory reset. When I press F8 during the start up window, it stated that factory reset cannot be performed because a hardware has been changed. Everything seems to be working well expect, I been having a clear line of blur on my monitor. This has not happen before installing the SSD. It happens to both of the monitor so I know it is not an issue with my monitor. It happens quite often too whenever I am scrolling on web pages or watching movies on VLC player. It occurs only at the middle of the bottom screen for me. It feels like a lag, but I am not sure how to fix it. I tried updating the bios for the video card and monitor but it has not been fix. Any advice would be appreciated.


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daydream3r*
> 
> I did all the steps above today. The only step I could not perform was the factory reset. When I press F8 during the start up window, it stated that factory reset cannot be performed because a hardware has been changed. Everything seems to be working well expect, I been having a clear line of blur on my monitor. This has not happen before installing the SSD. It happens to both of the monitor so I know it is not an issue with my monitor. It happens quite often too whenever I am scrolling on web pages or watching movies on VLC player. It occurs only at the middle of the bottom screen for me. It feels like a lag, but I am not sure how to fix it. I tried updating the bios for the video card and monitor but it has not been fix. Any advice would be appreciated.


Hummm. A simple HDD/SSD upgrade/replacement shouldn't have triggered the OEM hardware factory recovery error. That's usually only happens with a major change such as a motherboard upgrade.
Did you update the BIOS?

Did you plug the SSD into the same SATA port that the HDD was using?

Did you remove and reinstall the GPU from the motherboard (or any other hardware)?

For the monitor issues,

1st lets keep it simple and try a different cable, one that you know works.

2nd Check the 6 pin connector to make sure it was securely plugged in.

3rd try removing and reinserting the card into the PCI slot.

Have you tried installing the GPU drivers provided by ASUS and/or AMD?

Try the drivers from ASUS 1st as they should be sufficient and work straight out-of-the-box however they're not updated very often.
ASUS drivers

You can also try the latest driver from AMD. They're usually not required but always recommended for the best performance.
AMD drivers


----------



## daydream3r

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Buehlar*
> 
> Hummm. A simple HDD/SSD upgrade/replacement shouldn't have triggered the OEM hardware factory recovery error. That's usually only happens with a major change such as a motherboard upgrade.
> Did you update the BIOS?
> 
> Did you plug the SSD into the same SATA port that the HDD was using?
> 
> Did you remove and reinstall the GPU from the motherboard (or any other hardware)?
> 
> For the monitor issues,
> 
> 1st lets keep it simple and try a different cable, one that you know works.
> 
> 2nd Check the 6 pin connector to make sure it was securely plugged in.
> 
> 3rd try removing and reinserting the card into the PCI slot.
> 
> Have you tried installing the GPU drivers provided by ASUS and/or AMD?
> 
> Try the drivers from ASUS 1st as they should be sufficient and work straight out-of-the-box however they're not updated very often.
> ASUS drivers
> 
> You can also try the latest driver from AMD. They're usually not required but always recommended for the best performance.
> AMD drivers


Thank you for the help. Everything works now. After I plug in my old Hard Drive I was able to do a factory reset. The monitor's wire was switch between my two monitors. That might be the cause of glitching but it is solved now. Everything is running super fast. I followed some of the steps in the OP and my start up time now is about 30 secs to get fully booted up. Everything opens really fast. I just formatted my old hard drive to use as storage. Thank you so much for the help.


----------



## Buehlar

That's awesome, glad you got it sorted








Enjoy the speed of your new SSD


----------



## Sysop82

Great guide, so easy to set up SSD following this.

Two quick questions about CCleaner and SSD drives.
1. Does the secure file deletion work on it like it would for normal HDD? Either the one pass or 3 pass option.

2. Also is the wipe free space option OK for a SDD or should that be turned off? And is there even a benefit to it for maintenance?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sysop82*
> 
> Great guide, so easy to set up SSD following this.
> 
> Two quick questions about CCleaner and SSD drives.
> 1. Does the secure file deletion work on it like it would for normal HDD? Either the one pass or 3 pass option.


nope
Quote:


> 2. Also is the wipe free space option OK for a SDD or should that be turned off? And is there even a benefit to it for maintenance?


nope


----------



## idahludbA

Thanks Sean for this amazing guide







, I'm planing on rebuilding my brother's old system which he never uses anymore (my first ever attempt on building a computer and installing W7) and upgrading some of the hardware.
I'll be upgrading to a SSD as boot drive and use the old HDD for storage and I'm going to follow this guide to a "T"







but i need help and clarification in some points:

1. I'm gonna perform a clean install of W7 on the new SSD but i already have the W7 installed on the old HDD (disk partitioning C: and D, how do i format the HDD?, remove W7? and delete the disk partition?.

2. You mentioned under *The Checklist*: Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of your SSD/HDD and update if necessary, I'll be using the Seagate 600 120gb SSD (http://www.seagate.com/em/en/internal-hard-drives/solid-state-hybrid/laptop-600-ssd/) but I'm not sure if there is a firmware for it nor for my HDD (Seagate Barracuda 1tb 7200 rpm) can you confirm.

3. You mentioned under *System Setup after Installation* : *install motherboard drivers and *install newest SATA and chipset drivers, from what i understand is that i won't find the SATA and chipset drivers in my mobo manufacturer website ( http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20Z68%20Professional%20Gen3/?cat=Download&os=Win764) and i should install them from Station-Drivers can you confirm.

4. Intel RST driver, SATA driver and chipset driver are they the same thing?

Sorry for asking too many questions, I'm a beginner and too naive, i would appreciate some tips and thanks again for your effort for making this guide.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *idahludbA*
> 
> Thanks Sean for this amazing guide
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , I'm planing on rebuilding my brother's old system which he never uses anymore (my first ever attempt on building a computer and installing W7) and upgrading some of the hardware.
> I'll be upgrading to a SSD as boot drive and use the old HDD for storage and I'm going to follow this guide to a "T"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but i need help and clarification in some points:
> 
> 1. I'm gonna perform a clean install of W7 on the new SSD but i already have the W7 installed on the old HDD (disk partitioning C: and D, how do i format the HDD?, remove W7? and delete the disk partition?.


You can if you want. I usually do it after I install the system on a new drive just in case there was something I forgot to backup. (Usually I'll image the drive before wiping it tho....i got tons of backup space lol)
Quote:


> 2. You mentioned under *The Checklist*: Check and see if there is an update to the firmware of your SSD/HDD and update if necessary, I'll be using the Seagate 600 120gb SSD (http://www.seagate.com/em/en/internal-hard-drives/solid-state-hybrid/laptop-600-ssd/) but I'm not sure if there is a firmware for it nor for my HDD (Seagate Barracuda 1tb 7200 rpm) can you confirm.


i don't see any updates or have heard of any. So you can check that off.
Quote:


> 3. You mentioned under *System Setup after Installation* : *install motherboard drivers and *install newest SATA and chipset drivers, from what i understand is that i won't find the SATA and chipset drivers in my mobo manufacturer website ( http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20Z68%20Professional%20Gen3/?cat=Download&os=Win764) and i should install them from Station-Drivers can you confirm.


You will find them at the website for your mobo. For the latest I usually just go to station driver. The ones on your mobo's site will do fine.
Quote:


> 4. Intel RST driver, SATA driver and chipset driver are they the same thing?


Intel RST is the SATA driver for intel mobo's and the chipset driver is a separate driver.
Quote:


> Sorry for asking too many questions, I'm a beginner and too naive, i would appreciate some tips and thanks again for your effort for making this guide.


ppffft, only 4 q's? That's nothin. Someone had me answer like 20 before. lol


----------



## Sean Webster

HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THIS GUIDE!

It is amazing how many people it and I have helped out over the last two years.









(Also, Happy Halloween...it's my 21st B-day too.







)


----------



## newbrevolution

Happy Birthday Sean!


----------



## Deathclaw

Happy birthday!
'n anniversary and other stuff...

Though the fact that it's been 2 years since this thread started, makes me a bit sad, because i still don't have an ssd


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

You were living in your mother's uterus 21 years and one day ago. Remember that now.


----------



## glenquagmire

Giggity


----------



## James4832

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *glenquagmire*
> 
> Yeh and that means that her uterus has been shed.....252 times since then!
> 
> That's 8,820 tampons!
> 
> Giggity


Riiiiggghtt

Moving on....


----------



## soundx98

Happy Birthday to you Sean! (hope you have a great Halloween)
Just a terrific guide that I use every build.


----------



## ccrider

Happy Birthday Sean! - Thanks for who you are and what you do.

Another SSD noob....


----------



## The Wannabe

Thank you very much for this guide, just installed an SSD for the 1st time yesterday and followed your awesome guide, I just have 1 question regarding relocating the user files to the HDD, is this step recommended to save space of the SSD or is it recommended to prolong the life of the SSD? because my SSD is 180gb and that's how I prefer the system drive to be anyway so I'm fine with the user folders remaining on it unless moving it to the HDD would greatly benefit the SSD..


----------



## Sean Webster

Thanks everyone.







still recovering from last night lol.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *The Wannabe*
> 
> Thank you very much for this guide, just installed an SSD for the 1st time yesterday and followed your awesome guide, I just have 1 question regarding relocating the user files to the HDD, is this step recommended to save space of the SSD or is it recommended to prolong the life of the SSD? because my SSD is 180gb and that's how I prefer the system drive to be anyway so I'm fine with the user folders remaining on it unless moving it to the HDD would greatly benefit the SSD..


Typically that is there for those who have small capacity SSDs so they can save some space. I just do it because I organize my data better when it is all on my secondary disk. I know I can just wipe and reload my OS drive without having to make sure I back up. Feel free to leave your user folders alone.


----------



## Aweios

How do i know if i'm supposed to choose with System Reserve Partition or without. I've already tried installing Win 7 on my new SSD but so many damn errors.

Such as when trying to clean it says

"DiskPart has encountered an error: The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error. See the System Event Log for more information"

Sometimes If i restart diskpart it works but then gets iffy on the format.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aweios*
> 
> How do i know if i'm supposed to choose with System Reserve Partition or without. I've already tried installing Win 7 on my new SSD but so many damn errors.
> 
> Such as when trying to clean it says
> 
> "DiskPart has encountered an error: The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error. See the System Event Log for more information"
> 
> Sometimes If i restart diskpart it works but then gets iffy on the format.


you can install with the system reserve if you want or not. it is typically created when isntalling windows by default.

something is either wrong with the windows iso you are using or the hardware, such as the drive, SATA cable, or SATA port. Make sure you only use the Native chipset ports and try another cable.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THIS GUIDE!
> 
> It is amazing how many people it and I have helped out over the last two years.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (Also, Happy Halloween...it's my 21st B-day too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )


And due to the failure of windows 8, it's gonna keep helping people. + I uses it every so often for reinstalls.


----------



## FlyingSolo

Love this guide. Its a shame i didn't use this with my samsung 830. Now the speeds of that drive went down within a year. If you have 16gb of ram do you shrink your page file to 512MB like this guide.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FlyingSolo*
> 
> Love this guide. Its a shame i didn't use this with my samsung 830. Now the speeds of that drive went down within a year. If you have 16gb of ram do you shrink your page file to 512MB like this guide.


Its not too late to go over it! Check out the parts from post 3 on!

I suggest 1GB (1024 min/max) for people over 6GB.


----------



## FlyingSolo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Its not too late to go over it! Check out the parts from post 3 on!
> 
> I suggest 1GB (1024 min/max) for people over 6GB.


Thanks Sean


----------



## terraprime

Dude if you could make a PDF of this whole thing that would be awesome, kind of like a portable version. That would be awesome !!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *terraprime*
> 
> Dude if you could make a PDF of this whole thing that would be awesome, kind of like a portable version. That would be awesome !!


someone said they were going to, idk if they ever did. To do so wouldn't I just expand everything and print as PDF?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

I can shamelessly copy and paste your guide if you wish into a .pdf.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> I can shamelessly copy and paste your guide if you wish into a .pdf.


dooooooooooo eeeeeeeeeeeeeeettttttt


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Well, my parents always warned me about peer pressure. But strangers on the Internet always know what is best for me, so... I'll get started.


----------



## terraprime

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> someone said they were going to, idk if they ever did. To do so wouldn't I just expand everything and print as PDF?


No clue as I have never messed with anything PDF besides the Adobe reader


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Well, my parents always warned me about peer pressure. But strangers on the Internet always know what is best for me, so... I'll get started.











Quote:


> Originally Posted by *terraprime*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> someone said they were going to, idk if they ever did. To do so wouldn't I just expand everything and print as PDF?
> 
> 
> 
> No clue as I have never messed with anything PDF besides the Adobe reader
Click to expand...

same here lol. i never made a pdf before.


----------



## FlyingSolo

I would really love a pdf file of this guide. Am also gonna download the videos. Great work sean. I just finished installing my new samsung 840 pro sdd with this guide. At first after installing software and antivirus and no games installed yet my boot times was slow around 46 seconds. Then unplugged the usb hub & usb wifi i was booting in 24 seconds. But if i only keep the usb wifi plugged in i boot in 25 seconds. Damn with a usb hub plugged in the boot times goes up by quite a bit


----------



## Sean Webster

here's a xps version: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bfdl6qp8t5h7boa/Sean%27s%20Cool%20Win%207%20Guide.xps


----------



## FlyingSolo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> here's a xps version: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bfdl6qp8t5h7boa/Sean%27s%20Cool%20Win%207%20Guide.xps


Thanks


----------



## Unknownm

just a extra tip if anyone is installing Windows 7 stock ISO and wants to enable admin account without enabling a user account first


----------



## burningprophet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> here's a xps version: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bfdl6qp8t5h7boa/Sean%27s%20Cool%20Win%207%20Guide.xps


PDF form if you guys want it: https://www.dropbox.com/s/20vmwh5gsr3qqbh/Sean%27s%20Windows%207%20Install%20%26%20Optimization%20Guide%20for%20SSDs%20%26%20HDDs.pdf


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *burningprophet*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> here's a xps version: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bfdl6qp8t5h7boa/Sean%27s%20Cool%20Win%207%20Guide.xps
> 
> 
> 
> PDF form if you guys want it: https://www.dropbox.com/s/20vmwh5gsr3qqbh/Sean%27s%20Windows%207%20Install%20%26%20Optimization%20Guide%20for%20SSDs%20%26%20HDDs.pdf
Click to expand...

Thank you!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Unknownm*
> 
> just a extra tip if anyone is installing Windows 7 stock ISO and wants to enable admin account without enabling a user account first


thanks


----------



## supersaiyenx

There's something I've been wondering but wasn't sure if it's been answered but, if I were to do a repair install (Windows feels a bit slower, just want to see if it makes a bit of difference) would it reset my user folder locations? (like Documents/Downloads being stored on my program drive)


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *supersaiyenx*
> 
> There's something I've been wondering but wasn't sure if it's been answered but, if I were to do a repair install (Windows feels a bit slower, just want to see if it makes a bit of difference) would it reset my user folder locations? (like Documents/Downloads being stored on my program drive)


never tried it so idk, but i think it would. But in the case it does it wont move any data, only the folder link location. The data on the drives you have set will stay where it is.


----------



## Ujaho

I've got major problems and your expertise would be greatly appreciated. I've got a new rampage extreme IV black edition and I'm trying to use a rog Raidr as my uefi so drive. I've tried everything, I came setup the raid config and install but ever time I go back into uefi the drive can never be found? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Nice guides by the way.


----------



## mat459

Im having a problem making a bootable USB installer. I've googled it and found other people having the same problem, but I haven't seen any solution. I followed your instructions and formatted the USB drive, but when I try to copy the Windows 7 ISO, I get the message "install.wim is too large for the destination file system". I've tried several times, with a 16GB SD card, and an 8GB USB stick, and I get the same problem.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ujaho*
> 
> I've got major problems and your expertise would be greatly appreciated. I've got a new rampage extreme IV black edition and I'm trying to use a rog Raidr as my uefi so drive. I've tried everything, I came setup the raid config and install but ever time I go back into uefi the drive can never be found? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Nice guides by the way.


I have no experience with booting off PCIe SSDs or x79 chipsets so I can't really help you with it.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mat459*
> 
> Im having a problem making a bootable USB installer. I've googled it and found other people having the same problem, but I haven't seen any solution. I followed your instructions and formatted the USB drive, but when I try to copy the Windows 7 ISO, I get the message "install.wim is too large for the destination file system". I've tried several times, with a 16GB SD card, and an 8GB USB stick, and I get the same problem.


Sounds like you have a customized wim file. If you are using FAT32 the largest sized file you can use is 4GB. Your wim filecan not be larger than that. If you format to NTFS you can have a wim file larger than 4GB.


----------



## mat459

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Sounds like you have a customized wim file. If you are using FAT32 the largest sized file you can use is 4GB. Your wim filecan not be larger than that. If you format to NTFS you can have a wim file larger than 4GB.


That's correct. I actually got it to work with the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool from the windows store. Thanks though.


----------



## geogga

hmm, so installed EVO yesterday, with OS, bf4, and all the drivers on it.
Thinking about re-installing windows lol because of trying to move files from SSD to HDD, but couldn't because Trusted Installer and currently in use stuff.
So I cleaned my HDD with diskpart's clean all, and I put it aside. Going to retry everything later.

1. Could I either use Samsung Magician's Erase function to wipe the SSD or could I just format it during windows installation(drive options-->format I think)?
2. Will wiping it(Samsung Secure Erase) or formatting it(during windows installation) cause any sort of damage to the SSD? If no, will it bring the SSD back to factory speeds/settings?
3. Will start-up be faster if I keep only the OS and bf4 on it? like install the drivers on HDD.

P.S. my start up is so slow..gonna fix some things up...


----------



## Tom Lightbown

dupe post


----------



## Tom Lightbown

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geogga*
> 
> hmm, so installed EVO yesterday, with OS, bf4, and all the drivers on it.
> Thinking about re-installing windows lol because of trying to move files from SSD to HDD, but couldn't because Trusted Installer and currently in use stuff.
> So I cleaned my HDD with diskpart's clean all, and I put it aside. Going to retry everything later.
> 
> 1. Could I either use Samsung Magician's Erase function to wipe the SSD or could I just format it during windows installation(drive options-->format I think)?
> 2. Will wiping it(Samsung Secure Erase) or formatting it(during windows installation) cause any sort of damage to the SSD? If no, will it bring the SSD back to factory speeds/settings?
> 3. Will start-up be faster if I keep only the OS and bf4 on it? like install the drivers on HDD.
> 
> P.S. my start up is so slow..gonna fix some things up...


There seems to be a number of issues you're having, if startup is slow are you sure your SSD is in AHCI mode? As for the Trusted Installer issue a quick Google search provides enough information to fix it. You just need to take control of the files, follow this guide here.

http://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/windows-7-how-to-delete-files-protected-by-trustedinstaller/


----------



## geogga

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom Lightbown*
> 
> There seems to be a number of issues you're having, if startup is slow are you sure your SSD is in AHCI mode? As for the Trusted Installer issue a quick Google search provides enough information to fix it. You just need to take control of the files, follow this guide here.
> 
> http://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/windows-7-how-to-delete-files-protected-by-trustedinstaller/


Hey, so small update I got my boot to a little less than 20 seconds from power on computer to desktop. Everything is better now, but I'm not sure if my startup time is supposed to be 20 for a Evo. Would like a confirmation from someone.Shutdown is about 6 seconds, which seems to be normal on the internet. I found out how to fix that trusted installed, already took ownership and that issue is resolved. Thanks anyway for your help.


----------



## Amazing Paul

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Unknownm*
> 
> just a extra tip if anyone is installing Windows 7 stock ISO and wants to enable admin account without enabling a user account first


You should include this in the OP for people who might have missed it.


----------



## nez329

Thanks sean for this useful guide.

I have a question.

I have a single 240GB intel 530 SSD.

I am intending to pre-partition the SSD into 2 partitions, 120GB for OS & 120GB for programs (& portable programs)

If I am intending to pre-partition the SSD into 2 partitions first before installing Win 7.
Is the following steps by "Sean's Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide" still similar or applicable in this case?
Quote:


> *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:*
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> Type Create Partition Primary Align=1024, press Enter.*<<Is this part still the same or applicable if i have 2 partition in the SSD?
> Or do i partition only at this point, in which , what would be the correct command in my case?*
> Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Click the partition.
> Click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.


Thanks


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Its not too late to go over it! Check out the parts from post 3 on!
> 
> I suggest 1GB (1024 min/max) for people over 6GB.


If i have 8GB DDR2 ram, i should put page file as 1GB?

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Thanks sean for this useful guide.
> 
> I have a question.
> 
> I have a single 240GB intel 530 SSD.
> 
> I am intending to pre-partition the SSD into 2 partitions, 120GB for OS & 120GB for programs (& portable programs)
> 
> If I am intending to pre-partition the SSD into 2 partitions first before installing Win 7.
> Is the following steps by "Sean's Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide" still similar or applicable in this case?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:*
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> Type Create Partition Primary Align=1024, press Enter.*<<Is this part still the same or applicable if i have 2 partition in the SSD?
> Or do i partition only at this point, in which , what would be the correct command in my case?*
> Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> Click the "Install now" button.
> Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
> Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
> Click the partition.
> Click the "Next" button.
> From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
Click to expand...

yea, at that point when you create the partition you just manually set the size to what ever you want, then you do the formatting, then you should be able to create another partition and format it as well.

*Example:*
sel dis 0
clean
cre par pri size=122880
Format Quick FS=NTFS
cre par pri
Format Quick FS=NTFS
exit

*Note:* 122880 = 120GB, i shortened some words that don't need to be written out all the way.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Its not too late to go over it! Check out the parts from post 3 on!
> 
> I suggest 1GB (1024 min/max) for people over 6GB.
> 
> 
> 
> If i have 8GB DDR2 ram, i should put page file as 1GB?
> 
> Thanks
Click to expand...

yep, 8GB is more than 6 lol.


----------



## nez329

Thanks Sean for the above advise.

Also, during the 2nd partition creation, is there a command to use to indicate to use the rest of the available space instead of typing the actual numbers to prevent any unused space.

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Thanks Sean for the above advise.
> 
> Also, during the 2nd partition creation, is there a command to use to indicate to use the rest of the available space instead of typing the actual numbers to prevent any unused space.
> 
> Thanks


no need for any other command. the rest of the space will automatically be used when you create the second partition.


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> no need for any other command. the rest of the space will automatically be used when you create the second partition.


Thanks bro for the help. Appreciate it.


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> no need for any other command. the rest of the space will automatically be used when you create the second partition.


Hi bro, just to be sure i understand you correctly, is the following steps correct:-
.................
Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
Type Clean, press Enter.
*Type Create Partition Primary Align=122880, press Enter.
Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
Type Create Partition Primary Align, press Enter.
Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.*
Type Exit, press Enter.
................


----------



## JonnyV75

Hi - I'm upgrading from a 1 TB HDD to a smaller 120 GB SSD. I'm planning on re-installing Windows 7, drivers and most of the programs onto the SSD. The 1 TB hard drive will be kept as an additional internal storage drive for games.

Currently, I have about 600 GB of games (Steam and non-steam) that are already installed. While I plan on re-installing the items above, I don't want to re-install the games.

What is the best way to proceed?

I've read that I should disconnect the HDD. Hookup the SSD - install Win 7, drivers, and programs. Change bios to ensure the SSD is the boot device. Then reconnect the HDD and delete the "Windows" folder.

Is that it? Would my games then work from the HDD as normal?

Also, what is the best method/program to backup with prior to doing this?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> no need for any other command. the rest of the space will automatically be used when you create the second partition.
> 
> 
> 
> Hi bro, just to be sure i understand you correctly, is the following steps correct:-
> .................
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> *Type Create Partition Primary Align=122880, press Enter.
> Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type Create Partition Primary Align, press Enter.
> Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.*
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> ................
Click to expand...

You made a mistake, it is not align=122880, it is *SIZE=122880*

And for the second create partition primary, you don't put align, you just type create partition primary.

Do exactly as I wrote in the example:

Type, sel dis #, press Enter.
Type, clean, press Enter.
Type, cre par pri size=122880, press Enter.
Type, Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
Type, cre par pri, press Enter.
Type, Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
Type, exit, press Enter.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JonnyV75*
> 
> Hi - I'm upgrading from a 1 TB HDD to a smaller 120 GB SSD. I'm planning on re-installing Windows 7, drivers and most of the programs onto the SSD. The 1 TB hard drive will be kept as an additional internal storage drive for games.
> 
> Currently, I have about 600 GB of games (Steam and non-steam) that are already installed. While I plan on re-installing the items above, I don't want to re-install the games.
> 
> What is the best way to proceed?
> 
> I've read that I should disconnect the HDD. Hookup the SSD - install Win 7, drivers, and programs. Change bios to ensure the SSD is the boot device. Then reconnect the HDD and delete the "Windows" folder.
> 
> Is that it? Would my games then work from the HDD as normal?


Steam games will be playable after the reinstall, if you have origin and the game store folder is on the HDD, they should be playable as well. All others may not and will probably have to be reinstalled.
Quote:


> Also, what is the best method/program to backup with prior to doing this?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


I just use free file sync to sync my folders to other drives. www.overclock.net/t/1125994/seans-data-backup-guide


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You made a mistake, it is not align=122880, it is *SIZE=122880*
> 
> And for the second create partition primary, you don't put align, you just type create partition primary.
> 
> Do exactly as I wrote in the example:
> 
> Type, sel dis #, press Enter.
> Type, clean, press Enter.
> Type, cre par pri size=122880, press Enter.
> Type, Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type, cre par pri, press Enter.
> Type, Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type, exit, press Enter.


But your steps in page 1 indicate "Type Create Partition Primary Align=1024, press Enter. So at which point do i type this before or after the create partition command or I should omit it?
Quote:


> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> *Type Create Partition Primary Align=1024, press Enter.*
> Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You made a mistake, it is not align=122880, it is *SIZE=122880*
> 
> And for the second create partition primary, you don't put align, you just type create partition primary.
> 
> Do exactly as I wrote in the example:
> 
> Type, sel dis #, press Enter.
> Type, clean, press Enter.
> Type, cre par pri size=122880, press Enter.
> Type, Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type, cre par pri, press Enter.
> Type, Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type, exit, press Enter.
> 
> 
> 
> But your steps in page 1 indicate "Type Create Partition Primary Align=1024, press Enter. So at which point do i type this before or after the create partition command or I should omit it?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Booting and partitioning of Windows 7 without the System Reserve Partition:
> 
> Boot from your Windows 7 installation media. (If you have a UEFI option to boot, do not select it, select the non-UEFI option for your boot media.)
> After booting you see the Install Windows 7 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
> At the command prompt, type Diskpart, press Enter.
> Type List Disk, press Enter.
> Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter.
> Type Clean, press Enter.
> *Type Create Partition Primary Align=1024, press Enter.*
> Type Format Quick FS=NTFS, press Enter.
> Type Exit, press Enter.
> Close the Command Prompt window.
> Click the "Next" button.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

You don't need to do the partition alignment part, default is 1024 anyways. I just had that there so I remembered the alignment command when testing out different alignment #'s. I'm going to take that out now actually.

Do as I said before. Use the size command to make a 120GB partition.


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to do the partition alignment part, default is 1024 anyways. I just had that there so I remembered the alignment command when testing out different alignment #'s. I'm going to take that out now actually.
> 
> Do as I said before. Use the size command to make a 120GB partition.


Ahhhhh .... I got it now.

Lastly, if this is the case, I can also partition it in a working PC first using windows disk management instead, it will be the same?

Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You don't need to do the partition alignment part, default is 1024 anyways. I just had that there so I remembered the alignment command when testing out different alignment #'s. I'm going to take that out now actually.
> 
> Do as I said before. Use the size command to make a 120GB partition.
> 
> 
> 
> Ahhhhh .... I got it now.
> 
> Lastly, if this is the case, I can also partition it in a working PC first using windows disk management instead, it will be the same?
> 
> Thanks.
Click to expand...

yep, makes no difference.


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yep, makes no difference.


Thanks again.

BTW, in your opinion, does it make sense to partition the 240GB into 2 partition of 120GB each, 1 for OS and the rest for programs (i have about 450MB of portable software).

Does it make sense to you? Or just leave 10GB for programs & the rest for OS>

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

I wouldn't bother partitioning.


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I wouldn't bother partitioning.


Thanks sean.


----------



## suiden

Sean,

Thanks for this guide. I have just used it on my very first SSD









A suggestion, if I may. Section _System Setup after Installation_ recommends switching Power Options to the High Performance plan. This also has an impact over CPU power settings in that the Minimum Processor State setting is set to 100%. In my case this prevented the CPU (Intel) to drop voltage/frequency when idle. I preferred to switch to the Balanced plan and adjust the Hard Disk / Sleep settings instead. I am only mentioning this in the hope it helps others.

Thank you.


----------



## nez329

Hi sean, I have the Intel 530 240GB.

I am not migrating my OS from HDD to SSD.

I am only intending to do an image (as you suggested after a fresh OS installation on the SSD & after i have optimise the system) for back only so if anythin goes wrong, i can revert back to a fresh OS without re-installing again (as you suggested)

The Intel® Data Migration Software seems to do migrating only.

Is the "Acronis True Image WD Edition" applicable for me to do an image on the intel SSD?

Or for image backup for intel SSD, you would recommend something else?

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Hi sean, I have the Intel 530 240GB.
> 
> I am not migrating my OS from HDD to SSD.
> 
> I am only intending to do an image (as you suggested after a fresh OS installation on the SSD & after i have optimise the system) for back only so if anythin goes wrong, i can revert back to a fresh OS without re-installing again (as you suggested)
> 
> The Intel® Data Migration Software seems to do migrating only.
> 
> Is the "Acronis True Image WD Edition" applicable for me to do an image on the intel SSD?
> 
> Or for image backup for intel SSD, you would recommend something else?
> 
> Thanks


if you have a WD drive then yes, that will work fine.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

I finally got my Seagate 600, I kicked on Prime95 on a single thread, and I ran a benchmark on AS SSD. 240GB drive, SATA III connection, and yet sequential reads and writes were under 350MB/s. What? It's on the AMD port, not Marvell. Marvell is on the other end of the motherboard.

EDIT: Crystal Disk is showing 400MB/s reads and 380 writes. Still not sure what's up. Does LAMD hate AMD or something? There should be no bottleneck whatsoever.


----------



## Sean Webster

Hmm, try another SATA cable and maybe another AMD driver?

Have any other SSDs you can test on the board?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

I'm not sure the cable can do much if it's sending and receiving SATA III, can it? I actually remembered something: I installed the drivers that came on the motherboard CD instead of the Windows default drivers, yet performance dropped somewhat. I couldn't figure out a way to revert back to stock default drivers.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> I'm not sure the cable can do much if it's sending and receiving SATA III, can it? I actually remembered something: I installed the drivers that came on the motherboard CD instead of the Windows default drivers, yet performance dropped somewhat. I couldn't figure out a way to revert back to stock default drivers.


sata cables can be bad, so can ports, change the port.

To change the driver you do this for the default windows driver:

Click Start
In the Start menu, type Device Manager, hit Enter
Click "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers"
You will see AMD SATA Controller, Intel SATA controller, etc., right click and click "Properties"
Go to the "Driver" tab
Click "Update Driver"
Click "Browse my Computer"
Click "Let me pick"
You will see the option to choose "Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller", click this and click "Next" and let it install
Then reboot and try to install the new firmware for your drive now


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Yeah, so apparently I was in IDE. I don't even know how: when I installed stuff I made absolutely certain to check for that. Oh well. I can deal with gimped sequential performance and random looks about the same. Or is there a way to retroactively change to AHCI?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Yeah, so apparently I was in IDE. I don't even know how: when I installed stuff I made absolutely certain to check for that. Oh well. I can deal with gimped sequential performance and random looks about the same. Or is there a way to retroactively change to AHCI?


everything is affected, change to AHCI: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## jblanc03

Hey Sean!

where can i get the IRST Drivers you spoke of in my private message?

I cant seem to find a valid link anywhere

Also i am going to be posting what i posted in our Private Message here on this forum for other peoples advice since i have not heard back from you yet.

cheers


----------



## jblanc03

Ive heard that there is a way to uninstall the IRST software and still have the Cache Buffer Flushing enabled. Do you know how? Im guessing the software takes up some resources and is generally not needed. Can anyone shed some light on how to do this?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> everything is affected, change to AHCI: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


So you're kind of a big shot and a staff member now. Was it worth it? Was it worth all of the potential reps you have surely lost?







Yeah, so I did what might have been the worst possible thing ever: I turned off the computer while it was frozen on resizing a partition. Apparently it completed and everything is OK. Remind me to never do that again without backing up 10 minutes, not 10 days, prior. This drive has so far given me nothing but problems, most of them PEBKAC.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> So you're kind of a big shot and a staff member now. Was it worth it? Was it worth all of the potential reps you have surely lost?


That one is hard to say, I love being staff, but I truly miss getting my reps. That was one of the main reasons I used to post, to see if I could beat the # of rep I got every week over the previous. lol
Quote:


> Yeah, so I did what might have been the worst possible thing ever: I turned off the computer while it was frozen on resizing a partition. Apparently it completed and everything is OK. Remind me to never do that again without backing up 10 minutes, not 10 days, prior. This drive has so far given me nothing but problems, most of them PEBKAC.










I learned my lesson on that too lol. I always do a backup before I mess with any partitioning or new driver.


----------



## nez329

Hi Sean.

Regarding Page file, i have 8GB ram.

If i want to keep page file, what do you recommend for the size of the page file? & should i leave it on SSD or HDD?

Thanks
Quote:


> Turn Off or Shrink Page file: Applies to SSDs/HDDs
> If you shrink your page file most people recommend 512MB or 1024MB, the minimum for a dump file to be created is 400MB. *I suggest that if you have 4GB of RAM or less or do heavy multitasking do not disable the page file just shrink it to a reasonable size because the rule of having page file equal to or set to 1.5x the amount of your RAM is outdated.* Several programs use page file when enabled like VMWare, some games, graphics software, MS office, etc. Windows does use the page file if present and will only use it when it is efficient to do so. Page file is also read at boot to speed things up. Do not put the page file on a RAM disk, it is much better to have it on the SSD or HDD. (Why to have the page file on an SSD) (Why to not have page file on a RAM disk) (The Windows 7 Pagefile And Running Without One)
> 
> Open the Start Menu
> Right click Computer
> Click Properties
> Click Advanced System Settings (it's on the left side)
> Under performance click Settings
> Go to the Advanced tab
> Under Virtual memory click Change
> Uncheck the "Automatically manage paging file" box at the top
> Select the C: drive
> Click "No paging file" or set the min and max
> Click "Set"
> Choose Yes for the dialog box
> Click OK
> Click OK


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Hi Sean.
> 
> Regarding Page file, i have 8GB ram.
> 
> If i want to keep page file, what do you recommend for the size of the page file? & should i leave it on SSD or HDD?
> 
> Thanks


Most recommendations I've seen is 1GB. When I reduced mine, M$ recommended a minimum of 800MB to ensure enough room for error messages and BSOD dumps so that's where I set it at. I have 32GB of RAM so I seriously doubt I will ever saturate my RAM and need any more room in the page file.


----------



## slowleg

Thanks so much for this thread. Crystal clear.


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Most recommendations I've seen is 1GB. When I reduced mine, M$ recommended a minimum of 800MB to ensure enough room for error messages and BSOD dumps so that's where I set it at. I have 32GB of RAM so I seriously doubt I will ever saturate my RAM and need any more room in the page file.


Thanks for the reply. I will stick to 1GB then.


----------



## nez329

HELP!

Anyone can advise?

I Just started installing win 7.

At the bios where I start to set the USB to boot first , I notice that the SSS has IDE indicated. Is that correct? I have already change to AHCI mode in bios already.

Does windows take the same time to install on the SSD compared to HDD? Or it would be quicker?

Cause I notice it take the same time. Is it because it was indicated as IDE instead of AHCI?

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> HELP!
> 
> Anyone can advise?
> 
> I Just started installing win 7.
> 
> At the bios where I start to set the USB to boot first , I notice that the SSS has IDE indicated. Is that correct? I have already change to AHCI mode in bios already.


If you changed the SATA mode to AHCI you are set. That IDE prefix you see there simply indicated that the drive is connected to a SATA port.
Quote:


> Does windows take the same time to install on the SSD compared to HDD? Or it would be quicker?
> Cause I notice it take the same time. Is it because it was indicated as IDE instead of AHCI?
> 
> Thanks


Usually, especially with a fast USB


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jblanc03*
> 
> Ive heard that there is a way to uninstall the IRST software and still have the Cache Buffer Flushing enabled. Do you know how? Im guessing the software takes up some resources and is generally not needed. Can anyone shed some light on how to do this?


Here's one of the newer IRST drivers: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/23060/a08/SetupRST.exe&lang=eng&Dwnldid=23060

And the cache buffer enabling is in the guide.


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you changed the SATA mode to AHCI you are set. That IDE prefix you see there simply indicated that the drive is connected to a SATA port.
> Usually, especially with a fast USB


Thanks Sean. Was worried the prefix IDE meant IDE......

Mine is USB 2.0. I initially expecting blazing installation speed until you reminded me my OS installation is from USB .....haha

Thanks again









Btw, I followed your steps on the partition of SSD during OS installation & it went without a hitch. Everything was smooth sailing.

Earlier experimented with win 7 image backup instead of the WD & was successful. Beats installing additional software to do the image.


----------



## EliteGhost

Hey Sean I just bought a Crucial M500 480GB, and have read the ssd has a 16kb page size, So should I let windows align it or manually align it to 16k?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteGhost*
> 
> Hey Sean I just bought a Crucial M500 480GB, and have read the ssd has a 16kb page size, So should I let windows align it or manually align it to 16k?


Default alignment is fine. You don't need to worry about the page size.


----------



## EliteGhost

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Default alignment is fine. You don't need to worry about the page size.


Alright thanks!


----------



## IAmDay

I setup my OCZ 120gb using your guide and I got to the restart with windows updates part and it keeps looping. It says preparing/installing updates step 3 of 3 and then it just says failure to install reverting back and it just freezes. What do??


----------



## GOTFrog

TRying to install Win 7 on a new SSD wont let me format, and win installer wont install on it

GA-z87-d3h
i5 4670k
Kington Hyper X 3K 240GB ssd
16GB Hyper X
xfx r9 290


----------



## KalashNK

This is a great guide. I use it anytime.
By the way I think I messed up big time. I reinstalled windows on my SSD keeping my raid 0 data disks unchanged, absolutely sure they depended on the BIOS. I must have understood nothing because now I have two useless hd not in raid and full of unreadable stuff.
The question is: do i really messed up everything and I have to recreate the raid losing all the data or is there some way to make windows recognize the previous raid?
Thanks

EDIT

Ok I entered the IRST, the Raid0 is still there, I only have to tell windows that.


----------



## GOTFrog

Fixed my issue, loaded linux and used gparted to erase the messed up partition windows tried to create


----------



## Synops

So im setting up my new computer i have 2 1tb drives which are disconnected atm, while i set up. Ive followed this great guide so far!

I only have my ssd plugged in (windows installed on this) and external optical drive in the usb right into the back of the MB.

However my issue is when i start cold it runs fine, if i hit restart it goes straight to BIOS, andthe bios does not show the ssd that it needs to boot first only showing the external drive. Now if i do a hard boot again from the switch itwill detect the ssd, however i may or may not have to change the boot priority to the ssd again.....If i remove this drive, save settings and exit it cant boot and goes to bios again.

This seems real weird as it works fine from cold.

Any ideas?


----------



## nez329

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Synops*
> 
> So im setting up my new computer i have 2 1tb drives which are disconnected atm, while i set up. Ive followed this great guide so far!
> 
> I only have my ssd plugged in (windows installed on this) and external optical drive in the usb right into the back of the MB.
> 
> However my issue is when i start cold it runs fine, if i hit restart it goes straight to BIOS, andthe bios does not show the ssd that it needs to boot first only showing the external drive. Now if i do a hard boot again from the switch itwill detect the ssd, however i may or may not have to change the boot priority to the ssd again.....If i remove this drive, save settings and exit it cant boot and goes to bios again.
> 
> This seems real weird as it works fine from cold.
> 
> Any ideas?


Is your SSD the intel 530?


----------



## Synops

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nez329*
> 
> Is your SSD the intel 530?


I have the corsair force series GS 256gb


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Synops*
> 
> So im setting up my new computer i have 2 1tb drives which are disconnected atm, while i set up. Ive followed this great guide so far!
> 
> I only have my ssd plugged in (windows installed on this) and external optical drive in the usb right into the back of the MB.
> 
> However my issue is when i start cold it runs fine, if i hit restart it goes straight to BIOS, andthe bios does not show the ssd that it needs to boot first only showing the external drive. Now if i do a hard boot again from the switch itwill detect the ssd, however i may or may not have to change the boot priority to the ssd again.....If i remove this drive, save settings and exit it cant boot and goes to bios again.
> 
> This seems real weird as it works fine from cold.
> 
> Any ideas?


update your BIOS?


----------



## Synops

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> update your BIOS?


Just did a fresh install and updated the bios. No change....

Any other ideas?


----------



## bagman

Nice guide -

I had some trouble getting my USB drive to format such that the ISO could be mounted. I used Sean's technique and DiskPart gave me repeated errors, at a number of steps:

(1) Clean produced an "access is denied" error. Never-the-less, the USB drive was cleaned.

(2) It also claimed to be unable to format the USB disk for some reason.

I had a rather convoluted experience trying to format and re-format the USB flash multiple times, part of this involved Windows 7 auto-detecting that the drive needed to be formatted after DiskPart failed. Windows also gave me an error that the format had failed, but after disconnecting and reconnecting it detected the format. I then used the following tool to try to mount the iso:

http://www.nextofwindows.com/creating-bootable-windows-7-install-usb-flash-drive-or-dvd-using-windows-7-usbdvd-download-tool/

This also claimed to fail to properly format the drive. Then I scanned the USB flash for errors, and auto-correct bad sectors, and it claimed no errors were found. But upon disconnecting and reconnecting again, and again attempting to format using Windows (ie the auto-format window that pops up), it seemed to work. Then I successfully mounted the iso using the above tool. Perhaps there was a bad sector and Windows just didn't report it, and it was fixed?

Not sure this will help others, but scan for bad sectors before attempting to format, it might make the process smoother.


----------



## zdub86

After coming across this website and thread from a simple Google search of "SSD installation" I felt compelled to create an account and post in this thread giving a HUGE thanks to Sean for this thorough and comprehensive guide. Without it I would more than likely still be lost. I just completed my first ever build and I decided to incorporate a SSD after hearing nothing but good things about them. Having never used a SSD before, I had no clue what I was doing. THANK YOU SEAN!!! I finished Windows 7 installation late last night with no issues thus far. I've been at work all day today so I haven't really had much time to play around with it yet. I did go through the "System Setup after installation" steps and installed a few programs that I regularly use. A few things that I may have done differently than the OP:

-I kept System Restore. I've used this in the past and it's a good little tool (hopefully I won't have to use it, but you never know when you may need it).
-I kept the page file and set it to 1024.
-I set my power options to sleep after 30 minutes (not recommended for SSD's??)

I just have a quick question about SSDs in general... What do you recommend putting on SSD's besides the OS? So far I only have a few programs on there that I use the most, just so they run quicker and more efficiently (Office, Chrome, Firefox, iTunes, Spotify, Malwarebytes etc). I have a Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD, and I also have a 1TB HDD that I will use for storage (mostly documents, music, pictures, videos, etc.) ...What's the norm as far as what to put on a SSD?

I will go through and do your optimizations and system maintenance sections tonight. After skimming through, I'm not entirely sure about a few things (remember, this is my first SSD):
-Enable write back caching and turnoff windows write-caching buffer flushing on C:\ drive?? Is this necessary? What would I get out of it?
-Disable Prefetch and Superfetch?? I have no clue what this is and may need to research it a bit more. If they aren't needed for SSDs, then I'm all for it.

Thanks again Sean for the amazing guide, and for anymore advice you may have


----------



## skalman

I've already got an Intel X25 G2 80 GB, with W7 installed on it. Frankly, I can't recall exactly how I installed it last time. I guess I followed some guide, but I'm note sure I did everything right 'cause I remember getting pretty ****ty speeds in the tests I ran shortly after installation (compared to what others were getting from the same SSD at the time). Anyway, I bought an Crucial M500 240 GB recently and I'm eager to put it in. However, how much work would it be to move my OS to the new SSD? Would it even be worth it? The plan right now is to keep W7 on the 80GB and have Steam and big applcations on the 240GB. My mobo is AsRock 880G Extreme3.

Simply, is there anything I need to think about when installing my new SSD except for turning the computer off, plugging the right cables in and starting the computer? Do I still have to check BIOS stuff even if I'm not installing an OS on the new SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Synops*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> update your BIOS?
> 
> 
> 
> Just did a fresh install and updated the bios. No change....
> 
> Any other ideas?
Click to expand...

sorry about the late reply, but im not sure.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bagman*
> 
> Nice guide -
> 
> I had some trouble getting my USB drive to format such that the ISO could be mounted. I used Sean's technique and DiskPart gave me repeated errors, at a number of steps:
> 
> (1) Clean produced an "access is denied" error. Never-the-less, the USB drive was cleaned.
> 
> (2) It also claimed to be unable to format the USB disk for some reason.
> 
> I had a rather convoluted experience trying to format and re-format the USB flash multiple times, part of this involved Windows 7 auto-detecting that the drive needed to be formatted after DiskPart failed. Windows also gave me an error that the format had failed, but after disconnecting and reconnecting it detected the format. I then used the following tool to try to mount the iso:
> 
> http://www.nextofwindows.com/creating-bootable-windows-7-install-usb-flash-drive-or-dvd-using-windows-7-usbdvd-download-tool/
> 
> This also claimed to fail to properly format the drive. Then I scanned the USB flash for errors, and auto-correct bad sectors, and it claimed no errors were found. But upon disconnecting and reconnecting again, and again attempting to format using Windows (ie the auto-format window that pops up), it seemed to work. Then I successfully mounted the iso using the above tool. Perhaps there was a bad sector and Windows just didn't report it, and it was fixed?
> 
> Not sure this will help others, but scan for bad sectors before attempting to format, it might make the process smoother.


I had a bad usb that gave em a lot of issues when reinstalling before. That is good advise there.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *zdub86*
> 
> After coming across this website and thread from a simple Google search of "SSD installation" I felt compelled to create an account and post in this thread giving a HUGE thanks to Sean for this thorough and comprehensive guide. Without it I would more than likely still be lost. I just completed my first ever build and I decided to incorporate a SSD after hearing nothing but good things about them. Having never used a SSD before, I had no clue what I was doing. THANK YOU SEAN!!! I finished Windows 7 installation late last night with no issues thus far. I've been at work all day today so I haven't really had much time to play around with it yet. I did go through the "System Setup after installation" steps and installed a few programs that I regularly use. A few things that I may have done differently than the OP:
> 
> -I kept System Restore. I've used this in the past and it's a good little tool (hopefully I won't have to use it, but you never know when you may need it).


Same here, I use it a lot. It is very useful.
Quote:


> -I kept the page file and set it to 1024.
> -I set my power options to sleep after 30 minutes (not recommended for SSD's??)


that is fine.
Quote:


> I just have a quick question about SSDs in general... What do you recommend putting on SSD's besides the OS?


Everything lol.
Quote:


> So far I only have a few programs on there that I use the most, just so they run quicker and more efficiently (Office, Chrome, Firefox, iTunes, Spotify, Malwarebytes etc). I have a Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD, and I also have a 1TB HDD that I will use for storage (mostly documents, music, pictures, videos, etc.) ...What's the norm as far as what to put on a SSD?


All programs I usually have on the SSD/OS drive. On my secondary I have my steam library (easier to leave it there as it is portable) and all my personal data.
Quote:


> I will go through and do your optimizations and system maintenance sections tonight. After skimming through, I'm not entirely sure about a few things (remember, this is my first SSD):
> -Enable write back caching and turnoff windows write-caching buffer flushing on C:\ drive?? Is this necessary? What would I get out of it?


No need to do it. It can increase your SSD benchmark performance. Real world there is little to no noticeable improvement.
Quote:


> -Disable Prefetch and Superfetch?? I have no clue what this is and may need to research it a bit more. If they aren't needed for SSDs, then I'm all for it.


Same as above, no need to mess with that. Makes like no difference.
Quote:


> Thanks again Sean for the amazing guide, and for anymore advice you may have


Ask anything else and I'll try to get back to you.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *skalman*
> 
> I've already got an Intel X25 G2 80 GB, with W7 installed on it. Frankly, I can't recall exactly how I installed it last time. I guess I followed some guide, but I'm note sure I did everything right 'cause I remember getting pretty ****ty speeds in the tests I ran shortly after installation (compared to what others were getting from the same SSD at the time). Anyway, I bought an Crucial M500 240 GB recently and I'm eager to put it in. However, how much work would it be to move my OS to the new SSD? Would it even be worth it? The plan right now is to keep W7 on the 80GB and have Steam and big applcations on the 240GB. My mobo is AsRock 880G Extreme3.
> 
> Simply, is there anything I need to think about when installing my new SSD except for turning the computer off, plugging the right cables in and starting the computer? Do I still have to check BIOS stuff even if I'm not installing an OS on the new SSD?


You can simply clone over the OS to the new drive if you want to do that. But if you want to keep the OS on the X25 then just make sure your SATA mode is set to AHCI and not IDE: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation


----------



## Darco19

I just wanted to point out a very nice trick to recover further storage space. It's done in W7's built-in Disk Cleanup utility and can potentially free up a Gigabyte or two, which is nothing to sneeze at.

To do this, you first need to make sure you have the 'Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2852386)' installed. If not, you can download it manually here or through Windows Update. Afterwards, run the Disk Cleanup utility and look for the 'Windows Update Cleanup' option. It shouldn't take more than a few seconds to safely delete those update files.

I managed to get back 2.6GB on my SSD from doing so







Please add this to the original post if you don't mind, as it should prove invaluable for most users (especially for those with low capacity SSD's).

If you want more info on this, go here.


----------



## bagman

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the quick reply earlier. I have another issue I wanted to ask about:

I was expecting Windows to load much faster with the SSD... I have an Intel 530. However, after enabling AHCI it added a couple of extra load (splash?) screens to the beginning of my power-on. First it shows the memory speed and shows that it finds no IDE drives, next it goes to a screen where the AHCI finds all the hard drives, then it goes to a "Loading Operating System" screen with periods (.) that march across the screen under the text. All of these screens are the typical bios black screens with white text. Finally after those, it goes to the Windows GUI screen and then into the password login screen.

The GUI takes a few seconds, and I disabled it, but the "Loading Operating System" black screen takes a long time - probably 10-15 seconds (the time is the same with or without the windows GUI). This "Loading Operating System" screen did not appear before with my HHD setup, and its presence means that my startup time is probably the same as it was with an HHD. Once I go beyond the password login, windows loads the apps very fast, in only a couple of seconds, which is much faster than the HHD which took a while to load all the apps. However, I know something is off because I just built my mom an office computer that only has HHD and it loads much faster than mine does - it goes straight to the Windows GUI in only about 1 second.

So when people state that "Windows loads faster" do they mean after you log on where it loads apps, or do they mean the entire process from button pushing to useable desktop? I also note that my shutdown time is very fast, probably < 5 seconds.

Thanks for any help you can offer. My MB is GA-P55A-UD3 rev. 1.


----------



## bagman

I resolved my own issue above ^^^

Apparently under AHCI if you set the boot order to target the CDROM first it will sit there and look for the CDROM for 20 seconds regardless of whether there is a CD present or not. Once I set the boot order to target the SSD, the Loading Operating System screen clears in 1 second. So everything is loading fast now.

Also - I disabled the Windows GUI but the screen just goes black for about the same amount of time as the GUI would normally take to clear. I guess it is just down to preference.


----------



## Squeeker The Cat

great guide ill be doing this in the next few months........


----------



## .theMetal

Just wanted to give a quick thanks Sean. The guide helped me a ton, its flawless.


----------



## phobojo

Hi Sean, this is an amazing tutorial. I've been working on installing windows 7 onto an SSD for days without much luck and I just found this thread. I am still having problems with making a bootable USB so I'm hoping you can help. I downloaded a large iso file for windows 7 black premium (7.99 GB) and have been trying to put it onto a USB. I want to be able to boot from the USB to install it onto my new SSD but because its larger than 4 GB I can't put it in a FAT32 format. I saw something in the guide however about putting it in NTSF but then it wont boot UEFI right? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,


----------



## djsi38t

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *phobojo*
> 
> Hi Sean, this is an amazing tutorial. I've been working on installing windows 7 onto an SSD for days without much luck and I just found this thread. I am still having problems with making a bootable USB so I'm hoping you can help. I downloaded a large iso file for windows 7 black premium (7.99 GB) and have been trying to put it onto a USB. I want to be able to boot from the USB to install it onto my new SSD but because its larger than 4 GB I can't put it in a FAT32 format. I saw something in the guide however about putting it in NTSF but then it wont boot UEFI right? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,


I don't know if it will help but there is a useful tool from microsoft called the windows seven usb dvd download tool that is quite good.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *phobojo*
> 
> Hi Sean, this is an amazing tutorial. I've been working on installing windows 7 onto an SSD for days without much luck and I just found this thread. I am still having problems with making a bootable USB so I'm hoping you can help. I downloaded a large iso file for windows 7 black premium (7.99 GB) and have been trying to put it onto a USB. I want to be able to boot from the USB to install it onto my new SSD but because its larger than 4 GB I can't put it in a FAT32 format. I saw something in the guide however about putting it in NTSF but then it wont boot UEFI right? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,


I've never heard of a windows 7 black premium from microsoft being for sale or ISO for windows 7 being larger than 3.5GB unless it was modded. In order to install the modded one you have via NTFS formatted USB. But that is ok as you can install it.


----------



## Old-AmsXXXdam

Small tip: partition your new SSD before or during (using shift-f10/diskpart) installation of windows. If you do not, your SSD might put files in the middle of your SSD empty space fairly quickly, preventing disk management to shrink the partition beyond x mb. For instance if you want to shrink your partition to 20Gb for image-backup. But disk management only allows you to shrink it to 65Gb on a 120 Gb SSD. While your windows install is only 13Gb. Because there are some blocks of data in the way preventing further shrinking of the partition.


----------



## bcooper21

Is this guide for speed or more space with ssd because i tried all your settings and tweaks as listed and then used Samsung Magician's maxium performance ssd tweaks and there tweaks made things load faster i even tested it both ways games loaded 2-3 seconds faster on my 840 pro for most part which is what i do most play games so im kinda confused.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bcooper21*
> 
> Is this guide for speed or more space with ssd because i tried all your settings and tweaks as listed and then used Samsung Magician's maxium performance ssd tweaks and there tweaks made things load faster i even tested it both ways games loaded 2-3 seconds faster on my 840 pro for most part which is what i do most play games so im kinda confused.


Both. Magician has most of the same tweaks.


----------



## Ziglez

Fastest restarter in the west.


----------



## Old-AmsXXXdam

I got this Samsung 840 EVO + Magician. It seems Magician uses all the same tweaks listed in this very guide. What I want to ask is if you have enabled this "RAPID" mode. Which is nothing more than using system RAM as cache.
Quote:


> Before diving into our results, let's spend a moment to, ahem, refresh our memory about what RAPID mode is all about. RAPID stands for Real-time Accelerated Processing of I/O Data, so we should probably honor the all caps. You can enable the feature via Samsung's SSD Magician utility, and you'll need to be running Windows 7 or 8 for it to work. When enabled, RAPID mode takes up to a gigabyte of system memory. DRAM is even faster than the flash memory used in SSDs, so there's some wisdom in using it as a high-speed cache for solid-state drives.
> 
> Source: http://techreport.com/review/25282/a-closer-look-at-rapid-dram-caching-on-the-samsung-840-evo-ssd


I got it disabled because I have only 2 gigs of RAM. So no performance boost for my system.


----------



## odin2free

Guys if you get an error from booting back into win7 like i did from moving around the bcd files with easybcd
I messed up (clicked to fast install bcd on the c drive and ya screwed the pooch on it ) took me forever to repair, but figured why not actually look it up
if you get this code
0xc000000f
Just throwing some info for people i suppose

Boot into win7 instal disk

click repair computer
It will scan and find the issues
DO NOT RESTART just click done,then next

You will be shown a screen with different options,
Command Prompt is what we want

Open her up

1. diskpart
2. list disk
3. Identify which disk has the boot partition
A. select disk 0
1.list partition
2. Find which partiton has the system reserved label (it will be 200mb)
3 Select Partition #
4. Detail Partition (should say active)
5. IF not active Type "active" * no quotes

Now reboot

GO BACK to the recovery/repair console form the win7 install disk

type
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot

Reboot, back to repair console

Type
bcdboot c:\Windows /s c: /l en-us


----------



## darxide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Offline .xps file version:* (link)
> *Offline .pdf file version:* (link)


Both links point to the .xps version


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *darxide*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Offline .xps file version:* (link)
> *Offline .pdf file version:* (link)
> 
> 
> 
> Both links point to the .xps version
Click to expand...

FIXED


----------



## Mark Berrill

Hi Sean,

first thank you for the huge effort in potting this guide together.









I would like to double check something if that is OK?

You recommend disconnecting all other drives when carrying out the installation. I need to re-install win 7 on an SSD on an existing PC that uses a single drive for the OS at present, but also has a RAID 5 array for purely data. This is on an Asus P9X79 Pro mobo, and the RAID drives are connected to the non Intel SATA connectors (I think that they use Marvel). Is it safe to disconnect the power from these drives, or will it upset the RAID controller? I have asked elsewhere, and the consensus is that it should be OK, but a few people have mentioned causing issues with the RAID controller, so I hope it is OK to ask here as well? The single drive and new SSD will be on the Intel connector.

Hope that makes sense and many thanks for any input.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mark Berrill*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> first thank you for the huge effort in potting this guide together.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would like to double check something if that is OK?
> 
> You recommend disconnecting all other drives when carrying out the installation. I need to re-install win 7 on an SSD on an existing PC that uses a single drive for the OS at present, but also has a RAID 5 array for purely data. This is on an Asus P9X79 Pro mobo, and the RAID drives are connected to the non Intel SATA connectors (I think that they use Marvel). Is it safe to disconnect the power from these drives, or will it upset the RAID controller? I have asked elsewhere, and the consensus is that it should be OK, but a few people have mentioned causing issues with the RAID controller, so I hope it is OK to ask here as well? The single drive and new SSD will be on the Intel connector.
> 
> Hope that makes sense and many thanks for any input.


It should be fine. I'd always recommend a backup first however.


----------



## Mark Berrill

Hi Sean,

Many thanks - very much appreciated.


----------



## Osea23

The download inks for the windows 7 .iso's are broken.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Osea23*
> 
> The download inks for the windows 7 .iso's are broken.


I read that the M$ servers for them are down and they are working on fixing it. We'll see if that is true soon hopefully.


----------



## Osea23

Alright Sean thanks for the reply


----------



## scotth93

So I got an ssd the other day and i made the mistake of trying install windows on it from my desktop.( i kinda know about computers through my HNC in software) I have never installed an ssd. now every time i tried to install it, it says it need a driver or something, hopefully my system spec are in my sig if i done it right, and i have provided some video and picture to help get the best answer.

I have disconnected my old HDD that has win7 on it, but when i go to install windows on to my SSD it doesnt show up when i get to this stage:
http://i.imgur.com/YguULeP.jpg

I have also tried it on a blue port.

It shows up fine on the disk management and in my computer.

It is connected the the white port on my mobo(which is a gigabyte z77-d3h.

I have taken images of my bios so mark sure its all set up right and a short video of what happens when i click install now button: 






http://imgur.com/RPAqY


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *scotth93*
> 
> So I got an ssd the other day and i made the mistake of trying install windows on it from my desktop.( i kinda know about computers through my HNC in software) I have never installed an ssd. now every time i tried to install it, it says it need a driver or something, hopefully my system spec are in my sig if i done it right, and i have provided some video and picture to help get the best answer.
> 
> I have disconnected my old HDD that has win7 on it, but when i go to install windows on to my SSD it doesnt show up when i get to this stage:
> http://i.imgur.com/YguULeP.jpg
> 
> I have also tried it on a blue port.
> 
> It shows up fine on the disk management and in my computer.
> 
> It is connected the the white port on my mobo(which is a gigabyte z77-d3h.
> 
> I have taken images of my bios so mark sure its all set up right and a short video of what happens when i click install now button:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://imgur.com/RPAqY


Did you connect the drive to the correct SATA port? It should be connected to the Intel SATA 6Gb/s port.


----------



## scotth93

Hi sean,

sorry forgot to update here, i got i working it was just the port my usb
drive was in... donno why lol.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *scotth93*
> 
> Hi sean,
> 
> sorry forgot to update here, i got i working it was just the port my usb
> drive was in... donno why lol.


Yea, the USB needs to be in the native USB port, not the third party ones. lol


----------



## scotth93

Any, great guide. And it worked perfectly, Thanks!


----------



## n0xpd

Thanks for this info, I'm looking at the registry and wouldn't I need to change all the entries that are C:\program files to the new drive letter? In my case it would be P:\Program files. Thanks! Please see the image below.
PLEASE NOTE: The one in blue appears to be the path to driver files for the C:\ drive, I'm assuming I would not change that one.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *n0xpd*
> 
> Thanks for this info, I'm looking at the registry and wouldn't I need to change all the entries that are C:\program files to the new drive letter? In my case it would be P:\Program files. Thanks! Please see the image below.
> PLEASE NOTE: The one in blue appears to be the path to driver files for the C:\ drive, I'm assuming I would not change that one.


idk, never do that, nor recommend it.


----------



## JohnnySmith

Hello Sean!

A magnificent guide you've got here. I feel like I've learned a good amount of information in regards to optimising a Windows installation. Now, I do have one question which I am hoping you can answer:

I've been planning on reinstalling my OS for quite some time now, in order to get a clean start and a better optimisation. Now, my question is if I need to think about anything special as my main drive is a RAID-0 of two Corsair Force GT 120GB SSDs, as seen in my signature. If I just want to reinstall Windows do I have to go through a different route than the one that is written here in this guide or can I just insert my boot device, select my drive and do a "quick" format instead of a "hard" one (the proper names eludes me) when the installation lets me choose the drive?

Again, a big thank you for writing this guide!

Sincerely,
JohnnySmith


----------



## Jayjr1105

Hey guys, Just installed an Intel 520 240GB into my new Lenovo T530 laptop for work. Did a fresh install with Windows 7 Ent and loaded all the latest drivers from Lenovo and Intel. I am getting the stupid Sandforce BSOD when resuming from sleep. I thought this only affected Low end Sandforce drives like OCZ and Sandisk. I thought the Intel proprietary SF firmware was spared from this issue.

Anyways, it's happening a lot and I really use sleep quite often. Was there a fix other than a firmware upgrade? Because I'm pretty sure this Intel is up to date.

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JohnnySmith*
> 
> Hello Sean!
> 
> A magnificent guide you've got here. I feel like I've learned a good amount of information in regards to optimising a Windows installation. Now, I do have one question which I am hoping you can answer:
> 
> I've been planning on reinstalling my OS for quite some time now, in order to get a clean start and a better optimisation. Now, my question is if I need to think about anything special as my main drive is a RAID-0 of two Corsair Force GT 120GB SSDs, as seen in my signature. If I just want to reinstall Windows do I have to go through a different route than the one that is written here in this guide or can I just insert my boot device, select my drive and do a "quick" format instead of a "hard" one (the proper names eludes me) when the installation lets me choose the drive?
> 
> Again, a big thank you for writing this guide!
> 
> Sincerely,
> JohnnySmith


Nothing special needed, just if your drive array isn't visibale you will have to load your RAID driver. But besides that treat the drives as normal drives.

And always do quick format for SSDs, full formats (or "hard" as you referred to it as) are not needed.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Hey guys, Just installed an Intel 520 240GB into my new Lenovo T530 laptop for work. Did a fresh install with Windows 7 Ent and loaded all the latest drivers from Lenovo and Intel. I am getting the stupid Sandforce BSOD when resuming from sleep. I thought this only affected Low end Sandforce drives like OCZ and Sandisk. I thought the Intel proprietary SF firmware was spared from this issue.
> 
> Anyways, it's happening a lot and I really use sleep quite often. Was there a fix other than a firmware upgrade? Because I'm pretty sure this Intel is up to date.
> 
> Thanks!


Check here for help with that: http://www.overclock.net/f/17986/crash-analysis-and-debugging

I don't think it is the SSD, but instead something else....I could be wrong. But check there first and see what they say.


----------



## JohnnySmith

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nothing special needed, just if your drive array isn't visibale you will have to load your RAID driver. But besides that treat the drives as normal drives.
> 
> And always do quick format for SSDs, full formats (or "hard" as you referred to it as) are not needed.


Thanks a lot for your help!


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Nothing special needed, just if your drive array isn't visibale you will have to load your RAID driver. But besides that treat the drives as normal drives.
> 
> And always do quick format for SSDs, full formats (or "hard" as you referred to it as) are not needed.
> 
> Check here for help with that: http://www.overclock.net/f/17986/crash-analysis-and-debugging
> 
> I don't think it is the SSD, but instead something else....I could be wrong. But check there first and see what they say.


I think I figured it out. I loaded the IRST .inf driver file and so far so good, tested it about 4 times on battery and AC. I was using MS AHCI driver. No blue screens so far. It was doing it prettymuch every time the laptop slept. Thanks!


----------



## Minusorange

Thanks for the guide Sean, was a great help for my new install!


----------



## iDShaDoW

Got a Samsung 840 EVO during Black Friday and finally installing it now. Ran into a "Setup unable to create system partitions" error.

Tried going into Diskpart (Shift+F10) and formatting and partitioning it but that didn't work. BIOS has the SATA ports set to AHCI (tried IDE; no good). The SSD is connected to an Intel SATA port.

Reformatting the USB drive I have and putting the Windows 7 Ultimate w/ Service Pack 1 you provided onto it now to see if it might've been the setup I had on there before but it's worked fine for me in the past when reformatting other computers. (Update: no good)

Any ideas? When I deleted/formatted it within the Windows 7 installer setup it just creates a partition without creating the Recovery Partition. Tried unplugging the USB drive after loading to Windows installation; then get a 0x80300001 error.

All other HDDs are/were unplugged when trying to install Windows 7.

Will try a USB 2.0 thumb drive tomorrow as it's late now.

Never had any sort of issue like this with my Samsung 830. Motherboard does not have UEFI.


----------



## Sean Webster

The drive connected to the Intel SATA 2 port? And the USB is connected to the USB 2.0 port?


----------



## iDShaDoW

Yup, EX58-Extreme is kind of an older board so it doesn't have SATA 3 (the SSD I'm trying to install to is plugged into an Intel SATA 2 port though and not a Marvell port).

Motherboard also does not have USB 3.0 ports.

My Patriot USB thumb drive is a 3.0 thumb drive though; I have a USB 2.0 I can try tomorrow morning but I never had issues installing on my Samsung 830 or brother/friends' computers with this thumb drive.

I had my own Windows 7 ISO copied onto it and then tried the Windows 7 64-bit w/ SP1 ISO that you have in your main post on page 1.


----------



## Ice 1

Hay guy is this all right or is some thing wrong.
Sean awesome guide man








you guys will have to zoom in to the pic to read sorry


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ice 1*
> 
> 
> 
> Hay guy is this all right or is some thing wrong.
> Sean awesome guide man
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> you guys will have to zoom in to the pic to read sorry


Looks to be connected to a SATA 2 port.


----------



## Ice 1

yes it p5q pro turbo board p45 chipset and ICH10R controller just trying to find out if them numbers are ok and if it safe to run ssd in the Rapid mode with out harm thank for any input still leaning ssd
System spec. are here http://www.overclock.net/t/773046/official-asus-p5q-pro-turbo-pro-turbo-owners-club-all-asus-p45-mobo-owners-welcome/6000#post_21744031


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ice 1*
> 
> yes it p5q pro turbo board p45 chipset and ICH10R controller just trying to find out if them numbers are ok and if it safe to run ssd in the Rapid mode with out harm thank for any input still leaning ssd
> System spec. are here http://www.overclock.net/t/773046/official-asus-p5q-pro-turbo-pro-turbo-owners-club-all-asus-p45-mobo-owners-welcome/6000#post_21744031


you're good.


----------



## Screagle2000

First post. Thanks for an informative tutorial. This is going to be my first try with an SSD. I have read to unplug all drives but the SSD for the OS (windows 7 Ultimate). I want to use the batch file to move the user folders to the HDD. When do I plug the HDD in since I am supposed to have them all unplugged but must use the batch file before step 11? I have spent hours reading and searching for the answer, sorry for the dumb question.

Thanks in advance
Mark


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Screagle2000*
> 
> First post. Thanks for an informative tutorial. This is going to be my first try with an SSD. I have read to unplug all drives but the SSD for the OS (windows 7 Ultimate). I want to use the batch file to move the user folders to the HDD. When do I plug the HDD in since I am supposed to have them all unplugged but must use the batch file before step 11? I have spent hours reading and searching for the answer, sorry for the dumb question.
> 
> Thanks in advance
> Mark


Plug the HDD in after you install the OS.


----------



## Haze80

awesome write up


----------



## Presence

This is great, thanks Sean. I'm stuck on the part about installing the newest SATA and chipset drivers. For Intel you link to a search but I'm not sure which one to use. Is the 01/2/2012 release the latest? https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20768&lang=eng&wapkw=rapid+storage+technology


----------



## EliteGhost

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Presence*
> 
> This is great, thanks Sean. I'm stuck on the part about installing the newest SATA and chipset drivers. For Intel you link to a search but I'm not sure which one to use. Is the 01/2/2012 release the latest? https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20768&lang=eng&wapkw=rapid+storage+technology


Download the latest RST from here.

12.9.0.1001 WHQL


----------



## Presence

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EliteGhost*
> 
> Download the latest RST from here.
> 
> 12.9.0.1001 WHQL


Thank you


----------



## EliteGhost

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Presence*
> 
> Thank you


No problem, thanks for the Rep


----------



## darxide

EDIT: FOUND THE SOLUTION:

In addition to running Regedit as normal and changing the mentioned entries you must also run "%systemroot%/syswow64/regedit" and change the values there as well.

On a Win7 install I've moved the default install directories to D: but most programs I install just go to C: anyways. Sometimes they will install to C: but the shortcuts will always point to D: even if I change them manually to C:. I've had to uninstall and reinstall Firefox and Chrome a few times because of this.

It's all very frustrating.

I've changed the following in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

ProgramFilesDir
ProgramFilesDir(x86)

as well as trying:

ProgramW6432Dir
CommonFilesDir
CommonFilresDir(x86)
CommonW6432Dir

and even:

ProgramFilesPath

I found that %ProgramFiles% always points to whatever ProgramW6432Dir is set to so I left ProgramFilesPath alone.

Programs that give you the option of an install directory, like Firefox, can be installed to D: like I want and the shortcuts work fine, but programs that do not give you the option, like Chrome, will always install to C: and create shortcuts with D:. These shortcuts can't be changed manually for some reason and I have to delete them and recreate the shortcut for them to point to C: where the program actually is.

Can I get some help with this before I pull more of my hair out?

If it makes a difference, I moved my entire User directory to D: during install (not just specific folders like Desktop and Downloads, the whole directory) but haven't run into any apparent issues with that.

Sorry, I'm editing this post a lot.

I've just changed all of the "legacy" junctions in Win7 to point to their proper places. For instance, the "C:\Documents and Settings" junction now points to "D:\Users" instead of "C:\Users" and so forth. Still isn't helping.


----------



## lllFATAL1TY

http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/diy-how-to-build-an-sli-rig-part-2#3


----------



## sangimpur

Sean - first, thanks so much for creating the incredible guide and this thread. I've learned far more than I ever expected about how systems work from you and your contributors. I am reading the entire thread now as every few screens there is a goldmine of info. About halfway there.

My sig rig was initially built as an entertainment PC for games, movies etc., (LOTS of movies) but now am thinking of turning it into my main PC.

I have a question and would like some opinions as I am re-imaging the unit, hopefully for the last time so want to get it right..... one-time.

*The question:* I decided to go with GPT for all the drives. When I look at the partitions in "Disk Management" in the boot drive (SSD) I only see the EFI partition and primary partition. For the other drives (two 2TB and one 4TB) only a primary partition. I don't see the only MSR partition on any of the GPT drives even though they say they are GPT. I used the "Booting and partitioning of GPT for Windows 7 Automatically" part of the guide to setup the boot drive and "Disk Management" to set up the other drives as GPT. I'm thinking I missed a step somewhere along the way and need to start over (no biggie, willing to go again to get it right). Shall I have another go or is this normal? The system doesn't seem to mind and everything else went well through to the "Optimization" section but doing a once over before reinstalling games and programs turned this up.

*The Opinions*: I'll probably run into the answers for these as I read more but thought I would throw out my plan for critique.

Am on the fence on RAID. Initially didn't see much benefit to RAID since I was backing up to an external drive so was thinking of keeping movies, pictures etc. on one of the 2TB drives and other 2TB for data/games/low use programs with the 4TB as backup for both. Now am thinking of RAID'ing the two 2TB drives, leaving the SSD and 4TB out of the array to use for the OS and backup of the RAID drives respectively. If this were your system what would you do?

SATA drivers: My mobo has two native Intel 6GB SATA ports, two 3GB ports and four ASMedia 6GB ports. I have the SSD and one of the 2TB drives (the one I'll be putting Steam on) plugged into the native Intel 6GB ports. The other drives and Blu-ray burner are on the ASMedia ports. I'm still early in reading the thread so I may run across this later but have seen much trashing of the Marvel drivers. Googling the ASMedia drivers has seen a bit of the same trashing and skepticism. Some say it's because these ports rely on one PCIe lane to get to 6GB and it's a board design issue. Regardless of the cause, should I expect 6GB out of these ports or is dropping the driver going to produce faster results or does it matter?

Of course if the plan is completely cockeyed altogether, what would you do differently with this hardware? After reading a couple of thousand posts I've come to respect the opinions on this forum more so than on the "Internet Machine"

Thanks again - GREAT guide!


----------



## mxthunder

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lllFATAL1TY*
> 
> http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/diy-how-to-build-an-sli-rig-part-2#3


Yep congrats Sean!!
Nvidia is linking to you!


----------



## shears

Hi Sean, and everyone else.

First, thank you Sean for the most incredible SSD and OS guide on the internet. You have created something absolutely invaluable.

I already have a PC with a Samsung 830 256GB that has my Windows 7 operating system installed on it. I just purchased a Samsung 840 Pro 512GB to add to my system. Would it be in my best interest for performance if I were to replace the 830 256GB SSD with the 840 Pro 512GB for my Windows 7 OS, or would it not make much difference, allowing my to just add the 840 Pro as a secondary drive for all my programs and games?

I appreciate all your help, and thank you.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shears*
> 
> Hi Sean, and everyone else.
> 
> First, thank you Sean for the most incredible SSD and OS guide on the internet. You have created something absolutely invaluable.
> 
> I already have a PC with a Samsung 830 256GB that has my Windows 7 operating system installed on it. I just purchased a Samsung 840 Pro 512GB to add to my system. Would it be in my best interest for performance if I were to replace the 830 256GB SSD with the 840 Pro 512GB for my Windows 7 OS, or would it not make much difference, allowing my to just add the 840 Pro as a secondary drive for all my programs and games?
> 
> I appreciate all your help, and thank you.


thanks

It wont make much of a difference. You can clone over the 830 to the new drive and see for yourself how it is. Otherwise just use the 512GB drive as secondary for games imo. programs should be fine on the OS drive.


----------



## itones76

Hi Sean.
First time poster here. Thanks for your great work on this topic! I was wondering if you can help me out. I am trying to install windows 7 ultimate 64bit on my Samsung 840 pro 256g on an Asus P6T SE mb . I read in your guide that I should use a native sata port, but I think my mb only has 6 Marvell controlled ports. Can you please help me out? I am new to the whole SSD thing.

Thanks in advance


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *itones76*
> 
> Hi Sean.
> First time poster here. Thanks for your great work on this topic! I was wondering if you can help me out. I am trying to install windows 7 ultimate 64bit on my Samsung 840 pro 256g on an Asus P6T SE mb . I read in your guide that I should use a native sata port, but I think my mb only has 6 Marvell controlled ports. Can you please help me out? I am new to the whole SSD thing.
> 
> Thanks in advance


This your mobo? https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P6T_SE/#specifications

You have 6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports from ICH10R chipset. No marvell ports...


----------



## AlpineKid

Hi Sean,
Been reading the Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide for SSDs & HDDs. I just bought a SanDisk Extreme II 120 GB SATA 6.0 Gbs 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDXP-120G-G25. I was thinking this was going to be easy to put Windows 7 on SSD. But now I am scared to death to do this.

Is this going to be as hard as I am reading about?

In your guide it stated to "Empty Windows update download cache" and give a .zip file. Went to find it and am told I could not download. I would like to keep the SSD as clean as possible.

My system
Operating System Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
CPU AMD Phenom II X4 925 Deneb 45nm Technology
RAM 8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 669MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-880GM-D2H (Socket M2)
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 4250 (Gigabyte)
Monitors AOC 2217 ([email protected])
DELL E173FP ([email protected])
Storage
931GB Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 ATA Device (SATA)
465GB Seagate ST9500420AS ATA Device (SATA)
232GB Hitachi HTS542525K9SA00 ATA Device (SATA)

Thanks for the help.


----------



## burningprophet

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AlpineKid*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> Been reading the Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide for SSDs & HDDs. I just bought a SanDisk Extreme II 120 GB SATA 6.0 Gbs 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDXP-120G-G25. I was thinking this was going to be easy to put Windows 7 on SSD. But now I am scared to death to do this.
> 
> Is this going to be as hard as I am reading about?
> 
> In your guide it stated to "Empty Windows update download cache" and give a .zip file. Went to find it and am told I could not download. I would like to keep the SSD as clean as possible.
> 
> My system
> Operating System Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
> CPU AMD Phenom II X4 925 Deneb 45nm Technology
> RAM 8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 669MHz (9-9-9-24)
> Motherboard Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-880GM-D2H (Socket M2)
> Graphics ATI Radeon HD 4250 (Gigabyte)
> Monitors AOC 2217 ([email protected])
> DELL E173FP ([email protected])
> Storage
> 931GB Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 ATA Device (SATA)
> 465GB Seagate ST9500420AS ATA Device (SATA)
> 232GB Hitachi HTS542525K9SA00 ATA Device (SATA)
> 
> Thanks for the help.


Installing is simple. No different then a HDD other then a couple options. The "Empty Windows update download cache" you mentioned is listed under System Maintenance: Disk Defragment for HDDs. So I wouldn't worry about it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Boot install media and select new SSD to install to...proceed with onscreen instructions...install drviers...done lol


----------



## itones76

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This your mobo? https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P6T_SE/#specifications
> 
> You have 6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports from ICH10R chipset. No marvell ports...


Thanks Sean. I want to add though, in my Bios I only have the Micron controller showing up which has the option IDE and AHCI mode. I have installed windows 7 with AHCI mode enabled, but when everything is installed and I run Samsung Magician, it says AHCI disabled. I can't get over this problem


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *itones76*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> This your mobo? https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P6T_SE/#specifications
> 
> You have 6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports from ICH10R chipset. No marvell ports...
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Sean. I want to add though, in my Bios I only have the Micron controller showing up which has the option IDE and AHCI mode. I have installed windows 7 with AHCI mode enabled, but when everything is installed and I run Samsung Magician, it says AHCI disabled. I can't get over this problem
Click to expand...

the JMircon controller is for the e-SATA port, not the 6 internal SATA ports. You need to find the other section in your BIOS for the SATA mode options for the intel chipset.

On the main screen on the bottom you have the Storage configuration option:




BUT since you have the OS installed via IDE mode atm, you need to follow this guide to change it to AHCI: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-installation


----------



## itones76

That's where I'm going wrong! Thanks again Sean. You're a champion buddy, very detailed explanations of everything. I do want to re install everything again. What is the best guide on doing this with my rig? Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *itones76*
> 
> That's where I'm going wrong! Thanks again Sean. You're a champion buddy, very detailed explanations of everything. I do want to re install everything again. What is the best guide on doing this with my rig? Thanks


Just set your BIOS up as you like, boot the install media, delete the partitions at the "where to install the OS" screen, follow the on screen instructions and then install drivers as outlined in this guide.


----------



## chrisdfw1

I am having all sorts of issues. Let me start..

I just built a new rig and am trying to run windows. I want to install it to my SSD. I only have my ssd connected and its set to AHCI. WHen I run the windows CD and get to the installation i am getting this error after selecting th ssd drive and clicking next. '' windows could not format a partition on disk 0. the error occurred while preparing the partition selected for installation. error code 0x80070057''

i also follwed your guide about using the command prompts beforehand. I get this error after the ''clean' command. ''The request could not be performed because of an i/o device error.''

i am a total noob here as well but your insight would be appreciated


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chrisdfw1*
> 
> I am having all sorts of issues. Let me start..
> 
> I just built a new rig and am trying to run windows. I want to install it to my SSD. I only have my ssd connected and its set to AHCI. WHen I run the windows CD and get to the installation i am getting this error after selecting th ssd drive and clicking next. '' windows could not format a partition on disk 0. the error occurred while preparing the partition selected for installation. error code 0x80070057''
> 
> i also follwed your guide about using the command prompts beforehand. I get this error after the ''clean' command. ''The request could not be performed because of an i/o device error.''
> 
> i am a total noob here as well but your insight would be appreciated


Try another SATA port, try another SATA cable.

Try to remake the Windows install CD, maybe try a USB.

Here is the MS fix: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2476568


----------



## EarlZ

I have a very old laptop but it is still working, old as in like 500Mhz and 512MB ram era.. Would windows7 be suitable for that one or stick to XP? Since it came with XP..


----------



## Dt_Freak1

the bare minimum of ram win 7 supports is 1gb of ram. and believe you me you will definitely want more then that as just barely running the os will take almost 1gb of ram as is. youd be better off switching to Linux mint or dsl


----------



## AlpineKid

Was not that easy. It loaded/installed the 32-bit files instead of the 64-bit. Can I re-install the 64-bit now or did I just through $100 for the SSD out the window??


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AlpineKid*
> 
> Was not that easy. It loaded/installed the 32-bit files instead of the 64-bit. Can I re-install the 64-bit now or did I just through $100 for the SSD out the window??


You can install 64-bit and activate it on the same serial key.


----------



## noeliru

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, the USB needs to be in the native USB port, not the third party ones. lol


Hi Sean, I'm having the same problem as Scott where Windows does not recognize any drivers on the USB. My SSD is plugged into a SATA 6GBS port and i'm using a back panel USB port. Any help?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *noeliru*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, the USB needs to be in the native USB port, not the third party ones. lol
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Sean, I'm having the same problem as Scott where Windows does not recognize any drivers on the USB. My SSD is plugged into a SATA 6GBS port and i'm using a back panel USB port. Any help?
Click to expand...

Did you try another USB port?

And did is the drive plugged into the NATIVE SATA 6Gb/s port? What mobo do you have?


----------



## noeliru

Apologies for not having my rig in my signature; it should be there now. I have a GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3P mobo. I've tried all the USB ports. My SSD is connected to a SATA port directly on the mobo, if thats what you mean by native.


----------



## Sean Webster

Is the SATA mode set to RAID? If so then you need to RAID driver for your mobo to load before you can see the drives to install on.

If not, then SATA driver may need to be loaded when the SATA mode is set to AHCI.


----------



## Forde3654Eire

Sean, thank you very much for writing up this great guide! I have a personal print-out of it and used it for my build and my parents' computer, very helpful!

I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask though. I'll be formatting my PC soon, starting off with a nice fresh install of Windows 7. I have a single 500GB WD Caviar Blue.

1) Should I create a partition on my hard drive? OS on the C partition and everything else on the second partition?

2) Should the C partition be strictly locked down to the OS only, no other programs besides Windows 7? Or can I install small programs (MSI Afterburner, Steam, MS Office) and a couple of my most played games?

EDIT: Oh, and how big should the OS partition be?


----------



## AlpineKid

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can install 64-bit and activate it on the same serial key.


Did just that. Then tried to get the HD to be storage and messed up the SSD. Tried to do restore & that would not work. Tried to re-install & windows said I did not have enough space. tried to delete the 2 partitions. could only do one, the small one. When doing Windows 7 install I could not format SSD. Could not figure out how or what to do. Computer is now at computer repair shop.
Why won't Windows let a person do a format of some sort before it installs??
The repair shop is most likely going to have to take the SSD out & put into another machine & format. Which I could not.
Why is it not easy to put programs, data and anything else on a HD leaving the SSD for only important programs?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Forde3654Eire*
> 
> Sean, thank you very much for writing up this great guide! I have a personal print-out of it and used it for my build and my parents' computer, very helpful!
> 
> I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask though. I'll be formatting my PC soon, starting off with a nice fresh install of Windows 7. I have a single 500GB WD Caviar Blue.
> 
> 1) Should I create a partition on my hard drive? OS on the C partition and everything else on the second partition?
> 
> 2) Should the C partition be strictly locked down to the OS only, no other programs besides Windows 7? Or can I install small programs (MSI Afterburner, Steam, MS Office) and a couple of my most played games?
> 
> EDIT: Oh, and how big should the OS partition be?


Up to you. If you want do like a 60-100GB partition for OS and programs and the other for data files.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AlpineKid*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You can install 64-bit and activate it on the same serial key.
> 
> 
> 
> Did just that. Then tried to get the HD to be storage and messed up the SSD. Tried to do restore & that would not work. Tried to re-install & windows said I did not have enough space. tried to delete the 2 partitions. could only do one, the small one. When doing Windows 7 install I could not format SSD. Could not figure out how or what to do. Computer is now at computer repair shop.
> Why won't Windows let a person do a format of some sort before it installs??
> The repair shop is most likely going to have to take the SSD out & put into another machine & format. Which I could not.
> Why is it not easy to put programs, data and anything else on a HD leaving the SSD for only important programs?
Click to expand...

Did you follow my guide for the new install? If you did you would be able to format the SSD and install and set up no issue...


----------



## AlpineKid

"Did you follow my guide for the new install? If you did you would be able to format the SSD and install and set up no issue..."

Yes I got the 64-bit installed over the 32-bit without a hitch.
It was when I tried to make the HD the storage only by changing some commands that windows 7 got corrupt. Wanted to put SSD back to brand new by formatting that did not work.
No matter, it is in the shop now costing me $80 +.

I am still asking - Why won't Windows let a person do a format of some sort before it installs??
and
Why is it not easy to put programs, data and anything else on a HD leaving the SSD for only important programs?

Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AlpineKid*
> 
> I am still asking - Why won't Windows let a person do a format of some sort before it installs??
> and


Windows does. When you boot off the install media it brings you to the drive manager window:



There you can format, delete and create partitions easily before an install.

Quote:



> Why is it not easy to put programs, data and anything else on a HD leaving the SSD for only important programs?
> 
> Thanks.


it is...what did you do? You did something very wrong if you corrupted windows before doing what you did. TO install programs to a HDD just chose the advanced install option for them and select a location on the HDD for the program to install to. For data just move the user folders location over to the HDD.


----------



## japsta

Hi Sean. Hi all.

Just having a bit of trouble with something. I made a lot of the changes you have recommended and everything worked great (Thanks!). Except....

I followed the guide for changing the default installation location in regedit. None of my shortcuts seem to be working now that are pinned to the start bar or even icons from the start menu. Also I have noticed that when I try install things the default is still C:\ not my and not my HDD. I guess it didn't work at all. Any suggestions?


----------



## p1t1o

Hi Sean,
I currently have XP (32bit) on a HD and I want to A) - move to an SSD, and B) - upgrade to W7 (64bit).
I feel like I'd have an easier time by moving C: to the SSD first and upgrading straight onto that.
Am I going to run into any unexpected problems, with it being an upgrade rather than a clean install?
So far as I can tell, as long as the physical upgrade and the windows upgrade goes smoothly all I have to do is "enable AHCI SATA mode" in the BIOS.
It seems easy but I have a feeling I'm missing something, am I on the right track?
Thanks!
Pete


----------



## Pilgrim3

Many thanks Sean.


----------



## Sean Webster

New favorite program: http://www.winsplit-revolution.com/download

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *japsta*
> 
> Hi Sean. Hi all.
> 
> Just having a bit of trouble with something. I made a lot of the changes you have recommended and everything worked great (Thanks!). Except....
> 
> I followed the guide for changing the default installation location in regedit. None of my shortcuts seem to be working now that are pinned to the start bar or even icons from the start menu. Also I have noticed that when I try install things the default is still C:\ not my and not my HDD. I guess it didn't work at all. Any suggestions?


Don't mess with the registry to move the install location defaults. It gives people issues. I never done it personally. I simply run the advanced install options for my programs if i want them somewhere else.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *p1t1o*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> I currently have XP (32bit) on a HD and I want to A) - move to an SSD, and B) - upgrade to W7 (64bit).
> I feel like I'd have an easier time by moving C: to the SSD first and upgrading straight onto that.
> Am I going to run into any unexpected problems, with it being an upgrade rather than a clean install?
> So far as I can tell, as long as the physical upgrade and the windows upgrade goes smoothly all I have to do is "enable AHCI SATA mode" in the BIOS.
> It seems easy but I have a feeling I'm missing something, am I on the right track?
> Thanks!
> Pete


I've not done it myself, I always do clean installs. If you want to change the SATA mode to AHCI do it after the upgrade (follow my guide on changing sata modes)or before you do a clean install.

This may help with the upgrade: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/how-to-upgrade-to-windows-7-64-bit-when-i-have/80575880-524a-4d4f-83ac-50372286e4c6

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Pilgrim3*
> 
> Many thanks Sean.


----------



## AlpineKid

To Sean;
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlpineKid View Post

I am still asking - Why won't Windows let a person do a format of some sort before it installs??
and Windows does. When you boot off the install media it brings you to the drive manager window:
Picture of "Where do you want to install Windows?"
There you can format, delete and create partitions easily before an install.
>
had that screen the first time I installed Windows 7. Everything was working just fine.
Then I went through and made the changes to put the "Users" files and other files and directories onto the HHD. I did something wrong because the instruction where not clear. I could not get past the login screen. So I tried to set the SSD back to "like new" to start over. Booted to install disk, got to where the 2 partitions where. Tried to delete both but could only delete the small one. Windows would NOT let me delete the other nor re-format.
Had to take to computer repair and they got it to work right. But they did not use the AHCI for the SSD. So now they have to re-do it.


----------



## AlpineKid

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> it is...what did you do? You did something very wrong if you corrupted windows before doing what you did. TO install programs to a HDD just chose the advanced install option for them and select a location on the HDD for the program to install to. For data just move the user folders location over to the HDD.


it is...what did you do?
I followed this at http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/270102-32-useful-articles-part, das_stig(Viola) June 21, 2011 9:31:40 PM. If you would Sean, please read that info & then read this that I did and showing the procedure in more detail. And I posted to das_stig(Viola) what had happened.
1. Once setup and at the desktop, don't bother doing any customization, but start up Computer Management via Control Panel, Administrative Tools, double click on Computer Management, click on Local Users and Groups.
Two item show, Users & Groups.
Click on Users, info shows up in right pane (there should be three items, Administrator, a User name and Guest).
I could not find anything like "\System and Security\".

2. Click on Administrator, click on Properties & box opens, unCheck "Account is disabled" and enable the account.
Click Apply & OK. Close all.

3. Reboot.

4. Logon as Administrator, no password. Go back into "User" account in Computer Management (see above) and delete the account name that was created during setup and any and all files. (I could not find any other files).
A User and Groups box opens with warning about each account has a unique identifier... Are you sure? Then 2nd box opens because the "user" has Administrator rights.

5. Startup Regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
In Profile List there is a number of items. Look in each until the "Users" name is found. Right click on ProfileImagePath, click on Modify, change the drive letter & delete name.

6. Change the ProfilesDirectory from %SystemDrive%\Users to, for example, D:\Users. Do you have to put something about "Users" on the HD that you are going too?

7. Close down regedit and reboot.
*** Now screen is showing two boxes, one with flower picture & Administrator under it. The other is blank with Other user under it. Click on Administrator and I get "Your account has been disabled. Please see your system administrator, which is me. Click on Other user and two boxes open wanting User name and Password. I have entered different info and nothing works. Now I have a computer that is unusable.***

8. Logon as Administrator and create a user account with admin privileges.

9. Logoff and logon using new account and let system create profile, which is now on your D: drive which of course now the default location for all your personal files.

10. Start up Computer Management via Control Panel\System and Security\Administrative Tools.

11. Local Users and Groups\Users, select Administrator and disable the account. Leaving this enabled is a big security risk!!!

karenchimai had this problem. Do you know if it got fixed?
I am blocked in Step 9. When I logon to the new account, I have an error: "The User Profile Service service failed the logon".
And now, I change the D:\Users back to %SystemDrive%\User and it not works anymore.

To> > das_stig(Viola), from me Alpine Kid
Did anybody get this to work?? If I remember right you said you used this all the time.
Can you fix the places that I went wrong? By the time you read this I will have re-installed to get computer back to square one.

Sean, I am very frustrated and would like to get this solved so that when I get computer back from shop I can get this done correctly.
Thanks


----------



## Megabit

HI Sean,
I wonder if you could give me some advice, I have the following set up:
Asus Maximus VI Formula
Intel Core 4770 K
Corsair Vengeance Pro Ram 2X8 GB ,Dimm 2133
Evga Geforce GTX 780 Ti
W/D Black HDD 3TB
Corsair Neutron GTX SSD 120 GB
Corsair Neutron GTX SSD 240 GB
Corsair AX 860i - PSU

On which of the SSD would be the best choice to install Windows 7 in relation to my Build.
I would like to do a native UEFI bootloader, and some time down the road, I will probably get a second 240 SSD to do a raid configuration.


----------



## BalletJH

Thank you so much!! This really helped me!!!!!


----------



## casinoslotguy

Please let me start off by saying.....Outstanding Guide, i use the information you have provided in every PC build i do, whether its an SSD or HDD build.

But i did come across something pretty strange during my last build of a desktop PC.

I was doing the following portion of the guide: Turn Off or Shrink the Hibernation File: Applies to SSDs/HDDs

I always do the powercfg -h -size 50, but this time i decided to turn it off instead. Well thats when the strange problem happened. By turning off the Hibernation completely, it made the "Screensaver" not activate. Once i turn the "hibernation" on and limited it to "50", the screensaver option activated and started working again.

Logically it makes sense, i guess...But thought i might mention it and see what you think.
The specs for the PC i was building are below:

MOBO: ASROCK 990FX Extreme3

CPU: FX-6350 AMD

RAM: 8GB DDR3 - 1866

OS: Windows 7 Enterprise

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *casinoslotguy*
> 
> Please let me start off by saying.....Outstanding Guide, i use the information you have provided in every PC build i do, whether its an SSD or HDD build.
> 
> But i did come across something pretty strange during my last build of a desktop PC.
> 
> I was doing the following portion of the guide: Turn Off or Shrink the Hibernation File: Applies to SSDs/HDDs
> 
> I always do the powercfg -h -size 50, but this time i decided to turn it off instead. Well thats when the strange problem happened. By turning off the Hibernation completely, it made the "Screensaver" not activate. Once i turn the "hibernation" on and limited it to "50", the screensaver option activated and started working again.
> 
> Logically it makes sense, i guess...But thought i might mention it and see what you think.
> The specs for the PC i was building are below:
> 
> MOBO: ASROCK 990FX Extreme3
> 
> CPU: FX-6350 AMD
> 
> RAM: 8GB DDR3 - 1866
> 
> OS: Windows 7 Enterprise
> 
> Thanks


That is strange. I have hibernation completely disabled and my screensaver still is enabled and works fine.

After you disable hibernation, did you try going back into the screensaver settings and resetting it how you want it?


----------



## casinoslotguy

Yes, did everything i could think of to get the screensaver to activate...Nothing worked until turn Hibernation back on...

Like i said, pretty weird..Do you think it may have something to do with "Enterprise" version of windows?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *casinoslotguy*
> 
> Yes, did everything i could think of to get the screensaver to activate...Nothing worked until turn Hibernation back on...
> 
> Like i said, pretty weird..Do you think it may have something to do with "Enterprise" version of windows?


Honestly, I have no clue why it would do that. I'm having no issue here with Windows 7 Pro.


----------



## Dreselus

Hey Sean, thanks a lot for the detailed guide, upgraded rig runs great, just have two quick questions.

query 1)
There is just a small hitch which is probably a remnant of the previous instalation (from vendor).
My Set up is:
Disk 0 - 120GB SSD - OS, Drivers, Antivir, main played video game cca 60% usage
Disk 1 - 500GB HDD (Original Vendor set up) - Programs, Documents, Other video games
Disk 2 - 200GB HDD (salvaged from previous PC) - Fraps and related video files (they do take a lot of space before processing)
I am at work so I do not have screenshots which would probably be helpful.
I installed the OS without creating a system reserved partition on the SSD, however there was a SRP on the old disks (it was somehow created when I added Disk 2, but I did not pay much attention to it), which I hoped would be deleted with subsequent format of Disk 1, but it was not.
My diskmgmt.msc basically shows
Disk 0 -120GB (well more like 111 but you get the idea) - all one partition
Disk 1 - 500GB: SRP 100GB, Main 400GB
Disk 2 - 200GB: SRP 20GB, Main 180GB
Numbers are approximate, I will try to add a SS when I get home.
My Computer has drives C through G.
Can I follow these steps to get rid of it or somethign else: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html as that seems to be for the OS disk.

query 2)
While optimising my SSD post install (Removing indexing, GUI startup, turn off hybernation and such) I came across the option of disabling Prefetch and Superfetch. Would this be a reasonable thing to with 2 HDDs in the system or is it more for purely SSD systems.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dreselus*
> 
> Hey Sean, thanks a lot for the detailed guide, upgraded rig runs great, just have two quick questions.
> 
> query 1)
> There is just a small hitch which is probably a remnant of the previous instalation (from vendor).
> My Set up is:
> Disk 0 - 120GB SSD - OS, Drivers, Antivir, main played video game cca 60% usage
> Disk 1 - 500GB HDD (Original Vendor set up) - Programs, Documents, Other video games
> Disk 2 - 200GB HDD (salvaged from previous PC) - Fraps and related video files (they do take a lot of space before processing)
> I am at work so I do not have screenshots which would probably be helpful.
> I installed the OS without creating a system reserved partition on the SSD, however there was a SRP on the old disks (it was somehow created when I added Disk 2, but I did not pay much attention to it), which I hoped would be deleted with subsequent format of Disk 1, but it was not.
> My diskmgmt.msc basically shows
> Disk 0 -120GB (well more like 111 but you get the idea) - all one partition
> Disk 1 - 500GB: SRP 100GB, Main 400GB
> Disk 2 - 200GB: SRP 20GB, Main 180GB
> Numbers are approximate, I will try to add a SS when I get home.
> My Computer has drives C through G.
> Can I follow these steps to get rid of it or somethign else: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html as that seems to be for the OS disk.


Yea, you should be able to just right click the partitions in disk management and delete them since they are not for the current OS install.

Quote:


> query 2)
> While optimising my SSD post install (Removing indexing, GUI startup, turn off hybernation and such) I came across the option of disabling Prefetch and Superfetch. Would this be a reasonable thing to with 2 HDDs in the system or is it more for purely SSD systems.


i leave prefetch and superfetch enabled myself. I havent found it really being necessary to disable them.


----------



## intzepatorii

Hi Sean, fantastic guide! I don't understand why I didn't find it earlier, I would have earned a lot of time with the setup and optimization.
I bought a Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB, rapid mode is enabled, Windows 7, 64-bit and I have 2 little problems:

1. Last evening I tried to see what the Magician's performance optimization is able to do and I couldn't boot anymore after that.
Moreover, I found the C: partition unformatted.

I checked the SMART status, ok everywhere.
I didn't interrupt the process, I didn't lost power etc. I received only a low disk warning but it disappeared after a few seconds. The OP is 10%.

I know its kind of redundant as TRIM is enabled on Win 7 but I am worried why it didn't work.
Fortunately I did a backup just before the process, I restored the image using the old OS on my 2nd hard disk and everything is ok again.

2. If I put a disc in the DVD writer drive, my boot is 7 secs to seeing the desktop.
If I remove the disc, my boot is 12 secs to seeing the desktop.
Always windows scans for a disc, the led of the unit is always blinking for a few secs delaying the boot process.
Why is windows scanning for a disc... and how could an empty unit delay the boot.

In BIOS I have only the ssd selected, Windows initializes the cdrom and not the BIOS.

Can you please help?

PS: if you keep superfetch enabled because of the ready boot event, you could enlarge the maximum size of the ready boot in "startup event trace session" under Performance Monitor and the errors disappear.


----------



## xioros

dropbox link down =/


----------



## andrewjamesperc

Thanks so much for this guide. This is my second time using it and it worked like a charm.

I got a new ssd and tried to clone the system drive, but it didn't work and split my reserve partition. I decided to to do a clean install, for whatever reason there is still a part of a system reserve is still there. I have no idea why, this time i did it without a system partition. Is this an issue? i would like to get rid of it if possible.

Any help would be great.

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/andrewjamespercival/saved/sqsmP6

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Keyboard: Thermaltake eSPORTS Meka Wired Gaming Keyboard


----------



## Shpongly

I urgently need help








First time i used this guide, i didn't disconnect the secondary drive, so it created the system partition.
All went fine and everything, and now some years later i decided to format my disk again and do it the clean way...
So i deleted the system partition, and proceeded to install windows 7 following sean's guide with the drive disconnected.

Now the drive won't show up, and i can't access those partitions, and i'm afraid i'll lose everything.

I dunno if deleting this partition caused this, or me messing up with ahci settings in bios.

Please can someone help?
I'm desperate here.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *andrewjamesperc*
> 
> Thanks so much for this guide. This is my second time using it and it worked like a charm.
> 
> I got a new ssd and tried to clone the system drive, but it didn't work and split my reserve partition. I decided to to do a clean install, for whatever reason there is still a part of a system reserve is still there. I have no idea why, this time i did it without a system partition. Is this an issue? i would like to get rid of it if possible.
> 
> Any help would be great.
> 
> http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/andrewjamespercival/saved/sqsmP6
> 
> CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
> Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
> Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
> Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
> Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
> Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
> Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card
> Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case
> Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
> Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer
> Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
> Keyboard: Thermaltake eSPORTS Meka Wired Gaming Keyboard


Its not an issue. this may or may not apply to you http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shpongly*
> 
> I urgently need help
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First time i used this guide, i didn't disconnect the secondary drive, so it created the system partition.
> All went fine and everything, and now some years later i decided to format my disk again and do it the clean way...
> So i deleted the system partition, and proceeded to install windows 7 following sean's guide with the drive disconnected.
> 
> Now the drive won't show up, and i can't access those partitions, and i'm afraid i'll lose everything.
> 
> I dunno if deleting this partition caused this, or me messing up with ahci settings in bios.
> 
> Please can someone help?
> I'm desperate here.


Neither of those things should have done that to the secondary drive. In disk management the drive should show up fine and all you need to do is assign drive letter(s) to it's partition(s)


----------



## Shpongly

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Neither of those things should have done that to the secondary drive. In disk management the drive should show up fine and all you need to do is assign drive letter(s) to it's partition(s)


Thanks Sean for your answer, i solved the problem,.
You're probably right that shouldn't have happened, but somehow when i extended the partition it became like this:
(see the red area)


I'll reformat today and hope everything goes smooth again, never got to thank you about your guide so: THANK YOU








It always helped me having a stable PC!


----------



## Mighty Customer

Hi Sean,

First of all, many thanks for the well written and organised tutorial. It was really helpful 2 years ago and it is still helpful now.








but overclock.net is my main place to keep me up to date. I don`t post too often, maybe only when I get too hot on some topics or when I have problems. And know I have a problem and I don`t know how to solve it.

In "Device Manager", I have listed 2 times the "Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller". One is listed as working properly and for the second I get: "This device cannot start. (Code 10)"
My system specs:
- Asus P9X79 WS
- i7 3930K - overclocked at 4.3GHz
- Corsair Vengeance 64GB Ram
- 512GB Samsung 830 as C drive
- 4 WD 2TB for storage
- LSI Megaraid 9280 with with 4 3TB Toshiba drives in RAID 1 and RAID 0 arrays.
- LSI HBA 9207-8i with 4 256GB Samsung 830 in Raid 0.

I never had any problems, being really happy with a very stable system. Around 2-3 weeks ago the Raid 0 Samsung on the LSI HBA it started to randomly disappear. I thought it`s one of the drives. I checked the cables, replaced and nothing, the problem was still there. next, I created 2 RAID 0 arrays in windows, using the LSI-9207 in pass-through mode. To my surprise, after a couple of hours both RAID 0 arrays vanished in the very same moment. My conclusion after that was that`s a software problem somewhere. Checking the device Manager I found the "This device cannot start. (Code 10)" in the "Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller" window. I had also installed the Intel AHCI drivers and uninstalled the standard windows ones but after restart they were reinstalled automatically. I have a few backups made with Image for windows (a great, great little program) and the backup versions for Win7 Pro without SP1 don`t have this problem. I also know for sure that after uninstalling the "Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller" with the "This device cannot start. (Code 10)" message I had no problems at all in that windows session. After restart the troblemaker was back and if not uninstalled the SSD RAID was vanishing again in a couple of hours.

I downloaded Windows 7 Ultimate SP1-U ISO and I created with with Win Toolkit a custom kit including the intel AHCI Floppy drivers (10.8.0.1003_f6flpy-64.zip). Tomorrow I intend to do a clean install on the 512GB Samsung 830 following your guide ad literam.
If it doesn`t work, I honestly I don`t know what else to do, except avoiding the win7 SP1 upgrade.
I`ll be really grateful for any advice or help I might get in this nasty problem.
Thanks in advance,

MC

P.S.- I have a few 300GB WD velociraptors to test the LSI 9207, but I want to do that after I get rid of the nasty Code 10 error.


----------



## andrewjamesperc

First off, amazing guide! Thank you so much for this, this is my second time using it cant get any better.

I have a small issue with my install, I got a new ssd and tried to clone it but for whatever reason it didnt work. So i did a fresh install, did everything as stated and worked like a charm. Only issue is that my old system partition is still showing up, but only 33mb of it. I did an install with out a system partition. Is this going to be an issue? I would like to get rid of it if possible.

Any help would be amazing.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Its not an issue. this may or may not apply to you http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html
> 
> Neither of those things should have done that to the secondary drive. In disk management the drive should show up fine and all you need to do is assign drive letter(s) to it's partition(s)


thanks a lot for your quick reply, im going to try and get rid of the system partition. not sure still how it is still there but im just anal about keeping organized so if it doesnt work ill just do anther fresh install.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *andrewjamesperc*
> 
> First off, amazing guide! Thank you so much for this, this is my second time using it cant get any better.
> 
> I have a small issue with my install, I got a new ssd and tried to clone it but for whatever reason it didnt work. So i did a fresh install, did everything as stated and worked like a charm. Only issue is that my old system partition is still showing up, but only 33mb of it. I did an install with out a system partition. Is this going to be an issue? I would like to get rid of it if possible.
> 
> Any help would be amazing.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Its not an issue. this may or may not apply to you http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71363-system-reserved-partition-delete.html
> 
> Neither of those things should have done that to the secondary drive. In disk management the drive should show up fine and all you need to do is assign drive letter(s) to it's partition(s)
> 
> 
> 
> thanks a lot for your quick reply, im going to try and get rid of the system partition. not sure still how it is still there but im just anal about keeping organized so if it doesnt work ill just do anther fresh install.
Click to expand...

Well you should be able to just delete it no issue. Maybe back up that one drive and then delete all the partitions and remake the a new and copy everything back.


----------



## C6ZR1

Hey Sean,

first wanna say awesome guide and thanks









I was following the steps under "Optimizations after System Setup:"

the first one was to - Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:
In the video it showed a D: drive, I tried on my computer and only have a C: drive and nothing else D:

Its a brand new installed SSD and wondering if I need to do that step?

Any feedback/ help is much appreciated


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *C6ZR1*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> first wanna say awesome guide and thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was following the steps under "Optimizations after System Setup:"
> 
> the first one was to - Move user folder locations to Secondary HDD:
> In the video it showed a D: drive, I tried on my computer and only have a C: drive and nothing else D:
> 
> Its a brand new installed SSD and wondering if I need to do that step?
> 
> Any feedback/ help is much appreciated


First, congrats,you are the 5,000th post in this thread!

Also, since you don't have a secondary drive you have no need to change the user folder location.


----------



## C6ZR1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Also, since you don't have a secondary drive you have no need to change the user folder location.


Ah sounds good, thank you very much sir! Your guide is awesome









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> First, congrats,you are the 5,000th post in this thread!


oh snap, yay me














:














lol


----------



## PHVM

Hey Sean,

First, excuse my english, I'm from Brazil.
I bought a Samsung EVO 840 mSATA and installed on a Dell Precision M4700. I followed all the steps in the guide to installing windows via UEFI / GPT:

BOOT SEQUENCE: UEFI
ADVANCED BOOT OPTIONS: Uncheck - ENABLE OPTION ROM'S LEGACY
SATA OPERATION: AHCI
SECURE BOOT ENABLE: ENABLE

It turns out that, with my OS (Windows 7 Pro x64), I can only boot by selecting ENABLE OPTION ROM'S LEGACY and SECURE BOOT ENABLE scoring DISANABLE. It seems to me that Windows 7 does not accept Secure Boot and works in a compatibility mode with UEFI. I checked and the UEFI seems to be enabled.

Do you confirm this information?

In the Windows installation, I did the GPT format, creating 3 partitions (100mb, 128mb and primary). I aligned with 4096.

Is this correct?

Thank you very much!


----------



## cptnighthawk666

hey sean my name is sean to lol i am having revodrive issues can you please help me-so i got a revodrive 3 here and my device manager is saying i have the right drivers and i know i have the newest drivers because i downloaded them from the website.ok with all that said disk manager is not detecting the drive within windows,my bios is initializing the revodride and in the bios detects it as well...but here is my problem when ever i try and install windows on the drive it refuses to detect my revodrive i loaded the proper 64 bit driver on a usb and loaded it before the windows install process and still no detection ....also ocz toolbox does not detect it at all .my motherboard is a gigabyte ga-z77x-ud3h and i have removed all other hard drives during these attempts and i have tried more bios settings than i needed to know about....please help


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PHVM*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> First, excuse my english, I'm from Brazil.
> I bought a Samsung EVO 840 mSATA and installed on a Dell Precision M4700. I followed all the steps in the guide to installing windows via UEFI / GPT:
> 
> BOOT SEQUENCE: UEFI
> ADVANCED BOOT OPTIONS: Uncheck - ENABLE OPTION ROM'S LEGACY
> SATA OPERATION: AHCI
> SECURE BOOT ENABLE: ENABLE
> 
> It turns out that, with my OS (Windows 7 Pro x64), I can only boot by selecting ENABLE OPTION ROM'S LEGACY and SECURE BOOT ENABLE scoring DISANABLE. It seems to me that Windows 7 does not accept Secure Boot and works in a compatibility mode with UEFI. I checked and the UEFI seems to be enabled.
> 
> Do you confirm this information?
> 
> In the Windows installation, I did the GPT format, creating 3 partitions (100mb, 128mb and primary). I aligned with 4096.
> 
> Is this correct?
> 
> Thank you very much!


unless you edit the windows 7 installer files for GPT and UEFI, you have to boot with the legacy option rom enabled and csm enabled. I dont think you can enable secure boot with a MBR drive. You need a GPT formatted drive with the non legacy option rom enabled.


----------



## PHVM

Sean,

My drive is already formatted in GPT, but with secure boot disanabled. I have two questions:

- Is it possible to enable secure boot with windows 7? I did all the steps to create and modify the windows installer iso image on a bootable USB stick and even then if I enable secure boot the system does not boot, but allows the UEFI option. I need to select ENABLE OPTION ROM'S LEGACY and disanabled SECURE BOOT. How can I enable the secure boot? Can you help me?

- As to GPT format, created with no problem at the command prompt. I wonder if I created the recommended way (the specifications are in the previous post) ...

Thank you!

EDIT: if you can, look this (I think it's the same problem):

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19472252.aspx?pi239031352=2


----------



## Sean Webster

AFAIK, Secure boot is not available with Windows 7.


----------



## PHVM

Thanks, I needed this confirmation...

As settings of GPT partitions created, I did the GPT format, creating 3 partitions (100mb, 128mb and primary). I aligned with 4096.

It's OK?


----------



## Earth Dog

Or, run WEI and be done with it as WEI helps your PC know its an SSD and will disable defrag on the disk for example. Anything else is simply for space saving (hibernation, PF shrinking, and restore shrinking).

The writes not being a worry, no changes should be made to the index/superfetch, etc (W8 actually enables it knowing there is an SSD so it should be enabled in W7).

EXCELLENT guide, but super complicated (in some areas) for what actually needs to be done. LOVE the GPT and booting sectionthough!

Thanks!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PHVM*
> 
> Thanks, I needed this confirmation...
> 
> As settings of GPT partitions created, I did the GPT format, creating 3 partitions (100mb, 128mb and primary). I aligned with 4096.
> 
> It's OK?


yea

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Earth Dog*
> 
> Or, run WEI and be done with it as WEI helps your PC know its an SSD and will disable defrag on the disk for example. Anything else is simply for space saving (hibernation, PF shrinking, and restore shrinking).
> 
> The writes not being a worry, no changes should be made to the index/superfetch, etc (W8 actually enables it knowing there is an SSD so it should be enabled in W7).
> 
> EXCELLENT guide, but super complicated (in some areas) for what actually needs to be done. LOVE the GPT and booting sectionthough!
> 
> Thanks!


yep, 

In this guide I tried to cover a very broad audience from those who never done this before and can barely install a regular program to those who are advanced and want to know the tweaks that can be done to save space and the ones that will actually make their experience a little better. As well as help teach and inform people about certain aspects of the settings and windows. That is why some areas can be complicated, but yet are still clear.


----------



## InCoGnIt0

I know it has probably been asked but anyone know where to buy legit keys from a legit place, other then M$??


----------



## anubis1127

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *InCoGnIt0*
> 
> I know it has probably been asked but anyone know where to buy legit keys from a legit place, other then M$??


reddit.com/r/softwareexchange


----------



## PHVM

Thanks Sean!


----------



## RiverRat2

Is there a up to date version of the installation guide, The pdf version link in broken and the xps version overwrites parts of itself?
Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RiverRat2*
> 
> Is there a up to date version of the installation guide, The pdf version link in broken and the xps version overwrites parts of itself?
> Thanks.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/lx8vk5klqau63ey/Sean%27s%20Windows%207%20Install%20%26%20Optimization%20Guide%20for%20SSDs%20%26%20HDDs.pdf

that should work for you


----------



## VoodooFarm

Thanks! Just did a build and I'm definitely using this guide. I knew some basic stuff to do but nothing like this.


----------



## MaXimus666

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XSCounter*
> 
> So 4096 alignment is the new trend?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I gotta agree with *DuckieHo* on the defragmentation issue. SSDs will already be excluded from the list of possible drives to defragment and your HDDs in the system will still require defragmentation over time. So disabling it completely is not always a good thing.
> 
> Paging file is debatable. I have always left it ON shrinked to 1024MB but lately after reinstalling Windows on my laptop I disabled it and never had problems. However, some people who use very specific software which needs pagefile existence might encounter problems.
> 
> Nevertheless, great thread! Will add it to my suggested list of stickies


try running a few MP3s in Windows Media Player and you will start getting low memory errors even if you have 32 GB of free RAM

I always let Samsung Magician Handle it, it sets the size to a minimum of 200 MB and a maximum of 1024 MB


----------



## Jokerstyle

*Edit: Working now, kind of. Check my next post.*

Thanks for the exhaustive guide. I've still managed to run into a problem, however.

I followed your checklist and activated the AHCI option in BIOS beforehand.

After that I followed your guide to the letter up until your 2nd post, 1st dropdown step 6-7 (Install motherboard/Graphic/etc drivers)

To clarify, I've successfully installed Windows 7 on the SSD, plugged in the second HDD, and started the computer with everything working.

After that I installed my motherboard drivers, graphics driver, and after that I AGAIN installed the newest AMD SATA Chipset drivers as detailed in step 7.

After the next restart, my computer refused to start - It got stuck in the "Starting windows" screen.

Using safe mode I was still unable to start but found out the problem was with loading "AtiPcie.sys".

I tried out of desperation to change the BIOS setting to the IDE mode, and now _everything's working again_. My computer is starting, all the graphics drivers are working and nothing seems to be amiss. But IDE mode feels odd with a Samsung 840 EVO.

(*TL;DR* )I really have no idea what to do now. The system is started in IDE mode because that is the only way to get it working.
If I change the setting back to AHCI the same thing happens as before.

_Additional info_

Since I followed the guide to the letter (I hope) I have installed windows in MBR format with a deleted system reserve partition, using the AHCI option enabled from the start.

After the first restart (I THINK it was after the restart) recommended in step 5 of the 2nd post, I noticed I still have a system reserved partition of 100 mb. Wasn't this supposed to be gone? I deleted it when I installed windows. Could this have anything to do with the problem?

I'm using an older motherboard (Gigabyte MA770t-UD3) which only supports SATA II. The other HDD that I plugged in after installation has been running as IDE before I plugged in the SSD. When it all was working in the earlier steps I ran the HDD in AHCI-mode. When it started malfunctioning I tried to run the HDD-SATA slot as IDE again (a BIOS option on my MB). It still didn't fix it (and as I said, it was working as AHCI before step 6-7. Any thoughts on this? Is it just whatever?
I've tried doing a boot repair using the built-in windows program. It was unable to find any errors. When I switched to IDE-mode I once again ran the repair tool (this time from the windows CD) and this time it found and fixed an error (and I was able to boot into my current state). I've tried switching back to ACHI and once again booting with the CD and choosing "repair windows" - but the automatic boot repair program just wont start. In IDE-mode it started automatically, this time it doesn't.

Really thankful for all the help I can get.

Jimmy


----------



## Jokerstyle

Okay, I decided to use the advantage of having an already prepped system and simply reinstalled windows again. (Which I guess I really should have done two hours ago, before going crazy over this. But I thought I could do some easy fix, and I really wanted to know what the problem was)

This time I skipped the "update mobo/amd chipset" step, and simply installed my graphics driver. It's working now, so either of those were the culprit.

I'm mostly writing this so other user can see how I "fixed" (or circumvented, rather) the problem, but I also have a new question.

I'm currently running in _AHCI-mode_, but I haven't installed any new drivers for this setting.
If I don't experience any issues, should I be good to go?

I could of course take a chance and see which of the two steps (mobo or amd chipset) broke it for me, but I'd only do it if there's some substantial benefit to installing the updates.

Is there reason to suspect there could be performance losses running these outdated (it's a pretty old mobo) AHCI-drivers.

Edit: Okay, one last question while I'm at it. I'm now positive that plugging in the second disk (my old HDD) created two partitions, one of them being the System Reserve-partition I mentioned in my first post. Why is this? Last time it was unformatted, maybe now that it's clean that won't happen?


----------



## stevensdale

If this prevents me from upgrading to Windows 8, I don't care, I will clean install. If this prevents me from getting Windows Updates, Fixes, or Service Packs, that could be a problem for me. Can you or anyone clarify this?
Thanks

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722177(v=WS.10).aspx

This setting should be used only in a test environment. By changing the default location of the user profile directories or program data folders to a volume other than the System volume, you will not be able to service your Windows installation. Any updates, fixes, or service packs will fail to be applied to the installation. Microsoft does not recommend that you change the location of the user profile directories or program data folders.

Using this setting to redirect folders to a drive other than the system volume blocks upgrades. Using ProfilesDirectory to point to a directory that is not the system volume will block SKU upgrades and upgrades to future versions of Windows. For example if you use Windows Vista Home Premium with ProfilesDirectory set to D:\, you will not be able to upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate or to the next version of Windows. The servicing stack does not handle cross-volume transactions, and it blocks upgrades.


----------



## Maris1

Thanks, man! I freed up ~20GB of space on my SSD by disabling page file and hibernation file.


----------



## blahrios

Thank you so much for this! I've looked for exactly this for a while lol. You rock!


----------



## ozlay

edit: nvm


----------



## 8bitG33k

Quick question:

I just got a Samsung 840 EVO and did a fresh Windows Install. I also have two WD 320 in RAID 0.

Now, for some reason Samsung Magician software as well as Intel RST think the RAID array is a second, identical Samsung EVO SSD. Both applications keep giving me error messages that they are unable to communicate with the SSD.

Any ideas how to fix this?


----------



## Sean Webster

Reinstall the applications?


----------



## 8bitG33k

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Reinstall the applications?


Well, several installs later I narrowed down the issue to the Intel RST app. Apparently the two don't like each other. And I suppose I only need one or the other, not both.


----------



## Sean Webster

I have both and they work fine for me.


----------



## 8bitG33k

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I have both and they work fine for me.


Yeah well that's great you're not having issues. Sadly in my case they don't play nicely together, at least not with the additl variable of said RAID 0 array involved,

It works for me only if I use one or the other. With both installed, they both start giving me error messages. For some reason they think the RAID array is an SSD. Whenever I unplug the RAID array or uninstall either Magician or RST, everything is fine. If I try installing any other version of the Intel RST app it tells me my computer does not meet the minimum requirements.


----------



## haiz85

Guys, I have found that defragmentation for my ssd cannot be disable, here is the picture :



I know if windows detected as SSD , the windows not put it on the list, but as you can see on the picture . there show last run, i don't know if it was defragment process or just analize, i'm a bit panicked after i know about how SSD suppose to be treated. Please kinda your help , need deeper information about this.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *haiz85*
> 
> Guys, I have found that defragmentation for my ssd cannot be disable, here is the picture :
> 
> 
> 
> I know if windows detected as SSD , the windows not put it on the list, but as you can see on the picture . there show last run, i don't know if it was defragment process or just analize, i'm a bit panicked after i know about how SSD suppose to be treated. Please kinda your help , need deeper information about this.


You're fine. The last window shows only the disks that are actually being defragmented. If your SSD was being defragmented, it would have shown up in that list.


----------



## haiz85

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> You're fine. The last window shows only the disks that are actually being defragmented. If your SSD was being defragmented, it would have shown up in that list.


so that mean , leave schedule defragment on is OK? it will not defrag my SSD right?


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Default alignment is fine. You don't need to worry about the page size.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stevensdale*
> 
> If this prevents me from upgrading to Windows 8, I don't care, I will clean install. If this prevents me from getting Windows Updates, Fixes, or Service Packs, that could be a problem for me. Can you or anyone clarify this?
> Thanks
> 
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722177(v=WS.10).aspx
> 
> This setting should be used only in a test environment. By changing the default location of the user profile directories or program data folders to a volume other than the System volume, you will not be able to service your Windows installation. Any updates, fixes, or service packs will fail to be applied to the installation. Microsoft does not recommend that you change the location of the user profile directories or program data folders.
> 
> Using this setting to redirect folders to a drive other than the system volume blocks upgrades. Using ProfilesDirectory to point to a directory that is not the system volume will block SKU upgrades and upgrades to future versions of Windows. For example if you use Windows Vista Home Premium with ProfilesDirectory set to D:\, you will not be able to upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate or to the next version of Windows. The servicing stack does not handle cross-volume transactions, and it blocks upgrades.


Sean, can you please elaborate on this? This is interesting.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *haiz85*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> You're fine. The last window shows only the disks that are actually being defragmented. If your SSD was being defragmented, it would have shown up in that list.
> 
> 
> 
> so that mean , leave schedule defragment on is OK? it will not defrag my SSD right?
Click to expand...

Right.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sean, can you please elaborate on this? This is interesting.


Bump!


----------



## hurricane28

I tried the windows toolkit but it simply does not recognize ANY ISO file i try to mount... it simply does not work.

I want to do an re-install of my windows and make an custom ISO file with the drivers and every setting i have now but the program simply does not work.

Can anyone tell me what program actually DOES work? Thnx in advance


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sean, can you please elaborate on this? This is interesting.


Another bump, Sean!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Sean, can you please elaborate on this? This is interesting.
> 
> 
> 
> Another bump, Sean!
Click to expand...

I cant


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I cant


Why so? Do you know the answer to what he raised?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I cant
> 
> 
> 
> Why so? Do you know the answer to what he raised?
Click to expand...

If I knew I could answer it lol. I don't know.


----------



## pepejovi

Greatest thread on OCN.

Well, after the guy who got stuck to his chair...


----------



## aaronlukemarsha

Thanks for the top tips followed it to a tee and my laptop is a booming


----------



## EarlZ

What would be the best boot trace tool to use to show boot delays?


----------



## Techie007

Sysinternals Process Monitor. Start it, select the filters you want to use, and click *Options* -> *Enable Boot Logging*. Reboot your computer, and when you restart Process Monitor, it will stop the boot trace, and ask you where to save the collected data. When that is done, it will show you the trace results.


----------



## D2234

Is 512 mb or 1 GB as a page file better for a 8 GB Ram + 256 GB SSD? I've been using 1 GB min/max for a while now, but I'm wondering if 512 mb is better as a min/max.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *D2234*
> 
> Is 512 mb or 1 GB as a page file better for a 8 GB Ram + 256 GB SSD? I've been using 1 GB min/max for a while now, but I'm wondering if 512 mb is better as a min/max.


makes no difference. I think that windows needs like a min of 800MB for a successful crash dump if you BSOD.


----------



## D2234

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> makes no difference. I think that windows needs like a min of 800MB for a successful crash dump if you BSOD.


Personally, do you keep a page file? I'm debating whether I want to keep one or not... I know that certain applications do not work without page files, but I'm not sure I have any that are like that. 8 GB + 256 GB SSD if that helps.


----------



## Sean Webster

Yea, mine is 2GB.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Techie007*
> 
> Sysinternals Process Monitor. Start it, select the filters you want to use, and click *Options* -> *Enable Boot Logging*. Reboot your computer, and when you restart Process Monitor, it will stop the boot trace, and ask you where to save the collected data. When that is done, it will show you the trace results.


Any other app that is more friendlier?


----------



## Sean Webster

Autoruna doesn't show boot delay, but it shows everything that is loaded on boot and allows u to disable stuff


----------



## soundx98

Nice guide for SysInternals
http://www.howtogeek.com/school/sysinternals-pro/lesson1/


----------



## Loonies

Hello guys, there is some problem i encounter when i was instaling my pc

Well, says enough, i install wins 7 Ultimate 64 bit but some error that i found.
1. sometimes, windows get broken (some files likely not include)
2. apps/game crashing when to open "after" pc get shutdown or restarted even small one like chrome, standard apps from mobo (not include app/games just extracted, the installed one because running fine), for startup apps crash in front, but can be opened (chrome), but some apps/game even cannot opened.
3. all driver updated
4. even updating windows get error









Another story, after i want to fresh install wins7 (ultimate 64bit), i download from front page link. and then do usb bootable but now i.m encounter error to
1. when installing, error expanding file (0x80070570).
2. change to uefi mode same.
3. download another wins7 (home premium 64bit) got same problem.

well, after reasearching in google, other forum i got no explanation to. well i know what error do, but no breaktrough. i mean, i see same problem, then i do what make they solve the problem but not solve my problem.

so anyone can help me please.
Thanks before.

Spec same with my sign


----------



## aaronlukemarsha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Loonies*
> 
> Hello guys, there is some problem i encounter when i was instaling my pc
> 
> Well, says enough, i install wins 7 Ultimate 64 bit but some error that i found.
> 1. sometimes, windows get broken (some files likely not include)
> 2. apps/game crashing when to open "after" pc get shutdown or restarted even small one like chrome, standard apps from mobo (not include app/games just extracted, the installed one because running fine), for startup apps crash in front, but can be opened (chrome), but some apps/game even cannot opened.
> 3. all driver updated
> 4. even updating windows get error
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another story, after i want to fresh install wins7 (ultimate 64bit), i download from front page link. and then do usb bootable but now i.m encounter error to
> 1. when installing, error expanding file (0x80070570).
> 2. change to uefi mode same.
> 3. download another wins7 (home premium 64bit) got same problem.
> 
> well, after reasearching in google, other forum i got no explanation to. well i know what error do, but no breaktrough. i mean, i see same problem, then i do what make they solve the problem but not solve my problem.
> 
> so anyone can help me please.
> Thanks before.
> 
> Spec same with my sign


Downloaded from where if not from microsoft its probably not legal and contains crap or part broken files, have you hash checked your downloads and ensured you downloaded have correctly downloaded. endless possibilities


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stevensdale*
> 
> If this prevents me from upgrading to Windows 8, I don't care, I will clean install. If this prevents me from getting Windows Updates, Fixes, or Service Packs, that could be a problem for me. Can you or anyone clarify this?
> Thanks
> 
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722177(v=WS.10).aspx
> 
> This setting should be used only in a test environment. By changing the default location of the user profile directories or program data folders to a volume other than the System volume, you will not be able to service your Windows installation. Any updates, fixes, or service packs will fail to be applied to the installation. Microsoft does not recommend that you change the location of the user profile directories or program data folders.
> 
> Using this setting to redirect folders to a drive other than the system volume blocks upgrades. Using ProfilesDirectory to point to a directory that is not the system volume will block SKU upgrades and upgrades to future versions of Windows. For example if you use Windows Vista Home Premium with ProfilesDirectory set to D:\, you will not be able to upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate or to the next version of Windows. The servicing stack does not handle cross-volume transactions, and it blocks upgrades.


This seems to point to the C:\Users folder and not the folders inside it (Documents, Music, etc.). So using folder redirection for the Documents, Music, etc. folders should post no problems at all.


----------



## VettePilot

I just installed a new Crucial MX100 256gn SSD in my new Lenovo z710. At setup it said there was 238.5GB free but how in the world does the formatting take up almost 20gb? After win 7 PRo was loaded and I installed all the drivers needed and did the service pack 1 update along with about 50 other updates and I followed all of Seans guide to free up more space I ended up at 215gb left. I have not installed any programs yet not even office. What am I missing here? I still have 151 updates to install it says which will eat up another 2gb of space it looks like after they are downloaded and installed. I put paging file at 1gb and of course turned off Hibernation.


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Topgearfan*
> 
> I just installed a new Crucial MX100 256gn SSD in my new Lenovo z710. At setup it said there was 238.5GB free but how in the world does the formatting take up almost 20gb? After win 7 PRo was loaded and I installed all the drivers needed and did the service pack 1 update along with about 50 other updates and I followed all of Seans guide to free up more space I ended up at 215gb left. I have not installed any programs yet not even office. What am I missing here? I still have 151 updates to install it says which will eat up another 2gb of space it looks like after they are downloaded and installed. I put paging file at 1gb and of course turned off Hibernation.


There isn't anything wrong with the drive, nor are you missing any space. That is the typical size for "useable formated space" of all SSDs as well as HDDs in the 250GB range/class.
The specifications posted on the product's page for the drive will have these values listed.









So you're good to go


----------



## VettePilot

bummer i thought i would have more space. I have only used 128gb before really and my last M4 after i loaded Win 7 and drivers and updates I had 111gb left.


----------



## kevindd992002

How do I go about the process of cloning the contents of my 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD to a 128GB Plextor M3S SSD? I have a Windows 8.1 windows image backup for the 256GB system reserved and OS partitions just backed up. Can I use the images to transfer data to the 128GB SSD without any speed degradation of some sort?

Please help. Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> How do I go about the process of cloning the contents of my 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD to a 128GB Plextor M3S SSD? I have a Windows 8.1 windows image backup for the 256GB system reserved and OS partitions just backed up. *Can I use the images to transfer data to the 128GB SSD without any speed degradation of some sort?*
> 
> Please help. Thanks.


Yep


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep


How do I go about that? Should I do the recovery from a system recovery disc?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yep
> 
> 
> 
> How do I go about that? Should I do the recovery from a system recovery disc?
Click to expand...

You just restore the system image. If you are using windows built in software you may have issues going from a larger drive to a smaller. Use acronis true image if you can. It is free if you have a WD, Seagate, or Intel drive in your system. Or look into other cloning software.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You just restore the system image. If you are using windows built in software you may have issues going from a larger drive to a smaller. Use acronis true image if you can. It is free if you have a WD, Seagate, or Intel drive in your system. Or look into other cloning software.


Well, does that mean I have to make a new system image with Acronis? I do have Acronis, yes. Although, I think the Windows 8.1 recovery disk has a way to make a partition that would be the same with the source image. My source image would not get near 128GB anyway.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You just restore the system image. If you are using windows built in software you may have issues going from a larger drive to a smaller. Use acronis true image if you can. It is free if you have a WD, Seagate, or Intel drive in your system. Or look into other cloning software.
> 
> 
> 
> Well, does that mean I have to make a new system image with Acronis? I do have Acronis, yes. Although, I think the Windows 8.1 recovery disk has a way to make a partition that would be the same with the source image. My source image would not get near 128GB anyway.
Click to expand...

try with windows otherwise you will need to make a new one with acronis. Or you can just use the clone tool acronis comes with. No image needed. It is stupid simple.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> try with windows otherwise you will need to make a new one with acronis. Or you can just use the clone tool acronis comes with. No image needed. It is stupid simple.


Gotcha. I'm assuming you haven't tried using Windows yourself yet?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> try with windows otherwise you will need to make a new one with acronis. Or you can just use the clone tool acronis comes with. No image needed. It is stupid simple.
> 
> 
> 
> Gotcha. I'm assuming you haven't tried using Windows yourself yet?
Click to expand...

not windows 8.1 system images. Just windows 7. And I use acronis true image daily. So that is why i like acronis lol.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> not windows 8.1 system images. Just windows 7. And I use acronis true image daily. So that is why i like acronis lol.


Lol, ok. What are your specific settings in Acronis? Do you do like differential backups?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> not windows 8.1 system images. Just windows 7. And I use acronis true image daily. So that is why i like acronis lol.
> 
> 
> 
> Lol, ok. What are your specific settings in Acronis? Do you do like differential backups?
Click to expand...

I click clone when dealing with a situation as yours...lol

Otherwise I do full system backups as my backup routine.


----------



## pepejovi

Some say he once took a backup of the entire NSA database.

Others say he lays SSDs like chickens lay eggs.

All we know is, it's Sean Webster!


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I click clone when dealing with a situation as yours...lol
> 
> Otherwise I do full system backups as my backup routine.


And do you do automatic scheduled full system backups?


----------



## sepheroth003

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> And do you do automatic scheduled full system backups?


I don't know how they work in practice but you can do incremental or differential backups as well to save time.


----------



## Techie007

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Topgearfan*
> 
> I just installed a new Crucial MX100 256gn SSD in my new Lenovo z710. At setup it said there was 238.5GB free but how in the world does the formatting take up almost 20gb? After win 7 PRo was loaded and I installed all the drivers needed and did the service pack 1 update along with about 50 other updates and I followed all of Seans guide to free up more space I ended up at 215gb left. I have not installed any programs yet not even office. What am I missing here? I still have 151 updates to install it says which will eat up another 2gb of space it looks like after they are downloaded and installed. I put paging file at 1gb and of course turned off Hibernation.


 Formatting does _not_ take 20 GB. The issue is that Windows reports disk space and file sizes dishonestly, using the base 1024 system instead of base 1000. This results in the sizes of files and disks appearing to shrink as you go from KB to MB to GB. The larger the disk/file, the greater the discrepancy between the actual size and the reported size:


Your 256 GB SSD contains approximately 256,000,000,000 bytes.
256,000,000,000 bytes / 1024 = 250,000,000 KiB (Windows Explorer wrongly labels this number "KB").
250,000,000 KiB / 1024 = 244,141 MiB (Windows Explorer wrongly labels this number "MB").
244,141 MiB / 1024 = 238.4 GiB (Windows Explorer wrongly lables this number "GB").

If Windows Explorer simply would report the correct and logical numbers, it would go like this:

Your 256 GB SSD contains approximately 256,000,000,000 bytes.
256,000,000,000 bytes / 1000 = 256,000,000 KB.
256,000,000 KB / 1000 = 256,000 MB.
256,000 MB / 1000 = 256 GB, and this is the number you would see in Windows Explorer.


----------



## greywarden

I recently found Windirstat and ran it after having moved my pagefile.sys to my mechanical drive as per some youtube video. I still have a 7.8GB pagefile on my C: so is it ok to delete that after having moved it?

TIA


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *greywarden*
> 
> I recently found Windirstat and ran it after having moved my pagefile.sys to my mechanical drive as per some youtube video. I still have a 7.8GB pagefile on my C: so is it ok to delete that after having moved it?
> 
> TIA


Yes, you can delete it.


----------



## greywarden

Thank you!


----------



## Techie007

Yes, Windows won't let you delete it if it is in use, so you're safe.


----------



## EarlZ

I've been playing around with some bios settings related to the hdd/ssd and booting and I cant seem to be able to remove the boot delay added when I have mechanical drives connected.. is this an SSD/ Motherboard bios limitation ? I've built other PC's and they dont have this issue when a mechancal hdd is connected.


----------



## GeldrinHor

OK...here's my sitch:
I built a new system recently (May 2014) and put in a PNY XLR8 120GB SSD. Then, instead of doing a clone carry over, I just d/l'd an .iso of Win7 Ult 64 (That is what I had on my old machine, which I scavenged the HDD out of...a WD Caviar Green 1 TB), so I am sitting with the WD 1 TB as my "F" drive (Installing the SSD and installing that other .iso file to install W7 Ult created an "E" drive called SYSTEM Reserved of 100 GB, making that "F" Drive 917 GB). My SSD is my C drive (for the faster boot up). However, I was never able to get the .iso activated, as my friend, a tech who should know better, "loaned" his OEM list to another tech who promptly lost it. So fast forward to now. The last two months or so I have had to deal with that annoying "This copy of Windows is not genuine". Needless to say, I've put my steam on there (I have an additional one on that F drive), and a small number of games before I just started saving d/l games from steam directly to that other folder (on the F drive).

Am I going to have to just save what I can from the SSD, then reformat (Using the Secure Erase software, then starting over from scratch) and CLONE that F drive onto the SSD (I got a copy of Corsair SSD and HARD DISK Cloning Kit from Fry's) Do I need to change settings in my Bios (using an MSI A88XM E45 mobo with a UEFI Bios)? HDD and SSD are both SATA 3.0 compatible and hooked up via the STAT ports on the Mobo, so no IDE cabling involved. Heck, even my DVD RW is connected to SATA 3 port. SSD is in Port 1, DVD is Port 2, HDD is Port 3. I wasw in a little bit of a hurry when I got this put together and plan to make an additional change (hardware) soon. Switching from a Athlon X4 750K BE and ASUS R7 250 GPU to an APU setup with an additional valid GPU card in the future for Dual Graphics. Also, can I leave my valid copy of Office 2013 on the F drive and still access it?

Guess I'm asking a lot, but just curious if I can salvage things, or just save the cargo and scuttle the ship?


----------



## pepejovi

This might be an often asked question, but is it worth upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1? My uni allows me to get it for free, but will it effect anything at all significantly?


----------



## mark_thaddeus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> This might be an often asked question, but is it worth upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1? My uni allows me to get it for free, but will it effect anything at all significantly?


If it's worth losing your sanity, then go ahead and go windows 8! Just kidding, I personally will wait for Windows 9 or 10 and not worry about the touch centric Win 8 (You're going to do some tweaks to get things the way 7 is, if you're used to that - but the annoying metro tiles are still there). If you have a touch screen monitor it might be well worth it though, I'm not sure.

One question though, why fix it if it ain't broke?


----------



## Sean Webster

I like Windows 7 more than 8 myself.


----------



## OCJunkie

Hey peeps first post here









Fantastic guide btw Sean

When you install steam games do you install them to D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam, and then move them to C:\Users\Me\Steam Games with Steam Mover if i want to (i.e most played games)


----------



## pepejovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *OCJunkie*
> 
> Hey peeps first post here
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fantastic guide btw Sean
> 
> When you install steam games do you install them to D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam, and then move them to C:\Users\Me\Steam Games with Steam Mover if i want to (i.e most played games)


Steam can nowadays have multiple install paths, you can just set a new one up and pick where to install each of your games.


----------



## OCJunkie

cheers mate

Is it worth moving the appdata folder to secondary HDD? to save space.


----------



## JimmyCem

Hey everyone,

I am currently re-installing my system, however I can't find an official download/ISO for Windows 7 Ultimate N x64.

I am pretty certain that there has to be an official verison of this Windows, because I remember installing it via the DVD years ago.

Does anyone know a download link? Or, is it maybe possible to install a normal Windows 7 Ultimate x64 version and then "upgrade" to N?


----------



## pepejovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JimmyCem*
> 
> Hey everyone,
> 
> I am currently re-installing my system, however I can't find an official download/ISO for Windows 7 Ultimate N x64.
> 
> I am pretty certain that there has to be an official verison of this Windows, because I remember installing it via the DVD years ago.
> 
> Does anyone know a download link? Or, is it maybe possible to install a normal Windows 7 Ultimate x64 version and then "upgrade" to N?


I've literally never heard of Windows 7 "N".
EDIT: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/what-is-windows-7-n-edition

What do ya'll use for anti-virus? I'm running MSE + MBAM for scanning.


----------



## Lionheart1980

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> I've literally never heard of Windows 7 "N".
> EDIT: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/what-is-windows-7-n-edition
> 
> What do ya'll use for anti-virus? I'm running MSE + MBAM for scanning.


I have been using Norton Internet Sec. for years.. great product and real time protection offline and online as well


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JimmyCem*
> 
> Hey everyone,
> 
> I am currently re-installing my system, however I can't find an official download/ISO for Windows 7 Ultimate N x64.
> 
> I am pretty certain that there has to be an official verison of this Windows, because I remember installing it via the DVD years ago.
> 
> Does anyone know a download link? Or, is it maybe possible to install a normal Windows 7 Ultimate x64 version and then "upgrade" to N?


Did you read the OP? It has the download links to it. 

*Windows 7 Professional N SP1-U ISO:* (Note: N editions come without media components)
English 32-bit
English 64-bit


----------



## WitNit

Hey Sean...OP was a few years back but I'm guessing everything is still valid...you've probably updated where needed correct? Thanks.


----------



## WeirdHarold

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> Hey Sean...OP was a few years back but I'm guessing everything is still valid...you've probably updated where needed correct? Thanks.


I'm sure Sean will answer you too, but since Windows 8 is based off of the Windows 7 core and everything that 7 had is still there in 8 - you just need to go about a different way of getting to it (unless you use a start button replacement program) everything in the guide should still be totally valid.


----------



## WitNit

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WeirdHarold*
> 
> I'm sure Sean will answer you too, but since Windows 8 is based off of the Windows 7 core and everything that 7 had is still there in 8 - you just need to go about a different way of getting to it (unless you use a start button replacement program) everything in the guide should still be totally valid.


OK thanks for that. Actually I'll be doing a win 7 / 8.1 dual boot I think and my boot drive will be a 256GB Plextor M.2. Just received my case yesterday and that was the last piece I was waiting for so will start building this weekend.


----------



## WeirdHarold

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> OK thanks for that. Actually I'll be doing a win 7 / 8.1 dual boot I think and my boot drive will be a 256GB Plextor M.2. Just received my case yesterday and that was the last piece I was waiting for so will start building this weekend.


Well, good luck with the build


----------



## JimmyCem

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Did you read the OP? It has the download links to it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Windows 7 Professional N SP1-U ISO:* (Note: N editions come without media components)
> English 32-bit
> English 64-bit


Hey Sean, thanks for answering.

Yeah, I've read your opening post, but the versions listed there are for _Professional_ N. Are you saying that I can use these versions with my _Ultimate_ N key, and they will be activated as Ultimate N?

Are Professional N and Ultimate N the same version? I am not really savvy when it comes to the different Windows 7 versions, so it may be possible that I am just being dense and not getting it.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *WeirdHarold*
> 
> I'm sure Sean will answer you too, but since Windows 8 is based off of the Windows 7 core and everything that 7 had is still there in 8 - you just need to go about a different way of getting to it (unless you use a start button replacement program) everything in the guide should still be totally valid.
> 
> 
> 
> OK thanks for that. Actually I'll be doing a win 7 / 8.1 dual boot I think and my boot drive will be a 256GB Plextor M.2. Just received my case yesterday and that was the last piece I was waiting for so will start building this weekend.
Click to expand...

yep, everything is still valid. I actually have learned of a bunch more things you can do for Windows 8 recently, but I don't know when I will have the time to add more to my Win 8 guide.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JimmyCem*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Did you read the OP? It has the download links to it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Windows 7 Professional N SP1-U ISO:* (Note: N editions come without media components)
> English 32-bit
> English 64-bit
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Sean, thanks for answering.
> 
> Yeah, I've read your opening post, but the versions listed there are for Professional N. Are you saying that I can use these versions with my Ultimate N key, and they will be activated as Ultimate N?
> 
> Are Professional N and Ultimate N the same version? I am not really savvy when it comes to the different Windows 7 versions, so it may be possible that I am just being dense and not getting it.
Click to expand...

There is a program that modifies the ei.cfg file in the ISO and unlocks the other versions such as ultimate. So download that ISO, find the tool and enjoy. 

Edit, I think you can do it manually as well: http://www.windowsvalley.com/unlock-all-editions-from-windows-7-iso-image-x86-and-x64/


----------



## WitNit

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yep, everything is still valid. I actually have learned of a bunch more things you can do for Windows 8 recently, but I don't know when I will have the time to add more to my Win 8 guide.


Sounds good. Does it matter which OS I install first (7/8.1)?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> yep, everything is still valid. I actually have learned of a bunch more things you can do for Windows 8 recently, but I don't know when I will have the time to add more to my Win 8 guide.
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds good. Does it matter which OS I install first (7/8.1)?
Click to expand...

Install 7 first. If you are installing on that Z97 build I suggest to just use Windows 8.1 if you can and do a UEFI/GPT install. (disable CSM in the UEFI before installing). Then enable ultra fast boot in the UEFI (if you can which you should). Your Windows 81. will boot super duper fast.


----------



## WitNit

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Install 7 first. If you are installing on that Z97 build I suggest to just use Windows 8.1 if you can and do a UEFI/GPT install. (disable CSM in the UEFI before installing). Then enable ultra fast boot in the UEFI (if you can which you should). Your Windows 81. will boot super duper fast.


Thanks!!! Yeah the only reason I was going to put 7 on there (Plextor M.2 drive) was I heard that some games/programs work better on 7 than 8.1. I have some games from quite awhile ago (Homeworld for example) that I'm not sure will work on 8.1. Guess I could go and Google it


----------



## WitNit

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Install 7 first. If you are installing on that Z97 build I suggest to just use Windows 8.1 if you can and do a UEFI/GPT install. (disable CSM in the UEFI before installing). Then enable ultra fast boot in the UEFI (if you can which you should). Your Windows 81. will boot super duper fast.


Not working. I disabled CSM. Moved the USB stick that has windows on it to top of boot priority. Restarted and get this:



If I go back in to BIOS from here (F1), CSM has been enabled.

EDIT: Oh and I see a "Fast Boot" option, which is enabled, but no "Ultra Fast Boot". (ASUS Z97 Pro)


----------



## Sean Webster

Oh dang, you need a UEFI compatible VGA firmware. (UEFI GOP support) I thought the nVidia 9 series had it...And if you are using a 7 series card, i thought it has UEFI boot support too. :/

What card is it you are using?


----------



## WitNit

Ahhhh...that must be it Sean. My mistake that I forgot to tell you that for out of the box initial testing I plugged in my old GTX 470 into the mobo. GTX 780 is in "Popeye" machine (GTX 980 on it's way soon via EVGA step-up program). Sorry about that.


----------



## Sean Webster

Gotcha, well in that case either just use the onboard iGPU for now or just do a regular non-UEFI install with CSM enabled. On my ASRock board and GOP compatible 660ti and UEFI/GPT install and ultra fast boot enabled I get cold boots to desktop in about 8-10 seconds vs 25 seconds normally lol. My laptop is under 6 seconds.

So having a proper fast boot install is great and well worth it for me. 

Oh and IDK if it is just my board or peripherals, but my Z97 board wouldn't detect my mouse and KBs during install, so I couldn't install Windows 7 on my personal system. Only Windows 8 worked.


----------



## WitNit

Sean I'm at the point where I'm ready to install Windows after following your "How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB for the UEFI motherboard and GPT format install". But before I begin I'm a bit confused about something. In the post above you suggested I, "...do a UEFI/GPT install". But in the guide you state, *" Important! You should not use GPT format unless you need to. The MBR format is what most people should use. You should only use GPT if you want to boot Windows off a 2.2TB+ partition"*.

Can you elaborate please before I start the windows install and do the Shift + F10 / GPT format? Thanks man.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> Sean I'm at the point where I'm ready to install Windows after following your "How to make a bootable Windows 7 USB for the UEFI motherboard and GPT format install". But before I begin I'm a bit confused about something. In the post above you suggested I, "...do a UEFI/GPT install". But in the guide you state, *" Important! You should not use GPT format unless you need to. The MBR format is what most people should use. You should only use GPT if you want to boot Windows off a 2.2TB+ partition"*.
> 
> Can you elaborate please before I start the windows install and do the Shift + F10 / GPT format? Thanks man.


People who dont know what they are doing often read this guide and run into issues so it is easiest to deter them if they are not technically inclined to troubleshoot.


----------



## WitNit

10/4. I'll continue on with the GPT format/install. Thanks for you patience.


----------



## JimmyCem

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> There is a program that modifies the ei.cfg file in the ISO and unlocks the other versions such as ultimate. So download that ISO, find the tool and enjoy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit, I think you can do it manually as well: http://www.windowsvalley.com/unlock-all-editions-from-windows-7-iso-image-x86-and-x64/


Hey Sean,

thanks for the help. I did some research and managed to find the program.









In case anybody else needs it:
The program is called "ei.cfg Removal Utility", and can be found here: http://code.kliu.org/misc/winisoutils/ (or just google for the program name, but I think this is the official website).
Just download it, run the program and point it to your ISO file. It changes the ISO in mere seconds, allowing you to choose what Win 7 (or Win 7 N) version to install.

Cheers.


----------



## WitNit

Really? So if I get the most basic Win7, I can run this tool and change it to Ultimate?

EDIT: oh wait...but of course the key that one buys has to match the version of Windows installed correct. So it's not like someone can pay for basic Win and use this to have Ultimate all of a sudden.


----------



## WitNit

Sean...so there is no way to do a UEFI/GPT install and use dual boot (7 & 8.1)?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> Sean...so there is no way to do a UEFI/GPT install and use dual boot (7 & 8.1)?


You should be able to.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Install 7 first. If you are installing on that Z97 build I suggest to just use Windows 8.1 if you can and do a UEFI/GPT install. (disable CSM in the UEFI before installing). Then enable ultra fast boot in the UEFI (if you can which you should). Your Windows 81. will boot super duper fast.


My board doesn't have a fast boot option.. If I go with UEFI boot again, I won't gain any performance increase, right? I'm not booting off of a 2TB (or more) drive anyway.


----------



## WitNit

OK Sean I'm back at it today but just not going well. Trying to load win7 first. I have CSM disabled, I followed your instructions on how to create a bootable usb drive. So it does boot from the usb thumbdrive, I see the, "windows is loading files..." screen, goes to the "starting windows" screen where the animated windows symbol appears but after just a few seconds the screen goes black and this appears...



With CSM enabled windows loads up just fine and can get to the screen where I can use the Shift+F10 option. I have no idea why I can't do this with CSM disabled.

EDIT: I only have 1 drive installed (Plextor M.2 PX-G256M6e), in the bios boot menu the usb stick that has windows on it DOES have the "UEFI" in front of the drive label "UEFI: (FAT) SandDisk (30550MB)".

EDIT: something I noticed is that my Plextor M.2 dive where I want windows to go to only shows up in the boot menu when CSM is on. If I turn CSM off and then restart, I then can only see the UEFI SanDisk usb.

CSM on...


CSM off...


----------



## WitNit

I wonder if this has anything to do with the problem I explained in the above post....



Am I suppose to add a "Microsoft signed UEFI driver" to my PCIe M.2 drive or should it have shipped with one already on it? Could this be the cause of my troubles?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Install 7 first. If you are installing on that Z97 build I suggest to just use Windows 8.1 if you can and do a UEFI/GPT install. (disable CSM in the UEFI before installing). Then enable ultra fast boot in the UEFI (if you can which you should). Your Windows 81. will boot super duper fast.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My board doesn't have a fast boot option.. If I go with UEFI boot again, I won't gain any performance increase, right? I'm not booting off of a 2TB (or more) drive anyway.
Click to expand...

If you have a GOP firmware for your GFX card, I think that your mobo may be able to take advantage of UEFI boot to speed up boot time. I know my non-gne 3 version of your board couldn't, but I think your Gen 3 can..not sure tho.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> OK Sean I'm back at it today but just not going well. Trying to load win7 first. I have CSM disabled, I followed your instructions on how to create a bootable usb drive. So it does boot from the usb thumbdrive, I see the, "windows is loading files..." screen, goes to the "starting windows" screen where the animated windows symbol appears but after just a few seconds the screen goes black and this appears...
> 
> 
> 
> With CSM enabled windows loads up just fine and can get to the screen where I can use the Shift+F10 option. I have no idea why I can't do this with CSM disabled.
> 
> EDIT: I only have 1 drive installed (Plextor M.2 PX-G256M6e), in the bios boot menu the usb stick that has windows on it DOES have the "UEFI" in front of the drive label "UEFI: (FAT) SandDisk (30550MB)".
> 
> EDIT: something I noticed is that my Plextor M.2 dive where I want windows to go to only shows up in the boot menu when CSM is on. If I turn CSM off and then restart, I then can only see the UEFI SanDisk usb.
> 
> CSM on...
> 
> 
> CSM off...


Try disabling secure boot as stated below. Otherwise, I would say to just forget about UEFI fast boot with Windows 7 for now or change to Windows 8 strictly.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> I wonder if this has anything to do with the problem I explained in the above post....
> 
> 
> 
> Am I suppose to add a "Microsoft signed UEFI driver" to my PCIe M.2 drive or should it have shipped with one already on it? Could this be the cause of my troubles?


Disable secure boot, you don't need it enabled. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/microsoft_secure_boot.html


----------



## WitNit

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you have a GOP firmware for your GFX card, I think that your mobo may be able to take advantage of UEFI boot to speed up boot time. I know my non-gne 3 version of your board couldn't, but I think your Gen 3 can..not sure tho.
> 
> Try disabling secure boot as stated below. Otherwise, I would say to just forget about UEFI fast boot with Windows 7 for now or change to Windows 8 strictly.
> 
> Disable secure boot, you don't need it enabled. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/microsoft_secure_boot.html


Yeah I tried disabling Secure Boot but it's greyed out for some reason. I've searched and can't find a solution to make the Secure Boot enable/disable option available to me. I guess I'll just do win 8.1 install and forget about trying to dual boot.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you have a GOP firmware for your GFX card, I think that your mobo may be able to take advantage of UEFI boot to speed up boot time. I know my non-gne 3 version of your board couldn't, but I think your Gen 3 can..not sure tho.


How would I make sure? My cards have a UEFI-compatible firmware, yes. What spec am I looking for in my board to make sure it speeds up boot time?


----------



## WitNit

So I have windows 8.1 on my M.2 drive (UEFI/GPT). I'm connecting 2 more drives for programs, files and such (Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD & WD 1TB Black HDD), when I go into disk management to make those drives active it asks me to either make those drives GPT or MBR. Does it matter which I choose for non-OS drives? Do they need to be GPT since the OS drive is GPT? THANKS!!!

By the way...8.1 does indeed load super duper fast in UEFI & GPT!


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you have a GOP firmware for your GFX card, I think that your mobo may be able to take advantage of UEFI boot to speed up boot time. I know my non-gne 3 version of your board couldn't, but I think your Gen 3 can..not sure tho.
> 
> 
> 
> How would I make sure? My cards have a UEFI-compatible firmware, yes. What spec am I looking for in my board to make sure it speeds up boot time?
Click to expand...

I think the UEFI base firmware needs to be at least revision 2.2 or newer. That number does not correlate to the firmware # provided to you by the motherboard manufacturer. You can give it a shot and measure for yourself to see if boot is faster or not. Your POST time should be faster if it works.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WitNit*
> 
> So I have windows 8.1 on my M.2 drive (UEFI/GPT). I'm connecting 2 more drives for programs, files and such (Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD & WD 1TB Black HDD), when I go into disk management to make those drives active it asks me to either make those drives GPT or MBR. Does it matter which I choose for non-OS drives? Do they need to be GPT since the OS drive is GPT? THANKS!!!
> 
> By the way...8.1 does indeed load super duper fast in UEFI & GPT!




They can be MBR. I don't think that them being MBR will affect it....maybe try to experiment with it and see if it does? You can change MBR to GPT and back no issue.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I think the UEFI base firmware needs to be at least revision 2.2 or newer. That number does not correlate to the firmware # provided to you by the motherboard manufacturer. You can give it a shot and measure for yourself to see if boot is faster or not. Your POST time should be faster if it works.


So no way to really tell unless I test it out? No info in the specs or something of the board?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kevindd992002*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I think the UEFI base firmware needs to be at least revision 2.2 or newer. That number does not correlate to the firmware # provided to you by the motherboard manufacturer. You can give it a shot and measure for yourself to see if boot is faster or not. Your POST time should be faster if it works.
> 
> 
> 
> So no way to really tell unless I test it out? No info in the specs or something of the board?
Click to expand...

google for it, i forgot i was reading up on it before because i had the non-gen 3 version of your board.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Should trim be enabled by default on Vista also?

When I enter the trim command I get this...

Code:



Code:


C:\Windows\system32>fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify
Usage : fsutil behavior set  <value>

               <values>

allowextchar           1 | 0
BugcheckOnCorrupt      1 | 0
disable8dot3           1 | 0
disablecompression     1 | 0
disableencryption      1 | 0
disablelastaccess      1 | 0
encryptpagingfile      1 | 0
mftzone                1 through 4
memoryusage            1 through 2
quotanotify            1 through 4294967295 seconds
SymlinkEvaluation      [L2L:{0|1}] | [L2R:{0|1}] | [R2R:{0|1}] | [R2L:{0|1}]

   E.g: "fsutil behavior set SymlinkEvaluation L2L:1 L2R:0" will enable
        local to local symbolic links and disable local to remote symbolic
        links. It will not change the state of remote to remote links or
        remote to local links.

Most of these options require a reboot for it to take effect.


----------



## vpex

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jayjr1105*
> 
> Should trim be enabled by default on Vista also?


Sadly Windows Vista SP2 does not support TRIM, only Windows 7, Server 2008R2 and above.

Here are a few links about TRIM support in Windows 7:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/2009/05/05/support-and-q-a-for-solid-state-drives-and.aspx
http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/A/7/FA70E919-8F82-4C4E-8D02-97DB3CF79AD5/COR-T558_Shu_Taiwan.pdf

Neither of those are particularly too useful but I thought I would include them regardless.


----------



## JimmyCem

Hey Sean,

I am currently using your tutorial to install a Win 7 OS, however I have a problem.

I have a key for Win 7 Ultimate N.

I mistakenly installed a fresh Win 7 Professional N version on a fresh SSD, naturally my key was not accepted because it didn't "fit with the Windows SKU".

After the installation was complete, I manually deleted the ei.cfg from USB-stick and restarted the system and chose to boot via USB.

Now I was able to choose Win 7 Ultimate N from within installation setup.

However, the setup showed my SSD as empty and the free space + total space was the same as before the installation (~465 GB of free space & total space on a Samsung 840 EVO 500 GB).

What does that mean?

If I keep installing now, do I install a second Win 7 OS, or has my previous installation "not registered"?
Should I first choose to format the drive in the installation menu before installing the correct OS?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JimmyCem*
> 
> Hey Sean,
> 
> I am currently using your tutorial to install a Win 7 OS, however I have a problem.
> 
> I have a key for Win 7 Ultimate N.
> 
> I mistakenly installed a fresh Win 7 Professional N version on a fresh SSD, naturally my key was not accepted because it didn't "fit with the Windows SKU".
> 
> After the installation was complete, I manually deleted the ei.cfg from USB-stick and restarted the system and chose to boot via USB.
> 
> Now I was able to choose Win 7 Ultimate N from within installation setup.
> 
> However, the setup showed my SSD as empty and the free space + total space was the same as before the installation (~465 GB of free space & total space on a Samsung 840 EVO 500 GB).
> 
> What does that mean?
> 
> If I keep installing now, do I install a second Win 7 OS, or has my previous installation "not registered"?
> Should I first choose to format the drive in the installation menu before installing the correct OS?


If you followed the guide and did the diskpart commands it is normal. When you do the clean command it wipes any partitioning. Thus your drive will be empty when you get to the partitioning part of the setup.


----------



## JimmyCem

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> If you followed the guide and did the diskpart commands it is normal. When you do the clean command it wipes any partitioning. Thus your drive will be empty when you get to the partitioning part of the setup.


Yeah, I followed/follow your guide to a T.
Alright, that means I can safely continue installing the OS.

Thank you!


----------



## TheGrayDon10

I followed your tutorial, but i'm getting5.9 in WEI for this drive after full optimization. That's exactly the score i had with my WD Black 320gb. which can't be right.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*
> 
> I followed your tutorial, but i'm getting5.9 in WEI for this drive after full optimization. That's exactly the score i had with my WD Black 320gb. which can't be right.


Sometimes Windows won't refresh the score properly...

Go to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT then in the top right search box type in *.xml then delete the .xml files that show up after the search. Go back to windows system page and re-run the WEI assesment. If you still get 5.9 then you have IDE enabled in the BIOS.


----------



## TheGrayDon10

Still getting 5.9 and it's def in ahci mode.


----------



## Sean Webster

Post a screenshot of disk management and AS SSD. It could be that the Windows system reserve partition with boot flag was made on a secondary HDD and because of that the WinSAT is benching that secondary HDD instead?


----------



## TheGrayDon10




----------



## stubass

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*


For starters your alignment is out thus affecting your performance. Another one of Sean's guides will probably help you out.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*


That's pretty slow SSD speeds...I'm sure your MB has sata 3 controllers right?
Try disconnecting your HDD and re-run assessment.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Buehlar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's pretty slow SSD speeds...I'm sure your MB has sata 3 controllers right?
> Try disconnecting your HDD and re-run assessment.
Click to expand...

Read stubass' response.


----------



## Jayjr1105

If you can get your hands on an Acronis bootable CD(Acronis 11 works good), it's the easiest way that I know of to get your drive in alignment. Just clone it to a temp drive and then clone it back and it should be at 1024.


----------



## TheGrayDon10

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stubass*
> 
> For starters your alignment is out thus affecting your performance. Another one of Sean's guides will probably help you out.
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions


alignment fixed. what next? WEI is still saying same.


----------



## stubass

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *stubass*
> 
> For starters your alignment is out thus affecting your performance. Another one of Sean's guides will probably help you out.
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1226963/how-to-properly-re-align-your-ssd-hdd-partitions
> 
> 
> 
> alignment fixed. what next? WEI is still saying same.
Click to expand...

Forget WEI for the moment and run AS SSD and post a screenie..


----------



## TheGrayDon10

like the one i posted in the message you just quoted me in?


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*
> 
> alignment fixed. what next? WEI is still saying same.


You're speeds are still ridiculously low for an SSD
I'll say again,
Shut down, unplug your HDD , reboot and re-run the SSD benchmark and WEI


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*
> 
> like the one i posted in the message you just quoted me in?


You're SSD is fine now. I heard windows will give you a 5.9 if you dont have 1GB of continuous space: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/280334-32-score#10740658

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Buehlar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*
> 
> alignment fixed. what next? WEI is still saying same.
> 
> 
> 
> You're speeds are still ridiculously low for an SSD
> I'll say again,
> Shut down, unplug your HDD , reboot and re-run the SSD benchmark and WEI
Click to expand...

His SSD is an older, slower SandForce drive with asynchronous NAND.


----------



## Buehlar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You're SSD is fine now. I heard windows will give you a 5.9 if you dont have 1GB of continuous space: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/280334-32-score#10740658
> *His SSD is an older, slower SandForce drive with asynchronous NAND*.


Ahh...then that makes sense +REP (if I could)









@TheGrayDon10 I'd still try unplugging the HDD anyway to eliminate a possible conflict as the WEI can be stubborn after an upgrade.
WEI is pretty much a useless tool as it don't provide much meaningful info anyway.


----------



## stubass

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TheGrayDon10*
> 
> like the one i posted in the message you just quoted me in?


Yes, but wierd that image wasnt there in my quote when i quoted you but i see the responses and you should be fine now..


----------



## Jayjr1105

WEI can be quirky sometimes but it can also help troubleshoot some things. I know from experience that an Intel based system with 4GB of RAM will score 5.9 while an AMD system with 4GB of RAM will score 7+. It's ironic because AMD cpus have horrible memory bandwidth compared to Intel. It's just not a very good benchmark. Probably why they removed it from windows 8.1 and 10 preview


----------



## blazingmak

I have just partitioned my 2 TB HDD to "E" drive while my current local disk is "C" which is my SSD... I also relocated my downloads in my user files to the E drive as well. my problem is that i am download games and they are patching but the patching information is siphoning space from my SSD. i do not want my SSD being touched by any downloads or what-not unless i say so.. please help em out here.


----------



## Jayjr1105

Typically games are smart enough to clear out the temp install data after installation. If worried about this just clear out temp folders every once in a while with ccleaner or similar.


----------



## Aluc13

My question is if I want to backup my current drive as I just ordered another hard drive as well as a SSD how would I go about doing it? Also, what SATA connections does my power supply have? I am hoping SATA III but I'm not sure about it at all? I've tried googling but can't find they type of SATA connectors I have.

This is my firs time getting an SSD and multiple hard drives. I want to be able to save all my stuff and move it over after a wipe.


----------



## Classif13d

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aluc13*
> 
> My question is if I want to backup my current drive as I just ordered another hard drive as well as a SSD how would I go about doing it? Also, what SATA connections does my power supply have? I am hoping SATA III but I'm not sure about it at all? I've tried googling but can't find they type of SATA connectors I have.
> 
> This is my firs time getting an SSD and multiple hard drives. I want to be able to save all my stuff and move it over after a wipe.


You got it wrong, the ''SATA'' cables that are coming out of your power supply are only to deliver power. The ones you are referring to are on a motherboard (SATA II SATA III). Your motherboard has only support for SATA II.


----------



## Aluc13

Yes, i figured i did after researching it a bit further. Will that hamper performance?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aluc13*
> 
> Yes, i figured i did after researching it a bit further. Will that hamper performance?


In real world use? Essentially no.

In benchmarks? Yes.

When connected to SATA 3Gb/s vs 6Gb/s the only difference is that sequential speeds are limited to ~265MB/s. Which doesn't matter 99.99% vs 500MB/s or so on SATA 6Gb/s.


----------



## Aluc13

Ah alright, my other question is that I thought the EVO's got their problems sorted, I see that you have an EVO. I've heard that they still have some problems...is it something to be concerned? Also, the question I have is that if I download the sp1 for W7 and use a valid key will that work?
I'm trying to figure out if I should upgrade and get the whole computer upgraded or stay pat and use the SATA II connections instead


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aluc13*
> 
> Ah alright, my other question is that I thought the EVO's got their problems sorted, I see that you have an EVO. I've heard that they still have some problems...is it something to be concerned? Also, the question I have is that if I download the sp1 for W7 and use a valid key will that work?
> I'm trying to figure out if I should upgrade and get the whole computer upgraded or stay pat and use the SATA II connections instead


Based upon my testing I have not seen any more issue with my EVO. Speeds are where they should be even after a month. Previously I would have drop offs in speed over just one week. So I would say it is fixed. Although, the new one will be out VERY soon...

Yes, you can down load W7 SP1 and your key should work.


----------



## Aluc13

Ah alright, thanks for the information. There is going to be a new one...Damn...I wish I waited for it. But two drives a WD black 1tb and a samsun evo 250gb at 175 was a pretty sweet deal.
EDIT: The reason I ask about the sp1 is that mine did not download regularly. I'm not entirely sure why it did not, but it didn't. Is there a reason for this? Its not in windows update at all and it says I have all updates, which is strange. I first noticed it when I got 3dmark it said I didn't have the latest OS. Which is why I am thinking that a full clean installation of w7 sp1 is better than having to download all the updates, including w7 sp1


----------



## WeirdHarold

Once again Sean, thanks for this guide I had some issues with my computer and it's taken me quite some time to figure out exactly what was wrong. I thought that my SSD had died in less than 2 years of use and as you can imagine I was not happy. Turns out I needed to update the Firmware on my SSD as an update to Windows had not worked well with the original firmware. So you might want to add to the system maintenance section of the OP that you should check for updates to the firmware of SSD's from time to time for people that are new to SSD's as I was a couple years ago and I never thought about firmware as I was used to HD's.

Anyway thanks again for the guide it made getting things back up a running as they were before a breeze


----------



## BoredErica

Quote:


> *Remove Start up Items and more:*
> This is one of my favorite apps, just uncheck an item you wish to disable and it won't run upon start up. This can decrease your boot time as well as become a great troubleshooting tool.
> 
> Download *Autouns* here: (link)


Typo spotted.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkwizzie*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> *Remove Start up Items and more:*
> This is one of my favorite apps, just uncheck an item you wish to disable and it won't run upon start up. This can decrease your boot time as well as become a great troubleshooting tool.
> 
> Download _*Autouns*_ here: (link)
> 
> 
> 
> Typo spotted.
Click to expand...

One of Glary Utilities' several utilities manages startup programs.


----------



## bwv656

Sean, I just want to say Thank you so much for this incredible guide. By following your awesome guide, probably I saved months of head scratching and frustration. And I've never had a windows system this fast! Thank you so much Sean!!!


----------



## Scotty99

As i have long thought, you dont need to do ANYTHING in windows for proper SSD maintenance. On top of that, windows defrags your SSD once a month and this is a good thing, from a windows storage team employee:

In the old days, you would sometimes be told by power users to run this at the command line to see if TRIM was enabled for your SSD. A zero result indicates it is.

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify
However, this stuff is handled by Windows today in 2014, and you can trust that it's "doing the right thing." *Windows 7, along with 8 and 8.1 come with appropriate and intelligent defaults and you don't need to change them for optimal disk performance*. This is also true with Server SKUs like Windows Server 2008R2 and later.

Link:
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TheRealAndCompleteStoryDoesWindowsDefragmentYourSSD.aspx

Ive ALWAYS thought it was extremely awkward you had to do "optimizations" on a piece of hardware and these optimizations werent built into windows by defualt, welp turns out they are in there.

New SSD guide: Install SSD>turn on PC.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Scotty99*
> 
> As i have long thought, you dont need to do ANYTHING in windows for proper SSD maintenance. On top of that, windows defrags your SSD once a month and this is a good thing, from a windows storage team employee:
> 
> In the old days, you would sometimes be told by power users to run this at the command line to see if TRIM was enabled for your SSD. A zero result indicates it is.
> 
> fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify
> However, this stuff is handled by Windows today in 2014, and you can trust that it's "doing the right thing." *Windows 7, along with 8 and 8.1 come with appropriate and intelligent defaults and you don't need to change them for optimal disk performance*. This is also true with Server SKUs like Windows Server 2008R2 and later.
> 
> Link:
> http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TheRealAndCompleteStoryDoesWindowsDefragmentYourSSD.aspx
> 
> Ive ALWAYS thought it was extremely awkward you had to do "optimizations" on a piece of hardware and these optimizations werent built into windows by defualt, welp turns out they are in there.
> 
> New SSD guide: *Install SSD>turn on PC*.


I agree, you really don't need to do much at all. However, that is just maintenance...there is a lot more than just install SSD and turn on PC. For example, people don't know to use AHCI or RAID over IDE. People don't know they can update their firmware to fix issues. People don't know that you can use UEFI and format your drive to GPT to speed up system boot. People don't know to use the native SATA ports on their boards. People don't know you can save a ton of space by disabling things you don't need. People don't know to check for the latest mobo drivers, especially the SATA drivers. Or that they can move their user folders to other drives. They don't know a lot of basic things we know and take for granted.

What you state are only two things...Windows does trim and defrag SSDs. None of the other above things... And you *don't* *have* to do optimizations/tweaks, they are there if you want to get a better user experience. Not save your drive's life... And you can get more performance on an OS that has been tweaked, while in benchmarks mainly, you can. So unless the drive is a secondary drive, you can tweak the OS to allow faster performance.


----------



## Scotty99

Worried about drives life now? I point you here:

http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/05/ssd-2-petabytes-of-data/

SSD's lasting for the equivalent of 1000's of years of use.

You wrote a good guide at the time, but imo there is literally nothing you need to do now other than put it in your PC and turn it on. I just bought a crucial SSD and no where in the literature did it say anything about changing sata mode to AHCI (but i did anyways). In fact, there were no instructions to speak of (adding to my notion of us needing to do nothing).

I am not getting on your case about this i must be clear, just a thought ive had for a long time about this and its turning out to be true.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Scotty99*
> 
> Worried about drives life now? I point you here:
> 
> http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/05/ssd-2-petabytes-of-data/
> 
> SSD's lasting for the equivalent of 1000's of years of use.
> 
> You wrote a good guide at the time, but imo there is literally nothing you need to do now other than put it in your PC and turn it on. I just bought a crucial SSD and no where in the literature did it say anything about changing sata mode to AHCI (but i did anyways). In fact, there were no instructions to speak of (adding to my notion of us needing to do nothing).
> 
> I am not getting on your case about this i must be clear, just a thought ive had for a long time about this and its turning out to be true.


Sure, you can leave your SATA mode set to IDE. Sure you can use thrid-party SATA controllers. Sure you can do a lot of things that have no instructions. But that doesn't mean they are necessarily right for the best.

Like, "oh this turkey doesn't have instructions to cook it with seasoning, that must mean it doesn't need to be seasoned." Sure you could do that, but it doesn't mean the turkey would be taste as good as it could...

Again, you are only talking about one aspect, SSD maintenance and lifespan. Optimization and tweaks go far beyond that...Most if not all tweaks, in this guide at least, care nothing of lifespan of the drive. They are for a better user experience. Furthermore, this guide is to assist complete newbs and educate people at the same time. It isn't just about doing tweaks, but to *walk people through installing an OS and teach them what things actually do*. You seem to be missing that point.


----------



## pepejovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Scotty99*
> 
> Worried about drives life now? I point you here:
> 
> http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/05/ssd-2-petabytes-of-data/
> 
> SSD's lasting for the equivalent of 1000's of years of use.
> 
> You wrote a good guide at the time, but imo there is literally nothing you need to do now other than put it in your PC and turn it on. I just bought a crucial SSD and no where in the literature did it say anything about changing sata mode to AHCI (but i did anyways). In fact, there were no instructions to speak of (adding to my notion of us needing to do nothing).
> 
> I am not getting on your case about this i must be clear, just a thought ive had for a long time about this and its turning out to be true.
> 
> 
> 
> Sure, you can leave your SATA mode set to IDE. Sure you can use thrid-party SATA controllers. Sure you can do a lot of things that have no instructions. But that doesn't mean they are necessarily right for the best.
> 
> Like, "oh this turkey doesn't have instructions to cook it with seasoning, that must mean it doesn't need to be seasoned." Sure you could do that, but it doesn't mean the turkey would be taste as good as it could...
> 
> Again, you are only talking about one aspect, SSD maintenance and lifespan. Optimization and tweaks go far beyond that...Most if not all tweaks, in this guide at least, care nothing of lifespan of the drive. They are for a better user experience. Furthermore, this guide is to assist complete newbs and educate people at the same time. It isn't just about doing tweaks, but to *walk people through installing an OS and teach them what things actually do*. You seem to be missing that point.
Click to expand...

Hey you fixed your sig!


----------



## mark_thaddeus

@Sean Webster

I was just doing a routine check on my MX100 and ran across an Ultra DMA CRC Error Count / rate of 1 on HD Tune Pro, Is it really just a cable issue? I never noticed this before when using CrystalDisk Info because it always said "Good 100%", but upon checking it carefully the raw value does show 1 error rate.



FYI - I used the cable bundled with the MX100 when I installed the drive


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Scotty99*
> 
> Worried about drives life now? I point you here:
> 
> http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/05/ssd-2-petabytes-of-data/
> 
> SSD's lasting for the equivalent of 1000's of years of use.
> 
> You wrote a good guide at the time, but imo there is literally nothing you need to do now other than put it in your PC and turn it on. I just bought a crucial SSD and no where in the literature did it say anything about changing sata mode to AHCI (but i did anyways). In fact, there were no instructions to speak of (adding to my notion of us needing to do nothing).
> 
> I am not getting on your case about this i must be clear, just a thought ive had for a long time about this and its turning out to be true.
> 
> 
> 
> Sure, you can leave your SATA mode set to IDE. Sure you can use thrid-party SATA controllers. Sure you can do a lot of things that have no instructions. But that doesn't mean they are necessarily right for the best.
> 
> Like, "oh this turkey doesn't have instructions to cook it with seasoning, that must mean it doesn't need to be seasoned." Sure you could do that, but it doesn't mean the turkey would be taste as good as it could...
> 
> Again, you are only talking about one aspect, SSD maintenance and lifespan. Optimization and tweaks go far beyond that...Most if not all tweaks, in this guide at least, care nothing of lifespan of the drive. They are for a better user experience. Furthermore, this guide is to assist complete newbs and educate people at the same time. It isn't just about doing tweaks, but to *walk people through installing an OS and teach them what things actually do*. You seem to be missing that point.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Hey you fixed your sig!
Click to expand...

lol yea.  Gracias!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mark_thaddeus*
> 
> @Sean Webster
> 
> I was just doing a routine check on my MX100 and ran across an Ultra DMA CRC Error Count / rate of 1 on HD Tune Pro, Is it really just a cable issue? I never noticed this before when using CrystalDisk Info because it always said "Good 100%", but upon checking it carefully the raw value does show 1 error rate.
> 
> 
> 
> FYI - I used the cable bundled with the MX100 when I installed the drive


99.95% of the time it is the cable. The number does not go away sadly. But as long as it doesn't increase you should be good.


----------



## mark_thaddeus

Thanks Sean!

I wish i could give you rep! But alas a mental + rep is all I can do for you Sir Stig...errr. Sir Webster!


----------



## pepejovi

Sean, can I skip the RAID setup screen during boot? Currently running 2x SSDs in raid0, and it's seriously slowing down my boot


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> Sean, can I skip the RAID setup screen during boot? Currently running 2x SSDs in raid0, and it's seriously slowing down my boot


Yea, go to the boot tab in your UEFI/BIOS. Set BIOS screen setting to keep current....or something like that. It should say force BIOS atm for the setting im talking about...I think that is what it says. I can't restart to look for what it is 100% atm.


----------



## pepejovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> Sean, can I skip the RAID setup screen during boot? Currently running 2x SSDs in raid0, and it's seriously slowing down my boot
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yea, go to the boot tab in your UEFI/BIOS. Set BIOS screen setting to keep current....or something like that. It should say force BIOS atm for the setting im talking about...I think that is what it says. I can't restart to look for what it is 100% atm.
Click to expand...

Alright, I'll do that next time i boot. Thanks!


----------



## Aluc13

Having a problem I followed the steps for installing Windows from USB and it detects the USB but it says that no drivers were found
Edit: figured out that it was on the wrong USB drive and should have been on the ones on top


----------



## Aluc13

I've been following the guide but my question has to do with the driver updates. Should I get these online? Also, do I need to flash BIOS if there is a new BIOS update? I've never done this before, so what is a safe way to do that.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aluc13*
> 
> I've been following the guide but my question has to do with the driver updates. Should I get these online? Also, do I need to flash BIOS if there is a new BIOS update? I've never done this before, so what is a safe way to do that.


Yes, you get the latest drivers online. You don't need to update the BIOS, but if it solves any stability issues or something like that, it is advisable you do. Just follow the mobo manufacturers instructions for the update and you should be fine.


----------



## Aluc13

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes, you get the latest drivers online. You don't need to update the BIOS, but if it solves any stability issues or something like that, it is advisable you do. Just follow the mobo manufacturers instructions for the update and you should be fine.


thanks for the guide learned a lot. Another question. I assume that these only apply to SSD or HDD that have the OS installed on it correct? Those optimizations are only for that or can you also do the shrinking file and hibernation disabled on secondary drives?
Oh, last question when getting a second SSD what's the best configuration? RAID? Use as is, separately from other SSD?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aluc13*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yes, you get the latest drivers online. You don't need to update the BIOS, but if it solves any stability issues or something like that, it is advisable you do. Just follow the mobo manufacturers instructions for the update and you should be fine.
> 
> 
> 
> thanks for the guide learned a lot. Another question. I assume that these only apply to SSD or HDD that have the OS installed on it correct? Those optimizations are only for that or can you also do the shrinking file and hibernation disabled on secondary drives?
Click to expand...

Yes, shrinking page file and hibernation file apply to the OS drive. However, the page file can be located on the secondary drives in your system if you want it to be there. I suggest you leave it on the OS drive as it is by default since you have a SSD.

Quote:


> Oh, last question when getting a second SSD what's the best configuration? RAID? Use as is, separately from other SSD?


Up to you. I have a few as secondaries.


----------



## Aluc13

Ah okay. I thought there was a better configuration for them. I guess ill just run as is.

I am loving the SSD though. Its super fast. One thing though. In your guide i did the 1024 for page file but i get missing events in event log still. Thought this would change. Any idea?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aluc13*
> 
> Ah okay. I thought there was a better configuration for them. I guess ill just run as is.
> 
> I am loving the SSD though. Its super fast. One thing though. In your guide i did the 1024 for page file but i get missing events in event log still. Thought this would change. Any idea?


missing events? Does making the page file bigger stop that? I know you need a minimum of 800MB for the page file to create a crash dump file during a BSOD. I haven't read anything on event logging needing more than that.


----------



## Aluc13

Mine is 1024 min and 1024 max and it still does that. Has missing events in event log. Brand new build too.


----------



## Blabsaway22

Sean, incredible guide.. I love it.

I Just installed windows 7 using your guide. unreal.. easy, fast, did it with an old a8n-e board and usb install windows 7..

You seem like the guy to ask all the question.. you know it all. So I hope you don't mind a lot of questions.. (not in this post but probably upcoming)

my first question:

Does it matter which sata port i use on the motherboard to connect a second (non-boot) drive? I currently have the boot os on Sata 1 port..

there are 3 other ports.. SATA 1,2,3,4... I read somewhere that I should use the ports like 1 and 3 ... or 2 and 4 together.. can you shed any light on that? should I just plug in my 2nd hard drive to sata port 2 or is there some super secret way the chips use ports in pairs like ram or something?? I'm the type of person who needs the hardware to run at it's peak level..

I've bought a samsung 840 evo 250gig and have been running benchmark tests on it all the time trying to make sure it's running at full speed.. i have not run the performance degradation tool v1 on it yet though.. not sure if i should.. samsung stuff..

anyway off track.. heard anything about sata ports in pairs? or i'll just plug in to the next port which is port 2 obviously..

thanks.
blabs


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blabsaway22*
> 
> Sean, incredible guide.. I love it.
> 
> I Just installed windows 7 using your guide. unreal.. easy, fast, did it with an old a8n-e board and usb install windows 7..
> 
> You seem like the guy to ask all the question.. you know it all. So I hope you don't mind a lot of questions.. (not in this post but probably upcoming)
> 
> my first question:
> 
> Does it matter which sata port i use on the motherboard to connect a second (non-boot) drive? I currently have the boot os on Sata 1 port..
> 
> there are 3 other ports.. SATA 1,2,3,4... I read somewhere that I should use the ports like 1 and 3 ... or 2 and 4 together.. can you shed any light on that? should I just plug in my 2nd hard drive to sata port 2 or is there some super secret way the chips use ports in pairs like ram or something?? I'm the type of person who needs the hardware to run at it's peak level..
> 
> I've bought a samsung 840 evo 250gig and have been running benchmark tests on it all the time trying to make sure it's running at full speed.. i have not run the performance degradation tool v1 on it yet though.. not sure if i should.. samsung stuff..
> 
> anyway off track.. heard anything about sata ports in pairs? or i'll just plug in to the next port which is port 2 obviously..
> 
> thanks.
> blabs


There are no set pairs for SATA ports. However, just make sure it is plugged into the native SATA controller and not a 3rd party one. I like to put my OS drive into port 0, and then the rest in increasing order based on the drive letter I plan to assign to them. SATA_1 -> D:, SATA_2 -> E:, SATA_3 -> F:, etc

And you should run the performance degradation tool. It fixes the issue with the Samsung 840 EVO. All 840 EVOs are affected. I did it and it just takes time if you have a lot of data on your drive.


----------



## Blabsaway22

you really are the man, I can't wait to ask you some great questions later.. cause I bet you experienced all the crap im going through with pc's..

I also don't think have any 3rd party ports on the board to my knowledge so all i see is 1,2,3,4 and thats it for sata ports.. its an a8n-e ultra board..

*1.* so i'll just plug into port 2 for now..

anyway as far as the samsung evo- I will run the performance degradation tool, *****EDIT -* However, I am about to wipe the samsung drive and use it for gaming/applications.. so maybe i should run it after i wipe it..? instead of with windows and everything on it right now..

*2.* need your thoughts on: I have a m.2 (NGFF) 42mm SSD and a Samsung 840 Evo in my Lenovo Laptop. I want to install windows 8.1 on the m.2 mini SSD and use the Samsung 840 for games/applications.. does that sound like a good idea to you? I currently have windows 8.1 on the Evo but i want the space for applications and games.. the m.2 mini is only 64 gigs and i might as well just put windows on that instead of my samsung 840 evo..

thoughts?

*3.* do you have any recommendations on the most thorough data recovery software that might show me my actual folder structure after an accidental format of a 4 terabyte backup drive with all my pictures/apps on it???!! oops! haha.. (but i haven't touched the drive since so all the data should still be there..) and recommend even expensive paid data recovery software if you know as well..

thanks man.

p.s.- i don't even feel like going to any other forums anymore cause you are the guru..


----------



## Aluc13

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> There are no set pairs for SATA ports. However, just make sure it is plugged into the native SATA controller and not a 3rd party one. I like to put my OS drive into port 0, and then the rest in increasing order based on the drive letter I plan to assign to them. SATA_1 -> D:, SATA_2 -> E:, SATA_3 -> F:, etc
> 
> And you should run the performance degradation tool. It fixes the issue with the Samsung 840 EVO. All 840 EVOs are affected. I did it and it just takes time if you have a lot of data on your drive.


I thought that the firmware upgrade is what fixed the issue? Is there another tool that is used to fix the 840 EVOs?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blabsaway22*
> 
> you really are the man, I can't wait to ask you some great questions later.. cause I bet you experienced all the crap im going through with pc's..
> 
> I also don't think have any 3rd party ports on the board to my knowledge so all i see is 1,2,3,4 and thats it for sata ports.. its an a8n-e ultra board..
> 
> *1.* so i'll just plug into port 2 for now..
> 
> anyway as far as the samsung evo- I will run the performance degradation tool, *****EDIT -* However, I am about to wipe the samsung drive and use it for gaming/applications.. so maybe i should run it after i wipe it..? instead of with windows and everything on it right now..
> 
> *2.* need your thoughts on: I have a m.2 (NGFF) 42mm SSD and a Samsung 840 Evo in my Lenovo Laptop. I want to install windows 8.1 on the m.2 mini SSD and use the Samsung 840 for games/applications.. does that sound like a good idea to you? I currently have windows 8.1 on the Evo but i want the space for applications and games.. the m.2 mini is only 64 gigs and i might as well just put windows on that instead of my samsung 840 evo..
> 
> thoughts?
> 
> *3.* do you have any recommendations on the most thorough data recovery software that might show me my actual folder structure after an accidental format of a 4 terabyte backup drive with all my pictures/apps on it???!! oops! haha.. (but i haven't touched the drive since so all the data should still be there..) and recommend even expensive paid data recovery software if you know as well..
> 
> thanks man.
> 
> p.s.- i don't even feel like going to any other forums anymore cause you are the guru..


Sorry about the late reply, I've been busy.

1. Running after you wipe will speed up the process.

2. Up to you. I suggest to keep all applications on the OS drive, but games can go on the secondary. That's how I have things set up.

3. Typically test disk can restore the partition table how it was and everything will be accessible if you never added more data to the drive. Otherwise stellar phoenix data recovery or RStudio can help.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aluc13*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> There are no set pairs for SATA ports. However, just make sure it is plugged into the native SATA controller and not a 3rd party one. I like to put my OS drive into port 0, and then the rest in increasing order based on the drive letter I plan to assign to them. SATA_1 -> D:, SATA_2 -> E:, SATA_3 -> F:, etc
> 
> And you should run the performance degradation tool. It fixes the issue with the Samsung 840 EVO. All 840 EVOs are affected. I did it and it just takes time if you have a lot of data on your drive.
> 
> 
> 
> I thought that the firmware upgrade is what fixed the issue? Is there another tool that is used to fix the 840 EVOs?
Click to expand...

The firmware does, however the tool adjusts the voltage levels in the existing NAND to correct the speed issues with data already on the drive.


----------



## Aluc13

No problem on the late reply. Anyway, i believe i am still having the page file issue. I have no clue how to proceed. Maybe you can help me with the right minimum and max set. I have 16gb of ddr4 memory if that helps.


----------



## Blabsaway22

Hi Sean,

many many many thanks for responses.

I am currently trying to install windows 7 on an old old motherboard.. the thing is - it has 4 sata ports!.. but.. when installing windows i tried loading old drivers from the motherboard website and everything, and installed windows.. this is the second time now and when running AS SSD benchmark speeds are slow and it says "pciide bad" .. there is nothing in the bios to change though to fix this..

ideas? its happened with 2 hard drives i've tried to install on this board..

motherboard - a8n-e

I've been reading that i have to install windows in sata mode to have it not run in IDE mode.. but i thought i did install it in sata mode!?

heard of this before?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blabsaway22*
> 
> Hi Sean,
> 
> many many many thanks for responses.
> 
> I am currently trying to install windows 7 on an old old motherboard.. the thing is - it has 4 sata ports!.. but.. when installing windows i tried loading old drivers from the motherboard website and everything, and installed windows.. this is the second time now and when running AS SSD benchmark speeds are slow and it says "pciide bad" .. there is nothing in the bios to change though to fix this..
> 
> ideas? its happened with 2 hard drives i've tried to install on this board..
> 
> motherboard - a8n-e
> 
> I've been reading that i have to install windows in sata mode to have it not run in IDE mode.. but i thought i did install it in sata mode!?
> 
> heard of this before?


In the BIOS, the SATA mode needs to be set to AHCI, not IDE as it is now. IDK what the setting says in your BIOS for that tho. Its the one that it isn't set to now lol.

Otherwise, you aren't going to get much faster speeds out of the crappy third party nVidia controller on your board.


----------



## EarlZ

Not sure if its the right spot to ask but theres a small windows update forever stuck on my windows update screen and since then I no longer saw any other update coming to windows on a regular basis.. its KB3024777


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Not sure if its the right spot to ask but theres a small windows update forever stuck on my windows update screen and since then I no longer saw any other update coming to windows on a regular basis.. its KB3024777


see this: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3024777

it should remove that bad update that they released back on the 10th. You may have to try installing it manually.


----------



## Failuyr

edit: Just disregard this. Sorry


----------



## Slagathor

quick question, just installed a SSD, did the guide, I do have a small page file just in case some of my older games want one,
but would it be worth while to move it to the beginning of the disk with something like Ultimate Defrag??
Not really for speed, but to keep everything nice and even???


----------



## Sean Webster

No need to change where it is.


----------



## gammaray

Just a question out of curiosity, is there anything totally worth reading out of those 500+ pages or all important infos are written on the first page?

Also, do you know if it's possible to load windows 7 with secure boot on, that windows 8.1 and 10 use with no problem?


----------



## Sean Webster

E
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gammaray*
> 
> Just a question out of curiosity, is there anything totally worth reading out of those 500+ pages or all important infos are written on the first page?
> 
> Also, do you know if it's possible to load windows 7 with secure boot on, that windows 8.1 and 10 use with no problem?


Everything is on the first page, anything else you need to know just ask...if there is anything that has been stated in those pages that you need to know, I'll be able to tell you.

Now for secure boot, you can't with windows 7 based on what Microsoft says. You need 8 or newer.


----------



## gammaray

That's pretty silly of Microsoft, to say the least. Is it a Uefi problem? driver signatures problem? or the core programming of windows 7 is simply not compatible with secure boot?


----------



## Sean Webster

I haven't looked into or thought of it much. I don't think mobos with uefi had that option when they designed windows 7 tho. im not even sure the standard was in development.


----------



## kevindd992002

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gammaray*
> 
> That's pretty silly of Microsoft, to say the least. Is it a Uefi problem? driver signatures problem? or the core programming of windows 7 is simply not compatible with secure boot?


Secure Boot is a Windows 8 feature which is why it is simply not compatible with Windows 7.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *EarlZ*
> 
> Not sure if its the right spot to ask but theres a small windows update forever stuck on my windows update screen and since then I no longer saw any other update coming to windows on a regular basis.. its KB3024777
> 
> 
> 
> see this: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3024777
> 
> it should remove that bad update that they released back on the 10th. You may have to try installing it manually.
Click to expand...

Ive done that and nothing happends, after rebooting the PC the said update is not installed.


----------



## Sean Webster

Well, all I can say is good luck because after that update I have only been able to reinstall windows on systems affected by it.


----------



## EarlZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Well, all I can say is good luck because after that update I have only been able to reinstall windows on systems affected by it.


though I dont have the mentioned update that caused the error


----------



## Sean Webster

It still causes issues after being removed if it was ever installed in some systems...


----------



## NguyenAdam

I get this message when I try to install Windows on my Intel 530. Also, does anyone know why my windows installation goes extremely slow? Takes 10-15 minutes to get to thus screen. Installing with a CD.


----------



## pepejovi

It's slow because you're using a cd. Can you see the SSD in bios?


----------



## sakundes

subbed


----------



## NguyenAdam

Yeah I can see the SSD in the BIOS. I've installed windows plenty of times with a CD and it has never been this slow. It just stays at the blue screen loading the files until the screen finally loads for me to choose.

Edit: I have windows installed already on the SDD, but I need to reinstall again because there is some lag. One of the windows files may be corrupted.


----------



## NguyenAdam

Bump


----------



## NoGuru

You need to install the drivers separate. When the install asks if you want to install additional drivers choose yes and try installing IRST drivers or you may have to download a more recent version of W7.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NguyenAdam*
> 
> I get this message when I try to install Windows on my Intel 530. Also, does anyone know why my windows installation goes extremely slow? Takes 10-15 minutes to get to thus screen. Installing with a CD.


Make sure the drive is connected to the native Intel SATA port. If so, just load the intel SATA driver. That screen should not appear unless you have the drive connected to a third party SATA port.


----------



## pepejovi

Sean, any plans on making one of these babies for Windows 10 once it comes out?


----------



## Sean Webster

Yes, but it may not be here. I have to see what my boss wants first. Just know I will be doing one when it is out.


----------



## WeirdHarold

Hey Sean my next build will have an M.2 PCI express SSD, does everything in here still pertain to that type off SSD? I know there are a bunch of things I'll need to change in the UEFI in order to use the M.2 as a boot drive, but beyond that?


----------



## mark_thaddeus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WeirdHarold*
> 
> Hey Sean my next build will have an M.2 PCI express SSD, does everything in here still pertain to that type off SSD? I know there are a bunch of things I'll need to change in the UEFI in order to use the M.2 as a boot drive, but beyond that?


I don't want to go off topic but please make sure that you get an adapter with a heatsink since M.2 drives are known to hit between 80~100*C in tests:

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6372/samsung-xp941-512gb-m-2-pcie-ssd-review/index10.html

Give that a read and check out the particular adapter they got as it dropped temps to more than half!


----------



## WeirdHarold

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mark_thaddeus*
> 
> I don't want to go off topic but please make sure that you get an adapter with a heatsink since M.2 drives are known to hit between 80~100*C in tests:
> 
> http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6372/samsung-xp941-512gb-m-2-pcie-ssd-review/index10.html
> 
> Give that a read and check out the particular adapter they got as it dropped temps to more than half!


Thanks for the info and for the link to that review, in light of this I think I'll let the M.2 drives mature as a technology a bit before I drop one into my system and I think I'll just grab a new standard SSD for my new build instead.

+ Rep


----------



## joselemos86

Hi, Sean. I came across your thread doing a search in Google about how to install Windows 7 in a 2.2.+ TB hdd. What a marvellous job have you done. But, the thing is that I have not found *"1\Windows\boot\efi\bootmgfw.efi"* in my install.wim file. Any clues? Or should I download a ISO from Digital River? (All Win7 DVD I have are AIO untouched, only edited to have all Windows versions in it). Thanks in advance.
*EDIT*: I managed to get the EFI file, but I can't install Windows in my WD Black 4TB. My specs are: ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0, AMD FX-8350, SAPPHIRE RADEON R9 270X VAPOR-X, 16GB DDR3 G.SKILL SNIPPER. I've already configured the BIOS but I can't install Windows in GPT partition. (video card has aso a button to enable/disable UEFI mode). So, what should I do?


----------



## eBombzor

What do you mean you can't install it? Is there an error message during the install? Did you format the drive in GPT accordingly before the Windows install?


----------



## joselemos86

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eBombzor*
> 
> What do you mean you can't install it? Is there an error message during the install? Did you format the drive in GPT accordingly before the Windows install?


Yes, I did. I get a "Windows can't be installed in this disk, the selected disk has GPT partition style" message. Disabling the CSM module does not allow me to boot from flash drive.


----------



## ozlay

anyone know how to move the cache in opera 27?


----------



## Lionheart1980

Hey Sean, i have a question.. i just bought a SSD and i'm planning to do a fresh install with the SSD and move my HDD as storage for others like steam and stuff... Since i was told to update my SSD (Sandisk Ext. 10 yrs warranty) should i update it while im on my old setup or do it after fresh install and do update within?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lionheart1980*
> 
> Hey Sean, i have a question.. i just bought a SSD and i'm planning to do a fresh install with the SSD and move my HDD as storage for others like steam and stuff... Since i was told to update my SSD (Sandisk Ext. 10 yrs warranty) should i update it while im on my old setup or do it after fresh install and do update within?


First see if it needs an update, i don't think there is one for it...let me know if you find one. But, as for doing it before or after it usually doesn't matter. I would just do it now before the fresh install.


----------



## Lionheart1980

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> First see if it needs an update, i don't think there is one for it...let me know if you find one. But, as for doing it before or after it usually doesn't matter. I would just do it now before the fresh install.


Meaning i should hook it up to my usb 3.0 interface or internal hook up and do up date?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lionheart1980*
> 
> Meaning i should hook it up to my usb 3.0 interface or internal hook up and do up date?


Usually you have to have it connected over the SATA interface.


----------



## Lionheart1980

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Usually you have to have it connected over the SATA interface.


k, thanks. But the update are rarely needed, correct? I got mine from Sandisk as replacement.. ExtremePro SSD 480GB.. 10 yrs warranty

Just got it from them this week.. so its fairly new and updated then right?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lionheart1980*
> 
> k, thanks. But the update are rarely needed, correct? I got mine from Sandisk as replacement.. ExtremePro SSD 480GB.. 10 yrs warranty
> 
> Just got it from them this week.. so its fairly new and updated then right?


Like i said, check their site to see if there is an update, there most likely is not one. If there is an update you should typically update the drive...its the same as a firmware update for a motherboard.


----------



## Lionheart1980

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Like i said, check their site to see if there is an update, there most likely is not one. If there is an update you should typically update the drive...its the same as a firmware update for a motherboard.


Already done.. all good. Thanks.


----------



## mark_thaddeus

Hey Sean!

I have an MX100 and I've had it for 4 months and 2 weeks and I noticed that my total Host writes are listed at 1806 GB, at least according to Crystal DiskInfo. Is this normal? How do I find out which program keeps writing to it?

Here's a screenshot of it, hopefully you guys can help me!



I have my OS running on it with a few games (which i hardly play now) together with HWinfo and Xtreme Tuner Plus (Galaxy OC tool). I do have utorrent installed on it but all of the files are on a separate disk.

Looking at the power on hours, it's at 1681 hours running with a total write of 1807 GB (1.807 TB - is this right?). That comes out to 1 GB per hour or something right (1807 GB / 1681 Hours = 1.075 GB / hr)?

EDIT: I did follow the steps in this guide and even did the optimizations section except for moving the USER Folder locations to a secondary HDD.


----------



## Sean Webster

I use SSD ready to track down any writes to the drive: http://www.ssdready.com/

Your write usage is normal. Plus the drive is rated for 72TB writes. So at 4TB a year that is 18 years of use out of that drive lol.


----------



## mark_thaddeus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I use SSD ready to track down any writes to the drive: http://www.ssdready.com/
> 
> Your write usage is normal. Plus the drive is rated for 72TB writes. So at 4TB a year that is 18 years of use out of that drive lol.


Thanks Sean!


----------



## Micaela

Hi Sean, thanks for this tutorial!

This is my current drive configuration:



My question is, in addition to removing the HDD prior to installing Windows, will I need to remove the 80GB mSATA also?

I am installing Windows on the SSD (I will also be using it for many programs) and creating a caching device with the mSATA. For some reason the person I bought this from installed Windows on the HDD and left the other two blank, other than the system recovery partition on the SSD. I only have a few programs installed at the moment, and almost no files. Wiping everything will be no problem.

I'm still reading through the tutorial and I have one for the mSATA caching. Is there any other advice you could give to a n00b?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Micaela*
> 
> Hi Sean, thanks for this tutorial!
> 
> This is my current drive configuration:
> 
> 
> 
> My question is, in addition to removing the HDD prior to installing Windows, will I need to remove the 80GB mSATA also?
> 
> I am installing Windows on the SSD (I will also be using it for many programs) and creating a caching device with the mSATA. For some reason the person I bought this from installed Windows on the HDD and left the other two blank, other than the system recovery partition on the SSD. I only have a few programs installed at the moment, and almost no files. Wiping everything will be no problem.
> 
> I'm still reading through the tutorial and I have one for the mSATA caching. Is there any other advice you could give to a n00b?


Remove every drive but the drive you are installing the OS on.


----------



## Micaela

Thank you. I thought so, but wanted to make sure.


----------



## hurricane28

Hi folks,

I have some troubles with my desktop gadgets, if i boot my PC sometimes the gadgets are not shown and the service don't even start up.

I saw that there was an hotfix but when i tried to install it it says that its not for my Computer lol

Anyone knows how to fix this? I rather like the gadgets so its very annoying that i have to reboot my PC in order to make them work correctly.

Thnx in advance.


----------



## hesselmid

Hi there! I'm preparing my first ever build and what to have an extensive plan before beginning the building process.

Sean's guide is very illuminating. The only part that confuses me is about formatting the SSD as MBR or GPT. Sean recommends MBR, but is this information still accurate today? I see other people recommending GPT, and don't know which to chose.

My SSD is 240GB so it's not a must I understand. I hope some of you can help me sort this out!


----------



## Lionheart1980

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hesselmid*
> 
> Hi there! I'm preparing my first ever build and what to have an extensive plan before beginning the building process.
> 
> Sean's guide is very illuminating. The only part that confuses me is about formatting the SSD as MBR or GPT. Sean recommends MBR, but is this information still accurate today? I see other people recommending GPT, and don't know which to chose.
> 
> My SSD is 240GB so it's not a must I understand. I hope some of you can help me sort this out!


MBR is fine.. GPT is for size more than 3 TB to recognize


----------



## Lionheart1980

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hurricane28*
> 
> Hi folks,
> 
> I have some troubles with my desktop gadgets, if i boot my PC sometimes the gadgets are not shown and the service don't even start up.
> 
> I saw that there was an hotfix but when i tried to install it it says that its not for my Computer lol
> 
> Anyone knows how to fix this? I rather like the gadgets so its very annoying that i have to reboot my PC in order to make them work correctly.
> 
> Thnx in advance.


Try this.. uninstall the gadget.. then reboot and install the gadget again. It should fix the issues.


----------



## MooMoo

When I read about that first page first, I saw "Although not currently applicable to SSDs, GPT disks can exceed the 2.2TB bootable limit of a MBR partitioned drive." Now I checked it again, and saw it was written in 2011, so now Im wondering too is GPT working with SSD or not? I would like to try it because its newer stuff and I read somewhere it could make boot little bit faster.


----------



## Sean Webster

You could always use gpt, i was refering to ssd capacity. If you wamt faster boot there are a lot of other requirements other than your os drive being gpt. If you really want faster boot, use windows 8.


----------



## hesselmid

So you would still recommend using MBR for Windows 7 on a 240GB SSD?


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lionheart1980*
> 
> ...MBR is fine.. GPT is for size more than 3 TB to recognize


Actually, 2.2TB is the figure. For 3TB to be recognized, one would need to use GPT.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hesselmid*
> 
> So you would still recommend using MBR for Windows 7 on a 240GB SSD?


I would.


----------



## MooMoo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You could always use gpt, i was refering to ssd capacity. If you wamt faster boot there are a lot of other requirements other than your os drive being gpt. If you really want faster boot, use windows 8.


Oh, okey. I know I could do much other things and I've done to make faster boot, but wanted to experience GPT myself, so I'll give it try! I'll skip Win8 and jump straight to Win10 when it comes out









Btw is there any good updated guide to use Win Toolkit? I've only found one from here, which is little outdated and one from their forums, which is kinda diffucult to get in to.


----------



## Junglist-Jay

Hi

Been on here a few time but never set up an account, now I'm stuck so thought I better had to get some good advice.

I'm trying to do a fresh install of windows 7 on a 128gb sandisk ultra plus but when I get to the screen that gives me the drive options I have tried to format it and clicked new to make the partition it says can't install to this drive check your bios. I have changed it to AHCI mode but then my bios doesn't detect any drives even though they flash up on a screen that's too quick to read properly just before entering the bios screen. It won't let me install windows with it in IDE (where it detects the drives) or AHCI (where it doesn't). It just gets to the same point every time! I have checked my bios is up to date, have the latest firmware etc, but still nothing.

I'm normally messing about with laptops and have installed 4 SSD's so far, with no problems. I put 1 in my PS3 2 days ago, very easy to do, so I thought putting 1 in a PC would be straight forward, so far I have spent half a day trying to do this seemingly simple task to no avail!

Please can someone help me, any ideas would be great!

Have to say thank you to Sean for the best guide I have come across. Usually use tune up utilities to do some of those tasks but I would prefer to not have an extra program running so will be doing them myself from now on.

Does anyone still have a link to the PDF version the 1 at the start is no good anymore?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> Oh, okey. I know I could do much other things and I've done to make faster boot, but wanted to experience GPT myself, so I'll give it try! I'll skip Win8 and jump straight to Win10 when it comes out
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Btw is there any good updated guide to use Win Toolkit? I've only found one from here, which is little outdated and one from their forums, which is kinda diffucult to get in to.


I am not sure. I haven't used it in a long while either. lol

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Junglist-Jay*
> 
> Hi
> 
> Been on here a few time but never set up an account, now I'm stuck so thought I better had to get some good advice.
> 
> I'm trying to do a fresh install of windows 7 on a 128gb sandisk ultra plus but when I get to the screen that gives me the drive options I have tried to format it and clicked new to make the partition it says can't install to this drive check your bios. I have changed it to AHCI mode but then my bios doesn't detect any drives even though they flash up on a screen that's too quick to read properly just before entering the bios screen. It won't let me install windows with it in IDE (where it detects the drives) or AHCI (where it doesn't). It just gets to the same point every time! I have checked my bios is up to date, have the latest firmware etc, but still nothing.
> 
> I'm normally messing about with laptops and have installed 4 SSD's so far, with no problems. I put 1 in my PS3 2 days ago, very easy to do, so I thought putting 1 in a PC would be straight forward, so far I have spent half a day trying to do this seemingly simple task to no avail!
> 
> Please can someone help me, any ideas would be great!
> 
> Have to say thank you to Sean for the best guide I have come across. Usually use tune up utilities to do some of those tasks but I would prefer to not have an extra program running so will be doing them myself from now on.
> 
> Does anyone still have a link to the PDF version the 1 at the start is no good anymore?


When you use AHCI you may have to just load your SATA driver manually during install so the drive shows up. What motherboard are you using?

I also just the PDF link. Sorry about that, been busy.


----------



## Tykjen

Fantastic guide!


----------



## hurricane28

Disabling the page file gave me so much trouble that i start using it again, so not all "optimizations" are actually beneficial and can really do harm on Windows so be careful what you are doing especially with regestry editing.

Windows doesn't like to be tweaked and some things are just there for a reason and when you disable these things or settings it can really mes up your OS over time.

I got the weirdest issues while i was "optimizing" windows so i stopped and revert everything and its working fine again.

Also the tutorial on making an custom OS with drivers etc. is not working and gives all kinds of weird issues.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hurricane28*
> 
> Disabling the page file gave me so much trouble that i start using it again, so not all "optimizations" are actually beneficial and can really do harm on Windows so be careful what you are doing especially with regestry editing.
> 
> Windows doesn't like to be tweaked and some things are just there for a reason and when you disable these things or settings it can really mes up your OS over time.
> 
> I got the weirdest issues while i was "optimizing" windows so i stopped and revert everything and its working fine again.
> 
> Also the tutorial on making an custom OS with drivers etc. is not working and gives all kinds of weird issues.


Well, that is why I say to simply shrink it and not to disable it. 

I can make a custom OS w/ updates no issue. I just did one the other day using Win Toolkit.


----------



## hurricane28

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Well, that is why I say to simply shrink it and not to disable it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can make a custom OS w/ updates no issue. I just did one the other day using Win Toolkit.


Even when i shrink it to 2048mb i get weird issues in Windows like my some programs don't start normally on a cold boot so i have to restart in order to get them working again..

Also my desktop gadgets don always run on a cold boot and sometimes i have to do several restarts in order to get them to work..

I also tried the win toolkit and it doesn't work at all.. i installed my chipset drivers and installed the windows but i get nothing but trouble with it, IMO just install a normal WIndows and leave it a lone if you want to make it work correctly.

These so called "optimizations" are nothing but trouble and causes Windows corruption.. the only things you can disable is hybernation and trim etc. the rest causing windows corruptions and other weird issues...


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hurricane28*
> 
> Even when i shrink it to 2048mb i get weird issues in Windows like my some programs don't start normally on a cold boot so i have to restart in order to get them working again..
> 
> Also my desktop gadgets don always run on a cold boot and sometimes i have to do several restarts in order to get them to work..
> 
> I also tried the win toolkit and it doesn't work at all.. i installed my chipset drivers and installed the windows but i get nothing but trouble with it, IMO just install a normal WIndows and leave it a lone if you want to make it work correctly.
> 
> These so called "optimizations" are nothing but trouble and causes Windows corruption.. the only things you can disable is hybernation and trim etc. the rest causing windows corruptions and other weird issues...


Seems like your Windows image is corrupt or you have corrupt hardware or drivers. Otherwise this is the first i've heard of your issues. Nothing here causes Windows corruption. Guaranteed. Tell me what you think causes corruptions in the install and optimization guide?

And Win Toolkit does work fine. You just don't know what you are doing apparently. I'm making a Windows 8.1 Update ISO with it now...and like I said, I made a Windows 7 one the other day.


----------



## Forde3654Eire

I'd just like to throw in this... I live and breath this guide everyday, keep a print-out of the PDF version in my drawer all the time. I've done countless installations of a number of computers, my own, parents' computer, each worked flawlessly every time, no issues no troubles.

I work on my desktop and laptop everyday with a very deep feeling of satisfaction and gratitude towards this guide... it just makes my life better to be able to do my work with no computer-related headaches. Everything just works and works perfectly... so thanks a billion Sean!


----------



## hurricane28

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Seems like your Windows image is corrupt or you have corrupt hardware or drivers. Otherwise this is the first i've heard of your issues. Nothing here causes Windows corruption. Guaranteed. Tell me what you think causes corruptions in the install and optimization guide?
> 
> And Win Toolkit does work fine. You just don't know what you are doing apparently. I'm making a Windows 8.1 Update ISO with it now...and like I said, I made a Windows 7 one the other day.


At first i disabled the page file and i got all kinds of errors, than i set it to 2048mb and still have weird issues like my desktop gadgets won't start at a cold boot, HWINFO64 won't boot, internet browser freezing and acting weird, the list goes on and on.

Now i am using page file again and the problems are not there anymore, so there is no other conclusion that messing with page file cause all kinds of problems.. Also a lot of programs actually utilize the page file so messing with it can only causing problems, period. I played a few games that need the page file and when ever i set it to 2048 or even 4096mb i still get problems and error codes, so for better performance and a correct working windows, leave the page file a lone.

I have no virus or malware or anything else for that matter because i have NOD32 internet security and malwarebytes installed and those are to be considered one of the best programs to have.

I also run sfc/scannow to see if there are any corrupted files but there were none, windows also feels just a lot better when i start using page file again. Its there for a reason it seems and it doesn't like it if you mess with it.

I tried inserting my chipset drivers in a windows and i have nothing but trouble with my chipset drivers and now i cannot install anything else anymore, so i need to do a fresh install all over again in order for the chipset drivers to work properly again.

I don't know what went wrong because i only inserted my AMD chipset drivers in that particular windows but i get nothing but troubles and it seems i cannot remove the drivers in order to install new or older ones.


----------



## Junglist-Jay

Hi Sean

Thanks for the quick response, would have got back to you sooner but the morons doing work on my block of flats managed to cut through my broadband cable on Thursday and it has only just been sorted today!

I am currently using a Foxconn A74ML-K mobo. Not quite sure what you mean by installing the SATA drivers manually? How would I go about doing that before I get windows on the thing? Where are they being installed too? The drive does show up on the installing windows screen where it gives me the options to format it and create a new partition but won't let me partition the drive to put windows on.
Also do you have any idea why changing to AHCI would make my DVD drive not recognised in the BIOS as well as the SSD?

Sorry if some of these questions are a bit noobish but I am more of a mechanic than a programmer!

Thanks for the PDF link, the saved web page I was using was being a bit temperamental.

@hurricane28, sounds like you're having a bit of a bad time. I have used this guide to install and set up Windows 7 4 times since I came across it last week and everything has been working nice and smooth for me.


----------



## hurricane28

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Junglist-Jay*
> 
> Hi Sean
> 
> Thanks for the quick response, would have got back to you sooner but the morons doing work on my block of flats managed to cut through my broadband cable on Thursday and it has only just been sorted today!
> 
> I am currently using a Foxconn A74ML-K mobo. Not quite sure what you mean by installing the SATA drivers manually? How would I go about doing that before I get windows on the thing? Where are they being installed too? The drive does show up on the installing windows screen where it gives me the options to format it and create a new partition but won't let me partition the drive to put windows on.
> Also do you have any idea why changing to AHCI would make my DVD drive not recognised in the BIOS as well as the SSD?
> 
> Sorry if some of these questions are a bit noobish but I am more of a mechanic than a programmer!
> 
> Thanks for the PDF link, the saved web page I was using was being a bit temperamental.
> 
> @hurricane28, *sounds like you're having a bit of a bad time.* I have used this guide to install and set up Windows 7 4 times since I came across it last week and everything has been working nice and smooth for me.


Yeah man, i starting to dislike Windows a great deal because of these stupid problems.

Lately i have all kinds of strange problems, especially with the Windows updates. One in particular causes me chipset issues, after deleting it the problem is still there.

There is no other solution than to reinstall Windows again i am afraid...


----------



## Batou

Hey guys, i still check this guide everytime i reinstall windows 7 64 on my little sugo, so thank a lot Sean. Most of the thing i did learn went from Ocn, i own you many cookies guys. Now i really hope i am not disturbing anyone or going off-topic, if so please delete or move this post. I'm quite surprised that many people are using windows 8/8.1/10. I didn't find any windows 7 vs windows 10 thread here on ocn, but or i am gonna be too aged, or i just think all non windows 7 users are just crazy. I mean, i love this system, nothing is more customizable and easy to understand than 7, i hate apps, and for what i know there's no way to get 8/8.1/10 without apps/cloud/windows live and such boring stuffs i don't need. I mean, i think really that my operating system, more than all, must meet my needs, and only those, nothing more. My CPU must work just for me, not for any other process, apart from what i am doing at a specified time, plus basic system operations. 7 does this for me. As for the future of all goods, customization is the most important thing, that's what i know as a marketing manager. My windows 7 has half of the services down, never had a single issue, startup time is 11-12 secs with a samsung ssd, no hybernation, suspend or such. My pc is now 5 years old, it still does his job so good, i did try, and try again windows 8, and a week ago i tested windows 10, such a disappointment, i really cannot believe it seems that windows is taking a smartphone system direction. I can understand some useless gadget easily disinstallable from 7, but 8.1 and 10 are just like a super furnished house when i just asked for walls. Hope i'm not offending anyone, would be really interested to know if i'm alone on this thought, or someone there, between many hardware enthusiast like i am (mostly thankful to this forum, where i read so much and write so rarely), have something to say about it. Maybe i could learn something. Thanks to those trying to undestand my crappy english, hope someone can comment this in any way. Have a nice evening


----------



## Junglist-Jay

Alright people?

Hurricane, looks like you may have to bite the bullet and go for the fresh install! If windows starts not running right for me and none of the conventional methods (ie. ccleaner) solve the problems. I don't have much knowledge when it comes to programming, so it's backup my data and reinstall windows! Not much of a problem for me as I always have plenty of hard drives knocking about. All running smooth again in around 2 hours.

Batou, totally agree mate, 7 was the peak. I'm using windows either on a laptop or a pc not a tablet! What are all the tiles about? Why is there no UI options? They gave a glimmer of hope with the 8.1 update that was supposed to bring back the start menu but all they did was bring back the start button, it still takes you to the same annoying selection of tiles! Total let down. Now I have read that 7 is a bit chunky because it's built on top of vista which is built on top of xp, whereas 8 is supposed to be a fresh start from the ground up which is why it has quicker boot, is more responsive etc. but why couldn't they have done that but kept it the same layout as 7 rather than the gimmicky, touch screen oriented shambles that they created? At the very least they should have built in a UI option that let you choose between 7 style or the tiles!
Saying that though, I can't really say I've ever had a problem with its chunkyness. Every laptop of pc I have put it on has run it fine, the load up time wasn't always brilliant but this can now be solved by an ssd (if I ever get the thing to work in my pc).
I consider myself to be quite lucky as I managed to get hold of a completely bare version of 7 professional so I can add only the things I want. Unlike all the copies of 8 I have had that are rammed full of useless rubbish that I don't want. I haven't tried out 10 yet and from what you say I probably won't bother.
So for the years of service it has done me (and what looks like many years to come) I must thank microsoft for creating windows 7.

And also Sean for sharing his knowledge!

Peace


----------



## Methodical

Question. I need to change my SSD drive to a larger one and will most likely have to reinstall windows. If I've used both licenses, will I run into a problem reinstalling Win7 again? Will I have to get Microsoft to unlock the license or something?

Thanks...Al


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Junglist-Jay*
> 
> I am currently using a Foxconn A74ML-K mobo. Not quite sure what you mean by installing the SATA drivers manually? How would I go about doing that before I get windows on the thing? Where are they being installed too? The drive does show up on the installing windows screen where it gives me the options to format it and create a new partition but won't let me partition the drive to put windows on.


Did you get it working?

Quote:


> Also do you have any idea why changing to AHCI would make my DVD drive not recognised in the BIOS as well as the SSD?


Because the SATA chipset is not detected by windows/windows does not have the proper sata chipset driver to detect it. Thus you load the chipset inf driver, you need to download it from the mobo manufacturers site.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Methodical*
> 
> Question. I need to change my SSD drive to a larger one and will most likely have to reinstall windows. If I've used both licenses, will I run into a problem reinstalling Win7 again? Will I have to get Microsoft to unlock the license or something?
> 
> Thanks...Al


Just clone it over, the license is simply tied to the motherboard. That is all. No reinstall and now reactivation needed. Just clone.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Junglist-Jay*
> 
> I am currently using a Foxconn A74ML-K mobo. Not quite sure what you mean by installing the SATA drivers manually? How would I go about doing that before I get windows on the thing? Where are they being installed too? The drive does show up on the installing windows screen where it gives me the options to format it and create a new partition but won't let me partition the drive to put windows on.
> 
> 
> 
> Did you get it working?
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Also do you have any idea why changing to AHCI would make my DVD drive not recognised in the BIOS as well as the SSD?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Because the SATA chipset is not detected by windows/windows does not have the proper sata chipset driver to detect it. Thus you load the chipset inf driver, you need to download it from the mobo manufacturers site.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Methodical*
> 
> Question. I need to change my SSD drive to a larger one and will most likely have to reinstall windows. If I've used both licenses, will I run into a problem reinstalling Win7 again? Will I have to get Microsoft to unlock the license or something?
> 
> Thanks...Al
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Just clone it over, the license is simply tied to the motherboard. That is all. No reinstall and now reactivation needed. Just clone.
Click to expand...

X2 on the cloning. I've done it several times. A good program to use is Macrium Reflect Free (here is a good tutorial on how to use Macrium Reflect).


----------



## Methodical

Thanks^^^^ Question. I see folks here mentioning reinstalling Windows like 7 times or something. Are they cloning, too?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Methodical*
> 
> Thanks^^^^ Question. I see folks here mentioning reinstalling Windows like 7 times or something. Are they cloning, too?


IDK, I have reinstalled Windows hundreds of times literally and cloned hundreds of times. If your system is running fine, just clone it.


----------



## Methodical

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> IDK, I have reinstalled Windows hundreds of times literally and cloned hundreds of times. If your system is running fine, just clone it.


Yeah, it's running fine, I am just running out of space, so I need to upgrade to a larger SSD? When you reinstall windows do you just reuse the same license code and have no problems doing so? Which clone program do you use?

Thanks...Al


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Methodical*
> 
> Yeah, it's running fine, I am just running out of space, so I need to upgrade to a larger SSD? When you reinstall windows do you just reuse the same license code and have no problems doing so? Which clone program do you use?
> 
> Thanks...Al


Yea, upgrade to a larger SSD if you need more speed.

If you have an OEM system the Windows Key is tied to the mobo if you ever need to reinstall you can use that key. If you have a retail Windows key you can use it on any system.

I use Acronis True Image, but there are tons of others like Fitz mentioned.


----------



## Methodical

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Yea, upgrade to a larger SSD if you need more speed.
> 
> If you have an OEM system the Windows Key is tied to the mobo if you ever need to reinstall you can use that key. If you have a retail Windows key you can use it on any system.
> 
> I use Acronis True Image, but there are tons of others like Fitz mentioned.


My apologies. I wasn't clear. I already have the SSD drive (Samsung 850 Pro 256gb), I just need to get off my butt and get busy. I've dragged my feet on this too long and I know I'd better get it done before it catches up with me. I just realized Samsung has it's own cloning software. Is it any good for cloning? Thanks for the other cloner software.

The computer is my build; they are in my signature. Both of them need upgrading. I guess 120gb was big back in 2011.

Al


----------



## Sean Webster

It works.


----------



## Methodical

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It works.


Cool. Thanks


----------



## Junglist-Jay

Quote:
Quote:


> Originally Posted by Junglist-Jay View Post
> 
> I am currently using a Foxconn A74ML-K mobo. Not quite sure what you mean by installing the SATA drivers manually? How would I go about doing that before I get windows on the thing? Where are they being installed too? The drive does show up on the installing windows screen where it gives me the options to format it and create a new partition but won't let me partition the drive to put windows on.
> *
> Did you get it working?*


No mate, still stuck in a never ending circle of either:
Without AHCI mode on.

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

Everything shows up detected in the first page of BIOS menu.

or
With AHCI mode on.

Error: 0x80300001

Nothing shows up detected in first page of BIOS menu. Shows up on the windows installation screen but can't create the right partition to install windows. Can only create "Disk 0 Partition 1".

Quote:
Quote:


> Also do you have any idea why changing to AHCI would make my DVD drive not recognised in the BIOS as well as the SSD?
> 
> *Because the SATA chipset is not detected by windows/windows does not have the proper sata chipset driver to detect it. Thus you load the chipset inf driver, you need to download it from the mobo manufacturers site.*


Have tried installing the chipset drivers, got them from Foxconn site and put them on a usb stick, but windows says in cant find any signed drivers to install.

Sorry if this is me just being stupid, but I can't figure out why my mobo would need windows or the chipset drivers installed for the BIOS to detect the sata drives. Like I said I have installed a few in laptops before and haven't had this issue, they just show up.

Sorry don't know how to use the "Quote" feature properly!


----------



## Sean Webster

Try plugging the drives into different SATA ports? Others have had the same issue as you and it has always been with AMD system...

Are you using a USB to install or DVD?

Did you run the diskpart clean command to wipe the SSD before you tried to install?

To force unsigned drivers during install....I forgot lol. I have a ton of stuff im doing lately and don't have much time to look into it.


----------



## Junglist-Jay

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Try plugging the drives into different SATA ports? Others have had the same issue as you and it has always been with AMD system...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you using a USB to install or DVD?
> 
> Did you run the diskpart clean command to wipe the SSD before you tried to install?
> 
> To force unsigned drivers during install....I forgot lol. I have a ton of stuff im doing lately and don't have much time to look into it.


I have tried all 4 SATA ports. I'm using a DVD to install, have been using the same disk for years now.

No, I have had it in the disk manager and quick formatted and created a partition like I have with the others.

How do you force the unsigned drivers? Or enter run commands at the installation point?

No worries mate, I appreciate you taking the time to try and help me out. I normally manage to solve problems on my own with some research and trial and error but I am proper stumped with this!


----------



## Methodical

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> It works.


The Samsung cloning software was so easy to use that I am going to buy a Samsung SSD instead of using the old one (OCZ Vertex 120 gb) in my other computer; it has a 60 gb SSD. Plus, I think 128 gb will be too small now and get filled pretty quickly, so I will probably go with another 850 pro 256 gb, so I won't be doing this again anytime soon. It took less than 15 minutes. The computer boots so much faster now. I was concerned because their instruction stated that I needed to have at least 20% free space for the cloning to work; I only had just over 1 gb, but it chugged along and now I am good for awhile. Those window updates were killing me.

Thanks again...Al


----------



## Junglist-Jay

Really can't figure this out, so I'm guessing there's something wrong with my motherboard. I've decided to get a new one, just got myself an XFX MI-A78S-8209 for £30. Time for a RAM upgrade, now I have 2 extra slots!

Thanks for your help Sean, and thanks again for your great guide.


----------



## NameMakingSux

Why does it keep saying "This platform is not supported" when I try to run the intel RST setup....

I've formatted my computer plenty of times with the same hardware and it's always let me install it before. This is annoying.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NameMakingSux*
> 
> Why does it keep saying "This platform is not supported" when I try to run the intel RST setup....
> 
> I've formatted my computer plenty of times with the same hardware and it's always let me install it before. This is annoying.


Typically it is due to either there being no drives connected to the Intel SATA ports or net framework 4.0 not being installed. Or it could be in IDE mode.


----------



## Methodical

Question. When you install new RAM does Windows automatically reset the page file to match the size of the new RAM. The reason I ask is because I just installed some new RAM and checked page file and it had 16gb, but I know for sure that I set that it to a lower limit when I built my system back in 2011. Just curious.

Thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Methodical*
> 
> Question. When you install new RAM does Windows automatically reset the page file to match the size of the new RAM. The reason I ask is because I just installed some new RAM and checked page file and it had 16gb, but I know for sure that I set that it to a lower limit when I built my system back in 2011. Just curious.
> 
> Thanks


I'm pretty sure it does.


----------



## Methodical

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I'm pretty sure it does.


Alright thanks


----------



## Junglist-Jay

Got all my new board and CPU running now, couple of delays due to wrong cable and heatsink mount breaking. SSD worked straight away no problems, must have been an issue with my old board. Just used your guide again to set everything up, running nice and smooth, 10-15 seconds boot time, all nice and responsive. Just a shame I couldn't get it to work without having to skint myself, well happy with my upgrade though.

Thanks again for your help Sean. You are the SSD king!


----------



## Trifecta Smoke

Apologies for typos, as im on my phone.

Finished my second build last night and I ran into some problems Installing wkndows, while attempting to fix it, I may have accidentally bricked my SSD.

This SSD was previously used in my old system and was in IDE since I did not know any better so this time around I started out by entering BIOS and switching to AHCI from IDE. After doing so, proceded to boot windows7 from my USB stick, formatted the SSD because it still had my OS from my old computer. Created a new partition and the 100mb partition and proceded to install windows7. Immediately and error popped up, error0x80070057. I also noticed there was another partition labeled "gsp1rmcprxfrer" that had about 7.5GB used. Tried to delete the partition but couldnt, so thinking that was the problem... Went to repair, then into cmdprompt to format the drive, I then proceded to delete that gsp1rmcprxfrer partition. It deleted the partition, but now trying to install windows7, it says the SSD now needs drivers and gives me options to browse for drivers. I fear that I may have bricked the SSD by removing a crucial partition for operation. also somehow corrupted my windows7 usb boot-stick, and to make matters worse, I no longer have a working computer.

TLDR; got error0x80070057 while trying to install windows7, deleted a possibly crucial partition, now W7 installer wont recognize SSD.

Anyone got any advice or should I send the SSD in for repair?
Afterthought notes:
Before I even deleted that partition, I also tried switching sata ports, sata cables. Still dont know what caused the initial error.

System Specs for reference:
Evga z97 Stinger wifi mITX
i5-4690K
evga 970 SSC
Samsung 840 EVO 500gb


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Junglist-Jay*
> 
> Got all my new board and CPU running now, couple of delays due to wrong cable and heatsink mount breaking. SSD worked straight away no problems, must have been an issue with my old board. Just used your guide again to set everything up, running nice and smooth, 10-15 seconds boot time, all nice and responsive. Just a shame I couldn't get it to work without having to skint myself, well happy with my upgrade though.
> 
> Thanks again for your help Sean. You are the SSD king!












Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Trifecta Smoke*
> 
> Apologies for typos, as im on my phone.
> 
> Finished my second build last night and I ran into some problems Installing wkndows, while attempting to fix it, I may have accidentally bricked my SSD.
> 
> This SSD was previously used in my old system and was in IDE since I did not know any better so this time around I started out by entering BIOS and switching to AHCI from IDE. After doing so, proceded to boot windows7 from my USB stick, formatted the SSD because it still had my OS from my old computer. Created a new partition and the 100mb partition and proceded to install windows7. Immediately and error popped up, error0x80070057. I also noticed there was another partition labeled "gsp1rmcprxfrer" that had about 7.5GB used. Tried to delete the partition but couldnt, so thinking that was the problem... Went to repair, then into cmdprompt to format the drive, I then proceded to delete that gsp1rmcprxfrer partition. It deleted the partition, but now trying to install windows7, it says the SSD now needs drivers and gives me options to browse for drivers. I fear that I may have bricked the SSD by removing a crucial partition for operation. also somehow corrupted my windows7 usb boot-stick, and to make matters worse, I no longer have a working computer.
> 
> TLDR; got error0x80070057 while trying to install windows7, deleted a possibly crucial partition, now W7 installer wont recognize SSD.
> 
> Anyone got any advice or should I send the SSD in for repair?
> Afterthought notes:
> Before I even deleted that partition, I also tried switching sata ports, sata cables. Still dont know what caused the initial error.
> 
> System Specs for reference:
> Evga z97 Stinger wifi mITX
> i5-4690K
> evga 970 SSC
> Samsung 840 EVO 500gb


Your SSD should be fine. you dont need a single partition on the SSD. So any partition on it can be deleted no problem. Did you try to run the diskpart clean command on it? or secure erase it with parted magic?

You just need to make a new Windows installer. Use someone else's PC or something.

Also when installing make sure the SSD is connected to the Intel SATA port, not any other third party SATA ports.


----------



## Trifecta Smoke

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Your SSD should be fine. you dont need a single partition on the SSD. So any partition on it can be deleted no problem. Did you try to run the diskpart clean command on it? or secure erase it with parted magic?
> 
> You just need to make a new Windows installer. Use someone else's PC or something.


Yeah planning to try and get someones pc. Is there a way to run the diskclean without the w7 installer? How do I use the clean command or secure erase?

On another note, if I somehow get things running, whats the first error mean?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Trifecta Smoke*
> 
> Yeah planning to try and get someones pc. Is there a way to run the diskclean without the w7 installer? How do I use the clean command or secure erase?
> 
> On another note, if I somehow get things running, whats the first error mean?


Just follow the guide, it tells you to use the clean command in the steps. You need a Windows vista installer or newer. Or you can use gparted or similar in a linux distro. You can do a secure erase instead through parted magic: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227597/how-to-secure-erase-your-solid-state-drive-ssd-with-parted-magic

idk about the error. Dont make partition manually, just click next when it asks to install onto a volume. It will do everything for you.


----------



## Trifecta Smoke

So I got a hold of another install disk, tried doing everything you mentioned but im still hitting that error code once I get to installation. It goes to Installing (0%) and immediately error pops up.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Trifecta Smoke*
> 
> So I got a hold of another install disk, tried doing everything you mentioned but im still hitting that error code once I get to installation. It goes to Installing (0%) and immediately error pops up.


Try another drive. The SSD should be fine, but it may not be.


----------



## Trifecta Smoke

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Try another drive. The SSD should be fine, but it may not be.


Ill give it a shot,

if its worth mentioning, this happened before with this drive when I used it the first time several months ago, switching to IDE fixed the error code. However this time around both AHCI nor IDE are getting past it.


----------



## Trifecta Smoke

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Try another drive. The SSD should be fine, but it may not be.


Trying a different drive yielded similar results, which lead to me to do some investigation. Started from ground zero and switched my sata cable and sata port and tried 10 or so combinations of the two, finally found a combo that worked, oddly enough sata port 2 with the old sata cable worked..

Thank you for the support and patience Sean, much appreciated







.

on a side note... I had fedex overnight a new 850EVO drive since in the midst of the panic last night, I ordered it to replace my 840EVO. Hopefully things go smoothly again tomorrow when it arrives...


----------



## Jorvax

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xandypx*
> 
> You actually can "relocate" the Programs Files and Program Files (x86); to a different location through a registry hack... but do you really want to? What you are actually doing through the hack, is changing the default location for installing new programs, so you are not actually moving programs you have already installed.
> 
> This can still allow you to install some programs (the ones that allow you to specify an install location through a custom install; not all do), onto your SSD if that is where you want them. All others will install to the default location that you specify in the registry change.
> 
> Windows doesn't care where it loads program information from, as long as it knows the location&#8230; Programs can load from an SSD, secondary HDD, or both depending on how you installed them in the first place. One of the key benefits of an SSD is fast program load times. Programs that are installed to a secondary HDD don't benefit from the speed of the SSD. This technique can be useful for a small SSD where you only need to have your most commonly used programs on the SSD.
> 
> You unfortunately just can't move the installed programs&#8230; That requires too many registry changes, as each program writes its executable location/working files location in the registry, based on information that existed when the program was first installed. Also the App Data for each program, as you indicate, still remains on the SSD, where it should. You would need to reinstall all of the programs that you want to move off the SSD after the registry change.
> 
> TwoCables and I posted a thread on how to do this some time ago. I'll see if I can find it, and edit this post accordingly.
> 
> *EDIT: I hate that the search function is not working, so here's a write up:*
> 
> You will require a single registry edit on 32 bit installations, or 2 edits on a 64 bit installation, as indicated below:
> 
> First, after installing Windows, create a directory on your D:\ drive called "Program Files" (or whatever drive letter is associated with your secondary HDD). If you are running a 64bit version of Windows, also create a directory called "Program Files (x86)".
> *DO NOT* delete these directories from your C:\ drive (the SSD). You will ultimately use these for programs you want on your SSD.
> 
> Next, open registry editor by pushing your windows key +R. In the run dialog box, type "regedit" (without the quotes).
> 
> Before making any changes, I always recommend "exporting" the entire current registry to a file on your desktop, in case you make a mistake. You can restore the original registry you changed with this exported copy. The export command is located in the "File" menu.
> 
> Once you have exported the current registry,
> 
> expand: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion, by clicking on the arrows to expand the individual keys.
> 
> Make sure you click on CurrentVersion (it should be highlighted). On the right side, double click on ProgramFilesDir (this is the value that sets the default install location for programs).
> 
> Change its "value data" to D:\Program Files ("D" or whatever drive letter your HDD is)
> 
> With an x64 OS: There is an additional entry for ProgramFilesDir (x86). This "value data" should be changed to D:\Program Files (x86).
> 
> Just for reference, (this happens automatically&#8230; no user input required):
> 
> In a 32 bit installation, all programs are installed to the "Program Files" directory.
> In a 64 bit installation, 64bit applications are installed to "Program Files", and 32 bit applications are installed to "Program Files (x86)"
> 
> After the registry change, all program install routines will install their programs onto the secondary HDD by default. If you want a program to install to the SSD, you will need to do a "custom" install, and specify the location; (Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)") on your C:\ drive (the SSD). If you don't specifically specify a location, the program will end up on your secondary HDD. There are a few exceptions where an installer will force the program onto your C:\ drive (the SSD). Microsoft is notorious for this.


I was reading through the post and I had a question on changing the default program installation location(s). I normally partition my HDD for multiple use. When I install my programs, I change the location to an E:\ partition that I call "Programs". So, the program I'm installing will go into "E:\ProgramName". Can I leave the value set to simply the root of the partition (eg. "E:\") or does there need a folder path for Windows to follow (eg. "E:\Program Files" or "E:\Program Files (x86)")? Also, would I need separate locations for the 32-bit apps than the 64-bit apps? I appreciate the help. Now I have another place I can go to get great PC help. Thanks.


----------



## Heedehcheenuh

Can I install a SSD 240g PNY and run Windows..WoT(World of Tanks) and War Thunder and never have to worry about the SSD giving up the ghost in say 3-5 yrs? I do think the new SSD's are robust enough to do daily folding and a few games and not have to worry with them going out..then again I may be wrong. Ohhh yeah no stressing just operating 24/7.

Heedehcheenuh
Chuck D
Fold on.....


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Heedehcheenuh*
> 
> Can I install a SSD 240g PNY and run Windows..WoT(World of Tanks) and War Thunder and never have to worry about the SSD giving up the ghost in say 3-5 yrs? I do think the new SSD's are robust enough to do daily folding and a few games and not have to worry with them going out..then again I may be wrong. Ohhh yeah no stressing just operating 24/7.
> 
> Heedehcheenuh
> Chuck D
> Fold on.....


You should be fine. How much does folding write to a drive when running anyways? I never looked into it. Gaming is no problem as it barely writes anything to the SSD after install, just updates. You should be fine for 3-5 years no problem. Most SSDs can take 200+TB of writes.


----------



## Heedehcheenuh

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You should be fine. How much does folding write to a drive when running anyways? I never looked into it. Gaming is no problem as it barely writes anything to the SSD after install, just updates. You should be fine for 3-5 years no problem. Most SSDs can take 200+TB of writes.


I think it is KB's in packets and they only hit 1-2 times a day at the most. CPU and GPU downloads but I can have those run from a second drive if needed.

Thanks

Heedehcheenuh
Chuck D
Fold on.....


----------



## Heedehcheenuh

Just installed the SSD Mushkin and she rocks now. Lowest scores are memory and cpu and those are extreme at 7.2. lol Go figure right.

Heedehcheenuh
Chuck D
Fold on.....

I used Acronis to image to ssd from a raid config. Had to set bios to raid to read the boot but she is fine and fast now.


----------



## fmz65

I know this is more for a fresh install of an OS, but is it not recommended to try to clone the OS installation onto the SSD?

Also, would if a clone is "OK," would it be possible to clone only a partition or would I have to back-up the existing drive's data. Delete everything until it fits onto the SSD and then clone?

TIA!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fmz65*
> 
> I know this is more for a fresh install of an OS, but is it not recommended to try to clone the OS installation onto the SSD?
> 
> Also, would if a clone is "OK," would it be possible to clone only a partition or would I have to back-up the existing drive's data. Delete everything until it fits onto the SSD and then clone?
> 
> TIA!


If using the default settings in Macrium Reflect Free, you can clone a partition to another partition. Just make sure the destination partition is large enough to hold the occupied volume of the source partition plus 20-25%. It would be a very good idea to backup your data even if not doing this.


----------



## pepejovi

This isn't necessarily related to the OP, but I'd rather avoid making another thread for this.

My friend needs to have 2 partitions on her microSD card. W7 will only allow me to create 1 partition, and greys out all other choices in disk management.

Diskpart throws an error about either not having enough space or already having too many partitions, despite the partition being 1gb with 7 gigs of unallocated space left over.

What the hell.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> This isn't necessarily related to the OP, but I'd rather avoid making another thread for this.
> 
> My friend needs to have 2 partitions on her microSD card. W7 will only allow me to create 1 partition, and greys out all other choices in disk management.
> 
> Diskpart throws an error about either not having enough space or already having too many partitions, despite the partition being 1gb with 7 gigs of unallocated space left over.
> 
> What the hell.


Some devices can not have many partitions. I have experienced the same with some USB drives and such.


----------



## pepejovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> This isn't necessarily related to the OP, but I'd rather avoid making another thread for this.
> 
> My friend needs to have 2 partitions on her microSD card. W7 will only allow me to create 1 partition, and greys out all other choices in disk management.
> 
> Diskpart throws an error about either not having enough space or already having too many partitions, despite the partition being 1gb with 7 gigs of unallocated space left over.
> 
> What the hell.
> 
> 
> 
> Some devices can not have many partitions. I have experienced the same with some USB drives and such.
Click to expand...

Ah.. That's annoying, she bought the microSD card purely for this purpose and now can't use it :/


----------



## stilllogicz

Is it still recommended to move the users folder over to an HDD after installation?


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

You don't absolutely have to move the entire folder over. I just dragged My Documents, My Music, and My Pictures to my E: HDD and My Videos to my F: HDD. Some data does get stored in App Data so you may want to carry that over or just move the entire User folder over to avoid losing that data when restoring an image. One caveat for moving the entire User folder over, though. If you use Windows backup imaging, it will image both your C: drive and the entire drive you moved your User folder to. There are other imaging programs that don't have that problem, such as Macrium Reflect Free (here is a good tutorial on how to use Macrium Reflect).


----------



## gnolnats

I just did a clean windows 7 pro install and i have a question. I have shortcuts on my desktop to several different folders on a 1Tb HDD that i just use for storage. Whenever I click on any of these after a cold boot, it takes about 6 to 10 seconds for the folder to actually open. It seems to be ok after i have opened any of them, they all open immediately from that point on until after a reboot. What could be causing this, and more importantly is one of the setting changes in this guide to blame?

Any help/info would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Sean Webster

I have the
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gnolnats*
> 
> I just did a clean windows 7 pro install and i have a question. I have shortcuts on my desktop to several different folders on a 1Tb HDD that i just use for storage. Whenever I click on any of these after a cold boot, it takes about 6 to 10 seconds for the folder to actually open. It seems to be ok after i have opened any of them, they all open immediately from that point on until after a reboot. What could be causing this, and more importantly is one of the setting changes in this guide to blame?
> 
> Any help/info would be greatly appreciated.


thats normal, the HDDs are basically powered down until they are touched. You can change ur advanced power settings to prevent that possibly. Or use a program call nosleephd.


----------



## gnolnats

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I have the
> thats normal, the HDDs are basically powered down until they are touched. You can change ur advanced power settings to prevent that possibly. Or use a program call nosleephd.


Wow, i never knew that. I ran my last windows 7 install for years and don't remember that happening before. But, i moved my steam folder to another drive, so maybe steam was accessing that particular HDD first before i ever tried the shortcuts. Great, i thought something may be wrong.

Thanks a lot!


----------



## xenogear74

Sean - Thanks for the great guide! Question though. I did a fresh install, but running into some issues on my mobo booting but being either A) stuck on boot device with no video screen B) going to bios then getting a blinking cursor in the upper left hand of the screen.

Before I exchange the board I want to try another install. I notice there's a secure boot option in my bios, but i don't know if for Windows 7 x64 it should be enabled or not. Any suggestions?

Thanks!


----------



## agsz

Just curious, did disabling Page Filing & Write-Cache Buffer Flushing give any noticeable performance increase and/or decrease DPC Latency? I have done all of the other stuff as procedure after formatting, but never changed those two options.


----------



## Sean Webster

Dpc latency is usually related to drivers


----------



## agsz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Dpc latency is usually related to drivers


Ah ok. Regardless, really good in-depth guide. Thank you


----------



## ski-bum

I want to convert my existing MBR drives to GPT. I will do a secure erase of my OS drive (SSD) and a fresh install of Windows7. My data drives are a RAID0 array and a 2TB backup drive.
First, should I convert the RAID0 array and backup drives to GPT or just leave them as MBR? Does it really matter?
If so, how do I go about doing so for the RAID0 array? I can save everything and do fresh installs. Do I delete the volumes and convert to GPT in disk management? Do I need to convert the RAID0 array to Dynamic Disk?
Thanks in advance for your help.

Edit: I guess I've found the answer. Delete the RAID0 volume, then convert to GPT in disk manager.


----------



## agsz

Disabling 'Write-Cache Buffer Flushing' could affect every SSD and/or System differently, correct?


----------



## DroB3Y

Anyone have any iso download links, Microsoft took theirs down









edit: downloading murphy78's 5 in 1 from tpb atm, will continue to do so unless theres something cleaner, thanks


----------



## Sean Webster

Question:

Quote:


> tryin to do ur optimize ssd guide for windows 7 when i try to turn off the hib, it says I dont have permissions. what do i do?


Run CMD as admin or sign into the admin user account and try again.


----------



## Tennobanzai

I'm trying to download Windows 7 from the official site but it's only giving me the option for French or Korean. Any solutions?


----------



## diggiddi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tennobanzai*
> 
> I'm trying to download Windows 7 from the official site but it's only giving me the option for French or Korean. Any solutions?


See here http://www.overclock.net/t/1560825/win-7pro-x64-iso-download


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tennobanzai*
> 
> I'm trying to download Windows 7 from the official site but it's only giving me the option for French or Korean. Any solutions?


Are you using this link?

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows7


----------



## Tennobanzai

Yes that is the link I used. I input my product key and then it says i'm eligible to download Windows 7 Pro. Then in the drop down for languages it says French or Korean only. Doesn't make any sense since I bought this CD key from the US Microsoft store and everything i've done with this key is in English.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tennobanzai*
> 
> Yes that is the link I used. I input my product key and then it says i'm eligible to download Windows 7 Pro. Then in the drop down for languages it says French or Korean only. Doesn't make any sense since I bought this CD key from the US Microsoft store and everything i've done with this key is in English.


Weird. IDK.


----------



## eBombzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tennobanzai*
> 
> Yes that is the link I used. I input my product key and then it says i'm eligible to download Windows 7 Pro. Then in the drop down for languages it says French or Korean only. Doesn't make any sense since I bought this CD key from the US Microsoft store and everything i've done with this key is in English.


Happened to me as well. You have to use Microsoft's live chat in order for them to download the iso for you. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us

The Microsoft guy used remote connections to control your desktop and downloaded the iso from some PUBLIC ip website. I don't know if I can post it here or not.

There is also a subreddit on reddit that has all of the digital river Windows (from 7-10) iso's on the sidebar (from a different source), but I'm not sure if I can post it here.


----------



## MR-e

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone can help me out with installing from a usb 3.0 device. I used "ISO to USB" to create a bootable usb stick with my windows 7 iso, however, I want to run the install on a usb 3.0 stick with the usb 3.0 port.

To do this, my understanding is that I'll need to integrate usb 3.0 drivers since they're not native with win 7. I have an Asrock x99m Fatality 3.1 motherboard, can I get instructions on how to integrate usb 3.0 drivers please?

Thanks!

PS - Looking forward to Sean's Win10 optimization guide in the future


----------



## MooMoo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sexpot*
> 
> Hey guys,
> 
> Just wondering if anyone can help me out with installing from a usb 3.0 device. I used "ISO to USB" to create a bootable usb stick with my windows 7 iso, however, I want to run the install on a usb 3.0 stick with the usb 3.0 port.
> 
> To do this, my understanding is that I'll need to integrate usb 3.0 drivers since they're not native with win 7. I have an Asrock x99m Fatality 3.1 motherboard, can I get instructions on how to integrate usb 3.0 drivers please?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> PS - Looking forward to Sean's Win10 optimization guide in the future


I would be interest as well







. I once tried to get it work on USB 3.0 but after installing process I got error in the end. I ended up thinking that my mobo is too old for better USB 3.0 support and settled for USB 2. The speeds were amazing, took like about 2min to install it. When it takes about 5min with USB 2, overall less than 10min to the first sight of desktop.


----------



## MR-e

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> I would be interest as well
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . I once tried to get it work on USB 3.0 but after installing process I got error in the end. I ended up thinking that my mobo is too old for better USB 3.0 support and settled for USB 2. The speeds were amazing, took like about 2min to install it. When it takes about 5min with USB 2, overall less than 10min to the first sight of desktop.


Help a couple fellas out, please?


----------



## holyindian

Hi Sean,

How are you doing. Do you have a windows 10 installation and optimization guide yet? or planning to do one. My setup has been successfully running great since last 3 years based on your windows 7 guide. Just love it.


----------



## adamCCC

I have a feeling im being idiotic, but when I click any of the links of "click to show" to show me the actual content it just brings me back to the top of the page?

Why's it doing this? :S

Thanks


----------



## Forde3654Eire

Sean, I have a question:

Regarding chipset installation... should I go with the one listed on the motherboard manufacturer's page? Or the latest AMD Chipset drivers?

And what about things like the USB 3 driver? On motherboard's page, they list Etron... however, the AMD Chipset drivers includes a USB 3 driver.

And what about the SATA AHCI drivers? I heard about these before but never figured it out... press F6 during Windows installation? I couldn't find that in your guide so never proceeded with it...

Would appreciate your help, thanks!

http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/MOTHERBOARD/AMD/AMD-Chipset-Driver-1571.shtml

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3907#dl


----------



## ListerOfSmeg

Hi everyone,

I am having some problems with my new Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD, I have had it since Monday and have not even managed to get it installed due to partitioning problems. It's a fairly large size for me to install Windows 7 onto as my Windows partitions are usually fairly small until recently only 50-60GiB and recently increased to around 80 or so GiB. I have one which I increased to 120GiB and after nearly 3 years of use is only 70GiB used with 10GiB of that being unrelated data which has been put on there due to what was wasted space.

Therefore I do not need my windows partition(s) to be too big so I intend having more than one windows partition, a backup and a video encoding partition for video source files for speedy access. So I need 3 partitions and here is where the problem lies......Samsung SSD's seem to made for single partition usage as Samsung does not publish any technical speccs such as NAND block erase size or page size. I tried the SSD configuration [email protected] techpowerup but without knowing the block or page size it becomes difficult to check the alignment of my partitions. This is why I have not been able to get my SSD installed as I am stuck at an impasse which I cannot find a way around despite a lot of searching.

I did check one attempt at partitioning done with the current Mini Tool Partition software using the Samsung EVO 840 block/page values and the 2nd partition showed as misaligned. I did set the size to just under 1MB xxx.99 so that the next partition began at a 1MB boundary which did not help.

For the 840 EVO's the block size is meant to be 1536Kb and the page size is meant to be 8Kb but the 850 EVO is a totally different drive and could have very different characteristics.

Does anyone know any information on these drives which might be helpful?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ListerOfSmeg*
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I am having some problems with my new Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD, I have had it since Monday and have not even managed to get it installed due to partitioning problems. It's a fairly large size for me to install Windows 7 onto as my Windows partitions are usually fairly small until recently only 50-60GiB and recently increased to around 80 or so GiB. I have one which I increased to 120GiB and after nearly 3 years of use is only 70GiB used with 10GiB of that being unrelated data which has been put on there due to what was wasted space.
> 
> Therefore I do not need my windows partition(s) to be too big so I intend having more than one windows partition, a backup and a video encoding partition for video source files for speedy access. So I need 3 partitions and here is where the problem lies......Samsung SSD's seem to made for single partition usage as Samsung does not publish any technical speccs such as NAND block erase size or page size. I tried the SSD configuration [email protected] techpowerup but without knowing the block or page size it becomes difficult to check the alignment of my partitions. This is why I have not been able to get my SSD installed as I am stuck at an impasse which I cannot find a way around despite a lot of searching.
> 
> I did check one attempt at partitioning done with the current Mini Tool Partition software using the Samsung EVO 840 block/page values and the 2nd partition showed as misaligned. I did set the size to just under 1MB xxx.99 so that the next partition began at a 1MB boundary which did not help.
> 
> For the 840 EVO's the block size is meant to be 1536Kb and the page size is meant to be 8Kb but the 850 EVO is a totally different drive and could have very different characteristics.
> 
> Does anyone know any information on these drives which might be helpful?


1. A backup partition? Having a partition to store duplicates of files doesn't make it a backup. It needs to be on a separate medium for it to actually be a backup...

2. Knowing the block size or page size doesn't matter. Once you clean the drive of all partitioning, then quick format it with Windows you are fine. As long as the first partition is aligned, which it will be with Windows Vista and newer OSes, all following partitions will be aligned correctly as well.


----------



## ListerOfSmeg

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> 1. A backup partition? Having a partition to store duplicates of files doesn't make it a backup. It needs to be on a separate medium for it to actually be a backup...
> 2. Knowing the block size or page size doesn't matter. Once you clean the drive of all partitioning, then quick format it with Windows you are fine. As long as the first partition is aligned, which it will be with Windows Vista and newer OSes, all following partitions will be aligned correctly as well.


Hi Sean,

I apologize for not being clearer, the 2nd partition would be another windows install and not a true backup in the conventional sense. My meaning of backup was a backup windows install as I do have multiple windows installs on my PC, as they age and become less functional I move to newer installs and delete the old one and start afresh. Having "backups" also makes it easier to get files off the partitions and sometimes do repairs.

They are fairly small and never get that full as I only have some basic software that I install and I do not play games so there is nothing large that I need to install.

I would never trust windows to partition drives, be it a hard drive or SSD because I have only seen evidence for Microsoft windows destroying/damaging partitions and generally fouling things up, therefore I will not trust it to partition my drives. After all, if I cannot find the block size and page size then how on earth could windows, which is not intelligent, know the parameters to correctly align a partition? I do not think it can. If "better" partitioning software cannot get it right then I seriously doubt that windows will. Many people, including yourself Sean, seem to operate like this:

That is to totally ignore it and hope it all works out okay. How can Windows know the important parameters such as block erase and page size? The answer is it cannot possibly know as it is not exposed to Windows! Unfortunately I doubt that it will work out. There must be millions of SSD users who are putting their SSD under unnecessary load because of poor partitioning. Have you tested your partitioning using the SSD partitioning calculator? Probably not because without the crucial info it will not work effectively. Altering the block erase parameter or page size alters the outcome.

I think that trusting windows to get it correct is such an enormous gamble, one which I do not want to take the gamble on.

BTW These partitions will not be all Primary partitions, they will be a mix of Primary and logical and again I would
not trust Windows to get this right.

It looks like all I can do is phone Samsung on Monday and see if I can get the information from them. One whole week after receiving the drive.


----------



## Sean Webster

I would be interested in any info you get on the block/page sizes.

You normally don't need to worry about any partition offset beyond the default 1024KB (1MB) with single drives. You are blowing things out of proportion with your thought process and being rude at the same time.


----------



## pepejovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> I would be interested in any info you get on the block/page sizes.
> 
> You normally don't need to worry about any partition offset beyond the default 1024KB (1MB) with single drives.


Hi, I just met you and this is crazy! But, windows 10 guide maybe?


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> Hi, I just met you and this is crazy! But, windows 10 guide maybe?


I got this for pre-installing and installation: http://www.thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/complete-guide-to-speeding-up-your-pcs-boot-times/

I haven't looked into or evaluated any tweaks yet. Mostly, nothing is really needed. I've been using it since it has been out.


----------



## pepejovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *pepejovi*
> 
> Hi, I just met you and this is crazy! But, windows 10 guide maybe?
> 
> 
> 
> I got this for pre-installing and installation: http://www.thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/complete-guide-to-speeding-up-your-pcs-boot-times/
> 
> I haven't looked into or evaluated any tweaks yet. Mostly, nothing is really needed. I've been using it since it has been out.
Click to expand...

Sweet, thanks!. Haven't upgraded yet, but eventually I'll have to, just for directx12.


----------



## ListerOfSmeg

Mini Tool does have options to align either by MB or cylinder and yet if you alter the block erase or page size in the SSD Calculator it does cause misalignment in the 3 checks that it does. I can only use the values for the 840 EVO which probably do not apply to the 850 EVO. Adjusting them to values of other SSD's also causes some misalignment. Getting everything 100% aligned depends upon knowing the block erase and page sizes. I cannot understand why Samsung is reluctant to give this information as it could affect the wear on the drives. Maximizing that makes sense to me. It shouldn't be too difficult to fully align the 840 EVO, just start the first partition slightly further from the beginning. Not as easy as a more easily divisible number such as 512Kbytes but it should be possible with a little effort.

I did phone them on Monday but Samsung support could not help as they do not know the block or page size of the 850 EVO. I was told that they had asked Samsung on a number of occasions but Samsung refused to provide the information and now no longer respond to any requests for information. That says it al to me, a company who are not interested in helping their customers. I will consider much more carefully before I purchase another Samsung product, including a PC monitor which I need ASAP.


----------



## Sean Webster

Like I said, in your use the default 1MB offset is fine. You are overthinking things.


----------



## theaudioeditor

Hey guys for some reason I am only seeing French and Korean on windows 7 download page.




Thoughts on what is causing this?


----------



## GeldrinHor

You may want to take a look into your browser and clear the cache and make sure it's not sending odd or false info when you are on the Windows D/L page. Then, do as it says on the page and go change it back to English (or whatever your primary language may be, if it's not English)


----------



## theaudioeditor

I had a few friends try with my serial and they got the same result. I think I did find a solution for modifying the files. http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_7-update/how-to-what-are-my-options-for-obtaining-windows-7/528163c1-0b2e-4ad2-a26d-7112851d1dc2 I will try tonight.


----------



## erikjanneman

I've read through this thread, tried everything, but for the life of me, I can not install windows to my new Samsung 850 evo SSD (500gb). I can create the 4 partitions (GTP), I'm booting UEFI, I install on the primary, and everything seems to work. After installing a reboot and it just goes back into the install process (from scratch). If I take out boot media, I get the black screen with a message: Reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device and press a key.

I've tried installing from USB and DVD. Same result. Anybody any suggestions?

/edit: oh and I did notice this:

_...unless you disable the Compatibility Support Module (CSM) either directly with a setting in the BIOS, or via enabling Secure Boot (disabling CSM is a side affect of this), a Windows installation otherwise configured for EFI booting will not boot in EFI mode._

I've looked in my bios, and there is a setting for CSM. I turned it off, save, but when I get back in BIOS it is on again. Can't seem tot turn it off... When I turn off CSM the option for secure boot apears. Also tried enabling this and then saving, no dice.


----------



## Harrywang

Just got my first ssd, 850 evo. Which version of windows 7 is the "fastest" or most optimized if I just use it for gaming and overclocking?


----------



## v1ral

I am having issues doing a fresh install, windows wont allow me to update at all.
Ive been trying to reinstall it for the better part of the day.
Since i cant reinstall the technical preview of windows 10, ive decided to just use the upgrade.

It worked the first few times ive installed 7*did this to see if my mothetboard was crapping out on me*, but once i was done i went trying to figure out how to upgrade, my updates stopped working.

Ive installed my ethernet drivers and im able to connect with explorer, but i cant get into sites, cause of "threats".

Thoughts and hopefully a solution.


----------



## evoll88

Just used this guide again for a new ssd and I left restore points on, should I turn it off?


----------



## Banedox

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *evoll88*
> 
> Just used this guide again for a new ssd and I left restore points on, should I turn it off?


The whole shrinking of the restore function, was mean to save space on a SSD but now a days most people are using a 250 or 500gb for the OS drive so you can leave it as is or just shrink it. Really depends on how much space you need or have available.

I know i just left my as is because i got screwed over a few times last install period of not having enough restore points.


----------



## evoll88

Yeah I am going to leave mine on also,thanks for the help and explanation.


----------



## Ka0sX

Re-Installing windows 7 and up

I always choose advanced option > then format is that bad for an SSD?

Thanks


----------



## Georgeos663

Excellent guide. It was very useful to me. Great job and thank for sharing.
Although you may not know this post helps many desperate people, including me. Thanks one more time.


----------



## Almost Heathen

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Important! You should not use GPT format unless you _need_ to. The MBR format is what most people should use. You should only use GPT if you want to boot Windows off a 2.2TB+ partition or if you want to test it out. People are having issues with the GPT format because they don't know how to troubleshoot and since I can not have their PC in front of me I can't troubleshoot for them either. So I highly recommend that if you do not need to use the GPT format or if you don't know what you are doing and don't have a real reason to use GPT then you should use the MBR set up.


Does this still hold true?

It sure looks like the practical difference between the 2 for an end user is near nonexistent (despite the new features), and that GPT could even cause problems for older motherboards, but I still have to wonder if there's now some great benefit that I'm unaware of.


----------



## Zonengorg

Amazing guide!!! I've used it several times!!! Kudos Sean!!!


----------



## MaFi0s0

This guide served me well in 2012


http://imgur.com/RoT9uKK


----------



## jtBizz

I'm still using this to build new systems. Awesome. Just awesome.


----------



## jtBizz

Could you replace the pdf with a viable link, brah?


----------



## Ragsters

I have a problem guys and Im hoping someone can help me. I am trying to get a windows 7 iso image so I can put it in a thumb drive and install it in my new computer. The problem is that Microsoft is only offering Windows 7 ISO image in the Korean language. I currently have a retail version of home premium via DVD but no DVD player on my new computer. Can anyone help me?


----------



## Tom B

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> I have a problem guys and Im hoping someone can help me. I am trying to get a windows 7 iso image so I can put it in a thumb drive and install it in my new computer. The problem is that Microsoft is only offering Windows 7 ISO image in the Korean language. I currently have a retail version of home premium via DVD but no DVD player on my new computer. Can anyone help me?


http://pcriver.com/operating-systems/windows-7-home-premium-iso-download/


----------



## Ragsters

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tom B*
> 
> http://pcriver.com/operating-systems/windows-7-home-premium-iso-download/


This is awesome! Is it legit? I just downloaded it, thank you so much.









Edit: Have you used it before? I'm just hoping there isn't anything yucky attached to it.


----------



## Tom B

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> This is awesome! Is it legit? I just downloaded it, thank you so much.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: Have you used it before? I'm just hoping there isn't anything yucky attached to it.


Yes. I've used it before. I've have that iso on my wife's pc since mid-2015.

Edit: I have W7 Pro on her pc, but I got it from the same place.


----------



## Nanker Phelge

Thanks Sean - excellent guide, appreciate the time you to took to compile this useful information.

Any chance you (or Site admin) could restore/renew the link to the Offline .PDF file version please?

TIA

NP


----------



## [email protected]

Sean and fans of SSD,

I have a question. I have been using this guide for a long time and have not reformatted my PC in 4 years and now i have problems. It's not the SSD. I ran a test and it has good health. Also it boots slow now at Windows welcome screen and it has never done that before. I have no idea if it's related to anything else but i already did every test and there is no hardware issue. However i went back and did some research to see if i missed anything with my tweaks and they are all enabled. However upon getting info from this site.

http://www.computing.net/howtos/show/solid-state-drive-ssd-tweaks-for-windows-7/552.html

I noticed this step wasn't disabled
Disable Windows Search and Superfetch
How to Disable:
Press Winkey + 'R' for Run Dialogue;
Type "services.msc" and press Enter;
Scroll to Superfetch, right click and select Properties;
In the drop down menu, select Disabled and select Ok;
Scroll to Windows Search, right click and select Properties;
Click the Stop box, than use the drop down menu, select Disable and select Ok.

Then i realized my disk defragment was enabled only for my second hard drive but was disabled only for my SSD. So i unchecked that. Decided to restart and it's still slow on boot. So basically it probably has nothing to do with the SSD. So what should i do?

I also can use the Samsung Data Migration and run it automatic but would it pose problems if i try that method or stick with sean's gude? I feel like i am comfortable with Sean's guide because i never had any problems following these steps and my PC did run great for 4 years. Dunno why i have problems now. I even ran for viruses and scans and found not anything. I am starting to think either it's my memory that needs to be fixed but i ran a test but i couldn't find a test result displayed in the even viewer. So maybe it's not the memory?

So the last theory and option i have is maybe Windows has a corrupted file that is causing my boot to be slow? I have no idea. Besides i never updated my bios too all these years when i first built it. Cuz it never had ONE issue with this motherboard. A lot of advice would be appreciated before i decide to reformat and follow Sean's guide again. At least all my games are on the second hard drive and i wouldn't have reformat. So i am gonna stick with this thread until i solve this issue before making an final decision. Sorry for my english or grammar but i ain't perfect. I'm deaf and hard of hearing and it doesn't mean i wasn't educated or anything. Our english is different from what you guys possibly learn in public school. Anyways moot point, help me solve this before i decide to reformat.


----------



## soundx98

Your English and writing skills seem fine to me other than the lower case "i" in many sentances. New driver installed recently? Unpluged all the unnecessary usb devices?


----------



## [email protected]

Yep all drivers are up to date and i do have most usb plugs are for my keyboard and headset. Pretty much.

Windows Update usually updates my drivers though. I am sure they are all up to date. I really don't know what else to do.

The only recent driver i updated was my video card. This booting still was happening before my new drivers were installed anyways.

UPDATE:

Windows welcome screen is still slow but i notice i didn't enable paging file on my SSD because i have 16gigs of ram so i set it to 1024. Might be the reason i dunno. Advice still would be appreciated. Still wanna reformat but undecided at the moment. I have not reformated for 4 or 5 years now.


----------



## GeldrinHor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Sean and fans of SSD,
> 
> I have a question. I have been using this guide for a long time and have not reformatted my PC in 4 years and now i have problems. It's not the SSD. I ran a test and it has good health. Also it boots slow now at Windows welcome screen and it has never done that before. I have no idea if it's related to anything else but i already did every test and there is no hardware issue. However i went back and did some research to see if i missed anything with my tweaks and they are all enabled. However upon getting info from this site.
> 
> http://www.computing.net/howtos/show/solid-state-drive-ssd-tweaks-for-windows-7/552.html
> 
> I noticed this step wasn't disabled
> Disable Windows Search and Superfetch
> How to Disable:
> Press Winkey + 'R' for Run Dialogue;
> Type "services.msc" and press Enter;
> Scroll to Superfetch, right click and select Properties;
> In the drop down menu, select Disabled and select Ok;
> Scroll to Windows Search, right click and select Properties;
> Click the Stop box, than use the drop down menu, select Disable and select Ok.
> 
> Then i realized my disk defragment was enabled only for my second hard drive but was disabled only for my SSD. So i unchecked that. Decided to restart and it's still slow on boot. So basically it probably has nothing to do with the SSD. So what should i do?
> 
> I also can use the Samsung Data Migration and run it automatic but would it pose problems if i try that method or stick with sean's gude? I feel like i am comfortable with Sean's guide because i never had any problems following these steps and my PC did run great for 4 years. Dunno why i have problems now. I even ran for viruses and scans and found not anything. I am starting to think either it's my memory that needs to be fixed but i ran a test but i couldn't find a test result displayed in the even viewer. So maybe it's not the memory?
> 
> So the last theory and option i have is maybe Windows has a corrupted file that is causing my boot to be slow? I have no idea. Besides i never updated my bios too all these years when i first built it. Cuz it never had ONE issue with this motherboard. A lot of advice would be appreciated before i decide to reformat and follow Sean's guide again. At least all my games are on the second hard drive and i wouldn't have reformat. So i am gonna stick with this thread until i solve this issue before making an final decision. Sorry for my english or grammar but i ain't perfect. I'm deaf and hard of hearing and it doesn't mean i wasn't educated or anything. Our english is different from what you guys possibly learn in public school. Anyways moot point, help me solve this before i decide to reformat.


First off, never enable Defragment on an SSD, it uses a different clean up utility called TRIM and in Win 7 and newer, should do so automatically as needed. Defrag would simply rapidly age and SSD as it erases and writes file fragments to a new location on HDDs, and that would unevenly wear on an SSD, where as TRIM simply clears out junk and reorganizes fragments where they are. Flash memory only allows fragmenting to a minor degree, and SSDs are basically multiple flash chips bonded together. So, in this case, Defrag is BAD for SSDs.







Hope this helps.


----------



## [email protected]

Oh of course i know that part, it is disabled though. I only have it enabled only for my hard drive. Not my SSD. I never defrag my SSD.


----------



## MaFi0s0

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Sean and fans of SSD,
> 
> I have a question. I have been using this guide for a long time and have not reformatted my PC in 4 years and now i have problems. It's not the SSD. I ran a test and it has good health. Also it boots slow now at Windows welcome screen and it has never done that before. I have no idea if it's related to anything else but i already did every test and there is no hardware issue. However i went back and did some research to see if i missed anything with my tweaks and they are all enabled. However upon getting info from this site.
> 
> So the last theory and option i have is maybe Windows has a corrupted file that is causing my boot to be slow? I have no idea. Besides i never updated my bios too all these years when i first built it. Cuz it never had ONE issue with this motherboard. A lot of advice would be appreciated before i decide to reformat and follow Sean's guide again. At least all my games are on the second hard drive and i wouldn't have reformat. So i am gonna stick with this thread until i solve this issue before making an final decision. Sorry for my english or grammar but i ain't perfect. I'm deaf and hard of hearing and it doesn't mean i wasn't educated or anything. Our english is different from what you guys possibly learn in public school. Anyways moot point, help me solve this before i decide to reformat.


Slow boot times can be from a firmware virus, such as a bootkit.

Download TDSSKiller and select check TDLFS filesystem and uncheck test signitures and reboot when prompted.


----------



## [email protected]

Do you have a step by step how to do that but i will check it out. Thanks for the tip.

UPDATE:

I downloaded Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit and ran a scan and not one threat came up. I also tried TDSSKiller too. Both results were same anyways.

So what gives? Can you think what is the culprit?


----------



## [email protected]

Sean, do you have an SSD guide for Windows 10? Is there any specific detail that needs to be done to ensure performance and no issues?

Step by Step information please?

Cuz apparently Windows Update scans are taking long and it's taking me a day and i am probably gonna have to risk trying Windows 10 and i hate Windows 10 so bad.

I am so peeved at Microsoft. Please help so i can get this done with today with these guides to fix my problem.

I only have 238gb of my SSD. No idea if i will have space for Windows 10?


----------



## [email protected]

I reformatted and reinstalled my OS and did every step of tweak through Sean's guide and never missed a beat.

Decided to do a benchmark and this is the result i got.

UserBenchmarks: Game 79%, Desk 69%, Work 47%
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K - *86.1%*
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 - *89.4%*
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB - *33.9%*
HDD: WD Black 1TB (2010) - *55.8%*
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 C9 4x4GB - *63.3%*
MBD: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77

Maybe i need a bigger better SSD?
Tips appreciated how to improve my SSD.

Thanks.

"Bump" Can't believe nobody checks SSD forums often?


----------



## [email protected]

Never mind.. couldn't delete the post but wanted to say.. skip this..


----------



## [email protected]

I purchased a used hard drive today and wanted extra space drive and ran a benchmark again was amazed to see this hard drive perform better than my 1tb hard drive.

Also wanted to know why my SSD isn't rated that good. Can someone give me tips how to make this SSD faster?

UserBenchmarks: Game 80%, Desk 69%, Work 48%
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K - *86.9%*
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 - *89.1%*
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB - *33.3%*
HDD: WD Blue 500GB (2010) - *66.7%*
HDD: WD Black 1TB (2010) - *56.9%*
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 C9 4x4GB - *64%*
MBD: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77

Advice please?

My SSD don't have games or anything but Windows OS installed. So why the low score?


----------



## mark_thaddeus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I purchased a used hard drive today and wanted extra space drive and ran a benchmark again was amazed to see this hard drive perform better than my 1tb hard drive.
> 
> Also wanted to know why my SSD isn't rated that good. Can someone give me tips how to make this SSD faster?
> 
> UserBenchmarks: Game 80%, Desk 69%, Work 48%
> CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K - *86.9%*
> GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 - *89.1%*
> SSD: Samsung 830 256GB - *33.3%*
> HDD: WD Blue 500GB (2010) - *66.7%*
> HDD: WD Black 1TB (2010) - *56.9%*
> RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 C9 4x4GB - *64%*
> MBD: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77
> 
> Advice please?
> 
> My SSD don't have games or anything but Windows OS installed. So why the low score?


A couple of things pop in my head, did you set your drive to AHCI and not IDE? Is it plugged in a USB 3.0 or 2.0?

Also what software are you using to gauge the speed of your system / SSD?


----------



## [email protected]

ACHI is set in bios for sure and i am using Intel z77 Serial ATA 6gb connector (brown slot) via my Sabretooth motherboard. As for software i ran is userbenchmark http://www.userbenchmark.com/ visit here. Most people use this and it's the only thing i use.

So any suggestions? I am just baffled my SSD is slow. I have most games on the hard drive mostly anyways so no complaints there. Anything else you need to know? Get back to me! Thanks for responding.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> ACHI is set in bios for sure and i am using Intel z77 Serial ATA 6gb connector (brown slot) via my Sabretooth motherboard. As for software i ran is userbenchmark http://www.userbenchmark.com/ visit here. Most people use this and it's the only thing i use.
> 
> So any suggestions? I am just baffled my SSD is slow. I have most games on the hard drive mostly anyways so no complaints there. Anything else you need to know? Get back to me! Thanks for responding.


Post a screenshot of your AS SSD benchmark score. I never used userbenchmark.com. http://filehippo.com/download_asssdbenchmark/


----------



## [email protected]

Too bad that program isn't english and wasn't sure what to start with but i did the1gb benchmark test, Here it is..


Get back to me on this..

Click on the image to expand it so you can see the numbers..


----------



## Sean Webster

Install the IRST driver for your system and rerun the benchmark after you restart the system.

Link here: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/downloads/eula/26361/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-RAID-Driver?httpDown=https%3A%2F%2Fdownloadmirror.intel.com%2F26361%2Feng%2Fsetuprst.exe

Before you say anything about it saying RAID driver, ignore that. Just ignore it and accept the agreement and install it and reboot and your write speeds should be improved drastically.


----------



## Heedehcheenuh

I have an issue with a Dell OptiPlex 790 using a Muskin Enhanced ECO2 240GB drive. I am running Windows 10 Pro. Yes a Dell but for the price I got it for..no questions asked lol. My main issue is SSD shows slow speed on the sata III connection. Images included:




IRST shows it being the 6.0 drive yet AS SSD shows a low speed. Under device manager it list drivers (to me generic) and I can not find any good drivers to change it. The storage also shows a generic manager?!?!

The system is fine and runs smooth but as we OCN members do .. we check for best performance. Firmware is up to date for the Muskin SSD. I have tried 4-5 sata cables but they are all the same. Not sure what to do to have it perform better but it is way faster than any HDD I have run in it.

Heedehcheenuh
Chuck D
Fold on.....
p.s. Sorry for any typos and errors .. disabled and vision is bad to boot. smh


----------



## [email protected]

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Install the IRST driver for your system and rerun the benchmark after you restart the system.
> 
> Link here: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/downloads/eula/26361/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-RAID-Driver?httpDown=https%3A%2F%2Fdownloadmirror.intel.com%2F26361%2Feng%2Fsetuprst.exe
> 
> Before you say anything about it saying RAID driver, ignore that. Just ignore it and accept the agreement and install it and reboot and your write speeds should be improved drastically.


I did exactly as you instructed and i get this upon installing

screen capture tool

How come isn't Windows Update covering these updates you recommended? Get back to me and i'll run the benchmark again. I deleted the benchmark program that was suggested in previous posts so i may have to re-download it again. If you know a english version let me know. Thanks.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Heedehcheenuh*
> 
> I have an issue with a Dell OptiPlex 790 using a Muskin Enhanced ECO2 240GB drive. I am running Windows 10 Pro. Yes a Dell but for the price I got it for..no questions asked lol. My main issue is SSD shows slow speed on the sata III connection. Images included:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IRST shows it being the 6.0 drive yet AS SSD shows a low speed. Under device manager it list drivers (to me generic) and I can not find any good drivers to change it. The storage also shows a generic manager?!?!
> 
> The system is fine and runs smooth but as we OCN members do .. we check for best performance. Firmware is up to date for the Muskin SSD. I have tried 4-5 sata cables but they are all the same. Not sure what to do to have it perform better but it is way faster than any HDD I have run in it.
> 
> Heedehcheenuh
> Chuck D
> Fold on.....
> p.s. Sorry for any typos and errors .. disabled and vision is bad to boot. smh


You are utilizing the IRST driver, AS SSD reveals that because it says iaStor...that is the IRST driver.

ATTO may show faster speeds due to the Mushkin being a slower SSD with a sandforce controller that relies on compression, so run that test and you should see your full SATA 3Gb/s speeds. Remember, your motherboards SATA3Gb/s controller limits it to SATA3Gb/s. A newer board will allow for 6Gb/s speed...unless you have a different board than the one listed in your sig. What mobo and chipset? I also haven't tested the ECO2 myself, I just know it is a crappy/slow HDD replacement drive.

Also, power saving features in your BIOS affect your SATA performance as well. Disable them and you get faster benchmark performance...but it doesnt really matter much for real world use.


----------



## Heedehcheenuh

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> You are utilizing the IRST driver, AS SSD reveals that because it says iaStor...that is the IRST driver.
> 
> ATTO may show faster speeds due to the Mushkin being a slower SSD with a sandforce controller that relies on compression, so run that test and you should see your full SATA 3Gb/s speeds. Remember, your motherboards SATA3Gb/s controller limits it to SATA3Gb/s. A newer board will allow for 6Gb/s speed...unless you have a different board than the one listed in your sig. What mobo and chipset? I also haven't tested the ECO2 myself, I just know it is a crappy/slow HDD replacement drive.
> 
> Also, power saving features in your BIOS affect your SATA performance as well. Disable them and you get faster benchmark performance...but it doesnt really matter much for real world use.


Thank you Sean. I forgot I had ATTO loaded and I checked it. Image is here:


Looks better that way. All is good. Like I said she runs fast and fine just checking everything with the system to make sure she is optimal. Chipset is the Q65. I am running the i5-2400s with 16gb of G'Skill AEGIS 10600 DDR3(III) memory. So I take it that the ATTO shows much better speeds than AS SSD?
I did do a compression test with the AS SSD and it showed great number. Image added:


So I take it that everything is good to go. Thanks for the help Sean and have a good weekend.

Heedehcheenuh
Chuck D
Fold on.....


----------



## hurricane28

Hi @Sean Webster

Off topic but, Did you find time to look in to my IOPS? A while ago you promised me to look in to this and i guess you were quite busy so i ask now.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Heedehcheenuh*
> 
> Thank you Sean. I forgot I had ATTO loaded and I checked it. Image is here:
> 
> 
> Looks better that way. All is good. Like I said she runs fast and fine just checking everything with the system to make sure she is optimal. Chipset is the Q65. I am running the i5-2400s with 16gb of G'Skill AEGIS 10600 DDR3(III) memory. So I take it that the ATTO shows much better speeds than AS SSD?
> I did do a compression test with the AS SSD and it showed great number. Image added:
> 
> 
> So I take it that everything is good to go. Thanks for the help Sean and have a good weekend.
> 
> Heedehcheenuh
> Chuck D
> Fold on.....


Ah so you have an updated mobo. Speeds look good in ATTO. That's what it should look like. See, ATTO tests with compressible data, thus the sandforce controller can compress the data on the fly and show faster performance than when it is fed incompressible data in AS SSD.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hurricane28*
> 
> Hi @Sean Webster
> 
> Off topic but, Did you find time to look in to my IOPS? A while ago you promised me to look in to this and i guess you were quite busy so i ask now.


Man, I got to check it out. To tell you the mount of busy I have been is an understatement lol. I just got married and am looking for work now. I have a little free time now so I'll update you via PM.


----------



## hurricane28

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> Ah so you have an updated mobo. Speeds look good in ATTO. That's what it should look like. See, ATTO tests with compressible data, thus the sandforce controller can compress the data on the fly and show faster performance than when it is fed incompressible data in AS SSD.
> 
> Man, I got to check it out. To tell you the mount of busy I have been is an understatement lol. I just got married and am looking for work now. I have a little free time now so I'll update you via PM.


Congratulations man! My best wishes!

Its okay man, no hurry, i am just curious because its not logical. Good luck finding a job man, its hard these times.


----------



## [email protected]

*bump* has anyone gotten back to me on the installation driver issue i previously posted? Thanks!


----------



## Bearded Gamer

Nice, i need to do the bootable usb drive thing for a newer mobo i might be getting. Looks easy enough i GUESS...


----------



## TwoCables

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> *bump* has anyone gotten back to me on the installation driver issue i previously posted? Thanks!


The version he recommended is way too new for your system. That's why it's not compatible. I have the same problem with the latest versions of IRST.

You should use nothing newer than version 12.x. You can get the latest version from the 12 series here:

http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=fileinfo&id=687&lang=en

Now, you *might* be able to use 13.x or even 14.x because you have a newer chipset than I do. If you want to give that a shot, then go here: http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=select&id=103&lang=en


----------



## evoll88

Is it fine to run page file on the newer Samsung ssd?


----------



## TwoCables

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *evoll88*
> 
> Is it fine to run page file on the newer Samsung ssd?


I don't see why not. It's always best to have a Page File, even if it's just a gigabyte.


----------



## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TwoCables*
> 
> The version he recommended is way too new for your system. That's why it's not compatible. I have the same problem with the latest versions of IRST.
> 
> You should use nothing newer than version 12.x. You can get the latest version from the 12 series here:
> 
> http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=fileinfo&id=687&lang=en
> 
> Direct download: http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=download&id=687&chk=42753eb688a2c72ce0b7bff9f2ba7128&no_html=1&lang=en
> 
> Now, you *might* be able to use 13.x or even 14.x because you have a newer chipset than I do. If you want to give that a shot, then go here: http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=select&id=103&lang=en


This, I forgot newer versions are not compatible with older chipsets.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *evoll88*
> 
> Is it fine to run page file on the newer Samsung ssd?


yes, no reason for page file to ever having to be disabled.


----------



## evoll88

Ok I turned it back on and now some of my games play better,thanks for the help.


----------



## [email protected]

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TwoCables*
> 
> The version he recommended is way too new for your system. That's why it's not compatible. I have the same problem with the latest versions of IRST.
> 
> You should use nothing newer than version 12.x. You can get the latest version from the 12 series here:
> 
> http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=fileinfo&id=687&lang=en
> 
> Direct download: http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=download&id=687&chk=42753eb688a2c72ce0b7bff9f2ba7128&no_html=1&lang=en
> 
> Now, you *might* be able to use 13.x or even 14.x because you have a newer chipset than I do. If you want to give that a shot, then go here: http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=select&id=103&lang=en


Says illegal download attempt? Browser issue and i wanted to try the newer version it keeps giving me a 404 on another tab website upon downloading ugh.


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## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Says illegal download attempt? Browser issue and i wanted to try the newer version it keeps giving me a 404 on another tab website upon downloading ugh.


You should be able to install this version, download the setup.exe and let me know. https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/23060/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-RAID-Driver?product=55005

If not, try the one before it, just scroll down and you will see. I linked you 12.8 above: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/55005/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-

Also, I never replied directly to your other questions:

Quote:


> How come isn't Windows Update covering these updates you recommended?


Windows doesn't install this because it comes with a out of box driver already. Sometimes, however, such as in your case, the SSDs for whatever reason runs like crap with it and you need to install the Intel provided driver instead for proper performance.

Quote:


> Get back to me and i'll run the benchmark again. I deleted the benchmark program that was suggested in previous posts so i may have to re-download it again. If you know a english version let me know. Thanks.


The benchmark does have English too, just change the language at the top. You should be fine if you just download it from here: http://filehippo.com/download_asssdbenchmark/


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## TwoCables

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Says illegal download attempt? Browser issue and i wanted to try the newer version it keeps giving me a 404 on another tab website upon downloading ugh.


So then why didn't you click the first link that I put in my post? I'm talking about this one: http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=fileinfo&id=687&lang=en

I only provided the direct download just in case it worked. Some sites don't allow external linking. So, if someone provides you with a direct link to a file so that you can bypass a web page but the link doesn't work, that's why.

Anyway, if you want to give the 13.x series a shot just to see if the 13.x series is compatible with your system, then here's the page for that (again): http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=select&id=103&lang=en

If these links don't work for some reason (they should), then you can always just go their main page and get to the Intel SATA drivers manually. It's very easy to find these pages. Here:


http://www.station-drivers.com
Select your preferred language (direct links to any language don't work)
Click "drivers" from the navigation bar at the top
Scroll down
Look for "Ata chipsets / Sata / Scsi"
Click "Intel"
Scroll down
Click "Intel"
Scroll down and look for "Rapid Storage Technology (RST)"
Click it
Click "drivers"
Scroll down

The rest should be very self-explanatory from here.


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## axipher

I'm having an issue installing the RST drivers because they are looking for .NET Framework 4.5 but it isn't installed. I have 4.6.2 installed so it won't let me install just 4.5.


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## [email protected]

I will look into this Monday and get back to you at the moment. Having a heck of a weekend. I appreciate the prompt respond and i will get back to you guys on the progress of my ssd speeds. Thanks for the tips.

I am begging myself to get these newer Samsung 840 solid state drive since they are so much quicker. But money is tight.

I think maybe with your fix we can actually achieve the true speed of this SSD.


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## TwoCables

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> I will look into this Monday and get back to you at the moment. Having a heck of a weekend. I appreciate the prompt respond and i will get back to you guys on the progress of my ssd speeds. Thanks for the tips.
> 
> I am begging myself to get these newer Samsung 840 solid state drive since they are so much quicker. But money is tight.
> 
> I think maybe with your fix we can actually achieve the true speed of this SSD.


It's not a fix, but it's just the installation of the driver for the SATA controller. You'd no longer be using the generic SATA driver from Microsoft. It's like when you're stuck with the generic video card driver before you install the proper one from NVIDIA or AMD and then you get the best performance out of your video card. This is the same thing.


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## mikicejames485

please update the latest information with complete guide


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## rudyae86

I am wondering if this guide can also be used with windows 10?


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## [email protected]

Sean i apologize i got caught up with business and life and here are the results..

I installed the driver you suggested Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) RAID Driver
Version: 12.8.0.1016

Then i restarted and ran the benchmark and they were quick and easy and it was surprising. I guess it fixed it.

Here is the original benchmark before the drivers installed...

https://postimg.org/image/hs2tb54i7/

Click on picture to expand it..

And here is the results after the installation of the drivers.

https://postimg.org/image/etgj7u42p/

Tell me what you think? How did i even miss this? I might need to update my list from your guide how to install and tweak the SSD if i ever have to reformat in the future but i have no intention to reformat haha.. that is unless i buy a new SSD. Thanks for your time and patience!


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## Sean Webster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mikicejames485*
> 
> please update the latest information with complete guide


What?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rudyae86*
> 
> I am wondering if this guide can also be used with windows 10?


Kinda, the Windows 8 guide would be a better guide to base things off of, however, nothing really needs to be done. I simply install Windows 10 these days and leave everything at default for the most part myself. Also, if you are looking to optimize your boot up speed with Windows 10, you can check out this too: http://www.thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/complete-guide-to-speeding-up-your-pcs-boot-times/

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Sean i apologize i got caught up with business and life and here are the results..
> 
> I installed the driver you suggested Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) RAID Driver
> Version: 12.8.0.1016
> 
> Then i restarted and ran the benchmark and they were quick and easy and it was surprising. I guess it fixed it.
> 
> Here is the original benchmark before the drivers installed...
> 
> 
> 
> Click on picture to expand it..
> 
> And here is the results after the installation of the drivers.
> 
> 
> 
> Tell me what you think? How did i even miss this? I might need to update my list from your guide how to install and tweak the SSD if i ever have to reformat in the future but i have no intention to reformat haha.. that is unless i buy a new SSD. Thanks for your time and patience!


Looks good! Glad things are in full working order for ya!


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## TwoCables

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *[email protected]*
> 
> Sean i apologize i got caught up with business and life and here are the results..
> 
> I installed the driver you suggested Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) RAID Driver
> Version: 12.8.0.1016
> 
> Then i restarted and ran the benchmark and they were quick and easy and it was surprising. I guess it fixed it.
> 
> Here is the original benchmark before the drivers installed...
> 
> 
> 
> Click on picture to expand it..
> 
> And here is the results after the installation of the drivers.
> 
> 
> 
> Tell me what you think? How did i even miss this? I might need to update my list from your guide how to install and tweak the SSD if i ever have to reformat in the future but i have no intention to reformat haha.. that is unless i buy a new SSD. Thanks for your time and patience!


You're welcome!

*Ahem* Yep, I'm the one who recommended it.

Anyway, don't feel bad that you had to be told about this little thing about the IRST driver; this is something that very few people have figured out and it's because almost no one really has given themselves a chance to figure it out because they upgrade to a newer motherboard and SSD so soon. With people like you and me, we upgrade less often and so we run into these little things.


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## axipher

So has anyone else encountered an issue where if you install the .NET 4.6.2 update, you then can't install Intel RST because it is looking for .NET 4.5; and you can't install .NET 4.5 because it recognizes that 4.6.2 is newer and the 4.5 installer just stops there.


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## Sean Webster

What IRST driver version are you trying to install? You are talking about your H97 chipset mobo? Have you tried 14.8?

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25165/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-RAID-Driver?product=55005


----------



## axipher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> What IRST driver version are you trying to install? You are talking about your H97 chipset mobo? Have you tried 14.8?
> 
> https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25165/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-RAID-Driver?product=55005


My H97 yes, and that one worked like a charm. Thanks Sean.

I was trying the ones on Asus's site under my motherboard support page, and the latest one.


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## gamergamma

Following the manual alignment of the SSD in the OP would not create the system reserved partition made automatically by Windows installation disc, right?

Either way thanks for this


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## 53rJ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sean Webster*
> 
> *Offline .pdf file version:* (link)


Offline file is offline... i know, right? anyone has the pdf?


----------



## Sean Webster

Should work now.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o0ztzk6hs61gwi1/Sean%27s%20Windows%207%20Install%20%26%20Optimization%20Guide%20for%20SSDs%20%26%20HDDs.pdf?dl=0


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## Screagle2000

Is there a way to move the user folders like this in windows 10? I have been searching and can not find the answer? Either that or my search is poorly worded? 

I am looking into building an I9 4K video editing rig and would like to keep my C drive clean?

Thanks
Mark


----------



## [email protected]

Why doesn't Sean have a WINDOWS 10 guide? Btw anyone noticed the new Windows 10 update 1803 seems to take a lot of drive space? I had 170gb and It dropped to 129 for some odd reason. I need to find out if something is messed up. I'll have to clean my drive out. I added assassin to it but I will transfer it back to the other drive.


----------



## NoGuru

Screagle2000 said:


> Is there a way to move the user folders like this in windows 10? I have been searching and can not find the answer? Either that or my search is poorly worded?
> 
> I am looking into building an I9 4K video editing rig and would like to keep my C drive clean?
> 
> Thanks
> Mark


You can move any folder, but I would not recommend moving the users folder.
Instead, move the contents like "My Documents", and "Dowlnloads to a new location.

Create the new folders and and then go to the original folders and properties tab, set the targets to the new folder locations.


----------



## Nicholas Schuck

I used this guide 3 years ago and it has worked great for me. Now I am thinking of moving forward and upgrading to Windows 10. When I ran the upgrade it would not allow me to keep my files and settings. I believe this is because I have all my Program Files and User Folders on my D: drive.

Anyway I forget how I did that using this guide and I am afraid of messing it up. But how would I put them back on the C: easily if possible? Or am I going to have to do a fresh install. Rather not since I would have so much stuff to install again 

Program Files
Program Files (x86)
ProgramData
Users


----------



## TwoCables

Nicholas Schuck said:


> I used this guide 3 years ago and it has worked great for me. Now I am thinking of moving forward and upgrading to Windows 10. When I ran the upgrade it would not allow me to keep my files and settings. I believe this is because I have all my Program Files and User Folders on my D: drive.
> 
> Anyway I forget how I did that using this guide and I am afraid of messing it up. But how would I put them back on the C: easily if possible? Or am I going to have to do a fresh install. Rather not since I would have so much stuff to install again
> 
> Program Files
> Program Files (x86)
> ProgramData
> Users


I think this guide is great but it doesn't seem necessary anymore and it just over-complicates everything.

Just back everything up, perform a clean installation, start fresh, and just don't do these tweaks because there's really no good reason to. You're not going to hurt your solid state drive by using it.

Proof: https://techreport.com/review/27909/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-theyre-all-dead

Windows 10 is a huge upgrade too, by the way. Huge.


----------



## [email protected]

Does anyone know if my SSHD score is okay? I just wanted someone to check and see if it was okay because I had recent problems with the reading and writing score due to the fact I realized my ram was loose in the first place because I moved the tower around too much may have caused my ram to come out or something I dunno. I thought I had a bad spinning disk because I had problems in the past due to game issues but nothing serious. I didn't wanna waste time setting up an RMA process. Please let me know if the score is good or not. pic posted. So I ran a Seagate tool to see if something was wrong and everything is fine. Am I able to use the Seagate tool to test my Samsung 860 SSD too or should I not use that? It seems to be fine on my Samsung Magician tool but I wonder if it's okay to use the Seagate tool as an alternative to see if it has any bad sectors too?


----------

