First time installing SSD, what do I need to know?

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KickAssCop

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Would appreciate tips/guides on how to migrate O/S? Also would you do a clean install or carry over using an imaging software? Which imaging software is best?

Let me know thanks.

Purchased a Samsung 830 256 GB.
 
first thing i'd do is;

-find the latest firmware and update drive. i have the same drive as you and the firmware that came with the unit was the latest, tho that was a couple of months ago.
-i'd do a fresh install then install all your favourite programs. then use MS' image backup of the fresh installation. MS's drive imager is decent if you want to move your existing OS installation. the win7 DVD will allow move the saved win7 image.
 
If your OS install is more than a year old, I generally suggest a fresh OS/App install. You won't believe how much crap can accumulate on your drive in that time. That said, either Norton Ghost or Acronis of current release is a good choice. Some of the Samsung 830's come with a free copy of Ghost (I beleive the are the /AM models but you have to check)
 
I ordered one with Norton Ghost on it (basically needed the drive bay thingie and some cables). I don't want to use Norton Ghost though since any Norton product is typically a POS.

I will look into Acronis.
 
KickAssCop said:
I ordered one with Norton Ghost on it (basically needed the drive bay thingie and some cables). I don't want to use Norton Ghost though since any Norton product is typically a POS.

I will look into Acronis.
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In the Antivirus arena I would agree with you. For Ghost, I don't. It is a reliable app and since you own it already you might as well use it.
 
So what kind of items will Norton Ghost image. My current main HDD is 500+ gig and new one is only 256 gig. How does this imaging thing work btw? I am a total nub at this.
 
recommend Acronis..Ive used it for all my SSD migrations..works perfectly.

even thier trial version works just fine for cloning. and thats all your gonna need to do.
 
Nub question number 2. So after cloning and stuff, how do I take the OS off my main drive and/or fix the boot loader?
Btw this drive is beautiful. I love it. Too bad won't get chance to install until the weekend :(.
 
if you use acronis..it will clone everything thats on the main drive to your replacement drive..but..if your boot drive is 500gb and your ssd is 256...make sure everything on your main drive is @ or below the 256gb target..otherwise it wont fit.

or just do a fresh format..Id prefer not to..I have windows running just the way I have it perfect..and have cloned it with 2 different ssd's so far..and the install is a bit over 2 years old..works just fine for me.
 
aphasia said:
first thing i'd do is;

-find the latest firmware and update drive. i have the same drive as you and the firmware that came with the unit was the latest, tho that was a couple of months ago.
-i'd do a fresh install then install all your favourite programs. then use MS' image backup of the fresh installation. MS's drive imager is decent if you want to move your existing OS installation. the win7 DVD will allow move the saved win7 image.
Click to expand...

Does windows have a native application I can use to create of a fresh windows install?
 
Forceman said:
Windows Backup and Restore will make an image, just pick Create a System Image from the left side.
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And where do I store this Image on a usb stick?? And later say I wanna just start everything clean again on my SSD how do i replace what i have with this stored image?
 
You have to store it on a hard drive (with enough free space to fit the image). When you want to restore the image, you can boot off the Windows recovery disk (and I think also the install disk, but I'm not positive of that) and choose the image to restore from.
 
Btw remember to set the SATA to AHCI mode in the BIOS (refer to your mobo manual) before installing Windows on the SSD.
 
slh28 said:
Btw remember to set the SATA to AHCI mode in the BIOS (refer to your mobo manual) before installing Windows on the SSD.
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Is it also required for normal HDDs or just the SSD?
I won't be installing an OS. I will just be using an image.
 
AHCI is a setting for the SATA controller so when you enable it it's enabled for all your drives. AHCI mode is also beneficial to normal HDDs and there's no disadvantages compared to IDE afaik.
 
Ok will do that.
Another question: Steam on SSD or not? Pro is that it loads games faster. Cons is lack of HDD space to install that new game...

What do you guys normally do? Afterall, it is only a 256 GB drive :(
 
Depends how many games you have. If you're running out of space move the pagefile to a HDD, disable system restore, disable hiberation, move all your downloads, music, documents etc. to the HDD.

I've only filled about half of my 256GB SSD, having managed with a 64GB one for a couple of years it certainly didn't feel like "only 256GB" ;)
 
baldrik said:
Installing Steam on your HDD and then using SteamMover to put individual Steam games on the SSD is the way to go.
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From a thread down. This keeps the bloat of Steam off the SSD, but still gives you the fast loading times of the games you're currently playing.
 
indeed, I haven't set up the steam mover due to storage space.. but 256 gigs can hold a good amount of games, i think i have 7 or 8 games installed at the moment on mine with plenty of space left over.
 
I bought the Apricorn USB 3.0 transfer kit from Newegg and it works beautifully for cloning the current boot drive to a new SSD.
 
Vincent Tempus said:
oh shut off disk defragger schedule
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You don't have to do this, it is automatically disabled for SSDs with Win 7. The service is still running, but SSDs are not defragged. This has been known for literally years now. Why are people still giving SSD advice like it is 2010?
 
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because Ive only been on here for 2 months reading articles and it was advice given to me when i first got one a year ago. Sorry.. if I only had more eyes or time to read I would have known this issue was corrected.
 
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Vincent Tempus said:
because Ive only been on here for 2 months reading articles and it was advice given to me when i first got one a year ago. Sorry.. if I only had more eyes or time to read I would have known this issue was corrected.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorry to jump on you, but you see a lot of bad info being passed around on SSDs specifically. People still worried about lifespan and stuff that has been shown to not be an issue.
 
Its okay dude, I can see how it gets frustrating, theres just an abundance of information to sort though.

Yea the life span issue should be dead.. speaking from my own experience this Cruicial m4 has been reliable for over a year now.

Edit: If it does go bad I know where ill make a thread.
 
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More nub questions on the way.
So I installed SSD and gave it a drive letter. Mistake 1. So shall I still use Ghost to clone? How can I not give it a drive letter and still make it work?
Second nub question. Rather than opening my damned computer after cloning and ripping off the cables, can I just disable the previous windows drive in bios (ASUS has option to disable individual SATA connectors)?
My MBR is already fubared. I had an HDD that had Windows 7. When I switched mobo and cpu I tried running same Win 7 with the new system. Ofcourse it didn't work and then I installed the OS in a new drive. So I see 2 windows 7 now. Also in boot priority I have to select the old Win 7 HDD so that the new Win 7 HDD is recognized and I can see an option to select the 2nd windows. How do I fix this without reformatting EVERYTHING!

Help would be appreciated. I hate installing OS.
 
Sounds like your best bet is to remove the partition on the SSD (you can do that in disk management, accessible through the computer management console) and then start over from the beginning with the clone operation.

However, if you are saying that your original Windows install (the one you want to clone) is messed up, then you might be better off just installing fresh on the SSD.
 
I tried removing the partition on the SSD through disk management. It said that not enough space to clone hdd (as it didn't recognize the drive size).
 
First thing you need to do is get a pair of rubber pants on for when you piss yourself at how fast your pc is now :D
 
So I cloned the HDD and now it runs Windows but sets it as a G drive making programs ofcourse not recognize the correct path and crap. Any ideas on how to fix that?
 
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