Intel X-25M 80GB

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toddw

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Should be here tomorrow. Can someone list some steps for me with this SSD drive? I plan to install Win7 32bit fresh on it. I'm running a Q9450 on a Nvidia 790i MB. I read something about ensuring Microsoft controllers....??
Do I need to setup anything or can I just enter on everything (defaults)? Do I need to just make it a 60GB partition for speed? Any help to make sure I'm rocking 1st time would be appreciated.
 
If you're using Win 7, you're fine on the controller front. Don't install any additional drivers, just use the windows default ones and you'll have full TRIM support. You should do the following:

#1: Change your controller mode in your BIOS to ACHI
#2: Plug the drive in, download the updated Intel firmware for your drive, and update it.
#3: If you have an existing Win7 install, go ahead and format it (NTFS) from Windows (this saves that 100mb install partition from being made)
#4: Install Windows
#5: Pick your jaw up off the floor the first time you have it up and running. :p

There's no need to make a smaller partition or anything, but I do try to keep mine at 85% capacity at most.

On a side note, move to x64 already, it's fine I promise! :cool:
 
#1: Change your controller mode in your BIOS to ACHI
Is this PERMANENTLY or just for the Win7 Install?
#2: Plug the drive in, download the updated Intel firmware for your drive, and update it.
Roger.
#3: If you have an existing Win7 install, go ahead and format it (NTFS) from Windows (this saves that 100mb install partition from being made)
Totally confused
#4: Install Windows
Roger
#5: Pick your jaw up off the floor the first time you have it up and running. :p

On a side note, move to x64 already, it's fine I promise!
Yeah, hindsight 20/20

:)
 
I'm saying if you currently have access to a machine with windows 7 installed on it (like maybe the one you're plugging the SSD into), plug the SSD into that first and format the drive from within windows. It's not a big deal if you don't, but Windows 7 creates a small partition when it formats the drive during installation that doesn't get created if the drive is already formatted. You can remove the partition later, but it just saves a step. No biggie.

You always want to be running in ACHI when you have an SSD.
 
1: Stay with AHCI.
3: He means to attach the SSD, boot into your existing install & format before installing on the SSD.

x64: Definitely!

Annnddd: too slow...
 
I have the same drive as my OS drive and I had to set my BIOS to RAID because I had 2 other media drives I wanted in RAID 0. Would it still be possible to switch to AHCI and have it not effect my media drives that are in RAID 0?

Thanks
 
I don't think so.

Are you running trim manually then?
 
Most onboard controllers will use AHCI for disks not part of a RAID array; even in RAID mode. Some allow SATA5 and SATA6 to operate in AHCI mode, while ports 1-4 operate in RAID mode. And some motherboards allow setting RAID mode per SATA port. So check your BIOS options here.

Intel controller allows for TRIM when set to RAID mode; with the SSD not being part of the RAID. So Intel AHCI driver now supports TRIM; whereas before you had to use the Microsoft AHCI driver.
 
Soundtweaker said:
I have the same drive as my OS drive and I had to set my BIOS to RAID because I had 2 other media drives I wanted in RAID 0. Would it still be possible to switch to AHCI and have it not effect my media drives that are in RAID 0?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Your single SSD drive will be AHCI when in Raid mode.


The problem is that most Raid drivers didn't support trim (until recently).

Intel just released new Raid drivers which now support TRIM for the single SSD drives.

I have an 80Gb X25-M G2 as my OS & apps drive, then 2x640Gb Blacks in Raid 1. Using Intel's 9.6 Raid drivers which support TRIM for the non-raid'd drives.

If you have more than one controller, put the RAID'd drives on one controller and the SSD on another one, so you can use the default MS AHCI driver on the SSD, and the Raid driver on the other drives.
 
Oldie said:
You can remove the partition later, but it just saves a step. No biggie.
Click to expand...
really?? if that partition is removed, the drive will still boot into windows? i though it contains the master boot files and is essential to have a booting drive, no?
 
WhiteFireDragon said:
really?? if that partition is removed, the drive will still boot into windows? i though it contains the master boot files and is essential to have a booting drive, no?
Click to expand...

Yes. I've done it. It is for Bitlocker mostly. I simply just use the console when installing to delete it now though, then install W7. Takes 30 seconds in the command line.
 
WhiteFireDragon said:
really?? if that partition is removed, the drive will still boot into windows? i though it contains the master boot files and is essential to have a booting drive, no?
Click to expand...

You can install Win7 without it just fine, and you can even remove it after the fact if you've already installed Win7 with said partition present. When you install Win7 w/o said partition the contents are simply placed in a hidden folder within C:\, when you remove it (can't do it from within Windows, gotta boot off a Linux live CD or something) you can just run the Recovery Console off the OS disc and it'll fix your partition up (restoring the contents within C:\).

As mentioned before, the main reason for having said partition is really BitLocker (can't boot to an encrypted drive w/o some unencrypted content to access first, duh), and most people don't use that.
 
Had to do this.... would have never figured this out on my own.... nobody else had to do this?

Control panel > Administrative tools > computer management > disk management.

Should I enable ReadyBoost?

Also, with my Nvidia 790i MB, I see no place to choose ACHI in the bios EXCEPT to put it on the other JMicron ACHI sata controller.... I'm guessing since this is ACHI, I should use it, thoughts? Also, any way to update the drive without creating a iso cd/dvd? Mine was packed Feb 26, 2010 and I noticed the firmware is like December on the Intel site... perhaps I already have the latest firmware, how can I tell?

My driver says Microsoft dated 6/21/2006... this doesn't seem right, does it? When I update it says its already good.
Thanks!

UPDATE: I must have the latest firmware because Intel TRIM utility works... well, assuming that's the one where it wants you to schedule it weekly. I hit the run now button and it turned green, thats good, right? This *IS* Trim, right, it's not a driver?
 
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#1: Yeah, the MCP55 Southbridge on your board does not support ACHI unless it's been added by a recent BIOS update, so you'll want to use the micron controller.

#2: The micron would be fine, but I personally leave it disabled unless I need it.

#3: Yes, you can flash it using a USB drive, but you need to make the drive bootable. You can use something like PowerISO to grab the bootsector off and toss it on your thumb drive. If you need a more thorough walkthrough on that, I'll see if I can write one up. It's not all that hard.

#4: I don't believe you'll get the right driver until you have ACHI enabled. The correct one does have a date of 6/21/06 though.
 
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