Setting up an Intel X25-M SSD for use

BETA.

BETA.

2[H]4U
2FA
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
2,909
Hey guys

I have this Intel X25M G2 160 gig and I have plans for using it as an OS/apps drive for my new system I am about to build. I am just wondering what do I need to do/need to get to get this puppy properly working.

I read someone's post a while back that I should hook up the SSD as a secondary drive and check if it is using the latest firmware and if not I can update it. How would I go about doing this? Also, what other things do I need to consider to get started running this thing proplerly
 
Seeing as I just jumped on the deal for the 80GB version i'm subscribing to this thread.
 
Some of it depends on what OS you're using - Windows 7 detects the SSD and makes some changes automatically that you need to do manually on XP, for example.

Here's Intel's firmware update tool, it's a bootable iso. I would assume that if you have the latest Firmware, it'll tell you that and refuse to flash. In other words, while you might be able to find the current firmware listed somewhere, it may just be easier to try the flash and see if it works.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18363

-HD
 
HomelessDepot said:
Some of it depends on what OS you're using - Windows 7 detects the SSD and makes some changes automatically that you need to do manually on XP, for example.

Here's Intel's firmware update tool, it's a bootable iso. I would assume that if you have the latest Firmware, it'll tell you that and refuse to flash. In other words, while you might be able to find the current firmware listed somewhere, it may just be easier to try the flash and see if it works.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18363

-HD
Click to expand...

So all I need to do is hook up the SSD to my PC, boot up the PC into windows(win 7 pro) and let the OS do its thing with the SSD, reboot and use the ISO and update the drive and that should be all I need to do before I use it for my main OS drive on my new rig?
 
BETA. said:
So all I need to do is hook up the SSD to my PC, boot up the PC into windows(win 7 pro) and let the OS do its thing with the SSD, reboot and use the ISO and update the drive and that should be all I need to do before I use it for my main OS drive on my new rig?
Click to expand...

No need to connect the drive to your Win7 PC first...just disconnect all drives, connect the X25-M to port 1, and boot to the ISO. The update utility will scan the drive and detect its firmware, so you'll know which one shipped on it and whether an update is necessary.

Actually now that I think about it, you could connect the SSD as a secondary drive and initialize it in Windows; looking at the hardware ID in Device Manager will also tell you the firmware it's running.
 
imyourzero said:
No need to connect the drive to your Win7 PC first...just disconnect all drives, connect the X25-M to port 1, and boot to the ISO. The update utility will scan the drive and detect its firmware, so you'll know which one shipped on it and whether an update is necessary.

Actually now that I think about it, you could connect the SSD as a secondary drive and initialize it in Windows; looking at the hardware ID in Device Manager will also tell you the firmware it's running.
Click to expand...

Okay I am running it now as a secondary. It doesn't show anywhere in "My Computer" but windows detected it. Anyways in Device Manager this is what it says Intel(R) ICH10 Family 6 Port SATA AHCI Controller - 3A22

Another thing. This is my first time actually opening the contents up and upon taking the SSD out of the anti-static bag and looking at the SSD the bottom part looks like it has a "soapy" residue. Is this normal?

EDIT: My BIOS and Windows detects my SSD, but in My Computer there's no partition showing for the SSD and when I run the Intel SSD Updater tool it says it doesn't detect any SSD's attached. Could I have a dud SSD?

EDIT: I managed to create a partition but the update tool still doesnt detect the SSD.
 
Last edited:
The Intel X25 SSD will tell you the firmware that is installed by the sticker on the drive.

"FW: XXXX"

There is no need to set it up as a secondary and then check and then download and then reboot... It's basically a lot of extra steps.

Just connect it to port 1 and reboot with the ISO in the disc drive. It will update it if it needs to. Once the firmware is updated then you can proceed with installing Windows 7 on the drive, making it your primary and uninstalling the OS from the previous drive once its done and if you choose to.
 
Is there something that I am doing wrong?

I've unplugged all my other hard drives and plugged my SSD into port 0/1 and the updater still says that it doesn't detect my SSD. I have my drive settings in my bios set to AHCI, so no IDE mode.

Earlier I had an issue where the drive wasn't showing up in My Computer and I fixed that by creating a new partition for the drive, but that's probably unrelated to this update tool issue.

The firmware for the SSD is 2G09
 
So set it to IDE or Legacy (which ever you MB supports) and try again.

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/18363/eng/README_REV26.txt
2. "Drive not recognized" in AHCI SATA mode
ISSUE: Some platform BIOS implementations of SATA port settings
are not compatible with the update program's process for
locating the SSD within the system in AHCI mode.
WORKAROUND:
For best compatibility, configure the BIOS SATA port mode to
The "Legacy" or "Compatibility" mode to perform the firmware upgrade
Click to expand...
 
Igthorn said:
So set it to IDE or Legacy (which ever you MB supports) and try again.
Click to expand...

Hail to you. I did exactly that and it was able to update no problems.

How do these results look?



Also, is there any way to see if TRIM is enabled?
 
Look good to me, as compared to my x-18 g1.

type this in a command window: fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

if fsutil reports that "DisableDeleteNotify" is 0, then Trim is enabled



window 2.jpg
[/IMG]
 
There are two reasons to hook the SSD up to your current system. The first is to check the firmware level to see if the drive needs an update, without having to download and burn the CD then boot off it. The second is to manually create a partition on the drive, so that a new install doesn't create that 100MB system partition. Neither one is critical, they're just things you could do beforehand.

FYI, DisableDeleteNotify only shows that TRIM is enabled in the OS. It doesn't actually prove that the whole TRIM chain (OS - driver - SSD) is actually functioning.
 
InvisiBill said:
There are two reasons to hook the SSD up to your current system. The first is to check the firmware level to see if the drive needs an update, without having to download and burn the CD then boot off it. The second is to manually create a partition on the drive, so that a new install doesn't create that 100MB system partition. Neither one is critical, they're just things you could do beforehand.
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate on the "create a partition on the drive, so that a new install doesn't create that 100MB system partition" statement? What kind/size of partition should be created?
 
subscribing to this thread as well, my 160gb x25 is on order from intel right now. Going to reinstall with it at my boot drive. I'm still not %100 clear from this thread if I should just throw it into the machine with the dvd drive having windows 7 in it and let er rip.
 
I installed my new x25-m yesterday. First thing I did was update the firmware to the latest, changed the sata mode in bios to AHCI, installed windows 7 and put the pagefiling on a different drive. Definitely impress with the bootup speeds. Only takes about 12 seconds after post and i'm in windows. :)
 
lathorus said:
I installed my new x25-m yesterday. First thing I did was update the firmware to the latest, changed the sata mode in bios to AHCI, installed windows 7 and put the pagefiling on a different drive. Definitely impress with the bootup speeds. Only takes about 12 seconds after post and i'm in windows. :)
Click to expand...

Why move the page file? If you ever use it a page file is perfect for being on an SSD.
 
SSD doesn't need a page file. You want to minimize writes to a SSD in any way you can. I have a page file on a secondary drive for times when something might require more than 4GB of ram. It never gets used really.

When you update the firmware on the SSD, you should have the drive connected to port 1 on your controller and the controller set to legacy mode. After the firmware is flashed you can move the drive and change the BIOS back to ACHI.
 
BallerX said:
You want to minimize writes to a SSD in any way you can.
Click to expand...

79 days after my desktop's X25-M arrived, it had 72 days worth of uptime. The SSD holds my OS, 1GB pagefile (with 6GB of RAM), user profiles, the most commonly used apps, and a couple games. At my current rate of writes (about 5.5GB/day), it will last over 90 years according to Intel's stated numbers regarding write capacity.

While SSDs do have a finite number of write cycles available, any decent product should have enough to last several years, even under very demanding conditions. With TRIM and wiper apps, SSDs shouldn't degrade like they used to. A good SSD should be able to handle a lot of writes with no issues, and the more you have on the SSD, the more it should improve your system's performance.
 
Regarding the page file... If you have enough RAM that you never really use it ('least not for stuff you're working on, Windows will always page certain background tasks out of RAM), then the issue is moot... And if you have 2-4GB of RAM and you think you might occasionally be hitting it, then I'd just leave it on the SSD as per Microsoft's own recommendation here. It's a Q&A w/a Win7 dev regarding SSD, he states that page file usage is mainly comprised of small random reads and large sequential writes, which are things SSD excel (or at 'least, they're not worse than a comparable HDD).

I'm sure I or someone else mentioned that article in the thread linked above (the article answers many other related questions about Win7's default behavior regarding SSD), but just in case I'm putting it out there since I didn't see it referenced in this thread.

Honestly, if you're doing a clean Win7 install then making sure you've got the latest firmware and that you don't install Intel's SATA drivers are the main concerns you should have. Make sure you're running AHCI mode as well altho it's not absolutely necessary.
 
cavediver said:
Could you elaborate on the "create a partition on the drive, so that a new install doesn't create that 100MB system partition" statement? What kind/size of partition should be created?
Click to expand...

Some of us like to make image backups of our OS drive... Many or most image programs can't read (much less backup) the 100MB System Restore Partition that Win7 creates (Ghost 15.0 can btw, FWIW)... So to avoid hassles it's simpler to just install Win7 w/o said partition. It's main reason for existing is BitLocker anyway, when you install Win7 in a way* so that it doesn't create the SRP it will simply places the contents of said partition within a hidden folder in C:/ (Recovery IIRC). It's no big deal either way, and you can always remove it at a later date as well if you've already installed Win7 and configured it.

*(you do that by manually formatting the drive beforehand or immediately deleting the SRP within the Win7 setup and expanding the main partition)
 
Pieded said:
Tagged for future reference.

Someone should make an SSD FAQ :)
Click to expand...

Yea it might be more feasible to do so now that things aren't changing as much... Controllers and firmware are more mature, most people are running Win7, etc. I had some stuff typed up, sort of a usability guide, regarding stuff like using symbolic links for game installs and installing w/o the SRP, etc... But it needs some serious cleanup and re-arranging, heh. Truth is you shouldn't really need to do much to accommodate a SSD tho.
 
Bumping this thread because my power supply is coming in tomorrow and i'll be able to build my rig!

With updating the firmware out of the way, I am going to use the SSD to use as the OS/Primary drive. Is there any extra steps compared to a regular hard disk to take to install Windows 7 on the SSD?
 
BETA. said:
Bumping this thread because my power supply is coming in tomorrow and i'll be able to build my rig!

With updating the firmware out of the way, I am going to use the SSD to use as the OS/Primary drive. Is there any extra steps compared to a regular hard disk to take to install Windows 7 on the SSD?
Click to expand...

For Windows 7, you can just run everything out of the box.... ie: do just a normal install.

Now if you were installing Windows XP, I'd say use a Windows 7 install / recovery disc to partition it correctly (aligned).

With either you should download & install the manufacturer's toolbox. (IF they have one).
Like I use the Intel SSD Toolbox with my drive. On my WinXP install at work I scheduled it to TRIM the drive weekly. On my Win7 install at home, it should be getting TRIM automatically, however, every once in a while, I'll manually run TRIM just to make sure things are in fact TRIM'd.
 
I just received my x25-m 80gb.

I was wondering if the following firmware is okay or is there newer stuff out there:

02HA


----
About the entire "partitioning and 100mb" issue... do you mean.. connect the SSD, go into windows... format it there to use the entire disk, restart, remove the other drives, install OS on SSD using the 1 large partition?
 
Impulse said:
Honestly, if you're doing a clean Win7 install then making sure you've got the latest firmware and that you don't install Intel's SATA drivers are the main concerns you should have. Make sure you're running AHCI mode as well altho it's not absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...

Why don't you want to install the Intel drivers?
 
So I have a question:

When I installed my X25-M 80 GB, I immediately tried to update the firmware to the latest version, which I believe is 2CV102HD. The firmware program told me my SSD was up to date and did not require an update. However, now in Windows when I check the firmware, it says version 2CV1. What's up with this?

Also, I am using the Intel AHCI drivers. Is there a reason to use the Microsoft ones over these?
 
Eocene said:
About the entire "partitioning and 100mb" issue... do you mean.. connect the SSD, go into windows... format it there to use the entire disk, restart, remove the other drives, install OS on SSD using the 1 large partition?
Click to expand...

Yes. Or within the Windows setup itself, you can just go into an Advanced properties window or w/e it's called and delete the system recovery partition before the setup actually starts as well. Either way works.

Makaveli@BETA said:
i'm wondering this also since the newest intel drivers support TRIM in non Raid arrays!
Click to expand...

That post of mine was written on March 13th... Either the new Intel drivers weren't out yet or I just wasn't aware of it at the time. There's obviously nothing wrong w/using them now, use whichever.
 
Impulse said:
Yes. Or within the Windows setup itself, you can just go into an Advanced properties window or w/e it's called and delete the system recovery partition before the setup actually starts as well. Either way works.



That post of mine was written on March 13th... Either the new Intel drivers weren't out yet or I just wasn't aware of it at the time. There's obviously nothing wrong w/using them now, use whichever.
Click to expand...

;) sorry didn't look at the post date
 
1) During the windows 7 installation i clicked advance and next... i didnt click "new partition either" i just clicked next .

did it create any system reserve?
next i ran intel ssd tool box
shows.
C: WDC 931.4
E: intel ssd 0.1gb
F: intel ssd 74.4gb
did.. windows create a system reserve?

should i reinstall my win 7 on my ssd again?

2) is my firmware up to date?
In device manager hardware ids. it shows 2cv102hd


3)update alright i reinstalled win 7 again and i followed these step.. so basically my system reserved is now my main drive
METHOD 3

is this ok?

4) um.. is this correct? it seems like my 4k64 is lower than the guy who posted his earlier
asssdbenchintelssdsa2m0m.png

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?63273-*-Windows-7-Ultimate-Tweaks-amp-Utilities-*"]next i followed this guide for tweaks[/URL]
Tweaks ive made
Change the Power Plan To Maximum Performance
Speed Up the Windows 7 Bootup Time
Turn off Unused Windows 7 Features
Change the Number of Processors Used at Boot Up
Speed Up the Shut Down Time
Disable indexing
Disable defragmentation
Disable System Restore
Disable Hibernate
Firefox - Use memory cache instead of disk cache

What im considering should i do?
disable the page file?
I do use adobe photoshop and adobe after effects

What other tweaks should i do? MOVE my userprofile and temp folder into my Other HDD?
 
Last edited:
A lot of those OCZ guides go WAY overboard and they were really meant for some of the earliest SSD which weren't really engineered properly to deal w/a modern OS... Defrag is disabled by the default, and the rest of the stuff on that list you shouldn't have had to touch unless you wanted to save a lil' bit of space (Hibernation would save the most, easiest to turn off). If you start moving user profiles and all sorts of crap OFF the SSD you're completely defeating the purpose of having a SSD! Seriously, Win7 and better designed SSD have eliminated the need for most, if not all tweaks like these...

If anything AHCI mode is gonna help more than any of that, as the above post states.
 
hmm i cant seem to find that in the bios anywhere i have
MSI P55 GD80 newest updated bios.

should i try this?
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/f...82-Change-from-IDE-to-AHCI-after-Installation

eh maybe its b.c im missing this
Intel P55 AHCI / RAID Drivers
Description Ver: 8.9.0.1023
Update Date 2009-07-24
Your System OS

Intel Matrix Storage Manager Driver
Description Intel Matrix Storage Manager is for SATA RAID and AHCI mode.
Ver: 9.5.0.1037
Update Date 2010-01-08


http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=downloaddetail&type=driver&maincat_no=1&prod_no=1844 should i.. try?

nvm.. says i dont meet the requirements
 
Last edited:
You're probably gonna have to do that once you actually change the setting in BIOS, but you gotta find that setting regardless, it's in there. Look at the drive controllers page or w/e.
 
You'll probably have to follow that guide before and/or after you change the setting in the BIOS, but the two things are not mutually exclusive... Windows will simply freak out (and not boot properly) if you simply go and change the setting in the BIOS, hence why you have to also do what that guide says (to avoid having to re-install).

Honestly, just take 5 min. to look thru your BIOS or motherboard manual, the setting IS in there and it's not hard to find... I don't own your motherboard, haven't owned an MSI in a while, I'm more familiar w/ASUS' BIOS than anything else.

Actually, here you go, from [H]ardOCP's own review... You're looking for this screen/setting in the BIOS.

1251341731pWXf5fBMwV_2_9_l.gif


It's a sub-menu of this Integrated Peripherals menu.

1251341731pWXf5fBMwV_2_8_l.gif
 
hmm thanks.. werid thing was i did that it my system crashed i had to switch the sata ports cause somehow.. it was looking for 8/9? then i just cleared my cmos then used the settings u posted and it worked.. thanks impulse.
well time to start installing...
my games lol over 15gb worth

if any ones alittle paranoid about how much your browser uses on your ssd heres a good read.. since you dont really need a ssd to browse websites? correct? lol time to save alittle write.
http://www.techgremlin.com/2009/06/...-vista-windows-7-for-google-chrome-user-data/ <
 
Last edited:
BTW, even when I turned off disk cache FF was still writing to the SSD constantly. I used the Mozilla profiles manager and just moved the profiles to another drive and registered them. I did the same with Thunder Bird. I don't really want to be storing my e-mail on my SSD.

Things I have noticed. Some games put the save games there. I don't mind, but I would prefer to store them else where. If I DL an apple movie trailer, it is always stored on my SSD drive even though my FF DL folder is on another drive. I really hate that. I guess I'm supposed to be using iTunes to watch them. I just can't bring myself to put that on my PC. My PC runs them best when they are renamed to .hdmov. If I watch them any other way, the contrast is effed up. My TV is calibrated for 16-235. I don't really like watching HD trailers on my tiny monitor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top