SSD installation

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TheCommander

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Just got a SSD and was wondering if there is anything "special" I have to do to make it work to itd best capability. Can I just hook it up normally like any other hard drive and put Windows?
 
Best to change mobo to AHCI in the BIOS first, before installing Windows. (Though it's not mandatory and can be done after. Just easier to do it when installing so the right drivers get used by W7.)

You are using W7? If so, partition the drive with the W7 install disk. Lets see. *joggles memory.......tries again* I can't remember why now.....though it was either an alignment issue, or TRIM functionality issue. (Defaults to auto vs manual, I think. I'll try and find the post here, or the article I read it in.)

But that is what I have gathered so far. (I just got an SSD on Tuesday myself.)
 
Yep, the only thing to do is just plug it in, make sure it's showing in the BIOS, and install. Depending on what drive you got, yours might have come with a jumper that is only for updating firmware. Make sure that it's not plugged in. Also, if you're running Windows 7, it's best to use the built in SATA drivers from Microsoft, as they are the only one that supports Windows native TRIM. Have fun with your new purchase.
 
When you install Windows, you'll have to create a partition on the drive. No real formatting is needed Also, the SATA driver is built into Windows, so no extra work needed there. Just set your SATA ports to AHCI in the BIOS. After that, you're set. The newer Vertex drives come with 1.4 firmware, which enable TRIM. Basically, you don't have to do anything different than a regular platter disk. Just make sure to never run defrag on the SSD, as that will kill your drive more quickly, due to it using write cycles, and those are very much finite. The last thing that I think you should know is that it's best to use a second hard-drive for your documents and storage.
 
SicKlown42012 said:
...The newer Vertex drives come with 1.4 firmware, which enable TRIM...
Click to expand...

Before installing Windows on the drive, you should verify what firmware came with it by attaching it to a machine with an OS already on it, just in case you receive one that hasn't been updated yet.

(I picked up a variety of SSDs in the past few weeks for various machines, and it was hit or miss as to whether or not they came with the latest firmware. Better to check ahead of time than find out after getting Windows on there...)
 
the procedure to check trim functionality is enabled:

To determine if your SSD supports TRIM, open a console as Admin;
Code:

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

If the console returns a '0', your drive supports TRIM and it is ENABLED.

If it returns '1', the file system has disabled TRIM for your drive. This means your drive's controller does not support TRIM.

the article is located here:

http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/10259-ssd-support-native-w7.html
 
You get a few interesting features, such as native command queuing (a little quicker) and hot swap capabilities.
 
If you are running XP there are other things to do like partition alignment etc, but Win7 is easy.
 
Wait why AHCI? I thought NCQ was for moving parts. Does AHCI and IDE both support TRIM?
 
provoko said:
Wait why AHCI? I thought NCQ was for moving parts. Does AHCI and IDE both support TRIM?
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Command_Queuing
Native Command Queuing (NCQ) is a technology designed to increase performance of SATA hard disks under certain situations by allowing the individual hard disk to internally optimize the order in which received read and write commands are executed. This can reduce the amount of unnecessary drive head movement, resulting in increased performance (and slightly decreased wear of the drive) for workloads where multiple simultaneous read/write requests are outstanding, most often occurring in server-type applications.
Click to expand...

It seems to be designed with platter HDDs in mind, but there's nothing to say that it could help out on SSD as well. The SSD could reorder accesses to alternate internal channels, for example. Instead of accessing channel 1 twice, then channel 2 twice, it could do 1-2-1-2 instead, which could speed things up. At the most basic level, NCQ is a feature that allows a drive to be a little smarter about how it handles operations. Personally, I prefer to have it available even if the SSD doesn't make use of it. I do also still have a platter HDD in my system, so it'll help there anyway.

Regarding TRIM, that will depend on the details of your specific SSD. There's nothing about AHCI or IDE that inherently blocks TRIM though.
 
A rebuttal: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/wiki/index.php?title=How_to_set_up_Windows_on_a_VERTEX
Before you install an Operating System to the VERTEX you need to consider the following.

Does my machine support IDE mode as well as AHCI? More on this further down

Does it have the newest firmware installed?

At this time AHCI mode has created problems for Firmware upgrades, if possible always use IDE mode for updating VERTEX firmware.

With SSD technology being pretty new it is important to remember there will be bug fixes you may need in the new Firmware.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you need to have it on IDE to get the f/w upgrade to go through (if you need it), otherwise AHCI is the option to use of the two. Good thing I found this too 'cause I'll be installing my Vertex on a fresh machine shortly myself and I had no idea that I should change the SATA setting to AHCI before now. :)
 
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