Setting up windows 10 after installing ssd. Setting up the system after installing the SSD

Optimizing an SSD drive is very important, because despite its high speed and reliability, it has a limited number of rewrite cycles. There are several ways to extend the life of a disk under Windows 10.

To ensure your SSD lasts as long as possible, there are several ways to optimize it. These tips are relevant for the system drive. If you use an SSD to store files, then you won't need most of the optimization options.

Method 1: Disable hibernation

During hibernation (deep sleep mode), the information contained in random access memory, is converted to a special file on the computer, and then the power is turned off. This mode is useful because the user can return after a while and continue working with the same files and programs. Frequent use Hibernation mode negatively affects the SSD drive, because the use of deep sleep leads to frequent rewriting, and it, in turn, wastes disk rewriting cycles. There is also no need for hibernation because the system on an SSD starts up quite quickly.

Method 2: Setting up temporary storage

The Windows operating system always stores service information in special folder. This function is necessary, but it also affects the rewrite cycle. if you have HDD, then you need to move the directory "Temp" on him.

It is important to understand that due to the transfer of this directory, the system speed may drop slightly.

Method 3: Setting up a swap file

When the computer does not have enough RAM, the system creates a paging file on the disk in which all necessary information, and then gets into RAM. One of the most best solutions is the installation additional strips RAM, if possible, because regular rewriting wears out the SSD.

Method 4: Disable defragmentation

Defragmentation is necessary for HDD drives, because it increases the speed of their work by recording the main parts of files next to each other. This way the recording head will not have to spend a long time searching for the right part. But for solid-state drives, defragmentation is useless and even harmful, as it reduces their service life. Windows 10 automatically disables this feature for SSDs.

It's time to talk about proper operation solid state drives in Windows 10. According to Microsoft, using SSD on "ten" does not require any settings or preliminary preparation system to install such a digital storage medium, and changing the operating system parameters yourself can only harm the flash memory-based drive.

But, despite all the assurances of the Windows 10 developer, you should still pay attention to some points, and also study what the “ten” does to ensure maximum performance and save SSD resource.

C Windows release 10 manuals for correct setting systems for optimizing solid-state drives. But in fact, all of them were copies of similar instructions for the “seven” and “eight”, because in the latest OS many actions are performed automatically by the system when an SSD is connected to the PC (disabling defragmentation, paging file).

What does the “ten” do to extend the life of an SSD without compromising its performance?

Initially, Microsoft configured the "ten" in such a way that when a solid-state storage medium is detected, it is already ready for use, without the need to make any changes to the OS configuration. It is known from official sources that the list of settings when using flash memory-based drives includes:

• deactivating defragmentation;
• using Superfetch;
• disabling ReadyBoost;
• optimization of the SSD power circuit;
• activating the TRIM function for the drive.

Remembering the instructions for setting up other Windows versions, you can note that file indexing and caching are not disabled, as is system protection (restore points are created regularly, reducing the device’s working life). It’s the same with folders for temporary files - there’s not even a suggestion to move them to the hard drive. Let's look at all this in order, starting with defragmentation.

Interesting facts about defragmentation

SSD defragmentation in the “ten” is disabled, but some kind of optimization option is activated instead. Having learned about this, many users immediately disable this function, some study the mechanism of its functioning. And, as it turns out, clearing blocks using TRIM technology is a useful function for solid-state digital storage media.

SSD defragmentation in Windows 10 is carried out only when shadow copying is enabled (system protection is active) once a month, but for such drives its essence is not much different from defragmenting files on the HDD. In some cases, not defragmenting a file is useful (for example, when its size subsequently increases).

What to manually disable and what not to do

Many users who read old article By Windows setup 10 to work with SSDs, prove that SuperFetch, caching and file indexing should be disabled. These tips have their place in life; following them will lead to a loss of productivity and ease of use of the computer.

Next, we will consider all options for optimizing work solid state drive in the “ten”, noting that in order to obtain speed benefits when using it, at least 15% of the disk space must be free. And this is very important.

Deactivating the paging file

If there is insufficient comfortable work and performing some RAM tasks, it is advisable to use a paging file.

This fact is also supported by the fact that the mechanism of its operation implies minimal amount calls to the pagefile.sys file for writing, regardless of the amount of installed and free RAM. The number of its read operations exceeds the number of write accesses by approximately 40 times.

When the page file is disabled, even with 8 GB or more of RAM, some “heavy” applications refuse to start (for example, Adobe Premier) or regularly crash. You may have to pay this price to increase the SSD resource.

Disabling hibernation

Another controversial feature is deactivating the ability for the computer to go into hibernation mode. It is also used for quick Windows start 10. To do this on system volume The hiberfil.sys file is created. The “ten” writes the contents of RAM (in case of hibernation) or files necessary for quick start systems. The file size takes up the same amount of space as the RAM installed on the computer, and the amount of data written to it does not exceed the current size of the RAM used.

If deactivating the function of putting the system into hibernation mode is not critical for a computer, then for laptop owners this will result in accelerated battery drain and the need to wait for the device to turn on. The process can take a long time if there are a large number of programs placed in startup, especially on older devices. In the case of a PC, waiting for it full load relevant if you want to extend the life of an expensive SSD.

It is also possible to reduce the volume of hiberfil.sys by disabling hibernation without disabling fast boot.

System Restore

When the “File History” function is enabled and system rollback points are automatically generated before performing operations affecting the system (installing/uninstalling software), the physical resource of the SSD is reduced. In this regard, it is recommended to disable file history and the creation of restore points. But such careful treatment of the drive may result in data loss or the need to reset the system in the event of a serious failure and the impossibility of rolling back to its previous state.

When using a Korean solid-state drive from Samsung, this can be done using the proprietary Samsung apps Magician. Backing up in the background can lead to reduced SSD performance when performing many other tasks when working with the media's file system. Therefore, data backup should be performed when the computer is idle.

Intel and Microsoft categorically do not recommend disabling the operating system protection function. With it you can quickly return your computer to working condition without loss or with minimal loss of user data.

Transferring temporary and user files to your hard drive

Another option for reducing wear on a solid-state drive is to transfer temporary files and user data to partitions physically located on the hard drive. Thus, repeatedly rewriting work files and regularly changing them (for example, stored on the desktop or in My Documents) will slightly reduce the number of writes to the SSD.

Typically, solid state drives are used as system drives, so storing a multimedia library or image catalog on them is not advisable (this does not apply to games). Indeed, during the optimization process, many of the files for which reading speed is not of great importance are affected, their blocks are moved many times.

Superfetch, file indexing for faster search, record caching and others

Using or disabling these features more problems than with others. Various manufacturers post contradictory information regarding each other on their resources. It is up to the user to decide which of them to believe, but you should definitely read the recommendations of leading SSD developers.

According to Microsoft representatives, the Prefetch and Superfetch functions are also successfully used on SSDs, having undergone significant changes in Windows 10. Samsung claims that solid-state drives should not be used with the Superfetch function enabled.

As for clearing the cache buffer, the information here also differs radically, even within the same SSD manufacturer, without reliable information to account for one or another point of view. The cache buffer itself can be used; this will in no way affect the service life of the flash memory.

Search and indexing

In Windows 10, the indexing service to implement instant search performs indexing more actively, but without it the search icon, which is always in a visible place, will be useless, and instantly launch system tool or you won't be able to open a frequently used file. Whether it is worth slightly extending the operating time of the SSD at the expense of convenience - decide for yourself.

As already mentioned, for high-performance SSD operation it should have about 15% or more free space, which is due to the peculiarities of storing digital data on such media. Many SSD developers provide proprietary utilities whose task is to reserve this ~15% of space by creating a hidden volume.

The drive must operate in AHCI mode. This can be checked in the Task Manager (called via Win → X).

It is strongly recommended that you connect SSDs, no matter who their manufacturer is, to a high-speed SATA interface third generation, which does not use third-party controllers. It happens that on motherboard installed chipset for Intel processor or AMD and additional ports on third-party controllers.

Realize SSD connection follows, naturally, to the first. You can identify them both by markings on the motherboard and by using the instruction manual motherboard or laptop.

Periodically visit the website of the manufacturer of your digital media or device support resource and check for the latest firmware. Software updates have a positive impact on hardware performance, and this applies not only to solid-state drives.

To summarize, we can say the following: for beginners, Windows 10 is well set up in terms of minimizing unnecessary write operations. There is little point in interfering with its settings, but experienced users can transfer temporary files to the hard drive and deactivate several functions (indexing, hibernation) to extend the life of the SSD while compromising the usability of the computer.

Now many users are upgrading their personal computers and laptops by installing on them SSD drives– solid state drives. Compared to the already familiar HDDs, solid state drives actually have a significant advantage in operating speed. operating systems and working with data.

Many people have a completely logical question: is it necessary to make any additional adjustments to personal computers and laptops when installing a new SSD? In our article, we will try to consider in detail how to work with SSDs in the two most popular operating systems – Windows 7 and Windows 10 (the actions that we will perform in the “top ten” can also be used on Windows 8).

In the notes, we note some features of SSD manufacturers, as well as some nuances for working with SSDs in laptops. So how is the SSD configured to receive maximum return modern equipment purchased and installed by us?

Microsoft, when creating the Windows 7 operating system, initially intended this system to be compatible with SSD solid-state drives, and when such drives are detected, the system settings will occur automatically. However, it is best to manually check all your computer settings to get the most out of your SSD.

• AHCI mode

To perform its functions, the system needs to SATA controller worked in AHCI mode. To do this, you need to find the SATA configuration menu in the BIOS (Cohfigure SATA As). Typically, these configurations are located in the Main section, and switch them to AHCI mode. The system can be checked in a simple way: “Start Menu” – “Control Panel” – “System” item. Select “Device Manager” and find the item IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers there. If this item is present, then expand it and find controllers with AHCI in the names in the lists. If we find AHCI names there, then our system operates in the mode we need. If there are no such names, then the system is not switched to work in AHCI mode. Naturally, it is necessary that the BIOS itself supports operation in this mode.

• TRIM command

After we have made sure that the system is switched to AHCI mode, we need to check whether the TRIM command is enabled. TRIM improves system performance on solid-state drives by telling operating systems which blocks of previously written data are no longer needed because the data in them has been deleted or formatted. Simply put, the TRIM command “removes garbage” and significantly speeds up SSD operation drive, being a replacement for defragmentation on conventional HDDs.

Notes:

* For SSD operation in the Windows 7 operating system, it is best to combine SSD and HDD on computers. This will allow us to combine improved speed performance with HDD reliability.

* It is, of course, preferable to install the operating system on an SSD, like all major programs

* It is advisable to leave about 20 percent of the total volume of the solid-state drive unallocated when installing the operating system. With natural wear and tear, the SSD will take clusters from there for its work.

Optimization in Windows 7 for working with SSD

• Disabling system protection

To limit unnecessary write operations and return available space to the SSD, disable the “System Protection” function as follows: click right click mouse on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu. In the window that opens, find the “System Protection” tab and go to it. Click the “Configure” button and select “Disable system protection”.

Some experts warn that System Protection may degrade the performance of the SSD over time and negatively impact the TRIM function due to its data recording nature.

• Disable disk indexing

Due to the high performance of SSDs, the disk indexing function is not useful to us, because Disk indexing was designed specifically to speed up work on HDDs. To do this, on the “My Computer” icon, call up the drop-down menu with the right mouse button and select “Properties” again. In the “General” section, uncheck the box next to “Allow the contents of files on this drive to be indexed in addition to file properties.”

• Disabling the page file

If you have a 64-bit operating system installed and the amount of RAM exceeds 8 Gigabytes, it would be advisable to disable the Paging File function. To do this, call up the drop-down menu again by right-clicking on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties”. In the “Properties” window, find the “Advanced Settings” tab, then the “Performance” item, then the “Options” item, select the “Advanced” item and find the “ Virtual memory" Check the “No paging file” option and click “Set”. When working with the page file, you need to remember that with some applications that use a large number of RAM resources when disabling the use of the paging file, difficulties may arise.

• Disabling hibernation

Hibernation was created so that the work you were doing on your computer could be resumed almost instantly. So, when the hibernation function is enabled, the entire contents of the RAM are reset to the hard drive, and then, upon awakening, they are immediately read. When working with an SSD, this function is not necessary, since the resumption of work is already quite fast. This way we save precious space on our SSD.

We disable the function like this: in the search bar in the “Start Menu” we type cmd command and call the command line utility. Then in the command line we type the command: powercfg –h off and press the “Enter” key.

It is worth noting that it is not always advisable to disable hibernation. For example, on laptops, disabling hibernation will result in the computer having to be restarted every time it is closed.

• Disabling Memory Management

When enabled, Superfetch caches the most frequently used data, while Prefetch is responsible for preload frequently used applications. In the case of working on an SSD drive, due to the high speed of data access, we will no longer need these functions and we will be able to free up memory and let our drive work only when needed. To disable we do the following actions: in the “Start Menu” in the search bar, type the command regedit, thereby opening the window for working with the registry. We consistently search for and select registry items: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters. Then, with the right mouse button, call up the submenu on the EnableSuperfetch and EnablePrefetcher items one by one. Select the “Change” item and change the values ​​to zero.

In the same way, we change the values ​​to zero in the ClearPageFileAtShutdown and LargeSystemCache parameters. The LargeSystemCache setting specifies the size and frequency of flushing the cached page to disk, and the ClearPageFileAtShutdown setting clears the page file when the PC is shut down, which results in additional writes that we no longer need. Path to parameters: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management. Select the ClearPageFileAtShutdown and LargeSystemCache items, go to their menu with the right mouse button and, selecting “Change” in each item, set the parameter to zero.

After this, reboot the computer.

• Disable Windows write caching

Since SSDs are much faster than traditional HDDs, the enabled write caching function does not give us any special speed advantages, so you can deactivate it. But, in turn, the manufacturer Intel SSD warns that the refusal of this function will negatively affect the performance of the solid-state drives they produce. Disable caching feature Windows entries We can do this as follows: in the root folder of Explorer “My Computer”, right-click and select “Device Manager” through the “Properties” item. Select the item “ Disk devices"and right-click on our SSD, thereby calling up a submenu. In the submenu, select the “Properties” section and in the properties window on the “Policies” tab, uncheck the “Allow caching of records for this device” checkbox. Then press the OK button.

• Disable Windows Search

Windows Search creates indexes separate files, documents and folders on your hard drive. The index is stored in a separate Search folder on drive C and takes up to 10% of the volume of indexed documents, so that when searching, part of the index is loaded into memory and significantly speeds it up. In the case of an SSD, again, this function will not give us a noticeable increase in speed. But indexes take up space on the solid-state drive, and the enabled this function can really negatively affect the performance of the SSD. Therefore, we disable the function Windows Search as follows: in the search bar in the Start Menu, type services.msc and press Enter to bring up a menu with a list of local services. Find Superfetch in the list and right-click on it to bring up the service menu. In the Startup Type drop-down menu, select Disabled and click OK. Then find the service Windows Search and right-click on it again, select “Properties” and click on the “Stop” button, and then in the “Startup Type” menu, also select the “Disabled” option and click OK.

• Transferring TEMP folders

For release extra space on SSD and unnecessary overwriting, we transfer folders with temporary files to another drive. To do this, go to the “Control Panel”, select the “My Computer” icon, then the “Advanced system settings” section and in the “Advanced” tab go to the “menu” Environment Variables", where we click the change button, and change the final addresses of the folders with temporary data storage to new ones.

• Transferring user folders

To perform the same task as in the previous paragraph, transfer all user folders to another drive (including the “Video”, “Audio”, “Downloads”, “Favorites” and others) folders. We create separate folder user on another drive and in “Folder Options”, which we call by right-clicking on the selected folder, on the “Location” tab, click the move button and set a new location for the folders to be moved.

• Disable NTFS journaling

You can also disable logging NTFS systems. To do this, in the Start menu, in the search bar, type cmd and open the command line. In the command line, type the command: fsutil usn deletejournal /D C: and press “Enter”.

• Disable regular defragmentation

As mentioned above, the defragmentation function is intended to work with HDDs and we do not need it when working with SSDs. Therefore, we disable it as follows: in the “Start” menu in search bar type the word “defragmentation”, select the found disk defragmentation program, find the “Schedule” tab and uncheck the “Run on a schedule” checkbox.

• Setting Energy Consumption

For best performance your SSD needs to manually configure its power supply. To do this, call the “Control Panel”, find “Power Options” there and set following parameters: In “Set up power plan” in the parameters, select “High performance” and click “Apply”. Go to “Setting the power plan” and in the “Change” Extra options Power”, select the “Hard disk” item, the “Turn off the hard drive after” sub-item and set the “Never” option, that is, “00 minutes”.

Optimization in Windows 10 (8) for working with SSD

When working with the Windows 10 (8) operating system, it is best to complete all the points related to Windows 7. The fact is that “Ten” independently makes some changes when it detects a solid-state drive. Here is a list of standard automatic system optimizations:

• Disable defragmentation;
• Connecting the TRIM function;
• Disable ReadyBoost feature;
• SSD power optimization;
• Enable the Superfetch option.

All other optimization items will have to be performed manually. You can proceed according to the scheme with the Windows 7 operating system that we proposed above.

There is another option. You can download free utility SSD Mini Tweaker, launch it, check the boxes required to complete it and apply the changes. It is recommended to check all the optimization menu options offered by the SSD Mini Tweaker program.

Notes:

*For maximum performance when using an SSD, it is recommended to connect it to SATA 3 ports operating at 6 Gigabits per second.

* Don't forget to periodically check your SSD manufacturer's website for firmware updates and install them.

As we can see from the article, optimizing the system for working with a solid-state drive requires some settings. And if Windows 7 has to be carefully configured manually, then in operating Windows systems 10 and 8, some settings are applied automatically when the system detects a solid-state drive during installation, and adjustment to work with an SSD drive in the system can be done using a free software specially designed for this purpose. SSD utility Mini Tweaker.

Windows 7 was not originally designed to run on SSDs. Since their introduction, Microsoft has released numerous updates designed to improve the performance of the OS on solid-state drives. However, you need to carry out additional optimization manually, which gives much more effect.

SSD drive

Solid State Drive (Solid State Drive) is a storage device based on flash memory and a control controller.

They are widely used in computer technology and have some advantages over HDD:

• high speed;
• impact resistance;
• heat resistance;
• small size and weight;
• noiselessness.

In Windows 8 and higher, they work stably and quickly, but under older OS, problems with wear and performance are inevitable. To avoid this, you need to optimize the parameters, which is what this article is devoted to.

What does optimization give?

Windows 7 has several services that improve performance regular hard drives. But with SSDs, they not only do not bring any benefit, but interfere with operation and significantly reduce the service life of the device. Setting up Windows 7 on an SSD negates all attempts by the OS to destroy it, and allows you to achieve better performance.

Are solid state drives faster?

Even if you compare the maximum read/write speed declared by the manufacturer, the difference will be huge.

The linear speed of solid-state drives is 3-4 times higher.

A typical hard drive can rarely achieve a read speed of 180 MB/s. At the same time, he does not waste time moving the head, but focuses on reading the data.

For a regular SSD, such as the Kingston SKC380S3, the limit is 550 MB/s. for reading and 520 for writing. In linear reading mode, it engages all channels and reads data big blocks. However, if you take a deeper look at performance, the superiority of SSDs becomes even more impressive.

When testing the reading speed of 512 KB blocks (small files), the gap becomes even larger. The SSD does not spend much time searching for a block, as a result of which its speed still remains within 500 MB/s. The hard drive spends more time moving the head than reading files. Its speed is reduced by three times and averages 60 MB/s, which is 8 times slower than an SSD.

Photo: reading test of arbitrary blocks of 512 KB in size

If we go deeper into the tests and check the speed on 4 KB blocks, the SSD will outperform the hard drive by 50 times. Loading the OS, copying documents, small images and launching programs - all this corresponds to this mode of operation. In addition, solid-state drives can simultaneously handle multiple requests, while HDDs are single-threaded.

Video: how to properly configure the system for operation

Setting up an SSD in Windows 7

This process, requires patience and includes the following procedures:

Setting up Windows 7 for an SSD begins with flashing the drive's firmware. All manufacturers regularly release new versions of software for their devices, which eliminate errors and weak spots previous versions. You can download it from the official websites of the brand. The software package also usually includes instructions for installing it and updating the firmware.

AHCI and TRIM

The SATA interface has many features that speed up data transfer. In order for them to become available, you need to enable the AHCI controller, since most PCs are still configured by default to work with the legacy ATA controller. You can switch to AHCI either automatically or manually.

Automatic switching:

During the next Windows startup 7 will do the rest of the work itself. If for some reason the utility does not work, then you can do everything manually.

Manual switching:

As a result, after a reboot, the AHCI controller will be visible in the device manager.

AHCI is finished, the TRIM command is next. It helps the OS notify the SSD about what data the file system no longer contains and what data the drive can delete. That is, this command removes garbage and does not allow it to reduce the level of performance.

You can enable TRIM if the following conditions are met:

• The SSD controller supports this command;
• SATA: AHCI mode is enabled.

If the conditions are met, you can proceed to enable TRIM:

Disabling system protection

The instructions are quite simple:

It is important to understand that by disabling protection, the OS will not do control points recovery and in case of failure it will be impossible to resort to Windows recovery. Therefore, it is worth using software from other developers to provide the recovery function, for example, Acronis True Image.

Disable disk indexing

Indexing is carried out only to speed up the search process on the hard drive. Given the SSD's multi-threading and performance, indexing and searching services are not needed.

Disable search like this:

We disable indexing like this:

1. open “Computer”;
2. Right-click on the section -> Properties;
3. at the very bottom of the window that opens, uncheck the “allow indexing...” checkbox;
4. apply and close the window.

Along the way, you can also disable defragmentation, which is useless on SSD drives due to quick access to the cells.

You can do this:

Disabling paging

The paging file is necessary for running programs that require a large amount of memory. If there is not enough RAM, then temporary data is loaded into this file. You can disable it only if you have sufficient RAM installed on your computer (at least 8 GB). Otherwise, it is better to move the swap to another partition, that is, to the hard drive.

Disable:

Disabling hibernation

Computer hibernation or deep sleep was invented by Microsoft so that the computer does not spend a lot of time starting up. This feature allows you to turn off the computer's power without closing applications. When you wake up the next time, all programs continue to work.

At the same time, when the PC goes to sleep, a large amount of data is written to the drive and the SSD wears out faster. Also, for many people, hibernation is not necessary, since a PC with a solid-state drive boots very quickly.

If you decide to disable hibernation, you can do it like this:

To optimize your system to use the SSD drive automatically, you can use the SSD Tweak Utility. The program allows you to quickly and easily do everything that was stated above, except for turning on AHCI mode. The program is published with a different set of tools.

There is a free version with basic set functions:

• disabling defragmentation;
• disabling recovery;
• stop indexing.

IN paid version Other features available in Tweaker Pro:

1. enable and disable services;
2. setting hibernation settings;
3. validation and experimental optimization of the TRIM command.

The program also allows for deeper customization, which includes many more parameters. After starting the program, on the right side of the window you can see detailed description and tips for setting up the system.

To start optimization, just click the big button in the middle of the program window - auto-tuning configuration. The utility itself will configure the basic parameters and provide a report.

Setting up and optimizing Windows 7 for SSD is not a quick process, accompanied by several system reboots and visits to the BIOS. However, if you do not configure it or disable unnecessary services, then after a few months the once fast SSD may exhaust its supply of write cycles and stop working.

To prevent this from happening, after each reinstallation of the system, it is necessary to optimize it. This can be done either manually or automatically using the SSD Tweaker utility.

The emergence of solid state hard drives or SSD for short, can certainly be considered a breakthrough in the development of technologies for creating devices for recording and storing digital information. The first SSDs to hit the market, with the exception of high speed access to arbitrary blocks of information, were in many ways inferior to traditional HDDs. Not only could their volumes, without exaggeration, be called more than modest, they also had low fault tolerance and cost a lot of money.

What's wrong with SSDs?

The high speed, quietness and low power consumption of solid state drives have served good drivers for their development. Modern SSD drives are lightweight, very fast and quite reliable from a mechanical point of view, devices used in tablets, ultrabooks and other compact devices. The price of SSDs has also dropped significantly. But still, they cannot be called perfect. All SSDs have a significant disadvantage - limited number rewrite cycles.

The flash memory of most SSDs is MLC type and allows you to write data approximately 3 to 10 thousand times, while regular USB They exhaust their service life in 1000 or less rewrite cycles. There are also SSDs, for example, with SLC memory type, which can withstand several hundred thousand rewrite cycles. There are many nuances, so it is not surprising that it is precisely this feature of SSD drives that raises a lot of questions among ordinary users regarding their operation, and most importantly, extending their service life. Is SSD optimization necessary in Windows 7/10 or is this just another myth created by the manufacturers and developers of commercial software themselves?

Basic training

Yes, you can leave everything as is on a PC with an SSD, and you might be right, but if you really care about your drive and want it to last as long as possible, it's worth considering customizing it. Let's start with whether you bought a computer with an integrated SSD or just the drive itself, which you want to replace the HDD with, transferring Windows from it. In the first case, you can limit yourself to setting up the system. If you install the SSD yourself, be sure to check whether it is included in BIOS mode AHCI connections for SATA controller.

There are two points here: after AHCI enable and transferring Windows to SSD system may not boot because it does not have the appropriate drivers. Therefore, either install the drivers ahead of time, or run reinstalling Windows from scratch. Second. The BIOS of older PCs may not have AHCI mode. In this case, the BIOS will have to be updated. Now regarding the firmware of the SSD controller. Owners of solid-state drives often ask whether the drive will work faster if you install latest version firmware. Yes, it will, but if you decide to update it and in general, if the need arises, it is better to contact the service center for help.

System settings. Disabling defragmentation

Defragmentation is a useful thing for HDDs, but it can harm SSD drives, so Windows usually automatically disables it. However, it's worth checking to see if it's actually disabled. Run with the command dfrgui Disk Optimization Utility and click Change Settings.

Make sure the “Run on a schedule” checkbox is unchecked. If it is there, be sure to remove it.

Enabling TRIM

The TRIM mechanism optimizes the SSD drive by clearing memory cells of unnecessary data when removing them from the disk. Using TRIM ensures uniform wear of the disk cells and increases its speed. To check whether TRIM is active on your system, run the command in a command prompt running as administrator: fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify.

If the value of the returned parameter DisableDeleteNotify will be 0, it means everything is in order and the trim function is enabled, if 1 it means it is disabled and should be enabled with the command fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0.

This SSD setup is only applicable to Windows 7/10, while Vista and XP do not support it. Option two: either install more new system, or look for an SSD with hardware TRIM. Please also note that some older models of solid-state drives do not support TRIM at all, however, it is likely that they are still sold in stores digital technology very small.

In the process in the hiberfil.sys file on system disk a significant amount of data can be recorded, comparable to the amount of RAM. To extend the service life of the SSD, we need to reduce the number of write cycles, so it is advisable to disable hibernation. The downside to this SSD setup is that you will no longer be able to save open files and programs when the computer is turned off. To disable hibernation, run the command running with administrator privileges powercfg -h off.

Restart your computer and make sure that hidden system file hiberfil.sys has been removed from the C drive.

Disable file search and indexing

What else can be done to properly configure an SSD drive for Windows 7/10? The answer is to disable indexing of the disk contents, because the SSD is already fast enough. Open the disk properties and uncheck “Allow file contents to be indexed...”.

But here's the thing. If in addition to an SSD you have a HDD, then you are unlikely to want to disable indexing on it. What will come of this? By default, the index file is located on drive C and data from drive D will still be written to the solid-state drive.

If you do not want to disable indexing on the user volume, you will need to move the indexing file from the system SSD to the user HDD. Open with command control /name Microsoft.IndexingOptions indexing options.

Now click “Advanced” and specify your index location, having first created a folder on the user disk.

If your PC only has an SSD, you can completely disable indexing and search by opening the service management snap-in with the services.msc command and stopping the Windows Search service.

Disabling system protection

Controversial point. By disabling the creation of system shadow copies, on the one hand, you will reduce the number of write cycles, on the other hand, you will increase the risk of getting a non-working system in the event of some unexpected failure. The use of retractables is one of the most effective and simple ways return Windows to working condition, for this reason we would not recommend disabling this function, especially since points are created infrequently and do not take up so much space.

It does not recommend disabling system protection for your Intel SSDs; Microsoft shares the same opinion. However, it's up to you to decide. If you are using other means Reserve copy, for example, Acronis True Image, system protection can be disabled. To do this, go to system properties, on the “System Protection” tab, select the SSD drive and click “Configure”. Next, in the recovery options, activate the “Disable system protection” radio button, move the slider to zero and click the “Delete” button.

Should I disable the page file or not?

An even more controversial solution is to disable the page file. Some people advise moving it to the HDD, others completely disabling it, but it’s not that simple. The paging file is necessary to optimize the performance of the system and programs that require significant RAM resources. Disabling paging can indeed reduce disk load, but the resulting effect will be very small. In addition, this shutdown can significantly reduce the performance of the computer.

There is little point in moving the swap file to hard disk drive no, either, since it is many times slower than an SSD, and constant access to it by the system will slow down its operation. Disabling, or better yet, reducing the paging file is only permissible in one case - if your computer has more than 10 GB of RAM, and you do not use resource-intensive applications. And so, of course, it’s better to leave everything by default. You can perform all manipulations with the paging file in the performance parameters window, called up in the “Run” window with the command systempropertiesperformance(hereinafter Advanced – Change).

Prefetch and Superfetch

In theory, it’s also better to leave everything here as default. The function does not affect the durability of solid-state drives in any way, since it does not produce any records. Moreover, when Windows installation on SSD, the system automatically disables it. Want to make sure it's disabled? Go to Registry Editor at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/Memory Management/PrefetchParameters and look at the parameter value EnableSuperfetch. It should be set to 0. You can also disable it through the service management snap-in.

As for Prefetch, the disk writes it produces are so insignificant that it can be ignored. However, you can turn it off, nothing bad will happen. To do this, in the same registry key, set the value of the parameter EnablePrefetcher 0.

The same can be said about disconnecting additional function Prefetch ReadyBoot, logged application loading process. The volume of records it produces in the folder C:/Windows/Prefetch/ReadyBoot is negligible, but if you want to disable them too, set the Start parameter in the key to 0 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/WMI/Autologger/ReadyBoot.

Programs for optimizing SSD disks

Almost everything that was shown in the examples above can be done using special utilities. How to set up an SSD under Windows 7/10 using third party programs? Very simple. Most of them have an intuitive clear interface, represented by a set of options that can be enabled or disabled. There are many SSD optimizers, but we will focus only on the most popular ones.

SSD Mini Tweaker

The most convenient portable program for optimizing solid-state drives. The utility supports work with the functions of defragmentation, hibernation and system protection, Trim, Superfetch and Prefetcher, management of the paging file and Layout.ini, indexing, file system cache and some other settings.

The SSD Mini Tweaker interface is represented by a window with a list of functions available for management. After applying the new settings, you may need to restart your PC.

A shareware utility for optimizing and tuning the performance of an SSD drive. There is no Russian language in Tweak-SSD, but there is a convenient one step by step wizard, offering optimal settings. Features of this program include disabling file indexing, Program Compatibility Assistant, hibernation, paging file, defragmentation, time recording last access to a file, working with TRIM, increasing the file system cache, removing the NTFS limit on memory use, and moving the kernel into memory instead of unloading some modules to disk.

SSD Fresh Plus

Another SSD optimizer. Unlike analogues, it supports working with S.M.A.R.T. data. With Abelssoft SSD Fresh Plus you can disable defragmentation, the use of short names for folders and files, timestamps, Windows log,Prefetching services.

In total, the utility supports nine different settings, optimizing the operation of SSDs. Additional program features include viewing detailed information about the disk. Distributed in paid and free editions.

Conclusion

That's probably all. There are also other recommendations for optimizing SSDs, but for the most part they are either dubious or harmful. In particular, it is not recommended to disable write caching for the SSD disk and the USN journal of the NTFS file system. It should also not be transferred from SSD programs and temporary Temp folders, browser cache and so on, because then what’s the point in buying an SSD drive? We need programs to run faster, but transferring them to the HDD will only slow down the system.

And finally, here's to you good advice. Don't bother too much with SSD optimization. It will take you at least a dozen years to reach the lifespan of even a budget 128GB solid-state drive, unless you write and delete terabytes of data every day. And during this time, not only the disk model, but also the computer itself will become hopelessly outdated.