Ssd disk protection. Fine-tuning an SSD drive - optimization guide
For a long time, the main component that “slows down” the performance of even the most sophisticated home computer, were hard disks. The fact is that spindle HDDs at some point reached the limit of development in terms of speed. This was due to physical laws that did not allow the disk spindle to spin above a certain speed, which affected the data access time, as well as the writing and reading speed. The volume continued to grow, but the performance did not. Next generation hard drives steel SSD drives.
An SSD drive is a computer non-mechanical storage device based on memory chips. Simply put, now HDD is a large and very fast flash drive on which the operating system and user files are located.
Why is it needed? optimization SSD Windows 7 ?
Without a doubt, the main advantage SSD drive is the writing and reading speed, but it also has disadvantages such as limited number recording cycles. This disadvantage is especially relevant for outdated versions operating systems that can “kill” the drive ahead of schedule, without taking into account the specifics of working with it.
That is why it can be a significant moment Windows optimization under SSD. This article is intended to help “extend the life” of your SSD drive by correctly configuring your computer’s operating system.
Setting up an SSD drive
The Windows 7 operating system is initially optimized for working with solid-state drives, but to increase reliability, you should adhere to the following rules:
1. Use solid state SSD-disk (for the operating system and programs) along with a classic HDD on a spindle. In this option you combine speed and reliability.
2. Before you start using the solid-state drive, be sure to go into the BIOS and set the ACHI mode.
3. From any other computer, go to the manufacturer’s website SSD drive and check for more recent device firmware. If possible, update the firmware.
4. When marking a disk during Windows installations Leave about 20% of the total disk space unallocated. As the SSD wears out, it will take clusters from this area.
Optimizing Windows 7 for SSD
1. Disable the system cache Prefetch and Superfetch. They will be of no use when using a solid-state HDD. Most likely, Windows 7 will disable Prefetch on its own, but we will definitely check this. How:
Open the registry editor (Start - enter “regedit” in the search bar)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Control -> Session Manager -> Memory Management-> PrefetchParameters
Install - EnablePrefetcher = dword:00000000
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Control -> Session Manager -> Memory Management -> PrefetchParameters
Install - EnableSuperfetch = dword:0000000
2. You must disable automatic file defragmentation. It also makes no sense now. It will only needlessly reduce the resource of the SSD drive.
Start - in the search bar enter - Defragmentation. Click on the “Set up schedule” button. Uncheck the “Run as scheduled” checkbox.
3. If you have a 64-bit operating system and a memory capacity of 8GB or more, then it makes sense to disable the page file.
Computer -> Properties -> Advanced system settings -> Advanced -> Performance Settings -> Advanced -> Virtual memory-> Change. Install - Without swap file
4. Change the Memory Management parameter:
Open the registry editor Start-Run->regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Control -> Session Manager -> Memory Management
Set - DisablePagingExecutive = dword:00000001
5. SSD optimization may also include disabling file journaling NTFS systems:
Start – enter –cmd in the search bar – click on the program icon with the RIGHT mouse button – Run as administrator.
In the command line window, enter: fsutil usn deletejournal /D C: - example for drive C:
6. Disable sleep mode. The system will already boot very quickly and there will be no need for sleep mode.
In already open window At the command line, enter - powercfg –h off and press ENTER.
7. Disable indexing for the SSD disk:
Start-Computer-click on system disk right click and select properties - uncheck the option “Allow the contents of files on this drive to be indexed in addition to file properties”
8. Transfer temporary TEMP folders from SSD to HDD.
Open Computer - (right mouse button) Properties - Advanced system settings - Advanced - Environment Variables.
Enter new address for variables medium TEMP and TMP, placing them on the second hard drive.
9. Finally, all that remains is to transfer the user’s folders (Documents, Videos, Downloads, etc.) from the SSD to the HDD.
We create a user folder on the HDD in advance, in which user libraries will now be stored.
We right-click on each folder whose location we want to change. On the Location tab, click the “Move” button. Move it to the HDD into the newly created folder.
10. It is also worth transferring the profiles and temporary files of the browser you use from the SSD to the HDD, or disabling file caching by the browser.
You yourself saw that configure SSD for Windows 7 not that difficult. Now you can enjoy the speed of your PC.
That's all. Thank you for reading the article. I hope it was useful to you.
If you decide to purchase a solid-state SSD drive, there may be several reasons for this:
- You are not satisfied with the speed of your HDD.
- Do you need fast work windows and certain types of applications, games.
However, installing an SSD into a computer or laptop and then filling it with information is not enough. It is also necessary to optimize its operation with the operation of your OS.
Let's look at the main methods for optimizing an SSD drive.
AHCI SATA
Technology that allows the TRIM function to be used for various SSDs. It is enabled at the BIOS level of your PC or laptop.
Enable AHCI SATA:
- Open the command line with the key combination win + R.
- Enter the command: “regedit” (access to the registry).
- Go to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE → SYSTEM → CurrentControlSet → Services → storahci.
- Change the value of the ErrorControl subkey to 0 (default 3) by calling the context menu and clicking the “Modify” option.
- Go to the branch called “StartOverride” and change its value to 0 (default 3).
- Restart your PC (laptop), go to BIOS/UEFI (how to enter BIOS, see separately for your laptop model or motherboard PC). In the “storage configuration” section, and in the “SATA port” subsection, set AHCI, or in the “SATA RAID/AHCI Mode” section, set AHCI (For different versions BIOS, its partitions and subpartitions).
- Check if the function works in Windows. Go to the following path: Control Panel → Device Manager → IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. The device should appear in the last subsection: “Standard SATA AHCI Controller”.
TRIM function
Default this function enabled on windows 7 and higher, however, it is better to manually check whether this function works. The meaning of TRIM is that after deleting files, Windows transmits information to the SSD drive that a certain area of the disk is not used and can be cleared for writing. (V HDD data remain and the recording is made “over” the existing one). Over time, if the function is disabled, the drive's performance will drop.
Checking TRIM on Windows:
- Launch the command prompt by pressing the key combination win + R.
- Enter the command: “fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify”.
- If after entering the message “DisableDeleteNotify = 0” is displayed, then the TRIM function is enabled, if “DisableDeleteNotify = 1”, then TRIM does not function. If TRIM does not work, enter the command: “fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0”, then repeat steps 2 and 3.
Defragmentation
This feature helps optimize and speed up HDD operation, but for SSD, it has a detrimental effect. For SSDs, the “automatic defragmentation” feature is disabled by default. To check if it works:
- Press the win + R combination.
- In the command line window, enter the command: “dfrgui” and click “OK”.
- In the window that opens, select your SSD and look at the “Schedule optimization” item. For our solid state drive it should be disabled.
Indexing
Windows feature that helps you perform quick search files on disk when large volumes information, however, increases the write load on the SSD. To disable it:
- Go to the section “This computer”, “My computer”, “Computer” (it’s different for each OS).
- Select your SSD and context menu select “Properties”.
- In the window that opens, uncheck the box next to the option: “Allow the contents of files on this disk to be indexed in addition to file properties.”
Search service
Its function creates a file index, thanks to which finding various files and folders is faster. However, the speed of the SSD is quite enough to abandon it. To disable it you must:
- Go to the following address: Control Panel → System and Security → Administrative Tools → Computer Management.
- Go to the tab: “Services”.
- Find the “Windows search” service and select “Disabled” in the “Startup type” tab.
Hibernation
A mode that allows you to save content random access memory on the hard drive, so that the next time you turn it on, information and open applications from the previous session.
When using an SSD, the meaning of this function is lost, since the drive starts up quickly anyway. And “Hibernation”, creating “write-overwrite” cycles, reduces the lifespan of an SSD disk.
Disabling hibernation:
- Launch cmd.exe again using the key combination win + R.
- Enter the command: “powercfg -h off”.
Write caching
This feature improves the performance of your SSD. When enabled, NCQ writing and reading technology is used. NCQ - accepts multiple requests simultaneously and then arranges their execution order in such a way as to achieve maximum performance.
To connect you need:
- Open the command line with the combination win + R
- Enter the command: “devmgmt.msc”.
- Open « Disk devices", select SSD and select "Properties" in the context menu.
- Go to the “Policies” tab.
- Check the box next to the option: “Allow recording caching for this device.”
Prefetch and Superfetch
Prefetch– a technology with which frequently used programs are loaded into memory in advance, thereby speeding up their subsequent launch. At the same time, on disk space a file of the same name is created.
Superfetch– a technology similar to Prefetch with the difference that the PC predicts which applications will be launched by loading them into memory in advance.
Both functions are of no use when using SSD. Therefore, it is best to turn them off. For this:
- Open the command line using the key combination win + R.
- Execute the command: “regedit” (go to the registry).
- Follow the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE → SYSTEM → CurrentControlSet → Control → Session Manager → Memory Management → PrefetchParameters.
- Find several parameters in the registry subkey: “EnablePrefetcher” and “EnableSuperfetch”, set their value to 0 (default 3).
SSD Mini Tweaker utility
All of the above actions can be performed manually, but programmers have created programs called tweakers, the purpose of which is to customize the Windows OS, as well as its individual components, with a few clicks. One such program is SSD Mini Tweaker.
SSD Mini Tweaker– a program, a type of tweaker, that allows you to optimize your SSD without much effort.
Advantages:
- Complete Russification.
- Works on all OS starting from Windows 7.
- Free.
- Clear interface.
- No installation required.
other methods
Manipulations such as moving browser caches, swap files, temporary Windows folders, backing up the system from an SSD to an HDD (or disabling this feature) are useless, since although they increase the lifespan of the SSD, they limit the potential of its use.
Thus, by performing the simple manipulations listed above with your OS, you can extend the life of your drive, as well as configure it to maximum performance mode.
After purchasing a solid state drive (SSD), many people do not think about additional settings systems for optimal performance SSD needs to do 12 actions to unlock the full potential of your SSD. In this article we will analyze all 12 steps, let's get started!
1. Enable AHCI mode
Advanced Host Controller Interface ( AHCI) is a paramount feature to ensure that the Windows OS will support all the functions of running the SSD on the computer, especially the TRIM function so that the SSD does not directly access the affected sectors/pages on the drive.
To turn on AHCI, you need to log into your computer and enable it somewhere in its settings. I can't tell you exactly where, it may be in a different place in each BIOS. Most likely, new computers have this enabled by default. It is recommended to enable this feature before installing the operating system, although you can enable it after you have installed Windows.
2. Enable TRIM
We have said enough in the previous section about TRIM. This command gives a big increase in speed and stability.
Open a command prompt and enter the following command:
Fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0
3. Disable System Restore
This is not necessary, but be aware that your SSD has a write limit and a space limit. System Restore slows down performance and consumes SSD space. Why don't you just get rid of it?
Click the Start menu, right-click “Computer” - “Properties” and click “System Protection”:
Once in the window, click the “Customize” button, for example like this:
Click the "Turn off system protection" button. Click "OK" and you're done!
4. Disable indexing
A significant part of your SSD speed consumed in indexing files for Windows Search. This can be useful if you store everything on an SSD; there is a slowdown in performance after re-indexing, which happens every time you add new data to the disk. In order to disable indexing on SSD do the following:
Click the Start menu and select Computer. Right-click on the SSD drive and click Properties. Uncheck "Allow the contents of files on this drive to be indexed in addition to file properties" and click OK. Once you do this, the operating system will apply this to all files and folders on the drive. If you see a dialog box saying that it cannot remove the file from the index, click Ignore All. This will streamline the process and ignore all errors.
5. Disable scheduled defragmentation
SSD is solid state hard drive, with no moving mechanical parts, so there is no need for the disk to defragment offline. That's why we're going to disable it!
Click on Start, select “All Programs”, “Accessories”, click “System”, “Disk Defragmenter”, and then click the “Schedule Setup” - “Disk Defragmenter” button:
Uncheck the "Run on schedule" checkbox. Click OK.
6. Windows swap file
File Windows swap refers to a file on disk reserved for storing application components that would otherwise fit into physical memory. It's like a form of memory on a hard drive. Disabling the paging file solid state drive will significantly increase system speed. Don't do this if you only have one SSD drive. If you pair an SSD with an HDD, then you can easily configure the HDD to process the page file. The most ideal solution if you have two SSDs is to run the swap file on the first one on the other one for Windows startup and for storing files.
The process for setting up the page file varies depending on the settings, so I'll show you how to get to the configuration window.
Right-click Computer in the Start menu and select Properties. Click the "Advanced System Settings" button on the top left side of the window and go to the "Advanced" tab. Click the "Options" button in the "Performance" section: 
Go to the "Advanced" tab and click the "Change" button, uncheck "Automatically select paging file size" and select "No paging file"
7. Disable sleep mode
Sleep mode takes up at least 2 GB. If you want to save this volume, write in command line:
Powercfg -h off
8. Disable Prefetch and Superfetch
Windows places information in physical memory and virtual memory that belongs to programs that you don't currently use but use very often. This is known as "Prefetch" and "Superfetch." You can disable this through the registry editor:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
as two values: EnablePrefetcher and EnableSuperfetch. Set both values to zero (0)!
9. Setting up caching
Disk caching can have different effects for many users, check how your computer will work without caching, then with caching, this function is enabled very easily:
To get to the configuration window, right-click Computer in the Start menu and select Properties. Click "Device Manager", expand "Disk Devices", right-click the SSD, and click "Properties". Select Policy. In this tab, you will see an option that says “Enable device write caching.”
Compare your SSD with and without the option.
10. Disabling services for Windows Search and Superfetch
Even with the above registry tweak and index removal, your computer may continue to load your hard drive. Press "Win + R" and see "services.msc" press the "Enter" button. Find both services mentioned in the title of this section and disable them.
11. Disable ClearPageFileAtShutdown and LargeSystemCache
SSD runs on flash memory, making it easy to write data to the disk. This way, files do not have to be erased when the computer is turned off. This will make the process complete Windows operation, much faster. LargeSystemCache, on the other hand, exists primarily in versions Windows server, and tells the computer whether to use a large page cache on disk.
Both of these options can be found in the Registry Editor according to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management
Set them to 0.
12. Set Power to “High Performance”
Perhaps you notice when, after a long absence from the computer, the system slows down a little, for this you need to set high performance throughout the entire work session.
To toggle the power setting, click the System and Security button, and then click the Power Options button. Select "High Performance" from the list. You may need to click the Show More Diagrams button to find it.
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 it done? SSD setup for getting 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 Main section, and convert them to AHCI mode. You can check the system 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 the operation of an SSD drive, being a replacement for defragmentation on conventional HDDs.
Notes:
* For SSD operation in the Windows 7 operating system, it is best to combine computers SSD and HDD. 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: right-click 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” section. 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 disk, due to high speed We will no longer need these functions to access data and we will be able to free up memory and give our drive work only when it is 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, SSD manufacturer Intel warns that removing this feature will negatively impact the performance of its SSDs. 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 “Disk devices” item 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 enabling this function can really negatively affect SSD operation. 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 Windows service 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 “Environment Variables” menu, where we click the change button, and change the final addresses of the folders with temporary storage data for new ones.
Transferring user folders
To perform the same task as in the previous paragraph, we transfer everything custom 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 NTFS system journaling. 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 a free one SSD utility Mini Tweaker, launch it, check the boxes required to complete it and apply the changes. It is recommended to check all optimization menu options offered by SSD program Mini Tweaker.
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 for working with an SSD drive in the system can be done using the free SSD Mini Tweaker utility specially designed for this.