The best programs for working with ssd drives. SSD Mini Tweaker – optimization of SSD drive operation. Distinctive features of the software

Checking an SSD disk using utilities is a universal method that performs several tasks at once.

• First – checking the drive for errors.
• Second – monitoring the operational life of the device.

The presence and periodic use of such programs is not only desirable for the owner, but also necessary.

After all, the resources of these components of modern PCs and laptops are limited compared to HDDs, and the danger of data loss is higher.

Although these disadvantages are fully compensated by a significant number of advantages from using SSDs, due to the difference in their design from standard hard drives.

Features of using SSD drives

SSD drives are solid-state, non-volatile drives whose operating principle is similar to that of flash memory - SD and microSD cards, USB flash drives and other storage media.

Such devices have no moving parts, and use a DDR DRAM chip to transmit data.

Parallel recording of information simultaneously onto several memory elements and the absence of the need to move the heads that read information (typical of HDDs) allows you to increase the speed of the process several times.

And, if the average read speed of a modern hard drive is about 60 MB/s, even the average SSD drive can deliver 4-5 times higher performance.

When recording data, the excess may be smaller, but the process is still much faster.

Rice. 1. Comparison of read and write speeds of SSD and HDD disks.

Loading speed is of particular importance for those computers on which several resource-intensive applications are installed.

In this case, only the Windows system boots up within 15–20 s for a solid-state drive and from 30 to 60 s for a hard drive.

The same speed improvement occurs in the process of launching programs and recording data.

Other advantages of using SSD drives (read more) include:

• resistance to shocks and falls. A parameter that is important for laptops, the hard drives of which often fail due to mechanical damage;
• compactness - many disks are not much larger in size than a mobile phone battery, others have the dimensions of a memory stick;
• extended temperature range of disk operation;
• minimal energy consumption and no noise during operation.

Rice. 2. Comparison of HDD sizes, standard SSD and mSATA drive.

However, the operation of SSDs also comes with certain disadvantages. These include the relatively high cost of the drive, although as the capacity increases, the price-to-volume ratio becomes smaller.

The second important disadvantage is the limited resource of SSD drives, which is why it is recommended to check them periodically.

Setting up an SSD under Windows 10: Complete step-by-step instructions

Drive diagnostics

The main task of checking SSD disks is to diagnose its condition and provide information about the presence of errors, resource and expected service life.

This allows the user to know in advance about future problems with the drive, leading to unpredictable loss of information.

In addition, based on the results of the check, you can plan financial expenses for the purchase, the cost of which may not allow you to quickly find such an amount if the problem arose unexpectedly.

In addition, checking the drive does not take much time and does not even require the purchase of expensive software.

Utilities can be downloaded online for free or purchased for an amount not exceeding the cost of a standard antivirus program.

While it is impossible to recover lost information from SSDs, unlike hard drives.

The best utilities for checking SSD drives

To check the status of the hard drive, drive manufacturers and third-party developers have already released dozens of applications.

Most of them are free or shareware, that is, requiring payment only some time after the start of use.

Their effectiveness is almost the same, but the differences lie in ease of use and functionality.

SSD Life

SSD Ready

When checking the status of an SSD drive, you can use the SSDReady application, which only works with solid-state drives. The result of the check is an estimate of the expected operating time of the device based on the collected statistics on writing and reading data. The program runs in the background and requires virtually no resources.

Rice. 6. SSDReady application.

Hard Disk Sentinel

A special feature of the application, designed to monitor hard drives, is to monitor performance degradation or exceeding the permissible temperature level and report this to the user. The application constantly checks the information transfer speed, temperature conditions and other parameters. Among its features:

• work with SSD drives, IDE and SATA drives, and even USB drives;
• displaying information about the current and minimum temperature;
• indication of the number of errors and disk operating hours in hours;
• indication of not only the current, but also the maximum possible information transfer mode for the disk.

Rice. 7. Working with the Hard Disk Sentinel program.

HDDScan

The freely available HDDScan program allows you to diagnose hard drives of any type, check them for errors and monitor the “health” of the drives. The utility works in real time and, if necessary, displays a detailed report on the status of the disk, which can be saved for future use.

Rice. 8. HDDScan program report.

SSD Tweaker

The free SSD Tweaker application is easy to use and allows the user not only to monitor the status of solid-state drives, but also to disable unnecessary operations in the operating system that reduce the service life of the disk. For example, such as the Windows Indexing and Defragmentation Service. Settings can be configured manually or automatically.

Rice. 9. Working window of the SSD Tweaker program.

HD Tune

The HD Tune application is available in several versions - a free version and a paid HD Tune Pro. The first provides testing of the status of hard drives (including SSDs) and memory cards. The shareware utility, for which you will have to pay $38, has expanded functionality, allowing you to control almost all disk parameters and conduct a number of additional tests.

SSD disk check: the best utilities for diagnosing and improving performance

SSD optimization.

SSD Mini Tweaker– a small free program for configuring the Windows system to work on an SSD drive. The main goal of the program is to minimize system access to the drive, thereby increasing its service life.

So what does the program do? By launching the “ssd mini tweaker”, only one window appears, with a choice of certain actions.

Basic SSD disk optimization tools

• Enable Trim– a command for clearing unused data blocks, this allows you to reduce wear on unused memory cells.
• Disable Superfetch– a service that caches files that are most frequently used. It can be disabled, since the access time of solid-state drives tends to zero.
• Disable Prefetcher– speeds up system loading and also reduces application launch time. For solid-state drives, an absolutely unnecessary function, disable it. Disabling the component will also free up system memory.
• Keep the system kernel in memory– by default the kernel is dumped into the swap file, which increases the number of accesses to the drive. Disabling this function allows you to store the system kernel in RAM. Enabling requires more than 2 GB of RAM in the system.
• Increasing the file system cache size– the function minimizes access to the file subsystem, but requires at least 2 GB of RAM.
• Remove the limit from NTFS in terms of memory usage– also requires at least 2 GB of memory, making it easier to run several applications at the same time.
• Disable defragmentation of system files at boot– if for hdd defragmentation made it possible to speed up the file system, then for ssd drives defragmentation is not only useless, but also harmful. Turn it off.
• Disable creation of Layout.ini file– the information in the Layout.ini file is used by the standard defragmenter, and since we know that we don’t need defragmentation on ssd drives... we turn it off.
• Disable name creation in MS-DOS format– disable, why do we need to create names in the “8.3” format, the stone age, besides, in NTFS it slows down the listing of files and folders.
• Disable Windows Indexing System– the system installed on a solid-state drive hardly needs this service, disable it.
• Disable hibernation mode– disabling this mode deletes the hiberfil.sys file equal to the size of the RAM. With the current sizes and prices of SSD drives, a couple of gigabytes will not be superfluous.
• Disable system protection feature– reduces the number of system calls to the drive when creating checkpoints. Turn it off.
• Disable defragmentation service- we passed, we turn it off. The system has the same access speed to all memory cells in the ssd.
• Do not clear the page file– if you still keep the swap file on the drive, then it is better to disable its cleaning when rebooting, this will reduce the number of accesses to it.

The archive contains two versions of the program, for 32 and 64 bit systems.

Diagnosing the condition of an SSD disk is a necessary thing, because the resource of such media is limited. Although the creators write the approximate date of completion of the models, you can extend the life of the device if you check it regularly.

SSD speed test

There are no moving parts in the solid state design, and the information is transmitted by DDR DRAM. SSD works in a similar way. Data recording is carried out in parallel. There is no need to transfer files for further reading to the reading heads, as is the case with HDDs. SSDs do not have such heads at all, which increases performance.

For comparison: the average speed of modern HDDs with average characteristics is 60 MB/s; a solid-state drive, with other parameters being equal, during testing shows a result 4-5 times higher. It’s the same story with startup: for a HDD this process from zero to full readiness will take 30-60 seconds, while an SSD will handle it twice as fast.

Drive speed indicators are determined by various testing programs (benchmarks), which, as mentioned above, consume SSD resources. In order not to waste the power of the SSD drive, it is better not to abuse such software. But sometimes you need to do this, because how else can you find out if the disk is ok. Below are programs created to check such media for errors, as well as speed tests that do not exhaust disk resources.

Programs for monitoring the status of SSD drives on Windows:

How to test SSDs? Below are six utilities that will help with this.

The software allows knowledgeable users not only to identify the problem, but also to quickly fix it. The option is also suitable for monitoring hard drives.

Main software functionality:

• Temperature control and device performance check.
• Automatic power control in emergency situations, as well as creating backup copies of data.
• Review and configuration of S.M.A.R.T. attributes.
• Time schedules.
• Generating reports on the device status.
• Troubleshooting caused by system errors.
• This SSD checking utility also allows you to protect the information on it using a password.
• Hotkey support.

The software has more than enough advantages, but unfortunately, there are also disadvantages. First of all, there are certain difficulties in work. It will not be so easy for complete beginners to understand the program’s capabilities and function management. And the second significant drawback is the consumption of system resources, namely RAM and CPU, even in standby mode. If there is not enough power in the computer, it will “slow down” during diagnostics.

Another suitable software for diagnosing the condition of solid state drives, which can also be applied to HDDs. The program interacts comfortably with all versions: from XP to “ten”.

3 main features of the program:

1. The software is suitable for both personal PCs or laptops and corporate networks.
2. The utility analyzes the drive and provides a lot of useful data, including the approximate operating date, as well as operating modes supported by a specific model.
3. Working with Active SMART is convenient because it comes with a very detailed guide. In addition, you can select the Russian language, which makes the interface intuitive.

The program was created to monitor the status of a data warehouse with support for S.M.A.R.T technology. The utility is shareware. The test period for the software is two weeks. Testing SDD for errors is easy with this program: it can report problems in a timely manner. In addition, the developers have introduced a simplified mode for beginners.

What HDI can do:

• show basic disk characteristics;
• check for errors, test performance;
• describe the current state of the drive in text form;
• give recommendations;
• test temperature;
• predict T.E.C. date (Threshold Exceed Condition) - the approximate period of termination of work.

There is also an advanced mode for experienced ones, which makes it possible to learn more about your SSD.

Conveniently, there is no need to know the specific values ​​of the parameters. The program performs all actions automatically, after which it gives a corresponding signal with a color indicator.

A tool that will help you find problems with your drive. With its help you can save time and save information. You don't have to pay to download the program. It is suitable for different versions of Windows, including XP (SP2), Vista, Seven, as well as 2003 (SP2), Server 2008

6 main software skills:

1. checks disk status automatically;
2. monitors event logs;
3. immediately reports the problem;
4. reports once a week;
5. supports RAID;
6. checks using S.M.A.R.T technology. or user script.

Like other utilities, this one has its drawbacks. Thus, the system indicates an error, but does not provide hints on how to solve it. You can easily receive messages from the program by email if you use an SMTP server. But if the user has access to an Exchange server, then setting up notifications will require a lot of tinkering.

Important: Not all software versions are designed for SSDs.

Programs for monitoring the status of SSD drives on Mac:

The utility shows everything that is going on with the disk, in great detail. The tab - the namesake of the installed SSD - will tell you a lot of useful information. In particular, it reflects:

• basic information;
• problem reports;
• health indicator.

Note: To display all indicator icons, you need to go to the appropriate tab.

The statistical section deserves special attention. Having entered it, you can see:

• how many logical sectors the disk wrote and read;
• are there any errors in the interface;
• information regarding forced reboots, etc.

All errors are recorded, which will allow us to determine the cause of the problem and eliminate it in a timely manner. Testing is performed automatically when the system starts. It is available in two modes - fast or long.
The software works effectively. It is easy to use and quite simple, but, unfortunately, there is no free version.

A worthy product from the developers of the once popular Trim Enabler. The creators did a great job. This is evident in both design and functionality. Now this is not just the software needed to run Trim, but a full-fledged product for monitoring SSDs.

Dashboard shows:

• creator company and disc serial number;
• the volume that the carrier recorded or counted;
• capacity (this concept also includes free and filled volume);
• "thermometer";
• "health" in general.

Everything is laid out comfortably: only facts and nothing superfluous.

In the Visual section- data about the content stored on the drive. They are sorted by sector, which will allow you to immediately track large files.

Health, as is already clear from the title of the section, provides detailed information about the technical condition of the device, allowing the user to assess its condition.

Advice: When buying an SSD, you need to pay attention to the form factor, because not every option will fit into a laptop or be suitable for a desktop PC.

The program can also track the path to a specific file and clear the cache. A free week is given to evaluate the capabilities of Disk Sensei, then you will have to spend money on a license.

Hello dear readers, I once wrote an article about, I am continuing this topic, only this time the topic will be about new SSD drives. Namely, I will show free program which will be possible download for free and read the instructions for it.

Program for ssd drives

The program is very easy to use, you just need to know what to press.

Download the program for free SSD Mini Tweaker :

The archive contains two versions of the program for 32 and 64 bit systems. To see what system you have, select computer properties.

We launch it and see this window:

After checking the boxes, click Apply changes.

Now more about checkmarks in a program for managing SSD hard drives.

• Enable Trim— it’s better to leave it, since this function is responsible for clearing unused blocks. If you disable this option, a mountain of garbage may accumulate, which will affect .
• Disable Superfetch- a function for caching frequently used files. Since the response is small in SSDs, the option can be disabled.
• Disable Prefetcher— an option to speed up the launch of the operating system and programs. Because SSD drives have excellent speed, then the option can be disabled, freeing up system memory.
• Leave the system kernel inmemory— usually the system kernel is dumped into the swap file. In order for the kernel to remain, you need to check the box. This way you can reduce the number of disk accesses and speed up the system. But a minimum of 2 GB of RAM is required!
• Increase file system cache size — 2 GB of RAM is also required. Reduces physical memory space for services and applications, but improves performance by reducing data writes to disk, hence it is good for the file subsystem.
  
• Remove the limit from NTFS in terms of memory use - Again, a sufficient amount of RAM is necessary. The number of updated data in memory for writing and reading files increases. After this feature, running multiple applications at the same time should improve.

Disable defragmentation of system files at boot— boot defragmentation is a useful thing, but not with an SSD. If defragmentation is enabled at startup, the SSD drive can even be damaged!

Disable Windows Indexing System- the service is disconnected Windows Search, which is used to index folders and files on a disk. In SSD Windows Search is unlikely to improve performance, so disable it.

You can also speed up performance by manually disabling file content indexing.

Disable hibernation mode- turning off the mode hibernation can free up memory on the SSD disk if it is small. In Kratsi hibernation is needed to dump data to a file hiberfil.sys, and when turned on, restore the information back to memory. Read more about this in the article

Disable protection feature systems- You can also disable system recovery, which frees up RAM and hard drive. But the system restore function will not be available. If you don't use it, turn it off. I always have it disabled, I don't like it.

Disable defragmentation service— they say that defragmentation is not necessary for an SSD drive. But I advised you to disable it and do defragmentation according to my article, called defragmentation by 5 points.

• Disable paging file cleanup — for SSD disks, it is recommended to disable clearing the paging file when the system is turned off. Due to unnecessary disk access. Turn it off.

That's all, now you have program for optimizing SSD drives=)

Solid-state drives (SSDs) have become a fixture in our lives. Granting the user many advantages compared to traditional HDDs (higher speed of reading and writing information, quiet operation, low power consumption and high resistance to mechanical damage), they are, however, not without a number of disadvantages (for example, shorter operating time compared to from HDD). Accordingly, their condition must be monitored from time to time in order to timely track negative changes in their functionality. In this material I will tell you how to check an SSD disk for errors, how tools will help us find out its performance and how to use them.

Limited SSD resource

If you are wondering about checking an SSD disk for errors and performance, it means that a situation may have arisen in which your SSD has stopped functioning normally. This is primarily due to the fact that SSD ( Solid State Drive - solid state drive) allows you to write information to yourself a limited number of times (the resource of competitors SSD - HDD drives in this regard is not limited). Typically, manufacturers provide a warranty on their SSD drives for a period of 3 years (or for the volume of recorded data of 35 terabytes of data, which is approximately equal to 20 gigabytes per day). Those who actively use their SSD drive (on various 24/7 servers, etc.) may experience faster failure of SSD devices.

Well, those users who work with their PC in normal, “household” mode can enjoy the fast operation of their SSD for 5 years or more. In the last article, I described in detail who I recommend setting up the disk for this OS.

How to check an SSD disk for errors and performance - list of programs

If you do not need to know the performance of the SSD drive, then you should use the functionality of the appropriate programs that will allow you to test the ssd for errors. Below I will list these programs and give their corresponding characteristics:

CrystalDiskInfo program

It is a free utility that will check the read-write speed of your disk, displays its overall health, temperature, supports S.M.A.R.T (hard disk health assessment technology) and much more. This CrystalDiskInfo program has two main versions (installable and portable), and in the case of the installed version, you can monitor the status of your disks in real time using the program icon in the system tray. If the pressing question is how to check an ssd for bad sectors, then the CrystalDiskInfo program will effectively help you with this.

1. To use the program, download it, install and run.
2. The program will scan your hard drive to assess its condition, errors, etc., and then give you the result.
3. All main actions are concentrated in the “Service” tab of the main menu (in particular, if necessary, there you can set the disk rescan function).

SSD Life Program

The SSD Life program can also help us determine the performance and errors of the SSD. This shareware utility is written specifically for working with SSD drives, allowing you to proactively monitor declines in their performance. As in the case of CrystalDiskInfo, this program has two versions - portable (produces a report on the status of the disk immediately upon launch, without additional installation), and installation, which displays the disk status in real time so that the user can monitor the situation in advance.

The working window of the program is extremely simple, on it you will see the predicted operating time of your disk, an assessment of its condition, how long it has already worked, and so on. To update report data, use the corresponding keys below.

SSDRready program

SSD diagnostics can also be carried out using the SSDReady program, created specifically for monitoring the condition of your SSD drive, assessing its potential operating time and other relevant statistics. It keeps track of the amount of data written and read from the disk every day, requires its permanent work in the background and is a good option for checking the SSD disk for errors and overall performance.

DiskCheckup program

In testing an SSD hard drive for speed and performance, we can also be helped by the DiscCheckup utility, which allows you to monitor the S.M.A.R.T attributes of an individual hard drive. As in the case of the programs described above, this application shows hard drive statistics, allowing you to track the health status of the latter. The functionality of this product is essentially no different from the programs described above.

HDDScan program

HDDScan is a free utility for diagnosing hard drives (RAID, Flash USB, SSDs of interest to us are also supported). This program can be a convenient and handy tool in the question “how to check an SSD for errors”; it searches for errors on the hard drive (bad blocks and sectors), supports demonstrating S.M.A.R.T attributes and changing some HDD parameters (AAM, APM, and so on) . This product can be used to regularly “test the health” of your disk and prevent its degradation; you can avoid losing the files you need by creating appropriate backups when necessary.

Increasing the speed of an SSD hard drive 10 times [video]

The answer to the question of how to test an SSD disk for errors and performance will be the use of a number of special diagnostic programs that I described just above. Most of them have fairly simple functionality, allowing you to monitor the status of your SSD drive in real time and, if necessary, perform additional checks. If you are the proud owner of such disks, then use the functionality of one of the described programs to regularly monitor the condition of your device, this will allow you to timely monitor its condition and protect your files from unwanted losses.