Installing and configuring ssd in windows 7. Fine-tuning an SSD disk - optimization guide

This year, it's safe to assume that the majority of Windows 10 users have made the transition from SATA hard drives to SSD drives; be it a relatively new PC or an upgrade from an old one. Windows 10 has many features that help SSDs work to their full potential, but it doesn't always enable them by default. In addition, the first to appear and new SSDs are “optional and mandatory” for optimization. With each update of Windows 10, the functions of the system, which itself determines the parameters for the SSD, become more and more intelligent. You might be especially surprised to learn that defragmenting your SSD drive isn't such a bad idea!

1. Update SSD firmware

To make sure your SSD performs as well as it can today, it pays to be on the latest firmware update. Unfortunately, they are not automated; the process is irreversible and slightly more complicated than updating software. Each SSD manufacturer has their own way of updating SSD firmware, so you will need to go to your SSD manufacturer's official website and follow the guides from there. However, a handy tool for you is CrystalDiskInfo, which provides detailed information about your disk, including firmware version.

• Download from the official website CrystalDiskInfo.

2. Enable AHCI

Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is a major feature that ensures that Windows will support all the features that come with running an SSD on your computer, especially the TRIM feature, which allows Windows to help the SSD perform normal garbage collection. The term "garbage collection" is used to describe the phenomenon that occurs when a disk gets rid of information that is no longer considered in use. To enable AHCI, you will need your computer and enable it somewhere in its settings. I can't tell you exactly where the setting is as each BIOS functions differently. You'll have to do a little searching or Google images. Most likely, new computers will be enabled by default. It is recommended that you enable this feature before installing the operating system.

3. Enable TRIM

TRIM is vital to extending the life of your SSD, namely by cleaning it. Windows 10 should enable this by default, but it's worth double-checking that it's enabled. TRIM is a command that the operating system can use to tell the SSD which blocks of data are no longer needed and can be deleted or marked as free to be overwritten. In other words, TRIM is a command that helps the operating system know exactly where the data you want to move or delete is stored. This way the SSD can only access blocks containing data without having to access unnecessary data again. Additionally, whenever a delete command is issued by the user or the operating system, the TRIM command immediately destroys the pages or blocks where the files are stored. To make sure, re-enable the TRIM feature by opening the Command Prompt and running the command below:

fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0

4. Make sure System Restore is enabled

In the early days of SSDs, when they were much less durable and prone to more breakdowns than they are today, many people recommended turning off System Restore to improve the drive's performance and longevity. This advice is pretty much redundant these days, but certain software, like Samsung SSD, automatically disables System Restore. System Restore is an extremely useful feature that I recommend keeping, so make sure your SSD is not disabled.

5. Disable indexing

Most of your SSD's speed is consumed in indexing files for Windows Search. This can be useful if you store everything you have on an SSD. Due to the high cost and small volume of the SSD disk itself, many simply install the operating system on it and accordingly disable file indexing. If you are experiencing slowdown due to the periodic indexing process that occurs every time you add new data to the disk, then it is better to work without indexing the files on the SSD drive because the speed boost from the indexing process is overkill in such environments.

• Right-click on your SSD and select Properties.
• Remove"Allow content on this disk to be indexed" checkbox.

6. Leave Windows defragmentation alone

Another relic of the early days of SSDs was that defragmenting SSDs was not only unnecessary, but potentially dangerous. Defragmentation takes away resources by wearing out read/write cycles of data remaining on the SSD drive. This is true, but today's Windows 10 already knows this, and if you have defragmentation enabled, Windows will detect your SSD and will not defragment it. It's better to think of today's defragmentation in Windows 10 as a more versatile tool for protecting your drive. Even the button refers to the process as "Optimization" and not "Defragmentation". The process will also " restore" your SSD, which runs the wonderful TRIM feature we talked about earlier. Now I dug up one article with facts.

Scott Hanselman spoke with the team of developers working on bringing storage to Windows:

Drive Optimization (in Windows 10) defragments the SSD once a month if Volume Shadow Copy (System Protection) is enabled. This is due to the impact of SSD fragmentation on performance. There is a misconception here that fragmentation is not an issue for SSDs - if the SSD becomes highly fragmented, you can reach maximum fragmentation where the metadata cannot represent any more file fragments, causing errors when attempting to write or increase file size. In addition, a larger number of file fragments means that more metadata needs to be processed to read/write a file, which leads to performance losses.

As for Retrim, this command runs on a schedule and is required due to the way the TRIM command is executed on file systems. The command execution occurs asynchronously on the file system. When a file is deleted or space is otherwise freed, the file system queues a request for TRIM. Due to peak load restrictions, this queue may reach its maximum number of TRIM requests, causing subsequent ones to be ignored. In the future, Windows drive optimization automatically performs Retrim to clean up blocks.

Result:

• Defragmentation is performed only if system protection is enabled (restore points, file history using VSS).
• Disk optimization is used to mark unused blocks on the SSD that were not marked when TRIM was running.
• Defragmentation for SSDs may be necessary and is automatically applied if necessary. At the same time (this is from another source) a different defragmentation algorithm is used for solid-state drives compared to HDDs.

In other words, Windows defragmentation adapts to your SSD, so leave this feature alone, turn it on and forget it!

7. Disable Prefetch and Superfetch

Sometimes Windows places information in physical memory and virtual memory that belongs to programs that are not currently used or that you use very often. This is called "Prefetch" and "Superfetch". When installing an SSD, these functions are disabled automatically, and for all drives, unfortunately. Many SSD manufacturers believe that it is better to leave these features in Windows 10, but Samsung thinks otherwise and recommends disabling them. It will be much easier to go to the website of the SSD drive manufacturer and read about these functions and what they recommend. If you are experiencing problems with a high SSD drive, high memory consumption, or notice a deterioration in performance during active RAM operations, then disable these functions through the registry. I would like to note that on slow SSDs there is no point in disabling these functions. Tips 7 and 8 are interconnected, you need to do both of them.

• Open Registry Editor and navigate to the path.
• You will see two keys "EnablePrefetcher" and "EnableSuperfetch".
• Double-click on them and set their value 0. Restart your computer or laptop.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

A nuance when turning it back on: If you wanted to turn them back on, you will only have one key shown EnablePrefetcher, don't be scared, just give it a value 3 and restart your computer. After reboot it will automatically create EnableSuperfetch immediately with the value 3.

Even with the above-mentioned registry disabling, your computer may continue to slow down your hard drive with the help of related services. Let's turn it off two services Windows Search And Superfetch.

• Click Win+R on the keyboard, enter services.msc press Enter. Find both services mentioned above.
• Double-click on the service (one, then the second) and select Startup type: Disabled, And Stop > Apply > OK.

9. Set up write caching

On many SSD devices, user-level caching can have a detrimental effect on the disk. To understand this, you will have to disable this option in Windows and see how the drive performs after that. If your drive is performing worse, turn it back on.

• Click Win+R and enter devmgmt.msc to open Device Manager.
• Find Disk Devices and select your SSD.
• Right click on it and click properties.
• Go to the tab Policy And uncheck "allow record caching...".
• Test your SSD with the feature disabled and enabled.

Windows quickly implements things that are no longer needed. An SSD works with flash memory, making it easy to overwrite things on the drive. Therefore, the page file does not need to be deleted when the computer is turned off. This will speed up the process of shutting down Windows. On the other hand, LargeSystemCache is enabled mostly in server versions of Windows and tells the computer whether it should use a large cache for pages on disk.

• Open the registry editor and follow the path below.
• We find LargeSystemCache And ClearPageFileAtShutdown, double-click on them and set the value 0 .

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\

11. Set the High performance option

When your SSD turns on and off all the time after being idle in "sleep mode", you will notice a slight lag.

• Click Win+R and enter control.exe powercfg.cpl

• Set the power plan" High performance".

In order for the SSD to work at its full potential, it must be configured. In addition, the correct settings will not only ensure fast and stable operation of the disk, but will also extend its service life. And today we will talk about how and what settings you need to make for the SSD.

We will consider SSD optimization in detail using the Windows 7 operating system as an example. Before moving on to the settings, let’s say a few words about what methods there are for this. Actually, you will have to choose here between automatic (using special utilities) and manual.

Method 1: Using SSD Mini Tweaker

Using the SSD Mini Tweaker utility, SSD optimization is almost completely automatic, with the exception of special actions. This setup method will not only save time, but also perform all the necessary actions more safely.

So, to optimize using SSD Mini Tweaker, you need to launch the program and check the boxes for the necessary actions. In order to understand what actions need to be performed, let's go through each point.

• Enable TRIM

TRIM is an operating system command that allows you to clear disk cells of physically deleted data, thus significantly increasing its performance. Since this command is very important for SSDs, we must enable it.

• Disable Superfetch

Superfetch is a service that allows you to speed up your system by collecting information about frequently used programs and pre-allocating the necessary modules in RAM. However, when using solid-state drives, there is no need for this service, since the data reading speed increases tenfold, which means the system can quickly read and launch the necessary module.

• Disable Prefetcher

Prefetcher is another service that allows you to increase the speed of your operating system. The principle of its operation is similar to the previous service, so for SSDs it can be safely disabled.

• Keep the system kernel in memory

If your computer has 4 or more gigabytes of RAM installed, then you can safely check the box next to this option. Moreover, by placing the kernel in RAM, you will extend the life of the drive and can increase the speed of the operating system.



• Increase file system cache size

This option will reduce the number of disk accesses and, therefore, extend its service life. The most frequently used areas of the disk will be stored in RAM as a cache, which will reduce the number of calls directly to the file system. However, there is also a downside - this is an increase in the amount of memory used. Therefore, if your computer has less than 2 gigabytes of RAM installed, then it is better not to check this option.

• Remove the limit from NTFS in terms of memory usage

Enabling this option will cause more read/write operations to be cached, which will require additional RAM. As a rule, this option can be enabled if it uses 2 or more gigabytes.

• Disable defragmentation of system files at boot

Since SSD has a different data recording principle compared to magnetic drives, which makes the need for file defragmentation absolutely unnecessary, it can be disabled.

• Disable creation of Layout.ini file

When the system is idle, a special file Layout.ini is created in the Prefetch folder, which stores a list of directories and files that are used when loading the operating system. This list is used by the defragmentation service. However, for an SSD this is absolutely not necessary, so we mark this option.



• Disable name creation in MS-DOS format

This option will allow you to disable the creation of names in the “8.3” format (8 characters for the file name and 3 for the extension). By and large, this is necessary for the correct operation of 16-bit applications created to run on the MS-DOS operating system. If you do not use such software, then it is better to disable this option.

• Disable Windows indexing system

The indexing system is designed to provide quick search for required files and folders. However, if you do not use standard search, you can disable it. In addition, if the operating system is installed on an SSD, this will reduce the number of disk accesses and free up additional space.

• Disable hibernation mode

Hibernation mode is usually used to quickly start the system. In this case, the current state of the system is saved in a system file, which is usually equal in size to RAM. This allows you to boot the operating system in a matter of seconds. However, this mode is relevant if you are using a magnetic drive. In the case of an SSD, loading itself occurs in a matter of seconds, so this mode can be disabled. In addition, this will save several gigabytes of space and extend its service life.



• Disable system protection feature

By disabling the system protection feature, you will not only save space, but also significantly extend the life of the disk. The fact is that system protection consists of creating checkpoints, the volume of which can be up to 15% of the total disk volume. This will also reduce the number of read/write operations. Therefore, it is better to disable this function for SSDs.

• Disable defragmentation service

As mentioned above, solid-state drives do not need defragmentation due to the nature of data storage, so this service can be disabled.

• Do not clear the page file

If you use a page file, you can “tell” the system that it does not need to be cleared every time you turn off the computer. This will reduce the number of operations with the SSD and extend its service life.

Now that we have checked all the necessary boxes, press the button "Apply changes" and restart the computer. This completes the SSD setup using the SSD Mini Tweaker application.

Method 2: Using SSD Tweaker

SSD Tweaker is another assistant in properly configuring SSDs. Unlike the first program, which is completely free, this one has both a paid and a free version. These versions differ, first of all, in the set of settings.

If you launch the utility for the first time, then by default you will be greeted with an English interface. Therefore, in the lower right corner we will select Russian. Unfortunately, some elements will still remain in English, but most of the text will still be translated into Russian.

Now let's go back to the first tab “SSD Tweaker”. Here, in the center of the window, there is a button that will allow you to select the disk settings automatically.
However, there is one “but” here - some settings will be available in the paid version. At the end of the procedure, the program will prompt you to restart the computer.

If you are not satisfied with the automatic disk setup, then you can go to manual. To do this, users of the SSD Tweaker application have two tabs available And "Advanced settings". The latter contains those options that will be available after purchasing a license.

On the tab You can enable or disable the Prefetcher and Superfetch services. These services serve to speed up the operation of the operating system, but when using an SSD they lose their meaning, so it is better to disable them. Other parameters that were described in the first method of setting up the drive are also available here. Therefore, we will not dwell on them in detail. If you have any questions about the options, then by hovering the cursor over the desired line you can get a detailed hint.

Tab "Advanced settings" contains additional options that allow you to manage some services, as well as use some features of Windows operating systems. Some of the settings (for example, such as "Enable Tablet PC Input Service" And "Enable Aero theme") have a greater impact on system performance and do not in any way affect the operation of solid-state drives.

Method 3: Manually setting up the SSD

In addition to using special utilities, you can configure the SSD yourself. However, in this case there is a risk of doing something wrong, especially if you are not yet an experienced user. Therefore, before you take action, make a restore point.

For most settings we will use the standard registry editor. To open it, you need to press the keys "Win + R" and in the window "Run" enter the command "regedit".

1. We enable the TRIM command.

First of all, let's enable the TRIM command, which will ensure fast operation of the solid-state drive. To do this, in the registry editor, go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\msahci

Here we find the parameter "ErrorControl" and change its value to «0» . Next, in the parameter "Start" also set the value «0» . Now all that remains is to restart the computer.



Important! Before making changes to the registry, you need to set the BIOS to AHCI controller mode instead of SATA.

In order to check whether the changes have taken effect or not, you need to open the device manager and in the branch IDEATA see if it's worth it AHCI. If it does, it means the changes have taken effect.

2. Disable data indexing.

In order to disable data indexing, go to the properties of the system disk and uncheck the box "Allow the contents of files on this drive to be indexed in addition to file properties".



If during the process of disabling data indexing the system reports an error, this is most likely related to the paging file. In this case, you need to reboot and repeat the action again.

3. Turn off the swap file.

If your computer has less than 4 gigabytes of RAM installed, then you can skip this item.

In order to disable the paging file, you need to go to the system performance settings and in the additional parameters you need to uncheck and enable the mode "no swap file".

The advent 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 as 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 drawback - a limited number of rewrite cycles.

The flash memory of most SSDs is of the MLC type and allows data to be written approximately from 3 to 10 thousand times, while conventional USB exhausts its resource 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 the AHCI connection mode for the SATA controller is enabled in the BIOS.

There are two points here: after enabling AHCI and transferring Windows to the SSD, the system may not boot, since it will not have the appropriate drivers. Therefore, either install drivers ahead of time, or reinstall 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 run faster if they install the latest 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. There are two options: either install a newer 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, the likelihood that they are still sold in digital stores is very low.

During the process, a significant amount of data, comparable to the amount of RAM, can be written to the hiberfil.sys file on the system disk. 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 keep files and programs open when you turn off your computer. To disable hibernation, run the command running with administrator privileges powercfg -h off.

Restart your computer and make sure that the hidden system file hiberfil.sys is 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. Using rollbacks is one of the most effective and simplest ways to return Windows to a working state; for this reason, we would not recommend disabling this function, especially since points are created infrequently and do not take up 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 use other backup tools, such as 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 also no particular point in transferring the swap file to a hard HDD, since it is many times slower than an SSD, and the system’s constant access to it 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 installing Windows on an 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 disabling the additional Prefetch ReadyBoot feature, which logs the process of downloading applications. 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 configure an SSD under Windows 7/10 using third-party programs? Very simple. Most of them have an intuitive interface, presented with a set of options that can be turned on or off. 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 step-by-step wizard that offers optimal settings. Features of this program include disabling file indexing, Program Compatibility Assistant, hibernation, paging file, defragmentation, recording the last access time of a file, working with TRIM, increasing the file system cache, removing the NTFS memory limit, and moving the kernel into memory instead of unloading parts of 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, and prefetch services.

In total, the utility supports nine different settings that optimize the operation of the SSD. Additional features of the program 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. You should also not transfer programs and Temp temporary folders, browser caches, etc. from the SSD, because then what is 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 some good advice for you. 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.

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.
• You need fast operation of Windows and certain types of applications and 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:

1. Open the command line with the key combination win + R.
2. Enter the command: “regedit” (access to the registry).
3. Go to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE → SYSTEM → CurrentControlSet → Services → storahci.
4. Change the value of the ErrorControl subkey to 0 (default 3) by calling the context menu and clicking the “Modify” option.
5. Go to the branch called “StartOverride” and change its value to 0 (default 3).
6. Restart your PC (laptop), go to BIOS/UEFI (how to enter BIOS, see separately for the model of your laptop or PC motherboard). 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 BIOS versions, their own sections and subsections).
7. 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

By default, this feature is enabled on Windows 7 and higher, however, it is better to manually check whether this feature 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. (the data remains in the HDD and recording is done “on top” of the existing one). Over time, if the function is disabled, the drive's performance will drop.

Checking TRIM on Windows:

1. Launch the command prompt by pressing the key combination win + R.
2. Enter the command: “fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify”.
3. 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 function helps optimize and speed up the operation of the HDD, but for SSDs, it has a detrimental effect. For SSDs, the “automatic defragmentation” feature is disabled by default. To check if it works:

1. Press the win + R combination.
2. In the command line window, enter the command: “dfrgui” and click “OK”.
3. In the window that opens, select your SSD and look at the “Schedule optimization” item. For our SSD it should be disabled.

Indexing

A Windows feature that helps you quickly search for files on a disk with large amounts of information, however, it increases the write load on the SSD. To disable it:

1. Go to the section “This computer”, “My computer”, “Computer” (it’s different for each OS).
2. Select your SSD and select “Properties” in the context menu.
3. 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:

1. Go to the following address: Control Panel → System and Security → Administrative Tools → Computer Management.
2. Go to the tab: “Services”.
3. Find the “Windows search” service and select “Disabled” in the “Startup type” tab.

Hibernation

A mode that allows you to save the contents of RAM on the hard drive, so that the next time you turn it on, information and open applications from the previous session are saved.

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:

1. Launch cmd.exe again using the key combination win + R.
2. 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:

1. Open the command line with the combination win + R
2. Enter the command: “devmgmt.msc”.
3. Open "Disk Devices", select SSD and select "Properties" from the context menu.
4. Go to the “Policies” tab.
5. 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. In this case, a file of the same name is created on disk space.

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 features are of no use when using an SSD. Therefore, it is best to turn them off. For this:

1. Open the command line using the key combination win + R.
2. Execute the command: “regedit” (go to the registry).
3. Follow the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE → SYSTEM → CurrentControlSet → Control → Session Manager → Memory Management → PrefetchParameters.
4. 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 transferring browser caches, paging files, temporary Windows folders, system backup 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 above-mentioned manipulations with your OS, you can extend the life of your drive, as well as configure it to maximum performance mode.

If you purchased an SSD and decide to use it as a system drive for Windows 10 (or 7 or 8), you should know about some of the intricacies of how solid-state drives work. Their read/write speeds are several times higher than those of conventional hard drives and are much less likely to suddenly fail.

But these benefits come at the cost of a limited number of rewrite cycles. In other words, each SSD has its own limit on the number of times information can be stored on it. Once the limit is exceeded, the disk usually fails. Due to this there are several rules that are recommended to be followed everyone who wants their SSD to last as long as possible.

Please note that most of the tips only apply to system SSDs. If you use a solid-state drive to store information, then you will not need any special settings.

To monitor the condition of your SSD and timely prevent unforeseen consequences, there is special software SSDLife. The program analyzes the condition of the disk and calculates the expected service life.

Setting up hibernation (disabling)

Hibernation, or deep sleep mode - a subtype of sleep mode in which the entire contents of the computer's RAM is saved to a special file. Windows then turns off power to all PC components. This mode allows you to continue working with the system right from where you left off last time. All running programs and services will immediately open.

To enter the hibernation state, each person creates a relatively large hiberfil.sys file (powerful PCs often have 16 or even 32 GB of RAM installed). After “waking up” this file is deleted. Thus, there is a constant rewriting of information, which slowly but surely consumes SSD reserves.

This is what it is reason to stop hibernating to increase the lifespan of your SSD. In addition, due to its read speed, the solid-state drive provides a fairly quick start of the OS from scratch, which reduces the potential for deep sleep. For example, Windows 10 x64 starts in less than 10 seconds.

To disable this feature in all versions of the system you can use the command line:

If hibernation was enabled, this command will disable it.

If after running the powercfg command you see the message “Unexpected error. The operation cannot be completed. You may not have permission to perform this operation." or something similar, most likely you ran the command line NOT in Administrator mode.

Setting up temporary file storage

While performing many internal tasks, Windows saves service information in the " Temp" You cannot disable this option, and you shouldn’t. Instead of this It is recommended to move the "Temp" directory to your hard drive(if he is).

Of course, Windows (including version 10) will work a little slower, but the durability of the system SSD will increase by reducing the rewrite cycles performed.

In all versions of Windows, starting from Windows 7, the Temp folder settings are the same and are done as follows:

Now temporary data will be saved on the hard drive and will not wear out your SSD.

Swap file

The page file is used by the system when it not enough RAM computer. In this case, the necessary information is saved to disk and waits for its turn when it can get into RAM. The speed of data exchange between RAM and disk depends on the processor bit size (x64 is much faster than x86), its clock frequency, and the installed physical memory and disk.

On the one hand, the paging file on an SSD will work much faster than on an HDD. This will increase the computer's performance during peak loads, when the RAM is completely full. On the other side, this function entails a huge amount of daily data saving and wears out the disc quickly.

The setting depends on user preferences. If you want to squeeze maximum speed out of the system, store the page file on the SSD. If durability is more important to you, it's better to move it to a hard drive.

The best solution would be to purchase additional RAM sticks. If it is enough for the needs of your PC, swapping can be turned off completely, obtaining the highest possible operating speed (RAM works much faster than an SSD, and even more so, a HDD).

Like all the settings discussed above, paging settings change the same in all versions of Windows (7, 8, 8.1, 10):

If you decide to store the page file on your hard drive, select the SSD and disable this feature on it. If you want to get higher operating speeds, similarly prohibit use on the HDD.

It is strictly not recommended to leave your own file for each disk. This way you won’t get any of the advantages, but you will get all the disadvantages - the operating speed will not be the highest, and the SSD will wear out quickly.

Defragmentation

Defragmentation is a very useful function for hard drives, and just as harmful to SSD. The essence of the process is that all fragmented files are collected together in adjacent sectors of the disk. When a file is installed, deleted, copied or modified, it is broken into separate parts that can be “scattered” throughout the media. This is a normal process.

A high degree of fragmentation significantly slows down the operation of the HDD. The read head has to spend time moving from one sector to another to put the file together. During defragmentation, all information is rewritten so that the constituent parts of all files are adjacent to each other. For hard drives this process is very useful.

However, this statement is not true for SSDs. Solid State Drive works great with fragmented files practically without loss of speed. But, as was repeatedly stated above, it is sensitive to repeated overwriting of data. If you regularly overwrite the contents of the SSD, you will very quickly “wear out” it without getting any benefit from it.

By default, Windows 10 disables automatic defragmentation for all SSDs (not just the system one). This is correct and there is no need to change anything. It is also strongly recommended not to defragment your SSD manually.

We recommend checking whether defragmentation is disabled in your OS. Windows can automatically defragment at times of low user activity. Disabling this mode, for example, in version 8 is done this way:

Software cache

Some programs, such as Internet browsers, cache information so that they can quickly access it over time. In other words, browsers save copies of sites, images, online movies and music to your disk in a special file - Cache.

The recommendations here are similar to those indicated for the Temp folder. If high browser speed is important to you, the cache should be stored on an SSD. If you want to sacrifice performance for longevity, the cache needs to be stored on the hard drive.

The optimal solution would be to create a RAM disk from unused amounts of RAM and store the cache on it.

The caching setting is different for each program, so it is not described in this article. There is a huge amount of information on browser configurations on the Internet. Installing the browsers themselves is recommended on an SSD. You will instantly feel the difference in speed.

Indexing

Indexing – this is the process of entering information about files stored on disk into a special list - index. It is used when you want to find something on your computer using Windows 10 search, or using the voice assistant Cortana.

If you don't store any information on your SSD and only use it for the operating system, it makes sense disable indexing. This will still slightly reduce the number of data changes on the media. After all, every new file created or an old one deleted immediately entails a change in the index, and as a result, overwriting of information.

To turn off indexing for an SSD, you need to open its settings menu. It is identical for both Windows 10 and the older Windows 7:

If you use the SSD not only as a system disk, but also store information on it, it is recommended to adhere to the following principles:

• Better save to disk the data that you do not want to delete in the future, for example, photographs or home videos. Temporary information, such as a music album, movie or document, is best stored on the HDD.
• Most demanding install programs and video games on the SSD, since speed is important here. Installing old software for which you do not need maximum performance is recommended on the HDD.
• If you do backups of data or entire systems, it is better not to store them on an SSD. Periodic backups wear out the SSD quite quickly.

Video on the topic