Installing a solid-state SSD in a computer or laptop. How to install SSD on laptop and PC? Several reliable methods

SSD is solid state drive, which differs from traditional hard drives in its compactness and data transfer speed. There are several reasons why many users switch to using such storage media, namely:

Reliability. They, in fact, have no moving elements, which greatly reduces the likelihood of data damage during recording and eliminates physical wear and tear.
Access speed to data is much higher, which has a beneficial effect on work.
Compactness. Such drives easily fit into a pocket and are convenient to transport.
Low noise and temperature. SSDs do not make any noise at all, unlike their HDD counterparts.

The only downside is limit on the number of entries each sector, so many people prefer to purchase such disks to install an operating system - the disk does not wear out so much and the operating speed of the OS can increase.

Installing an SSD in a computer

Before installing the disk into your computer, it need to de-energize:

Pull out the power plug system unit from the socket
Press the power button on the power supply (usually located on the back of the system unit. May not be present on some models)
Press the button turn on the computer for 5-10 seconds so that all circuits are de-energized

Now we remove the cover of the system unit and decide on the place where the drive will be installed. Many modern SSDs and PC cases are equipped with special pockets, which will allow you to install the disk.

Unfortunately, cheaper case models can only be equipped with shelves for 3.5-inch devices, and the shapes SSD factor– 2.5 inches. In this case, you will need a special pocket or adapter. This should be taken care of even before purchasing the disc.

Now we install the drive into the desired 3.5 or 2.5 inch connector and secure it with screws or latches (depending on the characteristics of the PC case)

The next step would be power connection and data loop. SSDs are equipped with L-shaped SATA connectors. The larger one is power, it comes from the power supply. The second one transmits less data and connects to motherboard. It is quite difficult to connect them incorrectly, because... there are keys on the cables.

Now we assemble the PC, launch it and go to the BIOS.

Here we have to install modeAHCI For SSD operation. Then follows:

If Windows is installed on the drive, you must change download priority. The first place should be the flash drive or disk from which the installation will be performed, and the second place should be the newly installed disk.
If you plan to work V old system , then the HDD with Windows should come first in boot priority.
Now all that remains is to enter necessary settings in the BIOS, depending on the firmware version and the purpose of using the drive.

It is worth noting that on modern motherboards, SATA ports may differ in speed. Therefore, the connection should be made in more high-speed port . Information about the speed of motherboard ports can be found in the instructions or on the manufacturer’s website. Sometimes such information is indicated on the box of the board itself.

How to connect an SSD to a laptop

Installing a drive in a laptop is somewhat simpler. To begin with, as in the case of PCs, turn off the power and pull out the battery. Press and hold the key turn on for 5-10 seconds, after which we proceed to disassemble the device.

First, turn the laptop over and look for the lid, near which you can see inscriptionHDD or a hard drive icon is drawn. Unscrew the bolt near the inscription and remove the cover. Most often, the disk is installed in a steel slide, which also bolted. Unscrew and remove the hard drive again.

Now we put an SSD in its place and perform the above procedure in reverse order. Unlike a computer, you will have to reinstall the system, because... Often laptops do not provide for the installation of two or more drives.

There are several ways to install an SSD in a laptop, depending on the purpose of using solid-state storage. The device can be used as a main and extra space for storing information. Many users use solid state storage as system disk, which can significantly speed up Windows.

Installing an SSD in a laptop

New models of solid state storage devices have larger storage capacities multimedia files and resource-intensive programs.

Choosing an SSD drive for a laptop

The standard solid-state drive has a 2.5″ form factor, which is compatible with the dimensions of a laptop HDD. When choosing a model, you should pay attention to this criterion. The drive must be connected to the SATA interface. Modern technologies provide the ability to use several file storages in a laptop, which expands your choice.

To install the operating system, purchase models with a memory capacity of up to 120 GB. This solution has affordable price and speeds up system loading and work-related operations by 5-6 times system files. Larger solid-state storage capacity is designed to store multimedia files high quality and working with resource-intensive programs.

Replacing HDD with SSD

For replacing hard disk to a modern analogue, it is necessary to disassemble the laptop. To do this you will need a Phillips screwdriver. In most laptop models, the HDD is located immediately under the back cover - unscrew the mounting bolts and carefully remove the cover.

Smoothly remove the HDD by pulling it in the desired direction marked with the guide arrow. An SSD, like a standard HDD, is connected to a SATA interface. Install the drive into the 2.5″ hard drive slot and secure the laptop cover with bolts.

This solution allows you to install a modern storage device as your main file storage. Install operating system to a new device, and further configuration of the storage device will be described below.

Installing an SSD instead of a disk drive

Modern technologies and the presence of the necessary adapters allow you to install an SSD in the connector for optical drive. This solution allows you to expand space on your laptop and save data from the old HDD drive. You can use several file storages at the same time.

To install a solid-state drive instead of a disk drive, you will need to purchase an additional adapter - SATA 2nd HDD Caddy for Laptop. When ordering an adapter, check compatibility with your laptop model. To install the adapter, it is necessary to remove back cover laptop.

Some models limit access to the drive, which forces you to deeply disassemble the laptop. Follow the instructions to maintain the integrity of the case and ensure successful disassembly.

Remove the drive and connect the adapter. The adapter supports 2.5″ drives.

Reassemble the laptop case.

Setting up an SSD drive

After HDD replacement on SSD or installation additional storage it is necessary to make subsequent settings in the operating system. If the solid-state drive is used as a disk for the operating system, you need to configure disk loading.

Enter the BIOS to the BOOT section and move the required disk to the first position. The operating system will automatically boot Windows from the required drive.

Configuring and disabling services in Windows

Operating room family Windows systems aimed at working primarily with HDD drives, which have some differences in the operating principle of SSDs. To improve the functioning and lifespan of the device, you need to make a number of changes in the Windows settings.

Disabling hard drive defragmentation

Defragmentation hard drive allows you to speed up the operation of the HDD, optimizing it logical structure For quick reading data. This function is not needed for an SSD; on the contrary, it can harm the solid-state drive. You can disable defragmentation by executing the command in the “Start menu - run - dfrgui «

In the early Windows versions 10 and subsequent updates, this section was called “Disk Optimization”, where defragmentation was redesigned for modern systems. There is no need to disable this process in Windows 10.

Disabling the page file

If there is sufficient quantity random access memory It is recommended to disable the paging file, which has a positive effect on speed work hard disk.

To perform this operation, you need to open the performance options. Select "No paging file".

Enabling the TRIM function

Starting from version 7, the Windows family began to actively support work with solid-state drives. The developers have added a TRIM function that interacts with the SSD drive. The system sends information about unused blocks to be deleted. This speeds up system performance and increases the service life of the device.

You can check the activity of the service in the following way:

Open a command prompt
Copy the command fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify
The received response must contain the value DisableDeleteNotify = 0 or DisableDeleteNotify = 1. If the received value is 0 - TRIM function active, if the value is 1 - TRIM does not function.

This feature is enabled by default in Windows 7 and newer versions.

Disabling hibernation - sleep mode

The system startup speed on an SSD drive is 5-6 times faster than on an HDD. The sleep mode function loses its relevance when using a solid state drive. Hibernate mode creates a system writable file. Disabling this feature simplifies system operation and optimizes device performance.

Disabling file indexing

File indexing occurs continuously and creates a writable file, which could theoretically reduce the time SSD services disk.

Disabling indexing will not affect the speed of file search, since the SSD has high speed working with files. You can disable indexing as follows:

Open the “My Computer” shortcut;
Open the properties of the required disk;
Uncheck the “Allow file contents to be indexed...” tab.

Installing a modern storage device not only speeds up the system, but also requires maintenance and detailed configuration.

Hello!
In his next review I want to talk about something that is quite necessary for all owners of SSD drives - like a sled for a case in a bay for standard hard drives (3.5').
Good quality. I recommend to buy. For details, please see cat.

I'll start my story with the fact that I recently became the owner solid state drive, but due to its very small size it was not possible to secure it anywhere in the body. I’ll just give you a photo of what it looked like before buying the sled.

In offline stores, this item is still quite rare, and if it is available somewhere, the price is 2-3 times higher than online. In particular, in Citylink, such a thing costs 200 rubles. And it’s not even a matter of saving; it’s not that great here. Firstly, it “didn’t burn” and it was possible to wait at least a month, at least two. And secondly, I wanted to order it out of curiosity, describe it in muska, and perhaps someone will be interested and also buy the subject for themselves, not being able to purchase it nearby.

So what do we have? The sled fully corresponds to the description. Black metal case good quality. I saw a red plastic sled for a dollar, but their quality even in the photo seemed dubious.

The set includes 8 mounting screws - 4 for attaching the drive to the slide and 4 for attaching the slide itself to the system unit.

Here is the disc itself, for the sake of which the purchase was started.

The SSD fit into the slide without any problems. All the holes aligned and the screws tightened.

Since my computer case has screwless fastenings, I put guides on the slide. Again, everything fit perfectly - all the fastening pins fell into place.

Well, the final touch is to insert it into the system unit.

As a result, the SSD drive is no longer hanging on cables, but is neatly installed in the bay for 3.5" drives.

P.S. Sorry for not very much high quality photos. I don’t have a camera, I take pictures with my smartphone camera.

I'm planning to buy +13 Add to favorites I liked the review +9 +19

Hello admin! ? Bought a solid state drive SSD Kingston SSDNow V300, I came home and opened a beautiful box, and in it there was only the SSD itself, no screws, no adapter bracket from 2.5 to 3.5 inch form factor to install the SSD in the bay for hard drives my system unit! I called the store where I bought the solid-state drive, they said that in fact this bracket needs to be purchased separately, I had to go again, I don’t know why they didn’t tell me right away.

I secured the SSD in this bracket similar to a simple sled, but the first time it was wrong, I couldn’t connect it to SSD cable power supply and data cable. Secure solid state SSD drive The sled must be positioned in such a way that the power and interface connectors protrude slightly from the bracket, only then can the power cable and SATA data cable be connected to them.

In the end, I still won and installed the SSD into the system unit correctly. But after a couple of days I found out that it was possible to simply secure the SSD to the side of the system unit using ordinary vinyl clamps. In short, I thought everything was simple, but it turned out to be difficult.

But that’s not all, you will laugh, but I had to go to the computer store for the third time to buy a SATA III interface cable (up to 6 Gbps) and only then did I install an SSD drive in my system unit and transfer my Windows 7.

It would be nice to have a small instruction with pictures on your website so that users don’t ride like I did.

That's right, friends, in some cases, solid-state drives are sold without a special adapter bracket from a 2.5- to 3.5-inch form factor, then you need to buy it separately. All this must first be clarified with the seller before purchasing an SSD. If your SSD does not come with an adapter, you need to buy it separately, it costs around 150 rubles and they will sell it to you in a special bag, which will also contain special screws for SSD mounts to the bracket itself, and attaching the bracket with the SSD to the hard drive cage of the system unit.

And in some cases, solid-state drives are sold with a special adapter bracket, for example Kingston HyperX 3K 120 GB, and HyperX 3K costs a little more, for example, the same SSDNow V300.

On many new computer cases, manufacturers have recently specifically provided space for mounting a 2.5 SSD solid-state drive. That is, no adapter is needed - a bracket from 2.5 to 3.5 inches form factor, for example, one of the new Zalman cases has a reverse side The case is such a cozy place for a solid-state drive.

So, after purchasing an SSD drive, we get this nice box.

On the box we see information about the read and write speed characteristics of our SSD and the highest speed SATA III interface (up to 6 Gb/s). A worthy manufacturer of the SandForce solid-state drive controller is also indicated.

We open the box, inside there is another box made of foamed polyethylene, it contains the drive itself

We take the SSD out of the box. SSD Kingston HyperX 3K has a metal case with plastic inserts dark color. The SSD bears the HyperX inscription indicating that it belongs to the flagship line.

And on the reverse side there is a bracket for SSD installation in the 3.5-inch form factor of the hard drive cage of the system unit.

There are two sets of screws, the first for attaching the SSD to the 2.5 by 3.5 bracket, the second set of screws for fixing the bracket itself along with the SSD in the hard drive cage of the system unit. The screws are different sizes, do not mix anything up.

So, friends, you and I have almost everything to install our solid-state drive in the system unit, we only lack the SATA III interface cable (up to 6 Gbps), but I didn’t have to purchase that separately, since it was in the box from mine bought a year ago.

So, we attach our SSD to the 2.5 by 3.5 bracket with four screws

On a switched off computer We insert our bracket or, simply, a slide with our SSD solid-state drive into the hard drive cage of our system unit and secure it with four screws, two screws on each side. Please note that the cart already contains a simple hard SATA drive with the operating system, which I will transfer later to the SSD.

We remove another side cover of the system unit and secure the bracket with the SSD on the other side.

Connect the high-speed SSD SATA III solid-state drive (up to 6 Gbit/s) to the motherboard correctly, to the SATA III connector (up to 6 Gbit/s), otherwise it will not reveal all its capabilities (read our article)

And of course, the AHCI mode of hard drives must be enabled in the BIOS.

Well, we installed our SSD. If the SSD is new, then .

Friends, you can install the operating system on the SSD again, or you can. In other words, whatever you want, all the information you are interested in is on the site.

On the Internet you can find the opinion that you always need to install Windows on a solid-state drive again, but transfer a ready-made and stable operating system from regular HDD on an SSD is not possible, because when Windows is installed on the HDD, accordingly all its services are launched for HDD operation. But if you transfer such a system to an SSD, then many services will not only not help you work faster, but in addition will contribute to the rapid wear of the new SSD (for example, defragmentation).

I think this is not entirely correct, because the notorious defragmentation can be turned off, and you can spend several days on clean install I don't want a system with hundreds of programs. And why then? SSD manufacturers release utilities for transferring an operating system from HDD to SSD, are they illiterate?

I personally have transferred finished Windows to an SSD many times, for example, on my work computer I transferred Windows 8 (I have it as a traveler) from an HDD to an SSD (60 GB capacity) two years ago, then I transferred the same Windows to another drive SSD (capacity 120GB) everything works so fast for me that I don’t need it faster.

In the future, when, of course, we will install the new operating system on the solid-state drive again.

Greetings! A long time ago, I had a desire to make a small upgrade to my old laptop and breathe into it new life. On this moment the best thing to do for my junk is to add RAM and replace the ancient HDD with new SSD. Since I already have the maximum possible four gigabytes of RAM, it had to be replaced HDD. Modern SSDs disks are expensive, and there is never too much space. It was decided old disk install the DVD drive in place. Installation, tests, conclusions - please under the cat...

Purchased SSD Samsung drive 750 EVO with 250 GB was logically installed in place of the standard one HDD drive. My native disk was 320 GB, which is not much more. Use cases old tough disk mass. Sell and recoup part of the money for the purchase of an SSD, buy a box with USB interface and use it like portable disk or just some kind of adapter or install it in place of the DVD drive, which I haven’t used for a long time. Having defeated the “toad”, it was decided not to sell the disc. Because portable HDD I already have one, so the choice fell on the so-called Caddy or Optibay device.

Specifications

Device thickness standard: 12.7 mm
Interface: SATA
Disk size and interface: SATA(2.5")
Dimensions: 12.6*12.7*1.27cm

Equipment

Caddy - 1 pc.
Screwdriver - 1 pc.
Bolts - 8 pcs.
Seal - 1 pc.

The device itself is extremely simple. The shape is exactly the same as a standard DVD drive. The only thing to consider is the thickness of the drive. DVD devices for laptops come in two sizes: 9.5 mm and 12.7 mm. So I strongly recommend that before purchasing a “pocket” you take out your DVD and measure its thickness. But if you really don’t want to disassemble the laptop once again, then you can determine its dimensions online. Also be sure to check which interface your DVD is using.

The screwdriver is very cheap and not particularly convenient, but if you don’t have a tool at hand and want to install the disk right now, then it will do the job.

The bolts were very useful. They help keep the disc in place, but not in a traditional way. I will describe the installation a little later. The rubber, perforated block most likely serves to more securely fix the disc in the pocket and to reduce vibration.

Disassembly

I decided to disassemble the adapter body a little and see what else was interesting there. I didn't find any surprises. The tin body is reinforced with a plastic insert. The adapter board is extremely miniature, on which the SATA and mSata interfaces are located. I also discovered a strange kind of switch that has three positions. What function it performs remains a mystery to me. I will be glad to see versions of his appointment in the comments.

Installation in a laptop

The first thing you need to do is get the standard drive for your laptop. Each laptop does this differently, but the principle is the same. In my case, it was necessary to unscrew the cover of the compartment under which there was a drive mounting bolt. I unscrewed it and pressed a small pedal, the DVD moved out a little from its saddle. Now you can take it out freely. After we compared the dimensions and checked that the adapter fits freely into the DVD drive, we can install the disc in the Caddy. To securely fix the disk, you need to screw four bolts into it until they stop, put the disk in the “pocket” and slide it into the SATA interface. The bolts will rest against special protrusions on the adapter body. Thus, the disk will be firmly fixed, but for greater reliability it is necessary to install a rubber seal with rear end disk.

In this form, you can already connect the adapter to the laptop and turn it on. But it will not be recorded, which is not safe. The adapter is attached to the laptop case using a special fastener, which must be unscrewed from your standard DVD drive and fixed to the new adapter. Such fastenings have different shapes, but at the same time they have standard arrangement holes for mounting on the drive housing and our Caddy.
The final touch is to bring beauty. From the disk drive I remove the decorative cover with the button, which is held on by several latches, and install it on the Caddy. Everything is standard here too. All holes for latches are in place. All that remains is to install the adapter in its rightful place, secure it with a bolt to the laptop body and close the compartment. You can turn it on and enjoy :).

Testing

I conducted several simple tests and it turned out that I have the same SATA interface revisions on my laptop, both at the main installation location of the laptop and at the connection location DVD drive. Since my laptop is not the latest, the most I could count on was SATA 3 Gb/s. That's how it happened. In my case, it didn’t matter which interface I connected the SSD drive to, and which HDD. The operating speed is expectedly the same for both SSD and HDD drives.

conclusions

There are a great many similar adapters at very different prices. I can’t say exactly what the difference is between them. In my case, this is one of its cheapest representatives. Data transfer rate per SSD drive does not differ from the speed of work in a regular place. Perhaps working with SATA interface 3 there will be some difference, but I can’t check this. I have no complaints about the build quality. Everything fit like family. I hope it will serve and please me for a long time.

I hope I helped you decide whether to purchase the product and, in particular, this adapter. If I missed something, I will try to answer everything questions asked in comments.

A short video review for greater clarity

That's all. Thank you all for your attention to my review! Happy shopping and good luck!

You can purchase PLN adapters at