Solid state drives perfectly configured

If the PC is to be faster, hard disk drives are the first choice. These memories, known as SSDs (solid-state drives), have no mechanical parts. Compared to a mechanical hard disk, they are not only completely silent, but also much faster when reading and writing data. The average access time is also very low. It is less than 0.1 millisecond on an SSD, whereas a conventional mechanical hard disk needs about 8 milliseconds, depending on the type and design

Make clever before purchase


The difference is felt especially in the daily work with the PC. Thus, the start-up process of the computer is significantly accelerated, and programs start much faster.


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However, this does not work if one would instead of the existing hard disk simply an SSD in the PC would install. In order to achieve the benefits, an SSD must be prepared and configured in the best possible way. The operating system also plays an important role. Starting with Windows 7 is an operating system on the market that supports SSDs perfectly. We therefore recommend that you use Windows 7 and that the SSD serves as the system disk on which the operating system is re-installed.


The connection to the PC


The warranty period and the indicated MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), ie the average operating time until a failure, can be used to assess the extent to which the manufacturer is familiar with the used memory cells and how well the quality control is classified in the plant. For SSDs, however, you should interpret the term "MTBF" somewhat differently than is the case with HDDs. If one of the memory modules fails, one must assume that the entire module is defective and the data is lost.


Avoid device errors


Test: SSD drives


We therefore recommend a complete data backup for the SSD as a system disk. But also the price is critical to the quality of the SSD. So there are quite 60-GB SSDs for 50 euros. To buy something like this, we guess. Because at low prices the controller is outdated and the interface is not equipped for a modern SATA-III motherboard, which adversely affects the speed. Current SSD models do not know this incompatibility and cost only 20 or 30 euros more.


SSDs are much less sensitive to mechanical shock compared to an HDD. This advantage is especially appreciated by notebook owners. Nevertheless, you should ensure that the board is securely screwed in the PC case so that the power cable and the data cable do not come loose. If you do not have a special SSD cage in your PC housing, you will not have to worry about a built-in frame.


Unfortunately, this is not included in all manufacturers. This should be thought of when buying. If you want to upgrade your laptop or Ultra-Book with an SSD, you should also check the maximum installation height in your laptop before purchase.


The only solution for connecting an SSD to a SATA-III controller that can fully exploit the hard drive performance is currently the integrated SATA III controller in the chipset of the motherboard. It does not matter whether the board has an Intel or AMD processor.


For example, modern SATA-III disks achieve file sizes of more than 500 GB per second. If your board does not have a SATA-III controller, it can be upgraded with a plug-in card. However, in practice, the system does not reach more than 200 MB / s. However, we strongly recommend that you access the SATA-III SSD in order to be ready for the next upgrade.


The biggest mistake in setting up an SSD is treating the disk like a traditional hard drive. Anyone who does everything as usual - new disk, reinstalling Windows from DVD - will most likely find that the SSD runs in IDE mode, the Trim command has not been activated, and the alignment (memory size division) has failed. And this is associated with considerable performance losses. Therefore, you should first clarify which hardware is in the PC's housing - in particular, the mainboard is of interest.


Buying advice: SSD drives


If the board does not have a SATA-III connector, you should retrofit a SATA-III plug-in card via a free PCIe slot. In our labs, however, we have found that SATA III retrofitted cards limit the data transfer performance, while controllers integrated in the motherboard deliver the full performance. You should also consider whether the operating system is to be operated with the Windows encryption system (Bitlocker).


Settings in the BIOS


This is possible for the Windows 7 versions Ultimate and Enterprise. Anyone wishing to dispense with the additional partition on the SSD, for example because SSD vendor tools no longer work, can switch to TrueCrypt. Ultimately, this is a matter of personal preference. The required partition is installed by Windows during the installation when the disk is formatted during the installation. If the SSD is already prepared, no Bitlocker partition is created.


Before you Windows 7 freshly installed, one should necessarily in the BIOS the hard disk controller in the AHCI mode switch. Otherwise, each SSD is treated as a normal IDE disk. The device manager tells if the AHCI protocol has been activated in the BIOS.


Windows tuning for SSDs


If you have installed Windows 7 without having previously changed the controller mode to AHCI in the BIOS, the SSD will automatically install the older IDE mode. However, the subsequent changeover requires a previous intervention in the registry, otherwise Windows does not start anymore. On the desktop, click "Start," and type "regedit" in the search box. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Msahci.


Guide: SSD tuning software


Double-click on the entry "Start" to open the form for changing the DWORD value. Set this entry from 3 to 0 (zero). Quit Windows. Go into the BIOS and look for the settings for the controller to which your SSD disk is connected. For example, if there are two onboard controllers on your motherboard, if the Intel chipset does not support legacy IDE devices, but the motherboard manufacturer has a 40-pin flat-ribbon connector, Where your SSD is connected.


Disable recovery


Disable defragmentation


Turn off Windows Search Service


With this controller, you now enable AHCI. Save the changed BIOS settings (usually with F10), and exit the BIOS menu. The computer is now rebooting. Keep the Windows 7 installation DVD ready, as Windows will now install the AHCI driver.


It's worth it, because the SSD becomes faster and more resistant to performance dips. If Windows is also restricted in its "write-rage", the lifetime of the SSD is extended due to the special memory structure and technology. In the case of low-cost SSDs, for example, the life cycle has already been reached after approximately 10,000 write cycles. Windows 7 is optimized for the highest possible speed, comfort and security.


This is why very often data is written to the hard disk in the background. These "services" should be switched off wherever possible. But even if Windows detects an SSD, many services remain active, which must be stopped manually. Do not worry: Windows does not slow down.


Auto-recovery automatically writes data to the disk, which is undesirable for SSDs. Unfortunately, the location of this data can not be moved to another drive. Recovery data can only be stored on the same drive for which it is collected. In addition, system recovery by recovery point will only work completely if you have enabled it for the system disk.


Guide: Optimal Windows 7 settings for SSDs


To disable this service, press "Window + Pause" and click "Computer Protection". Select the SSD and click "Configure ...". In the dialog box, select Disable Computer Protection. Windows 7 can no longer create recovery points after disabling the restore function for the system partition. For other hard disks in the system, the "Restore only previous file versions" function is still available.


For SSD disks, defragmentation is unnecessary. In addition, the continuous switching of the data shortens the life of the data carrier. You can quickly get to the Defragmenter via "Start" and enter "Defragmentation" in the search field. In the dialog box select "Configure schedule ..." and then "Select data carrier ...". If Windows 7 has detected the SSD correctly, it is not listed in this list. If it is displayed, you have forgotten to enable AHCI before reinstallation.


You can either disable the defragmentation completely by selecting the checkbox "Select all disks", or you can set the scheduler so that the mechanical disks are regularly defragmented. We recommend the combination solution: leave SSDs alone, optimize HDDs and clean up.


If you use the Windows search service, you can turn it off. This saves a lot of paperwork to his SSD. You can switch the Index service from


On the desktop, click "Start," type "Services" in the search box, and then press "Enter." The "Services" window appears on the screen. Under the "Name" column, locate the "Windows Search" service, and right-click it. In the pop-up menu that appears, select the "Properties" button. Select "Disabled" under Startup Type.


In the properties of the hard disk, the tick for the indexing of the SSD should also be deselected. Check this and correct it if necessary. Windows may ask permission to make changes to file attributes. Select the lower option to include the subfolders as well. This unselect works only with administrative rights.