Windows 7 and SSD

blitzyuk · 29 Sep 2010 at 01:31

Hi all

Im thinking of purchasing a SSD for the use of windows 7 basically just the OS no music games or video's.
I was wondering if there was any way of being able to copy windows as it is now straight onto a SSD or would i have to do a clean install?

Ive heard of being able to do a ghost copy image of windows for backup purposes but are you able to do this to put it on an ssd as i dont really want to have to install everything again.

EniGmA1981 · 29 Sep 2010 at 07:02

You should be able to ghost is onto the ssd... In the same way you can ghost an installation onto a replacement hdd. Should be simple enough

Paul11 · 29 Sep 2010 at 07:20

for an ssd i would install it fresh

as win 7 will detect its an SSD and change the install silightly different options for it compared to a standard hard drive

stoofa · 29 Sep 2010 at 09:37

Paul11 said:
for an ssd i would install it fresh

as win 7 will detect its an SSD and change the install silightly different options for it compared to a standard hard drive

And what will the Windows install do differently on an SSD than on a mechanical drive?

monkeyspank · 29 Sep 2010 at 10:25

enable trim ? I think
disable other stuff like defrag etc maybe.

stuff you can do yourself I would imagine.

Paul11 · 29 Sep 2010 at 12:40

monkeyspank said:
enable trim ? I think
disable other stuff like defrag etc maybe.

stuff you can do yourself I would imagine.

Windows 7 will disable disk defragmentation, Superfetch, ReadyBoost, as well as boot and application launch prefetching.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/2009/05/05/support-and-q-a-for-solid-state-drives-and.aspx

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-solid-state-drives-ssd,7717.html

kona786 · 30 Sep 2010 at 00:25

just for reference windows 7 took 11 mins to install on my ssd.

stoofa · 30 Sep 2010 at 01:45

Paul11 said:
Windows 7 will disable disk defragmentation, Superfetch, ReadyBoost, as well as boot and application launch prefetching.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/2009/05/05/support-and-q-a-for-solid-state-drives-and.aspx

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-solid-state-drives-ssd,7717.html

Right - so all things that can be done in around 5 minutes.
Really no need to reinstall the OS.

_Jimlad_ · 30 Sep 2010 at 08:13

ssd in my view is the biggest improvement the pc world has had in years... since having one (only 80gb for install, steam and apps) i would never go back... everything is so much quicker... get one!

blitzyuk · 30 Sep 2010 at 14:07

Thanks all i will be getting one next payday. I somehow doubt i will be able to afford the 480GB one thats out. So will settle for a 64GB or around that size.

blitzyuk · 30 Sep 2010 at 14:12

next question. Whats the best software to do a ghost copy of Windows 7?

_Jimlad_ · 30 Sep 2010 at 15:21

check out the 80GB Intel X25-M, bit more space and good reviews. solid drive. as for the ghosting stuff, you can't beat a clean install in my view, i know there are pro's for and against, but with win7 you can just export your data and then import after a clean install

SiriusB · 30 Sep 2010 at 16:19

_Jimlad_ said:
check out the 80GB Intel X25-M, bit more space and good reviews. solid drive. as for the ghosting stuff, you can't beat a clean install in my view, i know there are pro's for and against, but with win7 you can just export your data and then import after a clean install

Definitely get an 80GB SSD. Anything smaller than that and I think you will spend more time juggling your free space than actually using your computer! I find 80GB to be a nice size - easily fits Windows and a bunch of games and oft-used programs and the Pagefile. These need to run on the SSD to make your Windows fly. People who move them are idiots. [the exception being if you hardly use a piece of software/game, then install it elsewhere].

SSD is expensive, don't waste it by moving everything off it!

As for ghosting, quite a few options out there. I quite like Macrium Reflect myself - it has a free edition!

blitzyuk · 30 Sep 2010 at 17:58

Well at current my windows 7 is only taking up 45GB as like i have said i have got music on another drive partition and all my steam games are on an external 1TB HDD currently using 575GB. Also if i do download anything that is stored on another drive partition aswell. So windows is only used for my programs and my documents not much else really. I will have a look at the 80GB versions though.

blitzyuk · 30 Sep 2010 at 18:03

Which one is better?

OCZ Vertex 2E Bigfoot 90GB 3.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive
- Max Read: up to 285MB/s
- Max Write: up to 275MB/s
- Sustained Write: up to 250MB/s
- Random Write 4KB (Aligned): 50,000 IOPS
- Available in 90GB to 480GB capacities
- Native TRIM support
- Max IOPS Firmware
- Seek Time: .1ms
- 3.5" Anodized Casing
- 146 (L) x 101.6 (W) x 25.40mm (H)
- Operating Temp: 0°C ~ 70°C
- Storage Temp: -45°C ~ +85°C
- Low Power Consumption: 2W in operation,.5W in standby
- Shock Resistant up to 1500G
- RAID Support
- Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, Mac OS X and Linux
- MTBF: 2 million hours
- Ideal for desktop systems (no need for converter brackets)
- 3-Year Warranty

Intel X25-M Mainstream 80GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive
- Capacity: 80GB
- Controller: Intel
- Read: Up to 250MB/sec
- Write: Up to 70MB/sec
- NAND Flash: 34nm Multi-Level Cell (MLC)
- Interface: SATA-II
- Low Power Consumption
- Lightweight (80g)
- Shock Resistant
- Retail SKU Supplied with mounting brackets.
- Comes with FREE Intel EZ Upgrade Universal Kit (HD-007-IN)

_Jimlad_ · 30 Sep 2010 at 21:07

can't comment on the first, but the intel is regarded as a great SSD. windows7 gives me a score of 7.8 rating (like that counts for much

) im happy with it and owned for 12 months now. i really don't know what is out there and what is better or worse

SiriusB · 30 Sep 2010 at 21:24

I have the Intel too - it is superb and never missed a beat. SSDs are coming out so fast it doesn't really matter which you buy; there will be a better one out within 30 seconds of your order reaching your house!