Personal computing discussed

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JohnC
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Re: Taking the SSD plunge

Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:19 pm

Ryu Connor wrote:
Are there any alternative programs that actually work in the OS?

Usually the manufacturer of the drive provides such utilities... At least Intel does, not sure about others.
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just brew it!
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Re: Taking the SSD plunge

Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:51 pm

UberGerbil wrote:
I'm sure you already know this, but (as a heads-up to anybody else who might be "taking the SSD plunge") make sure you secure erase it, not just reformat it, so that it's back to its fresh state.

Given that the copy of Windows currently on it was put there via a drive image dump (i.e. sequential write), wouldn't fragmentation be minimal?

I do plan to perform a secure erase anyway, for good measure.

JohnC wrote:
Ryu Connor wrote:
Are there any alternative programs that actually work in the OS?

Usually the manufacturer of the drive provides such utilities... At least Intel does, not sure about others.

The Linux hdparm command can issue secure erase commands to devices. I'm just figuring out how to do that right now.

Edit: And here is a guide to doing a secure erase from Linux. I had to power cycle and hot-plug the drive to get it into the "not frozen" security state, to allow the secure erase command to be issued. It now appears to be in a factory fresh state (reading back the first few thousand blocks returns all zeros).
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DancinJack
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Re: Taking the SSD plunge

Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:12 pm

just brew it! wrote:
Given that the copy of Windows currently on it was put there via a drive image dump (i.e. sequential write), wouldn't fragmentation be minimal?

I do plan to perform a secure erase anyway, for good measure.


Obviously this doesn't matter because you did a SE anyway, but I'd do a SE every time you install or re-install an OS on the drive. Fragmentation should be minimal, but it really can't hurt anything as long as you never reach the write limit on the drive (and i'm sure by that point you will have opted for a larger drive and have backups anyway).
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Re: Taking the SSD plunge

Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:45 pm

DancinJack wrote:
Obviously this doesn't matter because you did a SE anyway, but I'd do a SE every time you install or re-install an OS on the drive. Fragmentation should be minimal, but it really can't hurt anything as long as you never reach the write limit on the drive (and i'm sure by that point you will have opted for a larger drive and have backups anyway).

In this case the fragmentation really should've been close to zero, since I didn't install Windows in the normal way (from installation media). It was a block dump of the system disk from a VM, written to the SSD in one humongous sequential write operation.

But I wanted to figure out how to do the secure erase from Linux anyway...
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DPete27
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Re: Taking the SSD plunge

Sun Jun 03, 2012 9:59 am

I thought about starting a new thread for this, but it's somewhat on topic. Long story short, SSDs are an incredible addition to ANY computer and whether you're upgrading a few parts or doing a complete system build, I would highly recommend getting one.

I'm on the brink of a system refresh going from a C2D E8400 to an Ivy Bridge i5-3570K. I will be reusing my GPU, PSU, SSD, and 2GB HDD for the new system so I'm in the process of freeing up those drives. I have a 320GB WD Caviar Blue sitting in my case that I had the OS on before purchasing my SSD in October 2011. I have since switched back to this hdd for the short interim of preparation and to secure erase my SSD for good measure. What a difference

When I installed my SSD I was elated with how fast and responsive it made my computer feel. I was like a giddy school boy trying to keep up with program installs and marveling at how quickly everything started up. It was a night and day difference for me, and that was using SATA II. Fast forward a few weeks and I had quickly become accustomed to my "new lifestyle" and my inital excitement had faded, but was/am still recommending SSDs to everyone.

Yesterday, I switched back to my hdd and it was TERRIBLE. Startup took 2-3x longer as did program loads, not to mention the constant clickidy click of the hdd seeking (annoying). It's a classic example of the phrase "you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone." It was refreshed reminder of how I will never go back to hdd's again. So, if anyone reads this that is contemplating purchasing a SSD at all, JUST DO IT. You can get a 120GB SSD for $100 after MIR these days which is dirt cheap. (and even $84 if you get the newegg coupons for 15% off OCZ drives periodically...not saying that you have to buy an OCZ SSD, but they are the cheapest right now) Sure, paying $180 for my SSD back in October makes me a little jealous that prices have dropped as much as they have, but I still don't regret my purchase.

Well that's the end of my rant, hopefully it helps/motivates somebody.
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mickabaw
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Re: Taking the SSD plunge

Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:59 am

I have been using WD drives for 5 years now. I want to wait until they get an SSD version that will carry at least one TB. I don't think they have these yet, and if they do, I'm sure they're a billion dollars!
 
C-A_99
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Re: Taking the SSD plunge

Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:34 pm

DPete27 wrote:
I thought about starting a new thread for this, but it's somewhat on topic. Long story short, SSDs are an incredible addition to ANY computer and whether you're upgrading a few parts or doing a complete system build, I would highly recommend getting one.

I'm on the brink of a system refresh going from a C2D E8400 to an Ivy Bridge i5-3570K. I will be reusing my GPU, PSU, SSD, and 2GB HDD for the new system so I'm in the process of freeing up those drives. I have a 320GB WD Caviar Blue sitting in my case that I had the OS on before purchasing my SSD in October 2011. I have since switched back to this hdd for the short interim of preparation and to secure erase my SSD for good measure. What a difference

When I installed my SSD I was elated with how fast and responsive it made my computer feel. I was like a giddy school boy trying to keep up with program installs and marveling at how quickly everything started up. It was a night and day difference for me, and that was using SATA II. Fast forward a few weeks and I had quickly become accustomed to my "new lifestyle" and my inital excitement had faded, but was/am still recommending SSDs to everyone.

Yesterday, I switched back to my hdd and it was TERRIBLE. Startup took 2-3x longer as did program loads, not to mention the constant clickidy click of the hdd seeking (annoying). It's a classic example of the phrase "you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone." It was refreshed reminder of how I will never go back to hdd's again. So, if anyone reads this that is contemplating purchasing a SSD at all, JUST DO IT. You can get a 120GB SSD for $100 after MIR these days which is dirt cheap. (and even $84 if you get the newegg coupons for 15% off OCZ drives periodically...not saying that you have to buy an OCZ SSD, but they are the cheapest right now) Sure, paying $180 for my SSD back in October makes me a little jealous that prices have dropped as much as they have, but I still don't regret my purchase.

Well that's the end of my rant, hopefully it helps/motivates somebody.


This. I have the 60 GB Agility 3 on my desktop and am never looking back; my next system (laptop) will be entirely SSD or have SSD and HDD, depending on how prices fare when I get to it. Not only do things load faster, you can actually start using your desktop much sooner instead of having to sit and wait until the OS becomes responsive enough to actually do something. Plus, despite cheap and abundant RAM, the advantage to significantly faster memory paging is still a factor to consider for users who sometimes need to use lots of memory.

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