Often, when working with a PC, we encounter problems that we did not expect. For example, we don't know how to connect an SSD drive to a computer. It would seem that the matter is not at all difficult, but it requires care and correct actions. Therefore, if you decide to carry components or assemble a PC yourself, then you will need to know everything about such minor difficulties.
For what?
Upgrading your computer is always a responsible matter. Not all users are ready to do this. Firstly, you need to have a good understanding of components, understand the compatibility of different devices, and understand new products. Secondly, in addition to this, significant financial investments are needed, since the better the product, the more expensive it is accordingly.
In this case, everyone will need to learn how to connect an SSD drive to a computer. This is also necessary for those who decided to assemble a PC themselves, or for those whose hard drive “passed away.” There are a lot of instructions on this issue on the Internet, so let’s get started.
Peculiarities
Before we begin to understand this issue, we need to tell those who do not know anything about SSDs.
It is a solid state drive, which is a non-mechanical storage device. It is based on a memory chip. The device replaced the HDD. Although it is impossible to say so unequivocally, since many experienced users prefer to install both an HDD and a solid-state drive in their PC.
As a result, sometimes this device becomes the main one, replacing the place of the hard drive, sometimes auxiliary. In the second case, the system is loaded onto it, and personal information is stored on the hard drive.
Advantages
Now, not everyone needs to learn how to connect an SSD drive to a SATA computer, since most users still use this device in compact devices: tablets, etc.
However, it can also be installed in desktop computers because it brings additional benefits. Most importantly, it improves system performance. Compared to traditional hard drives, it is smaller in size and weight and has increased performance. Moreover, the speed turned out to be 6-7 times greater. Hence the high price for SSDs.
In addition, solid-state drives have begun to be integrated in pairs with HDDs to form hybrid hard drives. In this case, the flash memory became occupied by a buffer. Although, as mentioned earlier, sometimes it is used as a separate free space.
In addition, noiselessness has been added to the main advantages, since the device is non-mechanical and has no moving elements. Hence the high mechanical resistance. Files are read stably, without interruptions or jumps. Reading speed is close to the throughput of the interfaces.
Connection
So, how to connect an SSD to a computer? Installed using approximately the same method. Therefore, if you have ever encountered the work of a hard drive, then there will be no problems with a solid-state drive. The only difference is the dimensions. You will need to fit the smaller device into the correct slot.
Start
To start the procedure, of course, you need to turn off your PC. To be on the safe side, it is better to do it completely unplugged. Don't forget to turn off the power supply as well. Usually the button to turn it off is located on the back, on the case.
Now you need to do the following operation: press and hold the PC power button for several seconds. This is necessary so that all the current that remains on the board and in general in the entire case disappears. This way you will de-energize all circuits and ensure your safety.
Depending on your goals, the next steps may vary. But in general, the connection principle is always the same.
Let's act
To understand where to connect the SSD drive to the computer, you need to get to the case. First you need to open it. Usually it all depends on its design. But there are always small screws to remove the left panel and get to the “insides” of the PC. There are cases that may have access to the ports from the other side, so here you need to act according to the situation.
If you are new to computer chassis design, you may have problems. But if you at least know what a hard drive looks like and can find it in a metal box, then half the battle is done.
Usually the hard drive is placed in a special compartment. There may be several of them in the case. Made specifically for 3.5 inch HDD size. This is where you need to place the SSD.
Because the dimensions are a little different, being 2.5 inches, you'll have to bolt it down pretty well. They usually come with the device. Recently, slots in cases for SSDs have become increasingly common. Therefore, perhaps the task will be simplified.
When the drive is secured and well fixed, you will need to figure out how to connect the SSD drive to the computer, to the motherboard. Here the matter is somewhat more complicated, since you will have to google it or figure out the interfaces.
Compound
Next you need to take the cable that came with the drive. You will find an L-shaped port on it. This is SATA. In addition to this, you must have a power cable. It usually looks like a bunch of wires.
First you need to connect the power cable to the connector from the power supply. Then we take the SATA cable and look for the right place on the motherboard. Usually there are few options. If the board has SATA III, then it is better to use this port. If this option is not available, connect to SATA II.
Now these two wires will need to be connected directly to the SSD. A power cable is placed in the wider connector, and a SATA cable is placed in the narrow connector.
Other options
Not everyone knows, but they have been releasing SSDs of the M.2 form factor for a couple of years now. Now these models are not uncommon. Many people prefer them. In addition, newfangled motherboard models began to be equipped with a special connector specifically for this form factor.
As a result, the situation led to the fact that we need to know how to connect an SSD M2 drive to a computer. It must be said right away that this model has many variations. Therefore, the connection may be slightly different. But the main point is that, unlike the previous option, we connect the solid-state drive to the motherboard not with wires, but with the device itself.
When you see the M.2 SSD in the photo, you will understand what the point is. It is not presented in a case, like the model described above. It is made of a small board containing memory chips. This board has special slots for installing them on the motherboard.
It is impossible to describe the connection for all cases, since there are really many options. But when you buy an M.2 SSD drive, you will have instructions that will tell you how to do it correctly.
Settings
Once you have assembled and connected everything, you can turn on the PC. While loading it, you need to call up the BIOS. Here you should look for the AHCI mode, which is responsible for the operation of the solid-state drive.
For example, you are going to load an operating system onto an SSD. But in addition to the new drive, you already have hard drives connected. Then you will need to prioritize the devices. To do this, we put the solid-state drive first in the list. We install the ability to boot the OS from a disk or flash drive.
If you need an SSD as an additional tool, then it will be enough to check that the existing hard drive is first in line. Otherwise, the system may simply not boot. You might want to move your OS to an SSD. In this case, after you have learned how to connect an SSD drive to a computer, you will need to perform a very extensive operation. This is a topic for another article.
Laptops
When you try all the above operations using your own example, you will realize that you even know how to connect 2 SSD drives to a computer. The main thing is that there is enough space on your motherboard.
But speaking about PCs, we need to remember that initially solid-state drives began to be widely used in laptops because they are compact. Therefore, you can additionally learn how to connect an SSD to a laptop.
Of course, it is better to consider this issue with each device model, since the cases are different, and, accordingly, the placement of the disk slot is also different.
However, the main thing is to decide where the hard drive is located in your laptop. Usually, to do this you have to turn off the device and open the bottom cover. Sometimes it is completely removable, sometimes you can unscrew the compartment panels. The railway station is usually located in one of them. If you can't find it, check your laptop's manual.
It must be said right away that HDDs in laptops are the same size as SSDs - 2.5 inches. In order to remove the hard drive, you need to not just pull it out, but first pull it to the side. It is thus attached to the power and SATA connector.
Then it's a small matter - just install the solid-state drive. Don't forget to secure it with screws. Since laptops usually have one place for a hard drive, you will have to think in advance about how you will transfer the operating system: by cloning or a new installation.
conclusions
You need to find out how to connect an SSD drive to a computer in advance, and not when you have unscrewed, unscrewed and disconnected everything. Sometimes you have to make additional settings and think in advance about the location of the OS.
The easiest way to do this is when you need a solid-state drive only as an auxiliary tool. Then you just need to connect it to another compartment and connector. If you want to make it your main one, then you need to read the instructions for cloning HDDs and SSDs, configure and think through everything in advance.
If you are building a PC from scratch and decide to simply install a fast “colleague” instead of a hard drive, do not forget to configure the connection in the BIOS. It is important to set the special mode and priority of the drives.
Frequently asked questions about solid state drives
Before we answer any questions, we'd like to remind you that we are convinced that SSD storage for laptops and desktops (as well as for enterprise servers) has a bright future ahead of it. SSDs are truly capable of delivering high performance, improved system responsiveness, increased battery life, high reliability, faster boot times, and reduced vibration and noise. As prices come down and storage quality improves, we believe more and more computers will be sold with SSDs instead of traditional HDDs. With this in mind, we have focused the necessary engineering efforts to ensure that users can fully experience the benefits of working with a new type of storage device.
Q: Will Windows 7 support tweaking?
Oh yeah. This has already been discussed above.
Q: Will defragmentation be disabled by default for SSDs?
Oh yeah. Automatically running the defragmentation task will not include partitions created on the SSD or identifying themselves as such. In addition, if the system partition shows random read performance higher than 8 MB/s, it will also be excluded from the list for defragmentation. Performance levels were determined through internal testing.
The threshold performance level test was added to the final version due to the fact that only a few of the SSDs on the market identify themselves as SSDs in the system. 8 Mb/s is quite modest. SSD performance ranges from 11 to 130 MB/s. We tested 182 HDDs, and only 6 of them exceeded the 2 MB/s bar in the random read test. The results of the remaining 176 lie between 0.8 and 1.6 Mb/s.
Q: Will Superfetch be disabled for SSDs?
A: Yes, for most computers with SSD. If the drive is an SSD, and if it shows adequate random write/overwrite results, then Superfetch, Prefetch for loading and running applications, ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive will be disabled.
Initially, these features were supposed to be disabled for all SSDs, but we found that this resulted in poor performance on some systems. While investigating the possible causes of this situation, we found that some early SSD models have serious problems with random writes, ultimately leading to the fact that reading from the disk stops altogether and for a long period of time. With Superfetch and Prefetch enabled, performance in everyday use again improved noticeably.
A: Compressing files helps save disk space, but requires additional processor power for compression and decompression, which leads to increased power consumption on laptops. Strictly speaking, for folders and files that are used very rarely, compression can serve as a good tool for saving expensive SSD space - if the free space is really so necessary.
However, we do not recommend using compression in cases where folders and files are constantly in use. Your Documents folders and the files in them are not a problem, but temporary Internet folders and mail directories should not be compressed, since they are constantly writing and rewriting a large number of files in batch mode.
Q: Does the Windows Search Indexer work differently on an SSD?
Q: Is Bitlocker encryption optimized to work with SSDs?
A: Yes, on NTFS. When Bitlocker is first configured for a particular partition, it is read in its entirety, encrypted, and written back. As soon as this happens, the file system will issue a command to perform an adjustment that optimizes the operation of the drive.
We encourage all users concerned about the safety and protection of their data to use Bitlocker on their drives, including SSDs.
Q: Does Media Center do anything special when configured on an SSD?
Oh no. Although SSDs have advantages over traditional HDDs, the price per 1 GB for SSDs is still significantly higher than for conventional drives. For most users, an HDD optimized for multimedia content is still the best option, since such content requires a significant recording and playback load that has sequential read/write characteristics.
Q: Does write caching make sense for SSDs and how does Windows 7 help support write caching if the SSD supports it?
A: Some manufacturers install RAM chips on their devices not only to operate controllers; they should, as with traditional disks, cache reads and, if possible, writes. For drives that cache writes in fast, non-volatile memory, Windows 7 assumes that the presence of overwrite and write-queue commands will be no less effective than for HDDs. Additionally, Windows 7 assumes that user settings that disable caching will be treated by the SSD as if it were a regular drive.
Q: Does it make sense to configure RAID for an SSD?
Oh yeah. The reliability and performance gained by configuring RAID on traditional drives is maintained when using an SSD.
Q: Do I need to place the page file on the SSD?
Oh yeah. The main operations with the paging file are random writing of small volumes or sequential writing of large amounts of data. Both types of operations work fine on an SSD.
By analyzing telemetry focused on estimating writes and reads for the pagefile, we found that:
reading from Pagefile.sys takes precedence over writing to pagefile.sys in a 40:1 ratio,
The read blocks for Pagefile.sys are typically quite small, with 67% of them being less than or equal to 4 KB and 88% being less than 16 KB.
The write blocks in Pagefile.sys are quite large, 62% of them are greater than or equal to 128 KB and 45% are almost exactly 1 MB.
Generally speaking, the typical page file usage patterns and SSD performance characteristics fit together very well, and it is the file that is highly recommended to be placed on the SSD.
Q: Are there any restrictions for using hibernation mode with an SSD?
A: No, hiberfile.sys is written and read sequentially in large blocks, and can be located on either an SSD or HDD.
Q: What changes have been made to the Windows Experience Index to correctly reflect SSD performance metrics?
A: In Windows 7, these are new criteria for evaluating random writes, overwrites, and reads. The best samples can receive an index from 6.5 to 7.9. To qualify for this range, drives must have outstanding performance for the specified types of operations and be able to withstand heavy loads of these types.
During the Windows 7 beta testing, there were cases where the index varied from 1.9 to 2.9, or as if the drive (SSD or HDD) was not performing as expected at all when running a performance benchmark. We received a lot of feedback on this issue, most objecting to such low ratings. As a result, we have simply banned SSDs with potential performance issues from competing for the 6.0+ and 7.0+ tier ratings that were recently added. SSDs that aren't among the favorites in this type of race will end up with indexes that are roughly the same as they would have been in Windows Vista, without benefiting much from the random write performance gains in Windows 7.
Michael Fortin
program manager of the Fundamentals team
I'll show you how to change a HDD hard drive to a high-speed SSD drive. I bought a 250 GB Samsung 850 Evo SSD. and installed it on my laptop. Then I installed Windows and all programs on the new SSD drive.
I bought my SSD drive Samsung 850 SSD EVO 120 GB SATA III on AliExpress . At first I wanted to order this Samsung 750 SSD EVO 120 GB SATA III (it is 120 GB and cheaper), but in the end I ordered 250 GB, although I could have done with 120 GB. The Samsung 850 EVO SSD arrived after about 12 days (the fastest product that came from AliExpress).
The parcel is well packed and sealed with polystyrene foam. Inside the box is plastic, and in it is an SSD drive.
Here are the specifications of this SSD drive. My reading speed tests, notes at the bottom of the page.
1. Copy all the information you need from your disk
If you, like me, have only one hard drive space in your laptop, then first copy all the information from your hard drive to your external drive or to another computer. Or buy . So that you can then connect your removed HDD drive via USB and download everything you need from it to your new SSD drive.
Here is a visual video of this adapter.
2. Remove the hard drive and install the SSD
Turn off the laptop, unplug the laptop from all wires, turn it over and remove the laptop battery. Now on the back cover of the laptop, find the inscription HDD - this is the place where your hard drive is installed. On my Samsung NP-R560 laptop it is on the bottom left. The hard drive is closed with a cover with two screws.
We unscrew these two screws securing the laptop hard drive.
Remove the cover covering the hard drive. There should be arrows on it showing in which direction you need to pull to move the cover.
Here is the hard drive of my laptop. It has an aluminum lid to help dissipate heat and has a pull tab to make it easier to remove. Simply grab this tab and pull it to the left to disconnect the hard drive from the connector.
Done, the hard drive is disconnected from the laptop and connectors. We lift it and put it aside.
This is what a laptop looks like without a disk.
Now insert the SSD disk in place of the HDD disk.
Carefully insert it in place of the old HDD drive. I also installed an aluminum plate from the old HDD on the new SSD.
Close the hard drive cover.
Tighten the screws of the lid.
Ready. Now we turn the laptop over, insert all the wires into it, put the battery back and turn on the laptop.
3. Install Windows on the new SSD
There is nothing on the new SSD drive and there is no OS (Windows) either, so now you need to install Windows on it. You will receive this error when you try to boot from a new SSD disk that does not yet have a Windows operating system.
Partition table invalid or corrupted. Press any key to continue…
You need to insert your bootable USB flash drive and boot from it.
If you don’t have a bootable USB flash drive yet, it’s time to make one.
Here is a video on how to configure the BIOS to install Windows from a bootable USB flash drive.
Now that we have a bootable USB flash drive and boot from it, we install Windows on the new SSD. We select our SSD, it will be marked as “Unallocated space on disk 0” and click “Next” and install Windows.
The copying of Windows files will begin, then preparation for installation, installation of components, installation of updates, completion. The computer will restart several times. After the first reboot, you can remove the bootable USB flash drive.
If you have never installed Windows via BIOS, then you will find a video on this topic.
After installing Windows on a new SSD drive, change the boot priority in the BIOS so that the Windows bootloader is first looked for on the SSD drive. Although if everything loads and works, then you don’t have to change anything. I'll go to BIOS, Boot - Boot Device priority.
And using the F5 or F6 key I will move the SSD disk to the very top, so that the boot sector on the SSD disk is first searched, and then on the other disks, if it is not found on the SSD.
4. Comparison of SSD speed with HDD and USB drives
Using the CrystalDiskMark 3 program, I measured the writing and reading speed of my HDD drive even before removing it and replacing it with an SSD. The reading speed from it was approximately 100 MB/sec. when reading and writing sequentially.
Good day!
Today, working on a laptop (PC) without an SSD drive is, I tell you, quite painful and painful. And in order to realize this, you need to work at least once with the system where it is installed: fast loading of the OS, instantly opening applications and documents, no freezing or loading the disk at 100% after turning on the device.
So, okay, to the point... In this article I will go through the step-by-step process of installing the “newfangled” M2 SSD in a standard laptop. Actually, there is nothing complicated about this, but there are quite a lot of questions regarding this disk format (and I decided to collect some of them here, summarize my past materials, and answer at once...).
Addition!
An SSD drive can be installed not only in the M2 slot. There are several more options for how you can connect 2-3 drives to a laptop (I recommend you check them out):
1) Drive selection
I think this is the first thing to note. The fact is that there are several types of M2 SSDs: SATA, PCIe (and these, in turn, are divided into several subtypes). It’s easy to get confused in all this diversity...
Therefore, before choosing and purchasing an SSD M2 drive, I recommend that you read this article:
For those who doubt whether to switch to an SSD drive, I recommend that you read this material:
By the way, I also want to note here (since I’ve been asked more than once): the difference between switching from HDD to SSD (SATA) is noticeable to the naked eye, even a weak laptop begins to “fly”. But the difference between SSD (SATA) and SSD (PCIe (32 Gb/s)) is invisible unless you look at the test results (at least if you don’t work very actively with the disk).
Personally, I think that for most people it doesn’t make much sense to chase a “super” SSD (PCIe), but adding some kind of solid-state drive to a classic HDD is definitely worth it!
2) What do we need
3) Installation process (consider a couple of options)
There are dozens of laptop models on the market now. Conventionally, in relation to our topic, I would divide laptops into 2 parts:
- those devices that have a small lid for quick access to slots for installing RAM, disks, etc.;
- and devices that must be completely disassembled before the drive can be connected.
I'll consider both options.
Option No. 1: the laptop has a special one. protective cover for quick access to components
1) First turn off the laptop. We disconnect all devices from it: mice, headphones, power cable, etc.
2) Turn it over. If you can remove the battery, remove it.
Paying attention!
That before replacing or adding memory, disk, etc., some laptops (which have covers for quick access to memory, disk, but the battery is hidden inside the device), you need to switch to battery saving mode. For example, the HP Pro Book G4 (in the example below) needs to be turned off, connected to the power adapter, and press Win+Backspace+Power at the same time, then disconnect the power adapter. After the operation has been completed, the laptop will not start until the power adapter is connected, and you can safely upgrade the components.
3) Then unscrew the fastening screws that hold the cover. As a rule, there are 1-4 of them. (see example below).
In my example, by the way, I used an HP Pro Book G4 laptop - this line of HP laptops has very convenient maintenance: access to the disks, memory, and cooler can be obtained by unscrewing 1 screw and removing the protective cover.
Unscrew the screw securing the protective cover // HP Pro Book G4
4) Actually, under the cover we find the M2 slot - insert the drive into it (please note: the drive should fit into the slot without much effort, look carefully at the keys!).
5) Let me add that M2 SSD drives are secured at the end with a screw. It prevents the drive from accidentally flying out of the slot (the screw usually comes with the SSD. Don’t neglect fixing it!).
6) Well, all that remains is to put the protective cover back and secure it. Next, turn the laptop over and turn it on...
Paying attention!
After loading Windows, you may not see this disk in “My Computer” and in Explorer! The fact is that many new SSDs come unformatted.
To see the disk, go to disk management and format it ( approx. : to open disk management, press the Win+R button combination, and enter the command diskmgmt.msc in the Run window).
Option No. 2: there is no special device on the laptop. caps (complete disassembly...)
As a rule, there are no special covers on compact laptops (as well as on those devices with a metal body).
By the way, I’ll give you one piece of advice: before you start disassembling your laptop, I highly recommend watching a video of a disassembly of the exact same device model online. I especially recommend this to everyone who doesn’t do this very often...
I hasten to remind you that disassembling and opening the device casing may result in denial of warranty service.
1) The first step is similar: turn off the laptop, disconnect all the wires (power, mouse, etc.), turn it over.
2) If you can remove the battery, remove it (usually secured with two latches). In my case, the battery was located inside the case.
3) Next, unscrew all the mounting screws along the contour. Please note that some of the screws may be hidden under stickers and rubber feet (which are often present on the device to reduce vibration).
For example, on the laptop that I disassembled as a test subject (ASUS ZenBook UX310) - two screws were under the rubber feet!
Remove the cover - fastening screws || ASUS ZenBook UX310
4) Next, before touching anything or connecting/disconnecting, be sure to disconnect the battery (if you have it inside the case, like me. Simply, in the absence of a protective cover for quick access to the memory slots - usually the battery is located inside the laptop).
Typically, the battery is secured with several screws. After unscrewing them, carefully examine the cables: sometimes they go on top of the battery and if you remove them carelessly, you can easily damage them!
5) Now you can connect the M2 SSD by inserting it into the appropriate slot. Don't forget to secure it with the mounting screw!
6) Then you can reassemble the device in the reverse order: reinstall the battery, protective cover and secure it with screws.
By the way, as I said above, many programs in Windows (including Explorer) may not see your SSD. Therefore, you need to use either or the tool that is available in Windows - disk management .
To open disk management: press the Win+R button combination, enter the command diskmgmt.msc and press Enter. See two screenshots below.
4) Process of transferring old Windows | or installing a new OS
After the disk is installed in the laptop and you check that the device recognizes it and sees it, there will be 2 possible scenarios:
- You can install a new Windows OS on the SSD drive. For information on how to do this, see here:
- or you can transfer your “old” system from the HDD to the SSD. I also described how this is done in one of my articles: (note: see STEP 2)
Perhaps the only point worth noting: by default, your “old” Windows OS will boot from your hard drive (HDD) first. To change this, you need to go to the BIOS/UEFI section BOOT (boot) and change the priority (an example is shown in the photo below).
After a reboot, by default, the new system should boot from the SSD drive.
By the way, you can also select the default OS in Windows settings: to do this, open the control panel at - Control Panel\System and Security\System. Next, open the “Advanced system settings” link (in the menu on the left).
The "System Properties" window should open, we need the "Advanced" tab: it has a subsection "Boot and Recovery" - open its parameters.
In this subsection, you can choose which OS of all installed ones is considered the default and loaded when you turn on the laptop/PC.
Well, or, if you don’t get tired of it, you can manually specify the boot system every time you turn on the computer (see example below, a similar window should pop up automatically after installing the 2nd, 3rd, etc. OS) ...
In general, that's all...
If you want to find an effective way to increase the performance of your laptop, we will tell you in detail and clearly how to install an SSD drive on a laptop and what is required for this.
Is your laptop getting slower and slower over time? Using special utilities to clean the registry and file system of “garbage” helps only for a short time; resource-demanding programs take too long to launch, and even opening folders with a large number of files takes some time.
While the operating system is loading, you have time to make tea and make a couple of calls. A familiar situation, isn't it? If buying a new laptop is not in your immediate plans, you can speed up your old one with a fast SSD drive.
A few words about solid state drives
The hard drive is often the cause of slow computers, especially older models. Modern solid state drives (ssd drives) operate on the principle of flash memory:
- they have much faster read and write speeds (which is exactly what we need!);
- contain no moving parts. This means your laptop will be quieter;
- have comparatively low heat generation: this will increase the stability of operation.
Installing an ssd in a laptop
To install you will need:
- the solid state drive itself;
- a screwdriver – most often a Phillips screwdriver, but some laptop models may require a slotted (straight) one;
- A flash drive or SD card to which you will transfer all the necessary files.
Also, any thin plastic card will not be superfluous - with its help it is convenient to open the cover under which the RAM and your laptop are located.
First of all, copy all the necessary files from the old hard drive so that after installation you can transfer them to the new drive. Then turn off your laptop and disconnect all wires. The disk can be replaced.
- Turn the laptop upside down and remove the battery by pulling its latches in different directions.
- Unscrew the screws that secure the back cover of the laptop. Remove the cover.
- Next, you will need to remove the old hard drive - it is usually also secured with several small screws.
- After you have removed the old drive, you should install a new SSD drive in this place, tightly connecting it to the SATA connector.
- All further steps are carried out in reverse order. First, the protective plastic cover is returned to its place and secured with screws. Then a removable laptop battery is installed in the compartment.
That's all. There is nothing complicated about installing an SSD drive, and anyone can do it themselves. Now, the first time you boot a computer with a new drive, you need to check whether it is detected correctly by the system.
Checking ssd connection at first start
Connect the power cable to the laptop and turn it on. Immediately after turning on, you need to press (you can several times) the key to enter the BIOS. Most often this is the F2 key, but it may differ for different manufacturers: Esc for some Toshiba models, F10 for HP and sometimes for Dell, F1 for IBM and Lenovo laptops.
After entering the BIOS, first check whether the installed drive is detected. If the disk is identified, the system will be able to work with it. Next, you should check the operating mode of the ssd (the corresponding BOIS tab is usually called Advanced).
The drive must be running in AHCI mode for maximum performance. If you see a different mode in the options, switch it to AHCI and be sure to save your BIOS settings before exiting.
Now you can start installing the operating system - from a CD, DVD, bootable flash drive or SD card. After the system is installed, copy the previously saved files from the flash drive to the SSD drive.
Installation completed. You can enjoy fast system loading and application performance. Usually the difference in speed with a new drive is very noticeable.
Setup and optimization
The operating principle of solid state drives is different from conventional hard drives. Therefore, you need to make a number of additional settings:
- Disable automatic disk defragmentation in your operating system. In addition, never do it manually - it is not required for ssd drives and will only reduce their service life;
- You can also disable file indexing, thereby reducing the number of accesses to the drive.
Two disks on a laptop
If you stored a large amount of data on your old hard drive - movies, music, photos, then you should not copy them entirely to the newly installed ssd. Firstly, for efficient operation, you should leave at least 20% of the SSD disk capacity free. Secondly, it is advisable to place only the operating system and the most frequently used applications on a solid-state drive.
If you need to store a large amount of data, you can use your old disk. To do this you can purchase:
- external box for connecting a hard drive to a laptop USB port;
- module for installing a hard drive instead of a CD/DVD drive. In this case, remove the drive and measure its dimensions to purchase an adapter of the appropriate size.