SSD Optimization

[odinlives]

Well I decided to post this up because is goes with my other post about properly setting up your SSD to get the correct read and write. This may seem like a lot of things to do in order to optimize your SSD but if you are like me and want to get the most out of your hardware I would suggest taking a look at these valuable steps.


Of course if you are not setting up a RAID Volume then you will want to follow my guide on how to properly set up AHCI mode here:
https://virtualcustoms.net/showthread.php/34002-How-To-Correctly-Setup-Your-Ssd-And-Get-The-Advertised-Read

Here is a screenshot of my read and write in RAID0 with these settings:


Besides setting up AHCI mode for a single SSD you are going to need to download the latest IRST or "Intel Rapid Storage Technology" which can be downloaded here. This new IRST driver has shown that it provides performance improvements to RAID. There are numerous documented tests that show that the new drivers perform ‘wiping’, similar to TRIM’ almost immediately after a deletion is made on a RAID drive, thus restoring performance. (especially important to those of us running RAID)

Disable System Restore


Recent testing has discovered that System Restore allocates restore points within many SSDs that do not work well with the SSD or TRIM. Typically, System Restore will degrade SSD performance significantly within a few weeks and makes it very difficult for TRIM to function. Disabling System Restore is not only recommended throughout the web, but also, Intel has lately also included this advise with respect to its ssds. Disabling System Restore will also return to you a fair amount of ssd storage space.


1. Right click on My Computer and select Properties;


2. Select System Protection;


3. Select Configure; and


4. Select Turn Off System Restore.


DISABLE RECYCLE BIN.


This will assist in instant activation of trim upon delete for smaller files. By removing this feature it can seriously impend accidental deletions do not apply if you often accidentally delete incorrect files.


1. Right Click Recycle Bin;
2. Select the SSD;
3. Select Don’t move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted.
4. Select Apply.




Disable Drive Defragmentation Schedule

Windows 7 should, by default, disable Windows Defrag automatically but this does not always occur for some reason. Disk Defragmentation is not required in a ssd as the mechanics are completely different. There are no moving parts so file fragmentation doesn’t occur as frequently as it does with a hard drive which fragments files as they are retrieved and stored on the disk while it spins at very high speeds. Leaving Windows 7 with an enabled defragmentation schedule will drastically increase your ssd total writes and decrease its lifespan.


1. Right click your SSD in mycomputer


2. got to properties


3. go to tools and click on defragment now


4. click on schedule box and uncheck it so it is not scheduled.

Turn off Hibernation


Hibernation was a very useful program for hard drives as it enabled one to resume their work in a very quick time. It is less useful with ssds as they can load completely in as quick as 10-20 seconds which, in some cases, equals Hibernation. Disabling Hibernation will return 2.5Gb of valuable ssd storage space to the user.


1. Using the start menu search box type “cmd”;
2. Right click the cmd program and select Run as Administrator; and
3. In the command line type “powercfg -h off”.
This will take about 30 seconds it has finished once the command prompt reappears.


TURN OFF WINDOWS WRITE-CACHE BUFFER FLUSHING…OR NOT


Turning Off Write-Cache Buffer Flushing may increase or decrease the performance of your drive and it is suggested that you perform benchmark tests with it checked and unchecked. It is reported to improve performance on OCZ drives, however, decreases the performance of Intel drives.


1. Right Click My Computer and select Properties;


2. Select Device Manager;


3. Select Disk Drives;


4. Right click the SSD and select Properties; and


5. Under the Performance tab check the box Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing on this device.



DISABLE PREFETCH AND SUPERFETCH
1. Type Regedit into the Start Menu box;
2: Select the file path:
“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters”
3. Right click on both EnablePrefetcher and EnableSuperfetch;
4. Select modify on each of these to change the value from 1(or 3) to 0; and
5. Restart


DISABLE WINDOWS SEARCH AND SUPERFETCH


1. Press Winkey + ‘R’ for Run Dialogue;
2. Type “services.msc” and press Enter;
3. Scroll to Superfetch, right click and select Properties;
4. In the drop down menu select Disabled and select Ok;
5. Scroll down further to find Windows Search, right click and select Properties;
6. Click the Stop box then use the drop down menu to Disable select Ok.

ENABLE FASTER BOOT THROUGH MSGONFIG


This technique will remove the splash scree at start which will cut your boot time by 2-3 seconds. It is advised that the user not experiment with other options not described as it can have a negative effect on the OS.


1. Press Winkey + ‘R’ and type MSConfig;
2. Check the radio option for ‘No GUI Boot’
Use the start box type “msconfig”.
3. Apply.

DECREASE SHUTDOWN TIME


This particular optimization can result in the loss of data, if not saved, as it forces any running programs to shutdown immediately rather than in their own manner.


1. Type Regedit into the Start Menu Box;
2. Select the file path: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Control”
The last file is WaitToKillServiceTimeout.
3. Right Click and select Modify to change the value from 12000 to 1000. Restart.
NOTE: If you experience program hangups increase this to 5000 or so.


Verify Trim


Verifying that TRIM is working is actually a next to impossible task which requires monitoring your computers activity closely as TRIM can take only a split second to complete. There is truly no way for the user to confirm that it is working. Verifying TRIM will confirm for the user that the TRIM commands are being sent from the software to the ssd. This, unfortunately, is the closest one will come without trying to catch it in action for that split second.


1. Using the Start Menu Search Box, Search CMD;
2. Right click the Cmd Program and select Run as Administrator;
3. In the command line type “fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify”
If DisableDeleteNotify=0 TRIM is Enabled.
If DisableDeleteNotify=1 TRIM is Disabled.


DISABLE CLEARPAGEFILEATSHUTDOWN AND LARGESYSTEMCACHE


1. Type Regedit into the Start Menu box;


2. Select the file path:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\


MemoryManagement”


The 2nd and 5th files are ClearPageFileAtShutdown and LargeSystemCache.
3. Right click and select Modify on each of these to change the value from 1 to 0 and Restart.

NTFS MEMORY USAGE & NTFS DISABLE NAME CREATION


1. Type Regedit into the Start Menu box;


2. Select the file path:


“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem”


3. The 5th files is NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation. Right click and modify to 1; and
4. The 11th file is NtfsMemoryUsage right click and modify to 2 and Restart.