How to set up an SSD on Windows 7. Optimizing an SSD drive in Windows

Even in very powerful PCs, hard drives (HDD) remained the main brake for a long time. The reason for this phenomenon is that the operating principle of such a disk is associated with the rotation of the spindle, and the rotation speed cannot be increased above a certain limit. This manifests itself in the form of delays when accessing data. Modern solid state drives (SSDs) are free of this drawback, but SSD drives require some optimization to get maximum performance. The article discusses issues related to setting up an SSD disk when working in Windows 7.

Intended use of SSD drives

If we take into account that the cost of SSDs is still significantly higher than the cost of HDDs (although there is a tendency for it to decrease), then the main area of application for SSDs remains the media on which the operating system is installed. The performance of the system partition usually determines the overall speed of the PC, including boot and shutdown speeds, and the execution time of most OS functions while the PC is running, which are sometimes even invisible to the user. Moreover, such an application does not require a large-capacity SSD; usually no more than 80 GB is enough, and the price of such a drive will not greatly affect the user’s wallet.

The need for SSD optimization

Modern operating systems, not excluding Windows 7, were designed to work with SSDs, but many OS functions designed for HDDs were still allowed for solid-state drives, although they did not provide a performance increase, and sometimes even reduced it. These are functions such as indexing, defragmentation, PreFetch, SuperFetch, ReadyBoot and some others.

An SSD, unlike a HDD, has a large but limited number of write cycles, which determines its “lifetime” and the reliability of the entire system as a whole. To achieve maximum effect and maximum lifespan of such a drive, it is necessary to optimize (tune) both the SSD itself and Windows.

SSD optimization

Before installing Windows 7 on an SSD, you must complete the following settings:

Make sure that the SSD has the latest firmware version. You can find out the current firmware version using the CrystalDiskInfo utility. Then you need to go to the SSD manufacturer’s website and compare the current version with the latest one listed on the website. If the need for a firmware update is discovered, you need to know about this before installing the OS, otherwise after the update all data will be lost! The firmware must be updated in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions;
Switch the SATA disk controller to AHCI mode. This mode allows you to use the latest technologies to improve disk performance, in particular SSDs. This mode supports technologies such as:
1. Hot Plug, which provides “hot replacement” and installation of the drive (without turning off the PC);
2. NCQ, which supports deep command queues;
3. TRIM, which significantly increases the performance of SSD drives and their service life.
Switching to this mode is done through the BIOS, but this is only if you do it before installing Windows. Switching to AHCI mode when the OS is already installed means getting an unpleasant effect - you will not be able to load the OS;
In cases where the "seven" is already installed, you can also switch to this mode if you know how to edit the system registry. To do this you need to follow the branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\services\msahci, find the Start parameter and set its value to 0. Then restart the PC, go into the BIOS and change the SATA controller mode to AHCI. After rebooting, Windows 7 will detect the new device and install it;
When installing the OS, it is advisable to leave about 15-20% of the total SSD capacity unallocated. This area will be used as the drive gradually wears out.

SSD disk and optimization of Windows 7 OS

When optimizing, you need to keep in mind that some actions will require editing the system registry. Therefore, before performing optimization, you should create a restore point or a copy of the registry. Also, before optimization, it is advisable to determine the Windows 7 performance index, so that after it you can see the result of the settings made.

Setting up an SSD disk when working in Windows 7 consists of performing the following steps:

Disable indexing for SSD drive. To do this, click Start - Computer. Then right-click on the system disk and select Properties. In the window that appears, there is an option “Allow the contents of files on this disk to be indexed in addition to the file properties”; you need to uncheck it;
Disable automatic defragmentation of the SSD drive. The easiest way to do this is to type the word “defragmentation” in the search bar (on the “Start” button) and click OK. A window will appear in which the only thing you need to do is uncheck the “Run as scheduled” option and click OK;
Disable NTFS file system logging. To do this, click “Start” and enter cmd in the search bar. A command line window will appear (administrator privileges are required), in which you need to enter a command like fsutil usn deletejournal /D C: (if the system drive is C:) and press Enter;
Disable sleep mode. If the OS is located on an SSD disk, then it will boot very quickly even without sleep mode, so there is no need for it. To do this, you need to do the same as in the previous paragraph, but then enter the line -powercfg –h off and press Enter;
Disable the page file. It is advisable to perform this action if you have a 64-bit OS and a RAM size of 4 GB or more. To do this, you need to follow the path Computer - Properties - Advanced system settings - Advanced - Performance Settings - Advanced - Virtual memory - Change. Uncheck the automatic size selection option and check the “No paging file” option;
If the swap file is still used, then disable unloading of kernel and driver codes from RAM. If they remain in RAM, the number of entries on the SSD will be reduced and the system’s response to user actions will improve. To do this you need to open the registry key KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management, find the DisablePagingExecutive parameter in it and change its value to 1.

Optimization with SSD Tweaker

Many PC users do not have sufficient training to manually configure Windows 7 for an SSD. The SSD Tweaker utility was developed specifically for them. It exists in several versions - free and paid. In the free version, some functions are disabled, but even without them you can achieve optimal interaction between Windows 7 and the SSD, and do this both manually and automatically.

Many have already appreciated the performance of SSD solid-state drives - perhaps this is one of the most desirable and effective computer upgrades that can seriously improve performance. In all parameters related to speed, SSDs outperform conventional hard drives. However, when it comes to reliability, not everything is so simple: on the one hand, they are not afraid of shocks, on the other, they have a limited number of rewrite cycles and a different operating principle. The latter must be taken into account when setting up Windows to work with an SSD drive. Now let's move on to specifics.

First of all, solid state SSD drives do not need to be defragmented; defragmentation will not bring any benefit, but harm is possible. I already wrote about this in.

All recent versions of Windows "know" about this and automatic defragmentation, which is enabled by default in the OS for hard drives, is usually not enabled for solid-state drives. However, it is better to check this point.

Press the Windows logo key and the R key on your keyboard, and then in the Run window, type dfrgui and click OK.

A window with automatic disk optimization settings will open. Select your SSD (the “Media Type” field will indicate “Solid State Drive”) and pay attention to the “Schedule Optimization” item. For SSD, you should disable it.

Disable file indexing on SSD

The next point that can help optimize an SSD is to disable indexing of the contents of files on it (which is used to quickly find the files you need). Indexing continuously produces write operations, which can potentially shorten the life of the SSD.

To disable, make the following settings:

Go to “My Computer” or “File Explorer”
Right-click on the SSD drive and select "Properties".
Uncheck "Allow the contents of files on this drive to be indexed in addition to file properties."

Despite indexing being disabled, searching through files on the SSD will occur at almost the same speed as before. (It is also possible to continue indexing, but move the index itself to another disk, but I will write about this another time).

Enable write caching

Enabling disk write caching can improve the performance of both HDD and SSD drives. At the same time, when this function is enabled, NCQ technology is used for writing and reading, which allows you to more “intelligently” process requests received from programs. ().

To enable caching, go to Windows Device Manager (Win + R and enter devmgmt.msc), open “Disk devices”, right-click on SSD - “Properties”. You can enable caching on the “Policies” tab.

Pagefile and hibernation

The Windows paging file (virtual memory) is used when there is insufficient RAM. However, in fact it is always used when it is turned on. Hibernation file - saves all data from RAM to disk for subsequent quick return to a working state.

To maximize the life of an SSD, it is recommended to minimize the number of writes to it, and if you disable or reduce the page file, as well as disable the hibernation file, this will also reduce them. However, I will not directly recommend doing this; I can advise you to read two articles about these files (they also indicate how to disable them) and make your own decision (disabling these files is not always good):

(what is how to reduce, increase, delete)

Perhaps you have something to add on the topic of tuning SSDs for optimal performance?

Today we will talk about setting up new hard drives, so-called SSD drives. After reading the entire article, you will be able to configure your SSD drive under Windows 7.

Before we start setting up the system, let's understand the difference between HDD and SSD. An SSD is a solid-state drive that uses memory chips to store information, and an HDD is a drive on hard magnetic disks that rotate inside the hard drive at enormous speed.

The main advantage of SSD is the absence of mechanical moving parts, which increases the reliability of this device. There are also differences in the speed of operation, the heating of device parts, and the absence of extraneous noise. However, not everything is so good, because an SSD drive has its drawbacks. The main disadvantage of this device is the limitation of write/rewrite cycles. Regular MLC SSD drives are capable of writing data about 10 thousand times. At more expensive prices, SLC memory drives write data approximately 100 thousand times. In order to reduce the number of accesses to the SSD drive, it is necessary to correctly configure the operating system, thereby extending its life.

So, let's look at what needs to be done to configure the microcircuit drive under Windows 7.

1st point. Here we will transfer the page file to another hard drive. Go to the computer properties again: My Computer – Properties – Advanced system settings – category “Performance” – Settings. We do the same as shown in the screenshot below, or you can set a larger volume.

2nd point. You need to disable hibernation. Why is this being done? Every time the system switches to this mode, a huge amount of information is written to your drive (hard drive). Personally, I always recommend disabling this feature. Plus, by disabling hibernation we will free up space on the system local disk, which is equal to the amount of your RAM. Hibernation by default is necessary for fast system boot, but if an SSD drive is installed, then Windows will start in 5-10 seconds. Therefore, we disable hibernation. To do this, we need to get into the command line. Open Start and type cmd at the very bottom of the search window.

Now enter powercfg.exe /hibernate off in the command line and press Enter. When you restart your computer, you will see that there is free space on the C:\ drive.

3rd point. In this step, we will transfer the folder where temporary files are stored to a plain hard drive. To do this, right-click on the Computer icon - Properties - Advanced system settings - Advanced.

Here we find the Environment Settings button and change the TEMP and TMP path to another folder on the HDD. Personally, I created it on my D:\ drive.

4th point. You also need to disable System Protection. Again, open the computer properties – System protection – “System protection” tab – Configure – Disable system protection.

However, we will not be able to restore from a backup copy if a system failure occurs. However, we don’t need this, because the operating system is installed in 10-15 minutes.

5th point. Disable file indexing. Indexing is needed to quickly search the disk for various files. However, the average user does not search for anything very often, especially since search on an SSD is fast. So you can turn off this function without hesitation. To disable indexing, go to My Computer, right-click on the C:\ drive, and select “Properties” at the very bottom. Now, in the “General” tab, you need to uncheck the “Allow the contents of files on this drive to be indexed in addition to file properties.”

6th point. Disabling Preftch and RedyBoot.

Prefetch allows your system to boot quickly by reading data ahead of your hard drive. This technology is useless for an SSD drive, because it already provides enormous data reading speed.

In order to disable Prefetch, go to the registry editor (Start Menu - Run - type regedit and press Enter). The registry editor will open: here you should find the following registry branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

here we need to change the value of the Enable Prefetcher key to “0”.

RedyBoot is an addition to the Prefetch technology. To disable it we follow the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WMI\Autologger\ReadyBoot

Go to the Start parameter and change the value to “0”.

So we configured our operating system for an SSD drive, thereby extending its life! Of course, it will last a long time without any settings, but if you want to extend the life of the drive as much as possible, then follow all these steps. That's all, good luck!

The popularity of solid-state drives is growing exponentially.

Once inaccessible to many due to their high cost, SSD drives are now confidently ousting HDD devices from the market.

And although prices between SSD and HDD analogues still vary greatly, in terms of price per 1 gigabyte of memory, this gap is constantly decreasing and this process cannot be stopped.

The main advantage of SSD drives over others is their quiet and reliable operation, and most importantly, high data processing speed.

It would seem that having become the owner of a modern, high-tech disk, you can calm down, satisfied with the excellent speed of its operation.

But that was not the case. Many users want to optimize SSDs for Windows 7/8/10, trying to achieve even better results from this device.

And here I would like to go into more detail. Is it possible to optimize the operation of an SSD under Windows 7/8/10, and if so, in what ways?

Indeed, there are such methods and there are several of them, but first let’s talk about something else that is no less important.

Required presets

Before you start optimizing your SSD for Windows, you first need to check some settings.

Is the TRIM function enabled in Windows 7 and does the SATA controller operate in AHCI mode (checked in the BIOS).

What is AHCI?

This is a specially designed mechanism that replaced the ATA controller, thanks to which it became possible to connect various storage media to the device, including SSD drives, using the .

This mechanism makes it possible:

1. Disconnect and connect SSD drives, and not only, while the computer is on. The so-called hot plug (HotPlug);
2. Use Staggered Spin-Up technology.

This technology ensures that several hard drives are connected sequentially with a delay, rather than simultaneously, when the system starts, if they are installed in the computer.

This is done so that the power supply does not burn out if it is weak.

3. Use Port Multiplier technology, which makes it possible to simultaneously connect several SSD drives or other devices to the computer through a port multiplier.

But you need to understand that the data flow will be divided evenly between all channels, and this reduces the speed of information transfer.

4. Native Command Queuing support.

Translated as a hardware installation of the command queue.

A short summary.

Not all motherboards support AHCI technology. But if their chips (south bridge) even have it, there are times when it is not visible in the BIOS.

Look at the documentation for the motherboard, and if this technology is supported, enable it in the BIOS, and if you don’t find AHCI there, you will have to update the BIOS to the latest version.

There are situations when, after turning on AHCI, with the system already installed, a blue screen immediately appeared.

This issue is resolved by installing and activating a separate AHCI driver for a specific operating system version.

The ideal option is when this mechanism is activated even before the system has been installed. During OS installation, the driver is registered automatically.

How to check the operation of controllers in AHCI mode.

Everything is very simple, go to the device manager in a convenient way for you (through the control panel or the “Computer” icon on the desktop).

Find the menu item “IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers” and expand it by clicking on the triangle on the left.

Operation in AHCI mode should be displayed like this.

Otherwise you will have to activate it.

Enable TRIM.

Many people don't know what it is. Let's find out.

TRIM, this is a command that clears space on the SSD disk in the background from those files that you have deleted. In another way, this command is also called “garbage cleaner”.

The fact is that when deleting data from regular HDDs, the areas where the deleted information was located are marked as no longer occupied.

New information is written on top of the deleted one. This ensures the stated operating speed of HDD drives.

In SSD drives, everything happens differently; new files are not written to deleted ones, but simply replace them.

It happens like this. You deleted some file from the SSD disk, it is marked as no longer needed, but is not actually deleted.

When new files are sent to the disk, and if there is no free space on it, new information replaces the old one and this greatly slows down the operation of the SDD drive.

To prevent this from happening, the TRIM command was introduced, which, through the bus controller, in the background, goes to the SDD disk and clears it of unnecessary files in advance.

All this happens unnoticed by the user, between other operations.

Now, when writing new files to an SDD disk, not only unnecessary time and resources are not wasted on deleting unnecessary files, everything happens much faster.

The TRIM command has been implemented in all operating systems since 2009. It is enabled by default. All modern SSD drives support it.

The TRIM command is not supported on Windows XP and Vista. To solve this problem, you can use third-party software from the flash drive manufacturer and other developers, for example, the hdparm program.

But over time, this problem becomes less and less relevant.

Do not forget that the TRIM command will only work if the SATA controller is operating in AHCI mode, which we wrote about above. IDA TRIM mode is not supported.

Proceed as shown below.

Basic commands you can copy and use:

Check – fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify;
Enabling the TRIM command – fsutil behavior query|set DisableDeleteNotify = 0.

Ways to optimize SSD

It is necessary to understand that optimization of SDD disks implies an increase in its volume and speed.

An attempt to optimize SDD devices may not always lead to an improvement in their operating speed; this must be understood.

After the changes are made, it is imperative to monitor and, if necessary, return everything to its original state.

Method 1 – disabling hibernation.

The essence of hibernation is that when it is activated, data from RAM is temporarily written to the disk in a specially reserved area, or rather to a file.

By starting hibernation at any stage of the computer’s operation, we thereby make a snapshot of the running system and programs, and when the computer is restarted, everything will return to its original state.

This is very convenient for laptops with an HDD drive, as it significantly saves time and battery power.

In desktop computers this is not so relevant, especially if an SDD drive is installed there. The system will start up quickly anyway.

Therefore, if desired, hibernation can be disabled. In this case, strong acceleration will not occur, but it will be possible to free up additional and literally precious space on the SDD disk.

It is not recommended to disable hibernation in laptops and other portable devices unless they are used as a stationary device.

There is only one way to disable it 100%, through the command line with administrator rights; see above for how to access it.

Commands used:

powercfg.exe -h off – disable hibernation;
powercfg.exe -h on – enable.

You can try to manually delete the file, or use the built-in power settings options.

But, as a rule, this does not help, since the hiberfil.sys file appears again. Only through the command line will there be a guaranteed result.

Total: This method of optimizing an SSD drive is 50% justified, much depends on how you will use the laptop, as a stationary device or a portable one.

Method 2 – deactivate disk indexing.

This function is largely intended for HDD devices to provide accelerated access to requested files.

SDD drives work much faster and the file indexing function is less relevant here.

By disabling it, we reduce the number of unnecessary requests to the disk, thereby speeding up its operation.

To do this, just go to the logical drive manager.

Activate the SSD drive and after right clicking, go to the properties section as shown below.

In the “General” section, look at the very bottom line, where you can disable indexing.

Confirm your intentions by clicking “OK”.

Result: The method is 100% justified.

Method 3 – Deactivate the protection system.

First of all, let's find out what system protection is.

Many people have probably heard about restore points and system rollback.

So, a component that periodically creates restore points through which the system can then be rolled back to its previous state is called system protection.

Such restore points are automatically created once a week and recorded on the system disk.

They occupy a certain disk space on which computer parameters and system files that are current and working at a certain point in time are recorded.

It also provides automatic creation of restore points before major changes to the system, such as installing drivers and programs or, conversely, removing them.

The size of the disk space where all recovery point files are written can be adjusted.

If you wish, you can completely disable this component for any of the drives, and if you decide to do this for your SSD device, this will give you the following advantages:

Increase disk space by 2 gigabytes or more;
Reduce the number of requests to the disk, as well as write operations to it.

What do you have to lose:

The ability to restore a working version of the system if it fails;
The ability to restore working versions of programs and drivers in the event of disruptions in their operation;
It is safe to conduct experiments when working with unfamiliar software.

That is, having slightly optimized the operation of the SSD drive, the slightest failure in the system, software, or drivers can cause big problems.

Whether it's worth doing is up to everyone to decide, but we don't recommend it.

But if you still decide to take this step, then to disable system protection, go to the computer properties and go to the appropriate section.

Here you can immediately restore the system if unwanted changes have been made, as well as configure protection settings.

You can disable them completely, or adjust the amount of disk space allocated for this function.

Method 4 – Deactivate the Windows Write Cache.

This function allows you to cache write commands coming to the disk so that they are subsequently executed as soon as it is physically possible.

Write commands are collected in high-speed RAM and sent to the disk based on the physical ability of the latter to accept them.

The presence of a Windows write cache for HDD devices is very justified, as it greatly speeds up their operation.

The same cannot be said about SDD drives, which work much faster.

But the problem is that SSD drives from different manufacturers behave differently when the Windows write cache is disabled.

How to do it.

Go to Device Manager through Computer Properties or Control Panel.

Find the "disk devices" section.

Right-click on the SSD disk icon and go to the “properties” section.

Here you can disable or enable the Windows write cache.

Method 5 – disable the page file.

The main role of this method is to increase disk space on an SSD drive, which is much more expensive than similar HDD devices.

This will not greatly affect the increase in the speed of the SSD device, and in some cases, when there is not enough RAM, it can even lead to a decrease in computer performance.

The paging file is a reserved space on the hard drive that begins to be used when the computer's physical RAM is rebooted.

Files loaded into RAM that are not yet in use are temporarily moved to the page file and, if necessary, retrieved from there.

If there is not enough physical RAM, or little space is allocated for the paging file, the computer begins to slow down significantly.

On SDD devices, the paging file is much more efficient than on HDD analogues, since the former work much faster, so think carefully about whether the game is worth the candle.

It is recommended to disable or manually reduce the page file only if the RAM is equal to or greater than 8 GB or you can use another approach.

For example, the computer has 4 GB of RAM. When running all the programs that the user usually uses, 2 GB of RAM is used (look in the task manager).

Not a photo, slightly different numbers, but that doesn't matter.

We take 50% of 2 GB, i.e. 1 GB, add them to the two already in use. The result is 3 GB, which is less than the 4 GB available. This means that the paging file can be reduced to a minimum or disabled completely.

As a rule, if the RAM is constantly loaded by more than 50%, it is not recommended to disable the page file (provided that if the RAM is up to 8 GB).

From 8 GB, 50% will be 4 GB. And in order to load all these 4 GB into RAM you need to try very hard, so in this case the page file is often disabled.

And if you decide to do this, then go to the “Computer Properties” section and go to the “advanced system settings” section.

Select “Performance” – “Options”.

Here, click “Change” and make the necessary settings by unchecking the “Automatically remove ...” box.

The changes will take effect after you restart your computer.

If these changes are not justified, change everything back.

Method to optimize SSD disk 6 - disable Prefetch and Superfetch.

What's happened ? This is a technology thanks to which programs frequently used by a PC user are loaded into memory in advance, while disk resources are also affected, since a special Prefetch file is created on it.

Since SSD devices are quite fast, this feature can be disabled.

What is SuperFetch? This technology tries to predict which programs the user will run at a certain point in time and loads all the necessary files into the computer's memory in advance.

This is relevant for HDD drives, but not so much for SSD drives, so you can also disable it.

The good news is that when you connect SDD devices to your computer, Windows OS starting with version 7 recognizes them and automatically disables these technologies.

But sometimes, for various reasons, this does not happen. In particular, when the computer has two hard drives, one HDD, the other SDD.

In this case, if you disable Prefetch and Superfetch manually, then all programs and system files should be kept only on the SDD device. Only then will all the actions described below be justified.

How to disable and manually.

Disable Prefetch. Proceed as shown below.

Required commands for copying: Windows + R, Regedit.

Don't close the window.

Disable SuperFetch. We find under the already known EnablePrefetcher line EnableSuperfetch.

We change the same thing from 3 to 0.

Restart your computer.

Also, you didn’t find it in the registry; you can disable this feature through services.

Commands used: Windows+R, services.msc.

The operating system services window will open. Find the line there, double-click on it and go to properties. First stop and then disable this feature.

Method 7 – Disable Windows Search.

A significant increase in the performance of SSD drives is achieved by disabling the Search function.

This is an accelerated search function, the fast operation of which is achieved through a preliminary index of documents and files on disk.

Index data is concentrated in a special Search file, which can take up quite a lot of disk space.

SDD devices have a much faster response speed than their HDD counterparts, so the Search function can be disabled on them.

But you need to disable it only if you do not use search and do not intend to do so. Because in fact, the function is very useful and makes life much easier for a PC user.

If you nevertheless decide to take this step, then the shutdown occurs in the “Services” section.

Commands already known to us are used:

Windows+R;
services.msc.

Find the Windows Search line and double-click to go to settings.

Click stop. We wait a few seconds and change the startup type to “disabled”. Click “OK” and reboot the system.

Method 8 – Disable ClearPageFileAtShutdown.

This function should be turned off if the paging file has been disabled (see method 5).

Removes all data from the paging file when the computer shuts down. Unnecessary requests to the disk occur, slowing down its operation.

To disable we use the commands already known to us: Windows + R, Regedit.

Go to the registry section as shown in the picture.

And find the line there.

As shown in the screenshot below, double click on settings and change the value of 1 to 0.

You can also change the parameter, the line is below.

Change 1 to 0.

Reduces the size of RAM and periodically sends cached documents to the main disk.

This is a useful feature when working with HDD devices; you can omit it with SDD drives.

Method 9 – ensure that TRIM (“garbage collector”) is always running.

This is done through the power settings.

The idea is that when certain power supply settings are set, the hard drive will turn off after a certain time, thereby stopping the operation of the TRIM command. For example, if the computer goes into sleep mode.

In order for SSD drives to work continuously, you need to make the necessary changes in the settings.

Through the control panel, go to the “Power Options” section.

Switch to High Performance mode and the screen may become dim.

Go to the Power Plan Settings section. And then “Change advanced power settings.”

Find the line “Hard disk” and set “Online” to 0.

Make the “On Battery” settings at your discretion, but keep in mind that the latter will discharge faster. Click OK.

Method 10 – disable scheduled defragmentation.

This is a controversial point, since Windows 7, for example, does not provide defragmentation of SSD drives at all. It just doesn't make sense.

Again, for HDD drives, automatic defragmentation is quite justified.

Therefore, if you have two disks installed on your computer, then you should not disable this function. If there is one disk, and it is SDD, then defragmentation in Windows 7 will not be carried out by default.

But if you still decide on this little adventure, then to disable scheduled defragmentation, click the start button and enter the word “Defragmentation” in the bottom search bar.

The following lines will appear.

Click the top one.

The message “Scheduled settings are being used by another program” may appear.

This can happen because third-party software is running on the computer, for example, TuneUp Utilities or O&O Defrag.

Click “Set up schedule” as shown above.

Deactivate the “Run on a schedule” setting.

In Windows 8, instead of defragmentation, a disk optimizer was introduced.

Many PC users make a big mistake by disabling this function for SSD devices, thinking that this will optimize their performance.

In fact, they disable both defragmentation and additional TRIM commands that are sent on a schedule (not to be confused with those commands that run in the background).

We already know what disabling TRIM leads to on SDD devices; they begin to work much slower.

Therefore, it is better not to disable the disk optimizer in Windows 8. Or look for a solution on the Internet, in which only defragmentation will be disabled, and the TRIM command will be executed.

Main mistakes in optimizing SSD drives

As a rule, SSD drive optimization errors occur when there is a second HDD device.

There is an opinion that if you move the browser cache, temporary files, ProgramData and AppData folders, user folders from the system SSD disk to the secondary HDD, this will speed up the work of the first one. And there seems to be more space.

Yes, indeed, there will be more space. But in fact, you need to start from the position of which disk works faster. Obviously SDD.

So why should we move files from it to a slower HDD, because the response time on the second one is much longer than on the first one. Or not?

Using the SSD Fresh program under Windows 7

The program somewhat simplifies the optimization of SSD drives for Windows 7.

The program is free and easy to find on the Internet.

The program is easy to install. After launching it, select the desired disk and click optimization.

Earlier versions of the program may ask for an activation key, which can be obtained for free on the program website. This was not noticed in the 2015 version.

The program itself will suggest to you what needs to be optimized and what not.

Let's sum it up

From all of the above, we can conclude that optimizing SSD drives for Windows 7 or another OS has two sides to the coin.

On the one hand, we gain in space, but may lose in speed; on the other hand, we gain in speed, but lose a number of useful functions.

Particularly controversial issues arise with disabling the paging file, transferring user files to a second, slower HDD drive, disabling indexing of files and folders, as well as hibernation, and deactivating disk optimization in Windows 8.

Therefore, optimization of SSD drives requires a competent and harmonious approach.

Each owner of this drive must decide for himself whether it is worth squeezing 100% or even greater performance from this device, or whether he will be satisfied with its already fast operation.

And we hope that the methods described above for optimizing SSD drives will only help you figure this out.

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