Split from: Windows 8 and SSD Hi, I've just bought a new HP ENVY desktop, with a 1TB HDD and a 128GB SSD. But I don't get it, how to use the SSD? And what are the advantages, should my PC boot up any faster? Also, if you look at the picture which one is the SSD? http://postimg.org/image/mkg4hg1r3/
Re: Windows 8 and SSD SSDs are much faster than HDDs. Your PC should boot faster, apps should load faster, everything should feel snappier. Your C: drive is on SSD as it should be. hqsec
Re: Windows 8 and SSD C is the SSD - well, most of it I think. It looks like they may have put the recovery image on the SSD instead of the HDD.
Re: Windows 8 and SSD Thanks for the replies. So you're saying that I've already been using the SSD all the time? And how to make use of the regular HDD? It's now completely empty. Also, I use a tool called HardDriveIndicator, is it now monitoring the SSD? http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/HardDriveIndicator.shtml Final question: how to know if (or when) my HDD is spinning?
Re: Windows 8 and SSD Yes, you've been using it al the time You can use HDD to store you personal data (pictures, movies, music...). At least I use it that way. You can also backup your system to HDD. I don't know the software so can't tell you if it works with SSD. The software you are using should tell you if HDD is spinning (so they claim in software description). hqsec
Re: Windows 8 and SSD Hi, I'm sorry if I'm a bit slow, but I'm new to this. What I meant is, now I get to see a HDD indicator on front of my desktop. How to tell if it's the SSD or HDD? And what happens if I move the Program Files folder from the SSD to the HDD? Will my PC get messed up?
Re: Windows 8 and SSD I've installed it in VM to see if there are any advanced options, but there seems to be no option similar to selecting which drive is being monitored. I guess that this app can't tell you which drive is active. You should not (don't know even if you could) try to move Program Files folder from SSD to HDD. That folder should stay where it is. hqsec
I looked at that HDD monitor application, and I couldn't find an option to monitor one drive or another either. I see activity regardless of whether my SSD or HDD is being accessed. I would try to find a new one if you need to see which drive is being accessed. That one hasn't been updated since 2006, so I doubt that feature will be added.
Yes, it's also unclear to me. When the HDD indicator (on front of my desktop) is active, the HDD monitor app also shows activity, so it is indeed working. It's so weird, when I download a 1 GB videogame demo, I don't see any HDD activity, and my PC is also quited, so I suppose it's indeed the SSD that I'm using. I guess I need to do a bit of reading, but is it true that the SSD and HDD are in fact working together? And can I just copy all data from the SSD to the HDD, as a back up? http://s30.postimg.org/vr9g1q4oh/image.png
Rasheed187, Your OS is on the SSD, installed in UEFI mode. You can use the HD to hold your data (photos, video, documents, downloads, music, etc) and image backups of the SSD. Or you can have your data on the SSD.
Wow, that sounds kinda exciting, it would be an easy way to make (extra) backups. To be honest, I'm not completely satisfied when it comes to speed. Apps (regular, not Metro) are quick to load and Win 8 feels snappy. However, I don't really see any difference when it comes to web-page rendering. But I guess that's not because of the SSD, but it's related to the browser. Btw, does UEFI mode give any advantages?
It would be interesting to run ATTO on your SSD and HD... http://www.attotech.com/disk-benchmark/ Re UEFI... http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463525.aspx
Re: Windows 8 and SSD Hi, I forget to response, thanks for the reply. But I was thinking, is it perhaps possible to make a complete backup of the SSD? So that if the SSD fails, I can just boot up from my HDD? Can I use tools like XXCLONE and Macrium Reflect? http://www.xxclone.com/ http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
*Bump* (see post #15) Does anyone know if this is possible? So if the SSD fails, you can just boot from the HDD?
If you mean keeping a clone of the SSD, it's a bad idea. But keeping images of the SSD to restore to a HD is a good idea.
You can create special partition -128 GB - and leave it empty. Other 800+ GB can be used to store system images (you can use Macrium) and also store other personal data. If SSD fails, you can restore an image to that special partition using Macrium bootcd. That way you can get your system back in no time. hqsec
Thanks for the feedback. Btw, another question, I opened my desktop today, and I noticed that the HDD and SSD were installed a bit skewed (not sure if this is correct English). But isn´t this bad for drives?
You only have to check if HDD is firmly attached (you can't move it with your hand). Position of HDD is not that important. SSDs don't have any rotating parts so you don't have to worry about it. hqsec
