Windows 7 SSD System Partition Optimization

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by TheRollbackFrog, Mar 30, 2015.

  1. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Decided to post this after many recent image restorations lately...

    Most of you do understand that the TRIM operation under Windows 7 is effective and will inform your SSD when blocks of storage are no longer needed. This allows your SSD to perform its internal reorganization of its NAND blocks and repacks the internal storage for optimal use by an SSD... it's good for the drive. Windows issues these TRIM commands following certain OS storage functions that it performs.

    But, unlike Windows 8, Windows 7 does not have a mechanism to optimize the drive on demand. If there are existing storage elements that Windows believes are no longer needed, there's no mechanism to let the SSD know of that fact and as a result, the SSD will continue to carry around any data that it knows about and Windows 7 doesn't. This is a very common state when disk images have been restored to a SSD for whatever reason... old data placement might remain in place as the image is restored.

    Windows 8 dealt with this anomaly with its new OPTIMIZATION routines for SSDs... Windows 7 was left hangin' in the wind. A nice community user developed a simple standalone tool (no installation required) when he migrated from XP to Windows 7 (with his SSD) to insure that his SSD was as organized as it could be. He happened to use basically the same mechanism to do this with his tool as Windows 8 decided to use in their OPTIMIZATION design.

    The simple application is called SSD Tool and it's actually been around for a while. It's very effective as I use it after each restore I do to my SSD System partition. It checks and gives you an indication if your SSD partition is properly aligned and offers a single button to perform the SSD cleanup. It performs this operation using standard Windows API calls... nothing funny going on. As a result the tool is not usable under any Windows OS that DOES NOT support the TRIM function.

    Thought I'd pass this on as there may be users who haven't been part of a discussion that this tool came up in... enjoy!
     
  2. Kurtis Smejkal

    Kurtis Smejkal Registered Member

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    Looks like a great tool, I ought to use it with my computer at home. Love my SSD, don't think I could use a standard HDD for my OS anytime soon!
     
  3. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Yep, they make it very easy to get spoiled and never go back.
     
  4. Kurtis Smejkal

    Kurtis Smejkal Registered Member

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    Well...the price...it could be lower haha
     
  5. pandlouk

    pandlouk Registered Member

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    Won't work on a RollBack RX protected system. SSD tool works with sparse file creation/deletion and RollBack intercepts and virtualise sparse files.

    Panagiotis
     
  6. Kurtis Smejkal

    Kurtis Smejkal Registered Member

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    There's Always A Way.
     
  7. pandlouk

    pandlouk Registered Member

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    Intercepting and redirecting/blocking OS APIs necessary for the file system integrity is hardly a solution.
    And hiding the file system (RollbackRX's file system) on SSDs can be very dangerous on some ssd chipsets that perform background garbage collection.
    Heck Rollback does not even change the partition type id of the protected area on those disks, to notify the ssd to not try to perform garbage collection in that area.

    Panagiotis
     
  8. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    My SSD seems slower than usual these days... Gonna try this tool.

    *One quick question, how do I know it's finished?
     
  9. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    If you have a disk activity light you'll know. Once you hit the button, the light will light up like a Chistmas tree for about 10-sec then go to a dinner light for a few more seconds then back almost nothing. I imagine the time will vary depending on how much FREE space is being TRIMmed by the OS.

    Don't forget to check if the alignment is OK (the tool will tell you when you select the volume)...
     
  10. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    Thanks, it appears OK. Going to test as soon as hourly AX64 snapshot is finished.
     
  11. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    A bit of an increase, nothing magical. Good tool, much appreciated.
     
  12. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    The "magic" it performs is not something you can see... it happens inside of the SSD as far as its block management is concerned.
     
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