Setting up an SSD

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[Z00111111]

So after the usual brilliant service of Bohica, I'm going to be installing Windows 7 on an SSD tonight or tomorrow.

As this is something I've never done, I was hoping you guys could give me some advice. I mean I could find guides on the internet, but I know a few of you are running SSD setups for gaming, so will have very relevant knowledge and advice.

I'm planning what seems the usual method, Windows and main games on a 120gig SSD, everything else on a normal hard drive.

Is there anything I need to know going into this? It's going to be a completely fresh install. What benefits most from being installed on the SSD, and what should just go on the mechanical drive? It's a PC for gaming and home theatre. Also, can I actually tell Steam where to install specific games? I just clicked install on KSP on my work computer, and it just went straight ahead and installed without giving me any obvious options for location...

[kesawi]

No special steps are needed for installing the OS onto an SSD in Windows 7 (or 8/8.1).

A 120GB drive fills up pretty quickly by the time you put Windows 7, Office and a couple of games on.

Keep your OS and Apps (Office, web browser, etc) on your SSD so the PC boots and the apps start fast.

If you're running a media front end such as XBMC, Plex or Media portal keep the program and cache files it uses on the SSD as well. This will make navigation a bit quicker as the thumbnails and covers will be loaded from the cache on the SSD. Media can stay on the HDD.

All my media, documents and pictures I keep on the HDD and amend the documents, pictures and music libraries for each user so that they point to the relevant locations on the HDD rather than SSD.

You can specify individual directories for games when you install them through Steam. However, once you've finished with a game and want to move it from the SSD to the HDD (or viceversa) Steam will require you to uninstall it then reinstall it. I use a program called SteamTool Library Manager (http://www.stefanjones.ca/steam/) which shifts Steam games between my SSD and HDD. It achieves this by moving the game across from your SSD to the HDD and then creating an NTFS directory junction on the SSD to point to the new location on the HDD. As far as Steam is concerned it thinks the game is located on your SSD. You can also use it to shift games back onto your SSD. I install all my Steam games to the default location, and then use SteamTool to relocate them as I require. For my non-Steam games I still install them to the default location on the SSD, but then manually move them to the HDD and create a NTFS directory junction pointing to them.

[Z00111111]

These NTFS directory junctions sound interesting. I'll look into that.
SteamTool sounds very useful for SSD setups.

Thanks for the information, exactly what I was after.

[Alucard]

i am pretty sure that there is software that comes with the SSD to optimise it for what you would want.

one thing i would suggest to turn on in the bios for the SSD is something called AHCI. it does something with the bandwidth from the drive to the motherboard

Steam has options to choose where to install games now. so when you go to down load and install it, it asked to confirm the path used.

other than that i would make sure that the ssd is the only HDD connected to the pc when installing. saves you the mistake of accidentally installing it on something else.

[Z00111111]

I'm a bit miffed about this AHCI thing... It adds about 10-15 seconds to boot time just after the BIOS screen. It only annoys me because, now, the BIOS and AHCI take about as much time as loading Windows.

On that note, the combination of Windows 7 and an SSD is mind blowing. It takes so little time for windows to load, the computer is almost useable by the time the TV it's hooked up to has been turned on and changed to the right input channel! It's about as fast as Linux was to boot, but so much easier to use.

[MrX]

Welcome to SSD land Zoo

[Alucard]

I'm a bit miffed about this AHCI thing... It adds about 10-15 seconds to boot time just after the BIOS screen. It only annoys me because, now, the BIOS and AHCI take about as much time as loading Windows.

On that note, the combination of Windows 7 and an SSD is mind blowing. It takes so little time for windows to load, the computer is almost useable by the time the TV it's hooked up to has been turned on and changed to the right input channel! It's about as fast as Linux was to boot, but so much easier to use.

strange.... maybe there is a bios update for that. what is your motherboard?
yeah it is awesome how fast it is in comparison. i do wish i had another SSD to chuck ubuntu onto but it will have to live on the normal HDD for now

[Z00111111]

Pretty sure it's the GA-EX58-DS4. I've downloaded some drivers etc from the Gigabyte website, I'll installed them and see if it improves.

[Alucard]

yeah the last bios update was about 4 years ago (not counting the beta bios) but a quick google and i cannot find anything about it taking longer when in AHCI mode compared to IDE....
try the bios update if your really worried about it.