SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

Dave76 · 05 Oct 2010

How you partition your drives is up to you, partitioning them like you have mentioned is just fine if that makes it easier for you.

You will need to be sure your SSD is aligned correctly, it will affect the performance.
Easiest way is to let Win7 do it on installation, if you leave a new SSD unformatted Win7 will recognize it and align it for you. After Win7 is installed you can shrink the partition and add new partitions.
Windows Disk Management should be able to do this for you, if you have any problems you can use "Partition Wizard" free version, which will do it easily.

Image backup and restore is the best way to keep backups of your SSD and HDDs.
If you have a Seagate or Western Digitial HDD in your system you can get a free version of Acronis, which is a very good image backup and restore program.
If you don't have either of these then Macrium Reflect Free Edition is highly recommended.

You can make backup images of your SSD and HDDs and restore them quickly if needed.
No re-installation of OS or programs will be needed, they will run exactly as the day you made the backup.

Here is a tutorial on using Macrium Reflect.
Imaging with free Macrium

Bare Foot Kid · 05 Oct 2010

My mistake, I wrongly assumed you were going to install all your programs to the OS partition.

Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD

Dual Boot : Create Partitions Using PWBD

Partition : Recover Space Used by an Older OS

rcanino · 05 Oct 2010

Thanks BFK, thanks Dave.

So the alignment is really an issue eh? (thought I could get away with not learning about it!)

But if I let Windows partition my drive, that means I'm not using BFK's Method then right? And that means I'll end up with that darn 100MB primary partition, which I do not want.

Can I follow BFK's Method, make my partitions in DISKPART and then have Windows align them (somehow)? Either right after I exit DISKPART maybe, or maybe after Windows finishes installing?

I didn't realize the alignment was such an issue. I'd like to do this installation right if I can - and "performance" is why I bought the SSD!

Thanks again for your help - if you can also advise me on the alignment issue I'd really appreciate it.

Dave76 · 05 Oct 2010

Yes, you're correct.

Letting Win7 setup your partitions will give you the 100MB primary partition.

Using BFK's method you will have to set the alignment manually, I'll check on this if BFK doesn't beat me to it.

Edit:

Have a look at this tutorial:

SSD Alignment

rcanino · 05 Oct 2010

Thanks Dave!

I can google "manually aligning partitions on SSD" but if someone here has done it that would be great to learn from them.

Thanks again!

Dave76 · 05 Oct 2010

Just Edited the above post, this tutorial tells you how to do it manually.

rcanino · 05 Oct 2010

excellent! Thank you very much Dave.

So I guess I do this after I create each partition? (I want 3 partitions on my SSD)

The other thing is I might need a little help with the exact syntax. Should it be part of the same command when I create the primary partition?

ie.
create partition primary align = 64 size=51200 <enter> //create 50G OS partition
create partition primary align = 64 size=51200 <enter> //create 50G Apps partition
create partition primary align = 64 size=25600 <enter> //create 25G scratch drive partition

Or one at a time, something like this:
create partition primary size=51200 <enter> //create 50G OS partition
list volume (i can't remember but I think that's how you call a partition)
select volume 0 //make newly created partition active
create partition primary align = 64 <enter> //align 50G OS partition

and then I can continue with BFK's steps?

(btw, the "64" in the tutorial - do you know how to calculate that? I assume it's different for every size SSD. Good to know you can check - it sounds like as long as the offset is divisible by 4 you're good to go - as long as that formulais the same for all SSDs...(?)

Thanks again Dave!

tw33k · 06 Oct 2010

The formula is same (ie: divisible by 4) I just let Windows take care of mine and have used Acronis a few times to create/restore an image of the drive. Will post my alignment size when I get home.

Dave76 · 06 Oct 2010

Just googled: manually setting the alignment on a Crucial C300 128GB

This link is from the Crucial SSD forum:

Win7 64-bit install failing on C300-128Gb / Asus P7P55D-E EVO / SATA 6Gb

It says the alignment is:

Diskpart > Create Partition Primary Align=1024

Another Crucial SSD forum, sticky thread on changing alignment. Some useful information on alignment.

Re-alignment without data loss.

Best to get some more input on this, I let Win7 align my installation.

tw33k · 06 Oct 2010

Just got home and was about to post that. You are 100% correct Dave. 1024.