Little by little, SSDs are replacing our good old mechanical hard drives (HDD) in our devices. The flash memory chips they contain avoid the frequent failures linked to shocks or drops. Much more resilient than traditional drives, they are nonetheless not immortal, and a few tips will help you maintain their performance.
This new generation of memory is fitted in more and more devices (ultrabooks, tablets, smartphones, …). While they are prized for their lightness and the absence of mechanical parts that makes them silent, it is above all their performance that is most talked about.
Flash cells for unmatched speed
Thanks to their read/write speeds far superior to traditional models, they are able to boot Windows, Mac OS and your software in just a few seconds. Also sold in a standard 2.5-inch SATA format enclosure, they can be easily installed in a more conventional laptop to replace your old HDD. While they are just as easy to use, their structure is quite different, which requires adopting new maintenance habits. Indeed, the flash memory cells responsible for storing data have a limited lifespan, which manufacturers express as a number of read/write cycles. Depending on the model, after 1000 to 3000 cycles, these cells “die”. This still amounts to several years of use. However, good habits can help optimize their lifespan and avoid an emergency data recovery, for example.
Prioritize the SSD for the system and software
To avoid running out of RAM, Windows uses part of the hard drive as a virtual extension of RAM memory in the form of a page file. If your RAM is greater than 4 GB, this file offers little benefit. However, it consumes write cycles at the expense of your SSD. It is worth moving it to another storage medium. How do you do it? Access the advanced system settings from the System and Security panel, then System in the Control Panel. In the Performance section, click the Settings button. Open the Advanced tab and in the Virtual Memory section, choose Change. Uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives option. You can then move this file to another drive or disable it by clicking No paging file, then Set.
Checking the TRIM function
The TRIM function helps preserve SSD performance and optimize its lifespan by using memory blocks intelligently. Empty blocks are used as a priority, and the function ensures that each flash cell receives a uniform number of writes and erasures. It is now built into most SSDs and is managed by Windows 7, 8 and 10. To check that the function is properly enabled, open the Start menu, search for the cmd.exe utility (Win + R with Windows 8). Then enter the command fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify. Press Enter to confirm. If you get DisableDeleteNotify=0, the TRIM function is operational. If you get 1, you will need to make a change to the Windows registry after checking that your SSD supports TRIM, that its firmware is up to date with the manufacturer, and that your motherboard’s SATA controller is properly set to AHCI mode.