Posted on 04/09/2014 11:00:46 AM PDT by don-o
My laptop suddenly was less responsive. I regularly run disc cleanup and defrag, using the built in Win 7 tools. On a whim, I installed Defraggler and it shows my HD 14% fragmented.
I was stuned.
Excellent advise.
I still have no clue how I would retrofit one into my laptop or what is the advantage.
SSDs are made in the 2-1/2” form factor, which is generally what laptops use. (You would have to check yours - maybe call the mfr support to check, as it sounds as if you don’t have much tech experience.)
Many SSDs come equipped with software and instructions to migrate your existing O/S and programs to the new drive, allowing you to install it in your machine and be ready to go after the transfer. A caveat: the SSD needs to be as large or larger than the current spinning disk.
Primary advantage? BLAZING speed! I built a new system in early Janary, using an SSD for the system drive. It took 9 minutes for start-to-finish to do a clean install of Windows 8. Then, I downloaded the 3.5GB Windows 8.1 update and ran that. Total time consumed- 46 minutes, including the download time. And this was with a motherboard that only has SATA II controllers!
When I was finished and before loading a lot of applications, bot time was 5 seconds. Of, course, it’s slowed down somewhat, but it’s still under half a minute to go from power on to desktop.
That, sir is an accurate assessment. I DO appreciate all the input. As long as I get this thing back to its usual state, I am satisfied. It's good enough.
I try to be good for a little something, at least once per day.
Windows cleanup and defragmenting tools are notoriously ineffective. Download a copy of CCleaner (free version) to get the cobwebs out of your system. I would also run an anti malware program like Malware Bytes (free version)... a collection of adware and spyware programs constantly phoning home can really slow things down. Be sure your anti virus protection is up to date and do a complete scan of your system. Note some anti-virus programs can be very clunky. If your anti-virus was recently updated to a new version that could be the culprit. Check around for anti-virus software that doesn’t sap so many resources. Go through your list of programs and uninstall anything you aren’t using. Tool bars and search programs have a way of getting installed without your knowledge and can slow down your system. I use Auslogic for defragmenting my Windows 7 machine, but do all the clean up, program removal and malware scans first. If a lot of junk gets cleaned off your hard drive it could again need defragmenting.
I do all that - just had the wrong defrag tool.
Stuned?
This could be hugh and series!
T'was a close run thing; but the huge manatee stepped in and all is well.
If your hard drive ever crashes, disk defenestration is an option.
Good luck to you whatever you decide to do. BTW — 14% fragmentation really isn’t a lot...
Stuned? I hope your beeber works!
True confession time: I promised myself that when they dropped to a buck a gig I'd buy a bigger one. Suddenly they reached half a buck a gig and I struck...which ended me up with a SSD I DON'T EVEN NEED. Because it was shiny. (Hanging head in shame...)
I don’t know that there is such a thing as an “SSD I don’t even need.” That’s like saying I don’t need to drink that beer in the fridge. It’s just silly. There’s ALWAYS a need.
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