SSD clone
Can I use the provided clone utility to help me migrate Windows 7 to a larger SSD than it's currently on? Will the resulting volume have TRIM support? Does this work correctly with all brands of SSD or only certain ones?
I'm not so sure you understand the issue with TRIM, my understanding is it's tailored to the storage hardware and links to the uC firmware on the drive which may occupy certain specific locations in memory so it is HIGHLY relevant to the backup software how this is done since it will determine whether TRIM works correctly on the resulting image! At least I've seen this as a primary concern on other backup forums so I'm inclined to believe there may be an issue there, isn't there a special "tweak" for Acronis especially for copying images from WD SSDs (mine's something else) etc.? I'm not inclined to believe you know what you're talking about if you "don't think it matters" if others are so quick to point out how important it is!
Jeff,
Your post was intriguing, so I looked around, read up on the TRIM command and I am still wondering what is the issue with TRIM and how the backup software can influence how the function works... Can you share some relevant links?
Hey, you know, I am not an SSD expert so it is very possible I am missing something. The only thing I worry about with SSD is whether the disk is aligned.
Pat,
Here's some links. One of the things I'm getting out of them is that SSDs don't have all that much standardization, on some of them the TRIM is (at least partially) done in the drive, maybe that's going away but I'll need to know what the situation is with my particular brand/model. I'm also concerned that the consensus also seems to be if all else fails be prepared to do a clean install anyway because "it's safest". That definitely is NOT what I want to hear!
Anyway take a look and see if you understand where my doubt is coming from:
http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=803531
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/265415-32-copying-windows-image
http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/105811-copy-image-ssd-drive…
The first post and third posts are really about alignment. More below.
The second is whether Windows 7 will activate TRIM if it is moved from one hard drive to another. If it doesn't happen automatically, you can use the fsutil command to activate it. http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/How-to-activate-Trim…
About the alignment, if you clone a non-aligned image to a new SSD, you will get a non-aligned SSD.
To check whether your disk is aligned, go to msinfo > Components > Storage > Disks. Lookup your first partition, if you have 1024KB (1MB) as offset you are in good shape. If it is a multiple of 1MB, it is OK. If not, you are not aligned.
To move a non-aligned partition to your SSD, you have to use a standard disk and partition backup and restore one partition at a time from the recovery CD. This will allow you to make sure you have 1 MB offset for your first partition.
Let us know when you get there!