SSD Slowing Down? 7 Quick Tricks to Make SSD Run Faster!
- SSD is slowing down, what should I do?
- 7 Quick tricks to make SSD run faster in Windows 111/0/8/7
- Bottom Line
SSD is slowing down, what should I do?
"My Solid-It sounds like your SanDisk Ultra 2 SSD is experiencing performance issues. Before considering a full OS reinstall, have you tried checking for disk errors, running a disk cleanup, or updating your SSD's firmware? Additionally, ensure your system's BIOS is up-to-date, and consider running a tool like CrystalDiskInfo to monitor your SSD's health. If these steps don't improve performance, a clean reinstall of your OS might be necessary. However, if you're looking for a more targeted solution, you could also try checking for any software or driver updates that might be affecting your system's performance.
If you have used an SSD (solid-If you're experiencing slow performance from your solid-state drive (SSD) on your computer, you might encounter similar issues to those experienced by SanDisk or Samsung SSD users, especially when the drive is almost full. This can cause apps and programs to take longer to open or load, and in some cases, may even cause freezing problems. Despite being faster than traditional hard drives, SSDs can still slow down when full, leaving you wondering if there's a solution. Fortunately, the answer is yes, and there are ways to improve SSD performance in Windows computers.
7 Quick tricks to make SSD run faster in Windows 11/10/8/7
No matter which solid-If your state drive, such as a Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston SSD, or another well-known one, is running slow on your Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or 11 computer, try these 7 tricks to resolve the issue. These methods apply to Windows 10, but also work for Windows 7/8/8.1. (Note: I removed the "s" from "state" as it seems to be a typo)
- Trick 1. Ensure your SATA controller runs in AHCI mode
- Trick 2. Make sure TRIM is running
- Trick 3. Avoid Disk Defragmentation
- Trick 4. Verify Hibernation is disabled
- Trick 5. Enable Write Caching for SSD
- Trick 6. Make sure the SSD partition is aligned
- Trick 7. Securely erase SSD
▌Trick 1. Ensure your SATA controller runs in AHCI mode
Before installing the operating system, it's recommended to enter the BIOS and enable AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) mode for the SATA controller, which is better for optimizing SSD performance. IDE is the default option, but it's usually used for HDDs. Interestingly, you can also change your SATA mode from IDE to AHCI mode even after Windows has been installed.
Step 1. Press the "Win+R" keys simultaneously, type "msconfig" in the Run dialog box, and then press the Enter key to open the System Configuration Utility. This will allow you to access various system settings and configure boot options, startup programs, and other system services.
Step 2. In the "Boot" tab, select the "Safe boot" option, save the changes, and then reboot your computer.
Step 3.Press a specific key (usually F2 or DEL) to enter BIOS settings, change SATA mode from IDE to AHCI, save changes, and exit.
Step 4. Reboot your computer, and Windows will boot in safe mode this time. Run "msconfig" again, and untick "Safe Boot", then restart your computer. You're done, and you can now check if the SSD is still running slow.
▌Trick 2. Make sure TRIM is running
The SSD cleaning process can be time-consuming, causing a drop in speed when writing new data. To address this, the TRIM technology was introduced, allowing the OS to instruct the SSD to delete unnecessary data blocks and wipe them, thereby speeding up data writing. Without TRIM, an SSD drive can run slowly, but enabling it can result in a significant speed boost. To ensure TRIM is enabled, follow the necessary steps.
Step 1. To run the Command Prompt as an administrator in Windows, type 'cmd' in the Windows search bar, right-click on the 'Command Prompt' result, and select 'Run as administrator'.
Step 2. To check if the "DisableDeleteNotify" behavior is enabled, open the Command Prompt window and type the command "fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify" (without quotes). Press Enter to execute the command.
Step 3. Press Enter, after a short while, Command Prompt will display one of the following two messages:
- The NTFS DisableDeleteNotify = 0 setting on your SSD indicates that TRIM (Trim Command) is enabled, which allows the SSD to automatically delete and recycle unused data blocks, improving performance and extending the lifespan of the drive.
- The registry value "NTFS DisableDeleteNotify = 1" disables TRIM on an SSD.
To enable the "Delete Notify" feature, type "fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0" and press Enter.
▌Trick 3. Avoid Disk Defragmentation
Disk defragmentation is useful for hard drives with moving parts, as it brings together the parts of a file, reducing file system fragmentation and improving data retrieval efficiency.
Running disk defragmentation on an SSD is unnecessary and can even be detrimental, as it increases wear and tear, potentially slowing down the drive and reducing its lifespan. Therefore, it's recommended to disable disk defragmentation on SSDs.
Step 1. To optimize your SSD, open File Explorer and right-click on the SSD you want to optimize. From the context menu, select "Properties" to access the SSD's settings.
Step 2. In the "Tools" tab, click on "Optimize" under the "Optimize and defragment" drive section.
Step 3. Click on the "Change settings" button, untick the "Run on a schedule" option, and click "OK" to stop the scheduled task.
After disabling, you can optimize SSD performance on your PC.
▌Trick 4. Verify Hibernation is disabled
To avoid SSD slowing down in Windows, disabling Hibernation can free up disk space on your SSD, as it takes up the same amount of capacity as RAM. To disable Hibernation, follow the steps:
Step 1. To access the Command Prompt as an administrator, click the "Search" box and type "cmd". Then, right-click on the Command Prompt icon that appears in the search results and select "Run as administrator" from the context menu. This will open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges, allowing you to run commands that require elevated permissions.
Step 2. To disable the hybrid shutdown feature, open the Command Prompt as an administrator, type "powercfg -h off" and press Enter.
▌Trick 5. Enable Write Caching for SSD
Enabling write caching can significantly boost SSD speed and performance, making it a recommended setting. Fortunately, it is enabled by default, but if you're unsure, here's how to check and enable it on your computer.
Step 1. Right-click "Computer" and hit "Properties".
Step 2. Click "Device manager" on the left, then expand "Disk drives".
Step 3. Right click on your SSD, choose "Properties" and go to the "Policies" tab.
Step 4. Make sure "Enable write caching" on the device is ticked and click on "OK" to ensure the write cache is enabled.
▌Trick 6. Make sure the SSD partition is aligned
Partition alignment is a crucial concept for SSDs that significantly impacts writing and reading data speed. If partitions are not aligned, it can lead to slow SSD performance. Fortunately, there is a quick way to check and align SSD partitions, which we will introduce here.
To optimize your SSD, you'll need Qiling Disk Master Professional, a versatile software that supports Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. This tool not only checks if your SSD partitions are aligned but also allows you to align them with just a few clicks, making it a convenient solution for ensuring optimal SSD performance.
▌Trick 7. Securely erase SSD
If your SSD drive slows down when full, you can transfer data to another drive, back it up, then securely erase it for reuse, which can be done with Qiling Disk Master Professional's "SSD Secure Erase" function. This process won't harm the drive's lifespan or performance.
To reset the SSD performance to its original level, you can use the secure erase function. However, this function only works on Windows 7 computers, so you'll need to connect the slowing SSD to a Windows 7 computer and follow the necessary steps to securely erase it.
Step 1. To securely erase data from an SSD, run Qiling Disk Master Professional, navigate to the top toolbar, and click on "Wipe", then select "SSD Secure Erase".
Step 2. Select the target SSD from the provided disk list and click "Next".
Step 3. Here you can check the identification information of the selected SSD drive. Click the "Proceed" button, and then wait for the process to be completed.
Bottom Line
With the seven quick and effective tricks, you can easily tackle the SSD slowing down issue in Windows. These solutions can help you resolve the problem, but to avoid it in the future, it's wise to not fill the SSD to full capacity and store large and infrequently accessed files on a different drive.
If your HDD is slowing down, you can use the Schedule Defrag function to automatically defragment it as scheduled and optimize disk performance. For Windows Server users, try Qiling Disk Master Server.
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