SSD Boot set up help

fierohink · Dec 28, 2013

I have an Inspiron 531 with Athlon 3800+, 4gb memory, 2 Drives ( 160GB and 320 GB), and Vista Home Prem 32.

I recently acquired an 80GB SSD. I would like to make that my boot drive. I would also like to reformat all drives and start fresh. I have amassed a number of programs I no longer use, as well as peripherals I no longer have and think it would be easier to start from scratch.

Question: What is the best procedure for this restart? Install just SSD and install windows then reformat other 2 drives? Try to reformat all 3 at the same initial windows install? Does it matter?

clutchc · Dec 28, 2013

I don't know how well old Vista will work with a SSD, but let's assume it requires the same effort as Win7.

Basically, you simply set the SSD as the boot drive in BIOS, set the SATA mode to AHCI, and install Win7 to that drive. I would disconnect the SATA cable from the HDD just so that it doesn't accidentally end up with the MBR. But there are a few quirks that need to be addressed for best performance with the SSD. Here is a nice tutorial if you want to take the time to read it:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds

If you're in a hurry or don't feel like reading thru the whole tutorial, just be sure to do this after installation:
http://www.computing.net/howtos/show/solid-state-drive-ssd-tweaks-for-windows-7/552.html
Step 1 needs to be dine before Win7 installation, however.

Btw, you won't be getting full performance out of the SSD anyway, since your MB only has a SATA I or II interface. But the SSD will still be quicker than the HDD by a long shot.

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